What’s for LEGO Dinner? Not us! 4182 The Cannibal Escape

Released in April 2011, the LEGO 4182 The Cannibal Escape recreates that memorable scene of the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Dead man’s Chest. Our pirate heroes are about to be served up as the main course for dinner, but can they escape in time? Containing a native’s hut with bone cage hung over the cliff, the chief’s bone throne and the roasting spit, as well as four LEGO mini figures, this set is loads of fun. The LEGO mini figures included in this set are Captain Jack Sparrow, William Turner and two of the cannibals. The set also includes a few animals, two snakes and everyone’s favorite talkative parrot, Mr. Cotton’s parrot. The set contains part of the poster that has been released with this collection. What’s the secret? You’ll have to get all the sets to find out!

The bone throne is an impressive piece of work, closely resembling the movie prop with its creepy skulls and ominous bone structure. Seating only one minifigure, characters that sit in this chair should not consider themselves lucky, and remember that the fire pit is only a few steps away! The fire pit and spit are fully functional and allow you to cook any minifigure that did not escape in time! The spite has a place to attach meat or minifigures so that you can slowly cook them, and even spins easily too.

A four star hotel the hut might not be, but for a jungle home it isn’t bad. The tree hut sits on the edge of the cliff, providing a wonderful view. The archway provides a little cover, but not much. There is a barrel inside that you can use to store the captured pirates’ weapons and a nice backpack that can hold supplies. This version of the backpack is actually quite rare, usually seen only in LEGO City sets.

Need to keep captured pesky pirates locked up before dinner? The cage is perfect for a few figures, though there really isn’t a way to lock it shut. You’d better post a guard, otherwise the pirates might be able to swing their way out! The cage does look amazing and accurate to the movie, which is a plus. The hut holds the chain and crank for the bone cage, which can be raised and lowered as needed.

The minifigures are the unique and highly detailed sort that is expected of the Pirates of the Caribbean collection. Captain Jack Sparrow is decked out in his finest, with the amazing hair, headband and colorful pirate clothes. His face shows the makeup that the natives put on him, for added movie realism. Mr. William Turner is no less detailed, sporting his slicked-back hair, his nice, but simple clothes as well as his working sheath and matching sword. The natives are all brown with lots of colorful war paint. A good match for the cannibals of the movie, sadly there are only two of them. Their little hairpieces are the same as the natives from the original LEGO Pirates sets and feature a bone attached to the top. Armed with spears, the only way to tell the difference between them is the faces, one native wears a skull mask and the other does not.

At 279 pieces, this set is recommended for builders ages 6 to 12, meaning that a majority of younger builders will be able to handle this set without too much help.  While it is not a complex set (most builders will be able to finish it in under an hour), it is a rewarding and action packed set. Will Sparrow and Turner be able to slip away unnoticed before they are served as dinner, or will they need some extra help from their other pirate friends? Only you can decide!

If you feel the magic and adventure from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection, you might also want to check out the LEGO Star Wars sets!