Delusion Brick is one those 10K Club Members who submitted a Pirate themed MOC (Seagull Bay Lighthouse Imperial Fortress to be precise) to LEGO Ideas, have it reach 10,000 supporters… and then be mercilessly flunked during the review process (infuriating many LEGO Pirate AFOLs no less!)

But this was not the first piratical creation he put forth, back in 2017 he unleashed “Dimension Portal Lighthouse“. In the tradition of Horror of Fang Rock, this build depicts a spooky monolith rising above the sea with ethereal green lights penetrating its misty shroud.

Clocking in at a measly 228 supporters, this submission barely got off the start line, but it sure does make a fitting MOC to share for Halloween.

Starting at the top

Moving down to the middle…

And at the base of the lighthouse is this creepy lighthouse keeper

Delusion Brick writes:

The story talks about a Lighthouse that is not like the rest! It stands like an illuminated ‘door’ for different worlds calling out on the bold that will find him and allow them to take them on a journey in magic worlds.

With its guard holding all the keys for any destination… if you ever get lost, he is the one to find you and bring you back!

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A lovely aerial view of the lighthouse

Make a good set, wouldn’t it? Well too bad! It’s not happening!

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LEGO Ideas

Unfortunately the Dimension Portal Lighthouse did not transcend to the next dimension on LEGO Ideas, after 425 days it only accumulated a paltry 228 supporters. If only the Classic Pirates weren’t in hibernation back in 2017.

This is what happens when you don’t give your support!

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About the Builder…

Delusion Brick is a highly talented digital designer who regularly updates his Instagram and Flickr with new builds. He’s a two-time LEGO Ideas 10K Club Member so visit his LEGO Ideas profile to support his submissions – the Indigo Islander themed The Secret Island of Time could really use your help right now – make King Kahuka proud!

And now it is time to discuss the lighthouse with the Classic Pirates in the LEGO Pirate Forum.

 

UPDATE 5 July, 2022

It has been announced that “Pirate River Quest” is scheduled to open on the 2 November, 2022.

From Bay Area News:

​​​The pirate-themed ride, first announced last year during the park’s 10th anniversary celebration, is scheduled to debut Nov. 2.

The storyline for this family-friendly attraction will have visitors searching for Captain Redbeard’s lost treasure as they hear the tales of a rowdy pirate crew. The attraction will also feature a character named Calico Jade as well as flamingos, monkeys and a kraken.

Pirate River Quest will travel along Lake Eloise in the historic Cypress Gardens area.

Legoland plans to share “behind the bricks” moments about the attraction on its social media channels leading up to opening day.

Calico Jade? Who be this? And does this mean we’ll be getting a flamingo in LEGO form some time in the future?

A Kraken be Attackin’! Is that Calico Jade defending the ship?

Pirates have long been an attraction at the various LEGOLANDs around the world, and LEGOLAND Florida Resort is no exception! while celebrating their 10^th birthday, an exciting new attraction was announced!

Opening in 2022, “Pirate River Quest” takes visitors on a thrilling adventure boat ride with a crew of LEGO Pirates who are eager reclaim their treasure, stolen by a horde of obnoxious monkeys.

Promotional Ad

LEGOLand Florida Resort writes:

Set sail with a rowdy crew of LEGO® pirates on Captain’s orders to explore the murky waters and retrieve the lost treasure, stolen by a troop of mischievous monkeys. Journey through the uncharted waters of the legendary Cypress Gardens and discover the secrets protecting its canals, as this all-new story unfolds brick by brick into a family-friendly treasure hunt.  Adventure awaits you at LEGOLAND® on the Pirate River Quest, coming in 2022.

Have you ever wondered? Did you even know there was a treasure of Pirate River?

Transcript of all titles in video:

Have you ever wondered about the treasure of Pirate River?

Well it’s real Just as real as its treacherous surroundings!

And they’re not alone.

Who will be the one to find the lost treasure?

Or will it remain hidden forever?

Treacherous surroundings? Is this ride going to be safe for kiddies? Well, if they don’t go on the ride, they’ll never find the lost treasure, will they? And technically something is not “lost” when it’s stolen… but let’s and leave the nitpicking to the monkeys when they get hungry.

Official Announcement

LEGOLAND Florida General Manager Rex Jackson announced on 16 October 2021, the new Pirate River Quest attraction will open in 2022.

The touring vehicle will be a LEGO shaped boat, because obviously boats are the LEGO Pirates primary mode of transportation. The attraction also pays homage to the park’s history, as the location for the adventure is called Cypress Gardens, the name of the park which was open from 1936 to 2009, before being seized and terraformed into LEGOLAND Florida.

Announcement video courtesy of MouseSteps / JWL Media.

Oh look! The treasure is over there!

Tattooga does not look pleased… and that’s before he’s looked in the treasure chest

For when he does… he discovers the ingredients for a banana split!

Those mischievous monkeys have made off with the treasure and are having a good old laugh!

Robin Loot is ready for action!

Get excited – you’ll be allowed on board next year

Pirate Island Hotel

LEGOLAND Florida Resort already has LEGO Pirates firmly embedded into it’s daily operations, so the River Quest is a welcome extension. If you were planning a visit, you could perhaps consider staying at the Pirate Island Hotel. In a future Blog Post we may dive deeper into what this hotel has to offer, but for now, here are a couple of promotional photos to pique your interest.

Ye auld inn for LEGO Pirates – a place to spend the night without interruptions from Soldiers and Imperial Guards

What an AWESOME room for a 5 year old LEGO Pirate fan!

If you’re interested in Pirates River Quest or the Pirate Island Hotel, check out the official Family Vacation Packages on the LEGOLAND Florida website.

To get discounted tickets visit aResTravel tickets, which is apparently an authorized travel partner of LEGOLAND Florida. But as the Classic Pirates have no affiliation with these merchants, conduct your own due diligence before parting with yer gold.

Ready for the River Quest?

Are you excited to take part in the quest? Have you previously been to LEGOLAND Florida or stayed in the Pirate Island Hotel? Did you spot anything interesting in the promotional video like the new wench minfigure?

Come and discuss Pirates River Quest in the LEGO Pirates Forum!

The Soldiers have launched a new ship! In the long tradition of the Caribbean Clipper, Elephant Knight brings us the “HMS Midway“ contains a robust, brick-built hull and a beautiful color scheme blue and gold yellow colour scheme… everything that is needed to make Governor Hacienda ecstatically happy!

Elephant Knight writes:

I don’t build boats often for the Governors, or Blue Coats if you prefer, but I do on occasion. I actually built this last year, but only just got around to taking photos.

It may be one of my best builds yet, it certainly feels like it to me. I am annoyed at that fact, because it is a governor ship. They are easily the third, maybe the fourth favorite faction of mine. Imperials and Pirates being the top two (Not necessarily in that order) and the Governors and Armada vie for third place.

Tell me what you think!

EKnight

Look at that robust broadside – imagine a volley of lead coming your way!

It would be more convenient if the Jacob ladders extended to the crow’s nest

Steering the ship is not an easy task, but the helmsman is doing a fantastic job!

Due to budget cuts they could only afford a wizard’s hat for the figurehead

Not familiar with Soldiers (Blue Coats)?

Soldiers (Blue Coats) were the original opposing faction to the Pirates, and to this day, remain one of the most popular sub-themes of LEGO Pirates. They have been extremely popular on LEGO Ideas and MOCs based on the sub-theme receive thousands of likes on the Classic Pirates Instagram.

The first wave of sets, which included 6274 Caribbean Clipper, were introduced in 1989 and faded into the horizon after 1993.

6274 Caribbean Clipper – the inspiration for the HMS Midway

The Blue Coats sailed once more in 2015 with a small wave of sets which didn’t really make waves in terms of design, but if Brickhammer’s LEGO Ideas submission, “Imperial Island Fortress” passes review, we could see an impressive set targeted towards the AFOL market in the future. Well, here’s to hoping!

About the Builder…

Elephant Knight is a wise old elephant who has been contributing impressive ships to the LEGO Pirates Forum for years. While his oeuvre boasts many fine ships, he’s not afraid to venture into other genres, especially science fiction.  Yet, all his creations are grounded in reality by being built with physical bricks.

His Flickr Photostream awaits you… or you can hit the red button below to discuss the HMS Midway with Classic Pirates and Elephant Knight himself, in the LEGO Pirates MOC Subforum.

When it comes to fort building, the bastion fort problem has caused quite some trouble for AFOLs across the whole globe (the LEGO Caribbean for that matter). But fear not, for Lord James has submitted an outstanding fortress on LEGO Ideas, one that Green Coats, Red Coats, Blue Coats and Imperial Armada are scared of. It goes by the name of Crown Dominion Fortress.

Officers seem to be discussing the newest wigs

Lord James writes:

It was the Age of Wigs. Mighty empires clashed on land and sea for dominance of the lucrative wig market. After years of stalemate, one ascendant force has gained a tenuous hold over the vital trade routes and constructed their impregnable citadel, Crown Dominion Fortress. The Viceroy and his trusted inner circle have been charged with a solemn duty: to protect the supply of luscious wigs that society desperately needs for work, leisure, and attracting mates. The very fate of the empire hangs in the balance. Yet storm clouds gather on the horizon; their fierce rivals, the Greencoats, will stop at nothing to seize all the wigs for themselves! Now you must choose who will prevail. Control the wig trade; control the world!

Now for the part that reads like a press release:

With its fun play features, innovative design, and historical realism, Crown Dominion Fortress is the perfect addition to any LEGO collection. The striking, angular appearance of this bastion fort is unlike any set that LEGO has ever produced, and the numerous callbacks to classic sets are certain to please. The nine minifigures in this prototype are based on the legendary never-released theme, Europa, which LEGO enthusiasts have been awaiting for decades.

This is more than just a display piece; the building experience is a rewarding challenge, and the structure, consisting of 10 movable sections, is durable and internally well-supported, so younger children can play for hours while the fort remains in good working order. The crane can be positioned to hoist barrels of munitions to the upper levels as well as to pull cannons up the ramp in order to defend the base against Greencoats or any other adversaries imaginable. The fort also includes two jail cells and ample storage areas for stockpiling wigs and other treasures. The roof of the gatehouse can be removed easily to reveal the viceroy’s bureau, containing a handsome pedestal desk and chair, bookshelves, maps, light fixtures, and more.

Technical details:

This prototype contains 2,992 elements (Studio 2.0), around a thousand of which are 1×2 tiles or smaller, so the total volume of the set is reasonable relative to the part count. Many large supporting bricks can be replaced with panels of similar dimensions to reduce the mass without losing any stability. The colors (yellow, white, and bright light orange) are reminiscent of classic LEGO sets as well as real-life forts such as Christiansværn (Christiansted, US Virgin Islands) and Forte de São Tiago (Funchal, Madeira, Portugal). Other historic forts that influenced the design of Crown Dominion Fortress include Castillo de San Marcos (St. Augustine, Florida, US) and Fort Zeelandia (Paramaribo, Suriname).

The foundation is a symmetrical irregular pentagon. The interior sides have lengths of 18 studs (x2), 26 studs (x2), and 31 studs (x1). To save on the part count for the final product, each side can be reduced by the same length and still maintain a uniform, integrated appearance. The five interior angles are each 108 degrees, leaving corner gaps of only 0.25 millimeters or less. The sides of the bastions align with the flanks at 9 degrees from a straight line (171 degrees) to form a consistent outer wall. In the prototype, these sections are not connected, although they can be easily adjoined by 1×2 hinge bricks at the level just below the row of white slopes. Alternatively, to maintain modularity, the sections can be connected internally using holders and sticks or – better yet – with magnets.

Coming in from the rear

Or is this the rear? Which way round does thing go anyway?

That crane is useful for lifting barrels of rum to the upper level

The officers stand round while dueling takes place right behind them

This is how they’re settling their divorce

The cannons are loaded! Hey, that flag looks familiar from somewhere…

What is a Bastion?

It’s a type of fortress which was common in the Caribbean, built most commonly by the Spanish, yet has been rarely seen in LEGO form. So that makes Crown Dominion Fortress exciting, is it’s historically based yet something we’ve never seen released as an official LEGO Pirates set.

From above, fortress appears as a beautiful star

A bastion (also known as a bulwark) is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification (in the image above the curtain wall be the wall furthest from us), most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the flanks being able to protect the curtain wall and the adjacent bastions. Compared with the medieval fortified towers they succeeded, bastion fortifications offered greater passive resistance and more scope for ranged defence as gunpowder artillery became more common. In terms of military architecture, the bastion is one element in the style of fortification which became dominant from the mid 16th to mid 19th centuries.

Wigs… Wigs… and more Wigs…

And now we must examine the most important aspect of any fortress – the wig storage facility.

Look at that colour variety!

This model is a perfect start for anyone’s wig collection!

Support on LEGO Ideas

The project has been active on LEGO Ideas since December 28, 2020 and 10 months later only has only attracted 703 supporters. I know, I know, you might be thinking – how come it’s been almost a year and is yet to garner 10k votes? No one knows the answer to that question, but what we do know is it needs more support. So, get out there and support this eighth world wonder to protect us from Green Coats and the other enemies who are lurking out there!

All the appropriate minifigures. Even some Green Coats have snuck in!

And here they are again wearing hats

About the Builder…

When it comes to MOC building, Lord James isn’t the most active builder on Pirate MOCs subforum but when he does build, he builds the most wonderous things with quite some amazing building techniques.

Lord James has a LEGO Ideas profile on which he has submitted this very same project, also a YouTube channel on which you can see this amazing model’s speedbuild.

If ye have all of a sudden developed thirst for more awesome LEGO Pirate MOCs, then do consider visiting Pirate MOCs subforum and LEGO Pirates Forum!

Two new LEGO books have been announced as part of the Little Golden Books range, and the one we care about is titled: “How to Be a Pirate“.

The Classic Pirates already know how be pirates but for you clueless landlubbers, this book could provide useful advice for mastering the high seas. Or more likely it will be aimed towards children with IQs slightly higher than your average pirate.

Along with the other Golden Book, “How To Be A Knight“, it will be unleashed upon the world 5 July, 2022, according to the Amazon and Penguin Random House websites.

Official Synopsis

A brand-new LEGO® Little Golden Book about using courage and creativity to be a pirate!

Cecilia’s dream of becoming a pirate and sailing the seas comes true when she joins her grandfather’s pirate crew! See what happens in this sweet and silly storybook that’s part of a new line of LEGO® Little Golden Books. The combination of two classics–LEGO Minifigures and Little Golden Books–makes this the perfect book for kids ages 4 and up or collectors of all ages!

Little Golden Books enjoy nearly 100% consumer recognition. They feature beloved classics, hot licenses, and new original stories . . . the classics of tomorrow.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Brick and Knob configurations and the Minifigure are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group. ©2022 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.

A training manual for aspiring young pirates

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Synopsis Analysis

Cecilia’s dream of becoming a pirate and sailing the seas comes true when she joins her grandfather’s pirate crew!

Well now, who might her grandfather be? Have the authors honoured the continuity of past LEGO Pirates literature? Or have they forged their own canon?

Perhaps her grandfather is Roger Redbeard, or maybe it’s Brickbeard… or maybe it’s BOTH! After all, back in 1964 Paul McCartney said everyone is entitled to two grandfathers.
(The correct answer is Metalbeard)

See what happens in this sweet and silly storybook that’s part of a new line of LEGO® Little Golden Books.

Sweet and silly? Silly yes, but “Sweet” is not a word used in conjunction with pirates. So what does that mean? She breaks into a sugarcane plantation and steals all the sugar?

The combination of two classics–LEGO Minifigures and Little Golden Books–makes this the perfect book for kids ages 4 and up or collectors of all ages!

Good thing they added “collectors of all ages” so childless AFOLs don’t feel like losers for buying a booked aimed at 4 year olds.  Oh wait… it does say “and up” with no upper limit specified.

Little Golden Books enjoy nearly 100% consumer recognition.

Nearly 100% consumer recognition? So like 99.99999%? How did they arrive at this figure anyway?

They feature beloved classics, hot licenses, and new original stories . . . the classics of tomorrow.

“Hot licenses”, ay? That almost sounds scandalous!

Pre Orders

“Sweet Jezuz! Where might I get me a copy of this stunning work of literature?” you’re no doubt asking.

Well, here is a list of online retailers that will gladly take your gold:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Blackwells

Books A Million

Bookshop.org

HusonBookerseller.com

Google Play

IndieBound

Kobo

Powells

RHC Books

Target

Wallmart

What are Little Golden Books?

If you’re in that 0.000001% who doesn’t recognise Little Golden Books, first be aware they’re not actually made from gold. So using them as payment for grog over the bar probably won’t work. But definitely try it and let the Classic Pirates know how successful you were.

Pirate themed Golden Books have been done before

Penguin Random House who sell mountains of books, have this small biography on their website:

In 1942, the launch of Little Golden Books revolutionized children’s book publishing by making high-quality picture books available at affordable prices. More than 60 years later, many of the original Golden Book titles are still wildly popular, with The Poky Little Puppy topping the list of ten bestselling children’s books of all time. Golden Books’ backlist is teeming with classics such as Dorothy Kunhardt’s Pat the Bunny, and features the stories and artwork of children’s book legends Mary Blair, Margaret Wise Brown, Richard Scarry, Eloise Wilkins, Garth Williams, and many more. Today, the Golden Books imprint includes an array of storybooks, novelty books, and coloring and activity books featuring all of the most popular licenses, including Disney, Nickelodeon, Barbie, Thomas & Friends, The Cat in the Hat, Sesame Street, Marvel Super Heroes, and DC Super Friends. Golden Books continues to reissue the best of its backlist in a variety of formats, including ebooks and apps, as well as bringing out brand-new books in these evolving new formats.

In short, it says Little Golden Books started out writing children stories based on original characters… but sold out to licensing in the early 21st century.

So who wrote this book, anyway?

Online retailers list “Golden Books” as the author. Now this is probably a brand name rather than the pseudonym of the author, indicating when someone lends their talents to this brand, they become part of the collective. Their identity is irrelevant! So if the story is really good, well too bad! No recognition for the author! But on the flip side, if the story sucks barnacles, the author can save face and say “Hey, that wasn’t written by me, it was those stupid Golden Books who wrote that“.

UPDATE 22/10/2021

New information has become available! Accordingly to Google Books, the book was written by Nicole Johnson and illustrated by Josh Lewis. The ISBN is 0593481089 (eBook) and 9780593481080 (hard cover). It will contain 24 pages and retail for $5.99. Oh, and the recommended reading age is 2-5 years, so the reading difficulty should be suitable for most pirates. Well, at least 67% of pirates.

Haven’t we Seen this Madness before?

Aye, that we have. This is not the first hardcover tie-in. When the LEGO Pirates theme was initially released in 1989, the LEGO Group commissioned Ladybird Books to produce four stories to flesh out the universe.  The books incorporated set and minifigures names found in the UK catalogues and promotional media, but they also mentioned names like “Captain Foul” and the “Ironram” which didn’t have counterparts in the product line.

The inner back cover of each Ladybird book.

Captain Foul as he appeared in the second Ladybird book “Captain Roger’s Birthday”

Were these unproduced concepts in intended for release? Or merely the contribution of the writers? We may never know, but a minifig influenced by Captain Foul’s mustache found it’s way into Minifigures Series 8 released back in 2012. Perhaps a bit of stretch, but maybe these books have a small influence over what came later.

The cover the upcoming Golden Book features a design very similar to the Pirate Girl released in Minifigures Series 20, sans the plume, and the direction of her strap has been reversed.

This is the covers of the four books

In a future Blog Post we may explore these books further, but for now here are the titles if you’d like to do your own digging:

1. Will and the Gold Chase
2. Captain Roger’s Birthday
3. Adventure on Shark Island
4. The Royal Visit

Also, there were two activity books and purportedly three unreleased Ladybird Books, but we’ll save those for another time.

But you can dive into the Ladybird Books topic in the LEGO Pirates Forum right now for further discussion.

Didn’t we See this Madness again?

Nay, not quite. In 2011 a book title “Brickbeard’s Treasure” by Hannah Dolan was released by DK Publishing. Rather than being fully hand illustrated, it utilised photography from the 2009-2010 wave of Pirate sets in, conjunction with artwork found on set boxes and promotional media. In fact, it appears only the story is original, with all visual sbeing repurposed to fit the story’s narrative.

Here be the front cover

The Amazon.com synopsis states:

Join the adventure in LEGO® Pirates: Brickbeard’s Treasure. Follow Captain Brickbeard and his pirate crew as they hunt for treasure on the high seas in this Level 1 reader from DK!

And there was also the Ninjago “Pirates vs Ninja”  book published by Schoolastic in 2013, but since that was released as promotional material for the Ninjago theme, we shall speak no more of it.

Conclusion

As the protagonist appears to be female, may this story be an inspiration to little girls all over the world, helping them to develop a love for LEGO Pirates, so one day, they feel inspired to appear as a pirate wench on the homepage of Classic-Pirates.com, sending love and kisses to everyone.

But seriously, new LEGO Pirates media targeted towards children helps stimulate awareness and generates interest for the Pirate theme. Golden Books have been highly recognisable brand for decades, so what better vessel to deliver the Pirate theme to young children in the absence of LEGO Pirate sets on toy store shelves.

Remember how Bricky_Brick submitted a creation to LEGO Ideas and eventually it became Pirates of Barracuda Bay? (If you don’t you either need your memory checked or have a lot of homework to do).  Well, Paokus Sanchez is a very talented AFOL, so it’s only natural he’d explore other facets of the LEGO Pirates theme, ships being a quintessential aspect.

Here we have the Imperial Guards (red coats) sailing a mighty battle ship… The Sword of the Seas… flying Soldier (blue coat) colours.  Eh? What? That can’t be right. Ok, let’s look at the backstory for a possible explanation…

The Backstory

Messages have been received regarding a pirate bay. The royal message is clear and the governor wants his best ship for the expedition mission, “The Sword of the Seas”, the fastest ever seen so far. Some pirates call it that because it is able to split its bow on other ships and sink them in moments without the need of cannons. The powerful front structure repels any threat.

Ah, nope. No explanation as to why the Imperial Guards are flying the Soldier’s flag. So either they’re imposters or the builder has overlooked the correct insignia. Admiral Woodhouse must be furious! But it doesn’t matter, does it?  You didn’t support this ship on LEGO Ideas, did you? Well guess, WHAT! It’s too late! The project has expired so here’s yet another glorious Pirate creation you’ll never get to own for yourself.

The redcoats are having fun!

Get ready for a sailing adventure!

This picture provides a better look at the fearsome cannons

Bricky_Brick writes:

A ship with all its needs, watch post, barrels of food and water, cannons, rest rooms for the crew, captain’s cabin, cargo hold  and command post among others, there is also a small dungeon.

Important note: The main intention is that the final model carries cloth sails and not Technic one. This would reduce the number by approximately 700 pieces in addition to the built in weight.

Thank you very much to everyone for being there supporting not only my project, but the projects of all those people who have made with love and affection to give it to all the followers of LEGO.

Thank you

A side view of the ship…

The ship could be separated into smaller modules for easy interior access.

Just look at that bed! The redcoats will definitely be happy to sleep there…

The complete minifigure lineup…

About the Builder…

Fans of LEGO Pirates should have heard of Bricky_Brick, as he is the designer behind the incredible Pirates of the Barracuda Bay. In addition, he has submitted a whopping 60 projects on LEGO Ideas – of which an impressive 10 have reached the 10k mark!

If you have already missed out on supporting this wonderful project, you can still check out his other projects on his LEGO Ideas profile! You can also follow him on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Flickr where he regularly posts about his LEGO builds.

And, as always, hit the red button below to discuss this MOC in the LEGO Pirates Forum.