In the beginning a mighty fortress was constructed to rise above the seas and provide safe haven from treacherous LEGO Pirates. It was named “Eldorado” by it’s original occupants, the Imperial Armada, who were inspired by tales of their ancestors. For when rays cast by the setting sun shine upon the yellow brickwork, it takes on the luster of gold.

Years later Governor Broadside and his blue coat Soldiers were in need of a new stronghold for their base of operations. Eldorado Fortress was far too ideal to pass up, so Broadside concocted a devious plan! He arranged a tequila drinking contest with The Admiral, Don Diego de LEGO, who never shied away from a challenge.  Little did he know Broadside kept substituting his tequila shots with a similar coloured liquid that lacked intoxicating effects – probably best not to ask what that was…

Consequentially Don Diego became very drunk enabling the Soldiers to spring into action and fire him out of a cannon while still wearing his shiney golden curiass. The utterly dismayed Imperial Armada, guards cried “Cannonball Cordoba“, a name much to chagrin of The Admiral, has firmly stuck ever since.

This version of Eldorado Fortress has an extended wharf

LM71Blackbird writes:

Eldorado Fortress. A beloved set the world over by many a LEGO Classic Pirate fan. This recreation expands upon the old revered set and I believe improves some of the play features and design elements. A full brick built and detailed rock formation sits underneath an enlarged an updated version of the classic Bluecoat Fortress of Governor Broadside.

Enlarging the build allows for the ability to move some of the facilities underground in the fully accessible basement which includes a kitchen, storage area, sleeping quarters and prison. Hours of fun can be had recreating moments from your childhood or newcomers creating brand new moments of their own.

The governor remains ever watchful from the high watchtower with his Lieutenant overseeing the handling of the cargo. All the while the pirates are trying to escape from prison!

This model includes approximately 3000 bricks. Includes 8 minifigures and has a full playable interior with removable sections for easy play access.

The fortress now has a nice garden… with free coconuts!

Retains the charm of the original yet offers some nice innovations

What goods can be found in the hold?

It appears a naughty lad has been captured!

Not Familiar with Eldorado Fortress?

6272 Eldorado Fortress was the largest Imperial Soldier set released during the first wave of LEGO Pirate sets, back in 1989. It contained 496 pieces and 8 minifigures, 4 of which were soldier troops, all with the same appearance… it did however, include the more elusive Governor Broadside minifig, who only appeared in one other set, 6276 Caribbean Clipper… and we also get a cameo from Lieutenant de Martinet, or the blue coat commander minfig, if you prefer.

And here be the beautiful original!

About the Builder…

LM71Blackbird has been seen round the traps of the LEGO Pirates Forum for a while now. He contributes regularly to the Brethren of the Bricks game and has shared a generous number of militaristic MOCs, many of which can be found in his Flickr photostream.

Bodi has sent the HRS Leopard to the rescue!  He built this frigate with custom sails for the Brethren of the Brick Seas game – and right now they’re battling it out in the LEGO Pirates Forum! So don’t miss out  action – will the Leopard be enough to strengthen the blockade or will further reinforcements be required?  Join the fun and find out!

Bodi writes:

The Olean fleet has been blockading the Terraversa for months, despite their best efforts, several Corrie and Eslandian ships have managed to pass through the blockade and landed hundreds of troops on that island, complicating the already complex situation.

In response to this show of force, the ministry of the colonies has ordered a couple of new ships to the Eltina Shipyards, where men were working at full capacity since the start of hostility.

Here’s one example of the newly commissioned by la Royale. Built for speed and firepower, this class of new frigates, along with other heavy hitters, will help Oleon to maintain its naval superiority.

2020 was a very generous year for the LEGO Pirates theme with the release of the 3 in 1 Creator set, 31109 Pirate Ship, and Brickybrick’s (Pablo Sanchez) LEGO Ideas submission, 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay. The latter of which introduced a refreshed design aesthetic to the theme and was eagerly adopted by MOC builders, inspiring them to reimagine classic sets, like the 6270 Forbidden Island remake by Elusys Ra Arwal in a similar style.

Kind of like reverse Pokemon…

A year later the LEGO Group has unleashed Vidiyo upon us, a new theme allowing children to not only create their own music videos, but star in them utilising AR (Augmented Reality technology).   So basically, it’s video karaoke taken to the next level… the kiddies film themselves singing and dancing while the free app inserts life-sized minifigs into the live video, complete with a stage from built virtual LEGO elements. In addition, the children can build the stage themselves, select songs and three minifigure band members.  The sets also include printed 2×2 tile called BeatBits, which add effects to the videos once scanned with the app.

Set includes everything you see here…

Apparently, Vidiyo is “Fun, interactive… revolutionary. Get ready to Capture the Beat of Your World!”

Yes, hours of interactive, revolutionary fun for the whole family, or at least it will occupy the kids for a couple of hours before they get bored and move onto something else.

But what’s in it for the AFOLs?

Wave 2 is introducing the set 43114 Punk Pirate Ship, which, from the name, you’ve probably ascertained, is loosely based on a pirate ship.  The set has two builds, the aforementioned ship and a stage upon for the minifigures to shake their booty… that booty being a glass bottle, treasure map and pizza. Yes, pizza – otherwise, how else are we going to get a pizza tile in a pirate set?

Hey it’s the calamari kid on the left!

Each of the minifigs is nautically themed with its own musical instrument; the shark jams on an anchor shaped guitar, the cephalopod pounds the drums while the mermaid plays a merry tune on a  fiddle.

Fantastic! “What great additions to my crew these will make” you may be thinking. Afterall, it’s been a while since we’ve seen sea creature minifigs – they’d be right at home with Davy Jones on the Flying Dutchman.  Ah yes, perhaps not. With their teal and magenta highlights, and the cyberpunk designs adorning the legs and torsos, these minifigs would perhaps clash with your existing crews.

Notice how it’s not a seafood pizza?

Well, it’s kind of a ship….

The ship isn’t really a ship either, it’s more of a barge which stores all the other pieces.  Sure, there’s a brown hull, ship’s wheel, and crow’s nest, but almost everything in between is leftover stage and audio equipment. The skull and shark’s head beneath the crow’s nest is a nice touch, and there’s a lovely clam piece on the bow, so maybe that will be useful for your next under the sea MOC, but overall, the set doesn’t hold up as a bona fide pirate ship.

Spot the familiar faces

Perhaps the biggest highlight (in a classic sense) are the BeatBits. At least two of the tiles depict LEGO Pirates more traditionally, with one resembling Robin Loot firing a cannon and another featuring the Scallywag Pirate from LEGO Minifigure Series 16, riding a surfboard. As for the octopus… unless the cephalopod found in 6240 Kraken Attackin’ can play the piano accordion, we have no idea which creature inspired this particular title.

So, Vidiyo is very much aimed towards children with little regard towards AFOL appeal. That’s not to say a talented AFOL builder couldn’t expand upon what’s on offer and turn it into something half decent. There are some useful pirate themed elements, but for the price, it’s a bit steep for what’s on offer.  Maybe Vidiyo pirates would fit in well with Metalbeard from the LEGO Movie – the Systar Party Crew would love to collaborate!

Would you buy this set? And if you did, would you use it for MOCs or keep it for its intended purpose?

Where to buy?

Punk Pirate Ship is available for purchase in the LEGO Shop for £59.99 / €59.99 / US$59.99 / AU $119.99 / CA $79.99. Includes 615 pieces.

Here is a convenient affiliate link if you’re interested in investigating further.

The back of the box will you show how it’s done

Can pirate-themed forts be combined with the Hogwarts Clock Tower? Why would you even want to? What business does the Harry Potter franchise have in the LEGO Pirates universe?

Actually, come to think of it, the Harry Potter theme offers a wealth of pieces which suits the LEGO Pirates theme. So Stoertebricker has answered these questions in this in his latest MOC, El Puerto de Cartagena, and the answer is YES!

Stoertebricker writes:

Bienvenidos a Cartagena!

Lower your anchor, take a bottle of rum and relax from your adventurous voyage through the caribbean sea!

The harbour should reasamble the harbour of Cartagena de Indias which intense impression has burned into my mind after a visit there. The city was one of the first foundations made by the spanish and became one of the connection point for the gold and silver routes. The fortifications of the city have been raided several times until they have been build as strong that no one could conquer them again. In 1585 the famous pirate Sir Francis Drake did so and conquered and looted the city. In the same year the main cathedral was finished, too. So I hope you can see what brought me to this idea.

The harbour consists of 3 parts (by now…):

El castillo:

The fort on the hill could welcome you with a big volley so be sure that you are coming in on a frienndly mission.

It is situated on a rock with a cave underneath to hide some stuff you dont want to bring into the harbour. For pirates a skeleton shows then how they will be threated. The main tower is already been demolished and now converted to a small barrack. In front of the dorr there is a trap door throwing you into the cave. The fortress should be way bigger but for me it works as representing the first corner of the main fort. The doors lead you into the city…

The Colonial Warehouse

With the warhouse I tried to reassamble the famous colonia architecture. I features a fishing gear shop and a warehouse whti a big balcony. From there you can have a nice view on the main square in front of the cathedral…

The Cathedral

The main cathedral looks like a fortification but due to the rich inhabitants it has nice stained glass windows. But these inhabitants do not belive very much in god but more in gold so the altar is filled up with all the treasures stolen from the surrounding natives all around the caribbean.

So come in and take a closer look! The cathedrals has detachable roofs and can be accessed by minfigs on all levels.

Besides the cathedral there is right now the tavern from POTC but it can easily be removed to continue the pier to expand the harbour… (which I hope I can do!)

All in all I hope you enjoyed your stay and be ready to set sail for your next adventour!

– Captain Störtebricker

Fresh out of Havana, VaneStream presents us with a modular fusion, melding a Parisian restaurant with a Pirate-themed hideout. An unlikely combination to be sure, but VaneStream dares… and succeeds in his eponymous creation. After, this is Captain Vane, not just any roughneck pirate, so his hideout requires elegance… and a healthy supply of croissants. Making him the envy of his rivals, as it’s been said, Brickbeard refers to him as “Captain Vain“.

Check out Vane’s Pirate Hideout in the Pirate MOCs forum, a subforum of the infamous LEGO Pirates forum.

VaneStream writes:

I present Aye Rock, Vane’s pirate hideout:

Having accumulated an abundance of riches, Vane has upgraded Aye Rock in the style of his favourite Parisian Restaurant.

What used to be a ramshackle shack is now an impressive baroque palacio, much to the annoyance of rival pirates.

Let me know what you think 🙂

This looks like a mighty fine place! It is far away, but that may prevent unwanted guests.

After quite a long journey, everyone just couldn’t wait to get drunk be more excited to be here!

Where is everyone? Maybe they’re inside  feasting upon delicious food in the restaurant?

The hideout has been established… but will they invite the Soldiers over for brunch?

“Welcome to my Humble Abode” – aye, we all know this abode is not humble!

“Being Pirates” Animated Series

Join Longsocks, Flint and the Captain in a swashbuckling comedy adventure series brought to you via gorgeous stop-motion animation.

“Aye Rock” is featured prominently in the episode, “Battle at Sea” which you can watch right here:

And if that entertains you, subscribe to the VaneStream’s YouTube channel and stay updated when new episodes become available! You’d be a fool not to!

About the Builder…

VaneStream is a regular contributor to the LEGO Pirates and Pirate MOCs forums. Well, maybe not that regular considering animating fantastic brickfilms requires much time and patience.  But he also shares a lot of good content via his Instagram account and Flickr, so treat yourself to more of his creative genius because his photo and video editing skills are superb!