SBCMayor

Haha, you are being way too nice to me. I can’t actually MOC my own, I’m nowhere close to being that skilled! But I also enjoy the simplicity and innocence of these early pirate sets, so I’m okay with not being able to do my own MOC. When I first started exploring expanding my Lego collecting, my first choice was pirates, but I was leaning toward the new Eldorado fortress and maybe picking up Barracuda Bay and leaving it at that. But the more I looked the more I found I love the older sets more. They’re are amazing designs without being overly detailed. They are clearly toys that make for cool displays rather than displays first. Thank you for your kind words though. I do think the ship looks better with a main deck rather than being hollowed out. I may make a few additional mods eventually, such as adding a few of the brick built cannons to the main deck. I also want to remove some of the red from the stern. That red just does t look natural on a pirate ship unless it’s the red striped sails of the Barracuda! I couldn’t agree more on the discolored parts, I just haven’t gotten around to ordering replacements. Fortunately for me most of the pieces that need an upgrade the most are easy replacements. I’ve done this with a few other vintage sets. As for the main decks, it was more about playability than design, which made a lot of sense. I think Lego as a higher end display piece for adults is a much more recent thing than these original pirate sets! I’m not too concerned with color swapping and value here. First, my copy isn’t anything close to mint condition. I actually now have 2 of the SES (more on the other one coming soon) and only one of them came with instructions. I don’t have the box for either. So if I am ever looking to move one of mine I’m already low on value because I won’t sell the only set of instructions I have. Plus I can always color swap back to the original if I were to do that. I’d also likely provide updated replacement parts for old, discolored pieces. the hanging sails bothers me too, but I have a couple ideas on how I want to address it. I’ve seen a few structural suggestions, but I haven’t gotten around to anything yet. As for the swivel guns, that is the one thing about the SES I truly dislike. I get why Lego did this because actually equipping this set with 8 cannons would have driven up the price even more than its initial MSRP. And while I appreciate these old models for their playability more than accuracy, on a wider hull model this one really bothers me. No ship in the age of sail would have been able to shift all guns to one side for a full broadside without creating significant weight imbalances. I do understand why narrow hull models don’t have guns on both sides, but the SES I just can’t overlook this. I have some changes to the base SES coming! I have a second copy of this ship and I am making a few similar changes to the gun deck and color scheme, but taking it a little further this time around! More to come!

Not related to the discussion on where sets were sold, this is just a pure nostalgia comment. I didnt' have a lot of Castle sets but this was one of them. I'd all but forgotten about it until seeing these pics!

Man I really love the small, simple display. It gives me ideas for how to use more of what I have even if I can’t use it all in a single large display.

Your restored ship looks great and I love the display you’ve put together here! Ironhook should have his crew turn that cannon toward the shore and give those imperials something to think about!

I can sort of relate though it's less to do with the color of the sails and more about overall color scheme for me. On another recent thread I shared a few pics a couple modified Renegade Runners I have in my collection. While I did order custom sails from a very talented vendor on EBAY, one of the other major changes is swapping out the original Renegade Runner's grey, red, and blue for black and yellow to make them consistent with 1989's Caribean Clipper and Black Seas Barracuda. I figure an imperial force like the Imperial Soldiers would have a few smaller escort/patrol ships while a reputable pirate captain such as Captain Redbeard would have a couple small, light, shallow draft sloops in his fleet. But changing the sails wasn't enough for me, I also wanted the ships to appear more consistent with their 1989 counterparts. Obviously this isn't how a purist would do it, but I'm not a purist! The same rationale can also explain why the background elements in my display are as basic as they are. I've seen some very elaborate displays and tutorials, but I'm actually trying to keep what I'm doing stylistically similar to the sets from 1989-1994. I do acknowledge from 1989 to 1992/93 the theme took a significant leap forward with its designs. I love the innocent simplicity of the red and blue striped sails. But the Imperial Flagship does look like a more serious (albeit smaller than its bluecoat counterpart) vessel. And I love the way the Skull's Eye Schooner and Renegade Runner combine for consistently styled "fleet" potential. And of course, while tactically unsound, the skull on the sails with the black stripes makes for a more intimidating appearance! And I definitely agree, I think the Barracuda is amazing!

Thank you! The one thing I wish I could do was get that yellow bird to put on the front. That piece is extremely rare and consequently it’s a bit pricy. But overall this modification is still a cool concept.

Here are a couple pics of the Renegade Runners I've modified: This first one I used to match the red striped sails of the Black Seas Barracuda. I also replaced a lot of the grey and red on the hull and bow for yellow, again to be reminiscent of the BSB. The Renegade Runner also makes a nice imperial ship: It's basically the same modification as the last, just using blue striped sails. I did have to ask a vendor on Ebay specifically for the sails in these dimensions in these colors and I can share said vendor if anyone is interested to know. And as much as I love being able to make my own little modifications, I really do love the Renegade Runner in its original form. I really do think it's a must-have for anyone interested in collecting these vintage pirate sets.

I'm glad you're doing it. I think the Renegade Runner is a very underrated set. I love it. I have 6 of them, 2 of which are in their original form and the other 4 are customized. It's such a great fleet builder of a set and even though I don't need another one, I sometimes have to really resist the urge to do it.

I love displays like this!

I already have! I call it the Cutthroat Clipper! Basically anything blue I swapped out for red.

I saw this recently and love it! I have some extra hull pieces and am on the prowl for a nice CC donor set so I can do something similar. It may not end up a bluecoat ship though, I might make it into a pirate ship.

I agree about the newer imperial mini-figs. But at the same time I recognize my own bias in favor of the more vintage sets. Ultimately I am glad they did a new Eldorado even if I never buy it. It is what prompted me to start looking at pictures of the old pirate legos with my son, and ultimately take a chance and start collecting them again.

I love this! Great mix of the new and vintage sets in the same space. Since you basically have them side by side, how do you like the new Eldorado Fortress compared to the original?

Love the display. I love the way you're able to integrate the vintage sets with some of the newer models out there, as well as your MOCs.

That's actually true. They do not play as important a role, especially after the first movie. Interestingly enough, in the first movie, the battle between the Interceptor and the Black Pearl is without question one of the coolest sea battles in film! Even though it's not tactically accurate (How does the Black Pearl stop where it does to exchange a broadside?) in a movie about curses and turning into zombie pirates in the moonlight, I'm willing to forgive a little of that! The way the Interceptor drags its anchor, catches, and then heaves around to get into firing position is so cool! For what it's worth, I always interpret the Imperial Flagship (6271) as a Lego version of the Interceptor or similar ship.