Sunday, April 11, 2021

Review: 43185 Boun's Boat

Welcome to the world famous Shrimp-orium!

Captain Boun - owner, chef, and chief financial officer - will be your guide as we adventure along the Dragon River and explore Kumandra. First stop, the bustling markets of Talon. 


Okay, the first stop is actually our new mini-dolls. Raya is not included in this set, but Sisu in her human form and Boun are. 

Sisu, in her human form, has nougat skin, medium lavender eyes, and a big, friendly grin. Her hair piece is new in lavender and only appears in one other set, 41450 Heartlake City Shopping Mall. She is wearing a dark blue robe with a furry white collar, and silver and dark pink designs. Both the front and the back of her torso are printed, but the back print is usually covered by her hair. The dark blue skirt mold acts to extend the length of her robe over her hips. Under her robe she wears light bluish grey pants, and is barefooted.

Boun is portrayed in medium nougat with black hair. The hair piece is not new, but the rest of the figure is exclusive to this mini-doll (and only available in this set, so far). His raised eyebrow and lopsided grin perfectly capture Boun's self-assured personality. Boun's torso features a dark red checked sabai that is looped through a corded belt in the front and knotted together around the belt in the back to create suspenders for his pants. His pants are bright light orange with patches. This is a new color and print for the cropped trousers mold and works well to simulate his Southeast Asian dhoti. He is also wearing reddish-brown shoes.

Both figures do a great job of capturing the characters in mini-doll form. 



Next up, let's take a look at the Ongis. Helpfully, the box has named our three fuzzy con-artists. From left to right we have - Uka, Pan, and Dyan. The Ongis are described as part monkey, part catfish. The new molds are great, and the face prints give them a lot of expression. The backs are molded to show the Ongis' tails. Dyan's hat uses the new 1L bar with 3 prongs. This was first introduced last year in black for set 75551 Brick-Built Minions and Their Lair, and later in tan for set 21324 123 Sesame Street. I'm happy we get an extra here, and look forward to seeing this piece in future sets and in more colors. 

Pan and Dyan are exclusive to this set. Uka shows up again in polybag 30558 Raya and the Ongi. I'm super happy that we get all three Ongis in this set, but really would have liked to get a micro-doll for Noi. How can we have the Ongis without their con-baby? Since Uka is available in the poly bag, LEGO could have given us Pan, Dyan, and Noi in this set, then the whole con-family would be available between the two sets. I hope Raya and the Last Dragon does well so we get a second wave of sets that include Noi and Tong.



Before we start building, let's take a quick look at the sticker sheet. There are a lot here, but they will add a lot of texture and detail as we build.



A little canoe for the Ongis is our first build. The kayak is new in pearl gold. We also build a paddle that Boun will use to steer the Shrimp-orium. An extra oar is included, but we can't quite build a second paddle. I hope he doesn't drop it in the river. 



Here's a closer look at the finished banana boat. Pan has commandeered the boat and is getting away with a barrel of bananas. He/she looks so happy. Stickers are used for woven texture on the boat. I think they really enhance this boat. There are also matching stickers on each side of the flag. It's a simple, but fun side build.



Next up, we build a little dock and market stall to represent the trading port of Talon. We start with the posts that lift the buildings above the water which protects them from the Druun. 

The 8 x 8 plate with rounded end was new in medium azure last year with set 70427 Welcome to the Hidden Side. It is now in three other sets including set 41447 Heartlake City Park41449 Andrea's Family House, and 43191 Ariel's Celebration Boat. 



The market stall is packed with details provided through stickers. They give this little side build a vibrant burst of color that would be difficult to do otherwise. The stickers are easy enough to place that I don't mind the lack of prints. 

The only piece worth noting here is the short ladder (1 x 4 x 3 grille with end protrusions). It is strangely uncommon in reddish brown. I was surprised to learn it was first produced in reddish brown in 2019 and has only been in a total of four sets.

Not much to see from the back; all the detail is in the front. 



It's a fun little build that provides a sense of location. It may not convey the bustling market port of Talon, but it provides an entry for imagination. Let's leave Dyan watching over the fresh catch of fish. Such a serious expression; what could possibly go wrong?



Finally, we start working on our main build - Boun's Boat. We start with two 10 x 6 x 2 curved cockpit pieces in reddish brown. These are not new, but rather rare. They have only appeared in one other set: 7197 Venice Canal Chase (2009). A few more pieces are added and we soon have the basic boat hull taking shape.



We are also at the end of bag one. There are just a few extra parts, some of which I've already highlighted as we were building. 

It seems like a strange place for the break in building and doesn't quite follow the build-play-build model in other sets. I was expecting a break in building (and to run out of bag one parts) after the market stall and dock were finished. 

While the banana boat and market stall are fun, we can't leave the main boat like this. Boun isn't the captain of a raft. 



But before we continue, here are all the parts from bag one. While there aren't a lot of new parts in this bag, there is a nice range of colors. Plenty of natural wood tones with bright pops of vibrant color. Perfect for this setting.



Opening up bag two, we continue to build the boat hull/deck. Two left and right 6 x 2 wedges in reddish brown are added to the sides. This is a less common color than I suspected. While first coming out in 2005, they have only appeared in 4 other sets.

More rare is the 4 x 6 wedge plate in dark tan used at the bow of the boat. Just like the reddish brown curved cockpit pieces mentioned above, it has only been used in set 7197 Venice Canal Chase. 

As we finish up the deck of the boat, it's worth mentioning the 7 x 6 wedge plate (boat bow plate) in dark tan at the stern. It has appeared in 5 other sets, including set 41150 Moana's Ocean Voyage (2017). 

While none of these are new parts, they are fairly rare. I would have expected tans and browns to be more common, especially for building wooden boats. It's nice to have them here.



Two 2 x 6 x 6 panels with Gothic arches in dark turquoise will be used to support the boat canopy. So far, these panels are only available here and in set  43184 Raya and Sisu Dragon. Stickers are used to provide texture and decoration.

Steps are also added to the stern where Boun can stand to steer his boat.



Two croissants and feather plumes in bright light orange are used to create shrimp details on each side of the boat. That was a new color for the feathers last year in set 80105 Chinese New Year Temple Fair. They are also used in set 71741 NINJAGO City Gardens. The croissants are so far exclusive to this set in bright light orange. It's a great bit of NPU (nice parts usage) for this little detail.

The boat interior is filled up with boxes, a bowl, a teapot, and a small rug before we add the second arch. Everything is decorated with stickers, and they add a lot of interest to the build. 



A roof is added between the two arches that will support the shrimp canopy. A box of food is placed on the trap door to the hold. The instructions haven't added anything to this storage space yet. 



We finish off the deck of the boat with a couple of reddish brown wedge plates, and a bright light orange clip and bow assembly give a nice upward sweep to the bow. A bucket is hooked over the side and the Shrimp-orium flag is hoisted (it uses the same sticker on both sides).



With the boat hull and deck finished, its time to work on the shrimp canopy. Two 8 x 6 x 2 curved windscreens in olive green are pinned together to create the canopy. This is a new color for those canopy pieces, and exclusive to this set.

Two 1 x 6 train wagon ends (railings) in dark tan are placed on top of the canopy to provide visual support for the shrimp. These have only appeared in dark tan in three other sets. 



The shrimp canopy is a great assembly and will act as a billboard for Boun's shipboard business. The two 4 x 3 stepped wedges with no studs will be used for the body. They get a couple of patches via stickers. These pieces were new last year, and are exclusive to this set in bright light orange.

The scallop shell with 4 studs which will be used for the shrimp tail is also exclusive to this set in bright light orange.

While the 3 x 2 x 2/3 curved slope with two stud and wing end, used for the head, is not exclusive or even a new color, it is not common in bright light orange having been used in only four other sets. 

The two propeller/sword blades will be used to extend the long-tail at the stern of the boat. They are also exclusive to this set in light bright orange. 



Boun's Boat is complete and there are just a few leftover pieces. One of which is the map of Kumandra showing the Dragon River. Did I miss a step? Nope. It doesn't show up in the instructions until the very end. Why didn't they have us put that in the hold earlier?



Here's a closer look at that beautiful map. It is the only printed piece (other than figures) in this set. It is a unique map for Raya and the Last Dragon, and is included in both set 43181 Raya and the Heart Palace and 43184 Raya and Sisu Dragon



Rather than stowing the map in the hold, I think we will give it to Sisu to hold. Since we haven't put Uka anywhere yet, let's have her/him check out what's for lunch. That looks tasty. 



Lots of new parts and bright light orange in bag two.



The box front shows Boun's Shrimp-orium floating along the Dragon River. The Ongi banana boat floats along in front, and the market dock sits out in the river behind the boats. More of the city of Talon is illustrated in the back. The scene has a nice sense of adventure. The Raya and the Last Dragon logo is featured in the bottom right corner next to an illustration of Raya. While she is not in this set, it does keep the box art consistent with the other sets in this series. 

Along the top edge of the box we get each of the included characters with their names. This was very helpful while writing this review, as I didn't know the Ongi names. I do find it funny they they use the label "Sisu Human" rather than just Sisu. I think we can tell she's human here.

Sisu is used for the actual size illustration. I wonder why they didn't use Boun? After all, the set is named after him. 



The box back shows the other side of the Shrimp-orium. It's a symmetrical build so it doesn't look very different from the box front. Call out images show the three Ongis in the banana boat, the side shrimp details with Sisu and Uka under the boat canopy, and the map hidden in the boat hull. Despite what you read above, I didn't actually think about putting the map here until I got to this part of the review. I do wonder why they didn't have us place the map in the hold during the building. Raya is shown in her mini-doll form just as she is on the other Raya and the Last Dragon sets.



Summary:

This is a fun and colorful set. There are plenty of play opportunities. The Ongis can cause mischief while Boun and Sisu explore the market or sail off on an adventure. I'm a fan of brick-built signage and the shrimp canopy is fabulous. It's a great marketing icon for Boun's Shrimp-orium. 

I think kids will have a fun with this set. In addition to Raya and Disney fans, I recommend this set to AFOL MOCers for the new and rare parts. The mini-dolls are well done and the Ongis are adorable. Stickers aren't for everyone, but I think they work well here to provide color, texture, and a Southeast Asian flavor to the set. 

There's just one final question to answer ...



Yes, the Ongis will stack.

Happy Building!
-prrbrix

--

Disclaimer: 
This set was provided by The LEGO Group for the purpose of sharing set details with fans.
Opinions provided here solely reflect those of our reviewer.
Photographs are property of Friends Bricks and are not directed by TLG in any fashion.

No comments:

Post a Comment