Welcome to the Playmobil Playroom, where we take a monthly peek inside those impressive blue boxes and see what treasures await within. Sometimes we’ll have step-by-step photos walking you through assembly, maybe we’ll discuss and review a particular set or theme, or maybe we’ll have an unboxing video.
Today, to celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day, we’re tearing into a behemoth of a set: the Pirate Raiders’ Ship (6678). First of all, I need to say that this is one heck of a pirate ship. The finished product looks super awesome, and my kids love it. But assembling it requires a couple hours of dedicated patience…or an engineering degree. And since my 7-year-old did it all by herself, the former was the case for us.
This one was hard. Like, really hard. It was, without contest, the hardest Playmobil build we’ve ever done (and that includes this wicked cool castle). Don’t get me wrong. We love this ship, but our complaints boil down to these two issues: the screws holding the body of the boat together are inconveniently placed (they’re recessed fairly deep, and it’s hard to get them tight enough to hold everything together), and the sails are ridiculously complicated to put together and mount on the masts (don’t even get me started on these).
So if you’re going to conquer this pirate ship – and you really should – make sure you’ve got a good supply of patience. You’re going to need it.
Like I said, though, the final ship is very cool. There are only 115 pieces, which is on the low side for a toy of this size (it’s over 2 feet long), and once the ship is together, most of those pieces aren’t even noticeable. But it does come with some great accessories. The three pirates and pet monkey (why no parrot?) are obviously a favorite with my kids, along with two firing cannons and a massive torch.
There aren’t many secret compartments or holds in the belly of the ship – which might be a disappointment – and that’s because the inside is one big piece of Styrofoam. Why, you ask? Well, that’s because this pirate ship can actually float!
That’s right. Take it to the bathtub or swimming pool and be the envy of all the scurvy landlubbers!
The Pirate Raiders’ Ship is a great addition to our Playmobil collection, and my kids immediately found that it easily combines with lots of other toys they have on hand. Like all large Playmobil sets, it doesn’t come cheap, but if you’re in the market for an awesome pirate ship (and really, who isn’t?), then you can’t go wrong with this one.
But don’t take my word for it. Let the pros you through it…
(Disclosure: This Playmobil set was provided free of charge for review purposes. All opinions remain our own.)
