Once again LEGO Pirates have been flung into the sea of obscurity. Now that Coconut Cape has been Crowdfunded there be not a single upcoming pirate BrickLink Design scheduled for production.
We must do something about this atrocity! At once!
Official Announcement
Here be the newly refreshed Designer Program’s official .

The 2028 Wave 1 palette was released 30 June 2026
This webpage be the foundation of knowledge to triumph in the Designer Team’s review and ensure yer designs reach the Crowdfunding phase…
2028 Wave 1 Timeline
Here be the crucial dates for navigating 2028 Wave 1:
New Palette ReleasedJun 30, 2026 |
The start of a new voyage…
Update yer BrickLink Studio software for the for 2028 Wave 1 part palette and then BUILD like yer never built before! |
Open Submission14 Sep —
|
Complete your design and submit it as close to September 14 as possible! This allows around 2 weeks before the final deadline on 28 September at noon Pacific US time to correct any errors preventing your submission from being accepted.
So prepare yer designs to Submit from 14 September. |
Crowd Support11 May —
|
BrickLink members may support the 2028 Wave 1 LEGO Pirate submissions. Your vote supposedly influences the designs selected by the Designer Team for Crowdfunding.
BUT!!! Ensure you’ve integrated yer BrickLink account with yer LEGO.com account if this ain’t already been done! |
Review5 Oct —
|
The Designer Team thoroughly reviews the 2028 Wave 1 submissions and selects five designs to progress to the Crowdfunding (Pre-orders) phase. |
5 Finalists Announced20 Nov, 2026 |
The Designer Team announces the five Finalist designs that will be available for Crowdfunding, so one day you will be able to own some of them.
|
Refinement1 Jan —
|
As soon as the new year dawns, the official LEGO Model Governance and Building Instructions teams work with the finalist designers to prepare their builds for production.
Unfortunately they don’t work with talented graphic designers to prepare classic-style box art for the BrickLink Designer sets. |
CrowdfundingOct 2028 |
This be where your attention is required again!
If yer be a BrickLink member, yer may pre-order up-to 2 BrickLink sets. Designs that receive more than 3,000 pre-orders will enter production, with maximum of 30,000* of each set will be manufactured. * The production limit may fluctuate based on how each design performs. |
Production and ShippingMar 2028 |
The finalised Designer Program sets will be manufactured in the official LEGO factory. Aye, BrickLink sets are official LEGO products. Yer order shall be fulfilled approximately 6 months after the conclusion of Crowdfunding.
Final dates and shipping times are yet to be confirmed. |
2028 Wave 1 Updates
There be some important changes! So be sure to note these in yer log:

Source: Submissions Guidelines
Eligibility
There’s been some grumbling over the same designers being selected as a Finalist across multiple Series, but now Finalists will need to wait an entire year before being eligible again.
Fan designers will be required to wait one year until they are eligible to submit to BDP after being selected as a finalist. For example, a fan designer who is selected as a Finalist for Wave 1 2028 would have to wait until Wave 1 2029 to participate again.
Categories
Now yer can choose two categories for yer submissions… but make sure yer select categories what are true to your design! Or they shall be reassigned:
Model designers can choose up to two categories which fit the model submission. The BDP team reserves the right to remove or replace any categories that do not accurately reflect the model
BrickLink Refreshments
BrickLink must have been getting stale like crackers at the bottom of the barrel after a long voyage because they’ve given it a makeover.
IMPORTANT! Numbering “Series“ to identify release cycles has been superseded by annual “Collections“ divided in three “Waves“… Be sure to absorb the full details:
What Do Yer Think?
Shall we embark on this journey once more and ride the Waves of the Designer Program to unleash old‑school LEGO Pirate brilliance?

Brush up on them guidelines and then BUILD!
Builders
Open Submission for 2028 Wave 1 is between 14 and 28 September, 2026 — but submit yer design as early as possible in case yer need to correct errors!
Open Submission starts:
Buyers
To date, four LEGO Pirate designs have been Crowdfunded, so what be yer thoughts on the BrickLink Designer sets thus far?
Have they succeeded in continuing the legacy of LEGO Pirates? Or are failing to scratch that classic set itch and yer’d rather wait for another retail release like Barracuda Bay or Eldorado Fortress?






































































































































































































