Wes

I can't say I'm surprised. My first experience with EuroBricks was having someone post my MOC without my permission, and then watching people trash-talk it behind my back. I joined so I could talk about it and Lego pirates, and because pirate-bricks.com died.EBers tend to be extremely critical, even on wonderful MOCs, and as a new member I don't feel any sense of friendship or community, because there's not much effort on the part of the veteran members to include the new people. I have tried to be active and helpful as possible...it's necessary to point out the above so the admins are aware of the situation from a different viewpoint. Anyway, I'm irritated by the initial hate from FC and having them coming over here to post "damage control" messages after the fact isn't exactly trust-earning, but at least they're trying. The main thing, of course, is that they've started a site that duplicates our niche...even if a particular member spent even time on both forums, EB would only be getting half the posts, and it doesn't make sense to have the same conversations on both boards. As for Lugnet, I think their downfall is the complex, time-consuming, non-free registration process. I tried to become a member a long time ago and I might as well have been throwing my money into a black hole. My request was never responded to and I ended up using the mail setup. Sorry for such a negative post.

Small is nice, too. Even a little ship similar to the "cutter" in the 6277 Imperial Trading Post would make me happy.

I only get paid once a month, at the end. I think it's too long to ask a seller to wait. I hope these bluecoats go to a good AFOL home! Maybe I'll message the winner congratulations and a link to EB Pirates.

Damn it! The auction will be over before I get my paycheck.

I found a similar thread: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=16575 It seems like a lot of use kept the chrome gold sprues as gold nuggets! It occured to me that statues and armor could also make good booty. They'd be valuable historical items!

In my cabins, I always try to include, at minimum, some windows, a desk with a map, and a bed. Other good stuff is bottles, lanterns, cards, mugs/glasses, and navigational accessories like a magnifying glass and a sextant. It's fun to use uncommon colors in the cabins, as decoration. Here's the small cabin of the Geisha:

Durmstag, because it's the closest to a legitimate pirate ship. It's got a nice interior and could have sails and serve as a Spanish treasure galleon for pirates to raid.

Recently I've seen the gold peruvian idol statue from the Indiana Jones set selling for nearly $10...I'm thinking of getting one anyway for "treasure." It got me thinking... We all know gold coins are the main "treasure" for our pirates. But what other "treasure" have you used in addition to gold? By treasure I mean stuff for your pirates to steal and/or hoarde. Some treasure I've used: - Chrome gold 1 x 2 tiles as gold bars - Minifig gems (such as the red on found in the mummy sets) in various colors - Belville chrome gold plates - A chrome gold crown and broadsword from castle sets - The 1x1 "antique brass" round plate (HP golden snitch) - but mainly as a ship ornament - A rare chrome silver 2 x 4 brick - Misc 1x1 transparent plates as gems - Trans-clear blocks as crystal - Barrels, large barrels, chests, and boxes as stolen cargo - Large piles of minifig accessories, eg musket pistols - Chrome gold sun disc - Stolen Inca gold! What have you used?

The sails were made from light canvas I got from a fabric store. I reproduced the LEGO jib (triangular) sails: 1. Trace LEGO sails onto cardstock (a file folder will do) with pencil for the template 2. Cut edge of template along the inner edge of the pencil line (keeps it the original size) 3. Using templates, trace pattern onto the fabric 4. Use anti-fraying solution to harden/secure the edges and dots where the holes will be cut. Wait for it to dry. 5. Cut out the sail from the fabric, along the inner edge of the pencil line 6. Carefully cut the holes out. In the case of the gaff sails, I just tried to emulate LEGO designs by giving them the same size holes and rounded corners. I set the mast on the fabric to estimate the right size. Originally the side windows were white, but it looked kind of generic, so I bought pink windows instead and put them it. I think they add interest and go with the "geisha" name. I will consider a "decorative" stern on my new version that I intend to build after I an reunited with my collection...but sadly that might not be until Christmas. I also want to put more sails on the next one (more topsails, maybe a fore topgallant and a flying jib). Thank you for the comments and suggestions, Mr. Tiber!

No offense, but shouldn't this be in Adventurers or something? Pith helmets aren't pirate-related.

You're right, I was thinking of the bow for some reason. Anyway, the "box" is there because I wanted to put a cabin on the ship, and such a cabin has to be tall enough for minifigs to fit in. I have considered making some of the railings lead up to it, but that would obscure some of the quarterdeck (which is bad because sometimes I stick a cannon there). On a later vessel I intend to try it, though, along with higher sides. The jump from the railing to the rooftop is only 3 bricks...it's not that extreme. I am pretty satisfied with the look of the ship. With Geisha, I think I've achieved a good balance of aesthetics and playability. It's not perfect in either area, but neither are Lego sets. I am planning to design an improved version in the next 3-4 months, based on some of the suggestions I've got, more studying of ship books, and some ideas of my own.

I think this is almost a direct result of the failure of classic-pirates.com to provide useful content instead of a bunch of "Coming Soon" pages that never arrive. The site seems to be a clone of our community. It's direct competition, which is bad.

I edited my post to show just how overpriced it is...82 guardsmen!

It's about $9.25 per figure...individually the figs on Bricklink are currently selling for an average of $6.72 (going by the price of a bluecoat soldier with backpack--red coat average is $6.95) with the lowest under $5. This means that the lot is overpriced. The value of the lot is closer to about $1,365, not $1,935 (It's overpriced by $570 (about 38%), enough to buy 82 Imperial guard minifigs).

If anything, this info from Lego's support gives pirates support: We can see that: A. Lego has some money to work with. B. Lego knows classic lines are selling well. Pirates is a classic line and should fit this trend. C. Lego knows pirates are in demand, because they can see: - Pirates of the Caribbean Mega Bloks sets are selling well - Enlighten knockoffs proved Lego pirates are still in demand - They can see the pirate fans right on this site

Hey, I've fixed that issue with the Geisha sailors years ago... But yeah, the majority of my pirates fit a general description: Red/white striped shirt, standard scruffy pirate head, and pants in sand green, sand red, or light blue. The reason for this is that the torso + head combination were bought from the BULK LEGO Bricklink store (torquay's) by the hundreds, along with the legs. Since the bandannas are expensive, I don't have enough to put headgear on all of them. I am working on increasing the variety. Currently I have no pictures of them all together. I would love to take that picture, though! Unfortunately much of my Lego are up at my parents' house for the moment (wouldn't fit in my car when I moved) and I probably won't be able to get them until a major holiday, since I live a 12-hour drive away. I'll be sure to post them when I can!

But can they stand against my 950 pirates?

Although these aren't Lego sets, it still made me sad to see them destroyed. Such a waste!

Upside down fig near the center.

But the real question is...do these knock-offs come with shooting cannons?

My question is: do the plate fit exactly with Lego plates? I remember when my little brother accidentally bought some Mega Bloks, I tested them and found that the elements are not compatible, due to size differences. Tyco bricks, on the other hand, seemed to work okay. They were scattered in my childhood Lego collection (before my dark ages) and seemed to work fine. Currently my collection is about 99.7% Lego (some old childhood Tyco bricks might be around still). I prefer Lego minifigs strongly over clone brands. Hopefully, Lego will come out with a new pirate line in 2009 that will reclaim the pirate niche that these clone guys are exploiting.

On the subject of disturbing non-military pirate subthemes, it also occurred to me that a whaling/fishing subtheme would also have a lot of potential (big ships, port town bars, fishing boats) but could be bloody.

Imagine if Lego introduced slavers as a "bad guy" subtheme, complete with a slave ship, an African village, and an auction block, and maybe a plantation house. The Imperials would try to crack down on the illicit human trafficking (as the British did). Pirates could of course take over the slave ships and recruit the captives as crew for high seas adventures! I don't like slavery but it's a major part of the pirate era and I think these sets would have good play potential.

I never saw them in the first place...I use the Adblock Plus extension with my Firefox browser. >,>

New pieces have the highest "clutch factor" and are also the shiniest.