TalonCard

And a lovely hat it is. Too bad it wasn't used in more sets, (although it was in that awesome Pirates parts pack you used to be able to order.) The first time our family finally got a Broadside figure, in the Imperial Flagship, it was mispackaged with a standard skull-and-cross-bones hat! The horror! 'course, it was only later that we learned it wasn't Broadside at all, but Woodhouse. ;) TC

It's true that the SES blows every other ship in the theme out of the water, in terms of size, appearance and plastic firepower. That said, the BSB has some nice features the SES doesn't, such as the deck plates running over the cannons (effectively adding an additional level of play space), the grandness of the cabin (it's HUGE! and all those awesome windows!), actual wheels on the cannons, a better figurehead, and, of course, the complete lack of huge skull and cross bones on the sails. The SES has other features that the BSB doesn't, true, but add to that my nostalgic memories of the '90 and '91 pirate catalogs and the fact that the 2002 re-release of the BSB made a childhood dream come true, and you have a completely biased vote for the BSB. The Renegade Runner is far superior to the Cross Bone Clipper. It's like LEGO wasn't even trying anymore when they made that set. TC

Probably #1 if you also have the Eldorado Fortress with another Broadside figure. #2 if you don't. ;) I was really excited to get my first Broadside figure. The soldier commander chap just doesn't have his commanding presense. :) TC

>Doesn't this suggest that Governor Broadside is not a part of CC's crew? He is in the set... Strange...< I'd say that he does not command the Caribbean Clipper/Sea Hawk on a regular basis, no. As Governor, one would assume he had far too many shore based duties for that. Perhaps in this case he came aboard as a passanger, in order to make sure that the treasure was recovered safely. Clearly, he's a hands on kinda guy. TC

Here's one from another recent acquisition, the Caribbean Clipper (this is REALLY cool, because I NEVER had this set when I was young): Somtime during the 18th century...(etc) The gold the settlers found on a neighboring island needed to be transported back to their Fortress so that it could be kept hidden from the Pirates. The crew aboard the Caribbean Clipper was called to action. Their task was to return the gold safely to the Eldorado Fortress at whatever cost. Once they reached the Fortress, Governor Broadside would take over and find a safe place to hide the gold. The crew was a group of very proud men. They would not let anything or anyone come between them and the gold. The Pirates, however, had other plans... Use your imagination...(etc) Classic Pirates rule! TC

I've always wanted to see ALL of the pirate sets together...but I won't be able to come. :( So I'll have to hope for lots of pictures! ;) The family rate is pretty reasonable; that's nice to see. TC

I'll post some when I can track down all the sails. The Armada Flagship, Red Beard Runner, and the Renegade Runner are my biggest concerns; they saw heavy play use and at one point I attempted to put their sails in the washing machine (NOT recommended; they came out even more tattered, albeit very clean). Has anyone tried hand-washing their sails? The BSB is in better shape, actually, it just looks bad as it is very, very dusty. I bought that one as a reissue in 2003 (a childhood dream coming true at last!) and I was VERY careful with the sails. I applied some kind of protective anti-fray solution (can't remember what; I'll have to find out) right after I built the model. The sails seem a little faded (I unwisely displayed it under a window for a few years) but this may just be the amount of dust on them. The front sail is very wrinkled, though, and I can't wait to iron it out so it looks better. Do I use the lowest possible setting? I might try putting it inbetween some towels or shirts to avoid burning; I wonder if that would work... Thanks for the whitening tips; they should be very useful in cleaning up the Armada and Soldier sets. I'll dig up an old toothbrush for scrubbing. Now; how about those printed pieces? Maps, flags, minfigs, Sabre Island walls... Should I avoid soaking those? TC

Hi all, Well, I'm finally getting around to cleaning up my old pirate sets (my poor BSB in particular is looking quite shabby) and I wanted to pick up some tips on brick and sail cleanin. Is there any way to even partially restore yellowed white pieces? What's the best way to wash sails? I also noticed someone mentioning ironing the front sail in order to keep it from sagging. Does it help? Should I use a particular setting to keep it from burning? I'd really appreciate any and all help I can get! :) TC

I've got a Forbidden Island in beautiful condition that I'd love to show off... :) TC

I just managed to obtain a Forbidden Island in absolutely AMAZING condition; I'm really pleased with it. More on that later. As a bonus, it came with the original box. Here's the text: The Adventures of the LEGOLAND Pirates of the Sea Forbidden Island Sometime during the 18th century, a peaceful colony of settlers enjoying the island treasures they discovered, suddenly had there serenity interrupted. The invaders were those who called themselves the LEGOLAND Pirates of the Sea! For years, the Pirates had been searching for the same buried treasures that the settlers were now claiming as their own. This, of course, disturbed the Pirates as they knew the doubloons (Spanish gold coins) the settlers found had belonged to their ancestors. Forbidden Island was named by the settlers because to them it was forbidden. It was the island where only pirates could live. It was there that Captain Red Beard and the other buccaneers made plans to "steal" the gold from the settlers. Little did the pirates know, however, that the settlers had Governor Broadside guarding the gold and that they would have to deal with him first if they wanted it. The Governor lived for the day he would have to defend the Eldorado Fortress and the gold. What he did not know was that the day of confrontation would be coming soon... Use your imagination to continue The Adventures of the LEGOLAND Pirates of the Sea! TC

Look at the cannon ports, though--it's got 16 on each side! The scale is much bigger. TC

I've posted a scan of the map from Will and the Gold chase over in the Library thread. I'll follow up soon with the Darkshark's crew page, and the Mania Magazines. (It's high time I scaned those magazines in--they're falling apart! :( ) TC

As promised! Note the Ironram ship, never produced as a set. Pretty impressive, huh?

Maybe not. I found this on Wikipedia: The name "Spanish dollar" was used for a Spanish coin, the peso, worth eight reals (hence the nickname "pieces of eight"), which was widely circulated during the 18th century in the Spanish colonies in the New World. The use of the Spanish dollar and the Maria Theresa thaler as legal tender for the early United States are the reasons for the name of the nation's currency. However, the word dollar was in use in the English language as slang or mis-pronunciation for the thaler for about 200 years before the American Revolution, with many quotes in the plays of Shakespeare referring to dollars as money. Spanish dollars were in circulation in the Thirteen Colonies that became the United States, and were legal tender in Virginia. Coins known as dollars were also in use in Scotland during the 17th century, and there is a claim that the use of the English word, and perhaps even the use of the coin, began at the University of St Andrews. This explains the sum of 'Ten thousand dollars' mentioned in Macbeth (Act I, Scene II), although the real Macbeth upon whom the play was based lived in the 11th century, making the reference anachronistic. Interesting stuff, if true. I already knew about the dollar being derived from Spanish currancy, but the rest is new to me. Thank you so much for posting the story--it fits right in with what I'm planning. :) TC

Thanks, Dreamweb! I'm basing the first story heavily on information I barely remember from the Flagship box--it'll be nice to see if it actually says what I remember it said back in '93. TC

True. It made even less sense when they changed the name for the comic, since he's not drawn with a beard at all! *wacko* Fortunately, these names aren't mutually exclusive: obviously Red Beard isn't his real name. So just as Blackbeard was really Edward Teach (or Thatch) Red Beard is really Roger. There is still the Darkshark vs. Black Seas Barracuda issue, though... TC

More important, I think, is that both the blue and the red flags have the same crossed cannon/crowns on them. It's pretty clear that LEGO intended them both to be on the same side, since the catalogs show sets like Lagoon Lock-up near the Imperial Trading Post, and Governor Broadside of the blue soldiers has been linked to the Imperial Guard-era sets. Which side that is, is up for debate. In my mind, it's pretty definite that the two forces are allied, and that rather than being definitely French or British, they are from an unspecified Lego equivelent of England or another country in Europe, and aren't intended to be any more historically accurate than the coat-of-arms in the castle sets. Of course, some of this stems from the fact that I don't have enough Imperial Guards or soldiers to stand against all the pirates on their own... :-D But, as always, the great thing about Lego is that you can make whatever you want out of it! TC

I won a Rock Island Refuge on Ebay recently (Great find!), and have been having trouble getting it. First the guy accidentally declined my PayPal payment because he didn't know how to use it, and now he apparently misplaced the baseplate in a move and is attempting to locate it...sigh. I'm hoping it won't turn into a horrible find. If/when it actually gets here all will be forgiven, of course, but there has got to be a better way to sell on Ebay. If I were selling Legos, I'd make darn sure that I'd clean all the bricks, take pictures, and have them ready to go as soon as the payment went through. TC

Yeah; I don't know why I liked the story element so much as a kid, but I did. There was something about being able to indentify Red Beard as Red Beard and not "the pirate captian", and that the ships actually had names. For some reason I didn't really give names to characters if they didn't already have them. We had the Playmobil pirate sets also, but the ship was always "the playmobil pirate ship" and we had "the lady pirate" and "the pirate with the hook" and "the cabin boy"...I was such a strange child... :-D

Ska and Phes, thanks for sharing the box text. For comparison, here's what I found on my Lagoon Lock-Up box: The Adventures of the LEGO Pirates of the Sea Lagoon Lock-Up During the 18th century, a peaceful colony of settlers enjoying the island treasures they discovered, suddenly had their serenity interrupted. The invaders were those who called themselves the LEGO Pirates of the Sea! For years, the Pirates had been searching for the same buried treasures that the settlers were now claiming as their own. This, of course, disturbed the Pirates, as they knew the doubloons (Spanish gold coins) the settlers found had belonged to their ancestors. Gold seeking pirates had become such a problem for Governor Broadside and the other settlers that they were forced to strengthen many of their existing settlements. One such fortification was the Lagoon Lock-Up. Prior to the invading Pirates, this peaceful establishment was an inn of sorts for the settlers to grab a bite to eat and relax. It has now been fortified to protect the lagoon and to hold captured Pirates for questioning. Governor Broadside is determined to protect the gold which he and the settlers have hidden at the Eldorado Fortress and Sabre [sic] Island. The Pirates, however, have their own plans for the gold and they don't include sharing it with the settlers! Use your imagination to continue the adventures of the LEGO Pirates of the Sea! Later, the American boxes began having all their text printed in English, Spanish, and French, and so the stories got shorter and shorter as time went on, and eventually vanished altogether. :( Well, looks like I've got some scanning to do in the next couple of weeks! In the meantime, here's some images from BrickLink of the magazines I was referring to: Islander Mag (first issue!) http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemPic.asp?B=mn1994win Pirate Mag '95: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemPic.asp?B=mn1995sep Pirate Mag '96: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemPic.asp?B=mn1996mar I love the Adequate review site, but unfortunately the stories are written by the reviewers--they're not from the boxes. The Adventurers ones are my favorites, though. :) What can you tell me about Escape from Shark Island, Phes? The Ironram seems to be more than the Caribbean Clipper on steroids--it's pretty massive. And, for some odd reason, it's got the number "9" on the back... The Islanders reference is on the page with Jimbo and Will in the rowboat: "...that's Old Binnacle's boat. He doesn't come to Port Royal. He sells his fish to the islanders." Commodore: I also noticed the somewhat tame nature of the characters in the books/comics vs. the set descriptions. I'd like to try and reconcile some of these issues in my story. It's true Broadside is a glutton, but when there's treasure to be had, he's ready to take command of the flagship himself. All the descriptions also point to him attempting to maintain law and order in the islands, so he's not really a despot; just a bit ruthless. I see Red Beard (or Roger, if you like) as being pretty unstable, which allows him to be alternately murderous and oafish depending on the situation. This would also make him a pretty feared pirate. Do you still have the pirate books, or are they long gone? TC

Great! I'm from the good 'ol US of A. The Mania Magazine was part of a LEGO club you could join in the US and Canada. I think there's a gallery of old cover scans somewhere on the net... TC

Thanks for the warm welcome! It seems that some background information is in order! The Mania Magazines are what I looked forward to every two months for years. :) It was part of a LEGO club one could join in the US and Canada. They had comics, little biographies for the minifigures, some pretty pathetic MOCs and alternate models...I loved it. :-) They've since been replaced by the Brick Master magazines. I remember that there was a similar magazine before the Mania Mag, so there may be some pirate information to be had there as well. So what does Pirates Perilous Pitfall have to say? :) And how about those Lady Bird books? I've got Will and the Gold Chase. They seem to follow the storyline of the comic, but with more detail. There's a map in the back of the book with some great information! The islands in the Tropical Sea are given names! Sabatina is where Port Royal and the Eldorado Fortress (Fort Sabre) are located, as well as a port called Fenzance (which was a name given to the Imperial Trading Post in some country or other, am I right?) There's also a picture that had me fascinated: a huge Man 'o War called the Ironram--Broadside's ship! I can only imagine what that would be like as a real LEGO set... There's also an interesting early reference to islanders... TC

This is an ancient discussion, but the 1996 Pirate issue of Mania Magazine states that the Armada Admiral was found orphaned as a baby by Islanders. No one knew what his name was, so he's just known as the "Admiral". There was actually a contest to give the Admiral a name, but I don't remember what name ended up winning--I'll have to check my later issues. My favorite? Don DeLego. :-D TC

Hi all! I can't say how pleased I was to find this site! I grew up with LEGO Pirates, so this is fantastic! I'm working on a series of fan fiction stories based on the characters and sets from the LEGO Pirate line. Sort of the "rise and fall" of the Pirate line. I've got a copy of the old comic (a childhood favorite!), the 1995 and 1996 Mania Magazine pirate issues and one of the Ladybird books (which I didn't even know existed until a few years ago!) for background information, but I also remember that the set boxes used to have interesting little stories printed on them: "The settlers had their serenity interrupted by the LEGO Pirates of the Sea!" etc, etc. Sadly, only a few of mine have survived, and I didn't get many of the big sets back in the day. So, I was wondering if anyone here had some intact boxes, and was willing to post the text from them. I'm also interested in any information from old catalogs and Mania Magazines. I know the 1994 Pirate issue featured Islanders, and the Admiral Woodhouse character was never (so far as I know) introduced in the U.S. (he was just Governor Broadside in a new outfit) so I'd love to hear more about that character. I know that there was a two-part series of comics produced as an ad for Disney Adventures around 1993 also. I'd be really grateful if anyone could help me out here, and I be willing to share, I be. ;) I'll post what information I have upon request! :) Looking forward to participating in many Pirate discussions! TC