4291 Huge Octopus.

[Sir Gareth]

 I'm not sure if the title for this set I have given it is correct but it seems to be what the ebay sellers call it, Huge Octopus.
 
I'm not a huge fan of these Set's with large monsters/mythical beasts like Nessie and the Dragons in them but this Octopus isn't so bad. It's not an exciting looking creature and it doesn't have any movable parts. It does however have a secret weapon that is not visible on the front and back box images and that weapon is water. On one of the front legs there is a nozzle and under the body a small rubber pump. You put the leg into water squeeze the pump to suck up the water and prime the weapon,then you simply aim and shoot a jet of water out of the leg.

The figures with this set again are printed well and look the part and they have lots of weapons to fight the octopus with. On the raft there are two small clear blocks that you have to try and push into place to hold the figures steady by their feet. Pushing these blocks in place is a real challenge and I had to use great force and hurt my thumb pushing them in.

[Martin Milner]

I missed out on the previous raft (or rafts) so I'll want this one, but I'm also not really bothered about the octopus. I guess this set is aimed for kids' bathtimes, and I'll have fun with the octopus then. 

Again with the rum bottle - should they be drinking while in charge of a raft?

[Tiermann]

That's great, I'm surprised about the pump. Water play must be pretty popular with kids, there sure seem to be a lot of new sets with water features - car wash, horse wash, etc.

Gary could I get the part number for the octopus? Thanks

[playmofire]

Can't say I'm  a great octopus/mythical creature fan, but the water pump makes this one fun.  The detail under the body is interesting.  Will it adhere to a wall or desktop, Gary?  If so, you could fill it with water and leave it about as a surprise.

I've seen the creature referred to on another board as a kraken which refers to a giant octopus like creature mentioned as early as the 12th century in Norwegian stories.  The word "kraken" itself only appears in print in the 18th century.  (According to an entry in Wikipedia, shortly to be amended(!), the kraken is based on the creature of the same type in Walt Disney's film Pirates of the Caribbean!  Ye gods, how stupid can people be!  Was there nothing before Walt Disney, the man who did most to destroy childhood?)

Oh, and many thanks, Gary, for this and the other pirate reviews.

[Richard]

Oh, and many thanks, Gary, for this and the other pirate reviews.

I will echo what Gordon said ...

Garry, thank you very much for all of your really GREAT pirate reviews!
(I have enjoyed reading and looking at each of your very thorough critiques!)

All the best,
Richard

[Martin Milner]

The word "kraken" itself only appears in print in the 18th century.

and in John Wyndham's novel "The Kraken Wakes", I forget the year but it's a good bit before POTC. Of course Wyndham borrowed the name from the 18th century sources.

[playmofire]

The clear plastic "blocks" are derived from the clear plastic stand.  Both can hold adult or child klickies.  The child klicky is slotted on the narrow profile.

[Sir Gareth]

That's great, I'm surprised about the pump. Water play must be pretty popular with kids, there sure seem to be a lot of new sets with water features - car wash, horse wash, etc.

Gary could I get the part number for the octopus? Thanks

The Octopus doesn't have just one part number but 6.

The top part, the octopus, is, 30 63 7592
The bottom part, that holds the pump in place is, 30 28 1980
The pump comes in 4 parts, the rubber bit at the end, 30 80 1442, cylinder 30 28 1970, hose 30 80 2302 and nozzle 30 28 1960..

Hopefully you can work out what each part is from the picture, although the nozzle was to hard to get out of the leg and its still attached to the hose.

[Jimbo]

Thanks for the review, Sir Gareth.

That raft and octopus is a "must have".
I think I have the other two rafts, unless there is another one
in Playmobil land, or should I say sea?

Jimbo

[Captain Henry]

Thanks for this review as well, Sir Gareth.

While I can live w/o the octopus, I like the ornate vest on the pirate with the yellow shirt. It would look great on some of my Barbary corsair customs!