But LEGO also designs fictional boats extremely well. The longstanding LEGO Pirate Ship has been on sale since June 2020, and it is still one of LEGO's finest sets. And this set – a recreation of the Going Merry Pirate Ship from Netflix's 'One Piece' – continues that trend. Ship captain Monkey D. Luffy is an unconventional pirate captain, and this LEGO model accurately captures his innocent, whimsical approach to life. It is the friendliest looking pirate ship I've ever seen, with rounded-off angles, chunky decorations and hidden treasures below deck.
The set consists of 10 bags and one small sheet of stickers. First, you build the bottom of the boat, which includes the ship's galley and quarters. You don't know it yet, but you're also building the hollowed-out areas where you will eventually place hidden crates and the upper decks of the ship, which slide in easily to create a seamless, singular structure. The ship has the ethos of one of LEGO's modular buildings – you can easily take it apart and put it back together for better interactivity.
The set is filled with small details and nods to the show. There's a pizza in the galley for Monkey to eat. There's a massive sheep figurehead hanging off the ship's fore. There's Nami's tangerine trees at its aft. There's a collection of Wanted posters below deck. Four random ones come with this set; there are eight collectible posters in total.
Last are the masts, plus a massive sail decorated with a straw hat-wearing Jolly Roger. The riggings, rather than being the thin, black thread of LEGO's more traditional ship models, are plastic cords that give the impression of rope. This allows for plenty of swashbuckling photo opportunities, and the same goes for the rest of the ship. The ship is wide enough, with enough exposed LEGO studs on its deck, to create elaborate scenes.
Aiding in this effort is the minifigure inclusion of Season's 1 entire five-person pirate crew. This is not one of those 'gacha' situations where they spread the main characters out over a number of sets, pressuring you to spend more. You get Monkey D. Luffy (with his signature straw hat), Zoro (with his three swords), Nami (with her bo staff), Usopp (with his slingshot) and Sanji. My favorite is Zoro, whose third sword comes with an attachment that allows him to 'hold' it in his mouth.
LEGO One Piece is the latest franchise to emerge from the LEGO/Netflix partnership. It is based on the live-action Netflix adaptation of the same name, which is itself based on the long-running manga that launched in 1997. The initial LEGO One Piece launch consists of two Brickheadz (one of Monkey T. Luffy, the other of Buggy the Clown) and five large sets.
The Going Merry Pirate Ship is the flagship set (pun intended) of the bunch. It's a simple, straightforward build, with a cartoonish look that makes it appear more plucky than imposing; it's befitting of the ragtag misfits that sail under its banner. And assuming there will be future LEGO/Netflix One Piece sets (the original anime is in its 21st season and still going strong), this set – like the Season 1 that inspired it – makes a good first impression and promises great things to come.
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