[BRICKLINK] The Thieves of Tortuga - Enters Crowdfunding in June 2025

[Retrocity]

BrickLink Series 5 winners have been announced!

The Thieves of Tortuga has been selected for crowdfunding. 
 

I will most likely get it depending on final cost. I liked Caribbean Port equally, maybe even slightly more despite it not being as detailed. I liked getting a ship and more of a dock. Tortuga has about 1600 more pieces, more detail but also more expensive. I’m just happy to have a set based on a port town.

The Transylvania set is quite the set as well.
 

I’m a little disappointed that the Portal Of Shadows didn’t make it. It was really unique.

https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-5/main.page?_refreshrnd=47933

[Mister Phes]

On 8/20/2024 at 7:13 AM, Retrocity said:

The Thieves of Tortuga has been selected for crowdfunding. 

Thanks for keeping us updated!

I've added an image to yer first post.

And for those who like all the images and details - a in-depth blog post has been published.

[RichardGoring]

I really like it and hope the build holds up well. It's going to be pricey, but it's also a decent size. 

It will certainly help to create a nice scene between Eldorado Fortress and Barracuda Bay.

[TalonCard]

Ooooooh noooooo, I was almost afraid of this!  A gigantic Bricklink designer program pirate set, probably with an equally gigantic price tag. But that design looks fantastic, and I love the little details like the target with pistol ball holes around it. I'm incredibly excited for this one because there isn't really another pirate set like it, but what's it going to cost? $800? $950? Gotta start saving now I guess...

[NOD]

This looks beautiful!   I like the different colored buildings. The fact that Tortuga is divided into 2 districts via a bridge makes it interesting. I like the stories of the minifigures, the drunkard who gets a water shower is very funny.

[F1stzz]

This set looks infinitely better than whatever that previous Pirates-themed overdesigned slop was  We'll see down the road what's up with the price 

[Arjo]

It looks good though I’d like to see more (close up) pics to get a better feel of size, ease of access etc. I used to have the ninjago docks but the interiors were too small. This one has open backs so that should help.

I am not super excited for it because I expect the price tag will be such that I might not see enough value to take the plunge unfortunately… wait and see I guess.

[Jack Sassy]

This looks lovely.  Seems not so much as a pirate town but more of a simple colonial one.  Thank ye for informing us, @Retrocity! 

[MrMcGraw]

It is a really nice set, but for me it is too small for minifigure scale, especially inside the buildings. My dream will be to build all MOC's of Port Sauvage, but they have a few more bricks, overall 55k.

[Mister Phes]

2 hours ago, Arjo said:

It looks good though I’d like to see more (close up) pics to get a better feel of size, ease of access etc.

There's a bunch of close-up photos of the building interiors here.

The back of the buildings are not enclosed.

3 minutes ago, MrMcGraw said:

It is a really nice set, but for me it is too small for minifigure scale, especially inside the buildings. My dream will be to build all MOC's of Port Sauvage, but they have a few more bricks, overall 55k.

Affordability is a concern for many - make it too big and very few will have sufficient money to buy it.

[Elephant Knight]

As cool as this looks, I guarantee I won't be getting it. It's likely going to be out of my price range, with that many parts, and I just have had no interest in any of the Bricklink program sets. They feel too much like a MOC to me, and I just don't care to own someone elses MOCs. The line really is blurring between an official Lego set, and a MOC, and I'm not sure I like it.

15 hours ago, Mister Phes said:

Affordability is a concern for many - make it too big and very few will have sufficient money to buy it.

It's probably already out of a lot of people's price range as it is, with that many pieces.

EKnight

[Mister Phes]

1 minute ago, Elephant Knight said:

It's probably already out of a lot of people's price range as it is, with that many pieces.

Indeed, that's the point I'm getting at - it may already be too expensive for many.

Nonetheless, this is just speculation.

Have the BrickLink Designer Team ever downsized a BrickLink submission?

[RichardGoring]

1 hour ago, Mister Phes said:

Have the BrickLink Designer Team ever downsized a BrickLink submission?

Not yet, but one of the fan designers said that after the first round, or maybe the last version of the program, Bricklink decided to give some more guidance and support on the models. Still not heavily influenced by LEGO/Bricklink, but to try and avoid some of the issues that the early BDP sets had. Notably the fishing boat, which looked great, but had real build process issues.

So it's unlikely to change dramatically in the end.

[Mister Phes]

6 hours ago, RichardGoring said:

Bricklink decided to give some more guidance and support on the models

So that's probably what they mean by:

"Working with Model Governance and Building Instructions teams, and making any final necessary adjustments before locking the designs for pre-production."

 

[thewatchman]

8 hours ago, Mister Phes said:

Indeed, that's the point I'm getting at - it may already be too expensive for many.

Nonetheless, this is just speculation.

Have the BrickLink Designer Team ever downsized a BrickLink submission?

I agree this feels way too “moc-ish” for me to be interested. I just finished building mountain fortress and it felt like a better designed set than lion knights castle, that said iv ordered ominous isle, but this is really just missing something. It feels kinda soulless in comparison.

[Yperio_Bricks]

1 hour ago, thewatchman said:

It feels kinda soulless in comparison.

Maybe this is due to the render with the black background? I feel that the set would look much better with a more lively background

Overall i really like The Thieves of Tortuga (Although the BDP is not the right format for me and i will not get any of the sets.)

[BrickMatit]

This is surely a well done set, very well done... but it's difficult for me to find interesting - in general - in this type of sets. Somehow too detailed, too moc-ish style, too perfect. And in this case too big for my home  An appreciation for the designer and good luck with this set, but sincerelly not my cup of tea.

47 minutes ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

Although the BDP is not the right format for me and i will not get any of the sets

Just out of curiosity, why it's not right for you?

Edited August 23 by BrickMatit

[thewatchman]

38 minutes ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

Maybe this is due to the render with the black background? I feel that the set would look much better with a more lively background

Overall i really like The Thieves of Tortuga (Although the BDP is not the right format for me and i will not get any of the sets.)

I thought that initially but it’s kind of, just there, it doesn’t feel classically piratey.

[Yperio_Bricks]

17 minutes ago, BrickMatit said:

This is surely a well done set, very well done... but it's difficult for me to find interesting - in general - in this type of sets. Somehow too detailed, too moc-ish style, too perfect. And in this case too big for my home and probably too expensive  An appreciation for the designer and good luck with this set, but sincerelly not my cup of tea.

Just out of curiosity, why it's not right for you?

I simply want to go into a shop and buy what i need (I never ordered a Lego set online myself. In rare cases i ask other people to add a set to their amazon shopping cart. The last time was years ago though).

Crowdfunding of sets and whatnot.... i am just much too lazy for all of that

[BrickMatit]

2 minutes ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

Crowdfunding of sets and whatnot.... i am just much too lazy for all of that

Understood 

[Mister Phes]

48 minutes ago, thewatchman said:

I thought that initially but it’s kind of, just there, it doesn’t feel classically piratey.

"Classically piratey" - I shall incorporate that into my vocabulary at once!

You're perhaps correct in a purist sense, but in my personal sentiment; it's necessary innovation which ensures the aesthetic introduced by Barracuda Bay remains fresh without veering too far into the builder's intrinsic style.

Albeit a very subjective sentiment.

[thewatchman]

1 hour ago, Mister Phes said:

"Classically piratey" - I shall incorporate that into my vocabulary at once!

You're perhaps correct in a purist sense, but in my personal sentiment; it's necessary innovation which ensures the aesthetic introduced by Barracuda Bay remains fresh without veering too far into the builder's intrinsic style.

Albeit a very subjective sentiment.

Aye!

 I think maybe you’re correct about the innovation side. Man, I’m just old and set in my ways I think. 

[Mister Phes]

47 minutes ago, thewatchman said:

 I think maybe you’re correct about the innovation side. Man, I’m just old and set in my ways I think. 

Never! You're a classically piratey purist!

But innovation and design evolution is imperative to avoid derivative, rehashes of what's already been released.

If you look at the original pirates theme you'll observe the set designs evolve, particularly in the latter years there is a noticeable stylistic difference from the sets released at the beginning.

[RichardGoring]

I think we can all agree () that 6270 Forbidden Island is the best pirate set and will never be surpassed. But I do like the variation and detail that come with some of these modern sets, and having a few more of them to create a scene is a nice option. Ideally, LEGO would do a few more official ones to accompany Barracuda Bay and Eldorado Fortress. But in their absence, I'm pleased with a couple of BDP sets. 

It would be really nice if LEGO coordinated with these sets and made a few BAM figures that could pair with them, but that's very wishful thinking.

[bingowaldorf]

I like it! It kinda reminds me of this old Tortuga moc