Author Topic: 5901 small Ghost Ship  (Read 8072 times)

Offline Martin Milner

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5901 small Ghost Ship
« on: August 23, 2010, 04:28:59 »




Currently available online and in store from TRU at $19.99, the 5901 Ghost ship is a variation on the pirate 4444 ship that appeared last year. There's slightly less in the 5901 set, and 4444 currently retails a couple of dollars higher.



Like 4444 the ship comes with a crew of two, both new klicky designs, and one cannon, but has sufficient hand and foot holds to carry seven: four secured by footholds on the deck, one holding the tiller (so he doesn't need a foothold), one holding onto the bottom handhold on the mast, and one at the crosstrees (near the top of the mast) as a lookout.  

There are also three different places to secure the cannon, so it would be possible to carry three in total, though this would cover two of the crew securing points (front lookout and bottom of the mast). 



Side by side the 4444 behind has a lighter-color deck with a dark grey hull. The 5901 has a reddish-brown hull, the deck being the same shade dark grey as the 4444, as close as I can tell.



The two ghost klickies have the new "phantom" style faces, one with an eyepatch. The long coat prevents the righthand klicky from bending his legs fully, but no big loss as he'd be standing anyway. The coat is split at the back so he can still ride a horse.

The second klicky has a rusty heavy bladed sword/cleaver for his belt, but curiously a standard silver cutlass for his back scabbard. I'm not sure why the didn't go with the 30 29 4900 rusty saber for his second weapon.



The ship fittings are the same gold/brass as the original 4444. It would have been a nice touch to produce these in silver, which to me seems more ghostly and spooky, or in a rusty brown to suggest decay and neglect. The tiller matches the decking, and is not the same color as shown on the box.

The sail is ragged and dark grey, but the pirate flag is the same as on 4444. An even more delapidated version would have been an improvement, but probably not worth the cost of a producing a new part. 

Like 4444, the deck can be lifted to provide a small storage space behind the mast and at the prow, not big enough for a klicky, but big enough to store pieces like weapons and projectiles. There is a small expanded polystyrene float in the stern, which is presumably enough to save the ship if it capsizes.
 


Overall I think this set is marvellous value for $20, and even if you don't like the Ghost pirates the ship parts now permit four combinations of deck/hull for this design. I think this ship is a very good size for travel & play, being more portable than the bigger ships.

I consider the 4444 a cutter, a small but fully seaworthy vessel with fore-and-aft rigging and steered with a tiller, ideal for shallow waters, coastal defense, smuggling and the customs service. In "Flying Colours" Captain Hornblower captures and sails a cutter, and we learn that it carries ten guns (probably five each side) and has a small cabin and hold. As the bigger ships have been scaled down for playability and affordability, so this ship with the possibility of three cannons fits nicely into the line up. Hornblower's cutter was bought back by the Navy as a prize of war, for $4,000. As he had only two companions at the time of capture he earned $2,600 in prize money, a very handsome amount of money in those days.

Offline Wolf Knight

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Re: 5901 small Ghost Ship
« Reply #1 on: August 23, 2010, 05:32:03 »
Thank you for this review and pictures Martin!!!

Wow great little ship! I have the 4444 and I would look forward to geeting my hands on one of these babies!!! Love the ghost pirates, interesting head-body combination, and the colour of the hull!!

Great deal for just $19.99!!!

Offline Heronimus

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Re: 5901 small Ghost Ship
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2010, 05:38:51 »
very nice review and thank you for the pictures.

I think this pirate ship is cooler than that in 4444, but the figures in 4444 instead look better, esepcially the captain with sideburn. :wave:

Offline Gis

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Re: 5901 small Ghost Ship
« Reply #3 on: August 23, 2010, 07:53:01 »
Great review Martin. THe overcoat is great and I'd really like to get my hands on this at some point :-)

Offline baden-wurttemberg

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Re: 5901 small Ghost Ship
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2010, 12:55:02 »
Very nice review Martin! So its a bit more big than 4444, right?


Baden  :wave:
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Offline Bolingbroke

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Re: 5901 small Ghost Ship
« Reply #5 on: August 23, 2010, 13:18:43 »
I really like your reviews Martin: well done!

Though is it an optical illusion or is this one bigger than the 4444?

I like the ship, but I am not crazy on the klickies.
"Company, villanous company, hath been the spoil of me."

Offline Lindama

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Re: 5901 small Ghost Ship
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2010, 13:59:15 »
A great review Martin. I particularly liked the way you put both ships together. I have the 4444 and have now a good sense of the size and colour of the ghost version. I much prefer this too.
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Offline Martin Milner

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Re: 5901 small Ghost Ship
« Reply #7 on: August 23, 2010, 14:36:42 »
Very nice review Martin! So its a bit more big than 4444, right?


Baden  :wave:

I really like your reviews Martin: well done!

Though is it an optical illusion or is this one bigger than the 4444?

I like the ship, but I am not crazy on the klickies.


They are identical in size, and all fittings are interchangeable.

The one nearer the camera looks bigger because it's nearer the camera.

Offline Jimbo

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Re: 5901 small Ghost Ship
« Reply #8 on: August 23, 2010, 14:39:08 »
Nice review, Martin.

Great little ship....I see it does not have any rigging though :hmm:

Thanks for posting,
Jimbo

Offline skypurr

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Re: 5901 small Ghost Ship
« Reply #9 on: August 23, 2010, 14:47:26 »
Like this, but does the sail seem a little small for it, or is it just the camera angle?
Love the klickies, especially the one with the coat - I should think this will be a must have for Junior.
Thanks for the great review Martin.  :clap:

Elaine  :)
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