This is a very cool set. We get 6 minifigs in total and no stickers which you have to worry about. And you also get some neat play features. The minifigs we get in this set are the pirate captain, 2 soldiers and 3 pirates. This set also includes a monkey and a palm tree. There're also two rafts in this set. We get a red and a brown raft.

The set is very fun to build and very sturdy. On the dock we get a cannon which sviwels full 360° and it does really shoot like a flick-missile if you put in the black cylinder pieces which are supposed to be the cannon balls. We get a keg, a ladder and a barrier on the dock as well. The main building is awesome. The huge skull does open and the rafts can pass the canal. In the inside you can see a treasure chest which has some gold in the inside and the other side has two rifles in there.

The first level of this building has a desk for the pirates which has a bottle, a map and a yellow chalice. There's also a floor which can disappear and underneath that floor are two swords. The balcony on the top has 3 kegs, a huge pirate flag and a crane. I really can't complain about this set.

All in all this set is a great set and I would HIGHLY recommend you to get this. You can find this set on eBay, BrickLink and Amazon for sure. Here is the link where you can check out the full gallery I made for this set on my website: www.klokriecher.de


Videos I made of this set:

Stopmotion

Review

Speed Build

Near a forgotten little group of islands, lies a land of green that is seemingly uninhabited. But as one enters these palm forests he'll soon find himself in a quiet lagoon and in front a giant skull. Skull Island, the nest of the most feared pirate group in the Caribbean, Captain Roger Redbeard and his gang of cutthroats. Two unfortunate soldiers of the Imperial Guard have now run into this pirate paradise and their lives are on the line! Who will leave this island alive? We are about to find out...

Now for this review I have chosen a set that has been in my collection quite some time, but wasn't part of my childhood in any way, shape or form. Actually I never had this set on my radar when I came back from my dark ages. I knew I wanted to collect 90s sets and this was a set I just looked at one time and thought "yeah I put it on the list for later".

However just a few days later I entered a small second hand LEGO store in my hometown to buy the 6278 Enchanted Island they had prominent in their store window. So I was prepared to shell out 120 Euros for that set, however in a refreshing twist the set only cost 70 (way less than I expected). However, I still had 50 bucks, I planned to spend that day and as fortune would have it, the store also had the Skull Island, though not as well displayed for I think 48. So I did what had to be done, did not hesitate, showed no mercy aaaaaand went home with both sets for a mere 120 bucks. Nice!

As I built the set, I really came around to enjoying it more than I initially thought and want to share some of that enjoyment with you now...

The Minifigures

The pirate sets almost always had excellent figure selections and this set is no different. We get a handful of pirates and their leader, the infamous Roger Redbeard. I love these figures and in terms of detail they may be dated, but are still all that I need a minifigure to be. (even though I appreciate the amount of details LEGO Figures nowadays have)

Furthermore, we get two soldiers of the crown to fight the pirates, though I doubt they stand much of a chance in this set.

Nice selection, I love it!

The Dingis

Do I need to talk about them in detail? There are two boats and if you own any pirate sets, you probably have at least one of these. They are nice though, and I can see the value of their inclusion, though at this point I have amassed a fleet of these.

Skull Island

Now we get to the meat and potatoes. As far as I can see this set hasn't appreciated quite as much as most other pirate sets from these years and I really can't think of a reason why that is. It's fantastic.

So we have a spacious dock area with a cannon for action scenes, which is nice. Then we come to the giant skull, which obviously gives the set its name. It is nicely build and swings wide open to give access to a cave that can be entered by boat. I like this feature very much. It should also be noted that the whole set rests on a 32x32 blue baseplate and is fully build up, no 3D baseplate, so for those of you who don't enjoy 3D plates (which I really like) there you go, this is a set for you.

On the second floor we have the captain's quarters with a small table that has a treasure map and what I can only assume would be cherry juice on it. Minifigures wouldn't drink alcohol, would they? ;-)

And then we have the top balcony that has a crane which is useful for all the barrels full of gems included. Also, a Jolly Roger waves proudly in the breeze.

Final Thoughts

I wanted to do this review because I felt kinda bad for underestimating this set so much. It is so cool, and I really enjoyed it more than I would've imagined.

The only "flaw" I could see here are that there aren't as many rare pieces included asides the minifigures perhaps, but even those aren't that rare and appeared in many sets of the theme. So it should be fairly easy to rebrick this set and maybe that is why the prices at least on eBay in my country are still okay.

So all in all this set is great, and I would like for LEGO to release a set like this that would be more in the 60-70 dollar range again. Every good base nowadays seems to hover around 100 at minimum, which is unfortunate. This set has much potential, because of all the standard bricks, is playable and looks nice, what more do you want. :-)

Man, I remember in 1995 when this set came out. I was five years old. I tried to get my mother to get it for me, but we didn't have a lot of money, so I was bummed. And you can see why I was disappointed. Skull Island. A cool little base with a revolving skull that reveals a hideout with a crane, cannon and two boats. Why wouldn't want it?

Flash-forward 18 years later and with some Christmas money I purchased this set on eBay and I have to say, I was not disappointed one bit.

Building it is simple. Just start off with the boats and then the Island itself. You might be confused as to where to put the bricks at on the baseplate, but once you figure it out, it's simple from there on.

Now onto the set itself. The Skull Island is a nice idea. I believe the skull itself warns people about who dwells there and is the neatest decoration on the base. And you can revolve it to reveal a hideaway with a treasure chest and two mounted rifles to shoot at invading ships. But that's not all. You also have a little dock with a cannon on there. Honestly I think the two imperial guards are outmatched. The pirate can just aim it at their dinky boat and blow them out of the water. But I'll get onto the figures in a moment. You have a palm tree alongside a middle part where you can look at a map and take a swig of rum and plan some pirate schemes. And the top part is a balcony where you can take a look at the surroundings around the island. And also have a crane where you can lower a barrel of jewels and row it on a pirate boat so if the Imperials take it over, you be darn sure that won't get the jewels. Just hope they don't forget the treasure chest as well.

The figures include two Imperials guards, which one is the commander I think, with the black tricorn hat and beard. At least I like to think of him as a higher up. And you have a foot soldier as well. And all on a tiny boat. I imagine this action scene where the cannon blows them out of the water, but they survive and fight off the prates ala Schwarzenegger in Commando. On the pirate side is the cannon man with the black and orange tank top with blue pants, a black tricorn hat and an eye patch. I just hope he has no problem with depth perception. You have another eye patched guy with a tricorn hat, blue jacket and gray pants. That pirate design is one of my favorites. And you have the guy with the red rag, mustache, tanktop and black pants. Looks like a scruffy dude who will hold his own against the Imperials. And last but not least, you have the famous Captain Redbeard, large and in charge. He may not have an eye, a hand or a leg, but he sure as heck won't go down without a fight. And as an added bonus, you have a monkey. And monkeys are always neat. And a parrot as well. I just wish there was a way to put him on the fearsome Captain's shoulder. With everything, one thing that's missing are some ships, like an Imperial flagship, with one released in 1992 I believe. The Skull Island guys will fight with there lives and fight hard.

But by itself, this is a neat set and if you're a Lego fan, this is a must-have.

I didn't know this set, i've seen it only on pictures. I bought it on an auction for 40E. The salesman said it was new and brought from UK. He did not lie... So right now I have new a Skull Island in my small collection and it was pieces together twise(second time by me:).I play it sometimes with my's brother's son but I must be cereful not to damage this wonderful set. It's really full of colours, figs, weapons, still shining and amazing.

A LEGO fan of today knows that ALTHOUGH there are so many great sets to buy now, there were also amazingly good sets in the years before these modern fans were born! This comes into play for me, too.

The Skull Island was made in 1995, when I wasn't born yet. What made me fall in love with this Pirates set is that there are so many mini-figures for a collectionist like me (6!). 2 Red-coated Imperials and 4 pirates. "I have to get it," I said to myself.

Now, I knew the only way I could get the set was through a marketplace. So I chose the wonderful BrickLink to find my set. Looking through the many stores that sold Skull Island, I found one great store that was selling the set, complete!, for $52. This was 1 dollar less than the original price of the set when it was released in '95! Waiting until my graduation, I made sure to look everyday to make sure the set was still there! And by July 11, the day I purchased the set, it was still there!

The seller was great and a fast shipper! I almost fainted when I saw the UPS box on my porch, knowing that package was all mine!

It only took me 25 minutes to build the set, so I made a pros and cons list about the beauty of Skull Island!

PROS

*1995 set in great condition!
*Cherrishable mini-figs!
*32 x 32 baseplate is HUGE!
*Non-shooting cannon!
*Two boats! Brown for pirates, and red for soldiers!
*Spinable and buildable skull
*Imperials!
*Builable tree!
*Just so GREAT!

CONS

*Only 2 Imperials! I love Imperials, so I wished there would have been 3 or 4!

This is my 1st vintage set, and I have to state, everybody in my house think it is the best LEGO set we own!

"A pirate's life for me..."

P.S. The seller from BrickLink, Dearly De-Parted, is someone you should go for, for all your LEGO needs! She was EXCELLENT!