First of all, after the disappointment that was the Queen Annes Revenge, I was not planning on getting this ship. Mostly because it is the smaller of the two and I figured with less pieces it couldn't have been as fun to build. It was given to me as a gift and I have to say, that I really like this ship . . . a lot. . . not as much as my precious Imperial Flagship . . . but a lot. The picture on the box doesn't really do this ship justice. Once its all put together, the black sails and the mostly black ship make a nice contrast to anything this ship is around unless your in complete darkness, in which case this ship blends right in.

Building Experience:

I really enjoyed building this ship. It's one of those builds that actually looks good while your building it. I'm not sure what I mean by that, but it makes sense to me somehow. It just has a lot of nice details on it. Details that don't get noticed right away cause your eyes only register black when you look at this ship. And OMG guess what? They actually put stairs going to the deck above the captains cabin. It's like a modern day Lego miracle. No longer do we have to expect our poor mini figures to leap like kangaroos just to be able to get up there. And there isn't just one set of stairs, there are two! I know it's almost too much, but believe it . . . it's true. There are few things on this ship that could have used a little more attention though. The rudder is terrible. It's just a black flag piece stuck on to the back of the ship as an afterthought. It also likes to spin sideways and look like some ungodly black fish tail flapping about that has no business being on the back of the ship. The anchor is attached to a chain which is just attached to some random stud in the front of the ship. No spinning pulley system like on the other ships. I'm pretty sure they just threw the anchor piece at the ship and attached it where it landed. And last complaint is that it looks like there are spots for 3 cannons on each side of the ship. That is dirty lie. Those stairs I mentioned earlier take up the space for the cannon on the back "cannon port". So we finally get our stairs, but no extra cannons. Overall fun build though and very nice looking ship once completed. Because it is a smaller ship that has the same amount of sails as the Queen Anne's Revenge, it doesn't look like any space is wasted. Compact looking with lots of little details.

Parts:

Black, lots of black. And if you get tired of black, try on some dark gray. And if you absolutely must there is some dark brown as well. Maybe the most depressing array of parts you could ever get. But on the upside, Squid face Davey Jones is vibrant blue and bright tan. I'm not sure why he is so bright, but he doesn't really fit on this set. Also the ship doesn't have a back base piece. Just a front rounded base and 3 middle sections with an interestingly built cabin rising out the back. Very clever and a nice change from most Lego ships.

Playability:

Being that I'm an adult and don't have a lot of time when I'm not around other people, playing with these is not only embarrassing, it's just can't happen until I make some children. So for now, I swear I build Legos strictly because they are "models" and also to reclaim some sort of lost childhood memories or something. Anyway, if I was theoretically able to find some time to play with this set, the playability would be pretty high. The sides of the cabin open up for easy access and also the roof can be removed. The ship doesn't have a deck so access to the cannons is easy. It's a good play set for kids as well as a good looking "model" for adults.

Value for Money:

For me the value was relatively high because I got it for free! But if I did have to pay $99.00 for it I suppose it would be a good value, especially for a branded set that is usually overpriced (I'm looking at you star wars). I can't do math so I don't know about the price per piece ratio but it definitely FEELS like a decent deal.

PROS:

1. Small compact good looking ship

2. Stairs! It has stairs!

3. Good Mini Figures

4. Fun to build

CONS:

1. Rudder is terrible, they should have built the back cabin higher to have a

decent rudder

2. Anchor placement is an afterthought

3. Only two actual cannons ports on each side.

Overall in my humble opinion, this is the best of the two Pirates of the Caribbean ships by a long shot. There's no crazy bones or colors on this ship. It's just a nice looking pirate ship that happens to be associated with the Pirates of the Caribbean. It looks better, and it just looks better. End of story.