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Review of MB3601 Pieces of Eight
MSRP: $4.99
Pieces: 20
Figures 2
First, let me come clean and admit that until ten minutes ago I had no idea what
the idiom “Pieces of Eight” means, but thanks to
Wikipedia you can count me
officially clued-in.
This is a nice little set that would serve nicely as an introduction to the
Pyrates line or to the Collectible Micro Action Figures™ themselves. It’s
inexpensive but gives a sense of what the line has to offer—an effective teaser.
The packaging is worth special note; the set comes in a cloth, drawstring bag
secured to a cardboard backing that stands upright on the shelf. The design is
good IMO because it offers an engaging presentation and distinguishes this set
(and others in this line) from standard box-based sets. A note of concern: the
bag is secured to the cardboard backing with a zip-tie, and one must use care
when separating them so that neither the bag nor drawstring is torn.
The set includes one of the small, textured scenery elements seen previously in
Dragons sets, and this one is painted like a small sandy island lapped by white
and pastel blue waves. I have a ton of elements like these, and I like them.
Dissenters might decry them as single-use BURPS, but they work well in a small,
stand-alone diorama.
The set also includes a palm tree with separate canopy. These are more flexible
than standard bricks but make effective scenery elements and secure well on the
2x2 plate base.
Also included is a treasure chest with hinged lid (apparently a standard feature
of Pyrates sets), several small “gems” in trans-red (octagonal faceted 1x1
tiles—really great elements, IMO), and a snake to menace anyone who opens the
chest with insufficient caution. The snake is flexible like the tree’s canopy
and doesn’t readily attach to a studded plate, nor does it fit well in a
figure’s hand; that might have been a good touch, but the snake would likely
have been abnormally thick, so it’s probably best as it is.
Now that I think about it, the Undead probably have little to fear from animal
venoms, so that explains why the Skeleton Crew™ is so fond of using snakes and
spiders for guarding its treasure.
The set comes with two figures:
Scotty Spitshine: As is typical of the Pyrates line, he’s a very nice sculpt,
and his attire is more detailed than the other Sea Marauders™ I’ve acquired so
far. He wears a black tri-corn hat and a jacket, and he has a full beard and
brown hair. He also wears boots and, judging from his name, I’ll bet that
they’re kept well-polished. Scotty wields a heavy cutlass.
Vertibrine:
Again, another great sculpt. Vertibrine wears only a belt and his boots, and he
wields a trans-blue “spectral” axe. He adheres to the basic Skeleton Crew
design, but his skull is bare whereas other members of the Crew wear bandanas.
I think MEGABLOKS made a great choice in not over-adorning their skeleton
figures, because they aren’t pinned to a swashbuckling setting. They would go
well, for example, as undead minions of some rogue Dragons necromancer.
The set comes with a map of the Pyrates realm and a plastic coin with a hole in
the center for sleuthing out the secrets of the map. I confess that I’m still a
little shaky on this part, so I can’t give anything away.
Considering the small number of pieces in this set, the playability is quite
good. I’ve already mentioned that I love the design and sculpt of these
figures, and the accessories are just great. The lid of the treasure chest has
a “web-code,” with which one can visit the MEGABLOKS
website and plumb untold secrets. I haven’t explored this yet, but seems
analogous to the codes included in the
Command Ops sets.
Overall I’d say that this set is worth the MSRP. Ultimately I’d really like to
see a figure pack along the lines of the
Norvagen War Chest or
Xenoz Clerics from the Dragons line, but these bagged sets do nicely in the
meantime.
If you want to try out the Pyrates line before jumping willy-nilly off the
plank, then this set is a good way to start.
Dave!
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