Buying Pirate LEGO - where to buy, advice, tips and questions

[Ratshot]

Thanks Guys, But when I said price quotes I meant From your buying experience, I didn't mean for you to go looking for me.

Thanks Broadside

[MillerTime]

I'm planning my Lego Pirate budget over the next couple of days. I need some price quotes for the following sets, note I'm asking you guys because I don't have time to be looking all over the internet, and I only intend to buy off E-bay.

Thanks Broadside

1...Imperial Flagship.

2...Eldorado Fortress.

3...Caribbean Clipper.

4...Imperial trading post.

5...Renegade Runner.

6...Redbeards Runner.

Last summer, I bought a lot of old pirate sets off ebay. If you're patient you'll find some good deals (prices are in USD and include shipping):

Imperial Flagship: You should be able to find one for around $50 off ebay

Eldorado Fortress: I already had this one so I haven't really looked for it on ebay.

Caribbean Clipper: Anything under $70 is a good deal and I've seen about 5 of them go from $60-$70 in the last few months.

Imperial Trading post: I got mine for about $115....some sell that cheap so be patient.

Renegade Runner: I got this one back in '94 so I haven't looked on ebay but I imagine you can get it for under $40.

Redbeard Runner: This is easily the worst of the big ships (I still haven't even bought it yet). I would just forget it if I were you and go for SES or BSB.

I got a complete and great condition Black Seas Barracuda with extra pieces for $101 shipped off ebay a while ago....prices on this ship have been anywhere from $100 to $250...you could probably find one for under $120 if you looked for a few weeks.

[Ryan_T]

I must have wasted a bit of money on my renegade runner, I spent 63.95 USD I think. Was it a good price? *in excellent condition*

[Ratshot]

Who added my topic to this old subject.

[Ryan_T]

Who added my topic to this old subject.

It seems ye have mate. no one has me an answer? hm, I wonder...

[MillerTime]

I haven't checked but I'm assuming you could easily get it under $40 USD. Now if it has the box and instructions in perfect shape and like you said, is in excellent condition, it's not a huge surprise it sold for that high.

[Imperial Governer]

I am going to purchase the Skull Island- 6279 (from 1995) at Bricklink in the upcoming month. I am so excited because this will be my FIRST Lego set from way back then! I was wondering if anybody could answer a few questions for me about it, if you own it! It would be great!

Is the content valuable to the $52 price?

Is it an easy build?

Is it a very interesting and fun set?

Now, I really need some suggestions on another thing. As a true Pirate fan (owning 7 out of 8 2009 Pirate sets, and buying 1989 sets), I am always searching for a good website to buy some old Pirate sets. Bricklink is a great website, but sometimes, prices can be a bit high! Another thing factors, where the product is shipping from! $10 is a good deal for a pack of pirates and Royal Navy Imperials, but I'm in the US and the person selling it is in Germany! By the time I add it to my cart, the whole thing is probably about $40-$55, including the international ship! I was wondering if anybody on Eurobricks knew a good website that sells old fashion Pirate sets/decals/mini-figures/accessoires in the US, and is not on the real pricey side!

Thank you for all your help!

P.S. Be sure to check out my 1888 French Navy Zouaves MOC!

[Paradosis]

Imperial Governer,

Is the content valuable to the $52 price?

I don't know if that's overpriced or not, though it's right on the edge of what I'd be willing to pay for it if I still had to buy one. I got lucky and got mine for $21 on eBay, though I don't know how often you'd find that kind of deal. The only other time that I saw it on eBay it was $71, but that included the box with it. (I have the prices written down, as I like to follow the auctions so I know what a good price for various sets are). I guess if you really want it, and don't see it on eBay, $52 might be a price it'd be fair to pay.

Is it an easy build?

I would say that it's a fun build, of average easyness. The first step for the "island" uses 17 pieces as you build the first layer of the foundation of the set. The second step uses about as many pieces. From there the steps are usually a half dozen pieces per step, and there's no real sticking points or difficulties that I've spotted. The set took me 37 minutes to build the one time I kept track of time while building it.

Is it a very interesting and fun set?

I think that it is both interesting and fun, yes. It's also a set that has really grown on me as I've built it more and more over time. Fwiw, here's a little review I wrote for the set:

This is an old school set from 1995, mostly brick-built (only two burps are used), and contains 366 pieces. It's definitely worth picking up this enjoyable set if you can, and you might be able to find it cheaply on ebay if you keep an eye out for it. The color scheme is a nice light grey, black, and red, with accents of green, yellow and brown. I especially like the the red and black railing on the top level.

Unfortunately there's only one canon in this set, but other details make up for this, including two boats (red and brown), six minifigures (two imperial guards and four pirates), a monkey, a parrot, a palm tree, five barrels, two guns hidden behind a bush, four oars, six canon balls, a nice rotating crane, two flags, and a backpack. There's also plenty of weapons with this set, with five swords, three muskets, and three pistols.

Another thing I like about this set is that it has ladders to all levels and areas of the set (three large and one small ladders in all). In some sets it's as though you have to make superhuman leaps to get from one level to another, but in this set all level are accessible by ladders/boat. I do have one minor gripe when it comes to the ladders in this set, though, and that is that the top ladder leads you right up into the crane (ie. somewhere you can't actually climb to), when it could have been located a few studs over with very minimal change to the design and look of the set.

The use of the hammer to hold one of the bushes in place is interesting, though not particularly helpful as a building technique. The two railings on the dock are a nice touch, though they aren't very functional. The dock is mostly built on yellow supports, which does add a dash of color to that area of the set. Still, it would have been nice to have seen more brown on the dock, rather than just making part of the dock built on brown. Also, on one level of the set is a table with a map, a gold cup, and a bottle of something or other. You can flip this up to reveal some secret weapons underneath. Of course you'd knock everything off the table by accessing the weapons in real life, but it's still a point of interest.

As far as the skull goes, I've seen different people call it good and bad, but I fall somewhere in the middle... I think it's ok, but not much above average. I will say that the teeth do add something to the skull. The purpose of the skull is to hide the entrance to... a cave? Well, to somewhere. In the cave area is a nice brick-built contraption that the treasure chest rests and rotates on. It's a shame that the chest is so inaccessible, though. There is also a 9x13 bar on the back of the cave, which adds another dimension to the playability.

One other interesting thing is that the instructions show a pirate and imperial guard standing together on the top level of the set. Are they supposed to be working together or something? Other than that the instructions are fine, with no difficult steps, and some alternative models shown on the last page. Also, on the back cover is a scene showing the minifigs on small rock-islands, treasure, boats, etc.

This set has a good size to it, and uses the 32x32 stud baseplate quite well. It also has a lot of playability. I'd give this set an 91/100.

Regarding sites selling Pirate sets, the only one I know of and use besides bricklink is eBay. Sometimes you can find some pretty good deals on there, and sometimes not. You just have to watch the auctions and see what the prices are doing as the auction closing time approaches.

EDIT--I had said that the set being $52 was overpriced, but now that I think about it, if $50-60 is what people charge for it, then that's the current going rate, so it's not fair to say that that's overpriced. So, I've changed my post/review accordingly.

Edited June 26, 2009 by Paradosis

[Tom Bricks]

I would look around ebay for a while, there are usually some good deals on pirate sets/lots every 2-3 months. I might buy it at $52 if its that specific set though. Just remember not to compare the prices to todays sets because your not only buying the set as the value of its parts. Good luck finding the set for a low price.

[Captain M]

Here. I found it while searching for some pirate ship parts. Does it still exist? Usually to the right peeron will show you what stores it's listed in, but for this part I can't find any. In fact, I haven't seen any MOCs that have that piece yet. Is it rare? Is there anyone on EB that still has it? Edited November 20, 2009 by Captain M

[Captain Blackmoor]

I have 2 of those nice pieces. Both from the Armada Flagship. So they still exist.

Now it is a quite rare piece, since they aren't in any new sets. I saw a bricklink store where they had one compass with a fleur de lys. It was $13!

Funny thing is that compass really points to the north. I reckon this compass as one of my favorite pieces.

[The Who]

Have you tried Bricklink?

There are plenty for sale on there.

[Captain M]

I have 2 of those nice pieces. Both from the Armada Flagship. So they still exist.

Now it is a quite rare piece, since they aren't in any new sets. I saw a bricklink store where they had one compass with a fleur de lys. It was $13!

Funny thing is that compass really points to the north. I reckon this compass as one of my favorite pieces.

I meant in existence as in are they discontinued? Thanks though, now I know some people might be selling these... I'm going on a hunt to find some. =]

Edit:

Have you tried Bricklink?

There are plenty for sale on there.

I tried it, but I must have been viewing the BL stores instead of the website. Thanks. =]

Edited November 20, 2009 by Captain M

[Commodore Hornbricker]

That is a cool piece. I have a few from the original sets they came in. I bought a used 20lb lot off Craigslist the other day and wouldn't you know it had one of those in it!

[JCC1004]

TLG doesn't use that part anymore. It is a nice part. I really love the one wit a fleur de lys. I don't own one but how big is it? I can't tell from the pictures.

[Commodore Hornbricker]

TLG doesn't use that part anymore. It is a nice part. I really love the one wit a fleur de lys. I don't own one but how big is it? I can't tell from the pictures.

About the size of a 2 x 2 brick (not quite as tall).

[General Armendariz]

Yes I have this piece from a imperial flagship set. I guess its a rare piece, unless your a classic pirates fan

[Ricecracker]

By going to the Bricklink Catalog page of any given item (in this case, the compass), you can see all the information about said part, including it's lifespan. That piece's lifespan was from 1992 - 2001, so the part hasn't been made for eight years, though Lego could still own the mold(s) for it.

[Destroydacre]

By going to the Bricklink Catalog page of any given item (in this case, the compass), you can see all the information about said part, including it's lifespan. That piece's lifespan was from 1992 - 2001, so the part hasn't been made for eight years, though Lego could still own the mold(s) for it.

If the new imperial ship doesn't have one (and it appears that it won't) then I doubt we'll ever see new ones released again, but you never know.

[Mister Phes]

TLG doesn't use that part anymore.

This is true, but I've managed to procure plenty via eBay.

So yes, this piece is still in existence, but no, not currently in production.

[Swash Buckler]

Here. I found it while searching for some pirate ship parts. Does it still exist? Usually to the right peeron will show you what stores it's listed in, but for this part I can't find any. In fact, I haven't seen any MOCs that have that piece yet. Is it rare? Is there anyone on EB that still has it?

Oh that is very rare now- 2009 pirates didn't had those- they are nice and they turn but probably thay aren't really magnetic- i am lucky to have two of them- from the armada flagship and admirals flagship.... I dunno if that can be found from ebay- actually i have never purchased bricks from net...

[Captain Green Hair]

Oh that is very rare now- 2009 pirates didn't had those- they are nice and they turn but probably thay aren't really magnetic- i am lucky to have two of them- from the armada flagship and admirals flagship.... I dunno if that can be found from ebay- actually i have never purchased bricks from net...

Hmzz if you would have read the topic.................:

This is true, but I've managed to procure plenty via eBay.

Funny thing is that compass really points to the north. I reckon this compass as one of my favorite pieces.

Does that answer your questions?

[Darth Legolas]

I got a box of pieces once, a few years ago, one of these was in it. I was kind of stupid, and I though it wasn't Lego, so I threw it out. The next day I saw it in an instruction manual, unfortunately, the day prior had been garbage day. I since have never had one, and never threw anything plastic out ever again!

Sadly, Lego doesn't make them anymore.

[curtisrlee]

I got a box of pieces once, a few years ago, one of these was in it. I was kind of stupid, and I though it wasn't Lego, so I threw it out. The next day I saw it in an instruction manual, unfortunately, the day prior had been garbage day.

Thats sad...

[Dreamweb]

Oh, the good compass piece. I have about 6 or 7 of them, one of which is damaged - it doesn't spin anymore,