{"id":9689,"date":"2016-05-16T23:21:54","date_gmt":"2016-05-16T13:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jaysbrickblog.com\/?p=9689"},"modified":"2016-05-16T23:21:54","modified_gmt":"2016-05-16T13:21:54","slug":"review-lego-75825-angry-birds-piggy-pirate-ship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jaysbrickblog.com\/reviews\/review-lego-75825-angry-birds-piggy-pirate-ship\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: LEGO 75825 Piggy Pirate Ship"},"content":{"rendered":"

Angry Birds is definitely one of the most bizarre licensed themes that LEGO have ever produced. When the partnership with Rovio was announced last year<\/a>, LEGO fans were incredulous, for very good reason. Angry Birds was the biggest phenomenon in mobile gaming… in like 2010<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I was perplexed with LEGO’s move to produce an Angry Birds theme, namely because LEGO have always been pretty on-point with their licenses<\/strong>, typically aligning themselves with major pillars of pop culture like Minecraft, Ghostbusters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Angry Birds was a little suss in my books.<\/p>\n

Sure, it was all to tie in with the animated Angry Birds Movie<\/strong> (watch the trailer<\/a>) which boasts quite a star-studded cast, but I don’t know. I still feel that the Angry Birds brand has lost its lustre<\/strong>, especially with mobile gamers who are now obsessed with the likes of Clash of Clans or Candy Crush.<\/p>\n

Anyway, when the sets were announced… they didn’t seem\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>bad. The designs seemed kinda fun, and I really wanted to check the sets out myself, rather than just read opinions about it from online fans. I decided to go big with Angry Birds and grabbed the second largest set from the theme, 75825 Piggy Pirate Ship<\/strong> for my first Angry Birds review.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

Name:<\/strong>\u00a0Piggy Pirate Ship
\nSet Number:<\/strong>\u00a075825
\nPieces:<\/strong>\u00a0620
\nPrice:<\/strong>\u00a0AU$99.99 | US$59.99 (Buy from LEGO.com [AUS<\/a>] [USA<\/a>] [Amazon<\/a>])
\nExclusive to:<\/strong>\u00a0N\/A
\nMinifigs: <\/strong>4
\nTheme:<\/strong>\u00a0Angry Birds
\nYear of Release:<\/strong>\u00a02016
\nInstructions:\u00a0<\/b>Book 1
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s almost an unspoken rule, but LEGO produces at least 1 Pirate Ship each year<\/strong>. Last year, we had the Brick Bounty<\/strong> and in 2014, we got the magnificent Metalbeard’s Sea Cow<\/strong>. This year…we get the most unorthodox Pirate Ship that LEGO have ever produced, the Piggy Pirate Ship.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Piggy Pirate Ship is a curious jumble of steel, wood, paddle wheels, oars and even a boulder anchor<\/strong> – not your typical Pirate Ship ingredients. It’s this exact concoction of strange assortments that drew me to\u00a0this peculiar set.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

But first… the LEGO Angry Birds minifigures<\/strong>. They are SO weird. I assembled the Piggy Pirate Ship over the week, and while I can find things I like about the ship, the minifigures just weird me out<\/strong>. You get four Angry Birds characters in this set – (L-R) Bomb, Red, Pirate Pig and Leonard.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a license about anthropomorphic birds with anger issues and bipedal egg-stealing pigs, regular stock-standard minifigures don’t make much sense. Instead, we get these bizarre figures that have minifig qualities like feet that affix to LEGO studs and claw arms that are able to grip LEGO accessories.<\/p>\n

The quality of these minifigures (can I even call them that?) are not a cause for concern – the overall look and feel is objectively good.<\/strong> It’s their strange forms that bother me<\/strong>. Let’s take a closer look at the minifigures in this set.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

First up are the Angry Birds themselves, Bomb<\/strong> and Red<\/strong>. Bomb is a fat black bird, and Red is the protagonist of the movie (voiced by Jason Sudeikis), both of which are exclusive to this set.<\/p>\n

Bomb is massively round. I haven’t played Angry Birds since like 2010 but I still remember the black bird being the giant wrecking ball-type bird<\/strong>, which exploded after impact – hence his name Bomb<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

His body is a solid piece of plastic and a little fuse sticking out from his head. His arms can swivel around 360\u00b0 like a regular LEGO minifig, but his clawed hands are fused with his arm.<\/p>\n

The little fuse<\/strong> sticking out his head is made out of rubbery material, which feels quite strange since it’s stuck to the body which is made out of normal ABS plastic. I hate it when materials mix like that.<\/p>\n

Red has a laid back, almost bored look to him. The printing on his face and body is quite decent, and like Bomb, his arms rotate an entire round as well.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, their design makes them quite rigid since their legs can’t move, which limits their posability and overall playability.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s a look at the sides of Bomb and Red. From the side, you can see that their bodies are fused together out of two plastic halves<\/strong> where the lines that separate both halves are quite unsightly. The birds’ arms have a bit of feathery texture moulded on to them.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

Both birds have tail feathers. Bomb’s tail feathers are made out of soft rubbery plastic, which is a little weird and out of place. Red’s tail is a lot better as it’s the same material as as his body.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

On to the pigs, the mortal enemies of the birds and I’m guessing antagonists of The Angry Birds Movie. We get two pigs in this set – Leonard<\/strong>, the pig with the gross facial hair and a nameless Pirate Pig<\/strong> which I’m guessing is the Captain of the Pirate Piggy Ship, judging from his pirate hat.<\/p>\n

Leonard<\/strong> has a name, so I’m guessing he’s kind of a big deal. Both pigs have the same mould for their bodies, a bright green lump form that’s a blend of both torso and head. The head\/bodies are balanced on 2 stumpy legs. The legs have two hooves (I think pigs have hooves?) moulded to them which is a nice bit of detail.<\/p>\n

Each pig has really sharp printing on their faces<\/strong>, which is really nice as it gives them a recognizable sense of identity. Leonard has an awful looking beard going on, with a goofy little smile, while the Pirate Pig is all sorts of excited, sporting an eyepatch and a big toothy grin.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s how the pigs look from the side. Like the birds, you can see the faint line that splits their bodies apart as well. The Pirate Pig comes with a sword – one of those newish broadswords with the rounded pommels. I also also fascinated to discover that the pigs actually rock minifigure arms.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

This is the back view of the pigs where you can see their little curly tails<\/strong> on their butts. You can also see the pig’s ears, which stick out on the left side of their heads.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

I still can’t get over these bizarre Angry Birds minifigures. There’s just something uncanny about them, with their aesthetics veering very closely into Mega Bloks<\/strong> (can I say that?) territory.<\/p>\n

They’re not badly designed, they just don’t seem to fit in very well with the overall LEGO aesthetic.<\/strong> When I buy sets, one of the things I look forward to the most are the minifigs. That sense of excitement and anticipation definitely did not occur with this set.<\/p>\n

You may like angry Birds, which means these minifigs will be right up your alley, but I just can’t bring myself to like them.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

On to the build, you first start by assembling a primitive catapult<\/strong> that’s nested on a small rocky island.<\/strong> Built upon a rocky formation, with a tiny palm tree for some greenery, the catapult is as basic as it comes. There’s a small basket that can fit an Angry Bird before it gets launched into oblivion<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

The play feature is as basic as it gets – slam the wooden plank down to fire Red at the pigs. Since it’s Angry Birds, the play feature emulates the overall mechanic of the games, although I wished that LEGO had given us a proper slingshot mechanic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

The centrepiece of this set is the Piggy Pirate Ship<\/strong>, the small but tall Pirate Ship piloted by two little piggies. Part steamboat and part galleon, the Piggy Pirate Ship is one peculiar looking ship<\/strong>. It’s totally unlike anything that LEGO have ever designed before – which I’m not sure is a good or bad thing.<\/p>\n

The first thing that strikes you about the Piggy Pirate Ship is how tall it is. The sails extends the Pirate Ship’s height to 38 cm<\/strong>, making it quite a formidable model. The Piggy Pirate Ship’s body is absolutely fascinating. It’s entirely brick-built<\/strong>, so no chunky plastic hulls which was a pleasant surprise.<\/p>\n

The rickety ship is fashioned out of a messy mix of steel and wood<\/strong>, giving off a very haphazard look to it. It has a duck-like shape to it, which I’m guessing was done on purpose.<\/p>\n

The ship has a boulder<\/strong> dangling from the bow – I initially thought it was some sort of wrecking ball, but the set’s description calls it an anchor<\/strong>. You can raise or lower the boulder anchor by twisting the large Technic gear piece.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s a look at the oval-shaped fabric sails<\/strong> of the Piggy Pirate Ship. Clearly, nothing is orthodox with this build. I quite like the crude stitches and patches.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s a look at the ship’s bow. There’s a printed shield piece in the shape of a pig’s snout<\/strong> which was quite a nice surprise.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

I immediately fell in love with this gorgeous new printed wooden 1 x 4 tiles.<\/strong> Printed tiles! It’s like an adult LEGO fan’s Christmas come early. There are ten included in this set, and they’re scattered across the ship’s exterior to make it look like it was built by an untalented carpenter. Printed tiles. What an absolute treat!<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite being a seafaring vessel, the ship actually runs on wheels<\/strong>, allowing you to push it along. The pushing motion is one of the play features of the ship and is a pretty clever\u00a0piece of engineering.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

There are two oars<\/strong> that emerge out of a small square-shaped opening at each side. There’s also a cabinet that functions as storage. The other side has a stick of dynamite in it.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s a look at the large paddle wheels<\/strong> that flank the ship’s back. I’m guessing in the movie the Piggy Pirate Ship is powered by a combination of oars, steam engine and wind.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

I usually don’t pay too much attention to play features as they’re often a little kiddy but the Piggy Pirate ship’s play mechanism is really next level<\/strong>. As you push the Pirate Ship and roll it forwards, the wheels turn the paddle wheel, and also move the oars from side to side.<\/p>\n

The play feature works exceptionally well and it is really satisfying pushing the ship along and seeing all the little parts move in unison.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

There’s a little cockpit situated at the back of the ship where the Pirate Pig can comfortable sit to steer the ship. Check out the cute fabric flag with the Pig logo next to it.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

Behind the cockpit is a small crane<\/strong> with a net to hold the eggs that the pigs are out to steal from the birds. Nothing too special, except that the crane can be twisted to haul up the net.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

Speaking of eggs, the new egg accessories<\/strong> are one of the most interesting elements introduced in the Angry Birds theme. These perfectly shaped eggs have a hole at the bottom that fits a stud, which means that minifigs can comfortable grip them in their hands.<\/p>\n

I’d hazard to say that these eggs are actually more interesting than the Angry Birds minifigures themselves.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

The Piggy Pirate ship contains a small kitchen area<\/strong>, complete with a frying pan on a stove and a sink area to cook the aforementioned eggs. There’s a printed tile<\/strong> included in this set, with what seems to be instructions to cook\/fry the eggs.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

Situated next to the table with the printed tile is a small crate that’s filled with a random assortment of items. Ice cream cones, bananas, and even one of those new stud-firing crossbows.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

The Piggy Pirate Ship is not without its secrets. Lifting up a panel near the kitchen reveals a hidden compartment containing Leonard’s crown. <\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s an accessory that you can affix to the Pig’s heads. In the original Angry Birds game, I distinctly remember the King Pig being a boss-type character at the end of each world.<\/p>\n

\"LEGO<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What I liked:<\/strong><\/p>\n