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.

Walking the planks of the boardwalk

Can you tell which of these LEGO buildings belongs to the now-retired Captain Redbeard? Naturally, it’s the tallest one in the this colorful scene from builder Sleepless Night. The build is full of so many incredible textures and colors, allowing each building to stand out on its own. They each have their own design too! Shapes, in general, are obviously reused (like archways), but they’re each done with different elements across the whole. Take a close look at everything present and you’ll see so many cool things. For me, the best parts usage is definitely the croissants making up the billowing sails on the ship at the top of Redbeard’s house. It’s unexpected, but the food elements translate wonderfully for the purpose.

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.

LEGO Icons 10320 Eldorado Fortress: Searching for Pirate gold [Review]

The Pirates line was a seminal theme for LEGO, introducing hoards of new elements and many things we take for granted now, such as unique faces beyond the classic smiley head. One of the largest and most sought-after sets from the original theme was 6276 Eldorado Fortress, a colonial-style base of operations for the blue-coated Imperial Guards. 10320 Eldorado Fortress is a remake of that iconic set taking advantage of 34 years of advancement in parts and techniques since the original. LEGO has avoided straight re-releases in recent years (with some notable exceptions), opting instead to tribute classics for the company’s 90th anniversary in 2022, with 10497 Galaxy Explorer as a modern upgrade to the original set, while 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle pays homage to a whole generation of Castle. Although the anniversary has passed, I am excited that LEGO has continued that nostalgia trend, turning its eye now to my personal favorite theme, Pirates. With 2,509 pieces, the new Eldorado Fortress nearly quintuples the original set’s 506 parts, though thankfully the price increases by a lesser margin, as the original was $66 in 1989 (about $161 in today’s dollars). The new set will retail for US $214.99 | CAN $279.99 | UK £189.99 when it’s available starting July 4 for VIP members (general availability will follow on July 7).

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Click to read the full review

LEGO brings classic pirates back with the new 10320 Eldorado Fortress set [News]

Following massive hits of 10497 Galaxy Explorer and 10305 Lion Knights’ Castle, this summer LEGO revives yet another classic, spoiling fans with the new 10320 Eldorado Fortress set. A 2,509-piece diorama, fusing two iconic Pirates set together, will go on sale on July 4th (for LEGO VIP members) / July 7th for everyone else for US $214.99 | CAN $279.99 | UK £189.99.

Click here to continue reading…

Blackbeard was the devil incarnate

As wild and fanciful as they were, there is some truth to all those Pirates of the Caribbean movies. On Stranger Tides featured Blackbeard the Pirate as the main antagonist and, as famed LEGO builder Oliver Becker already knows, that menacing portrayal played by Ian McShane was based on a real person. Edward Teach was an English pirate known for carrying seven muskets and would light fuses in his hair before battle, surrounding him in smoke and thus giving him an otherworldly, ghostly appearance. Oliver had portrayed that nicely with this bust. With his bug eyes and jagged teeth he also looks like a particularly ravenous deep-sea angler. He’s a fiendish fellow indeed! His flagship was called “Queen Anne’s Revenge”, also showcased nicely here in miniature form.

Storage wars in the 1700s

I’ve had a soft spot for white-washed buildings guarded by red- or blue-coated troops in tricorns and shakos ever since I got LEGO Pirates 6267 Lagoon Lock-Up for Christmas around 1991. This supply depot by Ayrlego tickles that nostalgia, while bringing it up to date with much more detailed building. My favorite part of this build, though, is that Ayrlego has figured out the perfect use for all those yellowed and dirty white bricks that are probably floating around in your collection. While they’re normally unsightly and probably relegated to the filler-brick bin (or worse), they’re on prominent display here and couldn’t look better as the weathered stucco on this colonial-inspired structure.

LEGO reveals 40504 A Minifigure Tribute as the new LEGO House exclusive set [News]

Revealed today, 40504 A Minifigure Tribute becomes the fourth LEGO House exclusive set. Fans will be able to get the latest addition to the limited series only at the LEGO branded store in Billund, Denmark starting March 1, for 599DKK (which is about US $85 or €80).

Click here to continue reading…

Walk softly... unless you are this chunky tank of a boat

At first glance, this creation looks more like a toddler’s thick plastic sandbox toy than a LEGO creation, but looks can be deceiving. Dylan Mievis made good use of plates and tiles to build the bottom jaw that would take a bite out of the competition, and those sturdy legs look just right for hoisting the boat’s substantial mass out of the water. The boat’s googly eyes add a touch of whimsey to the model.

Beware the cannonball in this LEGO Pirates battle

The LEGO Imperials are totally overwhelmed in this Pirate battle scene by Faëbricks. The design of the black and brown sloop is exquisite, lean and ready for a fight. And yet, it still doesn’t steal attention away from the scene as a whole. The same can be said of the port structure: beautifully textured and colored, it looks as if it’s seen its fair share of weathering. But it’s clear that the current cannon fire is creating a bit more damage than years of wind and water. Gaping holes in the gate and foundation show that the pirates are clearing winning this fight, with one more cannonball about to make contact in this frozen slice of the action. Good luck, Imperials! You’re going to need it….

A pirate’s ride for me!

I can practically smell the bromine water in this Pirates of the Caribbean LEGO build from Nicholas Goodman. This scene is a rather amazing recreation of the beginning of the Disneyland ride. This is a scene rarely focused on, given its relaxing ambiance when comparing it to the rest of the ride. Here, Nicholas gives us that anticipation of what’s to come on the other side of that dark tunnel, sparing no detail. The ride’s boat is spot on, but more impressive is the rest of the scene, like the old pirate’s cabin. I like the simple technique of just not pressing tiles down all the way to create the uneven roofing. The greenery wonderfully frames the path of the ride, and those little details like the ship’s tackle to the right are perfect. Those are the details that make a ride of this nature, and I love seeing it all captured in LEGO. It should be no surprise that this is my favorite Disney attraction!

There are pirates aplenty amid these LEGO islands made from 800,000 bricks

You know you’re in for a seriously large LEGO creation when four great builders (Joshua Morris, Rod Fiford, Gavin Rich, and Handoko Setyawan) put their heads together on a pirate scene. And with the Cerulean Straits clocking in at a fully-detailed nine square meters, they did not disappoint! All 144 baseplates of brick were on display recently at Brickvention in Melbourne, Australia. I’ll do my best to cover as much of the 800,000 bricks as I can….

Click here to discover the treasures buried within this build!

Never has a choppy sea looked so good in LEGO

Emulating nature in LEGO bricks can be tricky, particularly capturing the fluidity of water. Enter Huynh Khang and Ky Duy Phong, with some of the best brick-built water I’ve ever seen. It looks like it could be a painting in a gallery! A whopping 50,000 bricks were used to create this diorama, and not a single one has gone to waste. Tile pieces are used for the calmer bits of the sea, with clear and white studded plates used to represent the choppier parts of the water. The result is an incredibly dynamic ocean, which looks like a challenge for even the toughest sailors. Speaking of sailors, don’t let the waves overshadow the pirate ship – it’s just as impressive, using Bionicle pieces among other things to create detailed woodwork. To complete the roundup of LEGO Systems in this piece, we have a Duplo shark. It speaks to the magnitude of this piece that it doesn’t look at all out of place!

Billowing sails on the high seas

The latest episode of LEGO Masters had me in awe as the contestants built stunning pirate ships in just eight hours. This lovely tall ship by Ralf Langer is admittedly several nautical miles above and beyond that and surely took him more than eight hours to construct. The cannons, the rigging, and the waving flag are all amazing touches to be sure. But the star of the show here has got to be those billowing sails. Ralf is a master at building complex curves and textures and this ship encompasses all of that in some surprising ways. Please do yourselves the favor and set sails for our Ralf Langer archives to see what other adventures await.