Did ye ever hear the story of the ghost ship… nay, the cursed ship! Commanded by a fearsome captain and manned by an ungodly crew of the dead… bound to sail the Seven Seas for all eternity! Well, did ye hear or not?

Sounds like familiar question, right? But we are NOT referring to the The Flying Dutchman, nor the The Black Pearl, the The Silent Mary, and not even the The Death Starfish (that’s the ship of the Ghost Pirate LeChuck).

There is a new terrifying ship in our waters! A ship that goes by the name “The Charon’s Chest”, so now would be an excellent time for ye to learn a thing or two about her… and her captain, the dreaded John Blackheart.  For one day, ye may have the misfortune of crossing their wretched path, just as master builder, Captain Barbatos once did.

While the construction of the entire ship is interesting and worthy of closer inspection, the most distinctive feature is the terrifying skull protruding from the stern!

Barbatos writes:

With great pleasure I present to you this terrifying ship!

The ship was born while I was trying to make a redesign of the Redbeard Runner (6289). It seemed to me that it was becoming a foregone conclusion while looking at the skull of the stern and at my Silent Mary (71042). I said to myself: I’ll make this out of bones!

The two official LEGO sets which served as the inspiration for this eye-catching MOC

Re-envisioning an original is a feat often resulting in mermaids tears. Why, prey tell? Well, the artista is endeavouring to surpass something archetypal, and thus places the new creation at risk of becoming an over-bloated facsimile of the original. Furthermore, homages must be applied subtly, allowing the new incarnation to retain the charm of its progenitor, whilst affirming its own identity. This undertaking is not for the inattentive!

And here is the beauty of Barbatos’ talent. He succeeded! The respect paid to the originals culminated in a vessel far beyond what inspired it… something new… something unique… something grotesquely terrifying, yet beautiful!

The Terrifying Build

Hey look! Turns out to sail the ocean; you don’t need a complete hull, or complete sails. Those stingy Imperials could learn a thing or two from ghost ships about reducing their maintenance costs

Meet the jolly crew of The Charon’s Chest, led by Captain John Blackheart, who is apparently cursed. What, that name doesn’t ring any bells? Next you’re gonna say you never read the Golden Medallion. NAY? Ok, time for the intermission…

The Intermission

When The LEGO Group launched the Pirates theme they sought to establish a narrative to encourage play, so they released a comic book entitled “The Gold Medallion” (which you should definitely read). Like any good pirate story, this one was also based on a treasure hunt… the treasure of The Blackheart Cousins.

The official story goes:

Fifty or so years ago, the Blackheart Cousins captured a great treasure. They buried it on an island… …and scratched a map on a gold medallion and divided it. Only with both halves could you find the treasure.

Soon, one of the cousins was captured by the greedy Imperial Guards, and promptly turfed into the dungeon. The other, John Blackheart, escaped and became the protagonist of Barbatos’ rousing story of The Charon’s Chest birthing into existence. The entire story is too vast for our humble blog post, so if ye have an interest click here to be transported to the realm of fiction!

Among the many interesting details, the clever use of white LEGO ropes really makes the rigging stand out and enriches the overall build. Ingenious execution!

Charon’s Chest helmsman, who takes precautions against the pandemic seriously, even in their state of cursed afterlife. If only the Captain and others followed this example during life.

The man un-dead man of the hour, Captain John Blackheart in command of his damned crew.

Here we see the main deck packed with small but devastating cannonades. If yer wondering what do they use for ammunition, the box on the left should provide a hint. It’s not an ordinary artillery, it’s a skull-blaster!

This could be one of the best designed skulls ever seen in our pirates waters. Beautiful!

The lamp on the bow, a symbolic tribute to the original Charon, who we hope approves of this design.

These bone dudes are serving as gun ports. Be they alive and part of the crew as well? C’mon, it’s a valid question. How does one get promoted from useless gun port to bloodthirsty swab on deck?

Now that’s odd… Why would a crew of the undead need fish? Oh my God! The cursed can’t eat the meat. Noooo! They joined the ranks of those non-carnivores! What’s next, the vegetarianism? Dear Lord, have pity on them, haven’t they suffered enough?

The Terrifying video

Classic-Pirates fans be warned, the content of this video material is not for those faint of heart. Turn up the lights and grab your favourite pillow, this is about to get scary.

Specifications

• Parts: 2419 parts (without minifigures)
• Dimensions: Width: 35cm (13.7″) | Length: 75cm (29.5″) | Height: 59cm (23.2″)
• Weight: 2,7 kg (5,9 lbs)
• Instructions available at Rebrickable.com

Who is Charon?

In Greek mythology, Charon is the ferryman of Hades who transports souls of deceased across the river Styx which divides the world of the living from the world of the dead.

If you plan to cross, you better possess a coin to pay the toll; otherwise you’ll wander the sandy shores and sip margaritas for hundreds of years.

Another creation from Barbatos, the dreaded Ferryman who never took a day off. Some say he is an employee of the millennia, but others argue that title belongs to Sisyphus. Either way, Barbatos’ Rebrickable provide you Ferryman instructions at no extra charge – so don’t even fix a price!

About the Builder…

Sailing over the horizon from beautiful Italy, Captain Barbatos is an experienced builder whose main interest lies in ship builds (pirate-themed mind you), as he feels they present a greater challenge than puny land-based builds.

He loves sharing images and insights of his finished builds, along with Work-In-Progress updates via his Instagram account. And on rare occasion, he also spoils us with MOC video demonstrations on his YouTube channel. For building instructions of The Charon’s Chest, and his other great creations, visit his Rebrickable account.

Then, if you have the gall to face Charon, boldly state your words in the LEGO Pirates MOCs sub-forum by clicking the big red shiny button bellow.

Some people want a mansion, a yacht, and lots of money… others want a small hut on an tropical island away from those people. The right choice seems almost self evident, right? More wealth means more happiness, ergo we go with the yacht people, end of that discussion. However, many poor people with too much time on their hands great thinkers disagreed and had something clever to say about it.

Plato began ‘The greatest wealth is to live content with little‘, Seneca followed ‘It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor‘, and Kant drove it home ‘We are not rich by what we possess, but by what we can do without‘.

Hmm… a tough crowd to argue there… if only we had evidence to the contrary. But wait, what do we have here?

In his second pirate MOC named Island of the Lost, the master builder, CJTonic, explored this dilemma through Captain Bluejack who was fortunate unfortunate enough to have tasted both worlds. Let’s read about his story and, just maybe, become a little wiser in our own pursue of happiness and wealth.

Meet Captain Bluejack, the protagonist of the story

CJTonic writes:

Island of the Lost MOC was created as Christmas present for my daughter, and it seems as if it was a success so far. Time to post some pictures here in the heart of the Classic Pirates community.

Let me introduce Captain Bluejack to you. This MOC is all about his story and his current life.

The Backstory

Bluejack was once the captain of the Golden Mermaid, one of the most successful pirate ships in the Caribbean, and for a brief period he was considered to be the wealthiest pirate captain ever known. But he overdid it. He pushed the crew too hard, always in search of that lost legendary treasure. And what do you get for pushing the crew too hard? That’s right, a good old fashion mutiny!

While building MOCs it is easy to go overboard and build an impressive 5k+ pieces creation… but often the true builder’s talent shines when he achieves more with less (like here).

Equipped only with his wits and a cutlass, he was banished from the Golden Mermaid on a small raft and left to die from thirst or drowning on the open sea. But destiny had other plans for Bluejack as the wind brought him safely to a desert island known better as Island of the Lost.

Not exactly a ‘small’ MOC by the LEGO standard (but not too large as well), the build consists of 1055 parts whose investment paid off with enormous amount of playability.

Once on dry land, Bluejack immediately switched into survival mode. He built a small hut from the driftwood he found, and was delighted to discover that his fishing skills from youth were still quite useful. He explored the island north to south, east to west. He even dared to climb highest peek of the island where he found a red parrot and befriended her. He named her Wilson, for it is a good name for a castaway companion.

Marooning is the intentional act of abandoning someone in an uninhabited area, such as a desert island, or more generally to be marooned is to be in a place from which one cannot escape.

One afternoon, after his customary siesta, he noticed the fish he caught had disappeared… strange! By the evening he caught another fish and went to sleep. But when morning came, the fish was gone, again! This was not a coincidence, Bluejack thought. So he fished yet again, and when siesta came, he took his leave in the hut and snored heavily, but this time with his eyes wide open. Out of the blue, a thief appeared so Bluejack sprang after him.

The pirate articles of captains’ Bartholomew Roberts and John Phillips specify marooning as a punishment for capital offences, such as deserting the ship or quarters in battle, or for stealing from other pirates.

It was Spinoza, a mischievous monkey who belonged to the infamous Captain Redbeard (until he got sick of his treacherous nature and decided to dump his sorry ass him on an island). Bluejack chased after him with all his speed, but the monkey was faster and dived headlong into a waterfall. The stupid monkey bashed his head right onto the rock, Bluejack thought. But no, the monkey was gone. Baffled, he took a step closer, and to his surprise he discovered that the beautiful waterfall wasn’t just a waterfall, but the entrance to a hidden cave.

The trans-clear 1×2 tiles in combination with 1×1 stud plates really do bring the waterfall to life. Superbly done!

What a scary place he discovered. The thieving monkey was cornered and trapped, but this was of little importance to Bluejack whose eyes were fixed on the ancient totem at the back of the cave. He wondered why the Islanders would make such an effort of carving a scary statue in the hidden cave, unless they wanted to intimidate and scare off accidental visitors.

Here we see the interior of the cave just behind the waterfall where CJTonic maintained his high level of attention to details.

Always curious, always on a lookout for fame and fortune, Bluejack examined the ancient totem more closely and was not a bit surprised to find that the towering figure served as a door. A sudden rush of excitement washed all over him. He proceeded slowly, giving his eyes somewhat chance to adapt to the dark. A thought of going outside and making a torchlight flashed through his mind, but he quickly tossed it aside as the call of adventure was stronger than common sense.

The scary guardian who failed miserably at keeping uninvited guests outside…

When his eyes finally adapted, Bluejack saw that the cave was much shorter than expected. No gold, no lost idols, only one empty barrel of rum and some worn out paper hanging on the back wall. Hugely disappointed, he reached for the paper slowly, but the sudden hissing sounds stopped him dead cold. Cascabel Rattlesnake, the most venomous pit viper found in Caribbean, was giving a clear message that no one would touch the paper… (that is, until someone chops its head off with the nice sharp cutlass) He reached again for the paper.

Would you believe that this whole set was designed over the course of two (2) intensive days, followed up with some minor ‘fine tuning’ afterwards… so what did you build last weekend???

Lo and behold, he finally found what he had searched for his entire life… the map to the legendary lost treasure! And all this time it was buried underneath a deserted Imperial Outpost, which he knew quite well since it served as the second home for him and the rest of the Golden Mermaid crew, now the mutineer crew.

The Conquered Outpost where the treasure awaits… another fully packed 1000 parts MOC by the same builder. It is hard to say which one of these MOCs is better as they are both fantastic in their own way.

The hunger, the thirst, the itch that could never be scratched, all the insatiable greed came back with the prospect of the greatest treasure… and let’s not forget that little thing about the revenge Bluejack dreamt about on so many lonely nights. Old habits really do die hard… and now on this damned island he had to make a decision.

Should he stay in this tropical paradise and live out the rest of his days in peaceful solitude, or he should sail back into the world of greed, revenge and cruelty?

And here you have it, in case you missed it while you skipped the majority of the text only looking at nice pictures, the answer to our initial dilemma, and you can quote us:

“True wealth and happiness are not found in treasure or in absence of treasure, but in the pursuit of treasure” – the Classic-Pirates (suck on this Plato)

The Future

Before we head on and wrap this nice little MOC with the About the Builder section, we just gotta know what will happen next!? Is he gonna leave this island and get his revenge and gold, or is he gonna stay and turn into a hippy nature loving philosopher?

Perhaps we’ll learn the answer to that in CJTonic next pirate MOC, but when will that be? Does he plan to build more Pirates sets? We posed questions like this during our unforgettable torture talk down in the Governor’s dungeon, and when we finally broke him he replied.

CJTonic continues:

I am currently working on a quite challenging Ninjago project again. But to be honest, I loved the Pirates stuff. They are a bit more light-weight than the Ninjago buildings and also always remind me of my childhood where LEGO Pirates were the big thing.

I guess I will come back to the Pirates topic and do another MOC. I am pretty sure I will do so…

Sorry to break it to you (CJTonic), but the LEGO Pirates are still the big thing! But we are generous so we forgive you, since you build such awesome Pirates MOCs!

About the Builder…

Coming straight from the Baltic sea and right into our treacherous pirate waters, CJTonic is everything but the beginner when it comes to building beautiful and clever MOCs. He has a considerable crew of fans on Instagram and Flickr, where he regularly shares high quality photos of his newest creations. He also shoots videos, so be sure to take a glace at his YouTube channel.

If photos and videos are not enough, and you’re about to die to find out how he did it, then visit his Rebrickable account and take a good look at the instructions. You might learn a thing, or twenty two.

While we wait for the next installment of his Pirate saga (we still don’t have any clue about how Bluejack is going to escape from the island) please share with us your thoughts inside the LEGO Pirates MOC forum, or simply give us your two pieces of eight about this creation.

Dreamweb, a legendary ship builder long affiliated with the LEGO Pirates Forum has sailed back into view with a new vessel, named “Hippocampus“.

Aside from custom sails, the its most striking feature is the utilisation of the hull piece from DUPLO Pirate set 7881 Ghost Ship.

If you’ve been following the escapades of the Classic Pirates, you may be aware of EvanCelt incorporating DUPLO into the foundations of his Imperial MOCs. Now, Dreamweb applies a similar concept to ship building…

Dreamweb writes:

Hello there.

For quite some time, I’ve been planning to build a ship which uses one of the Duplo hulls. So when I got the chance to buy the hull from the set 7881 at a really good price, I hesitated no more and finally started to fulfil my plans. The result is here, and it’s called the Hippocampus. By the way, it’s also on Instagram so feel free to follow me there, too!

I must admit, this hull is a weird thing to work with. It has nice curves and an overall great shape, and the colours are really good. Unfortunately, those curves also mean it’s pretty incompatible with the shapes of most standard “System” bricks. Therefore, I had to use a lot of weird angles to pull this one off. Still, not everything fits perfectly, there are some gaps here and there, but overall I am pretty satisfied with the final result.

She certainly has a wide rear!

Dreamweb continues…

She sure has a wide rear-end! Nonetheless, it was a real challenge to try to make all of this fit together, and while I am tempted by the vision of using the even bigger Duplo hull which is also available (the set 7880), I don’t think I’m ready to live through all this stress again.

Plus, 7880 has a much less realistic hull. So yeah, it’s definitely time to give Duplo a rest for now. Anyway, as hard as it was to use it, I really like the bulky shape of this hull. Combined with standard minifigs, it really gives you an impression of a robust, durable vessel and a worthy adversary in a sea battle. Which is kind of ironic, considering that the techniques used to attach System bricks to Duplo make it rather fragile.

And there’s the hippo at the front!  You did know “hippo” is Latin for “horse”, right?

The wider hull allows plenty of space for cannons – BIG BADA BOOOOOOOM!

Governor Hacienda is on a noble mission to rid the seas of… the Imperial Armada!

The captain’s cabin is accessible by removing the roof. In here, you can observe the ship uses a total of three DUPLO bricks. The first and second constitute the hull, while the third is the captain’s vanity mirror.

Hacienda needs that big mirror to ensure his plume remains straight at all times!

There are also two hatches in the forecastle, in the photo below, you’ll observe one of them is opened. Despite the capacity to store minifigures and cargo within, it actually conceals the structure which joins the ship’s bow together.

A convenient place to store treasure seized from pesky pirates

Now, here’s a photo with the lower hatch opened, revealing a ladder that leads to the lower deck. What’s on that deck? Dreamweb didn’t bother to build it so we’ll never know.

Better put the rum in the hold before the Admiral sees it!

Dreamweb concludes:

And that’s pretty much the whole ship. Once again, it was fun to build, but also really, really cumbersome. This Duplo hull really isn’t the friendliest piece to work with. And I can’t even begin to guess how many times the bow or the stern fell apart during the whole endeavour. But I think it was worth the effort!

That’s all, I’m really interested in your comments about this rather unusual design.

Origin of the Hull

7881 Ghost Ship is a DUPLO Pirates set released in 2006. It contains 33 piece pirate ship and includes two DUPLO pirate figures plus the hull used to build Hippocampus. The ship utilises a barrel for a crow’s nest and Dizzy’s head mould for the cannon ports. Dizzy being the cement mixer character from Bob the Builder which also had DUPLO sets at one point.

Apparently it’s a ghost ship because the sail glows, not because the set contains ghosts

Beware the ghostly glow of the Jolly Roger!

This ghostly ship haunts the Seven Seas in search of spooky fun and pirate adventure! Help the Captain and his First Mate load the child-safe launching cannon, lower the anchor, or keep watch from the crow’s nest above the sail.

• Ship can float or roll!
• Sail and decorations really glow in the dark!

About the Builder…

Dreamweb when he was younger… nay, just kidding! This is actually a promotional image.

Dreamweb has been contributing stunning ship builds to the LEGO Pirates Forum for many a year. You can find galleries of his past work on Brickshelf and his Instagram account is prospering with updates of his newer creations. He’s also the sole creator of the ongoing webcomic series, “Kings And Queens Of The Sea” which was founded back in 2008.

So once you’ve familarised yourself with Dreamweb’s talents, set a course to the LEGO Pirates forum so can discuss with the Hippocampus with the man himself!

While LEGO creativity transcends borders, age, gender, race and… yes, you get the picture… there is something almost sacred when a Dane picks up two, or three thousand bricks, and starts building a creation in our favourite LEGO theme, Pirates!

Meet Piraten, Danish born, Billund neighbour, 10K LEGO Ideas Club Member, and the biggest fan of Classic-Pirates.com to sail the seas (we made that last part up) who decided the best way to recover from 10K Idea rejection was to build another pirate-themed submission. So that’s exactly what what he did with Imperial Guards Trading Outpost, or Caswell Point for short.

Caswell Point, the best trading post on the Spanish Main! (Imperial Guard endorsed comment)

Piraten writes:

This is my idea of what a small trading post should look like. I got the idea as an extension of my first project and it fits into my pirate world. I built it because I love the pirate theme and that age. Actually this is the most playable build I have made for a long time, and still love the details and secrets.

The project is ready for the Skærbæk Fanweeknd in the fall (2022) and it will be on display with plenty other projects, with of course the Pirate-boi and the Soldier.

I have been building a lot but not on my pirate projects, and my crown is also on display in LEGOLAND Billund. So plenty LEGO-things overall. Sadly not much on Eurobricks. But now I’m back 🙂

If you were a lazy limpet and skipped past the builder’s quote, allow us to remind you one of Piraten’s creations is on display in LEGOLAND Billund! Yes, for real! Go and see The Crown!

And if yer not familiar with The Crown project, you should read our blog-post and then pledge support on LEGO Ideas while you still can – time is fast running out!

Piraten prized MOC on display in the Holy Land of ABS, Billund, Denmark

The Build

Welcome to Caswell Point, a MOC focused upon a small business owner desperately operating his small business against an oppressive government. Highly regulated, tightly controlled, and extremely centralised… an environment ruled with an iron fist by the Imperial Guards, sour enough to spoil the strongest of entrepreneurial spirits.

In simpler terms, this trading post be little more than a humble inn run by a grizzled old sailor and his cheerful son.

Look here, an unguarded boat packed with bags and goods. Shorty is about to have a field day.

A well placed cannon defends the rear from those who dare engage in some fun and play with this MOC.

The inn is frequented by shady characters… at the moment three blue coat veterans are staying at the inn. Wonder what they are up to?

We can observe suspicious activity transpiring here… better take a closer look.

Ah yes, how many times throughout our lives have we gave the envelope greased the cogs of a corrupted system in our favour?

That chest looks kinda empty, and the whole basement is smaller in comparison to the officer’s room above. Could it be there is a secret compartment just behind the wall?

See that? That’s the face of constipation matey, and no amount of rum or pie is going to help. Eat more veggies!

Special Features

To gain better access to the intriguing basement the guard tower can be easily removed.

Piraten’s strong and manly well manicured finger in action. It seems he can push this particular brick. Hmm… who knows what happens next?

Like a knife cutting through butter, the wall glides smoothly to reveal the hidden room behind.

The old sailor is a sneaky bastard! He has been hording gold and diamonds for years, and the department of Imperial Revenue Service (known as the IRS) has no clue. What a legendary pirate!

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About the Builder…

Danish designer, Piraten (Brian Steffensen Vestergaard), is one of those rare builders who gives his MOCs a whole new level of amazing! If you are not familiar with his brilliance you can find him on various social media platforms upon he regularly shares brilliant ideas:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Flickr
• LEGO Ideas

If you are seeking well preserved classic pirate sets, then visit Piraten Shop and claim buy the sets you’ve always wanted, but never had. He ships worldwide – but not in a pirate ship!

Piraten is also a member of the LEGO Ideas rejected 10K Club, where he underwent a torture session an interview and answered loads of interesting questions regarding his passion.

Before we sail into the sunset, we invite you to share your thoughts on Caswell Point… would it make a worthy addition to your Imperial harbour? Did you like the special feature? Do you think they’ve stashed enough treasure in the basement? Does Admiral Woodhouse approve of the business transactions which take place here? Doe he even know?

Do tell… it’s as easy as clicking the shiny red button bellow, or following this link to the LEGO Pirates forum!

The winner has been announced!

Continuing from our previous blog post, the LEGO^® Ideas Team has undergone their Expert Review and reached a decision.

It’s official!

Congratulations to Levi CJ Mason for his submission “Cut Throat Falls Outpost“

After reviewing more than 400 entries LEGO^® Ideas Team has selected this sprawling pirate harbour situated beneath a skull mountain with a lovely water feature.

Visit the LEGO Ideas website and the project submission webpage for the complete details.

What did the lucky sod win?

Levi is a lucky lad and scored all this booty:

And superb work to those who entered but didn’t win anything!

The complete prize breakdown be:

• 11021 LEGO Classic 90 Years of Play
• 40567 LEGO Forest Hideout (Gift with Purchase)
• 30510 LEGO 90 Years of Cars
• 10305 LEGO Icons Lion Knights’ Castle
• 10497 LEGO Icons Galaxy Explorer

Nary a pirate set among them… but The LEGO Group hasn’t released any new pirate sets lately… so they must be waiting for the fourth quarter of this year.

I’ve been marooned and have no idea what this about!

The LEGO Group is celebrating their 90th Anniversary this year so they’ve been holding a series of contests to celebrate.

Look at all those contests you could have entered… or maybe you did?

They’ve held contests for various classic themes including Castle, Space and Bionicle, but being LEGO Pirate fans, we’re only covering the Pirate Contest.

You can access all the 90th Anniversary contests on the official contests webpage.

And, if you haven’t been reading the Classic-Pirates.com blog you’d do well to follow our Instagram or join our Facebook Group (or both) to keep up with the latest news.

Levi writes:

“When the ship the Leviathan crashed into the side of a mountain that looked suspiciously like a skull, Captain CJ Mason and his pirate crew found themselves a new home where a secret treasure awaits to be found.”

Here be the island – and it’s loaded with details!

The build weaves in homages from various LEGO Pirate sets.
Skull Harbour… Pirates Perilous Pitfall… Pirates of Barracuda Bay… Forbidden Island…

And from above it’s an eclectic assortment of all kinds of piratey things – there’s even a kraken bursting out of the shipwreck!

And here’s the treasure chamber… it’s got Aqua de Vida… the Trident of Poseidon… even Excalibur!

And there you have it!

About the Builder…

We’re loyal followers of @levicjmason on Instagram and you should be too! There you will discover a variety of pirate creations interspersed with builds from a plethora of themes.

Once you’re up to speed on Levi’s talents, sail over to the LEGO Pirates Forum and congratulate him!  What do you think of “Cut Throat Falls Outpost”?  Did the LEGO Ideas Review Team make the right choice?  Or are there other submissions you believe should have taken the top prize?

Over the years we have witnessed our share of Imperial forts, ports and outposts, in a myriad of shapes and sizes.  All of them share a commonality; they’re astoundingly beautiful, and this latest entry is no exception!

Meet Captain Filibboo, a hero who embarked upon resurrecting the LEGO Pirates theme single-handedly through his debut LEGO Ideas submission. Like many LEGO Pirates builders before him, he discovered that our beloved theme also requires the backing of 10,000 supporters, and in an alarmingly tight deadline… lest his submission be buried in the failed Ideas graveyard for all eternity. Yikes!

Don’t let it happen! Support this Outpost on LEGO Ideas right now!

Welcome to the Imperial Outpost

Filibbooo writes:

When I was a child, LEGO Pirates were the toy number one for me. Now, 30 years later, the fascination with the Pirates still persists, which led me to create this set.

The first version was created in spring 2020 when COVID19 forced us to stay at home. It took me 3 months the create a digital version inside the BrickLink Studio 2.0. Another 3 months later I started building it.

It was really fun to build it in real. 3D rendering is cool, but real life pictures are even better.

This creation is my first LEGO Ideas project and it would be great if it came to life. Let’s bring back the Pirates!

If you see a creation like this and think If only I could build something like that… listen up matey, you can! It takes a mere 30 years of planning, one tumultuous global lockdown, 6 months of hard labour and voilà, you’ll have your awesome MOC. Just be sure it’s Pirate-themed, as you don’t want to waste that much time on, say… LEGO Friends? Go! Start planning your masterpiece today!

The Gorgeous Build

The stingy armament of a single cannon is a telltale sign of an outpost ripe for the taking. Right?

But let’s not jump to conclusions without further consideration. The outpost is built upon a solid rock foundation, and inaccessible from all sides, save for the pier guarded by the cannon. And thus, it appears those Imperials are not stingy, but prudent and cunning.

Did you know that the most precious cargo on the Spanish Main were not doubloons but bananas? Better keep our eyes peeled and cannons ready, for where there are bananas, there are Pirates!

Hey look, it is Governor Hacienda, and he’s doing splits almost three centuries before Jean-Claude Van Damme invented them.

The outpost is divided into several sections to enable better playability. The base level consists of a cannon station, a guardroom and a very questionable an easily escapable jail which lacks a prisoner. (Umm… maybe someone should sound the alarm!)

The guardroom features a modest table, a bench and unnecessary large stairs which lead on to the Admiral’s room on the first floor. Apparently officers in the Imperial Soldiers Army detest climbing the ladders, so they had stairs installed at the expense of soldiers’ comfort.

Refined style of the officers’ club comes with a price. From their young age, future officers are rigorously trained to abstain from chairs and beds, as both known are to cause unsightly wrinkles in uniforms.

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The Future: Pirate Modular Sets

Captain Filibbooo continues:

This Outpost was the start of a “try” to create a modular pirate “scenery”.

First module, Pt.1 of treasure island, is finished and already attached to my Imperial Outpost.

More is in planning. At the moment I’m working on Pt.2 of treasure island.

The Treasure Island has everything Outpost lacks: the Pirates, a hidden cave filled with diamonds, a bunch of sea turtles hatching on the beach, and two colourful parrots. How that pirate is still alive in shark infested waters is beyond us. Who knows?

Not Familiar with LEGO Ideas?

LEGO Ideas is a website that allows users to submit creations with the aim of becoming official LEGO sets – the kind you can buy! Original designers receive 1% commission on royalties and ten free LEGO sets from those currently on the market. But to be a contender for official set status, each idea must garner 10,000 supporters.

That’s where YOU come in! LEGO Pirate fans must unite to support another blue coat Soldier submission and propel it over the 10K finish line… whilst avoiding the relenting doom of the LEGO Ideas Team’s personal Bermuda Triangle, more commonly known as the “review process”. Go to the project submission webpage and click the support button to cast your vote!

Pirate modular set, Filibboo’s dream shared by many in the community.