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Pirates of the Caribbean Silent Mary review

by Thita (admin) on March 31, 2017

in LEGO Exclusives

The #71042 LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean Silent Mary became available for LEGO VIP members a couple of weeks ago, and on April 1st (tomorrow) it will also be available to the general public. This exclusive set includes a large and very detailed display-model of the ghost ship from the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales movie – the fifth and final installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. The set also comes with an excellent collection of minifigures, and two awesome ghost sharks everyone is talking about. 🙂

Since we last discussed the LEGO Silent Mary (see links at the end of this post), the official designer-video has been released, so now we can hear directly from LEGO designer Marcos Bessa, explaining some of the interesting features of the set, as well as the challenges that came up while making it. I have enclosed the video for you below.

As you can see in the designer-video, the LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean Silent Mary has no solid hull, so it is sort of floating over the surface, supported only by some clear LEGO elements. The main play-feature of the ship is that you can raise the hinged bow section and open the skeleton hull (like a big shark opening its mouth) to swallow up smaller ships. Quite dreadful if I might say so. Another play-feature is that one of the three masts is collapsible. Other than that, the ship is pretty much just for display.

As JANGBRiCKS points out in his video-review (which I’m also enclosing below), it is quite disappointing that the interior of the ship is not accessible at all. Another point JANG brings up that I have to agree with is that while there has been much effort put into making the ship look decayed using some very nice building techniques, the brightness of all the gold embellishments is a bit too much for a haunted ship. Of course, you can replace some of the pieces, if you would like to make your ship look more menacing. A couple of examples that come to mind for a more muted – and perhaps bit more appropriate – color-scheme can be found on two versions of the Flying Dutchman; the first one is by Carl Greatrix, and the second one is by Sebeus (click on the names for full album).

Besides those fairly minor issues, the LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean Silent Mary is definitely a daring attempt that stretches the boundaries of what is usually expected from an official LEGO set, and the final result looks very impressive. It is clear that LEGO designers put a lot of effort into making the set look as authentic as possible, which particularly shows up in the detailing and building-techniques.

Another area where LEGO designers really got things right is in the minifigure lineup. Every single character is decorated to perfection. I’m particularly impressed with the new version of Jack Sparrow, and the printing on the clear elements for the ghostly characters.

And then there are the sharks… I don’t think anyone would dispute that these are some of the best (if not the very best) sharks LEGO ever released. They are impressively big, and the decaying body with exposed ribs is brilliantly done (okay, I know shark’s don’t have real ribs, but here they still look cool). The sharks can swallow a minifig whole, and you can see the body through the ribcage. I expect to see lots of gruesome scenes done by LEGO fans with these sharks!

Here is the official description of the set: Bring the magic of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean to your home with this impressive replica of the Silent Mary ghost ship. This highly detailed LEGO model with over 2,200 pieces features a hinged bow section, opening skeleton hull with decay and destruction detailing, movable rudder, collapsible main mast and two further masts, long bowsprit with crow’s nest and mast, tattered sails, detailed quarterdeck, plus a rowboat with two oars and an array of weapons and accessory elements. This model provides a rewarding build and play experience, and the integrated stand makes it suitable for display in the home or office. Includes eight minifigures: Captain Jack Sparrow, Henry, Carina, Lieutenant Lesaro, Captain Salazar, Officer Magda, Officer Santos and the Silent Mary Masthead. The Silent Mary with the main mast in vertical position measures over 18” (48cm) high, 26” (68cm) long and 8” (22cm) wide, and over 14” (36cm) wide with the main mast collapsed. 2294 pieces. Price: $199.99 – BUY HERE

If you like LEGO pirate ships, ships in general, or if you are a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean Movies, the Silent Mary can be a great addition to your collection. The ship also looks generic enough to be used as a shipwreck in LEGO dioramas with underwater or battle-scenes.

What do you think? Are you excited about the LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean Silent Mary? Do you have it already, planning to get it later, or are you going to pass on this set? What is your favorite and least favorite feature? And what do you think of the minifigures and sharks? Are you looking forward to the movie? Feel free to share your own review and thoughts in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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The LEGO Batman Movie sorting & storage

by Thita (admin) on March 30, 2017

in LEGO Care & Storage

While it is perfectly fine to store LEGO in any type of container, if you want a bit of something extra special that will hold your LEGO, and also show off your love of the hobby, it’s worth checking out LEGO’s own storage solutions. The company that makes the official LEGO-branded storage and sorting boxes (as well as minifigure display cases and some other items) is Room Copenhagen. Based in Denmark, they work closely with the LEGO Group to create products that match LEGO’s own quality. I have reviewed their products a number of times (see links at the end of this post) because I really like them, and today I thought to show you their new products. 🙂

As I mentioned above, Room Copenhagen works closely with the LEGO Group to make quality storage, sorting and display solutions. All their products match LEGO’s own style, quality of plastic, and color-scheme. Besides generic storage options, they also make themed products that match one of the popular LEGO product lines. These add a bit of extra fun with beautiful and very durable graphics on the boxes. We have talked about most of the LEGO Ninjago, LEGO Legends of Chima, LEGO Nexo Knights and LEGO Friends storage and sorting boxes previously, and recently they also introduced a line of products related to The LEGO Batman Movie.

The LEGO Batman Movie collection by Room Copenhagen includes large and small storage boxes (looks like they discontinued the medium box). These boxes are the same size and shape as the previously released ones, so they will match perfectly. The large box is 378 x 297 x 235 mm / 14.7 x 11.6 x 9.2 in, and the small box is 378 x 297 x 85 mm / 14.7 x 11.6 x 3.3 in. Sadly, the storage trays and sorting cups that were so useful in the previous collections are no longer added to the boxes, so all you get is a LEGO-branded box and lid. But the box is smoky-gray, the lid is back, and there is LEGO Batman printed on the top, so it’s all awesome at the end. 🙄

Instead of sorting trays and cups inside the big boxes, Room Copenhagen now offers separate sorting boxes. While I miss the previous configuration, these are also an excellent solution for separating out minifigs and smaller/unique pieces. The sorting boxes are deep, with various size compartments, and can fit a surprisingly large amount of pieces (outside dimensions are 178 x 267 x 66 mm / 6.7 x 10.5 x 2.6 in.). The boxes can be securely closed with a clip, which has some standard LEGO studs. This is especially useful if you are going to get several of these sorting boxes, as they can be customized for quick identification of the content inside. The lids are slightly recessed, so the boxes can be stacked. An overall very practical design. The LEGO Batman Movie sorting box is smoky-gray with the same Batman decoration as the storage boxes. The new style sorting box is also available with LEGO Friends, LEGO Nexo Knights, and LEGO Dimensions colors and decorations.

While I always liked Room Copenhagen’s storage and sorting solutions, own many of them myself, and highly recommend them to others, I do have a bit of a concern with the new collection. Previously, the graphics were on the side of the boxes, which gave them good protection, as nothing would really touch them due to the shape and angle of the boxes. The plastic used for the boxes appears to be the same as what LEGO elements are made of, so they are slightly soft (which makes them prone to scratches), and very shiny (which makes those scratches quite visible). If you stack the boxes, scratches can especially show up on the lids as you slide the units in and out of their position. With the graphics now being on the lids, I’m concerned that the design will wear off faster than expected. If you are not planning to stack the boxes, or you are only using the ones with plain tops, this is not going to be a problem, but I just wanted to make you aware of this possible issue. If you are paying extra for buying themed LEGO storage units, you probably want to graphics to remain as nice as possible for as long as possible.

Room Copenhagen also offers lunch-boxes, drinking bottles, and a few other items within The LEGO Batman Movie collection, and of course they are also available in other themes like LEGO Ninjago, LEGO Nexo Knights, and LEGO Friends. And you are probably already familiar with the various size storage units that look like giant LEGO bricks, and can be found at pretty much any LEGO retailer.

Speaking of finding products by Room Copenhagen, it can be a bit tricky to get the exact product you want, as (at least in the US) their distribution is not very consistent. For a little while, Room Copenhagen allowed direct orders via their website, but now you can only get them through their partners. The Online LEGO Shop carries some of the items, like the large storage bricks (see under the storage section of the Online LEGO Shop), but the storage and sorting boxes are not always available. I found Amazon to be the most consistent in carrying a good variety of Room Copenhagen products, and they currently have pretty much the whole collection related to The LEGO Batman Movie. You can find them here: LEGO BATMAN MOVIE STORAGE & MORE ON AMAZON

If you would like to store all your LEGO pieces, instruction booklets and even smaller models in matching boxes, or you just want a couple of unique sorting boxes for your special LEGO elements and minifigures, Room Copenhagen offers high-quality solutions. They are not the cheapest, but are definitely super nice.

What do you think? Do you own any of the LEGO-branded sorting and storage solutions by Room Copenhagen? How do you like them? And what do you think of The LEGO Batman Movie collection? Feel free to share your thoughts and own review in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out these other reviews on Room Copenhagen products:

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Pirates of the Caribbean Silent Mary review

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