Pirates Vs Royal Navy Chess Men Review: 32 Hand-Painted Resin Pieces, No Board
A 3 1/4 inch resin king, 32 pieces at 1 lb 6 oz, and no board in the box. Good for display, thin for play.
My verdict: 3.3 / 5
A 32-piece hand-painted resin pirate set with a 3 1/4 inch king and foam storage, sold without a board. Good for display and light casual play, too small and too light for anyone chasing tournament specs.
- Best for
- Shelf display and casual themed games on a board you already own
- Skip it if
- You need a board in the box, or you want weight in the hand for serious play
The king stands 3 1/4 inches tall, and all 32 pieces together weigh 1 lb 6 oz. Those two numbers tell you most of what you need to know about this Pirates Vs Royal Navy set: it's a display piece that happens to be playable, not a player's set that happens to look good. My verdict, up front, is that it earns a spot on a shelf or in a kid's room and disappoints anyone who buys it expecting a tournament kit.
The listing is blunt about the biggest thing. No board. What you get is 32 hand-painted resin men, felt on the bottoms, packed in a decorative box with foam cutouts. That's it. If you already own a board with squares in the right range, this is an easy way to change the look of your setup for a themed night.
What it is and who it's for
The set comes from HPL and is sold as men only. Solid resin, hand painted, felt bottoms, a 3 1/4 inch king, and 32 pieces on the standard chess count. The whole lot weighs 1 lb 6 oz, which is light for resin and tells you these are thin-cast rather than poured solid. They ship in a decorative package with foam storage, so the box doubles as the case.
Who it's for: the person who wants pirate figures on a coffee table, a kid who's watched the films and needs a reason to sit down at a board, and the club player who wants a novelty set for a themed night. If you're shopping the category broadly, I keep a wider roundup of themed chess sets that covers the field.
Who it isn't for: anyone chasing a 4 inch king on 2.25 inch squares, or anyone buying a first chess set for a beginner who'll actualy play. More on why below.
What the specs actually tell you
The 3 1/4 inch king is the number that matters. US Chess guidance puts a serious playing king between 3.375 and 4.5 inches, so this one sits just under the bottom of that range. Not a scandal. Plenty of house sets live at 3 inches and nobody complains. But you are buying a set a notch smaller than tournament standard, and across a full 64-square board that difference shows up in how quickly you can read the position from two feet away.
Then there's the weight: 1 lb 6 oz for 32 pieces works out to just under 0.7 oz per piece. That's light. Felt bottoms will stop the bases from scratching your board, but they won't stop a knight from going over when you catch it with a sleeve.
Resin is the right call for this kind of set. It takes paint well and holds fine detail on a tricorn hat or a cutlass in a way molded plastic can't. It also chips. The listing doesn't state what the king base measures, and it doesn't state what square size the set is designed for, so I can't give you a confirmed fit. Here's the arithmetic anyway: at a typical base-to-square ratio of 75 to 80 percent, a 3 1/4 inch king wants squares roughly 1.75 to 2 inches. Measure your board before you order.
If paint quality and materials are the deciding factor for you, my pick of the best themed chess sets is the place to compare across brands.
What owners report
Here's the honest part. This listing carries no star rating and no review count as of writing, so I can't hand you an average. What I can tell you is the pattern that repeats across hand-painted resin sets in this class.
The most common complaint, by a wide margin, is paint. Thin spots at the high points, slight shade differences between two pieces that should match, and chips at the base or the crown after a few months of handling. Resin plus hand painting plus a box that rides in a delivery truck means touch-ups. Owners of similar sets mention it constantly.
Second theme: surprise about the board. The title says no board, but people skim titles. Men-only listings collect a few of those reviews every time.
Third: lightness. Buyers who expected heft are taken aback by how little the pieces weigh, and some end up treating the set as display only because of it.
On the positive side, the same buyers tend to praise the sculpt detail on the figures and the foam storage, which keeps everything intact between games. My list of unique chess sets shows how other novelty makers handle that same looks-versus-playability trade.
Pros and cons
Pros
- 32 pieces on the standard count with felted bottoms, so it's playable the moment you pair it with a board.
- Hand-painted resin holds costume and weapon detail that molded plastic flattens.
- Foam storage inside a decorative box means it survives the shelf, the closet and the car.
- 3 1/4 inch king is workable on a smaller table or a coffee table board.
- At 1 lb 6 oz total, it travels easily to a friend's house.
Cons
- No board in the box. This is not a starter set.
- Just under 0.7 oz per piece on average means pieces tip.
- King height sits below the 3.375 to 4.5 inch US Chess range.
- King base diameter and recommended square size aren't listed, so board fit is a guess.
- Hand-painted resin chips at contact points; expect touch-up work.
- No rating data on the listing, so there's no owner track record to lean on.
Specs at a glance
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Brand | HPL |
| Material | Solid resin, hand painted |
| Base | Felt bottoms |
| King height | 3 1/4 inches |
| Piece count | 32 (standard set of men) |
| Total piece weight | 1 lb 6 oz |
| Board | Not included |
| Packaging | Decorative package with foam storage included |
| King base diameter | Not listed |
| Recommended square size | Not listed |
Alternatives worth a look
This batch of data had exactly one pirate set in it: 32 pieces, no board, no rating count. So there's no second ASIN to set beside it here, and I'd rather say that than pad the section with filler. The nearest comparison in spirit is the best medieval chess sets roundup, where castles and swords run into the same trade-off between sculpt and playability.
If the licensed theme is the whole point and the history isn't, the best Star Wars chess sets are the other category I keep notes on. Apply the same test I used here: a 32-piece count means nothing if the sculpts are generic and the paint is thin a year in.
Should you buy it
Buy it if you want 32 hand-painted pirate figures to sit on a board you already own, and if you're fine with pieces that weigh under an ounce apiece. It's a solid display set with a usable king height, foam storage, and enough detail on the figures to be worth a look on a shelf.
Skip it if you need a board in the box, if you want weight in the hand, or if you're buying a first chess set for someone who'll genuinely play. A 3 1/4 inch king with light resin men is a decoration that plays. It is not a player's set that decorates. Buy accordingly.
Questions people ask me
Does this Pirates of the Caribbean chess set include a board?
No. The listing is for the 32 men only, and the title says so, though the decorative box and foam storage come with it. You'll need your own board, and for a 3 1/4 inch king you want squares around 1.75 to 2 inches.
How tall are the pieces and how much do they weigh?
The king is 3 1/4 inches, which sits just under the 3.375 to 4.5 inch range US Chess uses as a guide for playing kings. All 32 pieces together weigh 1 lb 6 oz, so the average piece is under an ounce.
Is it a good set for a kid who's learning chess?
It works as a reward set once a kid already knows the moves, because the theme is what gets them to the board. For a true first set I'd want something heavier and cheaper to replace, since hand-painted resin chips and light pieces tip over.