Final Minifig thoughts on Pirates '09 (includes 10210)

[Diamondback]

I've been doing some juggling on things, trying to figure out exactly how many distinct "characters" we're looking at across the complete line, and who might be candidates for "identity swapping" to reduce the duplication. Notes on sets: I'm including 10210 Imperial Flagship, 6299 Advent Calendar and the Brickmaster book, but not the Battle Pack as I can't find any unique figs in it.

Overall Stats

In 11 different sets, we get a total of 44 figures, in 29 distinct versions.

Pirates

1. Captain Brickbeard (5): did this guy hijack Doc's DeLorean, go to the future and have himself cloned or something?LOL

2. Female Pirate (2 identical): Advent Calendar and Shipwreck Hideout, dead-identical in both.

3. Gold Tooth (unique): Shirtless dude in black pants on BBB.

4. Sideburns, Mustache & Soulpatch (4 variants): Seen barechested in Kraken Attackin' and Pirate Survival (tan pants/blue bandana and dk-green pants & bandana respectively), and blue vest in Loot Island and BBB (dk-green pants & bandana and tricorn/tan pants respectively.

5. Sideburns, 'Stache & Patch w/Pegleg: Unique to the DK Brickmaster book.

6. Solo-esque Smirk: another (dk-green bandana and pants, green striped shirt--at least he knows how to color-coordinate!LOL) unique-to-BBB.

7. Stubble with Teeth: Shipwreck Hideout unique. (Dk-green bandana, green pants, blue vest.)

8. Stubble & Smirk (3 variants): In Kraken Attackin' we see this face in blue bandana/green stripes/black pants, Cannon Battle he's still in green stripes but now has dk-green bandana and brown pants, and AC has dk-green bandana with blue vest and green pants.

(9?) "Junior Pirate Captain" from the Creator set--but does he really count?

In total, Brickbeard looks like he can muster a merry band of somewhere between 8 and 13 maritime marauders, 14 if we add "Captain Kiddo".

Potential Identity Swaps: Due to different outfits, the only true "clones" are Brickbeard and the gal. If you've got multiples, the guys from Cannon Battle & Pirate Survival might be good for body-swaps with a couple of Black Goatee soldiers (I suggest one enlisted, one officer).

Soldiers

1. Admiral/Captain (2 variants): Gray muttonchops, shows up in Soldier's Fort and Imperial Flagship with red and gold epaulets respectively. (Possibly indicative of different ranks and thus different individuals?)

2. Officer w/Black Goatee (3): Unless somehow there are twins in the officer corps, Goatboy shows up in the AC, aboard BBB and storming the SWH.

3. Officer w/Red Goatee: Lt. Redgoat is only seen taking a Darwin Award-candidate rowboat out to Loot Island.

4. Officer Scruffy (same face as Pirates 4 and 5 above): Junior officer aboard the Flagship. Unique. (Swapping pirate and soldier heads sure is a cheap-shot to bring reinforcements, isn't it?)

5. Enlisted w/Black Goatee: 3 cases, B/M book, Soldier's Arsenal (parts-pack!) and Cannon Battle (ditto!)--are black goatees real popular in the Caribbean? I can't imagine the Crown being gungho about facial hair on soldiers, as in field conditions it can easily hide lice...

6. Enlisted w/Red Goatee: Pvt. Redgoat is only seen taking a Darwin Award-candidate rowboat out to Loot Island.

7. "Private Dovchenko" (3): So named for his possible relation to Indy's Soviet antagonist... Seen defending the SF, storming the BBB and manning a post on IF.

8. Enlisted, Cleanshaven and Frowning (4): Did the Kaminoans land and give the Redcoats a bulk-discount on this guy? AC, SF, SWH and IF.

9. Enlisted, Graybeard: Only found aboard IF. Seniority has its privileges!

Total: His Majesty's Finest can muster 9-10 officers and men--and with a 5-5 split, it looks like they need more enlisted recruits bad! Along with some NCO's and distinct sailors and chiefs... If you're willing to allow for the fact that a lot of the time folks in the same uniform tend to look alike, that might buy you a little more, but when your army's main faces are Devchenko, Goatboy and Malcontent, you can only get away with so much.

Possible Identity Swaps: Dovchenko, Goatboy (both Officer and Enlisted) and Malcontent. (The latter looks like he might be open to switching sides under the right conditions anyway... malcontents can usually be bought cheap, just ask Benedict Arnold, Kim Philby, Aldrich Ames or Robert Hanssen.)

Noncombatants

Castaway (2 variants): This weary old sort can be found in Loot Island and the AC, the latter sees him trade his bandana for a semi-stylish haircut. (Where'd he find a barber on that deserted island?)

& Ladies: 2 distinct faces, 2 distinct identities. The fair maiden rescued from BBB has black hair and is in white, while the gal aboard IF has a beautymark near the corner of her mouth and is in blue with brown hair. Siblings or mother/daughter or unrelated and both in wrong places at wrong times, who knows?

Ship's Cook: This is the sawed-off dude on the Stubbies down in IF's galley. Technically a stretch to call him an NC, though... ever seen what a hacked-off cook can do? (Google "Casey Ryback"...)

Total: 4 or 5.

Bottom-line: Given that disgruntled soldiers are pretty common, "Private Malcontent" should be the staple of an army. Lt. Goatboy, Pvt. Goatboy and Dovchenko are your best candidates for Pirate-ization, and if you bought 'em as parts-packs, the pirates from PS, KA and CB are good candidates to trade places with 'em.

Not counted: the Mermaid from AC and BBB's figurehead.

Just throwing some random thoughts around for discussion... of course, if you look at other lines or BrickLink your options open up even more.

Edited January 25, 2010 by Diamondback

[Broken Bricks]

That's a very comprehensive list you've made! Nice job!

I say we come up with names for at least all the unique faces...that would make identifying the minifigs easier.

Also, I would like to add that I truly like the new Pirate minifigs.

I grew up with the classic pirate minifigs of the late 80s and early 90s; and while there's definitely some nostalgia associated with them, I have to admit the new ones are much better.

The printed backs are a great addition and all the faces have so much detail and personality to them. The torsos all go beyond the usual "plain striped shirt" design and I think the printed shakos look great, even though I know some people disliked them.

My only complaint, though a very minor one, would be the cartoonish skull and bones on Brickbeard's hat. Other than that, I think the pirate minifigs have improved in every way.

Edited January 24, 2010 by Broken Bricks

[Lorentzen]

I'm lazy... but we should add pictures to all those descriptions of the minifigs :)

Great post, but would be even better with pictures to each minifig

Edited January 24, 2010 by Lorentzen

[curtisrlee]

Good list, but you should add pics otherwise it will make me very confused

[Mister Phes]

Soldiers

1. Admiral/Captain (2 variants): Gray muttonchops, shows up in Soldier's Fort and Imperial Flagship with red and gold epaulets respectively. (Possibly indicative of different ranks and thus different individuals?)

According to the LEGO Battles game, one variation of this minifigure is the latest incarnation of Governor Broadside.

Since Pirate LEGO isn't "canonical" this doesn't necessarily mean the name is intended for the physical minifigure as well.

[David Thomsen]

Hey, where is a complete list of all the pirate characters from the Lego Battles game?

[Mister Phes]

There is no list as such, but the LEGO Battles website has a characters section.

To find it, go to LEGObattles.com, click on the Characters link in the menu, a box will appear with the minifigure charaters, next scroll down and you'll see thumbnails of Pirate minifigures.

Also according to this website the governor's daughter is Camilla.

[Diamondback]

I'll try to get pics, including my "Body Swap victims", in a few days. I should note that these are nicknames, not "character names" aside from Brickbeard--"Goatboy" is an "internal handle" I use to refer to any younger guy with a goatee in my thoughts until I learn his name (older being "Oldgoat").

Actually, as long as you break 'em up right, you can get away with a few lookalikes--adding it all up, I have three squads of five and one of four (each with an officer included) manning the rail on IF ready to open fire on BBB, although this meant nobody left behind to guard the harbor. (Even have all three boats loaded aboard, using Cannon Battle gun-carriage chassis on the hatches as "launching rails".)

Incidentally, I've swapped hair between the ladies from BBB and IF, since that's a better match to their eyebrows. Also, look close enough at the gal from IF and you see crow's-feet wrinkles around her eyes, which further reinforces the "different generations" or "mother/daughter" theories. LEGO's first "MILF" minifig?LOL

OP edited with Peeron pics, although I think they have the wrong female face in IF.

Edited January 25, 2010 by Diamondback

[David Thomsen]

To find it, go to LEGObattles.com, click on the Characters link in the menu, a box will appear with the minifigure charaters, next scroll down and you'll see thumbnails of Pirate minifigures.

Ooh... thanks. It's great that they have that Ninja Master guy there, because now I can add the Ninja from the Minifigures Series 1 to my pirate setting and it will totally be canon.

Incidentally, I think the 'junior pirate captain' does count. Just because he's smiling blandly doesn't mean he isn't as much of a pirate as the rest of the figs. It helps if you give his nice pirate coat to another pirate (I gave it to Stubble & Smirk) and substitute it for something more simple, like the green and white striped shirt.

Edited January 26, 2010 by David Thomsen

[B-Lister]

my favorite Pirate from the new sets thus far is a tie between the Pirate Wench, and the Shipwreck/Marooned pirate exclusive to Loot Island.

[Diamondback]

Some pics:

Pirates!

He's hiding behind a map, but there's a Goatboy in the mix

Imperial Senior Officers and Noncombatants:

The ladies, their other faces:

Imps, Marksman Squad and Artifact:

The Artifact looks like a simple gold pyramid, but it appears to be quite possibly older than the Earth itself... exactly what it is or does are unknown, other than that it's something we REALLY don't want Brickbeard to lay his hook on. (h/t to Larry Correia for the idea of pre-terrestrial artifacts in his novel Monster Hunter International)

Imps, Boarding Party

Apparently, they have a new guy who doesn't yet know what "Party" means in a nautical context...

Imps, Musket Squad 1:

Musket Squad 2 group portrait will follow sometime this weekend. Photo album at http://s94.photobucket.com/albums/l119/Dia...02K9%20Pirates/

[Sandy]

A nice list, even though it's a bit jumbled up, making it somewhat hard to follow.

I'm just wondering, why doesn't the mermaid somehow "count" in your list? She's a minifig like the rest, isn't she?

Also, you've got the wrong face for the Imperial Flagship maiden. She has the same face as the Castle queen from Drawbridge Defense and the female Atlantis researcher.

[Big Cam]

Awesome list but I must ask, what is that fleshy head doing up there. The pirates surely didn't have one flesh head?

[badboytje88]

A nice list, even though it's a bit jumbled up, making it somewhat hard to follow.

I'm just wondering, why doesn't the mermaid somehow "count" in your list? She's a minifig like the rest, isn't she?

Also, you've got the wrong face for the Imperial Flagship maiden. She has the same face as the Castle queen from Drawbridge Defense and the female Atlantis researcher.

Sandy is right. LEGO used this face for the Imperial Flagship maiden:

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=3626bpb366

Otherwise this is a very nice list. It looks like LEGO designed a lot of new faces for the pirates line but if you go and look at all the other themes there are only 4 or 5 faces which hadn't been used in other themes. So that's not all that much.

Bart

Edited January 29, 2010 by badboytje88

[Diamondback]

Sandy, I used the image Peeron had, and believe I noted somewhere that it looked like they had the wrong face. As for the mermaid... well, one's a figurehead and you wouldn't very well use anything live as such, and the other... well, fantasy creatures are one of the big reasons I never did Castle and jumped out of Space before it went into "Alien" territory.

Besides, since there's only one version, I figure you've seen one you've seen both.

Point after: can anyone spot the soldier that doesn't look quite "right" in each of my squads?

----------------

Now playing: John Barry - Hercules Takes Off

via FoxyTunes

[B-Lister]

Not trying to judge you there Diamondback, but let's get honest......

Space wasn't exactly realistic to begin with, what with all the robots we saw, not to mention the countless starships, it was only a matter of time before the aliens started to show up.

Castle has had elements of the fantastic since the 80s, starting with the Black Monarch's Ghost, so I'm not really that put off by the recent addition of Orcs, or even earlier additions of wizards, witches and dragons.

so, with the elements of the fantastical creeping into the Pirates theme, I'm just rolling with it. It's not like Lego ever CLAIMED that they were re-creating things as historically accurate. They're toys, and I'm having fun.

your mileage may vary of course, and you have every right to do things for your own reasons, and I'm not trying to judge. I'm simply mentioning my own reasons for why I don't mind the fantastic inamongst my sets.

if we want to do historical accuracy, then we need to jettison the treasure maps, too.

[Diamondback]

Also, I don't have an AC (I'm relying on the Peeron inventory and Mariann Asanuma et al's reviews) and for some reason it's seemed like every time I touch something it falls apart, so I wasn't up for yanking the figurehead for a shoot.

Imps--Musket Squad 2

Another round of "spot the non-Official LEGO soldier"...

To each their own, I'm just saying that my own bias is to tack more toward the history while many others lean more toward lore, mythology and fantasy. No dissing intended--I get enough of that from other gun-guys for some of my weird projects over there, so I try not to dish it either!

[Rick]

Another round of "spot the non-Official LEGO soldier"...

'Didn't I tell you to shave, private?!'

[Sandy]

As for the mermaid... well, one's a figurehead and you wouldn't very well use anything live as such, and the other... well, fantasy creatures are one of the big reasons I never did Castle and jumped out of Space before it went into "Alien" territory.

Besides, since there's only one version, I figure you've seen one you've seen both.

But wasn't your purpose to list every minifig in the new Pirates, to see how many different ones there are? The mermaid is a minifig as well, so you can't just shrug her off because you dislike fantasy.

I'm just saying, you shouldn't let your own bias affect your list, or else you're not being truthful. I did a list of female minifigs a while back, and it wouldn't have been correct if I had excluded all the figs that I do not like from the list.

I hope you understand my point.

[Kintoé]

There are very nice mini-figures and I very like the new position in the Imperial Navy.

The ship's cook can easily be transfered in a pirate crew. I'm sure he could join the battle aboard with his big knife. Aaaarrrgh!

And as a member of the Imperial crew, I would really enjoy to see him knocking out some pirates on the deck with a frying pan.

[Jack Bricker]

I have to agree that you should put the mermaid on the list. Even though I am not a big fan of them myself I would put her in just because she does count as at least half of a minifigure and she is very unique. And my absolute favorite addition of the minifigure line was the new admiral. He is just so cool. I also like the personality that they put into the cook and on the admirals daughter that came with the IFS.

[Diamondback]

Ms. Sandy and Gentlemen, this is why I even included a comment referring to the mermaid at all. A "token acknowledgment", if you will... So, if you're outside North America (TYVM for nothing, LEGO N.A.! :flipoff: ) or one of the fortunate few on this side of the Big Pond to bag an Advent Calendar, add the mermaid to the "Noncombatant" part of the ledger, I guess.

@Kintoe: that big knife could be put to work on either side... the display arrangement on my IF starts with the assumption that NC's have been ordered to take to a boat in prep to be cast off before combat, but they took to the wrong boats: Older Lady grabbed the portside boat (which is from the BB set, with musket and light) and is drawing a bead on something, Younger Lady headed forward to the cannonboat and has it ready to fire a shot off, and the cook's in front ready to protect her. (Let's face it, the male mind at the end of the day boils down to two core functions: "Feed" and "Breed", and about the only chance us short dudes ever have of scoring with a pretty girl is if we do something heroic protecting her, and even that--assuming the situation presents itself--isn't 100% odds of working, just the only way we get a chance at anything past "sod off, sawed-off!"...:( so, I placed him based on what I might do in similar circumstances--although I woulda nicked a brace of pistols and a cutlass on the way, but I didn't have enough for that. Actually, If I had been the cook I woulda quietly been building a Blackbeard-style six-pack o' sidearms or more and kept 'em handy for repelling boarders, but that's just me.LOL)

Edited February 1, 2010 by Diamondback

[David Thomsen]

Okay, am I the only person not to notice that the vest is identical on two of the different pirate torsos, and so is the striped shirt?

The brown vest on the one with a bare chest is identical the blue vest over the white and red striped shirt, which in turn is identical to the white and green striped shirt on yet another torso.

I just wonder why they did it that way. Were they short on time? Did it save money? I don't know.

[Diamondback]

Okay, am I the only person not to notice that the vest is identical on two of the different pirate torsos, and so is the striped shirt?

The brown vest on the one with a bare chest is identical the blue vest over the white and red striped shirt, which in turn is identical to the white and green striped shirt on yet another torso.

I just wonder why they did it that way. Were they short on time? Did it save money? I don't know.

David, it's called "Lazy". We all have moments of it, so why not LEGO too? (Although I have to admit if I were designing minifig-printing artwork and had several different torsos with similar clothing, I'd just design each article of it as a different layer for the master graphic and just stack 'em up as necessary...)

[The Eye]

Thanks for the index, though I think the mermaid should be in there- if you wanted believability, you'd have to cut out a bunch of things in pirates:

-Harbour Sentry "Cannon" Rowboat

-Skeleton Pirates

-Tiny Volcanos that stick out on tiny islands

-The falling mast feature on the RBR

-The old smiley faces

-The awesome catapult on Loot Island

And, as far as I know, no one wants any of these things removed from the classic and new sets.