6274 - Caribbean Clipper

Rating:
Pros: Classic ship model
Cons: None noted
Contents: 372 pieces including 4 mini-figs
Price: Discontinued
Reviewed: 18-Jul-1997
Reviewed by: Joseph Gonzalez

Vengeance Turns III
Caught in a trap of his own design, Captain Lynch was so wrapped up in catching his enemy unaware and reveling in it that he himself has been caught by surprise. A sneak attack from the East Wind brings a hail of cannon balls and smoke down on Lynch's ship, the Brawler. A rowboat is carefully dispatched from the East Wind to pick up survivors from the destroyed Anna Victoria (now in so many pieces) while the East Wind continues its battle with the pirates. Gaping holes in the sides of the pirate schooner tell the tale of a ship leaving its sides sadly unprotected as already one cannon slides off the deck and into the ocean. The East Wind now pulls aside the Brawler and ropes lash the two boats together as a large force of English and Spanish sailors spill from the attacking ship onto the unprepared decks of the Brawler. The pirates are sadly out-manned and within minutes badguy prisoners are rounded up and put in chains while the two ships make their way back to Murcielago Bay and waiting dungeons.

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So much time has passed that I don't even remember the circumstances surrounding my purchase of this set but it should be sufficient to say that I was an avid castle/pirate collector and the Caribbean Clipper was a Lego set worth buying (even on my much-more limited budget at that time) that came oh so close to the quality of a non-Lego construction model but with the flexibility that comes only with a Lego set.
The 6274 is a solid, beautiful, two-mast craft with simple color combination of yellow, white and blue. The 16-wide hull pieces allow plenty of space for two cannon placements on each side of the ship (although only two cannons come with the model). Each cannon is a complete unit based on four wheels which allows them to stand well outside the ship. The bow of the ship is furnished with a small brig area to drop misbehaving seafarers or for simple storage. The aft section of the ship has a spacious area for living quarters but it is not enclosed like cabins on larger ship models, nor is there a stairway or ladder leading to the upper bridge of the ship.
The crew is made up of a captain and three soldiers. No unique pieces except the shooting cannons and plain, yellow parrot used as a figurehead.
This is a great counterpart to the same year's 6285-Black Seas Barracuda and in my opinion it stands above the other medium-size ships that have been released since then.