The early pirates may have had the cooler ships, but it was the soldiers of the generic Imperial Navy that had the infrastructure to support its oceanic conquests. Much like the modern-day police force of the LEGO City, the Imperial Navy's administration seems to have decided that the best way to operate a peacekeeping force is to have as many jails as possible, presumably with the notion that those criminal scum can somehow be rehabilitated if locked up in inhumane conditions for long enough.

Just kidding! Once they throw a pirate in there, that's where that pirate stays until execution, unless, of course, he gets busted out - which is quite likely.

Broadside's Brig is one of several smaller Imperial sets that focuses on a building as opposed to a vessel, and I must have been particularly attracted to these little Imperial bases as a kid because I recall having a ton of them (which have all been sadly sold off in the intervening years, but oh well). This is a compact set, but it doesn't "feel" small by any means - you get a fully functional outpost, two Imperial soldiers, and one pirate, which comprises a very complete package that any Pirates fan is sure to enjoy.

The Minifigs here aren't particularly special, though that's not to say that they aren't awesome, because all of the Pirates Minifigs are awesome. I tend to assume that the bearded Imperial Minifig is actually Governor Broadside (did I read that in a LEGO comic somewhere?), and he is accompanied by a loyal foot soldier. You know, when I was kid, I never bothered to think about which nation these soldiers are supposed to represent, and I guess the idea is that they're supposed to be generic enough that they could be anyone. The unfortunate pirate, on the other hand, has no allies to help him out here, so you're going to need to enlist the help of your other pirates if he's ever to survive this ordeal.

This set has an incredibly simple build using very simple pieces, but I find that it doesn't look at all dated and could work very well still as part of a larger Imperial coastal fortress. I've always loved the white and yellow colour scheme adopted for the Imperial structures, and I find it to be very evocative of an age of colonial buildings and fortresses that you can still find all over the world, legacies of a global European rampage that, for better or for worse, changed the face of the planet forever. Anyway, this brig is perfectly coherent with Eldorado Fortress (6275 - implying that these soldiers are Spanish? Makes sense, since we did get conquistador-type helmets later on) and any of the other Imperial buildings, so it works as an add-on to a larger structure if you don't like it sitting all by itself.

This set has a pretty low piececount and not too many specialised pieces, so you may have some luck cobbling the set together from multiple sources. If your goal is to come up with a proper Imperial outpost for your trigger-happy soldiers, you should feel immediately compelled to pick up this set or at least use it as inspiration to construct your own brig. This is definitely a wonderful small set from a bygone era, and I should probably end this right here before my nostalgia goggles start fogging up.

I purchased this set off of bricklink two days ago and picked it up today. (The seller lives 5 minutes away.) It's a bit ironic seein' as today, Sept. 19, be International Talk Like a Pirate Day! AAARRRRR! Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me! Anyway, this set is a very neat little fort. It comes with a parrot, weapons, a flag, and three figs. (They are Lt. de Martinet, a grunt, and the pirate, who for no particular reason I call "Lefty".) The brig is pretty small and cramped, but I don't expect that the Soldiers are going to pamper one of their sworn enemies. The only problem is that the rest of the fort is rather small and doesn't offer enough room for scuffles should the pirate escape. Also, the section in the middle between the tower and the brig seems kind of bare. They could have at least thrown in a cannon.

if you're gonna review a set, make sure you HAVE the set. Northern Star, there is a back to the brig. it's a jail cell door. it has a jail cell with a back, and there aren't any "tiny problems". that review just came from a guy who doesn't know what he's talking about. don't fret, kiddies, this set rocks, as i said.

in its true form. within minutes, i combined it with Imperial Cannon (small fortified British dock [i took the red flag and replaced it with a blue one] that comes in Value Pack) and other pieces that i had laying around, most of which are from Imperial Outpost, a set which i bought when i was 6 or 7 and was destroyed. now it is a small but beefy bastion. it looks soooooo cool. i'm serius. if it didn't have so obvius a facade of Broadside's Brig and Imperial Cannon, i would submit it to Lego magazine.
the set comes with a commander (tricorne hat) and a soldier (shako hat), as well as an inmate (pirate with red bandana). the jail cell is cool, but leaves no space for the person to stand. you just have to attach his hands to the bars then push him down onto the smooth surface of the inside of the jail door, or leave him hovering. Pirates aren't exactly renowned hoverers, so i would recommend allowing the pirate to stand on the floor. the space between the brig and the tower-like structure is cool, but looks like it could use a cannon. it is also kind of wierd how there is nothing on the back side, and no way for anybody to get to the top floors of the tower and the jail cell - not even a ladder. i added one, then combined it with Imperial Cannon to make my fort... it is soo unbelievably cool that i want you to see it, who ever you are.
this set is a great set. it can be built into bigger and better things, or left the way it is. awesome.

It was one of the first Pirate theme sets I owned. What I liked so much about this set is that:

a) It comes with 3 minifigs, which was a record in my collection (which consisted mostly of small to medium sets) for almost a decade.

b) It is a building, and a relatively big one for a set that small.

For these reasons, the playability is quite high here. Especially if you add another small Pirates set (in my case, I had 6234), then the scenarios for your play increase even further. (Or if you treat the parrot as intelligent enough to steal the keys from sleeping guards and pass them to the pirate).

This set should also match nicely with other sets with blue Imperials. For instance, it looks consistent with Eldorado Fortress, but if you can't afford that one, I think it would play nicely with other sets, e.g. Sabre Island or Lagoon Lock-up (double jail - why not!). I am yet to make an MOC from mixing Broadside Brig and Sabre Island, as I only bought the latter when I was an adult, but I will definitely make it one day!

Pros:

• 3 minifigs
• It has some cool accessories, including 4 weapons, a torch and a parrot.
• Quite large for a set that is rather small.
• Visually appealing to me.
• Parts can be easily reused in your own constructions.

Cons:

• It lacks some additional parts to increase the 'wow factor'.
• The alternative builds are quite similar to the main one.

Honestly, I would give this set 5/5 (taking into account its size) if it had some more 'extras'. For instance, comparing Broadside Brig to Sabre Island, the latter has much more cool stuff: colourful baseplate, a palm tree, a boat, a cannon, a large blue imperial flag and a comparable number of minifigs and handheld weapons. I know the comparison is a bit unfair, as Sabre Island cost almost twice as much as Broadside Brig, but still, having at least one or two extras from the list in this set would really make a difference.

Nonetheless, this set is recommended to any Pirate theme collector or someone who would like to get a feeling of the classic Pirates theme without spending a lot of money on it.