General Pirates of the Caribbean Theme Discussion Thread

[Swash Buckler]

I don't think you should be so completely dismissive of the idea... five years ago I would have thought double-sided torso printing was impossible. And look at the amount of leg printing in the minifigures range, and the stripes on the mime's arm... time moves on, impossible things become possible.

I think it's extremely simple to mould a small, discrete hole on the top of hair pieces and wigs, and a peg on the base of hats. I don't know anything about plastic moulding, but if they can do it for hats with plumes, why can't they do it for hair with hats?

If everything has a standard shape, then you could easily swap hats between characters as well, adding hugely to the play experience.

Jack's hat.

Plain black tricorn, worn by most characters.

Black tricorn with gold trim, worn by some characters sometimes.

Elizabeth's Singapore hat.

Davy Jones' hat.

Barbossa's hat.

Will Turner's hat, which I think he wears at the end of the first film. Kind of a musketeer hat.

Darth Vader's and Yoda's pirate hats, in the inevitable SW/POTC cross-over.

Lots of hats. If interchangable, lots of customisation possibilities.

I don't think we need holes for hair but instead kind of stud- so they could actually usenormal hats as well- it seems bit impossible maybe but some sort of two piece hairpiece is definitely possible- i've thought about this since first potc came out- lego Sparrow must have a new kind of hairpiece- so i definitely hope this is what i've been waiting for

[tedbeard]

1. The undead pirates of the first film.

Ooooh, another source for zombie heads! That would be great.

[RocketSeason]

Well, this does surprise me, but it really makes sense considering that the Pirates line only lasted a year and had (seemingly) a good run of it. Replacing it with POTC next year seems very reasonable.

Here is hoping we get some really great parts! My ship could use 'em!

[Blondie-Wan]

The other factor is... where would Batman and Indiana Jones and Harry Potter go, if not the Licensed forum? The Action Themes forum? That doesn't quite fit...

Indiana Jones absolutely could go in either the Action Themes forum, or (preferably, in my opinion) the Historical Themes forum. That's already where its nearest non-licensed analogue (Adventurers) goes, and Indiana Jones is particularly tied to history. Batman would work in Action as well, but I also think City would be a decent fit. I don't know anyplace really well-suited for Harry Potter, though, aside from Licensed.

POTC on the other hand is clearly a Pirate-based theme, so it belongs here as much as it does in the Licensed forum. And of the people who are excited by this range, a large proportion of them have no interest in the film, just the fact that it is Pirates, which seems to imply that the discussion belongs here...

In fairness, by the same token, a lot of people who have no interest in Prince of Persia as a movie (or video game) have plenty of interest in it as a LEGO theme, especially with regard to its applicability to LEGO creations that would fit the Historical Themes forum. I personally wouldn't have a problem with discussing it in either that forum or the Licensed one, though I presume most here prefer to keep it in the latter.

[Clone OPatra]

I'm certainly not surprised that there are already two waves in the works, but it is nice to have it confirmed. I am sure we can expect to see all the sets including the On Stranger Tides ones at Toy Fair, unless LEGO pulls another Toy Story 3 and doesn't reveal the sets because they 'have spoilers.' By that point the first wave will already be out, of course.

This is actually the fourth license to have the two-wave structure. The others are Indiana Jones, Toy Story, and the oldest license, Star Wars. I think this model will work very well, and for Pirates, I expect more than just the two waves since it is such a rich universe with many locations and ships to draw upon in the films.

Realistically, LEGO cannot put out too many of the ships at one time, since they never have a huge number of large sets in one theme. My guess is, since the Black Pearl appears in the fourth film, the ship for the first wave will be the Dutchman, while the Pearl is held for wave two. The other ships that I assume we will see in the future are the Chinese ship, Jack's own little ship, and possibly Beckett's ship, though that one may never happen because it doesn't show up all that much in the films.

I certainly hope that there will be some Pearl crew members with reversible skeleton heads from the first film, and of course the sea people from films 2 and 3. I'm sure we will see Jack, Will, Elizabeth, Barbosa, Davy Jones, and Beckett in the first wave, and probably characters like the guy with the removable eye and his comic partner as well. This is going to be an awesome line!

[ciano]

Well, I guess I'm finally going to see the zombie/ghost pirate sets I've longed for, but it kinds sucks that it's a licensed theme. I always preferred classic pirates.

[David Thomsen]

Indiana Jones absolutely could go in either the Action Themes forum, or (preferably, in my opinion) the Historical Themes forum. That's already where its nearest non-licensed analogue (Adventurers) goes, and Indiana Jones is particularly tied to history. Batman would work in Action as well, but I also think City would be a decent fit. I don't know anyplace really well-suited for Harry Potter, though, aside from Licensed.

...

In fairness, by the same token, a lot of people who have no interest in Prince of Persia as a movie (or video game) have plenty of interest in it as a LEGO theme, especially with regard to its applicability to LEGO creations that would fit the Historical Themes forum. I personally wouldn't have a problem with discussing it in either that forum or the Licensed one, though I presume most here prefer to keep it in the latter.

Ah, but Pirates already has a large pre-existing fan base... no such base exists for 'pseudo Persians' or 'war archaeologists' or 'men in blue and red spider suits'.

If I had to name one main hope I have for this theme, it's that it has good world-building potential. The only other licensed theme I've collected has been Indiana Jones, and when you build all the sets at once it doesn't really make any sense... there's a temple in Peru next to a temple in Egypt and a canal in Venice.

I'd really like to see a distinctive port growing over time. Mansion, fort, pub, blacksmith, harbour... all things that appeared at some point in the films, in fact mostly within the first half hour of the first film. If the sets look like they're going to be based on 'microscenes', like, instead of having a complete fort they just have the jail cell that held Jack, then I'll probably flag the whole theme. World building is one of the main reasons I love Lego.

[Elander]

I hope for an islander-village with many new coloured Insulaner-Minifigs.

-> Jocularly in addition Jack Sparrow would be (painted) on spit. ^^

As an Action-Playset (so I call it) there would be the rolling cage (where itself William Turner and the rest consider). That cage would be a hang roll down. As a pursuer there would be in addition other islanders.

[Captain Cavinano]

If this thing really come true, that will be awesome!

[Jack Bricker]

I do hope that they make a really good looking Black Pearl. I was not particularly fond of the BBB and getting the stern gallery right, three arched windows with no gaping holes around the edges, is going to be a bit of a challenge. I also would like to see at lease one legitimate gun deck.

I do wonder if the Imperial Flagship was a test to see how well a $200 ship would sell. I mean it was so out of the blue when it came out. First Lego says that they are going to discontinue the entire Pirates line and then all of a sudden they come out with this massive warship. It kind of makes me wonder if they were testing the waters to see how well a $200 Black Pearl would sell.

Also I agree with some others on the forum that I do not want to see just small cut-scenes from the movie. If they make the blacksmith scene I want to see the entire blacksmith shop. That being said, they did pretty well for the PoP line so, hopefully they will do just as well for the POTC line.

[Oswald the Rabbit]

Well the 3 obvious ships are: The Black Pearl, The Flying Dutchman, The Queen Anne's Revenge (POTC 4)

As for the new movie, they will have zombies, mermaids, and I heard talk of a carnival taking place on a frozen river, So here is hoping for period clowns.

[Oky]

I can definitely see Lego having their own take on the waterwheel scene (Warning: the following pic contains MegaBloks!):

As for the new movie, they will have zombies, mermaids, and I heard talk of a carnival taking place on a frozen river

I think I just lost any bit of hope I had for the new movie...

[vexorian]

meh, I sometimes wonder if megabloks are actually competing against imaginext rather than LEGO.

I think PotC theme could rock even though the movies never interested me. Finally a chance to have a LEGO ghost ship.

[Elander]

I'd really like to see a distinctive port growing over time. Mansion, fort, pub, blacksmith, harbour... all things that appeared at some point in the films, in fact mostly within the first half hour of the first film. If the sets look like they're going to be based on 'microscenes', like, instead of having a complete fort they just have the jail cell that held Jack, then I'll probably flag the whole theme. World building is one of the main reasons I love Lego.

Yes!

And so must LEGO implement Port Royal! With modular-sets (the blacksmith, the dock, the prison .... (see "LEGO City houses modular-style).

Rome was not built in a day too.

Please not like Harry Potter Castle and "boom" -> One set, and that it was.

I repeat: I hope for many smaller modular-sets.

One set is very expensive. To expensive for many people.

Come-on LEGO: Win the parents and children with many smaller modular-sets. ;)

[Clone OPatra]

I can definitely see Lego having their own take on the waterwheel scene (Warning: the following pic contains MegaBloks!):

And a much better take than MegaBloks, to be sure. I do wonder myself if they will have to make the ships Imperial Flagship sized. I think the Dutchman would especially look lame in classic pirate ship LEGO size. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

I highly doubt LEGO will go modular with Port Royal. It's just not something that they've ever really done, so I don't think it can be expected here. I don't think they'll make one large Port Royal either, because the large set spots will probably be filled with the ships. If they make a set from Port Royal at all, I bet it will be in the $50 range.

[Rapseflaps]

Oh dear.

That's awful. I'd never seen those before.

I'm still on the fence on this one. I'm not a big licence fan and the original Lego Pirates are just so darn charming. I'll wait and see on this one.

[David Thomsen]

I think I just lost any bit of hope I had for the new movie...

We've already had skeletons and fish people, zombies and mermaids aren't that different...

As for the carnival on the river... that's not even fantasy. When rivers have frozen over for long periods in the past, entrepreneurs have been quick to set up attractions on the ice to make a profit.

The only thing that worries me is 'zombies', because they've been used far too often in movies in recent years. On the other hand... if the film makers do their research properly and look at the origins of the zombie myth, which isn't so far removed from the POTC time, they could potentially do something much more sophisticated than the cliche of 'brain-eating undead monsters'.

[Oswald the Rabbit]

Who says the ice river carnival has to be fantasy. I just hope the scene is big enough to allow a LEGO set.

[Bonaparte]

I'm no MOD or anything but my humble opinion is that POTC LEGO should be discussed in Pirates subforum (and as I see many others agree with me on that). LEGO Star Wars isn't discussed in licensed themes either, it has its own subforum because of the large fanbase. I can't see why a similar exception couldn't be made with POTC - only this time by mingling it with classic pirate stuff. I think we might see some MOCs from our users mixing POTC and classic pirates anyway, I for one would love to see a 'Jack Sparrow vs Captain Red Beard' MOC, with Sparrow dying a terrible death. Perhaps one day I'll make it myself.

It was agreed by the Eurobricks staff to have an all PoTC discussions in the pirates forum and not the licensed forum so all pirate discussions are in the same place. This is confirmed!

[josykay]

Oh... thats sad. So there are no yellow pirate minifigs anymore

PotC is ok, but please... please change the skin-color of the licensed minifigs back to yellow. Why did they change the skin color anyway?

[______]

I don't mind the skin colour change at all really, its nice to be able to tell my guys apart. Anyways I think it would be good for the Black pearl to have a fleshie crew because they are zombie pirates in the first film. . I just hope that the black pearl is a £100-£200 set because the detail would be fantastic.

[Oswald the Rabbit]

I am glad the minifigs will be flesh. I love flesh. Once you go flesh you'll see how ugly yellow is.

[Captain Becker]

I am glad the minifigs will be flesh. I love flesh. Once you go flesh you'll see how ugly yellow is.

i must disagree whit you, the flesh colour is nice but the yellow is a orginal lego head, i like them both.

Captain Becker

Edited July 28, 2010 by Captain Becker

[Blondie-Wan]

Ah, but Pirates already has a large pre-existing fan base... no such base exists for 'pseudo Persians' or 'war archaeologists' or 'men in blue and red spider suits'.

I'm pretty sure Adventurers does have an existing fanbase, and that there's a huge amount of overlap between that and the Indiana Jones fanbase. Prince of Persia, as far as a LEGO theme goes, is really somewhat akin to being a Castle subtheme, save for having fleshtoned figures.

Mind you, I was just answering the question more than making a real argument. For the record, I do think Pirates of the Caribbean discussion is perhaps better suited for the Licensed forum than the Pirates one, but I'm not troubled by it (and if I were, I'd point out that Galidor is also a license and hence belongs in Licensed rather than Action Figures, or at least it would if anyone actually ever discussed it ). Frankly, there are lots of themes and subthemes that fit more than one forum as they're organized here, and I already see discussion of certain things pop up in multiple forums with nobody getting too worked up about it (the collectible minifigures get discussed all over the place, for example). I expect to see the same with Pirates of the Caribbean eventually, with some individual topics turning up in Licensed and some turning up in Pirates.

If I had to name one main hope I have for this theme, it's that it has good world-building potential. The only other licensed theme I've collected has been Indiana Jones, and when you build all the sets at once it doesn't really make any sense... there's a temple in Peru next to a temple in Egypt and a canal in Venice.

That's not the first time I've seen this comment, but it's not an issue that's ever really bothered me. Don't lots of Star Wars fans display stuff from different worlds and eras together, for example?

I do know some Indy fans will have their stuff on shelves, with each shelf representing a different nation or region, say. I'm personally not too worried about it (and frankly, I'm not able to display all my sets simultaneously anyway; most of them are stored in storage tubs at the moment). But to each his / her own, I guess...

I'd really like to see a distinctive port growing over time. Mansion, fort, pub, blacksmith, harbour... all things that appeared at some point in the films, in fact mostly within the first half hour of the first film. If the sets look like they're going to be based on 'microscenes', like, instead of having a complete fort they just have the jail cell that held Jack, then I'll probably flag the whole theme. World building is one of the main reasons I love Lego.

I think the answer to this may lie in just how well the theme does (and therefore, how many waves and sets it gets). I do think Pirates of the Caribbean is one theme that has potential for a long life with several waves and lots of sets, unlike certain "flash in the pan" licenses such as Speed Racer or Prince of Persia. It will have four films to draw upon, with a huge range of characters, locations and vessels, and various types of action scenarios, ranging from realistic, even almost historical engagements to pure fantasy with mythical creatures, and all of this in a milieu that already has a devoted following among LEGO fans. This theme has the potential to do really well, and I actually expect it to last beyond the bare minimum two waves we know about - possibly well beyond that, in fact. Of course we don't know yet how well it will do, but I think it will probably wind up being one of the two or three biggest licensed LEGO themes ever (Star Wars obviously being the top one, with Harry Potter probably being the second, or even third behind PotC), and I'm going to go on the record here as predicting PotC gets at least three or four waves, as Indiana Jones has.

[Dr.Butcher]

Yellow is fine by me. But especially with a licensed theme where also coloured characters are part of it looks imo much better.