Random set of the day: Harbour Sentry
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 6245 Harbour Sentry, released during 1989. It's one of 12 Pirates sets produced that year. It contains 25 pieces and 1 minifig, and its retail price was US$4.25.
It's owned by 7,400 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
120 likes
54 comments on this article
@PurpleDave predicted this set just the other day!
https://brickset.com/article/65526/random-set-of-the-day-pirates-ambush
26 October 2021 12:36
" @ecleme11
6245. I have it on good authority that one cannon is the max capacity of these rowboats."
Nice work!
The classic Pyrrhic victory: blow the other guy and yourself away at the same time. Watch that recoil!
It's interesting how from the very start in 1989 Pirates used Cannon Bases, Paddles and Rowboats in both Red and Brown.
Red boats use brown paddles in sets, and brown boats use red paddles, seems to be the only constant, not what color belongs to Pirates/Soldier etc.
What a nice little set! I never have enough cannons, or boats for that matter for my pirate display sadly.
I really wish lego would bring back Pirates (amongst other historical themes). A once-a-year 18+ set would suffice.
Just on that, would people say the red coats or blue coats were/are more popular?
I have the 2015 line which were blue coats as well as some classic Imperials like this in both blue and red plus one red coat from 2009. I like the colour blue and it makes Lego Naval/Pirates unique so personally I go for blue coats, but red coats are probably more recognisable to the era.
@MCLegoboy:
My brother got me that for Christmas when we were kids. I think it was my first Pirates set.
@MeisterDad:
Not my copy! This was from the first spring-fire era, when you’d pull back on the knob (that is 100% the real technical term for the little sphere at the end), and when you release it, the mighty power of springs launches the projectile across the room. Mine came from the tail end of that era, when they had decided that spring-fire cannons weren’t safe, so they stopped putting the springs in them. You could pull back on the knob, and when you released it...nothing happened. You could flick the knob with your fingertip, but that just led to sore fingernails. And a glancing blow means the cannon shot is going to either fall out of the barrel right next to the boat (bad), or remain in the barrel (_really_ bad). This is like the TIE Fighter of Pirates.
I remember getting this set as a kid and having no idea what a sentry was and looking it up in a dictionary. I built my vocabulary with Lego.
Cool! I have this one still. I love having the classic Imperials. This was the first Pirates sets I got, my brother got 6257 Castaway’s Raft.
Ah, the memories. My first cannon, my first rowboat, my first Imperial minifig.
@Librarian1976 said:
"I built my vocabulary with Lego."
Out of context, that is a very funny sentence.
@cooldude69420 said:
"lottsa tiny sets recently"
My childhood was full of these tiny sets. I probably had 50 of them, and only a few of the big flagship sets. Seeing this ridiculous soldier with his cannon rowboat makes me so nostalgic.
I loved this set. Simple, cheap, and full of potential.
Pretty sure this was the first real opponent for my 6285 Black Seas Barracuda. Good luck, Mr. Sentry.
@ForestMenOfEndor:
Ah, now that’s sound naval tactics! Shot them from below when they run you over because nobody noticed you there.
For 4.25, you get a one piece dingy, cannon with base, and Soldier... Nice
Ah, a cannon. This is what the guy from 6249 needed. The new guy will not be distracted by any pirate parrots; he’ll have the necessary equipment to take them out!
@PurpleDave : Impressive!
I can just imagine this guy saying " You want to go by? Well you're going to have to get past me first heh heh".
@Brickchap said:
"What a nice little set! I never have enough cannons, or boats for that matter for my pirate display sadly.
I really wish lego would bring back Pirates (amongst other historical themes). A once-a-year 18+ set would suffice."
Well, I can't help you with LEGO on that of course, but that German company I am not going to name or post a link to would have you covered. They have recently announced a 5,500 piece galeone set that has 20 (!) of those cannons (the functioning spring-loaded ones). Also includes at least one of the boats as well. ;-)
@MeisterDad said:
"The classic Pyrrhic victory: blow the other guy and yourself away at the same time. Watch that recoil!"
It’s an attack and escape at the same time! Firing the cannon at your enemy also hurls you further away from them, it’s genius!
@PurpleDave said:
"
@MeisterDad:
Not my copy! This was from the first spring-fire era, when you’d pull back on the knob (that is 100% the real technical term for the little sphere at the end), and when you release it, the mighty power of springs launches the projectile across the room. Mine came from the tail end of that era, when they had decided that spring-fire cannons weren’t safe, so they stopped putting the springs in them. You could pull back on the knob, and when you released it...nothing happened. You could flick the knob with your fingertip, but that just led to sore fingernails. And a glancing blow means the cannon shot is going to either fall out of the barrel right next to the boat (bad), or remain in the barrel (_really_ bad). This is like the TIE Fighter of Pirates."
I believe the non-firing cannons only came out in USA, probably because you can get sued for anything there :S
I was most into Castle and Town as a kid, but that changes in 1989 when the fantastic Pirates theme was released, since then this has been my all time favorite theme!
Me and my brother had most of the small sets from the first couple of pirates waves included this, so not so long ago I went to the attic and found the imperial ones so I could display them together with 6276 that I only could afford after I have grown up :)
@Roebuck said:
"I believe the non-firing cannons only came out in USA, probably because you can get sued for anything there :S"
ROFL
So true. When I was over there for the first time I was totally amazed (and amused) by all the warning labels that to any sane person would have seemed totally gratuitous and unnecessary.
Huwbot now has a weird fascination with Classic Pirates (I'm all in for it). Clickbait YouTubers should be getting the hell out of this with "possible hints for a new Lego Pirates theme". If there were certain Lego videos like that out there, it would be rather funny.
@TeriXeri said:
"It's interesting how from the very start in 1989 Pirates used Cannon Bases, Paddles and Rowboats in both Red and Brown.
Red boats use brown paddles in sets, and brown boats use red paddles, seems to be the only constant, not what color belongs to Pirates/Soldier etc."
However in the early days, Red boats were far more common with the Imperial Soldiers than the pirates. Interestingly the plain bicorne hat was exclusive to this set for a long time. It also was my first cannon ever^^
I have that one. I don't remember where I got it.
Like so many others we had most of the small Pirates sets back then, I remember using almost all of our pieces to build a landscape with a fortified bridge (between two of those raised baseplates with pit, one from 6081 and the other from 6276), rocks, trees etc. with the express purpose to hold cannon battles in between the pirates and the royal army...
As for this set, one of the alternatives shows a more sensible approach with the cannon *not* sitting in the boat, I imagine that went something like this:
designer A: "Nice, but it's not very clear that the boat and cannon are on land and sea respectively, don't you think?"
designer B: "Fine, I'll add one of those small island baseplates."
designer A: "Better, but a bit bare."
designer B: "How about this, a small wall and a tower next to the cannon?"
designer A: "Great! Just add another figure or two and lets's call this, uhmmm, Sabre Island, yeah!"
designer B: "That does look like a slightly bigger set now though, what about the impulse level set?"
designer A: "Oh just slap that cannon on the boat and call it a day, nobody will complain."
;-)
While the set itself might not be extremely practical, it made for a great impulse set that had
- One of the first floating rowboats
- One of the first minifig faces with a beard
- One of the first working cannons (non-US, as stated above)
- A new minifigure flintlock
- One of the first sets with weapons (other than those in Castle)
- A printed flag
- Epaulets!
It might not have been much, but it was *great* at the same time.
Never mind the dangers of a cannon in such a small boat, he's about to chop his feet off with how he's stowing his sword! No clip in the boat for weapon storage in those days!
EDIT - Partial retraction, there is a clip but he's elected to use it for his pistol
The sabre actually fits quite nicely on the clips on the cannon (perhaps a bit *too* secure), or in the hollow stud at the front of the boat :-)
Now if they bought in a modular pirate town I would be a very poor man indeed.
Parts of a fortress/castle that connect in different ways. All the different buildings in the pirate town. A few ship to dock. Pirate hide out. Couple of islands. Plenty of scope for funny little scenes like the dog with the keys to the jail being tempted by the pirates with a bone.
"We can't lose with our mighty 6285!"
- "Cap'n, they have 20 6045 s..."
Hashtag: bringpiratesback
@jkb:
20 ninja gliders?
I wonder what the biggest set that had been on RSOTD before? That would be an interesting fact.
The rotating cannon on a row boat reappeared again in 2009 on Loot Island 6241.
@ambr said:
"The rotating cannon on a row boat reappeared again in 2009 on Loot Island 6241."
I was thinking the same thing. That boat felt like a bit of a homage to this set!
@PurpleDave said:
" @jkb:
20 ninja gliders?"
Yes. We initially had the idea to defend with 20 of our 6245, but the governor INSISTED on using this futuristic "aerial combat" thing - I wonder if it will ever take off. Can we mount a cannon onto a glider?
@Eggyslav said:
" @Brickchap said:
" Just on that, would people say the red coats or blue coats were/are more popular?
I have the 2015 line which were blue coats as well as some classic Imperials like this in both blue and red plus one red coat from 2009. I like the colour blue and it makes Lego Naval/Pirates unique so personally I go for blue coats, but red coats are probably more recognisable to the era. "
Historically speaking, both colours have been used by imperial forces in the Carribean. Blue is always identified with French, and Red with British. We also have the Spanish (Imperial Armada in green/red, tho Historically spanish soldiers wore rather yellow and black uniforms), and the only faction missing are the Dutch with orange/grey uniforms.
As such, I think the Bluecoats are more popular, since they were first, and also are connotated with such sets like Eldorado Fortress, Imperial Trading Post, and Black Seas Barracuda."
Imperial Trading Post is redcoats.
I don't know why he's bothering to use the oars, the recoil from the cannon firing ought to be enough to propel that boat clear across the harbor...
@AustinPowers said:
" @Brickchap said:
"What a nice little set! I never have enough cannons, or boats for that matter for my pirate display sadly.
I really wish lego would bring back Pirates (amongst other historical themes). A once-a-year 18+ set would suffice."
Well, I can't help you with LEGO on that of course, but that German company I am not going to name or post a link to would have you covered. They have recently announced a 5,500 piece galeone set that has 20 (!) of those cannons (the functioning spring-loaded ones). Also includes at least one of the boats as well. ;-) "
Now I want to know which company to have a look at it, but can't find it
@CaptainMoore Try including Flörsheim in your google search
@ambr:
I bought that for Robinson Crusoe, and it wasn’t until a few years ago I realized I’d basically got myself a second Harbor Sentry.
@jkb:
Sounds like an early prototype for the A-10.
@oldfan:
Brakes.
Yay! Harbour Sentry! My sister had this one when we were kids. Great little set.
@jkb said:
" @PurpleDave said:
" @jkb:
20 ninja gliders?"
Yes. We initially had the idea to defend with 20 of our 6245, but the governor INSISTED on using this futuristic "aerial combat" thing - I wonder if it will ever take off. Can we mount a cannon onto a glider?"
Its the original Ninjago Skybound
@domboy:
Nah, she had a Harbor Sentry. Harbour Sentry drives a tan 1980 Chevy K5 Blazer.
@Eggyslav:
@Brickchap:
Royal Navy officers (as well as the Royal Artillery) wore blue uniforms while Royal Marines wore red uniforms similar to the army so both bluecoats and redcoats can be British.
This was my first LEGO Pirates set. My parents bought it for me when visiting family in Europe. Back then, LEGO products seemed to be released first in Europe before being released in North America. I remember the feeling of having something new, before anybody else could get it. When LEGO Pirates eventually came to my hometown, my focus quickly switched away from town, space and castle.
I loved these types of sets!
The bluecoats had no ships large enough to take on the Black Seas Barracuda or Skull's Eye Schooner- they had access to nothing larger than the Caribbean Clipper. So, they sent legions of these disposable schlubs out for single-shot kamikaze-esque fusillades that usually ended with the disintegration of the boat and/or the crew's demise. The tactic was frighteningly effective, kind of like Millennium Challenge 2002.
@jkb said:
" @CaptainMoore Try including Flörsheim in your google search"
Or use the set number: 104122
;-)
@jkb said:
" @CaptainMoore Try including Flörsheim in your google search"
Thanks! It's huge but I don't really like the colours. Maybe the lack of minifigs make it look empty too. I don't know, something feels off even though the proportions looks better than Lego models
Loved this fellow, in my blue coats he was a second in command because of his grand hat.
Enlighten make a lot of inspired by Lego pirates sets - I assume some patents or trademarks are expired… it’s a shame I cannot bring myself to pay for non Lego building blocks though.
@captainpie:
I hear a magnificent hat does demonstrate that you’re a schmott guy. And the Jägers probably would think it’s really fun to shoot the cannon from this tiny boat.
@captainpie said:
"Loved this fellow, in my blue coats he was a second in command because of his grand hat.
Enlighten make a lot of inspired by Lego pirates sets - I assume some patents or trademarks are expired… it’s a shame I cannot bring myself to pay for non Lego building blocks though. "
Not really. Early Enlighten sets were nothing but blatant copies of existing LEGO sets. Later they released own designs, but with the protected minifig. Cobi started off like that, too, and both brands came a long way since then. Their quality is good.
Small Enlighten - or Qman, as they call the brand now - sets don't cost much and can be real fun.
@ForestMenOfEndor said:
"Pretty sure this was the first real opponent for my 6285 Black Seas Barracuda. Good luck, Mr. Sentry."
I had the opposite problem, sort of. I had 6276, but didn't have a pirate ship for years, so my pirates had to attack from rafts and rowboats.
Thanks to getting this set at an impressionable age, I still see nothing strange-looking at all in mounting a full-size cannon in a small rowboat.
Unfortunately, I was so excited to receive this set that I promptly took it outside to play with it and lost the oars—a crushing blow. This poor fellow spent the next few years paddling around with some medieval broadswords, which truly did look ridiculous. I finally decided to replace them by ordering a copy of 5150 from the little Shop At Home form at the back of the annual product catalogs, and was blown away to receive a much larger catalog in the mail with more service packs, discontinued sets, and European exclusives. I wonder now how much that saga contributed to making Lego an object of lifelong fascination. After all, I've been on their mailing list continuously ever since.
This is one of the two blue coat sets I am missing. Broadside's brig is the other.
I will always be sailing for the Red Coats, though, thanks to Sea Mates being my 2nd ever Lego set. Unless I am sailing for the Pirates, which are basically just Blacktrons that sail. Right?