Tag Archives: Pirates

Avast, me mateys! If ye be lookin’ for LEGO on the high seas, you’ve found the place where X marks the spot. Here be a treasure trove of sailing ships, garrisons full of imperial scalawags, and other such nautical nonsense. Walk that plank and dive into the wonderful world of LEGO Pirates.

We are all worms to the true tyrant of the sea

When you think it can’t get any worse, sometimes life likes to surprise you. Such is the case with this band of pirates as Dwalin Forkbeard tells us: The pirates have survived an unfortunate battle with an Imperial ship, only to be attacked by an ancient sea monster. They are doing everything they can to escape, going as far as blowing into the sail, but will that be enough? Judging by the skeleton on the animal’s back, they do not even have to be eaten to meet a tragic end.

While the textures are somewhat simple, the inner construction of the creature has to be impressive to achieve the smooth, rounded shaping. The segment on the back resembling a small island is a common theme with sea monsters, but I have never seen it done in LEGO before, and a conservative amount of seashells and other sea animals spread across the monster really gives it a realistic impression. While the whale (or is it a fish? Is it any of that, even?) is obviously the focal point and the best part of the build, its surroundings help, too — the raft is positioned so that it gives a feeling of action and the water spilling off the diorama looks just so dynamic.

The Brothers Brick is funded by our readers and the community. Articles may include affiliate links, and when you purchase products from those links, TBB may earn a commission that helps support the site.

Sky-pirate flying fortress floats into view

Take a medieval castle, mash it up with a pirate ship, and then give the whole thing impulse engines, the ability to fly, and advanced weaponry. That’s W.Navarre‘s recipe for a truly original LEGO creation. This could have turned out a hot mess of a build, but there’s enough colour and texture continuity across the model to pull off the ambitious intent. The test of an unusual creative idea is “Does it make sense without having to be explained?” This model accomplishes exactly that — it’s immediately apparent you’re looking at a flying pirate castle ship. What more explanation do you need?

The rear portion is excellent. I love the integration of the engines and missile bay beneath the hull…

All sorts of shady activities at the pirate’s harbor

Nothing valuable is safe from the hands of pirates in Mark van der Maarel’s harbor scene. The construction of each building, the movement of the water, and the scene populated with sketchy pirate operations are all well done without making the overall build appear busy.

The close-up of the alley showcases the subtle offsets to achieve the detailed features of the two buildings. The use of minifigure hands as clothespins, both in appearance and suspension of the tiles, is quite clever.

Ta Davy Jones’ locker with ya!

There is no doubt that William Navarre is one of the best and most active LEGO builders out there, churning out build after build of great quality almost every week. This one and his previous creation were built for the Colossal Battle Contest.

This naval battle has a lot going for it; the positioning of the ships is very expressive and dynamic, not to mention how well they are constructed. The scale is deceiving and the details are amazing — from the burning elements of the sinking ship to the rigging on the victorious side, each vessel is worth looking at individually. What I like best though, is the surrounding water, achieving a realistic look with two layers, a top textured one, and the bottom for colour (and a great look from the side!). William’s creations seem to have a theme of their simpler environment ending up capturing my attention even longer than the build’s focal point…

Swashbuckling ship sails the seas

Rather than telling the tale of the “Curse of the Black Pearl,” we have a new swashbuckling adventure to share: the “Attack of the Dark Bluish Grey Pearl”. The titular ship has been beautifully sculpted in LEGO by Simon NH with some painstakingly intricate techniques for the hull. Simon used minifigure hands to hold 1×2 tiles together, which permits a great deal of shaping — check out that bow to see what can be achieved with this method. The sails are also fantastic, with plenty of movement and texture achieved with bricks.

Simon’s favourite part of the ship is its stern, so it is worthwhile taking a closer peek from the rear. There, sand green decorative fence and semi-circular windows fit in perfectly. I also love the use of the telephone handsets and Unikitty’s tail in dark bluish grey.

A picturesque house with a noble goal

This looks like a very pretty house in a warm climate, but as builder Ayrlego explains, there is more to it than quaint architecture. Built for the Brethren of the Brick Seas role-playing game on Eurobricks, this house is a medical research centre where the doctor is trying his best to defeat one of the Imperial soldiers’ greatest enemies: scurvy.

There is a lot to love in the research centre, from the texture of the walls and quite realistic tile roof design (based on round 1×1 bricks) to the more subtle details like slightly tilted tiles above the windows. The terrace, vines and two minifigs taking a walk give the creation a great sense of atmosphere.

Welcome to 17th Century Port Woodhouse

You may recall last month we ventured back to Meso-America 7,000 B.C. with Ayrlego‘s beautiful jungle scene. Now we leap through time and space to the Golden age of Piracy with two wonderful buildings from the fictional Port Woodhouse. First, we have the piratically themed Infantry Barracks where the Captain inspects the troops’ custom carbines. I love how each of the soldiers has a unique face and expression – a couple of those guys in the front row look like a lot of trouble or a lot of fun, depending on your perspective. The use of older ‘yellowed’ white bricks and un-clutched roof tiles (including one with a broken corner) also lend the build an antique feel.

Continue reading →

If the sky could dream, it would be of dragons

Taiwanese builder LEGO 7 is at it again with another incredible dynamic build. This time, a White Dragon Mech is ripping off the starboard propeller of the Sky Pirates’ flying ship. Lightning ripples out from the dark thundery clouds as the pirates scramble on deck. I love the colors and design of the boat, and the gold railing trim looks great. Have you noticed Monkey Wrench throwing a spanner in the works from atop the crow’s nest? Will Lloyd continue to evade the dragon’s clutches and save the day? Or will the flying clipper plummet earthward and suffer the dreadful fate of rapid deceleration syndrome?

Paradise Lost

Where other builders might only use a single shade of green, we’ve come to count on the fact that Sergeant Chipmunk uses at least three, and to great effect. Chipmunk’s most recent creation cleverly utilizes several unusual and vibrant LEGO colors to create a tropical paradise. I particularly love the combination of dark green and azure on the ship sails. In addition to the use of color, this pirate scene also has a great sense of movement and action. Look closely and you’ll see that one of the sailors lost his hat (and quite possibly, his life).

The sea was angry that day, my friends!

Like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli… No. It was like four unfortunate fishermen losing sight of the shore and falling prey to the whims of a fickle leviathan. You know, THAT old story. Strange isn’t it? This LEGO scene by Andrew JN is full of impending doom, but it’s actually quite lovely. The icy water has a beautiful texture and it’s almost as if you can feel the mist on your face. As for the source material, Andrew says his build was inspired by a rubbery kracken and a sinking LEGO ship.

We don’t need a bigger boat

Although a bigger boat is sometimes a necessity, shrinking your favourite LEGO ships into more manageable proportions can be useful. Brick LeKao might have run out of display space, or perhaps he’s just a fan of more petite sets judging by his collection of cute Pirates of the Caribbean microscale ships. Silent Mary, the Black Pearl, and Queen Ann’s Revenge are all built in microscale, but despite their small size, they are completely recognisable as the famous vessels.

Click to see more adorably miniaturized pirate ships

Sleep forever in the ocean’s cold, dark embrace

How did Captain Morgan die? Was he dragged to the depths by a loose cannon? Was he struck down by the kraken? Or did Poseidon himself drag the captain’s ship into his realm? All we know is that the last time Captain Morgan was seen, he was on the forecastle of his sinking ship, the Queen Annetta’s Revenge, according to builder Jacob Nion.

The scene was built for a story on the Eurobricks forum. The build itself is very dynamic, with excellent broken masts and just enough flotsam to represent convincing traces of a legendary battle. The ship itself is very good, with Jacob giving us an undamaged view.