2013 LEGO Pirates rumors and discussion.

[Jack Bricker]

Do you have any market research data to support your poor sales claim?

The reason I believe POTC didn't sell as well was because Lego cancelled the Flying Dutchman set that was supposed to be released in 2012. I think if I remember correctly it was because of a lack of interest in the POTC line. So, no I don't have any statistics but, as I recall the POTC line did better than Lego originally expected but, not well enough to release the Flying Dutchman set the following year. I also felt that a lot of the POTC sets were only half finished in terms of design and didn't include half of the main characters from the series. Now if you remembor with Indiana Jones, Lego released 2-3 waves and covered most of the major characters and events from the films whereas POTC was missing quite a few different scenes and characters such as: Pintel and Regetti, Cotten with the Parot, The Empress, The Interceptor, The Flying Dutchman "cancelled", The prison and the dog with the key, The pirate attack on Port Royal, Tortuga, Captain Barbossa's undead crew, and several other set possibilities. I mean Disney made 4 movies so, there was plenty of material for more sets, I just think that there was a lack of interest and Lego decided to not produce anymore POTC sets until another movie came out. That all being said I do really hope that Lego returns to pirates soon and produces some more awesome sets.

Edited March 16, 2013 by Jack Bricker

[Mister Phes]

The reason I believe POTC didn't sell as well was because Lego cancelled the Flying Dutchman set that was supposed to be released in 2012.

The LEGO Group had no plans to release a Flying Dutchman set based on the version depicted in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

An AFOL known as Bricktrix produced high resolution images of a Flying Dutchman MOC which some mistook for an official release.

This Sponge Bob set is currently the only official LEGO Flying Dutchman.

[Faefrost]

Wow, I'm surprised that they sold well. (Maybe they didn't and their expectations weren't that high?) I don't know. I wonder than what the reason for ending them was, unless the license did in fact expire.

Sets based on movies and movie franchises sell almost an order of magnitude better in the periods surrounding the release of the movies. In effect the license pays for itself in the time periods adjacent to a new movie. For the off peak periods a decision may be made that the shelf space would be better used with something else occupying it, and to wait on the licensed stuff until the next movie surge. Star Wars is the main exception to this, and we will see what happens with LotR when the movies fall off their current 12 month release schedule. PotC with no secondary literary fan base is probably the most solidly locked into the movie releases. The Licensor doesn't care if the PotC sets are off shelves for a bit. They and Lego are focused on LR to fill that space in the meantime.

[smellsgood]

I just had the awesomest dream about the Pirates line being resumed. There was a new big pirate ship, with a captain a lot like the one in the collectable minifig line. It was larger than Brickbeard's Bounty, but smaller than the Imperial Flagship. The pirates also had a small ship with a big cannon. The ship was brick-built, and it looked a little like one of the older sets I've seen. The imperials had some kind of roving fort that I don't remember well, and a shiny new redcoat leader minifig. There was also a middle eastern (or maybe Indian) style fort, super detailed, introducing a new faction...

[Brickington]

That is certainly one heck of a dream!

[Faefrost]

The LEGO Group had no plans to release a Flying Dutchman set based on the version depicted in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

An AFOL known as Bricktrix produced high resolution images of a Flying Dutchman MOC which some mistook for an official release.

This Sponge Bob set is currently the only official LEGO Flying Dutchman.

Part of the confusion came in because Bricktrix isn't simply an AFOL. He is a designer for TT games. Those pics weren't of a MOC. They were hires renders of his designs for the Lego PotC game. But he has also said that his design was for the game only and would not withstand real world forces such as gravity.

As far as some of the other PotC ships. There are sometimes complications. The Interceptor is a good example. That ship is not simply the HMS Interceptor as seen in PotD, TCotBP. It is a real ship, the Lady Washington, owned by the State of Washington. And it carries it's own licensing headaches. (It also served as the USS Enterprise in one of the Star Trek movies). To make a set based on it Lego would need a separate deal with Washington State. ( although that would make for a neat CuuSoo project)

[Zeya]

I just had the awesomest dream [...]

There's a thread for that. :)

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=67013

[smellsgood]

There's a thread for that. :)

http://www.eurobrick...showtopic=67013

Thanks! Though I feel a little embarrassed now, posting in the wrong place. However: I do hope that when they bring back Pirates, they add some interesting new factions. Something like an Indian faction would be great, and sort of like the Polynesian style "Islanders" from the 90s.

[Zeya]

Thanks! Though I feel a little embarrassed now, posting in the wrong place. However: I do hope that when they bring back Pirates, they add some interesting new factions. Something like an Indian faction would be great, and sort of like the Polynesian style "Islanders" from the 90s.

No, don't feel embarrassed. I only knew because I remember reading that other thread a while back. I thought you might get a kick out of either reading that thread or posting there.

Everyone in this area of the forum wants pirates to come back. *sigh* I sort of "got too old" for Lego around the time the islanders and armada came along. I supposed I would prefer more of a doubling-up on pirates. Like competing crews of pirates. You know, characters with more flavor. If the Chima/Ninjago thing works so well for TLG, how about more of a cohesive story to the pirates, and more named characters? I'm not going to lie, if they made a pirates TV show, I'd probably like it. I draw the line at card games and zip cords though! (Okay I'd buy those too, but only out of sad, sad devotion.)

[Brig. Brick]

Thanks! Though I feel a little embarrassed now, posting in the wrong place. However: I do hope that when they bring back Pirates, they add some interesting new factions. Something like an Indian faction would be great, and sort of like the Polynesian style "Islanders" from the 90s.

more than a dream, it could be a day-dreaming issue.... I also have many of those!

and about the new polynesian islanders... here are rumors about the CMF series n° 11, and hopefully, it would be a Tiki warrior on it!!!

Edited March 21, 2013 by Brig. Brick

[ManInATopHat]

You never know, some dreams DO come true....

[smellsgood]

No, don't feel embarrassed. I only knew because I remember reading that other thread a while back. I thought you might get a kick out of either reading that thread or posting there.

Everyone in this area of the forum wants pirates to come back. *sigh* I sort of "got too old" for Lego around the time the islanders and armada came along. I supposed I would prefer more of a doubling-up on pirates. Like competing crews of pirates. You know, characters with more flavor. If the Chima/Ninjago thing works so well for TLG, how about more of a cohesive story to the pirates, and more named characters? I'm not going to lie, if they made a pirates TV show, I'd probably like it. I draw the line at card games and zip cords though! (Okay I'd buy those too, but only out of sad, sad devotion.)

It's a fun thread. Thanks for letting me know about it!

About Pirates: I like those ideas, though I usually do those things myself. If they made different pirate crews, it would be great if the minifigures were more distinct from one another, so each pirate crew could look more distinct.

more than a dream, it could be a day-dreaming issue.... I also have many of those!

and about the new polynesian islanders... here are rumors about the CMF series n° 11, and hopefully, it would be a Tiki warrior on it!!!

Ahh I can't wait to see that. I did put the Hawaiian girl with my Islanders, from the previous CMF series.

You never know, some dreams DO come true....

They will resume Pirates! The question is when, and what will the next line look like?

[Brick0graphy]

No, don't feel embarrassed. I only knew because I remember reading that other thread a while back. I thought you might get a kick out of either reading that thread or posting there.

Everyone in this area of the forum wants pirates to come back. *sigh* I sort of "got too old" for Lego around the time the islanders and armada came along. I supposed I would prefer more of a doubling-up on pirates. Like competing crews of pirates. You know, characters with more flavor. If the Chima/Ninjago thing works so well for TLG, how about more of a cohesive story to the pirates, and more named characters? I'm not going to lie, if they made a pirates TV show, I'd probably like it. I draw the line at card games and zip cords though! (Okay I'd buy those too, but only out of sad, sad devotion.)

HAHA! This all is too true! Luckily I was still "young enough" to get the islanders. However, as a teen I sadly had a family member loose my childhood collection. There are a few themes I miss from the past. Mainly the Pirates! I too would watch the show as well, if nothing more but to help give ratings and promote more sets.

I really liked your idea too about having more than one pirate faction too! Have those as well as the imperials and Islanders!

[Captain Settle]

I think a merchant faction with small, affordable ships would be good, so younger kids can get ships too. It would be CMF Santa bags galore!

[Grimmbeard]

I think a merchant faction with small, affordable ships would be good, so younger kids can get ships too. It would be CMF Santa bags galore!

That would be awesome, although the theme would have to be pirates vs the merchants. I'm not so sure how it would sell, given that TLG tends to have two fighting factions.

[Captain Settle]

It could be a bit like pirates-imperial guards-Islanders except it would be pirates-imperials-merchants. Merchants would only need a small ship or two, and maybe a small port.

[The_Creator]

A merchant faction would be awesome, hopefully in the next return of Pirates!

[Captain Settle]

Hopefully pirates returns full stop! Oh wait they have a button for full stop.

[Brickington]

We need one of these in White now

http://www.bricklink...tem.asp?P=30381

I already have my Assassin minifigure by the way but I could indeed still use a white hood.

You two might want to ask this guy where he got his. Who knows? I bet though that he painted a brown or black one.

[Faefrost]

You two might want to ask this guy where he got his. Who knows? I bet though that he painted a brown or black one.

If he did, that's a great paint job. He matched the sheen perfectly to bare plastic.

[Dreamweb]

I didn't want to start a new thread about this since this is not a Friends forum, and this seems like the perfect thread to put this. Have you seen the new Friends ship? It has the new-style pirate ship hull in white!

The only white hull we've had so far was the Armada Flagship's, and it was the narrow version, not to mention the blue top part. This one looks great! I'm definitely getting this set, or at the very least the hull.

Edited April 17, 2013 by Dreamweb

[Alcarin]

Well to be fairly honest, no Pirate theme can beat the old Pirates from 90s when Islanders fought them and Imperial Armies/soldiers had their outposts...

they just looked so gorgeous.

[Mister Phes]

Have you seen the new Friends ship?

It looks like it would work nicely with the Paradisa theme.

The only white hull we've had so far was the Armada Flagship's, and it was the narrow version, not to mention the blue top part. This one looks great! I'm definitely getting this set, or at the very least the hull.

There is no stern piece however.

[Dreamweb]

The Black Pearl (the official set) didn't have the stern section either and it was still a pretty good ship (despite some flaws). Alternatively, one can always buy two of these to make a huge white flagship.

It is kind of funny, I remember mentioning here once that the Armada Flagship's hull would make a decent modern ship. Looks like someone at LEGO had a similar idea (the hull's obviously not identical but pretty similar).

[Grimmbeard]

A stern piece is a major part missing, but yes, a ship could be made with out one.