Captain Dee

The color scheme is somewhat busy - and I like it! The light blue and tan go together well. The grey at the base of the tower offers a good natural transition. The column at the top looks slightly out of place to my eyes but that is from the perspective of well-known 19th century Atlantic lighthouses and this is obviously an entirely different subject. For the purposes of GoH the decorated column is fine and the glass globe at the top is a nice touch. And of course I have to mention the windows. Standard items they may be but any chance to use those pearl gold lattices should be seized! The waves are excellent as well. There may not be much of it but the water is very realistic - clear or nearly so at shallow depths and when cresting is far more accurate than standard blue. It's just a nice overall composition and a break from most of the other content being posted right now. (Yeah, this is a bit long but I like meaningful input so it's only fair to give it to others!) Brick on!

That beach scene is definitely a nice start. Do you plan to continue with this? It could make for some good pirate action. You can never have too many palm trees. The shape of the shoreline may be a bit too square but still the overall form is very good. I'd like to see more like this.

That's a very nice historically-correct build. I'm glad you shared the reference photos, too. The crumbling building is nice and I like the variety of trees. Good choice on the 1x1 round brick palm trunks - I think it looks more realistic than the standard pieces. And kabel is right about the table - it would make an excellent base for all kinds of pirate-theme builds.

I certainly wasn't expecting this when I viewed the WIP thread. It looked good then but in completed form it's fabulous. The size, shape, architecture and colors are all unique which makes for a memorable design. You've crammed a lot of detail into a relatively small footprint. I especially like the top section with all its various components. The water seems pretty basic but that's fine; standard SNOT water is overrated anyway and in this form you could set it up with standard sets and the water at least would match. The cook surprised me; I never would have thought to use him for a pirates build. Maybe he was pressed into service, or maybe the pirates stole the outfit from a victim who didn't live to tell about it. Very good project overall.

Individually the sets were lots of fun. Collectively they offered hours of play. But the old catalog dioramas were staged and photographed so well it was like standing on the edge of the action. What true pirates fan didn't spend lots of time poring over those images? I drew a lot when I was young and even replicated one of the catalog photos (1991 or '92 I think) as a B&W drawing. Thank you all for sharing these images again.

I bought several copies as parts packs. They all had the old-style shark eyes (hooray!). I really like the black treasure chest and the old-style skeleton. I can live with the large wall panel and base pieces; I'll use them somehow. I think the juniors sets are good enough in their own right and the part selection with this one is really quite good. Above average vote for me.

She may be a replica but it's always nice to see one of those beauties set sail. She has really nice lines and that colorscheme is lovely. Make a nice model, huh?

First of all, you wrote (and photographed) a good review, Dreamweb. I voted "average" in the poll because I don't think the ship is anything special but neither is it completely terrible considering the target audience. I actually bought a couple for their parts but took the time to build one. I have the correct admiral head and I suspect I have the hull problem too. I didn't look but I remember having a terrible time getting the upper and lower bow/stern elements aligned correctly. I don't like the pirate heads, period. They look silly and the cook in particular looks downright cartoonish. But I do like the other torsos, especially the captain, and of course the soldiers are good. I like the wig and hairpiece but I would like a black tricorne too. As for the ship itself I'm very glad it uses one complete bow/stern piece and 3 midsections. It's too small for my taste in standard form but combining 2 models (or the hull parts at least) gives you 2 complete bow/stern elements and 6 mids which makes for a great custom ship. Brickbeard's Bounty had 2 and 2 so combining 2 ships gave you 4 mids and 4 bow/stern elements so you would have 2 left over. I realize that isn't relevant to this review as a single standalone model but for adult builders it means a little something. I think the red is too bright but I can live with it (parts pack for me, remember) and I really like the pearl gold, especially the 1x1 round bricks (custom bronze cannon, anyone?) But I seriously wish TLG would give up the striped sails already. They look stupid to my eyes and they can't easily be used for anything else (like a merchant ship). And only printing the one side is just downright lazy. By now the treasure situation seems unanimous: where is the chrome gold? That was half the appeal of the old classics and while I like the jewel/gemstone pieces the gold would be even better. Still, the set fulfills its purpose reasonably well. I'll be using the parts somehow.

Oh, I fully understand that the colors don't have anything to do with real countries. I was just explaining my own rationale. Regardless of historic association or (in this case) the lack thereof, a particular faction just "felt right" so that's how I voted. But on the subject of historic reference I think we all know that the limitations are mostly the exclusion of real countries and politics, right? For example, the level of technology will be based on the actual technology of the general time period and ships will look like historically correct vessels even if we aren't replicating actual history if I'm not mistaken. The same goes for minifig dress: there will be lots of room for improvisation but the general look will be colonial-era in nature (i.e. no women in bikinis). In truth it seems that real historic references could appear throughout the project without even touching the issues of real nationalities, politics, religion, economics etc. Basiliscus, you explained it pretty well and for anyone with lingering questions I think it's safe to say that they'll be answered in due time. I hope I'm not out of place by saying all this and if I am I apologize in advance.

She has a pretty good overall form and colorscheme and I especially like those technic pin guns. The sails are nice too. Building large ships can be challenging, but building small ones like this can prove to be a good challenge as well as you have no doubt discovered.

With regards to pirate-specific builds fiction is great but for non-pirate subjects like this I prefer historic accuracy and this is excellent. That's a lot of soldiers and it looks so much better as an action scene versus all lined up in marching formation the way we so often see them. Why not show a little action if you can, huh? The various minifig poses are nice and I also like the terrain and trees.

I vote for Corrington - not because it interests me the most, but just because it's my automatic reaction. Oleon and Eslandola sound good in their own right as well. I've never had a color preference in the whole RvB debate, and my favorite color has always been blue. I'm American, so you might think I'd vote blue due to the colors of the Continental Army or the French allies from the American Revolution versus the red of those *sniff* intolerable Brits, but I have no such feelings in real life or here. Red just feels right, but I hate the thought of opposing Sebeus, KB, CB, etc etc. Honestly I could easily go red or blue but if this all started right now I'd join Corrington.

Aha - another BSB has been converted into a more fitting service! Like so many other Pirates fans, I never could understand why Lego gave the pirates larger and more heavily armed vessels when reality was the exact opposite. It's instantly recognizable (do to it being a MOD and not a complete redesign) and, apart from the solid black on the sides, looks pretty good to me. We all know the striped sails are cartoonish, but the red-and-white works as well here as the blue-and-white did for the Caribbean Clipper from the same wave of sets. This would look pretty good docked alongside the first IFS - or, better yet, giving a crew of scurvy dogs the what-for!

Apparently many of us had the same idea regarding that one pirate torso in particular. My big gripe with the pirate minifigs in general - both classic and modern - is that many of them look cartoonish with the sleeveless striped shirts, excessive use of eye patches, and overall designs that can't be used for anything but pirates or, at the very least, sailors (and for that reason I bought several of the swashbuckler CMF, because the billowing white shirt looks more realistic to me). But this one torso, like a few pirate torsos over the years, can be used for a variety of subjects. Soldiers? Of course. Craftsmen or tradesmen? Why not? Citizens in general? Yes, yes, yes! When I got the first of my 10 I immediately gave the figure a sensible head and a black tricorne and was amazed at how good it looked. Captain, your soldiers look very good to my eyes just the way they are. With regards to BoBS, short of an explicit design standard I suppose we'll see quite a bit of variety, and this should work well. As for me...well, I prefer real historic subjects over fiction, so I'm thinking about making Ethan Allen and the "Green Mountain Boys," for reasons which I hope to eventually make clear. Excellent design, and as always, keep it up!

Captain, you've built a very busy little scene that is only the second coin-minting Lego build I've ever seen (although I'm sure there are more). The various tools and mechanics are wonderful. The conveyor might be futuristic, but the press is brilliant and I especially like the large hammer mechanism on the left. I'm not sure how well the large rotating mechanism would work in real life (that exact design, specifically; I know similar real machines exist) but you've definitely made good use of what is otherwise a rather ungainly piece. I don't really care about dwarves or other fictitous races, but I thoroughly enjoy scenes like this that depict something domestic in nature (as opposed to violence and war - there's too much of that in the real world!). Craftsmen, manufacturing, trade - the more the merrier, I say! I really like your building style of mixing classical and advanced techniques, and I'm amazed at how frequently you post new material. Keep on building!

I don't think I can add any fresh superlatives, so I'll just say this: that is one beautiful fort. The color scheme is excellent (and unique) and the level of detailing is incredible. The piece count would be entirely too high for an official set, but I think that's what most of us think of when we think of a Lego fort. I like all those soldiers and officers, and they definitely give us a little variety during these "blue" times! The crane is a nice touch and looks pretty well-built, and I like the way you've incorporated all those different size arches to create an extremely thick wall around the cannons. Unlike many of the small outpost "forts" that we see on the forum, this one actually looks like it could withstand an attack from a warship. The all-around design looks very stable and should offer hours of playing time. My only gripe is that I don't have a copy sitting on my desk! Keep on building!

It's good to have you back, Sebeus. For a while there I was afraid you'd been cursed to serve on your own Flying Dutchman... Anyway, I'm going off topic. I enjoy your comics (Maiden Voyage, anyone?) and your ships are just superb (especially the Beatrix, which is almost perfect and would make a far better model than the similar-piece-count 10210 IFS, which I own - and yes, I share some of your same dislikes for the official set. Here I go, off topic again.) Your bar works well in the comic - nothing fancy, but enough to be convincing - and I think I recognize some parts of the comic (the tents, specifically) from one of your large displays, which is a good thing. Your input has been tremendous, and when you were still highly active on the forum I often sought out your opinion. Again, it's good to have you back! Keep on building!

Why do I get the feeling that bagpipes could be used as a lethal weapon under certain circumstances? Thanks for a good laugh. As for the build itself, I like the overall composition, especially the pieces of wood (wreckage?) washed up on the sand and all the crabs surrounding poor ole Doug. As already stated, the facial expressions are perfect for that scene. But still...bagpipes? In the pirates forum?! That has to be a first, and a hilarious one at that! Good comic!

Another superb build, Vitreolum! I had never heard of the game until you posted your first Monkey Island builds a while back, so I looked it up out of curiosity and I think it's safe to say that you nailed the look perfectly. Those figs aren't just recognizable; they're tantalizing. I spent a long time just studying how you built them. I especially like the hands, and the boots, and belt buckles, and faces, and...and..and...you get the point. They're brilliant. But besides that, the overall presentation is excellent as always. The only thing that would make this better would be a large collab between several builders to complete the entire crew and the ship they're sailing on, but then I'm probably just dreaming. Keep it up!

Before the sets were ever released there was some talk about using those curved slopes to make boats or ships and I wondered who would be first to do just that. You've built a nice little craft there, Captain. I wouldn't say she's perfect, but we all know what you were trying to accomplish and I'd say it turned out pretty good. Personally I like the standard rowboat so I don't usually build small craft such as this, but from what I've seen you just might have more experience building custom boats than anyone. Keep it up!

Phred, congratulations on your recent appointment as Pirates Moderator. I think we all knew that the release of the 2015 wave of sets was going to provide a tremendous boost to the forum, but the explosion of activity recently is still a pleasant surprise. I'm a newcomer (ex-lurker!) so I don't know much about you, but I see that you've been a member for a long time now and I trust that the forum is in good hands. You've been helpful with other members' posts, and if you keep that mindset toward the forum as a whole, this ship will be going places! Let's tap a fresh barrel and...what? Why is the rum always gone? Argh! Well, these tiny little green bottles of ABS will have to suffice. Best wishes to you sir!

Congratulations, Captain Braunsfeld! I don't think a better candidate for this position exists on this forum. I may be a new member but I was a long-time lurker and I am familiar with most of the builds you have posted (the ships, boats, forts, ports, comics, armies, etc.) as well as your participation in GoH. Your level of input has been almost mind-boggling, and as several others have stated, you did more than anyone to keep the spark alive during the lull of last fall and winter. But besides that, you do one thing better than most of our peers here on EB: you provide meaningful input to other builders. As a builder myself I know that is very important, and it should serve you very well in your role as Regulator. Let's all join in a 21-gun shooting-cannon salute!

Congratulations, Kolonialbeamter! The forum should do well with you serving in this capacity. Because I just joined EB I haven't commented on any of your ships (and I won't be bumping any old topics!) so let me take this opportunity to say that your building skills are incredible. But there is something else I really like about you: the composition of your posts is almost perfect. English is my only language (I know, slacker, slacker!) and it's refreshing to see it put to good use. Obviously you have a tremendous enthusiasm for the Pirates forum, and we all know you're a died-in-the-wool bluecoats fan; unfortunately for the side-takers among you I don't really have a preference (I like red and blue!) but nevertheless the forum needs that enthusiasm to prosper. Best wishes in your new position and favorable winds to your sails!

Hello to everyone at Eurobricks and especially the Pirates forum, which is the only theme that really interests me. I've been lurking around the site for about a year and a half and finally decided to join up. I hope I can be a contributing member and I have a lot of ideas for projects - just not enough time to build them all! (A common lament, perhaps?) Anyway, I'm glad to be here and I hope my input can be useful to someone. Sincerely, JDL.