I have fond memories with this set, managing to get two when I got the #75309 Gunship. I was fortunate enough to be gifted one by a friend I met in line. However, that nostalgia only adds to the love for this promo.

The figures quite bland for what they are, however include interesting hairpieces and updated life vest pieces. I believe that the torso prints are exclusive as well, but could be wrong. One figure has blue strips, the other red. Overall, decent for a freebie.

The side build of the dolphins is award, but the execution is a nice display next to the main build. Also getting two dolphins in a free set is great value for parting it out.

The boat build is one of my favourite builds ever. The SNOT technique using the large panels along the side gives the perfect edge and angle for the hull. The deck is not large, however provides ample space to angle the figures included. The gold tube pieces that act as a railing are welcome inclusions, too. Again, it adds to the overall parting out value.

I think my favourite part of the build is the sails. They connect to the technic beams and are simple, but I enjoy the brick built sails as opposed to cloth sails like the #21322 Barracuda Bay ship. The tip of the ship tends to flail off, but I have also moved it around, and it has more than likely lost some of its original grip from the pieces.

This promo stands tall and proud as an individual set, which I highly encourage you to get. A great display for a city, shelf, or any other nautical themed area. Happy building!

When I saw the price threshold to get this gift with purchase I was turned off, but since my birthday is in August I wound up getting this anyway.

Before I jump into this review I do want to say that I am a power boater, although I have certainly been on quite a few sailboats over the years, and of course many of my harbor neighbors are sailboats.

Box

To start with, the box is a regular Lego box, it isn't the typical Ideas box which give the theme more of a premium feel, although this isn't too big a deal as I realise this isn't your typical Ideas set.

Instructions

The instructions are better than most GWP instructions. Like any Ideas set there is a picture of the fan designer along with a story that he wrote about the set. If you read what he says before building the set, you will know exactly what you are getting. The designer is an engineer by trade, and it shows. The quality of the build is amazing. However, he has never been on a sailboat before, and this too shows as the design of the boat is extremely flawed.

Build

The build is divided up into 2 bags (of 3 bags each). The first bag builds the boat itself, while the second bag builds the mast, sails, and dolphins. The boat itself is a very interesting build with some wonderful SNOT techniques that do a great job creating the curved shape of a sailboat's hull. The mast and sails are built together with a good portion of the mast being built by the sails themselves. This gives what could have been a very fragile build a whole lot of strength. Like the designer said, he is an engineer, and it certainly shows. I've never seen a Lego set built like this (and I have the Imperial Transport) and from a building point of view this might be the best 300 part set you'll ever find.

Model

The model itself is where I'm very disappointed. The two most obvious flaws are that the jib has a boom, while the boom under the main is way too high. To compound this problem, this is clearly a smaller sailboat as is displayed by the lack of a steering wheel. This boat has a tiller, which would imply it is rather small, and for anyone who has been on a small sailboat, you would know that the boom is low down, often requiring you to duck under it when you tack. The cabin is justifiably small and bare bones, probably the only thing that is actually accurate about the boat. The anchor is on the side of the boat, not at the bow, while the bow is extremely long and ornate. The sides of the boat also feature an oscillating pattern, which I admit is attractive since it makes it look more interesting, but the sides of a boat, especially a sailboat, need to be smooth.

Finally, you have an issue with where the minifigures go. One of the coolest things about this model is the lack of studs on its surfaces, and the fact you have printed 1x4 tiles with wood grain. As a result however you have nowhere to put the minifigures. So one minifigure attaches to the model by holding onto the tiller. The model does include two studs on the edge of the boat that allow for the other minifigure to stand. However, this is the problem, on a powerboat it would be very dangerous to stand along the side rails at anytime other than docking. On a sailboat however, when the boat heels, this would be reckless (although I'm glad the minifigure is wearing a life jacket).

Overall

Overall this is a rather difficult set to judge. The build experience is fantastic. The model is deeply flawed, although perhaps if you aren't a boater you wouldn't see any problems with the design. While I was aware of the issues with the boom, and the extra boom, I thought I might MOC a solution to these problems. However, it is so well built that I'm not so sure it's as easy just adding a few parts here and taking away a few parts there. So at this point I think I'll just live with it, it simply isn't worth the trouble as there are other things I'd rather work on. As a result, I know there are only a few days left in the promotion, but if you are going to spend $150, you might as well add another $50 to your cart. However, I don't recommend spending $200 just to get this set.