During May 2021, The LEGO Group held an official contest named, “Do You Want To Go to the Seaside?” with the intent of producing the winning entry as a Gift with Purchase set.
With no help whatsoever, from the LEGO Pirates Forum and Classic Pirates, Ray the Castaway submitted by the DadTwins won and the set has been officially announced for release on the on LEGO Ideas blog.
Ray the Castaway will be available from October 1st until October 13th, 2022, while stocks last, for qualifying purchases at $120 / €120 / £120 and above. Please visit LEGO.com for complete details of the promotion, from October 1st, 2022.
The set contains 239 pieces and is strictly reserved for people aged 18 and older – oh come on, why even bother putting an age on the box?
The back of the box – remember the good old days when we got alternate builds on the back?
What if we added a cannon to this?
From the LEGO Ideas Blog
We’re delighted to reveal the latest LEGO® Ideas Gift with Purchase set 40566 Ray the Castaway, which hails from our “Do you want to go to the seaside?” contest back in 2021.
Escape the everyday and join Ray the Castaway on a brick-built desert island with this LEGO® Ideas set (40566). Build palm trees, a shelter and a raft, and bring the scene to life with the Ray minifigure, plus parrot, crab and 2 fish figures. This competition-winning model was created by LEGO fan designers and makes a delightful gift for adults or any LEGO enthusiast.
With 969 votes, almost double that of second place, the set designed by DadiTwins (aka. David and Diego Escalona), won the contest’s Fan Vote to secure it being turned into an official Gift with Purchase set.
This Gift with Purchase will be available from the 1st of October until the 13th of October, 2022, as long as stocks last, for qualifying purchases at $120 / €120 / £120 and above. For full details of the promotion, please visit LEGO.com from the 1st of October, 2022.
Congratulations to David and Diego! Please help us in congratulating them in the comments.
Are Yer Excited for Ray the Cast Away?
Some eagle-eyed LEGO Pirate fans have observed there is a very modern looking flotation device included with the set, suggesting old Ray is not actually a castaway from the days of yore. Or perhaps that piece is actually a priceless artifact Ray managed to cling onto while he abandoned his sinking vessel – the circular trinket is goldish in colour, after all, but it’s easy enough to exclude if it looks too modern for your piratical tastes.
SOS – modern flotation device or ancient treasure?
Also, some disappointment was expressed when it was discovered the seagull present in the contest submission had been replaced with a parrot. It could be argued that a parrot affords the set greater relevance to the LEGO Pirates theme, as parrots have been a quintessential element of the theme since the beginning. On the other hand, seagulls are rarer because they’ve been available in fewer sets, and have yet to make their official debut within a pirate themed set.
6259 Smugglers Shanty vs 40566 Ray the Castaway
That aside, the official Ray the Castaway set includes a variety of elements useful to the LEGO Pirates theme; these include include palm leaves, a parrot, treasure chest, crab, bottle and a variety of pieces to construct makeshift accommodation from flotsam on a deserted island. It’s almost a modern update of 6259 Smugglers Shanty / Palm Hideout, although we’ll have to deduct points for lack of inclusion of a second pirate minifig and an Imperial Guard patrolling in a row boat.
Here’s how Ray evolved
The Ray minifigure doesn’t contain any elements we haven’t seen before; the blue-striped torso first emerged in 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay and the scruffy beard piece has already been done with the Castaway form Minifigure series 21, albeit in a darker shade of brown.
Here is a side by side comparison of the DadiTwin’s contest entry VS officially released set
So how did the official set turn out in comparison to the original contest entry? Aside from a few part changes, and a few colour swaps here and there, the build is quite faithful to the original concept.
Some have lamented the set is too simple and would prefer a more substantial structure. Nor does it contain any unique, or even rare elements. However, we must consider Ray the Castaway isn’t intended for retail, and has limited availability as a free bonus with an online purchase. So this may be an influencing factor in why the LEGO Ideas Team chose to release more simplistic build.
Nonetheless, Ray won the Do You Want To Go to the Seaside? contest with more than double the votes of the second place entry, and there has been considerable fan praise for the desert island’s charm. It certainly includes far more accessories than the classic set 6259 Smugglers Shanty and successfully updates the “palm shack concept” consistently with the design aesthetic of 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay.
What Do Ye Think?
Will you be rescuing Ray from his seaside seclusion? Or do you only accept more competent seaman into your crew – yer know, the type what don’t get castaway in the first place? Are yer happy with how the official set turned out? Or do you prefer the original contest entry? What would you have liked to see done differently?
Now off to the LEGO Pirates Forum with yer!
First yer can observe the DadiTwin’s original submission before joining the discussion on how yer think the official set turned out – and most importantly, whether yer gonna attempt to snag a copy… well are ye?
