6270 - Forbidden Island

Rating:
Pros: One-piece stair case; a crow's nest
Cons: Too expensive; the trap door doesn't fall on its own; stairs lead to water
Contents: 176 pieces including 4 mini-figs, 1 shark, and 1 monkey
Price: Discontinued
Reviewed: 18-Jul-1998
Reviewed by: Mark Bauer

"At last, I got the treasure of the skull caves," shouted Captain Red Beard as he held the treasure up to show to all of his fellow pirates. "This has to be the most glorious treasure of all! No one must get to it. We will need to put it in the safest location." The captain then began to think a bit while pacing around.
"Ummmmm....sir," said the first mate, "What about Forbidden Island? No Armada Soldier has ever dared to go there."
All of the other pirates agreed by raising their hands and shouting, "Hear, hear!"
The captain then turned around and shouted, "QUIET! I have thought a bit...Forbidden Island it is!" The captain then steered the Black Seas Barracuda into the sunset, knowing his newly-found treasure would soon be safe at the feared Forbidden Island.

---

Although I really liked the Pirate theme, I found this to be my least favorite of the Pirate sets I have (all four of them).
This set is basically a hideout that is appropriately located on an island (hence the name). The bottom section of the hideout is a prison for any Armada soldiers dumb enough to come to the island. (Note that the jail area has doors on the front and back. Getting two jail doors in one set is always appreciated). The top level of the fort can be reached by way of a one-piece stair case (very cool) or by crossing a one-piece bridge.
The second level is just an open room to hide the treasure. One special thing is a trap door to drop unwanted people into the jail.
The top floor is basically an area where palm trees seem to grow which kind of gives it more of a secret look. Another interesting thing in this set is a lookout "crow's nest". The lookout tower is made by the same supports you would find on a large ship. The crow's nest on top is a great piece to have for a pirate collector. The set also comes with a palm tree (as if I don't already have enough of those!).
Some unique pieces included are the crow's nest and the dark grey one-piece stair case. Other than that, you'll find the same old stuff.
Some things I found bad about this set are as follows: First, the one-piece staircase is great and all but it doesn't lead down to anything but water...no land to step on. This is a very little complaint but I decided to bring it up. Second, the trap door on the second floor doesn't actually drop. You have to apply pressure on the floor (after the pin is pulled of course) to actually get the soldier down into the jail. The final complaint is money. This set had a price tag of about $30-35 when it was available but the set only has 176 pieces so I find this to be a large rip-off. I almost never complain about money but the price alone almost made me not buy this set. If it wasn't for the one-piece staircase and the crow's nest I probably would have never picked this set up.
Overall it is an okay set but nothing so great to write home about. I guess if you are trying to complete the Pirate theme then pick this set up...otherwise steer clear, its just not worth the money. (Especially since you'd probably pay $10-20 more through an auction!)