TalonCard

I have: Renegade Runner This was my FIRST EVER pirate ship, and I was so happy to get it. I was a little kid when it came out, and all of the BIG Pirate ships were too expensive. I was excited that my pirates might finally get a ship, but the set was still pretty expensive. But my problem was solved when I happened to enter one of my pirate drawings in an art show my uncle worked with, and someone actually bought it, which allowed me to purchase the set. I had to ride in the car with it for an hour first, though. Longest car ride ever. I'm pretty sure it came apart at some point, but I reassembled it as a teen. Thank goodness for that. Black Seas Barracuda It was a dream come true for me when LEGO re-released this set. This is the set I'd wanted practically my entire life. I had to wait a year after it came out to get it, though, because I needed a job first. It was worth it. I thought it would be the last pirate set I would buy... Caribbean Clipper ...but I was wrong, because I soon discovered the wonders of eBay. I got a good deal on this one--a complete set for a little less than the original price. Brickbeard's Bounty I bought this as soon as I heard the Pirate line was being discontinued. It was the only set from the new pirate theme that I hadn't bought within months of the release. I had saved up for it before, but bought an Eldorado Fortress off eBay for the same price instead. Imperial Flagship (new) My brother got this before I did, and boy was I jealous. I bought it during the semester, but saved it and the Brickbeard's Bounty for an end-of-semester treat. I built them both in the same night. So much fun. So many pieces. Imperial Flagship (original) I wasn't expecting to get this for awhile, because a set in good condition can run over a hundred dollars. But I found an incomplete eBay lot with all the parts unique to this set, and was later able to track down the rest of the pieces I needed. It looks great! I used to have the Armada Flagship and the Red Beard Runner, but they were left in a back room and exposed to the elements, and aren't in any condition to be reassembled. My brother has both Imperial Flagships too, so we have quite a collective fleet! He also has the rare Crossbone Clipper, which makes me extremely jealous. One day I hope to complete the collection...it's been a long time since I put together a LEGO pirate ship...and the two POTC ships are sooooo tempting... TC

Interesting! I hadn't thought of that. It's great to see more characters introduced; there were so many with the first wave of LEGO Pirates. TC

Hi all! I was surfing around looking at pictures from the new LEGOLAND Florida, and found out that in addition to the Pirate Cove show they have a whole area in Miniland devoted to Pirates, complete with mini-scale ships, a harbor town, shipworks, and a reappearance by Captain Redbeard! Insidethemagic's photostream on flickr has a bunch of awesome photos. Check them out here. This really makes me want to go to LEGOLAND... Photos taken by insidethemagic Check out more here [bloggedcp][/bloggedcp] TC

We have another new character to add to the cast: Miranda Valentina, leader of the Imperial troops at Pirate's Cove after the defeat of Brickbeard. .EDIT: also a shark named Sawtooth. TC

This is really amazing! Just looking at the pictures I didn't even realize the whole thing was CGI. :) I love the use of sets from the classic Pirate theme, particularly the piratical version of the Caribbean Clipper. I hope we get to see more like it in the future. :) [bloggedcp][/bloggedcp] TC

Congratulations! I have to admit, as a purist I do take objection to the replaced sails. ;) That's a tough call, though, given that attempting to purchase the exact parts unique to this set will almost certainly lead to a budget comparable to just buying the ship at auction. I'm pretty pleased with my reconstructed Imperial Flagship. (The original one.) I was lucky enough to get a great price on an Imperial Flagship lot that was incomplete, but had all the sails and set-specific parts. The most expensive pieces I had to buy on my own were the Admiral Woodhouse minifigure and the white and yellow window. TC

So many of us on this side of the pond have been wondering when those POTC promotional sets would be coming our way. The Mini Black Pearl set that was offered with newspapers in the UK in the summer, for example. Well, it's finally shown up here. The U.S. retailer Target is offering it as a giveaway with the Blu-Ray/DVD combo of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Now, I love Pirates of the Caribbean as much as anybody, but I don't have a Blu-Ray player, so while I'm tempted to get this, it might be a better idea to see if it becomes more affordable on eBay instead... Thoughts? [bloggedcp][/bloggedcp] TC

Hey everyone! I just noticed the new Spongebob Squarepants set The Flying Dutchman over at www.spielwaren-hegmann.de. Check it out here. I know we were all hoping for a POTC Flying Dutchman, but I have to say, I'm in love with this little set. The tiny pirate ship is adorable, and there are new hats and other fun accessories. All you have to do is take out the Spongebob figures and you have yourself a pretty nice little pirate set. It's a nice treat in a year that may not have any Pirates/POTC sets. What do you all think? [bloggedcp][/bloggedcp] TC

I really love the Flying Dutchman set; it's one of the best Pirate sets we've seen in awhile...too bad it's Spongebob. Oh well, I still want it for my birthday... TC

Hi, I would be very interested in the position. I'm Adrick, a fluent English speaker and writer. I've written a few articles for classic-pirates in the past. I've been contributing Star Wars book reviews to TheForce.Net on a regular basis for several years now. (You can check out links to the reviews here.) I've had a story commissioned for Starwars.com's (now defunct) Hyperspace section. It was called "Death in the Slave Pits of Lorrd". I've also had some experience with Photoshop. TC (Adrick)

Great review! This set has nostalgic value for me: it was the first BIG LEGO Pirate ship we ever owned. Sure, it's easily the least well-executed (although I do like the action features), and I even knew that at the time...but for once all our Pirates could fit on one ship. ;) TC

This comic also appeared in the LEGO club magazine, at least here in the states. I'm a little disappointed that the smaller bagged sets, like this minifigure and the mini Black Pearl, haven't made their way over here yet. I really want another POTC set, but I don't want to buy the big expensive ones just yet... TC

I wouldn't rule out time travel...perhaps he had some adventures with Dr. Cyber and Timmy and got dropped off in the 21st century? Or perhaps time doesn't pass on Dino Island, which is why the dinosaurs are still there, and Jake was stranded on the island back in the 20's? Or perhaps he's a modern-day descendant of Jake's...I think the Atlantis backstory had a character with a 1920's era adventurer ancestor... :) TC

It was certainly clever of those viking-pirates to build their base on Scurvy Island; no one would want to look for pirates there... I don't know whether to or when I see one of the greatest pirate sets ever made ripped off like that. But there's a lot that's funny about these fakes. The original Pirates line was anachronistic, certainly, but Viking pirates wielding assault rifles? Soldiers in inexplicable top hats? It's a strange world these people live in... TC

Hey everyone, Mister Phes has been kind enough to host some more scans I've made of early LEGO Pirate material in my collection. This time we're taking you all the way back to 1989, the first year of the Pirates, with the Summer 1989 issue of Bricks 'N Pieces, the official magazine of the UK LEGO Club. It's pretty cheesy, but very fun. Don't miss: A short Pirate comic Hilarious brick-built Pirate accessories A giant size Forbidden Island Cool Pirate gear <div style="width: 400px; background:#F8E2BA; padding: 10px 2px; margin: 5px auto; border: 1px solid #D1B98F;">Check out the Magazine Scans</div> Stay tuned, because I'll be making more scans the next time I'm at home! TC

Woodhouse as a character doesn't seem to have been introduced in the U.S. at all. Broadside is mentioned on the North American boxes of the Imperial Guard era sets as well. So it's not just this comic--the entire U.S. was the strange exception. I was excited to find out that he'd been a different character online--I love seeing the cast of characters in the Pirate theme expanded!

Well, it took some doing, but I finally found the June issue, and the last part of this comic. Phes has been kind enough to post the scans from it here. Just scroll all the way down to read the last part, and to check out the collector cards that came with the magazine. Thanks again to classic-pirates.com for hosting these! It's been great to share them with other fans. Adrick

I sent in an e-mail...got a packet yesterday. It had three sets of the old gold coins. I think I'm going to wait a while before I try again; give LEGO customer service a while to get enough coins in and for their existence to become known...it's okay; I'm patient. TC

Expression of disappointment edited out. Sooooo...when will we know about the mini sets appearing in the US, do you think? Have there been recent examples of UK mini sets that didn't eventually appear in the states? TC

I have the book, and there isn't any new information...Brickbeard remains the only named pirate. :( TC

Sorry, I thought I was careful to stick to what was already in the trailers, if that. TC

...so I'm not sure if I should join in the discussion or not, since I've seen notices to stay "on topic", but unless it's really expected that we not bring conversation here until images of the Pearl show up (which could be a while), I'd like to give my two (shiny!) LEGO cents on the film: I really enjoyed it! There were a ton of fun scenes...the trial, the escape from the King's court, the creepy lighthouse (I want that set now!)...it was a great pirate film, no doubt about it. I particularly enjoyed the mermaid scenes. I was skeptical of the idea of using mermaids, but I really bought them as an enticing but dangerous threat. I'll admit that there were some flaws...it was painfully obvious that the QAR was a redressed Black Pearl, the music felt phoned in, the effects were a little off, and there were a few too many 3-D moments. On the whole, not quite as good as the other sequels, but still worthwhile. I have a feeling I'll be seeing this movie again a few times. On topic, seeing the movie definitely makes me want the sets more...it's all I can do to be patient and not run out and buy them... Also, I wish we'd get some word on when the small sets, the Pearl and Jack's boat, will be making their way to the states. TC

Just a question: do those prices include sales tax? I know some countries include sales tax in their retail prices, but we typically don't in the US--it's totaled up at the register. TC

As I understand it, LEGO has stopped producing the set. It'll still be on store shelves till it sells out, but what's in stock is all there will be. It may not be a good time to rush out and buy the set, but if you think you might want it, it is a good time to start saving up and be looking for a good deal. (20% off, double VIP points, no tax, or what have you...) TC

lol, that's the trouble with work. Work keeps one from playing with Pirate LEGOs, but without work, there'd be no Pirate LEGOs to play with. I just finished assembling my brand-new Isla de Muerta and Captain's Cabin sets. I had to drive all the way to the LEGO store in Austin, but they were totally worth it! I love the Barbossa and Jack figures and the turning globe so much! TC