Pirates of the Caribbean: Whitecap Bay Lego Review

Whitecap Bay – Pirates of the Caribbean

Pieces:                 745

Ages:     9-14

Mini Figures:

  • Jack Sparrow (with reversible angry/smug head!)
  • Phillip
  • Scrum
  • Pirate
  • Syrena (also with reversible head)
  • Mermaid (with reversible head as well)

Price:    £71.99

 

What’s Inside

2 instruction booklets

Stickers

6 Mini-figures (see names above)

6 numbered bags of Lego

Syrena trading card

Free Pirates of the Caribbean Lego poster!

Background

Franchise:           Pirates of the Caribbean

White cap Bay is taken from the fourth film Pirates of the Caribbean film: On Stranger Tides. This is one of the big set pieces where our motley crew of pirates try to capture themselves a Mermaid. Why?  To activate the Fountain of Youth they need the tear of a Mermaid, only it isn’t going to be as easy as all that as things get a bit fishy when they set out to cast their nets upon them.

Thankfully Jack is on hand, (and on shore no less) to fire a few shots and career about the place. Let’s hope he doesn’t topple the lighthouse tower in the process…!

 

Building

This took about 3 hours to build but if you did it in shifts you could probably stretch it over a few days. Kiddies might find it takes a little longer as some of the pieces are a bit fiddly. It’s a nice build, satisfying and not too challenging or repetitive. There’s a great range of different pieces and the way it’s split up into six different stand-alone sections makes for a satisfied builder. Some sections were a bit unstable when it came to putting it all together, but for all the tricks of the set to work that’s a necessary sacrifice.

Finished Product

Whitecap Bay is a healthy size when all the sections are put together, about 30cm long x 15cm wide x 25cm high. It’s what I’d term as ‘manageable’; not so small that you’d get bored of it quickly, not so large that it becomes unstable and precarious.

This is thoroughly playable. There are so many nifty gadgets which lend themselves perfectly to numerous scenarios, not just Pirates of the Caribbean. It has a working searchlight which beams through a magnifying glass, a fully functional net-cannon to trap mermaids (or pirates!) and a barrel booby trap! Most impressive is the collapsible tower: at the flick of a cleverly integrated lever, the lighthouse comes crashing down around the characters, although the structure is solid enough that it doesn’t disintegrate, so it’s easy to put back together again. 

This set also comes with two rowing boats which, whilst simple, expand the range of games you can play with this set tenfold. The characters are not restricted to dry land and I can imagine many a youngster taking advantage of this in a paddling pool/sand pit.

The mini-figs are great too. Captain Jack is instantly recognizable as his florid self, and interestingly has a reversible head so he can look dapper and smug or angry. The other figures are slightly more non-descript but again this is only an advantage as they can be used in pretty much any story a young (or not so young) mind can concoct. The mermaids are pretty special and also have reversible faces (serene and sweet or angry and tooth-baring) so they’ll suit players of all inclinations (boys will be grateful for the angry violent mermaids!).

For fans of the Pirates franchise this set is well worth having. It’s reasonably priced as Lego goes and is a true representation of the scene from the film. I can vouch for its appropriateness as a display piece but just because of its nifty gadgets and tricks I’d have to say it’s much more for playing with than admiring and I’m sure its young fans will agree.

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Dani Singer

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