Holiday gift guide: $100-200
Posted by Huw,
Today's recommendation comes courtesy of Cocoa and Mr_Hankey who both extol the virtues of one of the best sets of all time, 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay:
Cocoa:
Pirates of Barracuda Bay may just be the greatest set on the market. It truly is the ultimate LEGO experience for anyone who loves classic themes. It is hard to put in words just how enjoyable this set is. The island is vibrant, detailed, and simply huge! It just demands presence on a shelf.
The island's structures imply that the bay is a repurposed shipwreck, with folded sails and lots of bright green vegetation. I appreciate the little details that comprise the bay, including a small statue from LEGO Islanders and an array of palm trees.
But that's not all; the island's structures can be combined to become a large version of the classic 6285 Black Seas Barracuda. For an average LEGO fan, $200 is simply out of the range. And I completely get that. But compared to other sets at this price range, it is simply the best deal out there! You won't regret this purchase if this is your first large set, or just love LEGO Pirates.
Mr_Hankey:
The 21322 Pirates of the Barracuda Bay Ideas set is an excellent gift for the AFOL who has been around in the prime days of the LEGO Pirates theme, but certainly will put a smile on the face of all LEGO fans. This set, which started out as a completely different looking Ideas fan design, turned out to be a beautiful homage to the classic pirates set 6285 Black Seas Barracuda.
The set features a shipwrecked ship on a deserted island which has been converted to a refuge by the stranded Captain Redbeard and his trusty crew who have stranded after a storm according to the short comic which comes with the instruction manual.
The set provides an excellent building experience in the basic design with a lot of small details with a couple of nice surprises, references to the classic pirates theme and Easter-eggs.
As cherry on top, the shipwreck can be re-build into an upgraded version of the Black Seas Barracuda ship with an extra bag of pieces which is provided with this set.
This 21322 Pirates of the Barracuda Bay will make for an excellent display piece filled with nostalgia and will make for an unforgettable Christmas gift for your loved one.
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11 comments on this article
"One of the best sets of all time" is definitely not an overstatement. Pirates is a theme I'm not particularly interested in and I'm too young to have known its golden age, but my God! is Pirates of Barracuda Bay a wonder.
Everything from the detailing to the building experience, not to mention the overall look and fantastic piece selection, is perfect. Rarely have I been so amazed by a set - and that's saying something, given I do own a fair share of splendid ones (Hogwarts, Death Star, Orthanc...).
200$ is honestly not even that high for more than 2500 parts, and the completed set is worth every single cent.
This set is this year's Voltron for me. I got Voltron a couple of years ago as a present. Normally I wouldn't even think about buying such a large and expensive set, but, I mean, Voltron. And this set is in the same category. Normally, I wouldn't even think about it ... but just look at it, though, I mean, how could you *not* want it?
It's truly great, and it keeps on giving for me. There's a ton of inspiration out there (e.g. on Eurobricks) how to expand it, I've just built it on a baseplate full of transparent tiles, added further little balconys and structures to make it feel even more complete and ramshackle, and my five-year-old daughter loves playing with it. I also built a big reimagined Eldorado Fortress from Rebrickable, that goes together really nicely.
So, grab the set (or two) as long as you can, and enjoy a lovely Christmas build that keeps you occupied for hours or days.
I absolutely loved building Baracuda Bay. All the benefits of contemporary part availabilities and building techniques, but with a really authentic feel that took me right back to how I used to imagine and play with the classic pirates sets.
Moreover, the ship-repurposed-as-dwellings look is also reminiscent of several locations from the Monkey Island computer games, providing a double hit of early 90s nostalgia!
This is going to be my christmas present to my self, really looking forward to it.
21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay is a must-have: of all the 2020 sets this would be the one you would regret the most not buying...
Easily the best set I've built in years. I can't imagine how incredible it would be to get this as a gift Christmas morning. If you're looking at a $200 Lego set gift for Christmas, it should be this one.
I have a 4 year old that has been wanting this set for a while so I was glad it was in stock this last weekend. Looking forward to building some great memories!
Held out on this so far, hoping that details will come out soon on 40416 to buy it as the Christmas gift. But maybe will relent and buy on Black Friday.
21322 is currently 15% off at John Lewis in the UK (as at 24/11/20).
If you have an Amazon Rewards Visa, this is one of the sets that keeps getting extended as 10% back, so you'd get $20 back. I know $180 is still pricy, but it's something.
ETA- make sure you're on the frustration-free packaging tab.