SPACER
SPACER
An enigma of a set if there ever was one. I guess before we talk about the set, we should talk about what this line even is.
Not much is known about Pirate Quest. It was a toyline released by Mega Bloks sometime after the Pyrates line. Well, to call it a "toyline" is a bit of an overstatement. This is the only set that was released for Pirate Quest. A singular ship named, aptly, "Pirate Ship". Real creative work there.
Pirate Quest only released in a select few countries in Europe. We don't even fully know for sure what countries. Though there have been sales from the UK. As well as a few found in Canada of all places, so its possible it was sold there too. Either way we can be certain it was never sold here in the United States of America.
Pirate Ship is set #95504. Its interesting to note that this is a five digit set number. Something shared by the Pyrates 2.0 sets and the Collectible Figurine (Skeleton). The set features 134 pieces, three micro action figures, an octopus, a parrot, and a monkey.
The set itself is a recolor of Admiral Scathe's Predator. The hull is given a more standard brown color, making it resemble Captain Cutlass' Stormstalker a lot more. It features the same single mast, three sail structure that Stormstalker does as well. Just without the smaller sail on top of the crow's nest. Said sails are also colored red, similar to Stormstalker 2.0. The sails feature a generic skull and crossbones on them, however. The same goes for their Jolly Roger.
A few parts of the set have been given.... Interesting recolors, to say the least. The most noticable are the few bright yellow accents the ship gets. The yellow stripe around the hull looks pretty good, but the bright yellow crow's nest and plank look a little childish.... Though I guess it is a children's toy after all, so that tracks.
It also features a few other parts given rare recolors. Like the bright blue barrels and red lanterns.
The ship features most of the hallmarks of The Predator. Like its lion figurehead and giant frontal cannon.
The set also includes a few bonuses. Most notable, are the recolored versions of the octopus and monkey. A green octopus and an orange monkey. The orange monkey only appears in this set. I'm not sure if the green octopus appears in other sets, but its possible it could be exclusive to here as well.
The set comes with three Micro Action Figures. All of which are recolors of characters from the Pyrates' franchise. Most of them with names reused from different characters.
Captain Quell: Taking his name from the Sea Marauders' captain from Crew Collection, Captain Quell here otherwise sports an identical look to Admiral Bluebeard. However, his beard has been recolored to black. This, strangely, probably makes this figure the closest we ever got to a proper Lord of The Pyrates figure. There are some other minor recolors on him, such as the white undershirt and navy blue accents. He wields a cutlass and carries a map.
Gary Billows: Captain Quell's first mate in this set steals his name from a Buccaneer pirate that came in Crew Collection. He shares his head mold with the real Gary Billows, but his body is a recolored variant of the buff torso from characters like Brigadoon Blackburn and William Blackeye. He only comes equipped with a spyglass. So I guess he's a pacifist.
Barnaclops: Barnaclops' name is taken from a Skeleton Crew member that appears in the set Dread Eye's Phantom. Although his appearance comes from the character Rattlebones, which appeared in the set Pyrate's Cove. Though he recieves a very nice recolor in this set. He has a more ashy color to him that works quite well. Interestingly enough, Barnaclops wields a cleaver as his main weapon. This is actually a weapon taken from the Mega Bloks Dragons toyline. And is the only time it was ever used in anything having to do with the Pyrates' toyline. I think it fits pretty nicely. We don't know if Barnaclops here is an enemy of Captain Quell, or one of his crewmates. I like to imagine he's one of his crewmates though. That makes it more interesting.
Believe it or not, we actually have a prototype image of this set. Somehow. Don't ask me where this picture originated from, because I don't know. The set appears to be identical to the other one in terms of basic design. Its still just called "Pirate Ship" and shares the same set number. Just like the other version, its a recolor of The Predator. However, the colors chosen were different.
The colors on this prototype look much better than what we ended up getting. The blue, black, and gold looks absolutely beautiful. The sails are just plain tan cloth though, with no insignia or flags. It also lacks the cool recolored monkey and octopus.
The figures this set comes with are identical to the ones that come in the actual Admiral Scathe's Predator set. Brigadoon Blackburn (who appears to be part of Scathe's crew this time, instead of an enemy), Steve Scabard, and funnily enough. Two Admiral Scathes. One swinging on a line and the other at the helm.
I would be much more motivated towards finding this set if this was the version that got released. The colors on this one just look so good. I'd love to use it as a custom ship for Captain Quell or Captain Brine or something.
