Newer pirate sets, are they worth getting?

[Aquila D'oro]

I've been collecting the lego pirates theme since 1989 although most of these i've had to re-buy as i destroyed/lost much of the sets as a child (go figure). anyway the sets i've been largely collecting even now have still been the earlier ones i.e 1989 to 1995 est, and to be honest i dont feel as though i've missed out at all with regards to some of the rather lame pirate/soldier designs (IMO) from 1996 till present (i.e. 7075...... need i say more)

now recently i bought the BBB and hopefully when ever i find the bloody thing in a shop an imperial flagship as well

(Note: i tend to prefer the ships hence i've bought several of them over and over again)

Thing is whenever i look at some of the other new sets like Loot island (6241) etc i cant help but think they are quite inferior to the earlier equivelants to the extent of not worth buying.

my dilema is: i dont want to wake up down the track "going damn!! should have bought more 2009 pirates .... but now there only on ebay/bricklink... and up to twice the price...... or more"

my conflicting thoughts in total are as follows:

Cost to buy it all

Missing out on "completing the 2009 collection" or indeed missing out on sets that are quite good

buying inferior quality parts (with regards to TTT and possibly others..... < this pisses me off a lot actually)

not having more new parts/figs etc to play and MOC with the newer ships which ive already started to buy into

^would really appreciate answers here i.e. which ones are the best for MOCing/building armies etc^

Any feed back regarding 2009 sets that are not ships would be great: whether it be MOC ability or value for money etc

Cheers Matt K

[Jack Bricker]

Yes I would absolutly recommend the soldier fort and the loot island. Yeah Loot island is not as impressive as some of the other sets but I love the base as it would make great sand dunes and the boat is cool and I love the skull piece. The smallest sets are great army builders. I personly don't like the fact that the imperial flagship doesn't come with any sailors just soldiers so, I am using the pirate from the cannon attack set as sailors on my imperial flagship. I would really recommend that you get these sets while you can. Even if you don't like the actual set there are some nice parts that come with all of the sets.

[Big Cam]

Alot has changed since 1989, the dollar is worth less and LEGO has gotten greedy.

It's no surprise that the 2009 pirate sets are much more cost per piece, but that's the nature of the game. If you are a dedicated pirates collector, I would at least get one of each 2009 set.

Even if some seem like a bit of a rip off, you'll be happy in 3 years.

[Dr. Steve]

I would buy at least one of each set. The Figs are very nice and I like the newer colors in the sets.

I am sure a few years from now you will wind up paying a ton if you change your mind and pick them up on eba

[Mister Phes]

Alot has changed since 1989, the dollar is worth less and LEGO has gotten greedy.

Depends whose dollar you're referring to, some dollars are worth more at present.

But generally speaking, if your currency goes down then the exchange rate will make LEGO sets more expensive.

[Big Cam]

Depends whose dollar you're referring to, some dollars are worth more at present.

But generally speaking, if your currency goes down then the exchange rate will make LEGO sets more expensive.

Very very true, I apologize for generalizing my American situation.

I guess the majority of my statement still stands ture, i think in general LEGO is getting more expensive but still, as a collector, I'd get at least one of each.

[Joe H]

I agree with what most have said, regarding the inherent "value" of the sets to a collector. Sure, generally speaking, I feel the building techniques of the 2009 Pirate theme falls a bit short of the 1989ish predecessors (i.e. the ship and fort). However, there are benefits as others have said including the figures and their decals and a nice selection of lower-priced sets (i.e. Soldier's Arsenal and Cannon Battle, both of which are fantastic in my opinion, especially if you're looking for multiple figures/cannons).

I'm definitely a fan of the older sets, and wish I had more. Nevertheless, once you start to get a couple of the 2009 Pirate sets, if you're really enjoy the Pirate theme you'll probably find that you'll want to at least own one of each set .

[Aquila D'oro]

hmm fair enough.... a majority have gone for the "sign a blank cheque to Lego" option

next question: which sets would you recommend buying more than one of?

Edited January 6, 2010 by Aquila D'oro

[Rick]

Cannon Battle

[Joe H]

Cannon Battle for sure.

Soldier's Arsenal if you can find them for a decent price.

Personally, I also have duplicates of Brickbeard's Bounty and Soldiers' Fort (got them around ~50% off , so I couldn't resist).

In my opinion, Kraken Attackin', Loot Island, Shipwreck Hideout, and Pirate Survival aren't worth getting more than one of since there aren't any unique qualities about them. I'm sure others may disagree, though.

[Rick]

In my opinion, Kraken Attackin', Loot Island, Shipwreck Hideout, and Pirate Survival aren't worth getting more than one of since there aren't any unique qualities about them. I'm sure others may disagree, though.

No disagreement here...

Soldier's Arsenal tends to be overpriced relative to Cannon Battle (the soldier's backpack is really the only thing that sets it apart from Cannon Battle, and all the other pirate sets for that matter). Obviously, Brickbeard's Bounty has good ship-building parts and Soldier's Fort has nice parts for building various structures, but the ultimate ship-building set seems to be Imperial Flag Ship though.

[Dr. Steve]

Better decide soon. Just bought the last of the Soldiers Arsenal in Raleigh Lego Store....They said that they will not be getting any more pirate sets in.

[Jack Bricker]

I agree with everything except that I would get duplicates of loot island. That set comes with the cool baseplate that you can use for sand dunes, another soldier, the skull piece, and another dark blue imperial boat.

[Steel Dragon]

I'm considering buying a second Kraken Attackin' for a second Kraken... the Dark Red octopus is as of now exclusive to this set, so I'd think it would be worth a multiple purchase. I'm no collector, though.

[Commodore Hornbricker]

Well are you a Lego Pirates collector or aren't you? If you are then your answer should be clear. You get them now as you know you'll want them sooner or later and later will be more expensive and second hand. I'd recommend Soldier's Fort and Shipwreck Hideout (if you can still find one) for multiple copies.

Best of luck

[curtisrlee]

I can make out that Loot Island, BBB, and the Flagship are more expensive because of special molds like the island and hulls and sails and all of that stuff. Otherwise I think they ARE expensive compared to themes like Castle.

[Aquila D'oro]

okay okay..... i get the picture

so far (as in today) i managed to get a hold of:

Soldiers fort

kraken attackin

Loot island

4 x cannon battle

and one shop has a ship wreck island on hold for me

although this shop does have two of these, still not sure if i'd get both....

[Aquila D'oro]

well i did decide to get the 2 shipwreck hideouts, will sell one soon if anyones really keen and cant get one let me know .

plus i managed to find a pirate survival and a soldiers arsenal, so thats nearly everything on the list.

one other question id like to ask is:

what are the contents of the 2009 pirate advent calender? it seems pretty pricey on eBay AU$50-65 is it worth getting if available?

[Jack Bricker]

I would take a look at the review for it. I just comes with the same elements and parts that the regular pirate sets come with. If one were to get it for army building purposes I would say yes but, not at the $50-60 price tag.