Governor Mister Phes Posted June 29 Governor Posted June 29 BrickLink Designer Program Series 8 finalist, "Coconut Cape" by BallisticBricks has been officially announced for Crowdfunding (pre-orders) on June 1st, 2026 at 8 AM Pacific time. Quote Land Ho! With its strong walls and strategic defenses, Coconut Cape serves as a guardian of the ocean, deterring pirates and ensuring the safety of the surrounding trade routes. It stands as a beacon for ships and a refuge for the weary. Remember to always keep an eye out for hidden treasure! Buried deep within the walls, a secret compartment reveals precious gold and gems for the plundering! Specifications Parts: 2,425 | Minifigures: 8 Length: 34.4 cm / 13.6 in Width: 47.1 cm / 18.6 in Height: 36.6 cm / 14.4 in Your Thoughts and Feedback... Will you be ordering Coconut Cape? What are your thoughts on the build and minifigures? Would you change anything about the design for Crowdfunding? Would you like to see the Imperial Armada return? Quote
Jack Sassy Posted June 29 Posted June 29 This looks lovely, wish it were an official set. That said, it would need a closed back to go together with, say, the new Eldorado Fortress. I appreciate the return of those filthy scoundrels Imperial Armada but these designs be limited by the modern resources. They be in dire need of Armada helmets! In summary, this be a fine fortress build. I meself will not be obtaining it, but hope that others will appreciate it. Quote
Elephant Knight Posted June 30 Posted June 30 I'm very happy this made it, more pirate sets is always great, and the designer is a member of my LUG! super exciting! I'll get this one for sure, shouldn't be too expensive as it didn't use the full piece count available. EKnight Quote
NOD Posted June 30 Posted June 30 1. I will be ordering it. 2. I really like the architecture. I would like minifigures similar to Lego Conquistador 8833. 3. I would exchange the hats for morion helmets during crowdfunding. 4. I would like to see the Imperial Armada return. Quote
Governor Mister Phes Posted July 3 Author Governor Posted July 3 On 6/30/2025 at 12:40 AM, Jack Sassy said: This looks lovely, wish it were an official set. Aren't BrickLink Designer program sets official enough for yer, Jack? Quote
GeoBrick Posted July 3 Posted July 3 2 hours ago, Mister Phes said: Aren't BrickLink Designer program sets official enough for yer, Jack? BDP employees have multiple times said so. Quote
Jack Sassy Posted July 3 Posted July 3 7 hours ago, Mister Phes said: Aren't BrickLink Designer program sets official enough for yer, Jack? They seem a bit more challenging to acquire. Nevertheless, I wish to see something like this done by LEGO itself. Quote
Governor Mister Phes Posted July 4 Author Governor Posted July 4 17 hours ago, GeoBrick said: BDP employees have multiple times said so. Assuming yer not being purely fecteous, do yer happen to have a source for where they have put that on record? It seems there's a debate in some waters about whether the BrickLink Designer program are considered official sets, so an official confirmation would be useful to wave in front of those who try to claim otherwise. Quote
Governor Mister Phes Posted July 4 Author Governor Posted July 4 11 hours ago, Jack Sassy said: They seem a bit more challenging to acquire. Nevertheless, I wish to see something like this done by LEGO itself. Aye, procurement is somewhat more limited. But there are other factors leading to the perception that BrickLink Designer sets are not official sets: They come in a plain white box, rather than a box with especially designed artwork, as fans have become accustomed with official LEGO sets. They don't include printed instructions or related tie-in media. They're fan designs which may not necessarily confirm to usual aesthetic or design techniques of official LEGO sets. The design of earlier BrickLink Designer sets seemed to adhere verbatim to what the original design submitted... However, this seems to be evolving somewhat, as evident in The Thieves of Tortuga in which some innovation was demonstrated. A Jolly Roger flag was added - pretty much a staple of any LEGO Pirate set. An Imperial faction was introduced - adding playability and narrative. The Imperial faction had it's own flag, albeit a sticker. All promising additions to skew consumer perspective towards feeling they're receiving an official product, rather than a mass produced fan build. In part, it's about making consumer feel as they're receiving a set with a degree of exclusivity, that could not achieve by acquiring generic LEGO parts from Pick A Brick, BrickLink, etc. Quote
Governor Mister Phes Posted July 4 Author Governor Posted July 4 On 7/1/2025 at 1:49 AM, NOD said: 4. I would like to see the Imperial Armada return. On 7/1/2025 at 1:49 AM, NOD said: 3. I would exchange the hats for morion helmets during crowdfunding. I occur! But herein lies the problem... Can the BrickLink Designer Team utilise parts which are no longer in production? From my understanding, they have a very strict palette of parts for each series, and if a part isn't included within the palette, it's pretty much "out of bounds". Quote
GeoBrick Posted July 4 Posted July 4 11 hours ago, Mister Phes said: Assuming yer not being purely fecteous, do yer happen to have a source for where they have put that on record? It seems there's a debate in some waters about whether the BrickLink Designer program are considered official sets, so an official confirmation would be useful to wave in front of those who try to claim otherwise. It came up in the Q&A of the BDP Series 8 Finalists Live Reveal, right at the 1:06:20 time stamp. Quote
Governor Mister Phes Posted July 4 Author Governor Posted July 4 1 hour ago, GeoBrick said: It came up in the Q&A of the BDP Series 8 Finalists Live Reveal, right at the 1:06:20 time stamp. Thank ye for such precision! I might clip that video... Quote
GeoBrick Posted July 4 Posted July 4 18 minutes ago, Mister Phes said: Thank ye for such precision! why doth i hast the feeling i forebode a reaving party? Quote
Yperio_Bricks Posted July 4 Posted July 4 Maybe we should ask the general population if BDP sets are official Lego sets rather than listen to what Lego says themselves. "We are live as we speak and will now get the results from our reporters in the shopping malls and downtown areas of the world. Oh wait, so 99.8% of the population have never heared of such a thing?" Maybe I am joking, maybe not For me the BDP sets are no official sets because I can not go to a store an buy them. These sets are simply a fan service for a very small group of people. Personally I will never get one of the sets. Of course I don't want to take away anything from the designs and we have seen some great mocs from talented builders. Great sets, some of which I wish I could buy, you know, going into a store and pick them up.... I feel like Lego is fine with throwing some die-hard fans a few crumbs, some trains, castle and pirates sets, so these fans do not riot too much... Maybe it was not like this when BDP was all new and fresh but it certainly feels like this now Quote
Governor Mister Phes Posted July 4 Author Governor Posted July 4 59 minutes ago, GeoBrick said: why doth i hast the feeling i forebode a reaving party? Oh come now! Everyone enjos a good reaving party! 23 minutes ago, Yperio_Bricks said: Maybe we should ask the general population if BDP sets are official Lego sets rather than listen to what Lego says themselves. Way ahead of you... Quote
Yperio_Bricks Posted July 4 Posted July 4 34 minutes ago, Mister Phes said: Oh come now! Everyone enjos a good reaving party! Way ahead of you... I don't think a poll on a Lego fan site is representative of the general population Quote
Governor Mister Phes Posted July 4 Author Governor Posted July 4 46 minutes ago, Yperio_Bricks said: I don't think a poll on a Lego fan site is representative of the general population The general population probably doesn't have a clue what the BrickLink Designer Program is. But how would you go about obtaining a larger sample size? Quote
Yperio_Bricks Posted July 4 Posted July 4 5 minutes ago, Mister Phes said: The general population probably doesn't have a clue what the BrickLink Designer Program is. That's exactly what I want to say! No need for a larger sample size. I am just mocking the BDP a bit because as I said above, for me the BDP sets are not official ones and I think Lego uses the BDP to throw crumbs to the fans so they do not question too much the absence of these themes in the offical catalogue. But again, we have seen many awesome designs within the BDP! But for me these BDP set can not replace a wave of official pirate sets, or castle sets, or trains or.... you name it. Quote
Jack Sassy Posted July 4 Posted July 4 19 hours ago, Mister Phes said: They don't include printed instructions or related tie-in media. They're fan designs which may not necessarily confirm to usual aesthetic or design techniques of official LEGO sets. Aye, these two points are crucial for me. I dread the day all instruction will be available only in digital format. Some of the earlier BDP designs suffered from poor design choices, albeit the latest offerings are much more... sturdy. 4 hours ago, Yperio_Bricks said: I think Lego uses the BDP to throw crumbs to the fans so they do not question too much the absence of these themes in the offical catalogue. I do share a similar sentiment. Quite often are we given a peculiar form of pirates set to satisfy the thirst for rum new plunder (that being sets). Hopefully, we shall see more sets in the future of the regular variety. As long as there be the olde classics on the aftermarket, our collections shall be satisfactory. Be this a sign of no hope? Nay, for BDP, while not suiting all, still gives us some fine designs. This Coconut Cape be a prime example. However, we shan't forget regular form of pirates sets, for they shall always give us much more combined, rather than just a single fortress, as impressive as it be. Quote
Governor Mister Phes Posted July 5 Author Governor Posted July 5 6 hours ago, Jack Sassy said: Aye, these two points are crucial for me. I dread the day all instruction will be available only in digital format. Think of the trees that will save, Jack! Then there will be more wood to build wooden ships... 10 hours ago, Yperio_Bricks said: I think Lego uses the BDP to throw crumbs to the fans so they do not question too much the absence of these themes in the offical catalogue. [...] But for me these BDP set can not replace a wave of official pirate sets, You're probably not mistaken there! The intent of the BrickLink Designer Program is to release sets targeted towards a niche audience, that isn't necessarily large enough to support regular retail releases. So the point of the Crowdfunding model is to attract guaranteed buyers (I.e. pre-orders) before the sets go into production. Whereas a traditional retail release is more of a gamble, because The LEGO Group must produce the sets up front, and then hope enough consumers buy them. Quote
kuzyabricks Posted July 5 Posted July 5 It’s unfortunate. Why would Lego release more pirates or castle lines if they sell like hotcakes on BDP? No risk at all Quote
Jack Sassy Posted July 5 Posted July 5 1 hour ago, Mister Phes said: Think of the trees that will save, Jack! Then there will be more wood to build wooden ships... Aye, that be good thinking. Though my eyesight is degrading from all these screens. These forums, BL and Brickset be me only exceptions for LEGO. 1 hour ago, Mister Phes said: Whereas a traditional retail release is more of a gamble, because The LEGO Group must produce the sets up front, and then hope enough consumers buy them. I believe that might have been a problem with the 2015 wave of sets. Quote
Governor Mister Phes Posted July 5 Author Governor Posted July 5 10 minutes ago, Jack Sassy said: I believe that might have been a problem with the 2015 wave of sets. I out of the loop with LEGO Pirate news back in 2015 so I'm not familiar with how well that wave of sets performed. Do you we have an data on that? But from an old fossil AFOL perspective, I wasn't overly thrilled with that wave because: It had too many rehashed design concepts that didn't really innovate. Some of the builds weren't all that great, particularly forts. One small and stocky, the other tall and flimsy. So, another advantage of the BrickLink Designer Program is we can have larger design, with more nuanced builds. That said, these ~4,000 piece BrickLink sets must be putting an enormous strain on the budgets of some fans. So the BrickLink Team might consider spacing them out with some smaller, more affordable sets around ~500 - 1000 pieces in between. Quote
Jack Sassy Posted July 5 Posted July 5 55 minutes ago, Mister Phes said: Do you we have an data on that? Nay, just the word from below decks. Yer points emphasise the distaste some fans felt with this wave. 56 minutes ago, Mister Phes said: That said, these ~4,000 piece BrickLink sets must be putting an enormous strain on the budgets of some fans. That be a problem too. I expect the smaller sets would sell much more rapidly. Quote
Yperio_Bricks Posted July 5 Posted July 5 (edited) 3 hours ago, Mister Phes said: Whereas a traditional retail release is more of a gamble, because The LEGO Group must produce the sets up front, and then hope enough consumers buy them. 2 hours ago, Jack Sassy said: I believe that might have been a problem with the 2015 wave of sets. 10 years have past and there are much more people into bricks right now. All the other companies sell pirate sets. Just some examples: Bluebrixx offers ships and the whole modular island line, Pantasy offers the fancy and flamboyant Pirate Pub, there are brick companies I have never heared of selling pirate ships such as the Flying Dutchman and locations and even the smallest company of them all, the new Kiddicraft, sells a pirate battlepack with 5 minifigs. The question is, how all these companies can live off these pirate sets while Lego can not. So what is the answer? Would Lego Pirates sets sell so badly, that it would be a loss-making business?? A loss-making business for Lego while all the other companies make profit? And there's always POTC for Lego. And it is the same for castle, even more so! I want to understand so badly why Lego can't make pirate sets while others can! Edited July 5 by Yperio_Bricks typo Quote
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