Here’s how it shapes up next to Pirates of the Barracuda Bay…

Do you miss the glory days of LEGO Pirates? Well, if you do, you’re probably really old because it’s been more than three decades since the release of the original pirate sets (yes, the Classic Pirates aren’t afraid to bring home the hard truths!) Anyway, JorstadDesigns has redesigned the classic 6272 Eldorado Fortress to jolt your fading your memories!

“Redesigned” perhaps isn’t correct – he’s completely reimagined it. Awww, heck, it looks nothing like Eldorado Fortress. He’s built a completely new fort and named it “Eldorado Fortress“, because you know, he’s terribly unoriginal at naming MOCs brand familiarity.  This one sees the Imperial Guards replace the Soldiers, and that old bugger, Broadside is nowhere in sight. But don’t worry, it’s made from 100% sustainable authentic LEGO bricks so you can be assured it won’t blow over during the next hurricane.

Complete with hammerhead shark

The Story

“Governor Broadside spent years at his post in Eldorado Fortress, waiting for the expected assault of his nemesis, Captain Redbeard. In his days as Commodore, Broadside was one of the famous few to have turned back Redbeard’s feared naval bombardments, but the notorious Redbeard has been missing for years without a trace. Promoted to Governor but growing old at his post, Broadside has ensured that his fortress is well prepared for any assault – the larder is stocked, the men are rested, and the cannons are loaded. But lately, passing ships have whispered strange new rumors of Redbeard. Tales of a remote island, a stranded ship, a Captain and crew thirsty for revenge setting sail once again… The Governor may be unaware of the secret treasure hidden beneath Eldorado, but he is certain Redbeard will come for Mary Brickless, prisoner of Eldorado for the past five years. Is Eldorado Fortress prepared for whatever threats may come next? Can Broadside return to his role as Commodore and rid the seas of Redbeard, once and for all? Only you can decide!”

It has a modular design to open up the play possibilities!

JorstadDesigns writes:

Introducing Eldorado Fortress, built from 100% authentic LEGO® bricks and the perfect companion to LEGO’s® new Pirates of Barracuda Bay set! Although LEGO® has released some smaller imperial fortresses in the past, none were truly on the scale of LEGO’s® larger castle playsets. The new Pirates of Barracuda Bay set re-inspired us to create a fortress modelled on Caribbean architecture. As you can see, the fortress is named to play on LEGO’s® original Eldorado Fortress (set #6276). The Governor is named after the “Governor Broadside” that shows up in some older LEGO® literature/manuals. The main model uses 2,581 bricks, and the minifigures and accessories add ~150 parts to that.

The model features a watchtower, armory, prison, a secret cave with the hidden treasure of Eldorado, a larder, crew’s quarters, Governor’s room, and a harbor area with defensive cannon emplacements. Our personal favorite feature is the curved wall with three cannons overlooking the water! Everything is modular, allowing easy access to all play features. The prison features an ‘exploding’ wall, the cave is connected via a secret passage with retractable wall to the larder, and a trapdoor connects the larder to the crew’s quarters. More importantly, the set includes five spring-loaded cannons that can be positioned anywhere along the fort walls, allowing for quick defense against raiding pirates!

Instructions are available as a digital download from my website at www.jorstad-designs.com.

The illegal pineapple trade will be brought to an end!

This place is well armed… Oh look! Sea turtle!

“Ok lads, it’s time to sink a ship – load the cannon!”

The Imperial Guards look annoyed because that monkey is about to do something inappropriate with that banana.

The lookout tower is right above the prison so it’s easy to spot pirates escaping.

Every time he blows the bugle the prison wall falls off

Now if only the cannon could rotate a little more that monkey could be blasted out to sea

The monkey has a decent supply of bananas…

You can tell by the flowers he is a very important minifigure

And in the bowels of the fortress is a swimming pool…

LEGO Eldorado Fortress MOC by Kyle Jorstad, on Flickr

He was carrying so much gold, it slowed him down… A LOT!

Blast yer way into the treasure room to get those priceless pumpkins!

The treasure room also doubles as the cellar

It was convenient of them to leave the treasure chest so close to the exit…

“I was down the hold, just passing time”

Nothing like a nap with those cannons right outside your quarters

They’ve taken Jack Sparrow prisoner! (Jack Sparrow minifigure not included)

But Eldorado Fortress Remixed does include everything you see here (except for the title)

About the Builder…

You’ll ocassionally encounter JorstadDesigns (sometimes called Kyle) contributing to the LEGO Pirates Forum on Eurobricks. You can even view all his builds on his personal website or admire his past work on Flickr, there are some quite substantial Star Wars MOCs , if you have a fondness for that galaxy, far far away.

If the Imperial Guards can have a mighty flagship then so too should the Soldiers! After all, Governor Broadside, could not bear to stand Admiral Woodhouse having superiority over the LEGO Pirate Seas. Oh, and for you keen eyed kiddies who observed the blue coat governor minifig on board 10210 Imperial Flagship, that’s Governor Tierney, not Broadside (but we all knew that, right?).

But I digress… so to bridge the discrepancy left by the somewhat (comparatively) diminutive 6272 Caribbean Clipper (not that Kwakly/Baby Teeth didn’t already attempt this), Kolonialbeamter has unleashed “The Royal Flagship” in an effort to bolster the blue coat’s naval forces. Loaded with cannons, containing 2,988 parts, 92cm (36″) in length and 64cm (25″) in height, this vessel packs the wallop the Soldier’s need to get the edge over those who stand (errr.. sail) in their way!  Here’s looking at you Captain Brickbeard!

And if you’d like to see this ship as part of your fleet, support it on LEGO Ideas. Actually, you cannot support this submission because it’s already expired.

Kolonialbeamter writes:

I started this project with a specific intention – to design a multi deck vessel that can be both – a LEGO set-like looking ship that’s fun to play with, and a decently realistic shelf model of a true ship-of-the-line. And all of this had to fit in the LEGO Ideas framework, specifically it had to contain 3000 parts or less.
No easy undertaking, and I’ve failed to come up with something that I liked a couple of times over the past years. This design now, however, I think it quite does it. Sure, it might not be playful enough to some, and not realistic enough looking to others, and then there’s the fact there are only stud-shooters instead of ye olde LEGO cannons… But I hope the compromise I found is appealing to at least some of you; and that it proves that ships-of-the-line can be done as sets by LEGO.

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This could have been yours – if only you had supported it on LEGO Ideas!

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Some decisions I took along the way:

• Use stud shooters instead of spring powered cannons (boo-ing noises in the background) But hear me out – let’s face it, no single set will ever contain that many classic cannons. So the Royal Flagship features easy to remove stud shooter based custom cannons that can be fired from outside the ship, but that can also as easily be replaced by your good old spring powered cannons – if you got enough of them, the space is there!
• Almost no interior, except for the captain’s cabin. This decision was simply based on LEGO Ideas’ 3000 parts maximum. Feel free to fill the decks with whatever you would like to see though – there’s enough headroom for minifigs to be placed on all decks!
• Relatively simple hull shape, little tumble home, no string rigging. Due to the modular approach, I just couldn’t come up with anything more ornate/fancy/complicated – if you have some suggestions, however, feel free to elaborate!

The Royal Flagship was very well received during last year’s Bricks @nd Friends exhibition in Cologne; kids especially seemed to like the firing mechanism pretty well – we literally had a blast  Let’s see if I can take the ship to a few more exhibitions this year – if Corona permits.

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Features:

• the ship’s length is 92cm, and it measures 64cm in height,
• part count – including minifigures – is 2988,
• all decks are minifigure accessible, meaning they are high enough for the crew not to bump their heads,
• the ship is modular – vertically it can be divided into three sections, and horizontally each deck consists of four modules that can be removed individually,
• all mechanical play features can be controlled from outside the ship:
  • all guns can be fired – two broadsides with 21 stud-shooter based custom cannons each, plus some more on the quarter deck, plus two six-barrel stud-shooter chase guns,
  • the anchors can be hoisted,
  • the ship’s wheel controls the rudder.

About the Builder…

Kolonialbeamter, whom you may also know as Jens Fischer, has been sailing around the LEGO Pirates Forum for quite some time, occasionally deploying mighty ships with naval prowess. He also has a Flickr stream in which you can observe more of his  wonderful colonial creations along with some forays into the realm of LEGO Castle.

Welcome to the resort! We offer luxury 5 star accommodation in our exclusive bungalows where the dolphins swim right up to you and spit water in your eye…  well, until the tide comes in, and then your LEGO Pirates have their own private indoor swimming pool! But if they don’t like to swim, they can stay in the castillo… which is only 6 times the price! Did I say “castillo”? I meant “castle” – the Imperial Armada built it you see, hence the Spanish influence in the design.

Let’s give another nod to NOD, who has been working hard behind his computer, assembling digital bricks to bring us “Playa de Palma Resort”.  One of many great locations you can visit in the  Brethren of the Brick Seas forum!

NOD writes:

Artisan: Royal

Many immigrants came to Poppy Port through the Terraversa War. No taxes! This made Poppy Port bigger quickly. All people are free!

Welcome at the “Playa de Palma Resort”!

The Sea Rats do not have a king and queen. Here the guest is not king or queen. In a complaint, a coin is tossed. If heads the resort wins, if there is a number the guest loses. There are not enough stars to rate the Playa de Palma Resort. That’s why we give ourselves 1 comet! It goes without saying that 1 comet outperforms all other stars hotels.

4 bungalows at the beach, 4 rooms on the 1st floor by the castle, 4 rooms on the ground floor by the castle, 4 rooms by the tavern. Each room is 16 x 16. Every room has a window. Candles and lanterns are charged separately. Beds for children in the room have to be paid additionally.

There is a restaurant. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included for guests. Drinks must be paid.

Some children have built a castle on the beach. Really a very nice castle!

The sandy beach is very popular. There are free fruits. Very often dolphins swim by.

There is a check-in after the bridge. Pirates, Patriots Attentive residents control the incoming. Any rabble is immediately thrown into the sea.

There are positions with cannons on the sea side of the castle. Entry to the castle is also controlled.

This settlement is mainly financed by seafarers and explorers. These find doubloons, goods and rich people who absolutely want to donate something.

Guests from other factions are also welcome. It really is a very great honor. These are given preferential treatment (they are allowed to pay more for everything).

Nobles and important people from other factions are very welcome. Of course, they get a discount (they are allowed to pay much more for everything).

The inside view from the buildings is in progress.

About the Builder…

NOD has contributed a lot of great builds to Eurobricks, mainly digital, and mainly in the Brethren of the Brick Seas forum where he supports the ongoing story. Check out his Eurobricks Profile and his Flickr Stream to see more of his builds, particularly if you’re a fan of the digital builds.

Pirate themed designs have NOT been made available for crowdfunding via the BrickLink Designer Program.

Are LEGO Pirate fans gonna take this sitting in deckchairs, sipping on Mojitos?

NO! We’re going to stand up and fire the cannons because BrickLink would love YOUR feedback on this matter.

They are requesting feedback for the Designer Program in their forum so you can inform them of the tremendous mistake they’re making… and the untold riches they’re depriving themselves of!

So crew, you know what to do!

Fire away at that forum!

But do so in a respectful and constructive manner.

Classic Themed Designs made available for the 2021 crowdfunding.
In order from Left to Right, Top to Bottom:
“Castle in the Forest”, “Space Troopers”, “1950’s Dinner” and “Brickwest Studios”

YARR… but What be this?

Earlier this year the BrickLink Designer Program extended an invitation to crowdfund designs created by LEGO Ideas 10K Club members that were previously rejected for production. In each of the three rounds of crowdfunding, the first five projects that reach the minimum threshold of 3000 pre-orders will be realized as official LEGO sets.

Of the 31 designs selected, designs from classic themes including Castle, Town, Space and even Western (to an extent) were made available, yet Pirate designs were completely absent! Aye, completely snubbed!

The official information states:

Why are some of the unrealized LEGO Ideas projects not invited?

Considering the maximum number of sets we can produce, only 32 31 projects were selected among all the unrealized LEGO Ideas projects. No IP-based models are invited to the program as they cannot be produced through this program.

Who will be invited?
Select designers whose project(s) acquired 10,000 votes on LEGO Ideas, but were not approved for production, will be invited to participate in this Designer  Program. Unfortunately, IP-based designs will not be eligible for the Designer  Program, in addition to a few other projects that we know we unfortunately can’t  realize. The LEGO Ideas team will first contact the designers from January, and  then the BrickLink team will proceed with the onboarding process for participating designers.”

Beyond that, no specific explanation has been provided as to why our dear Pirates have not appeared!

This led some to speculate the production of 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay and 31109 Creator Pirate Ship was the cause of the omission, particularly because the LEGO Ideas terms (during early 2020) stated new submissions based on the pirate ship concept would not be accepted. Dubious, considering pirate-themed submissions not based upon ships were also waived for consideration.

Apparently these have no affect on the BrickLink Designer Program…

Furthermore, in the time since, LEGO Ideas 21325 Medieval Blacksmith and Creator 31120 Creator 3-in-1 Medieval Castle were released, yet at least three Castle designs made the crowdfunding cut, perhaps squashing that theory like an obnoxious bug under a hammer…  unless… there is a double standard for LEGO Castle.

Others speculated more optimistically, choosing to believe the absence was attributed to a wave of new LEGO Pirate sets sailing over the horizon in the near future.  Certainly wishful thinking, but if the business strategy determined during the early 2010’s is still in place (I.e. a new wave of Pirate sets released every 5-7 years), we are indeed due for a fresh wave within the next 18 months.

Or perhaps it’s because pirates won the poll for the 90th anniversary LEGO set and crowdfunding pirate designs would undermine future plans.  However, the result of that poll is being kept under tight wraps so we won’t know the outcome until 2022.

Possibly the next pirate-themed LEGO set… or maybe just a regular LEGO set.

Muddying the waters further, “Ray the Castaway” by DadiTwins recently won (June 2021) the LEGO Ideas “Do You Want To Go to the Seaside?” contest perhaps dispelling the polling ponderance. Although, it could be argued that, Ray isn’t strictly pirate themed and could be foolishly marketed as a general set. Let’s also consider Ray will be a “Gift With Purchase”, so he won’t be available to the causal buyer, unless he appears on the secondary market via platforms like eBay or BrickLink. This will likely limit his availability limited and render him expensive to those daring to acquire him outside of LEGO.com.

These are the 10K designs you’ve been deprived of!

Why is this such a big deal?

There were four Pirate themed LEGO Ideas submissions which reached 10K supporters during the cycle in which the designs were selected for the program:

“The Fortress – Imperial Army” by Piraten

“Caribbean Clipper” by Babyteeth

“Seagull Bay Lighthouse Imperial Fortress” by Delusion Brick

“Imperial Island Fort” by BrickHammer

You’ll observe they all fly the blue coat Soldier’s flag so this may indicate a reasonable demand for this sub-theme among AFOLs.

Danish designer, Piraten (Brian Steffensen Vestergaard) was interviewed by the LEGO Ideas Team after “The Fortress” reached 10K in support… but apparently this level of acknowledgement still isn’t sufficient to warrant an invite to the BrickLink Designer Program. Further adding to the concern, Piraten reported in April 2020, various Imperial themed LEGO Ideas submissions were being rejected without a clear explanation.

Apparently Caswell Point overlaps with Pirates of Barracuda Bay too much!
(Aye, but only after 5 glasses of rum)

The explanation Email he received doesn’t make the cut, given he submitted an Imperial themed design:

What can I do to help?

BrickLink is asking for feedback on the Designer Program so give it to them!

Go to the Bricklink forum and/or the BrickLink Designer Program Round 1 announcement. Mention you notice LEGO Pirates are missing and tell them you want this rectified in the future…

But respect the forum rules or else!

Or, if you’d prefer to discuss with the Classic Pirates in the LEGO Pirates Forum, hit the red button below:

The LEGO Group is putting “Pirate” in the “P” of VIP with a new value pack titled “40515 Pirates and Treasure”, along with three other value packs; “40512 Fun and Funky”, “40514 Winter Wonderland”, and “40513 Spooky”.

Few details have been released beyond the names and set numbers, therefore, availability or VIP point requirement remains unknown, so bookmark this page and check back regularly for updates.

The Value Pack is basically an assortment of useful Pirate themed elements which include staples like; a map, Jolly Roger flag, parrots, shark, palm leave, skeleton, cannon, treasure chest… and a chicken… yes, a golden cock to be precise!

These parts could be extremely valuable to aspiring LEGO Pirate MOC builders, or used in conjunction with future set releases, like “Sailing Ship Adventure” (or whatever the final name is ends up being).

Imagine this as a LEGO Pirate set… or maybe even Admiral Woodhouse’s sloop…

For those who are unaware, “Sailing Ship Adventure” by Yc_Solo (rumoured to be released under the name of LEGO 40487 Dream Holiday  officially released as 40487 Sailboat Adventure) is a modern recreational sailing vessel submitted to the “Build that holiday into THAT holiday!” Contest hosted by the LEGO Group during 2020. As the winning entry, it will become a LEGO Gift with Purchase set, so don’t except to encounter it on store shelves. But if you happen to acquire another 21322 LEGO Ideas Pirates of Barracuda Bay, a smaller pirate ship certainly won’t go astray… so the magic of these add-ons could easily transform a yacht into a fully-fledged pirate ship. Or if you have the parts, maybe this vessel has potential as a smaller ship for your Soldiers or Imperial Guards.

Now officially known as “40487 Sailboat Adventure”

Crude scans of the old Pirate Service Packs

Older AFOLs may also recall the LEGO Group released “Service Packs” throughout the 90s which were similar to these Add-On Packs, albeit not quite so generous with the part count. BrickLink and Pick A Brick may have rendered part assortment packs somewhat redundant, but the prospect of being able to acquire a bundle of piratey goodness is still pretty exciting, isn’t it?

Alright me hearties, clock up of those Very Important Pirate points and then you’ll be able to kit out your regular, boring-old LEGO sets in true pirate fashion!

So while you wait for Ray the Castaway to become available, ask any questions or share yer findings in the LEGO Pirates Forum…

All hands on deck – another well armed vessel constructed by Sebeus I is approaching! A barque so fearsome, even the mightiest Soldier and Imperial Guard frigates take caution when they sight her on the horizon.

Inspired by historical ships like the Lady Washington and HMS Bounty, The Spectre boasts custom sails and rigging, even if Sebeus does consider the colour scheme to be somewhat dull.

At full capacity she runs 24 guns, a series of 12-pounders on the main deck and a few 3-pound swivel guns on the quarter.

Sebeus writes:

Ever since I got the Queen Anne’s Revenge, which was almost 10 years ago, I’ve been wanting to build a dark brown hulled ship. I had to wait for various plates and slopes to become available in this former rare colour. Now I have plenty… Some dark brown jumpers would have made my life a whole lot easier though…

She’s a barque although I did not fit any square sails, these might come later.

This could very well be my 50th ship although I can’t be sure because I lost my archive when Mocpages.com went down.

At full capacity she runs 24 guns, a series of 12-pounders on the main deck and a few 3-pound swivel guns on the quarter.

Some of the highlights include zip line handles and Harry Potter wands used in the rigging.

I’m glad I finally got this thing posted, I was beginning to think that I was going to be stuck in lost WIPs and unfinished creations forever.

Something that may catch your attention, or better yet, not at all, is that she’s not all that fancy. No galleries or ornaments and a pretty dull colour scheme. Yep, ships like that existed too and they were much greater in number. One might get the wrong impression that the fancy, decorated warship was the common one, looking through the Classic Pirates archive. On that note, a fancy decorated warship does look nicer on display.

My main sources of inspiration where the Lady Washington and HMS Bounty.

This might have been a fast merchant barque, however, a band of pirates found a better use for it…

I’ve been wanting to use those zip line handles on the rigging for ages now, it took me a while to gather such an amount (there are 30 on this ship). I’m satisfied with the effect but It’d be cool to have those in brown or dark tan.

The Harry Potter wands for tying the rigging was another experiment but not really a succes in my opinion. It’s pretty tricky to find a good interface with the ship. I think I’ll go for simple 3L bars with clip plates next time.

Recycling swivel guns and capstan from an older ship… I mean, why change something if it works well?

Hehe, I’ve been using that 12-pounder design for like, forever… Same argument as above!

Well, that was it for now. I might fit some square sails later although I have a lot of other projects going on, it will probably take a while before I give this ship some attention again.

Jeez, so many MOC ships around nowadays, It’s a challenge to stand out.

About the Builder…

Sebeus I… what does the ‘I’ stand for… we once knew but it has long since been forgotten.  Anyway, Sebeus has been sailing around the LEGO Pirates Forum and the Brick Seas for years now, periodically launching fantastic ships MOCs right at us. He also has a photostream on Flickr should  you be so inclined to divulge further into his work – he’s more than just a pirate, you know?

Evancelt has been at it again! And by that we mean he’s built another excellent creation for Brethren of the Seas.  This time a bunch of Imperial Guard officers are guzzling booze and getting wasted in the name of Corrington and the Queen… and all that. Oh look! they even have humble pie too.

So swing by the LEGO Pirates Forum and they might share their pie with you.  They might not. You won’t know until you get there.

The Story

A Terraversan peace agreement had been reached with Oleon, and a large portion of the Corlander expeditionary forces stationed in Westface were beginning to withdraw to points across the Brick Seas.

Colonel Allcock had decided to stay in Westface with the remaining soldiers for the time being to assist L’Olius in establishing the new Commonwealth, and to justify the free trade agreement Corrington enjoyed with the new state.

Before the commanders of the departing forces set sail, Allcock invited them to the inn where he kept rooms to share in a celebratory toast and meat pies.

In attendance were Colonel Allcock, Major Brickford, Lord Spud, Don Isaac Montoya, Captain Brickleton, Captain Cooke, and Captain Redding

Colonel Allcock led a toast: “To the new Commonwealth of Terraversa! To the Queen! To Corrington!”

Evan writes:

OOC: Wanted to try a build with dark brown accents – hadn’t tried that before

Licensed as a large artisan in Westface

About the Builder…

Evancelt is a prolific builder who has earned the special MOC Expert tag for his contributions to the Eurobricks Forums. Evan is a regular contributor to both the LEGO Pirates MOC Subforum and Brethren of the Brick Seas, constantly impressing audiences with his unique and often humourous creations. Oh, and he’s prestigious enough to have his own website too, so spare a few moments to check that out as well as you can learn about all cool Duplo pirate ships which have been released over the years.

Remember that nice little tavern down by the lagoon? The one with the lockup right next door… should any scallywags become rowdy and need accommodation for the night. Decades later the Soldiers still frequent that fine establishment when they’re not on duty, but you’ll find its undergone a considerable amount of refurbishment.

6267 Lagoon Lockup from 1991 is a set which been reimagined dozens of times (like this), this remake was constructed by Master0889. It features all the trappings of the original but with a tan decor and utilises the modern Soldier and Pirate minifigs… oh and modern animals too!  Because you know how blasted seagulls gather when they sense a morsel of food might be on offer.

The gulls are hoping someone can spare them some fries

Master0889 writes:

Hello Pirates Fans!

I wanted to show you my latest project – Lagoon Lock-Up Remake. What do you think about it?

The gardener has reduced work hours so you’ll notice the place has a lot more greenery now.

What’s he doing up there? Don’t try to get past security!

New to LEGO Pirates?

Perhaps you were just a twinkle in your parents’… or even grandparents’ eye when the original Lagoon Lockup was released in 1991.  It was the medium-sized blue coat Soldier set, between 6265 Sabre Island and 6276 Eldorado Fortress which sat around the $30-$50 price point (depending upon region and currency). It contained 187 pieces and 5 minifigures. A notable inclusion is the red striped sail which only appeared in this set. It was discontinued after 1993 and was superseded in 1995 (the Indigo Islanders stole the scene in 1994) by the red coat Imperial Guard set,  6263 Imperial Outpost.

Photo of the original box art of 6267 Lagoon Lockup taken by Boomchil

If you’re interested in learning more about Lagoon Lockup read the comprehensive review in the LEGO Pirates Forum.  It has a wealth of information and photos of box the set and glorious box art.

In the old days they used to put alternate builds on the back of every box

About the Builder…

Master0889 is an occasional contributor to the LEGO Pirates Forum on Eurobricks… maybe not occasional enough but we’ll take what we can get!🤣

You can check out more of his great builds on his LEGO Ideas profiles and if you really like them, stop by his Flickr profile. You’ll be glad you did!