Friday, May 5, 2017

LEGO Islanders sets review

The time has come - some sets have to be packed and it is an opportunity to take a closer look at them and write short review. Here we go with one of the Pirates subtheme - the Islanders.

6236: King Kahuka

Even though it is the impulse set of the theme, it offers large amount of bricks (41). It is quite a lot more than impulse sets usually have and in addition to this it is placed on a large green plate (6x8)! The set consists of a throne with some decorations (2x shields and 2x spears, a lot of weaponry!) and a treasure hidden under the seat. A hinge is used to allow placing and removal of the treasure. There is just one minifigure and it is the king Kahuka himself. All in all this is a great set, probably one of the best in impulse category in Pirates theme, especially when the value for money is considered (it cost 4,00$).


6246: Crocodile Cage

The first small set have only 49 pieces - a few more than the impulse one, but offers two minifigures - a pirate with wooden leg and unusual hat and an islander. There is also a crocodile, a parrot and a full range of accessories (shield, 5 spears, musket, saber, quiver and bow). All of this is placed on a 6x12 green plate. Apart from a small prison with a hinge there is a green bush on the stone, a campfire and a tribal emblem. Overall this is my favorite set of Islanders. The vast amount of things you get here is worth appreciating, but i have to admit, that this is a set I (or my brother) owned as a child, which probably influenced me a little :)


Bad croc attack! Luckily the replaceable leg was bitten :)


The dance around the fire


Think you are safe up there?


Croc rides are coming for ya!

6256: Islander Catamaran

Another small set, but looks larger than it really is (just 53 pieces) because of the two big canoes. This set was also quite pricey - 12,00$, while previous one was 7,50$. There are two minifigs here - a king and his wife / daughter (?) or just a female islander, which is awesome - more variety in the tribe. There is also an obligatory crocodile (are those tamed crocodiles or a wild and dangerous ones?). The rest is unfortunately disappointing. The whole catamaran is a few pieces that connects both canoes with some decorations on front and back. The nice thing is the drum included, but on the other hand, the ornaments on the canoes are not printed, these are stickers :( All in all this set have some ups and downs, but is necessary for anybody interest in Islanders - this is their only ship!


New lands, we are coming!

6262: King Kahuka's Throne

The first thing that strikes the most when looking at this set is - oh... boy five (5!) minifigures. A tribe king, two warriors and two pirates. This medium set has 124 pieces and consist of two parts - a green baseplate of size 16x16 that is the Islanders territory and a red boat for pirates. Also an obligatory crocodile is somewhere in the middle of the pack. The good things - pirate boat has rotating sail and nice mixture of weaponry (two rows, two pistols, a saber and a map). The Islanders part has some smaller elements like a litter and a stand for it, a camp-fire, a drum and one bigger building / cave. This building is the not so-so part of the set as it is mostly made of of BURP (Big Ugly Rock Piece) and holds a treasure chest. The stone face on the top of the cave is the bright spot of the set on the other hand. It looks great and the build process is enjoyable and interesting. All in all this set offers many minifigs, some interesting parts and ideas. Also it had nice value for money (21,00$).




6264: Forbidden Cove

Another medium set. This time we get more pieces (196), but one less minifigure (4). Unfortunately the split is 50/50 - two pirates and two islanders. One of them looks like a unique, but in fact has a torso and head of a king, but without a red mask. I heard rumors stating this is king Kahuka's son :) The set is based on a large blue baseplate (32x16), has both a canoe and a boat, but each is in the most simple form (no sails, etc.). The building have two levels - a cave on the bottom and a level above it with a roof. As usual BURP are used, but there are some nice elements like a new stone face on the front of the cave. This also serves as a hidden entrance to the inside and is movable (see pictures). Ohhh... I almost forgot - a croc... (no! this time it is an alligator!) and a parrot are included. Overall interesting set, but in my opinion more Islanders instead of pirates and something in place of croc... alligator could be used. Also the price increase (29,75$) in not justified compared to the previous set.


Pirates think they got the treasure but disturbing sound of drums can be heard!


The pursuit unit has arrived. Surprise!

6278: Enchanted Island

The large set of the theme, the flagship one, the one, that was re-released - Enchanted Island! It is really big as it is based on two (!) 32x32 baseplates, one with some high ground. It should be noted that one of them is unique to this set, while the other one is available in just one more set. The set includes 7 minifigures, that are split in the right way - 2 pirates, a king, female islander and three warriors. Finally a tribe that is structured properly - 4 people per one manager, no unhealthy 1-1 ratio  known from previous sets :) The pirates are rolling in a boat with two sails, while Islanders have a canoe with a sail. There are a few buildings there and a hidden treasure. The buildings are connected with a hanging bridge that offers some "playabilty" - can be rotated when enemies are there - it's a trap! While the building looks nice from the front they are seriously lacking from the back - the whole thing looks empty and lacking details, the lone fire, drum and a bench is not enough. The bright spot is the stone prison with a stone face on top of it, although the same was previously seen in King Kahuka's Throne. Overall I would call the set a little bit of a disappointment. In my opinion it is much worse than a standard flagship sets - boats and even compared to other bases like Eldorado Fortress (built on top of one baseplate) or Imperial Trading Point. The first one has much more details, while the latter offers a small ship in there! I would say, that Enchanted Island is on similar level as Rock Island Refugee (not a fan of it).





Are we stuck here?

Some additional photos of all Islanders sets:


Islanders fleet


The cavalry is coming





Summary

The Islanders are definitely a nice addition to whole Pirates theme and I really appreciate it as a new faction. It is a pity, that they were offered only for a year (1994). They seemed a little bit outgunned (literally) by other factions cause I do not give them much chances with spears, bows and especially low numbers :) While we are at numbers - this is the thing that bothers me the most with Islanders - why they have almost more kings than normal warriors? Something went wrong and they trained too many managers I guess. The other thing is crocodiles - are they really needed in every set?


Last, but not least, my personal rating list:
1 place:
6246: Crocodile Cage - many weapons, two minifigs, a lot of details

2 place:
6236: King Kahuka - awesome impulse set - a lot of pieces for this size

rest:
6262: King Kahuka's Throne - five minifigs, but the building is severly lacking
6278: Enchanted Island - a little bit of a disapointment for a flagship set
6256: Islander Catamaran - seems empty
6264: Forbidden Cove - interesting building but really pricy for what it offers

Bonus

This is not an Islander set, but the only additional one that includes tribe people.


Can you guess its name and number?

Fun fact - this set was limited to US and is quite difficult to get. I have it with the "safe" non shooting canon :)