brick-a-block

I don't think it has to be realistic. We are talking about POTC here, where voodoo and the occult are just as important as pirating. The fact that the QAR appears to be just one of many enchanted vessels like the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman, in the sense that the ropes come lo life at the command of Blackbeard's sword, and the ships can travel very quickly, seems to suggest that if it can do these things I'm certain it can hold up it's very high stern with ease. I like the stern, particularly because of the stain-glass windows like the Flying Dutchman's too. And I do like the imagination of those on set designing the POTC ships. It's good to see they have hallmarks that make them memorable. However, on-topic, the same imagination cannot be said for LEGO's version of the Black Pearl The only explanation for its apparent austere look is the affordability/playability for children ratio. Though with a likely 75% tax hike on top of the US price, Australian families will feel the pinch when Christmas approaches, and perhaps not as many Aussie kiddies will get the Pearl for Christmas this year. Anything else would seem like coal. See what I did there...

They look like the kind of band that would cut out your innards if you pirated their music. Great MOC

This is an amazing set, most recognisably at first is the gnashing teeth/beak of the Kraken, I'm sure replicating this would have been immensely difficult, in particular the hollowed out mouth. Secondly, I love the detail of the hull inside, there's not a corner left unfurnished, and the brig is certainly nostalgic, it works seamlessly with the rest of the ship. There's a lot here to love.

The bloodied crimson arms and legs adds a nice touch of realism to the MOC, great job.

This a nice and colourful MOC, I always love MOC's depicting waves and wet sand. I think there is an element of humour but I'm not sure. Is the soldier up top shooting at the other soldier below, or is his hat jumping off because he's just walked straight into a band of scallywags?

Thanks for the correction. I understand completely how most prices on imports are set in Australia, but it seems immensely raw to hike the price, with some LEGO® sets double the US price. I think you mean the currency exchange, as opposed to stock market, but this is no reason to maintain exorbitant prices such as this . Other global companies have reduced their prices on merchandise in Australia amidst the Global Financial Crisis, including Apple who is notorious for 'never' dropping their prices. If someone can provide an online market like Ebay where I can get these sets at the USD that'd be fantastic. I've tried BrickLink and Ebay, that both have arbitrary prices, and often ridiculous shipping prices; Barnes and Noble frankly have the worst customer service (including cancelling orders oddly), and the LEGO® shop won't allow you to buy from a store overseas . Tell me your secrets

I have no idea how LEGO® append its arbitrary Australian prices, but if the QAR is anything to go by, expect an additional AUD $80.00 on top of the US $99.99. So Australians beware! You're about to pay AUD $189.99. for the Black Pearl set this November. If anybody can explain why Australians are taxed more, considering our dollar has been at parity with the US dollar for over 6 months now, I'd be grateful thanks.

Having re-watched the films recently I noticed the masts, the bowsprit, and the figurehead are all a whitish-grey colour (NOT BLACK!) If LEGO changed these colours to say a light or dark grey I think that would break up the black-glossy monotony of the set and provide significant change to the overall look. Hope they hear my suggestion.

I don't like the suggestion that yellow has to be mixed with 'fleshies' simply because one likes both themes. There are pro's and con's to each: • the licensed theme both expands LEGO ingenuity and minimises its scope at the same time. How? While I love the new pieces made specifically for POTC which can now be grounded in other themes respectively, pirates will only last so long and the well of scenes from these films could dry up after they've all been conceptualised in LEGO form already. I suppose the antithesis to that would be the Harry Potter theme, but considering the fact LEGO got its licensing foot in the door from the outset, over the course of the films there have been various reinterpretations of scenes, I suppose the end of the films will define whether a Harry Potter license can continue, and the same goes for POTC LEGO. • While I'm tempted to vote solely "Classic" Pirates, if the recent Pirate LEGO return is anything to go by then I really can't see my wanting to return, particularly since POTC raised the threshold. In hindsight the 2009 wave in my opinion was poor in comparison to the Classic Pirates sets, and while I cannot default LEGO for removing this theme considering it bridged the new POTC LEGO, what I was dismayed with the 2009 sets was the seemingly 'updated version' of some of the best Classic sets. I would have liked if something different had been imagined for a Pirate theme that had been in hiatus, and then perhaps introducing similar elements from the original sets later but this was not the case. My answer will be impartial, but only because LEGO Pirates regardless whether they're classic or POTC themes means continuity for the best theme that ever came out of LEGO. Pirates, like knights/wizards; spacemen/aliens; and cowboys/Indians, have been mythologised so much that it would be a pity not to jump on this theme. Themes that have pushed the frontiers of World history, and as refection of humanity's imagination should continue to inspire children in their own imaginative endeavours. A brick is a brick, but until you give it a context that is when you breathe life into imagination.

I wouldn't mind seeing a set released depicting the inside of Tia Dalma's shack, what with the various jars, cauldrons, and hanging voodoo paraphernalia. Depicting this with candles and perhaps single wall with her front door and the front porch/swamp would make for a quirky detailed little set. I'm think. About the size of Captain's Cabin or Isla de Muerta. Oh, oh, oh and while I'm on a roll. A nice little set LEGO could make would be the rum/maroon isle. A spittle of sand, with a secret stashed rum/food cellar. A reintroduction of the palm trees, Elizabeth/Angelica (in a different outfit -bloomers?) and Jack. And a separate bonfire. In addition, thinking on some of the classic scenes, I would like to see someone have a crack at depicting the underwater rowboat scene with Jack and Will walking beneath the dock towards the Dauntless. Anybody with the Atlantis sets should find this easy and enticingly challenging. I'm interested to see how people capture the scene and the feel of being underwater. Well there's an idea for an MOC or new set anyway.

I'm not certain about Tim Burton, don't get me wrong I love the man to death and his macabre cinematic style is brilliant. However despite POTC being right down Burton's alley, he has an uncanny knack for caricature, so the characters are more or less exaggerated to obscene and eccentric standards, that would make a serious and successful pirates franchise perhaps not the best it could be. I may be wrong about this, and Burton could bring some interesting angles to another stand-alone POTC film, but if we do want POTC to continue in further instalments I'd recommend Verbinski or someone else familiar with POTC. I'm of two minds on this.

I too can understand the considerable criticism here, but keeping in mind the preliminary boxart, this does not represent what the final product will be so I am indifferent at this stage as to the build. That said overall the set looks okay. - I do appreciate the attempt to break the black colour scheme with grey bricks. - 7 sails is SWEET! - perhaps some smaller rigging at the back will break up the gap between the helm and the mizzen-mast - It needs three arched windows on both the port and starboard sides, perhaps each of them raised slightly than the previous as they gravitate towards the stern. Like so: ///// Ω /// Ω /Ω But I'm anxious how this might turnout, as the actual arch brick above the window is quite wide. - some sort of deck would be nice, even if it was just a rampart/gangplank kind of thing around the inside of the hull (I think Skull's eye schooner did this) - railings that continue across the length of the hull I think would be a simple finishing touch to the ship, making it more ornate-looking, and perceivably making the hull-section look higher (i think it sorta does in the pic, but some of the minifigs are obscuring that) - 3 cannons would be nice, (considering either black seas barracuda or skull's eye schooner had 4 - can't remember). - If this is the design LEGO are not looking at changing overall, then I would perhaps pay attention to some smaller omissions, such as adding a monkey, glass bottles (RUM!!!), perhaps a single flat brick (like Jack's compass) with a black spot on it; a skeleton perhaps - oh and torn sails - I know many here want lovely pristine sails, but to turn it from a black morbid ship into the Pearl I think it needs to capture the essence of being a ghostly pirate ship. Ergo, sails with holes and patches (perhaps in a dark brown for the look of stitching).

FLY-SPRAY! It works.

New here, but more active on the classic-pirates threads. I've collected much of the Harry Potter castle sets and this Review is fantastic I must say. I came across this set on the LEGO website, but it stipulated that it was unavailable in Australia when I changed the site from US. Does anyone here know when the release date for Australia is? Brickipedia says June 2011, and apparently everyone here is seeing them, but I haven't yet. Any Australians that can confirm otherwise? Oh and I enjoy how you put Lucius Malfoy in what I'm assuming is one of the boys dormitorys, and then on the bridge chasing Neville. My mind jumped to some nasty conclusions ha ha Dirty Malfoy. Cheers

I know it's just the lighting, but I love how the horizontal bricks for the water reflect the dock, very realistic The bricks under the arches, look very nice. And the seaweed used as a kind of vine hanging from the trees give that jungle feeling. Overall a very sweet set.

[image]http://game-insider.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/42.jpg[/image] Lord Cutler Beckett's new East India Company soldiers - I do hope we get to ee these in prospective sets. [image]http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/1879/14873mattimage10.jpg[/image] I'm not certain I want a set with a giant Calypso, I thought this was the most tackiest pasrt of the Pirates series, but it might provide some early enthusiasm for young boys buying the set.

Don't mind me I'm going to collate a number of screenshots here that I can muster from the Internet, to gove us an idea of what prospective LEGO minfigs, ships, and other sets might look like. [image]http://i1-games.softpedia-static.com/screenshots/LEGO-Pirates-of-the-Caribbean-The-Curse-of-the-Black-Pearl-Trailer_3.jpg[/image] Here we have Governor Swan to the right and next to him I assume to be Commodore Norrington. [image]http://game-insider.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/32-1024x578.jpg[/image] Sao-Feng with Barbossa, and some lovely Singapore wenches too...

Floating my opinion... Given the lack of bluecoats I have - THREE!!! I only had one opportunity when I was younger to conceive these as the obvious opposition (historically) and that was when I built a small MOC of the Battle of Waterloo, with Welligton's army advancing and Napoleon's retreating. To balance the scene I supplemented a lot of other blue bodies, and either turned them upside down or the one's that were piratey I made them artillery soldiers or just plain corpses. Isn't LEGO exciting :D For the most part I've used my original Redcoats which number SIX to represent a small force while my three Bludocoast came to represent the officers, perhaps not correct, but because my backdrop was mostly naval it fitted in well. Now I'm at odd's how to fit the new Redcoat design in with my older Redcoats. Do I make them Lieutenants, or if LEGO permits, with more Redcoats to come out (I hope, given the measly two redcoast thus far) perhaps they should be my privates and the older redcoats my officers. Making way for the Blucoats to be admirality. It's a good thing for plumes and epaulettes otherwise I'd never get any sleep over the issue of distinguishing these minifigs. I'm sure the great LEGO man in the sky is laughing at my dilemma. I do hope we get more redcoats soon. Some of the navy-coloured East India Company soldiers from World's End would be nice too. A good way methinks for LEGO to reintroduce the Blue soldier. A different pattern to the current one would be nice too, more in lines with the movie.

I would like those figs a lot more than the regular skellies, but I doubt we'll be seeing them. Super complex molding and printing. I bet if we see more skeleton pirates, they'll be like the Jack and Barbossa we have seen in Isla de Muerta. One semantic criticism about the Isla de Muerta set, Jack doesn't have white hands. I think he'd look more skeletal if he had white hands, but I suppose the sets are about playability not about accuracy and such. Compared to how they've depicted Barbossa Jack looks like he's wearing a mask. Having not played the game it would be great to get more screenshots here to get an idea of prospective sets, such as the Black Pearl, Flying Dutchman, and others. Back onto semantics having read a few really old LEGO companion books, encyclopedia's etc, I'm pretty certain LEGO established itself as universal 'please-all' company. By this I mean creating LEGO minfigs with yellow skin, the child's imagination, depending on the context, can construe the minifig to be of any ethnivity. Furthermore I know LEGO refused to create military pieces because it not want to advocate war and other things I won't go into (but we know there are ways to curb that). In responding to these concepts of universalism, the change to pale complexion minifigs with the exception of a few dark complexion minifigs (typically from licensed sets) could corner the LEGO company in a political correct issue. I appreciate the accuracy in creating different complexions for the zombie pirates recently, but in that screenshot above of the skeletons walking under water I know I saw in the film a number of actors with darker complexion, like Jamaican's, African, etc. All I'm saying is it would have been nice to see a little bit of diversity in the scope of pirates. Does anybody that has played the game know if this is a recurring issue, are most LEGO minfigs in-game depicted of pale-complexion despite filmic depiction?

Oh wait, maybe she meant the mini black pearl set? I have seen at David Jones the collectible minifig bags (jester, punk, musketeer), those sorts of things, so maybe that was what she was hinting at? Black Pearl would be sweeeeeeet!!! Though judging from what I've seen of the game I'd like to have a Davy Jones figure now, and MORE REDCOATS!!! I don't know if this is the right thread to post here (so direct me to a suggestion/wishlist thread otherwsie) but I would love LEGO to produce a 'Port Royal harbour' set from POTC: Curse of the Black Pearl. My vision for this is similar to other harbour sets of previous LEGO Pirates lines, to have a small dock with mast and crows nest sticking out from the water (Jacks dinghy), some small boats with sails docked, a crane with cannon attached (for Jack to swing on) and several Redcoats beneath that fall into the water via a breakaway dock action where the cannon falls. If only my LEGO was nearby to realise this.

I bought QAR from Myer last weekend, I hope this is true, that would be EPIC!!! I was going to pracastinate on this issue and say something along the lines of, "wouldn't our Euro/US comrades know first about new releases" (because Australia gets everything at a ridiculously slow rate for some reason...). But if this were true it's likely LEGO sent out everything in one hit (including the Pearl) but told stores worldwide to keep particular sets off-sale until a certain release date. I hope it's the latter. If so could you keep us updated as the whether they will hit shelves by next week. If they don't arrive I'd give a stern talking to that Myer salesperson. I will remain sceptical however, I too would have thought LEGO would have monopolised on this wave as long as possible and then released more at Christmas time. FINGERS CROSSED

~SPOILER~ I bought this set before I watched the film today, totally rubbish (the Lego set that is). I seldom comment but this set infuriates me. The denouement for Curse was perfectly depicted in the Isla de Muerta set, but this set has so much incongruity, that I think LEGO needs to go back to the drawing board. So I don't repeat what others have said I'll draw people's attention to the waterfall. If my memory serves correctly there was no waterfall, or at least not obviously like this in the scene. There was instead an arch (of irregular more natural appearance) that had a small trickle of water, that I'm certain LEGO could have depicted better. The fountain in the centre I'm uncertain why it belongs in this set to begin with. It appears to allude to an actual 'fountain' of youth, but I can respect if someone defends this piece as the antecedent to the Fountain of Youth scene, the one where all the pirates are in the cave and are teleported through the water ceiling. Some Spanish figures, as someone mentioned before, with the musketeer/Barbossa hat for the leader and say another Spanish soldier holding the Spanish standard would have enthused me moreover if included. What would have been better is a water base with a few broken bevelled areas to depict the tile/stone floor, surrounded by water, with say four higher columns than the ones provided. Not to mention a reimagination of the actual 'Fountain of Youth' wouldn't go astray. If someone is prepared to complete a new LEGO company design for this model with some of the suggestions above that'd be amazing. I'd certainly like to redesign the scene but as if it was still a step-by-step instruction. Any takers to the challenge? Chalices too

I know TLG's objection to overall military themes in LEGO, and like society LEGO was supposed to represent a constructive attitude in a world clearly fraught with destructive behaviour. But in recent years TLG has certainly come borderline with its fictional and fantasy pieces with guns and soldiers becoming a central theme in more contemporary LEGO. This is a great leap for TLG, and the Imperials have always been lacking in a ship that would really knock the pirates socks off (if they had any). I have my fingers crossed hoping that TLG will introduce a new line featuring battle between the bluecoat Imperials and the redcoat Imperials, with pirates as a peripheral figure introducing this new line. But with the above said, I can only hope. Exciting set, but why should LEGO stop there given their most successful and perhaps the longest running line were pirates? Surely they wouldn't pass up this opportunity just for a few anniversary pieces that are so markedly modernised. I mean why change the original and build new sets if the line wasn't to continue, why didn't they just rerelease the old in special packaging as they did in the late 90's and early 2000's with older pirate pieces like the 'black seas barracuda'? There are already classic minfigure sets on the website with a few guards/pirates featured, surely introducing both was not folly if the new pirates release wasn't meant to be exactly that - NEW!