2013 LEGO Pirates rumors and discussion.

[Louie le Brickvalier]

To me, teasers mean nothing. First of all, TLG is a company and its main priorites are sales, revenue, SWOT, etc, etc. If you look at the annual reports that are ever so conveniently provided on the LEGO website you will find that recent years with pirate themes have not performed as well as years without pirate themes in terms of net profit. Now that doesn't mean pirate themes were not a money maker because as we all know correlation is not causation. If you will, generally speaking the LotR/Hobbit theme replaced PotC as a main license for TLG. 2012 (LotR) brought an approximately 25% increase in net profit from 2011 (PotC). Again, I am not saying this correlation is causation; but it is quite interesting to see.

As for a new Pirate theme (non-PotC), 2014 would be the year that it would happen if there is going to be another license agreement with LEGO and PotC 5. However, it is fairly certain that if we were to have another Pirate theme for 2014 we were know a little more at this point. Our only hope seems to be that it would be released in the summer or perhaps in the winter of 2014. I draw my conclusion on the unlikely chance of TLG releasing a Pirate theme a year before releasing another wave of PotC products.

TLG could be in need of another license when the Hobbit runs out, so that might bring hope for PotC fans. If there is not going to be another PotC wave, 2015 could be a good year for a Pirate theme. No one knows. To conclude, I apologize for mixing PotC and Pirates in this post, but they go hand and hand with LEGO. Most of my statistics and info came from TLG annual reports that can be found here. They are really interesting to look through and I would suggest them to anyone with a fondness for numbers.

[tedbeard]

As for a new Pirate theme (non-PotC), 2014 would be the year that it would happen...

Yep, time for a new thread or title change. Or maybe we should just go with a perpetual topic like the train guys do in their section?

Sorry for the interruption. We now return to your regulalry scheduled programming.

The "new Shakepeare" guy is fantastic. After seeing the recent pics of Revenge I need to start collecting crew and officers so I will need a bunch of that one. :)

[Ardelon]

Just wanted to mention that in the news Star Wars 75041 Vulture Droid set there is a Neimoidian warrior with the morion in the reown or bronze/copper color. Looks like a new color for the piece. Not that I would buy the set just for the morion, but considering the absence of anything Pirate related, anything like this seems newsworthy...

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/uploads//gallery/album_258/gallery_11254_258_26058.jpg

[Faefrost]

I would assume TLG would stick to the formula of classic Pirates: pirates vs islanders would be ok, imperials vs islanders would not, so as not to raise issues of colonialism and clash of civilizations. Though I wonder whether TLG would condone a faction of "bad guy" islanders (violent, barbaric, cannibalistic, superstitious, etc) or whether the PR people would think it's too dangerously close to racism and stereotyping. (I'm talking about in-house themes, I'm aware iof the Pelegosto natives in the PotC set.)

Didn't they have a Pirates vs Cannibal Islanders set out just last year in the PotC line?

Just wanted to mention that in the news Star Wars 75041 Vulture Droid set there is a Neimoidian warrior with the morion in the reown or bronze/copper color. Looks like a new color for the piece. Not that I would buy the set just for the morion, but considering the absence of anything Pirate related, anything like this seems newsworthy...

http://www.eurobrick...4_258_26058.jpg

It will probably be fairly easy to bricklink the piece or just the fig. I'm guessing that there will probably be a bit of a surplus of "Vulture Droid" sets. I don't think this set will rapidly escalate in aftermarket price.

To me, teasers mean nothing. First of all, TLG is a company and its main priorites are sales, revenue, SWOT, etc, etc. If you look at the annual reports that are ever so conveniently provided on the LEGO website you will find that recent years with pirate themes have not performed as well as years without pirate themes in terms of net profit. Now that doesn't mean pirate themes were not a money maker because as we all know correlation is not causation. If you will, generally speaking the LotR/Hobbit theme replaced PotC as a main license for TLG. 2012 (LotR) brought an approximately 25% increase in net profit from 2011 (PotC). Again, I am not saying this correlation is causation; but it is quite interesting to see.

As for a new Pirate theme (non-PotC), 2014 would be the year that it would happen if there is going to be another license agreement with LEGO and PotC 5. However, it is fairly certain that if we were to have another Pirate theme for 2014 we were know a little more at this point. Our only hope seems to be that it would be released in the summer or perhaps in the winter of 2014. I draw my conclusion on the unlikely chance of TLG releasing a Pirate theme a year before releasing another wave of PotC products.

TLG could be in need of another license when the Hobbit runs out, so that might bring hope for PotC fans. If there is not going to be another PotC wave, 2015 could be a good year for a Pirate theme. No one knows. To conclude, I apologize for mixing PotC and Pirates in this post, but they go hand and hand with LEGO. Most of my statistics and info came from TLG annual reports that can be found here. They are really interesting to look through and I would suggest them to anyone with a fondness for numbers.

My hope is while we may not see a full retail Pirate theme, there is still hope somewhere that we might see a nice D2C exclusive ship set. There is still that mystery ship that was seen in that much poured over picture of the Lego design office. Many of the other mysteries in that picture have eventually made it to shelves. Even Orthanc. So I haven't given up hope since they seemingly do have a completed design.

[2maxwell]

My hope is while we may not see a full retail Pirate theme, there is still hope somewhere that we might see a nice D2C exclusive ship set. There is still that mystery ship that was seen in that much poured over picture of the Lego design office. Many of the other mysteries in that picture have eventually made it to shelves. Even Orthanc. So I haven't given up hope since they seemingly do have a completed design.

Any chance you have a link to that? I dont recall seeing it.

[Faefrost]

Here it is. There are some much more hi res versions of it out there where you can really zoom in. I just couldn't find one in a quick google search. Way in the back are 2 ships. One I believe is the BP. The other is one that I do not believe we have ever seen before. Not a PotC ship.

Edited November 21, 2013 by Faefrost

[Piranha]

Isn't that the never released Flying Dutchman that appeared on a D2C list?

It was rumored to have over 2000 parts and would have been the biggest ship ever released.

[Faefrost]

Isn't that the never released Flying Dutchman that appeared on a D2C list?

It was rumored to have over 2000 parts and would have been the biggest ship ever released.

I don't think so. If you zoom in on it the colors are all wrong. It seemed more a normal Pirate ship and not one of the more Stylized PotC fantasy ones.

[Freddy Bricker]

Can any of you please zoom in on the picture or point the ship out? Anything in the "Far back" is not visible to me, thanks in advance.

[The Cobra]

Here's a larger pic.

[Freddy Bricker]

Thanks for that pic, but not to be annoying, where is the ship? I looked everywhere and all I see is Alien Conquest and Star Wars. Sorry for the questions, it's just.... not there (through my eyes that is)

[Faefrost]

Thanks for that pic, but not to be annoying, where is the ship? I looked everywhere and all I see is Alien Conquest and Star Wars. Sorry for the questions, it's just.... not there (through my eyes that is)

Center rear sitting on a wooden rolling cabinet with drawers. There are two ships one behind the other.

[Freddy Bricker]

Center rear sitting on a wooden rolling cabinet with drawers. There are two ships one behind the other.

Thanks, now maybe there is hope for a pirates set/theme to be released summer 2014.

[Captain Becker]

Thats the same picture that the never released Flying Dutchman one, but in a different angle. And those two ship can be seen in that picture also.

Captain Becker

[Admiral Blockbeard]

Near a month late but it may not be known.

This link will get you many more angles but small photos.

This is a bigger version better angle.

Edited December 10, 2013 by Admiral Blockbeard

[beyza]

Center rear sitting on a wooden rolling cabinet with drawers. There are two ships one behind the other.

You have really sharp eyes to notice that. Maybe there is hope that there will be a new pirates theme soon. (2015???)

[jamesster]

At least one pirates character will be in the minifigures series after The Simpsons: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=89656

[Duck]

Thanks for pointing that out!

It always amazes me that TLG seem determined to incorporate Pirates into their different videogames (particularly the ones where you bounce between worlds) and attractions like Legoland – generally keeping it as part of the culture, without it being a current theme. I personally can’t think of another theme which has been and gone which is still referred to so much. I suppose most themes are replaced by something vaguely similar however.

I’m sure this has been raised several times somewhere in the depths of this very long thread, but my suspicion is that TLG might find it an “awkward” theme, as it’s one where the criminals are seen as the good guys, despite the fact that this is a common romanticised image. POTC does give TLG a chance to sidestep this issue as they are just following the story developed away from their control. Having said that, the 2009 pirates got through as a theme, so there is hope yet!

[David Thomsen]

At least one pirates character will be in the minifigures series after The Simpsons: http://www.eurobrick...showtopic=89656

That's good to know, but hopefully it won't be 'Captain Pete'. Maybe if it's a 'special' pirate character, we'll get a new piece, like maybe a pirate bandana with hair under it like Emmet from the movie has hair under his hard hat...

#randomspeculation

[Cammo]

Never figured out why Lego doesn't use a skeleton minifig head for their Jolly rogers...

Looks like a nice figure though.

[Faefrost]

That's good to know, but hopefully it won't be 'Captain Pete'. Maybe if it's a 'special' pirate character, we'll get a new piece, like maybe a pirate bandana with hair under it like Emmet from the movie has hair under his hard hat...

#randomspeculation

I think Captain Pete is an NPC, which I suspect means it will be unlikely for him to be a CMF fig. I get the impression that the MMO related CMF's are designed to be sort of like a low tech Skylanders. Each will probably come with a code that will unlock that fig as a playable character. So no NPC's.

[jamesster]

I think Captain Pete is an NPC, which I suspect means it will be unlikely for him to be a CMF fig. I get the impression that the MMO related CMF's are designed to be sort of like a low tech Skylanders. Each will probably come with a code that will unlock that fig as a playable character. So no NPC's.

I'm not sure how much I can say due to the closed beta NDA, but there playable minifigures used as NPCs and vice versa. You can see a few in the game trailer, so I assume it's ok to say that. So I wouldn't rule it out completely, as they're already blurring the line.

Edited December 22, 2013 by jamesster

[Risgrynsgrot]

I don't really know where to put this, so I'm going to do it here.

Well, you've all probably heard of the LEGO Movie. And in that movie there's a mecha pirate called Metalbeard. And Metalbeard has a huge pirate ship (quickly seen at 1:55 in this trailer)

Well, from the looks of this staff pic with the designers that designed the LEGO Movie sets, his pirate ship is going to be a set, and from the looks of it the flagship of this theme: http://i.imgur.com/7b49MFE.jpg

[Ardelon]

With all the steampunkish embellishments, it looks like the LEGO movie pirate ship wont be more of a parts pack than something that fits into the Pirate theme. Not that its a bad thing (three cheers for steampunk!), but an actual Pirate set would have been nice.

[Faefrost]

It's interesting to note that what look to be the two largest sets on that table have not been seen or announced as products. The Pirate ship (kinda strange looking?) and that spectacular huge classic space cruiser.