Sebastian's Chess Set (Blade Runner, Great Birds)

Looks like by the time I saw this the Limited Edition run was already done and sold out!!! However, on Hoyle's website they say you can make your own Blade Runner set by ordering the "British Birds Set", and then adding 8 "dark" wrens to your order, because the British Birds set comes with dark kingfishers... does that sound right to you all? If that's correct than worst thing is I will have 8 extra kingfishers, but at least I'll have a complete set :)
 
Looks like by the time I saw this the Limited Edition run was already done and sold out!!! However, on Hoyle's website they say you can make your own Blade Runner set by ordering the "British Birds Set", and then adding 8 "dark" wrens to your order, because the British Birds set comes with dark kingfishers... does that sound right to you all? If that's correct than worst thing is I will have 8 extra kingfishers, but at least I'll have a complete set :)
Yes, that sounds right.
 
Very nice!!! Thank you for the reply Slash, and of course for your work on this. I actually have a set of the ones found on Amazon (I had tried to get a prop accurate set a few years back and they seemed to be the only ones widely available), I knew it was a risk but they served their purpose for a time. It was actually that set appearing on Stranger Things Season 4 that led me to this forum. I had always suspected they were not accurate, they just did not seem big enough for starters. So anyways, after doing a quick search I found this forum and read your story. Thanks again. Just placed my order with Hoyle's, I'm very much looking forward to having these!!!
 
Very nice!!! Thank you for the reply Slash, and of course for your work on this. I actually have a set of the ones found on Amazon (I had tried to get a prop accurate set a few years back and they seemed to be the only ones widely available), I knew it was a risk but they served their purpose for a time. It was actually that set appearing on Stranger Things Season 4 that led me to this forum. I had always suspected they were not accurate, they just did not seem big enough for starters. So anyways, after doing a quick search I found this forum and read your story. Thanks again. Just placed my order with Hoyle's, I'm very much looking forward to having these!!!
Well, now that they are on ST, they are a type of cannon, right? :)
 
Haha that's probably true :) Yes, it does make them slightly more interesting! More so just funny that both ST and I had the same knockoffs!! Let's just say I won't be getting rid of them, however, I was very quick to get the ones on Hoyle's once I read your story and saw they were available!! Can't wait to see the upgrade in quality and the more accurate sizing. The real test will be to see if my girlfriend notices when I swap out the new pieces on my chess board... :)
 
I have both sets and the Hoyle's pieces are about twice the size of the now ST set, so I am sure she will notice (y)
 
I have both sets and the Hoyle's pieces are about twice the size of the now ST set, so I am sure she will notice (y)
Haha excellent!! I had a feeling the STs looked a little small when I got them and compared them to screenshots of The Final Cut. Oh well, it’s all coming full circle now!

How sturdy/balanced are the Hoyle’s? Do they stand up to active play? Hoping they are so I’m not scared to use them every time I play a game. I suppose I’ll find out soon enough.
 
Haha excellent!! I had a feeling the STs looked a little small when I got them and compared them to screenshots of The Final Cut. Oh well, it’s all coming full circle now!

How sturdy/balanced are the Hoyle’s? Do they stand up to active play? Hoping they are so I’m not scared to use them every time I play a game. I suppose I’ll find out soon enough.
How sturdy do you think the Amazon ones are? I'm considering picking up a set, the Amazon set fits the budget and I loved seeing them in Stranger Things, but I'm thinking it might be better to pony up for the Hoyle set.
 
How sturdy do you think the Amazon ones are? I'm considering picking up a set, the Amazon set fits the budget and I loved seeing them in Stranger Things, but I'm thinking it might be better to pony up for the Hoyle set.
Johnnyfl might be better positioned to compare the two sets, I should be getting the Hoyle's in the next few days (let's go DHL... you got this!) and then I can compare more. I would say that as far as the Amazon ST set is concerned, the detail is pretty nice but they are just not that stable. The knight for one and the queen kind of wobble when you set them down. Because of this I have a few beaks that have broken/chipped (2 wrens and one of the kings) from somewhat regular use over 2-3 year period. It's not that noticeable but it starts adding up. They don't come with finished felt bottoms on the underside of the bases (I tried adding my own felt and it seemed to just make the stability worse)! Let's just say their center of gravity isn't that great and with them not having properly finished bases and I do worry about them scratching my board... That said, it's not like the Amazon ST set is all that cheap either.

One thing I will say regarding the ST set that is rather interesting, it almost looks like a hybrid design between the Hoyle's, and Rick Ross's interpretation that he made a few years back. If you look at the helmet of the knight, it is more similar to the Rick's, and also the chain around the King's neck is a full chain rather than what looks almost like a crown around his neck on Hoyle's, and the eyes and beak as well are more like Rick's. No idea where this set comes from other than it's sold by a costume company on Amazon...
 
Johnnyfl might be better positioned to compare the two sets, I should be getting the Hoyle's in the next few days (let's go DHL... you got this!) and then I can compare more. I would say that as far as the Amazon ST set is concerned, the detail is pretty nice but they are just not that stable. The knight for one and the queen kind of wobble when you set them down. Because of this I have a few beaks that have broken/chipped (2 wrens and one of the kings) from somewhat regular use over 2-3 year period. It's not that noticeable but it starts adding up. They don't come with finished felt bottoms on the underside of the bases (I tried adding my own felt and it seemed to just make the stability worse)! Let's just say their center of gravity isn't that great and with them not having properly finished bases and I do worry about them scratching my board... That said, it's not like the Amazon ST set is all that cheap either.

One thing I will say regarding the ST set that is rather interesting, it almost looks like a hybrid design between the Hoyle's, and Rick Ross's interpretation that he made a few years back. If you look at the helmet of the knight, it is more similar to the Rick's, and also the chain around the King's neck is a full chain rather than what looks almost like a crown around his neck on Hoyle's, and the eyes and beak as well are more like Rick's. No idea where this set comes from other than it's sold by a costume company on Amazon...
The Amazon set is OK but the pieces are as I said about half the size of the Hoyle's set so they are fairly stable as they are not too big or heavy but they still need to be treated fairly gently. To be honest I was a little disappointed with the size of the pieces and I was going to sell the Amazon set once I got the Hoyle's set until they appeared on ST so now I am keeping them as an ST prop. The Hoyle's pieces have a nice heft to them and most are pretty stable but initially I did have some problems with the Queens and Kings as being the taller pieces they could be knocked over quite easily but I think that was mainly because the felt on the bottom was new and needed to flatten out a little. They seem more stable now but I would still treat them with respect as I wouldn't want to have to replace any pieces through carelessness.
 
Back
Top