6279 - Skull Island

Rating:
Pros: Nice design for a pirate cove
Cons: Rowboat doesn't fit inside skull area easily
Contents: 366 pieces including 5 mini-figures, 1 monkey, and 1 parrot
Price: $53.00 - Discontinued
Reviewed: 23-Dec-1996
Reviewed by: Joseph Gonzalez

Captain Bouchard has been captured! And while bureaucrat weaklings and coward politicians discuss the captain's release with villainous pirates, Ensign Fromar has decided to take matters into his own hands. Armed with a flintlock and his beloved saber, "Babs", the stalwart Ensign steals a small rowboat from dock and heads for the pirates' hideout.
After hours of rowing, night and a subtle fog has fallen on the tiny cove which the Ensign learned of while eavesdropping at the Mold and Oatmeal Tavern. The fog is blinding, but the brave sailor is just close enough that loud boisterous voices will guide him the rest of the way. With a few more strokes of the oars, he allows the little boat to coast in. Through the fog he makes out the torch-lit fiery eyes of an ominous rock formation and he knows he has reached Skull Island!

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I needed a good pirate base as an opposing headquarters to the Imperial Trading Post and I'm satisfied I found it with Skull Island. This medium size model isn't quite as large as the trading post, but it is a fairly sturdy structure with a "keep out" attitude that is just right for pirates.
The model is basically an "L"-shaped dock with the main structure being a three-story edifice whose principle eye-catching first floor features the large skull which is actually a sliding door to allow small boats to coast on through to unload stolen treasure that can't be unloaded in the open.
The second floor has a table (mounted on a trap door which conceals weapons) for inspecting treasure maps and the third floor features a revolving crane for raising and lowering barrels and booty. One end of the dock sports a rotating cannon to maintain defense of the little pirate cove.
The set includes five figures: three pirates and two imperial soldiers, plus a parrot, monkey and two rowboats (I'd kind of like to see these in some colors other than brown or red in the future).
The only particularly unique pieces here are some 2x2x1 round bricks in brown. It is also worth it to note that there are more than a few barrels included with the set (but none have lids, AARGH!).
I have no complaints with this set. If you get it at a good clearance price, it is definitely worth picking up for the number of bricks and playability of the main model.
I like Skull Island for the mixture of pirates and imperial sailors, plus the fact that the structure doesn't necessarily have to be for pirates. It could simply be an abandoned dock.