MetalBeard's Sea Cow53 ReviewsFIND MORE PRODUCTS LIKE THISTHE LEGO® MOVIE™Help our heroes escape the Micro Managers on MetalBeard’s Sea Cow!Released in 2014 to coincide with the "LEGO Movie" first wave, set number 70810 Metalbeard's Sea Cow is the flagship of the LEGO Movie line. It has 2,741 pieces, is tagged for ages 14+, and includes 5 minifigures + a smaller scale Metalbeard build than set number 70807, Metalbeard's Duel. There are two things that really grab you when you first see the SEA COW built in person. The first is the height - it is much taller than any other ship that LEGO has made before. Not the sails, as the tallest mast measures about 24.5" at it's highest point, the same as the Imperial Flagship (10210); no, I'm talking about the ship structure itself. Because of it's 3 story stern, the tallest point of the actual ship structure is enormous! The second eye-popping feature is the design itself - it's unlike any ship LEGO has done before. The steampunk design is brilliant and makes for some really cool, funky features - my favorite is the huge smoke stake and dual turbine in the middle of the ship.
Perhaps adding to the sense of grandeur, the sails aren't cloth, but rather molded panel pieces. I think this further adds to the scope and impressiveness of the model. The instruction manual is also impressive weighing in at 1 pound, 4.6 ounces with 288 pages. Instead of having multiple thin manuals, LEGO has included 1 massive book - a change that I personally like. The larger manual gives it the feel of the big UCS sets. Unfortunately, there are a few stickers with this set. Most of them are pretty inconsequential, however, there are 2 stickers that say "Sea" and "Cow" that display on the back. The sheer number of pieces is impressive, especially if you like brown and dark brown! Of course, we get standard ship pieces that are always coveted, like hull pieces, masts, and rigging. Also included are a nice assortment of arches, slopes and inverted slopes, and many decorative parts in pearl silver and gold. As of this review, the "sea sick" Unikitty is exclusive to this set, and so is the smaller version of Metalbeard included here.
There are many unique and rare color and piece combinations, mostly in the dark brown, reddish brown, dark orange, dark red, and pearl gold color schemes. There are 9 numbered groupings of bags, plus the loose hull pieces and an unnumbered bag with additional large pieces: #1 - x1 #2 - x2 #3 - x2 #4 - x1 #5 - x2 #6 - x2 #7 - x2 #8 - x2 #9 - x2 not numbered - x1 loose hull pieces - x5 The Minifigures: Rear view of the minifigures: Metalbeard: The overall build experience is a mix of expected repetition and unexpected surprises. As with any LEGO ship build, the build begins rather borish as we work on the hull. There are also many repititions, as for the most part, each side of the ship is identical. The real fun with this ship is the unique steam-punk design with allows for some cool features like the many cannon turrets and using the panels as sails rather than the traditional cloth sails. There are also many SNOT techniques used, especially on the bow and stern of the ship, as well as some nice use of Technic lift arms and pins to support the 3 story stern.
Here is a walk-through of the build for each numbered bag set: Bag 1 gives us Emmett, Wyldstyle, Queasykitty, and Metalbeard. Both Queasykitty and Metalbeard are brick-built and exclusive to this set at the time of this review. Bag 2 includes Benny, Vitruvius, the double-decker couch, and two micro-managers. The couch and both figures were highly sought after...until Jan 2015 when LEGO released a cheaper set with the couch and both figs. Bag 3 gives us the foundation of the ship as we connect the hull pieces and begin the 1st floor. What's interesting here is that the ship is not very long. It contains only 1 interior hull piece (compared to the Imperial Flagship which contains 4). Bag 4 finishes the 1st floor with a lot of the intricate details such as the faux cannons. Bag 5 has us insert the panesl to finish the bow and start the 2nd floor by laying the foundation plates Bag 6 finishes the 2nd floor cabin which opens up on both sides, as well as the rear wind propeller: Bag 7 is really fun!
We get to build the 3rd story cabin, along with Metalbeard's captain's "chair" and the rear mast: Bag 8 takes us back to the bow of the ship where we construct the stem, front mast and double-turret machine gun! Bag 9 finishes the ship with the mainmast structure complete with smokestack and twin "turbines." This structure sets snuggly in the void and is easily removed to access the deck below: Finished Product: Finally we are done! Prepare for a buld time of 3-6 hours depending on your experience and focus, but it's well-worth the time! The final display is impressive and massive! At $250 USD RRP, the Sea Cow comes in around .09 per piece which is very good. I would personally like to see more minifigures in a set this size, since there's technically only 4 - but we do get an exclusive brick-built Queasy Kitty and Metalbeard as well as 2 micro-managers and the couch. Along with the valuable ship parts, we also get a cow and all the white panel pieces used as sails and let's not forget the six cannons!
Compared to another exclusive $250 set, #10236 Ewok Village, this set seems even more impressive. The Ewok Village only has 1,990 pieces and isn't nearly as impressive or fun to build....however, the EV does come with 17 minifigures. At this point in the life cycle of the LEGO Movie, it's hard to gauge the popularity of this theme....certainly it is popular among kids, but only time will tell if the theme has staying power. The Sea Cow has been a LEGO exclusive for most of it's first year in release. Only recently, has the Sea Cow been also available on Amazon, Target, and Walmart online only. Since it's not sold in stores, I would still consider it "exclusive" for now. If you haven't seen the built model, then the box alone is equally impressive. Measuring 22.5" by 18.5" by 4.75" (same size as set 10224 Town Hall), the SEA COW box weighs a hefty 8 lbs, 8.4 ozs. The Sea Cow has a lot of positive indicators: First, the high RRP and exclusive listing will make it more rare to begin with.
Second, the Sea Cow is a ship, and LEGO ships prove to be very popular with collectors after retirement. A collector does not have to be a LEGO Movie fan to still want this impressive ship! Third, the design lends itself to other types of collectors - steam punk or MOCers. Fourth, as the flagship set for the initial LEGO Movie theme, it is sure to be a highly desired set if the LEGO Movie theme remains popular with kids, and then again in the future as they begin collecting. The Sea Cow is one of the most impressive display sets that I've seen. Ships in general display very well, and the ship's unique look, again, gives it a very cool display attribute. I've already mentioned the impressive height and scale of the ship and it looks fantastic on a shelf or mantel. Lastly, with the popularity of the LEGO Movie, the ship is one of the most remembered and iconic scenes from the movie. I could see a collector displaying this set wtih or without the minifigs...just depending on whether they want to focus on the ship itself or the entire "scene" from the movie.