67 replies to this topic

[Zilcho]

So, I don't have much money right now and I want a new ship to fight alongside the recent Pirate ship from '09 against the Imperial Flagship. First question is how much the Black Pearl is in GBP. The price will be a big factor. I also want to know how piratey the QAR is, and the Black Pearl, if anyone has it yet. I also want to know about the play features and complexity of the two ships. Finally I would like the overall opinion of each. (I don't really care about minfigures, but QAR's look better and more piratey.)

Thanks

[Sebeus I]

The black pearl is cheaper than Queen Anne's Revenge but the Qar is a bit bigger (and has one more cannon).
I can't really tell you more because most of it depends on your opinion,
some prefer the Black Pearl over the QAR, others don't  

[Lorentzen]

I'd suggest that you took a look at the review of the QAR here on eurobricks

Plus, in the Black Pearl thread, there is a link to a LUGPol review of the Black Pearl

You should be able to find the necessary information by looking at those reviews.

Your questions about the two ships really can't be answered by anyone but yourself after you've seen the reviews

[lightningtiger]

I actually will buy the Black Pearl for my son as his big Christmas present from me (wife doesn't know that yet   ), and it just noses itself in front of the QAR because of the openning play feature, but he'll just want the minfig's anyway and to shoot of the cannons !
How about a poll on this topic eh ?
Keep drinking your rum everyone !

[Frank Brick Wright]

I was thinking on buying a ship for Christmas but after seeing the pictures of the Black Pearl I definitively decided NO. It's just too bad, I think. Not to speak about the size, the terrible sails and even the minifigs (almost always very good) don't worth the money. About the QAR I'm not a great fan either, though I think its far better. Have you considered buying an old pirate set like BSB or Skull Eye's Schooner at a decent price at Bricklink?

[Cpt. Tristan]

Well on the "Piratey" part I would say QAR. The Pearl is more plain, with so little decoration that it could easily become a merchant or Imperial ship with a change of figs. The QAR has tons of bones, skulls, spikes and such that give it an almost "scary" and Piratey look.


Hope I helped,
~Cpt. Tristan

[prateek]

I'd go with Black Pearl, but that's because I hate the look of the QAR. The white bones stick out like a sore thumb. The Black Pearl looks much more rational and nicer to look at IMO. It's just a personal preference, but I like realistic looking things.

[Dr.Cogg]

Both are nice ships ,but the QAR is a little more evil looking.

[Big Cam]

I think some good discussion can come from this.

Personally as a fan of the films and just Pirates in general, I'll sell my shoes if it means I can have them both.

The QAR is bigger and looks to have more details, but the Pearl is the Pearl, enough said. Hence my 3rd option.

[Skipper]

I voted for the Black Pearl. It's the iconic ship of the movies, so of the two you pretty much have to get it.  

IMO, the aesthetics (structural and designwise) of the Revenge are just so different from the Flagship and Bounty that they'd clash together, whereas the Pearl shares its boxy cabin design and overall solid structure with the non-licensed ships.
Also I agree with Prateek in that the bones stand out too much on the Revenge, not to mention do not match the source, as far as I can tell from never having seen the movie.

Neither are particularly stunning though, so were I in your position I would avoid both completely and go for a classic set. But that's just me.

Edited by Skipper, 08 October 2011 - 02:13 AM.

[Gryphon Ink]

Even though the Revenge has a higher piece count, judging by the pictures in the Polish review it seems that the two ships are actually the same size.  This would make sense, since in reality they are the same ship.  I think the Revenge's higher piece count comes mostly from all the gingerbreading and the built-up stern castle.

Personally, I will be buying the Pearl when I have the money.  The Revenge doesn't appeal to me much with all those bone pieces and that huge stern.  The Pearl is not only the iconice POTC ship, but also can integrate much better with other fantasy and pirate sets as a ghost ship or generic black pirate ship.  Plus, that's a whole lot of black for MOCing with if I decide to dismantle it.  I love the Pearl's minifigs, too.  And, of course, the idea of paying $20 less has a strong appeal for me.  I have not yet bought any set that cost over $100, and the Revenge is not pretty enough for it to be my first.

I think the Pearl is a very nice set.  Slightly disappointed that it doesn't come with a monkey.

On the other hand, the Revenge wins hands down for anybody who wants a lot of skeleton pieces for MOCing.  And I don't know anything about the play features of either set.

ETA: I just have to say, right now I'm reading Tim Powers' book "On Stranger Tides", which the latest movie was "inspired by", and Holy Quantum Mechanics, Batman - if they'd followed the book AT ALL the latest movie would have been about fifty times better.  Yeah, that's way off topic, but I had to throw it out there.

Edited by Gryphon Ink, 08 October 2011 - 02:46 AM.

[Captain Becker]

QAR for me! The sails are way better and the ship looks mor cooler that BP. And QR has more parts. But if possible, i am getting BP also. But i voted QAR.

Captain Becker

[Sebeus I]

So you've added a poll...
I haven't voted yet, I can't decide   .

[Commodore Hornbricker]

I wouldn't be the huge Lego Pirate fan I am without absolutely positively having to have both or maybe a couple of each. I don't like the PoC sets nearly as much as the classic sets but still there are some very cool parts. Black sails come on! Who doesn't want to chase down a pirate ship with black sails? It's what the IFS and the British Royal Navy were made for.

[TheLegoDr]

I will be getting both of them for Christmas, so I'm all set. If I wasn't, it would be a difficult choice for sure. Even though they are similar in size, the QAR seems bigger and definitely meaner looking. Granted, I haven't seen the movie so I don't know how closely it resembles, but I would much prefer (and plan) to change the bones and skulls to something more realistic looking. Still keep the detail but make changes. If that is all said and done, then I would probably choose the QAR. But as it stands, I'd take the Pearl just because of the subtlety of the black on black with a few details thrown in. I don't like the unfinished hull though.

[Hiawatha]

I do think that the QAR would be a more interesting purchase, but I agree that having both is the best way to go.

[Dreamweb]

I don't have The Black Pearl yet, but although it's smaller, from the pictures I've seen it seems better than QAR design-wise - it's the simple things really, like doors, stairs, hinged walls, that kind of stuff that just make it more playable.

[TheBrickDaddy]

I think I speak for everyone here when I give this summary:

The Black Pearl is much more iconic, cheaper, and has a nice, smooth  (albeit unfinished) look to it.

The QAR is bigger, but more expensive, and has a bit more choppy appearance.

The solution? Buy both!  

[AkumaMax]

TheBrickDaddy, on 12 October 2011 - 12:08 AM, said:

I think I speak for everyone here when I give this summary:

The Black Pearl is much more iconic, cheaper, and has a nice, smooth  (albeit unfinished) look to it.

The QAR is bigger, but more expensive, and has a bit more choppy appearance.

The solution? Buy both!  

I agree. Can't wait for my Lego store to release it on November 1st. I will be buying both

[MikeHaggarKJ]

I'd say the QAR if you remove all the silly bones (anyone got any ideas on what to use as rails instead of the bones, on the side of the ship? Im rebuilding it right now).

But I need to get both first to be sure. Still throwing my money away to get all the old pirate sets XD (was born in 1990 so I missed the earliest waves), so Im not sure If I'll be able to afford it.

Edited by MikeHaggarKJ, 12 October 2011 - 03:14 PM.

[TheLegoChronicler]

Having just acquired the Pearl and already having the QAR I must say that both have their advantages and if you can get both by all means do so (especially as we don't know when Lego may wait another decade or more to release more pirate sets as was the case prior to 2009!).  If money is tight though I would consider the following:

Black Pearl
The best feature of the Pearl is the enclosed rear cabin (which is sorely missing on the QAR).  However, due to the absence of a raised hull piece in the rear it is noticeably smaller than its counterpart and looks downright out of place when viewed next to the Imperial Flagship or Black Seas Barracuda.  A fitting nemesis for the Brickbeard's Bounty perhaps but otherwise out out gunned.  

Queen Anne's Revenge
The main detractor for the QAR is Lego sacrificed detail for size (the Pearl is a bit more balanced).  The downside of this is that the ship feels incomplete, especially on the inside (where is the enclosed cabin and large front deck!). The upside is that it does not look hopeless to pit this ship against any of the classic ships or the more recent Imperial Flagship, especially if you have a spare cannon or two to arm the empty gun ports.

My vote goes to the QAR as my favorite aspect of Pirate ships has always been their size, but if I had to actually sail on one I would pick the more realistic Pearl because who wants to ship out on a vessel with no place to get away from the wind and rain!


The Lego Chronicler
Check out my Lego Blog at www.thelegochronicler.blogspot.com

[legomonk]

I already own the QAR and will have the pearl the very second i see one for sale itsa great looking ship sturdy looking and kinda classical in composition

[halfpenguinhalflego]

They both look very nice IMO, but I am a fan of POTC and would go for the BP, I also think it looks cooler. Sure it is missing a lot of things it should have, like cannons and rigging (or a second deck, seriously LEGO?) but it is all easily fixable and you'll feel better if you make a set look better, I certainly do  

[Perfectionist]

Neither. Use Bricklink and some creativity!  

As a set I like the QAR more, but I still don't think it's worth the money. The Pearl is a pretty poor design!
I think any decent MOC would be closer to the movie version, but I haven't seen one so far!

[yys4u]

For those of you wondering which is better, you can check out my video I just finished. It's another stop motion build, this time of the QAR, I already posted the Black Pearl vid so you can find it on my youtube channel.

Personally I find the QAR to be much more exciting with all its detail and a few more features. Black Pearl seems like they took the build techniques that worked on the QAR and just rushed to put together a new ship. But I should mention I find it difficult to carry or lift the QAR, it doesn't seem as stable as the bone railings tend to fall off when you grab it.



Note: I was really hoping to improve on the build since my last video, I added a timer to the camera to remove fluctuation in the pictures but it didn't work, and this time I stayed away from flash but for some reason in the beginning my camera seemed to pick up more light in some frames. So anyone good with this stuff please feel free to send me you tips/suggestions as I'm still new to this!

Thanks and hope you enjoy!