Bricksan

I think you maybe right but I could not find any official answer on it.

I thought yesterday when I was sent the press release that more people would be upset with this rather then the loss of LEGO Universe

Love it, been using it all day, I am very interested on how you did it as would like to implement something similar for my site for book searches.

Sorry I meant 6247 my mistake

I have quiet a few, where would you like me to start?? I can do 1696 and 6244 to start with

I plan on reviewing ALL classic Pirates set as those are the ones I collect

Introduction Shipwrecked Pirate one of the small rafts from the Pirate theme. The other small raft is the Renegade Raft. Both rafts have a lot of similarities between them, but you get less for your money than you do with the Renegade Raft. It is worth mentioning that there are two versions of this set, the boxed one (set no. 1733) and the polybag version (set no.1713). Both are identical except for the packaging. The set was released in 1994 and you could purchase it for around £1.99 in the UK at the time. Mine cost me £8.06 plus £1.99 p+p off eBay. At the time I thought it was an ok price, but have since learnt you can pick up this set in decent condition for less then £5. Product Details Set No: 1733 Set Name: Shipwrecked Pirate Theme: Pirates Released: 1994 Minifigures: 1 Pieces: 23 RRP: £1.99 Purchase Price: £8.06 Links: Brickset Box/Packaging As you can see from the images, my box, with the opened side damaged, wasn't in the best condition. However, the box is still in one piece and gives a good showing of what a mid 90's box looks like. The earlier pirate boxes were yellow, the later ones had a colour change to purple as this one clearly shows. Instructions This set consists of very basic instructions and most people could build the set without the need for them. The instructions consist of a piece of paper with the set photo, the mini figure build and steps one to three on the front. The back has steps 4 to 7. As my set was second hand when I recently purchased it, I was pleased with the condition of the instructions, as besides the folds they were in very good condition, with no rips or tears. Parts The set comes with twenty-three pieces. Four are taken up by the minifigure, so you are left with sixteen pieces to build with. The majority of the pieces are the same as the Renegade Raft, with the only changes being the yellow plates underneath and the two round dish pieces. You also get a red oar in this set and at the time the only other sets to offer red oars where the larger sets. Mini Figure This set consisted of one of the newer designed pirates from the original pirate theme. The head is an updated version of one of the original pirate mini figures with the only change being the hair which has gone from black to a light brown. The vest pattern on the torso is also an updated version of the original pirate vest. Previously the vest pattern was either red and white or blue and white. This was the first to have a different one. I do like this version of the pirate, as it was a break from the other pirate mini figures from previous years and was one of the first heads to consist of two colours on it. Build The build is as easy as you can get. For me it is the second easiest Pirate set from the class pirate theme. Most of the pieces are designed for the bottom of the set, with you only having to put the flag pole on top of the 4x6 plate. What I dislike about the build is the two black Round Dish 2 x 2 pieces you fit on the bottom, as they make the raft lean from one side to another and it is almost impossible to get the raft level. I usually leave these off sets. The build from start to finish, takes less then 5 minutes and for me is not one you need instructions for as I mentioned above. Final Thoughts For me personally out of all the rafts this is my least favourite one. I always say it is a poor man's version of Renegade Raft. They look almost identical and you can tell this set has been based on the other set. The best part of the set for me is the mini figure as it adds variety to the pirate ranks. If someone asked me to pick between this and Renegade Raft, I would say the Renegade Raft any day of the week. Design: 3/10 - As mentioned above I feel the set is a cheap copy of Renegade Raft. Parts: 3/10 - You get nothing unique in this set and you could make it with parts from other sets, with ease. Minifigs: 7/10 - The best thing about this set is the Mini Figure, a different variation to an old face and the same for the torso. Build: 2/10 - For me I remember as a child being left disappointed with it as it was too easy. For me now and as a child the fun was in the build, something this set did not offer me. Playability: 5/10 - One thing you can do is use this set with some of the larger sets and makes for some interesting story lines. Price: 5/10 - For it's original price you get 23 pieces for your money and is an ok price for what you get. Extra Designs To finish I built the 3 images that can be found on the back of the box. All these are simple builds and not one makes use of all the pieces available to you. In the image above, is a simple wall for the flag to be placed upon, not sure what the designer was trying to build with this one, if truth be told. This one above I like as it looks like a platform with a shot plank to walk prisoners off and out of the three extra builds, this is the one I prefer. Finally this one is a table with a seat and a storage barrels for his sword, another nice idea and also rather quaint.

Introduction P1020830 I would like to present to you, the first ever LEGO Pirate set I owned: Buried Treasure. I was lucky enough to own this when it first came out way back in 1989. When I made the decision to get back into LEGO, this was one of my must have sets due to it's nostalgia. While this set is only a small one at 20 pieces, it was my introduction to LEGO Pirates. The set I now own was purchased from eBay for a bargain: £3.99 plus P&P. The set came with everything, including the box, which was a bit battered and tatty but still in one piece. The box is ok with the main photo featured on the front and a further 3 photos on the back, of different sets you could build from the pieces. The ability to create other sets out of the pieces is one of the things I like about LEGO. Product Details Set No: 6235 Set Name: Buried Treasure Theme: Pirates Released: 1989 Minifigures: 1 Pieces: 20 RRP: £1.99 Purchase Price: £3.99 Links: Brickset Boxing/Packaging My box has seen better days as you can tell from the images. I did not get any of the inner packaging with my box but the main thing is you can see the detail on the back of the box for the extra builds. Instructions P1020833[/url The instructions come as a folded, double-sided piece of paper. Once unfolded you are presented with the front, which features the same image that is on the front of the box. Followed by step one, two and three. On the reverse are steps four and five. P1020834 Like my previous review (Renegade's Raft), once you have built the set, there is no need for the instructions, as it is simple to construct. This was also the same when I had the set first time round. I also feel that LEGO drag out the stages more than necessary; for example, step 1 only shows the 4 by 6 plate and step 5 shows the completed set. Parts P1020839 The set comes with 20 pieces, although, if you take away the 8 pieces of gold, the monkey and mini figure, you are only left with 11 pieces to build with. However, what I do like from the parts in this set are the monkey and the treasure chest, with 8 pieces of gold. The fact you get 8 gold pieces instead of 4 is a good plus in my book. The other piece I like is the shovel which from my knowledge is only available in a handful of Pirate sets. Mini Figure P1020835 P1020836 The mini figure which comes with the set is one of the more common ones in the Pirate theme. The majority of the larger pirate sets all have at least one version of this mini figure. This one comes with a red bandana, a blue and white striped vest and white trousers. All in all it is an ok mini figure, although it is not one of my favorite ones and the only thing I do like about it, is the face due to the mustache and stubble. Plus you get a monkey in this set, while you don't need to put it together, it is a fantastic figure to have on such a small set. What I do not like about the monkey is, I feel it is too large and should have been smaller in size. Build P1020837 The build is pretty straight-forward; if you stick to the instructions it takes 5 stages to complete. Stages one, two and three consist of putting the smaller pieces on the yellow plate, with the yellow pieces acting as sand and the grey 1 by 4 brick acting as rock. Step 4 involves you putting together the treasure chest and adding the gold pieces. For the record, you are given 8 pieces of gold; they have either the numbers, 10, 20, 30 and 40 on one side and LEGO on the other.You also add the green leaf and flag pole during this stage. P1020838 Stage 5 sees you add the finishing touches to the build, such as adding the monkey, flag and mini figure; as well as adding weapons to both the monkey and mini figure. Final Thoughts P1020832 It's a nice, small set and a great introduction to the Pirates theme. My favorite parts are the treasure chest, monkey and the shovel. While I feel the monkey is too large, I still like it and it's a great addition to any set. If I was to change anything on the set; I would actually build up the base with yellow bricks to give the impression that the treasure was buried. P1020831 Design: 6/10 - Not the best designed set, if you are going to give a set the name "Buried treasure", then you should at least give the impression the treasure is buried. Parts: 5/10 - You only get 20, but as I said above, most of them are for the treasure or mini figure. The addition of the coins and shovel are good though. Minifigs: 5/10 - The figure is too common in the Pirates theme for my liking, while I like the colour scheme on the vest, there is nothing that stands out on it. Build: 4/10 - A very simple build, I was 7 when I first got this set and back then it was easy. The hardest part to the build is getting the lid on the treasure chest. Playability: 7/10 - While it is a small set, you can have lots of fun with it due to the monkey and treasure chest. The images below show there are plenty of different creations you can come up with. Price: 8/10 - This was only £1.99 and even back in 1989 that was cheap for a LEGO set and for me is value for money. I paid £3.99 and, besides the box, the whole set was in near-new condition, so well worth the extra couple of pounds. Extra Designs P1020841 The first of the 3 extra builds you can do from the back of the box. In this photo, the mini figure is inside the chest with the monkey behind him shooting the pistol. P1020842 Out of the 3, this is my least favorite as the layout seems rather forced and does not look as good as the others. Getting the mini figure to hold 2 coins was a bit tough, as it was a tight fit. P1020840 This is my favorite; the mini figure is taking a break from all the digging he has been doing and has trained the monkey to fan him with the leaf to keep him cool.

Introduction This set was the first one I purchased after getting back into LEGO, after a good 15 year absence. I originally owned this set the first time 'round, and I am aiming to get back all the old sets I once owned. The only way to do this is to buy it second had, so my first port of call was ebay. At the time of purchase, I was unsure what a decent price was for it, so I may have spent over the odds for it. The set I purchased came without a box, sadly, but I don't buy sets to sit in boxes so wasn't really fussed. The main things for me personally were instructions and a decent condition. In the end the set cost me £10.52 including P&P. The set itself was originally released during the Pirate Theme's most popular era, which for me was 1989-1992, though some may dispute that. The set was out in 1991 and was a small set containing only one mini figure; however it came with a shark which was good, as you did not get many sharks with the smaller sets. I think at the time I only had one other shark, so it was a welcome addition to my growing Pirate horde. Product Details Set No: 6234 Set Name: Renegade's Raft Theme: Pirates Released: 1991 Minifigures: 1 Pieces:38 RRP: £1.99 Purchase Price: £10.52 Links: Brickset Box/Packaging I did not get a box with the set I purchased off eBay. However the image on Peeron gives you a clear indication of what the box looked like. Also it is worth noting that you could get this set in a purple box or yellow box, not sure why that was. I was also able to find a photo of the back of the box as this image shows. Instructions My instruction booklet, if you can call it that! is in a used condition, but it only shows signs along the edges. The booklet consists of a fold out piece of paper with instructions front and back. If you lay it on it's side, it's about the same length as an A4 piece of paper. The front side has the cover art at the top, followed by the assembly of the minifigure and then the shark. This is then followed by stages 1 to 3. When you turn over, you have the rest of the instructions numbered 4 to 8. However, for build purposes, number 8 shows the completed set and number one and two, is the image of the rectangle base of the raft, one facing up and the other turned up side down, for me I can't see the point of the first two stages. Parts The parts, once they arrived in a padded envelope, were first hand washed individually to get any dust and grease off them and then were placed on a white board and counted to make sure all the parts were there, according to the count by Brickset. After washing them, each piece was inspected for major damage, as I wanted the set to be in as perfect condition as possible. After inspection, one piece (Black coloured plate 1 x 2 with 1 Stud) was found to be less then perfect, so I made a note of the piece, as I will replace that at a later date. The set includes two brown oars, the shark in two parts, a sword, pistol and pirate flag. The oar housing at the back is a movable part and this part I first had for the bonnet of set 6698. Personally I feel you get a good amount of pieces for such a small set. I was happy that most pieces being 20 years old were in very good condition. if I was to be picky I would replace the oars at some point as they have marks where they have been clipped on. Mini Figure Firstly the mini figure required assembly, nothing to it to be honest but to stick with the images, remember to have the hole in the hat at the front on the left side, also, only his right hand is held out. After that, I put the sharks jaw onto it's body, sometimes this can be a bit awkward and stiff, but once you have opened and closed it a few times there are no problems. The mini figure is not a bad one as you get quite a lot of detail on it. I like how the face has an eye patch and if people remember the Pirate theme was the first to get different faces. The top is one of my fav from the Pirate themes with the excellent design on the front. Build Well, to be honest, it is a set which built once, can be built again without the instructions. I even had a go at doing it without the instructions, as memories came flooding back. It was rather easy, but for the purpose of this review I will take you through the build stage by stage. I split the building of the raft into three parts, the first 3 stages, the second 3 stages and completion. The first stage mainly consisted of the underside of the raft. Stages one and two instruct you to get the black 4x6 plate and then turn it up side down. Stage 3, really is the start of the build. Firstly you have to get two black bracket 1x2 - 1x4. This is so you can fix it to the underside of the base and have bricks on the side as well. Then what you have to do, is put 8 yellow 1x1 Round with Hollow Stud, on each one, with each stud having have two yellow bricks on it. This is repeated again and then you put them back to back, so the yellow bricks are facing outwards from the center of the base. One thing I noticed is you can see a little mark on all the yellow bricks, from the production process. I always make sure if possible these are not visible. Stages 4,5 and 6 basically finish the raft build. Stage 4 adds a grey 2x2 plate to the underside of the raft, thus securing the parts you put on in stage 3 of the build. Stage 5 is the stage of the build on top of the base. Firstly you put two black 1x1 plate with vertical clip (Type 2), on the far side of the raft in the center of the outer row of the black 4x6 plate, these hold the sword and spare oar. At the back of the raft you put the black 1 x 2 hinge base together with the black 1x2 hinge top and set that in the middle of the raft on the back row. Make sure the top piece is in place and moves before moving on to step 6. Step 6 adds two more pieces to the raft, a black 1x2 plate on top of the hooks to secure them in place and black 1x2 plate with stud on top of the moveable part, so anything that is added to it sits in the middle. The final 2 stages sees the completion of the raft, step 7 sees you add the sword and oar to the hooks you added earlier and the flag pole to the black 1x2 plate we added. At the back, a black 1x1 tile with clip is placed on top of the black 1x2 plate with stud. This part allows for the oar we add in stage 8 to be bang in the middle of the moveable part, also, in step 8, we add the flag to the pole. The minifigure is added with him holding a pistol in his right had and we place the shark in front. Final Thoughts After I completed the build, I was pretty happy with how the set looked. Although it is very small, for me it has plenty of character. I like how the oar housing at back is a moveable part. The addition of a shark to a set is always good in my view. If I was to change anything, I would replace the yellow parts with brown ones to give it a more realistic colour scheme. I liked building it as I said and since I managed to replace the damage part with a replacement piece, it is one of the better little sets and for me is the best pirate raft from the early years, the shark, minifigure and the working parts, are the best parts of the set. However once you have built it, there ain't a lot of life in it for me but it is one crossed off my list of sets to purchase. Design: 7/10 - I like the design, unlike other rafts, it looks good, the part that allows you to move the oar at the back up and down is great. I like the addition of the shark to the set and the only thing I would change is the yellow pieces to a brown, to add more realism to the set, as I don't understand what the yellow bricks are meant to be, as a raft is made up of anything you can find usually. Parts: 6/10 You only get 38 parts with 16 of those being yellow. But you get a pirate flag and two oars with the set, so it allows you to adapt the set if you want, plus you get a shark which was great at the time, as if my memory is correct you only got sharks with bigger sets at the time. Minifigs: 8/10 One of my fav pirate mini figures, the face you get with a patch, the hat and the weapons is awesome, my only gripe is why the hole in the hat? if it was designed to have something in it then why does it not come with it? Build: 5/10 It is a very easy build, too easy if truth be told. A set like this can be complete from start to finish in under 5 minutes. I enjoyed doing it don't get me wrong, but it should be done to fill time in between bigger sets. Playability: 7/10 Well, as you can see from my final picture, the shark makes this set really fun and enjoyable, my only issue is the shark always wins hahaha Price: 5/10 I paid over the odds for the set, but you live and learn, you should be able to pick this set up for around £5 I reckon, but don't pay over £10 for it. Extra Designs The image above shows the pirate on a platform with the shark underneath. I like how they have made use of all the pieces to add detail to top and bottom of the platform. The pirate has built a small fort to defend against the shark attack and he looks ready to mount one last attack to defeat the shark. The pirate has made use of both oars and is making for a quick escape, notice how the raft is only using half the yellow bricks to the normal raft.

I got the display case from Firestar toys and did a review of it here: http://bricksandbooks.co.uk/2011/review-minifigure-display-case/

All images are here http://bricksandbooks.co.uk/2011/lego-dino-pteranodon-chase/

Will you ask him to create a set of instructions and list of pieces so others can build it (I can dream can't I ;) )

I think we would all like to see this or another variation of the Dutchman released by LEGO but I can't see it happening. However would love to get that uploaded to design by me and get all the pieces to build it.

Two one is the Imperial Flagship wrapped ready for Xmas and I got Renegade Runner yesterday in brand new condition :)

When I saw it, I straight away wanted to get it as it is a nice little ship.

Is there someone you have to contact to get a link on there or is it done on merit?

I'm planning on getting either the Black Pearl or QAR for Xmas and having seen the video will probably go for the Black Pearl as it looks a fun build and is cheaper then QAR.

What an awesome video, would love to know how you did it pal.

I purchased the Imperial Flagship today for my xmas present, just counting down the days till I can build it.

Me two I bought mine today from the Shop in Manchester and now have to wait till xmas day to build it :(

Thanks for that :)

How do you get the instructions for Port Royal???

I just love these and wished these were official as would love mine to be displayed like this.

The forbidden Island I got off ebay, arrived today only to find it was missing 3 pieces, however the sellar has sent them to be but besides the little hiccup the set is great, bought it for £20 and it is boxed and in new condition, well happy :)

Age: 29 Age you started building: 6 Country: UK Occupation: Self Employed Married: Yes Children: Yes Does your spouse or child/children build: My child does, my spouse does not Do you have close friends who build: No Do you build together with your friends: No Do you regularly attend Lego conventions: No but only got back into it this year so will attend in the future How much money do you spend on Lego product a year: Unlimited How much time do you spend building/playing a day: 1 hour a day, more time is spent running my LEGO and Discworld fansite Favored theme/themes: Pirates Do you primarily collect retail sets, build MOCs, or both? Retail sets only not into MOCs Did you experience a "dark age": Yes If yes, what age did you enter your "dark age": 16 What age did you exit your "dark age": 29 Other hobbies (other toy collecting, sports, drawing etc.): Discworld, running sites, book collecting In your own words what makes Lego bricks so special: I have enjoyed it for as long as I can remember and never heard a bad word said about it, that is what makes LEGO so appealing plus that fact it appeals to all ages. May I PM you with a request for a personal interview: Yes