The Devil's Trap playset was part of the Pirate series that was released in 2006 and the second largest playset next to the Ghost pirate ship. Chap Mei has always added a touch of realism to their fantasy lines. Although most of the figures and accessories in this series are placed in the real world, a little touch of imagination always helps sell a product. What I like about the pirates series in general is it uses all original figures and accessories. Very few series in Chap Mei have products never before seen in past lines. Pirates did pave the way with there sets and figures for more recent figure lines mostly for the Sea Life and Wild Park lines.The Devil's Trap was sold at Big Lots for $19.99 during the fall of 2006. It did not last very long in the store and was quickly picked up by eager pirate fans.
The Playset itself is made up of two pieces the skull rock and the beach with palm tree. The skull rock has been featured in several later lines including, Knights Quest for the Dark Beasts. The skull has jagged rocks that make up the lower jaw when you pull the ear ring the upper teeth move up and down. I guess when a figure enters the mouth to collect the treasure the teeth slam down and commence to "chewing" them. Their is no record if the upper teeth are suppose to be stalactites, build as a trap by the pirates or the rock is placed under some sort of curse. The skull portion is a large rather solid piece painted a metal gray with black eyes. Inside the mouth is a treasure trove of gold heaped all in a pile but cannot be removed. The skull also has two eye holes in the back that you can hang with either screws or nails. Their is also a slot on the left side which connects the skull to the beach piece.
The beach portion of Devil's Trap features a pop up dead pirate corpse. This is considered a little morbid and some what terrifying but is fun and exciting to play with. The piece is sculpted with grainy yellow sand and pieces of wood sticking out. A palm tree sits on the top left side with a sign that has a pirate symbol painted on it. A small blue snake sits coiled around the tree above the sign. The same exact snake that came with the Wizard Count Orcus. It too adds a bit of "danger" to Devil's Trap. The corpse pirate is a solid piece of soft plastic that attaches to the top half of the trap door. The pirate is in a tattered uniform with shackles around his wrists and is painted red with ash gray bones. The beach portion was also featured in the Pirates II series with Crocobite and Kid Croc. The beach portion may originally have had sound in the versions outside of the United States. A small hole under the set indicates a sound device was placed their. If anyone has any information about the sound active version, by all means let us know.
The Pirate raft is crudely constructed of barrels, rope and wooden planks. It does float rather well as I have tried in the sink at home. The raft features a working paddle and sail with mast that rotates left to right. The raft also has a rotating periscope that can also move up and down. The raft can only fit one figure but other figures can be placed on the raft. It just won't float very well with more then one person. The raft is very well detailed with fish bones and ropes all scattered on the floor and parts of the raft. I also love the shark bite taken on the side it adds a little flare to the doomed passengers. This raft appears to have been through a lot, and may in fact be the only means of reaching the Devil's Trap... A very nice addition to the playset.
Fritz the Cyclops is one of the main characters featured in the pirates line. I believe Fritz came with the same exact accessories and crocodile as his single pack did. Fritz is a large muscled pirate with a bushy beard, one eye and a peg leg. His head, arms and legs move and he is a very typical looking pirate figure. He does look more like a circus strong man with his pin striped pants and bushy beard and red due rag. Fritz has a nice belt that can be removed to customize. He is also one of the "only" pirates that can store is sword on his belt. Of course like all Chap Mei figures he is not painted on the backside. Fritz is a nice colorful addition to the Chap Mei pirates and a good "shoe in" for this playset.
As I have mentioned above, Fritz has pretty much the same accessories that came with his single pack. A pick, shovel, lantern, periscope and powder horn. All helpful tools for searching for buried treasure and fending off oceanic terrors. Fritz also has his trusty fly swatter which is simply a net attached to two poles and used to capture large beasts. I think the fly swatter first appeared in this series and was later an addition to the Dino Valley II line. A treasure chest is also included with this set, I guess it is used to haul all that loot back to the ship. Or to add it to the Devil's Trap collection. The chest can be opened and is attached by two hinges on the back side. The chest is a popular addition to the other pirate sets in the series and is also part of the Knights, Adventure Heroes and Vikings series. The treasure chest is a pretty popular item with Chap mei and we will most likely see it in future toy lines to come.
The white black striped crocodile referred to as Zebra Crocky first came with Fritz the Cyclops in the single pack. It is unclear if this Zebra Crocky is a pet or wild species that is added security for the Devils Trap. The crocodile that came in the figure pack certainly was a pet for Fritz due to the rope attached around the body made to look like a leash. The crocodile is a small solid figure with no movable features. It is more in scale to actual crocodiles in the wild and is the most detailed crocodile Chap Mei has created. The mouth is opened just enough to fit a small fish or human arm or legs. It is the smallest none articulate crocodile Chap Mei has made. It is also the most recent that first appeared in this line of toys. A different version was later made for the Wild Park line that resembles a more distinct crocodile painted in dark and light greens. One of the more "fantasy" based figures in the line the Zebra Crocky is based on an albino crocodile with zebra stripes. Although most albino animals especially crocodiles are picked off at an early age who is to say that a species of crocodilians adapted white and black stripes as a form of camouflage on white sandy beaches. With no other predators around on these remote islands these particular crocodilians could thrive as the top apex predator on land. Selective breeding may also be a factor as humans have throughout the centuries have bred different types of breeds of dogs, cats and livestock. Zebra Crocky may be the first in selective breeding in the exotic pet trade.