‘Twas the night before Christmas when all through the ship, not a creature was stirring, not even a…

YARRR… The Classic Pirates be no go at poems so here’s a round up of the new LEGO Pirate Christmas Creations we’ve encountered in 2023…

It’s hard to find a Christmas tree in the Caribbean but Captain Redbeard did it!

“Christmas Time in the Caribbean” by Hendrik Uzume

At Christmas time LEGO Pirates put the rum down in exchange for beer

“Arrr… Where are my Presents?” by Pablo AFOL

Each flag points in the direction of an Imperial Guard Christmas party

“Meanwhile nearby…” by Tobi Putzo

There sure is a lot of snow in the LEGO Caribbean at this time of year

Cześć robaczki! Ta ekipa wyrusza z prezentami w stronę świątecznego collabu z bandą Wilków Morskich w składzie

Hello bugs! This crew sets off with gifts towards a Christmas collab with a band of Sea Wolves in their lineup

@edgy_mando @pata_lego_pata @grzegorz_ignacy @lord.of.the.bricks

By Rafdanzig

As you can see it snows quite heavily in the tropics

By Dariolegoafol

Have you been keeping count of the number of teddy bears associated with these bloodthirsty pirates?

By Matty Brick

The high ranking officers’ Christmas function

“Merry Christmas” by niridan_05

Those jewels are actually confectionery

“Merry Christmas shipmates, hope you all have a fantastic day” by First Mate Rummy

Steve, Redbeard and Tattoo McGoo all wish YOU a Merry Christmas!

“Merry Christmas!” by Bambrickery

Your Christmas letters will be delivered either by pirate or parrot

“Have you written your Christmas letters?” by Vintage Pirate Bricks

This year’s Christmas party was held at Broadside’s Brig

-Wesołych Świat!
-Nawzajem!
-Wzajemnie!”
Piękna tradycja składania sobie „nawzajem wesołych świat” ???? W całej tej przedświątecznej gonitwie znajdujemy czas na to aby pozdrowić drugiego człowieka ???? magia świat! ????
Świąteczne pozdrowienia od ekipy Wilków Morskich
@rafdanzig @grzegorz_ignacy @lord.of.the.bricks @edgy_mando
???? sprawdźcie ich Świąteczne prace ????
Wesołych, spokojnych świąt dla wszystkich

-Mutually!
A beautiful tradition of saying “merry Christmas to each other” ???? In all this pre-Christmas rush, we find time to greet each other ???? magic world! ????
Christmas greetings from the Sea Wolves team
@rafdanzig @grzegorz_ignacy @lord.of.the.bricks @edgy_mando
???? check out their Christmas works
Merry and peaceful holidays to everyone!

“Happy Christmas!” by PataLegoPata

They’re too drunk on egggrog to realise Santa has been

“HO HO Hmmm(?)..seems like a party going on down there” by lego_pirates_world

Admiral Woodhouse does Christmas in style

Merry Christmas from Admiral Woodhouse” by bricking747

LEGO House exclusive set 40504 A Minifigure Tribute just got even more exclusive

“Captain Whitebeard” by Master Builder Stuart

Friends and foe come together just once a year

By Ammiraglio_Royal

That’s Not Blasted AI is it?

The Classic Pirates hate to be the bearers of bad tidings…

This is a seemingly impossible pose for a LEGO minifigure

Aye the Featured Image of this Blog Post emerged from the ungodly recesses of a machine.

The Classic Pirates prefer to use images created by humans but we have a limited crew… so on top of writing blog posts, we simply don’t have time to build vignettes and custom minifgs, photograph them, and then edit in backgrounds.  Otherwise, authoring posts would take months, and we’d have fewer posts than we currently do!

Our focus is featuring your creations, not our own.  But we’re hoping a loyal soul rescues us from the evil AI!  So, if you’d like to fulfill Minifigure Creation Duty, we have just the job for you.

About the Builders…

The MOCs featured in this Blog Post were created by the loyal followers of the Classic Pirates Facebook Group and Instagram account.  So definitely give both of those a follow if you’d like to see more great creations or interact with the builders.

What Do Yer Think?

What are yer thoughts on the 2023 LEGO Pirate Christmas creations?  Have we missed one?  Do you have a Pirate Chrismassy creation of yer own you’d like to share?

December 25 is fast approaching so yer better get to the LEGO Pirates Forum or Facebook Post immediately in case there are more goodies waiting for yer there.

Have ye heard tales of a three-masted galleon with a hull black as the night and sails to match? A vessel built for action and perhaps the fastest in the entire Caribbean; a ship so swift, not even the Flying Dutchman can outsail her!  If these whispers be familiar, yer no doubt heard the tales of the most infamous pirate ships to sail the seven seas; the Black Pearl.

Over the course of past two decades, we’ve gazed upon our fill of Pearls inside the LEGO Pirates community, from small and bulky to huge and stunning. The sheer number of design variations may send the average AFOL’s head spinning as they embark upon building yet another Black Pearl. Doubts and questions race through one’s mind; Has this been done before? Can I do it better? Do I have the skills? Do I even have the time? Should I create something new and original instead?

And yet despite (or perhaps in-spite) the odds, this daunting prospect failed to deter the intrepid Marooned Marin,  who prevailed with a Pearl that is both highly playable and visually stunning, complete with recognisable aesthetics from the very ship that inspired it.

A memorable scene between Mullroy and Murtogg exchanging quips on the pier of Port Royal from Curse of the Black Pearl

Marooned Marin writes:

And so… I give you another Black Pearl MOC

The design was heavily based on the real Black Pearl from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series, which premiered in the theatres back in 2003 and thus making the release of this MOC (in 2023) a 20th year anniversary celebration of the highly successful and worldwide beloved franchise.

In my defence, I never really wanted to do the Black Pearl, seeing as there is no shortage of Pearls inside Eurobricks forum and elsewhere, but I didn’t have a choice, they forced me to do it! But who could do such a horrible thing to a humble MOC designer? Well how about two persistent, annoying but all the while lovable nephews who just happen to be in love with the Pirates-theme?

Now to the images!

And what a wonderful anniversary celebration this is! One never tires from a good Black Pearl MOC, and this one certainly captures the magnificence of the original

The Pearl

Now let us take a closer a look at the build…

Marin took the 21322 Black Seas Barracuda design and expanded upon it to ensure the Pearl’s potential as a great play and display set. What, you didn’t notice the similarity?

Figurehead — marvelous idea and implementation into the rather sleek bow

Marooned Marin aboard the Pearl – guess he’s not marooned anymore, huh?

The Pearl is moderately armed and carries 22 brick-built cannons: 6 on the gun deck and 5 on the upper deck. Its broadside contains 11 round bricks cannonballs

Like the original, she lacks chase guns on her bow or stern giving her a tactical disadvantage, while her high speed only partially negates this handicap

The parrot-eye view of ship – taken with one of those surveillance drones parrots

The Devil Davy Jones Is In Details

Now let’s explore the features…

To provide us more playability, and ensure this be not a mere display model, the part of the upper deck and the quarterdeck can be removed and re-installed quickly and easily

Hey is that Bo’Sun Will Cavendish!? What’s he doing here? This not is not the Classic LEGO Pirates theme!

Here we have Blackbeard sharing his vast maritime knowledge with Jack Sparrow on how to win friends and diminish influence people – the pirate way

The captain’s cabin appearance both inside and out is exactly how we hoped The LEGO Group would execute it back in 2011… but oh well — took more than a decade for someone to finally make it properly

Brick built anchors are constructed masterfully…  and exactly what need more of in larger builds instead of the common of LEGO anchor moulded piece

Simple and yet elegant staircases – just like the stairs you would wished the official set came with

The design of the lanterns is both lovely and sinister at the same time

Jack and his compass could be sailing your way in the future

“Wherever we want to go, we go. That’s what a ship is, you know. It’s not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails. That’s what a ship needs. But what a ship is…what the Black Pearl really is…is freedom.” – Captain Jack Sparrow

Specifications & Size Comparison

Following the practice of more meticulous MOC designers, the Pearl was first designed digitally in Stud.io and later built and tested using 100% legal build techniques with real bricks.

If one allows himself to believe anything coming from a ‘pirate builder’, the finished model is supposedly sturdy, and can be carried around and played with… but don’t take this claim as gospel, for the ship is not indestructible!  I.e. it is sure to splinter into a thousand pieces after an unplanned drop test from World’s End table’s edge.

And while we are at it, the ship does not float, so no Krakens required to sink it – it will sink all by itself if put in open water.

• Parts: 3,049 parts (does not include minifigures, ropes and sails)
• Dimensions: W: 25.9cm / 10⅒’ – L: 71.2cm /28′ –  H: 55cm / 26½’
• Weight: 2,216 grams / 4lbs 14.17oz
• Difficulty: Moderate/hard build (tested on one 11 year old)
• Durability: For display and light play
• IMPORTANT: Model does not float

Ah yes… the 4184 Black Pearl looks even worse resembles the original even less when pitted against a humble fan design with 2,200 extra parts

Here we see how the Pearl compares to the 2020 version of the Blacks Seas Barracuda, both visually and in size.

The Pearl matched against the Triton – these images evoke HUGE “Black Pearl vs Interceptor” vibes

Building Instructions

If you are anything like Jack Sparrow and would like to get your piratey hands upon the Pearl, you’re in luck! Marin has made building instructions available on ReBrickable.

If yer tight on gold, he’s offering a 25% discount which is expiring sooner rather than later. So don’t miss out!

Before we wrap this blog-post and head to the pub for a round of rum, we have one last treat for ye, a quick build animation video with some overly dramatic music.

About the Builder…

Marooned Marin is based in Dubrovnik, Croatia where he enjoys stunning coastal scenery and a lovely view of a fortress that was incorporated into a popular medieval TV show a while back.

If you’d like to keep up with his work, take a peak at his Instagram account where he regularly shares his impressive feats of writing, since he is a sparodic writer for Classic-Pirates.com. On rare occasions you may stumble upon a progress image or two of the latest MOC he’s working on . But don’t get overexcited, because he regards himself as a-MOC-per-year type of AFOL, slow but thorough.

If you are interested in know-how, you can acquire building instructions for all his creations via his ReBrickable account and learn almost all his building tricks cheaply for a doubloon or two. If you rather enjoy the imagery, check out his Flickr account and be sure to click follow.

What Do Yer Think?

Is it a bold statement to consider this one of the best multi-purpose Black Pearl design to date? Do yer have another one in mind? Pray tell which one? Do you think battered sails would go better, or do yer prefer current washed-up sails? Would you trade your 4184 Pearl for this one?

Set sail for the LEGO Pirates Forum and pester Marin tell us what you think. We await you!

Since September, 2023 LEGO Pirate fans have been ruminating upon 40597 Scary Pirate Island and boy! What a mixed range of opinions have emerged from the depths of their minds!

Many have noted the similarities it shares with the 1996 set, 6248 Volcano Island, both revolving around a raft stricken castaway arriving upon the shore of a geological formation baring resemblance to piratical themed iconography…  which may or may not conceal a heavily endowed treasure chest.

Is this our first official Halloween/Pirate crossover set?

But which set executes this concept more effectively?

What Does 40597 Scary Pirate Island Offer?

Let’s give credit where credit is due…  It’s a brand new LEGO pirated-theme set intended to sit along side your existing classic LEGO Pirate set collection, rather than find itself more at home in your LEGO City collection; like a roller coaster, tree house, train carriage, coin operated ride, slippery slide, etc.

Also, let’s award points to the designers for not regurgitating the skull island concept a fifth time, for now we have a cave entrance that resembles shark jaws.

Is Scary Pirate Island scary enough for you? ¹

We also receive some piratey parts, although they’re quite minimal and lack new moulds; There be a pirate minifigure, cutlass, an oar, treasure chest, some “treasure”, and… do we count the skull?

Oh, and for the first time ever, there’s a bat in a pirate-themed set, which your voodoo-themed minifigs will appreciate… Wait! We don’t officially have those in the LEGO Pirates theme… yet…

But does the set offer enough?

The Set’s Biggest Criticisms

Initially, a good many AFOLs failed to recognise  40597 Scary Pirate Island’s* rocky frontage is meant to resemble a shark, while others were unclear what that “thing” is dangling from the back towards the front?

The ruins behind the rock formation have been described as “bulky” and redundant.  To be fair, the set was released under the Creator sub-brand, placing the onus upon brick-building components, but this aspect failed to resonate positively among fans.

The fans’ biggest lament however, be a criticism that reared its ugly head during the discussions surrounding the 10320 Eldorado Fortress announcement; the lack of new minifigure head and torso designs.

Undeniably, some AFOLs possess astronomically high expectations for official LEGO set design… but is The LEGO Group dropping the ball in the current era? Or are AFOLs expectations disproportionate to what’s actually feasible?

* official affiliate link to product page on  LEGO.com provided by Rakuten Marketing

How Does it Compare to 6248 Volcano Island?

Despite jumping missing the shark, many did note the similarities 40597 Scary Pirate Island’ shares with the 1996 set, 6248 Volcano Island,  so let’s take a closer look…

40597 Scary Pirate Island versus 6248 Volcano Island

Which set Executes the Concept Better?

Be it 40597 Scary Pirate Island’s unapparent shark facade with obscure ruins protruding from the rear… and crane thrown in for good measure?

Or 6248 Volcano Island‘s amalgamation of skull and volcano, which fans seem to recognise without too much deliberation?

Let’s get the treasure digging shovel out and dig deeper…

6248 Volcano Island

Volcano Island clocks in at a mere 119 pieces but treats yer with two minifigures, given the skeleton is complete with body.

Not only do yer get a complete skeleton, but a rare morion (helmet) piece is included as well

And let’s not overlook the inclusion of the much prized shiny gold vacuum metal coins.

There may not be much in that chest… but it’s worth so much more…

The set also packs two nifty action features; the first allowing you to rotate the skull facade rightwards to reveal a hidden treasure cave.

Here be a good place to store booty where none shall ever find it!

While the second play feature is a mechanism that propels the skeleton and molten rock in the air, as though the volcano be exploding with the blazes of hell!

Pull the pin and then… hoorah and up she rises!

You can find 6248 Volcano in both used and Mint In Sealed Box condition on eBay.
* official eBay affiliate link

40597 Scary Pirate Island

Meanwhile, at 214 pieces (almost 100 pieces more), Scary Pirate Island* offers a single minifigure and leaves yer treasure exposed for prying eyes to see!

* official affiliate link to product page on LEGO.com provided by Rakuten Marketing

The sole minfig and crane… or is that a flag? ²

Furthermore, we observe another missed opportunity to innovate because the included torso design be none other than the captain minifig from Creator 31109 Pirate Ship*. Only this time he be sporting two solid legs (rather than a peg leg) and a head design borrowed from the LEGO City Arctic Explorer sets*.

The “crane” appears to have articulation but whether it can extend far enough is another matter.   More to the point; why would yer want to hoist anything up to those castle ruins?  They look fragile and their inclusion seems superfluous.  Or are they supposed to contribute to the set’s overall scariness?

The set looks very scary in a well lit room

A suggestion Ondřej Janovský put forth in the Classic Pirates Facebook Group was the crane is actually a “pirate flag with a skull with eyepatch“. Oh deary my! Either our imaginations aren’t stretching far enough, or we’re in troubled waters in terms of design!

Perhaps some parts are best moulded or printed rather than brick-built and barely recognisable

The Classic Pirates shall reiterate that Scary Pirate Island was released under the Creator sub-brand, so brick-built components take favour over molded parts. But how many AFOLs would have appreciated a printed flag piece more? Oh, and make it the version Niels designed back in the 80s, not the modern block-headed version.

Perhaps the designers could have forwent the ruins to focus upon engineering that enabled the shark’s mouth to open and close – at least then, the treasure would be secure from meandering scoundrels inclined to help themselves.

Don’t be fooled! Those round things are just fish biscuits

And speaking of booty… there only be fool’s gold here.  While the chest is generously stuffed with a goblet and gems; the coins, or lack of, are merely 1×1 circular pieces with a stud on top. Since the LEGO mint ceased production LEGO Pirate fans can no longer acquire freshly molded coins, let alone pieces with that highly desired lustrous exterior.

Conclusion

As the timeless saying echos; “less is more“, and despite fewer pieces, 6248 Volcano Island offers greater value due to its clever play features, intact skeleton and authentic LEGO doubloons… oh, and a printed jolly roger flag.

At the very least, Scary Pirate Island could have included a complete skeleton, or better yet… a second minifigure, ideally with unique head and torso design.

What fans got versus what they may have preferred ³

Acknowledged 40597 Scary Pirate Island be marketed towards kiddies who are none the wiser; but consider how many more AFOLs would be inclined to purchase if the set offered a unique minifigure?  Even if they disdained the actual set design.

And especially since “Scary Pirate Island” was marketed as a Halloween set, t’would be fitting to include an appropriately themed minifig. During early 2023 the Build A Minfigure skeleton pirate joined our ranks, so a new ghost or pirate zombie design would have been much welcomed for Halloween.

Hopefully The LEGO Group will consider these possibilities for future sets because demand for LEGO Pirates remains strong!  However, contemporary economic factors restrict impulse purchasing, thus preventing many fans from acquiring every set containing a LEGO pirate. Therefore, the manufacturer must deliver extra value to justify parting with their hard earned gold.

Photo Credits

A big thank ye to the fans who’ve shared their photos with us:

1. Classic Brick Studios on Instagram and zusammengebaut.com
2. First Mate Rummy on Instagram
3. Charlie Winter on Flickr

Be sure to visit their social media profiles and website for more great content!

Is it Really that Bad?

Are passionate fans behaving over zealously?  Or are their criticisms justified?  Perhaps we should be grateful any new pirate-themed sets are released, given more than a quarter of a century has passed since the original LEGO Pirates theme was discontinued.

In a future blog post the Classic Pirates will explore how AFOLs have modified and expanded upon Scary Pirate Island, but for now here be sets with extended background artwork.

What if Scary Pirate Island had classic LEGO System box art?

THAR she blows! The set’s box art depicted the “volcano eruption” action feature

What Do Yer Think?

Have yer warmed to 40597 Scary Pirate Island or is it a hard pass?  Or will yer give it to yer kiddies while you enjoy your main LEGO.com purchase?*

Here is one final look to help yer make up yer mind ²

What could have been done to make this set more appealing? Or do yer like it the way it is?

Join the ongoing battles discussions in the LEGO Pirates Forum and Facebook Group to share yer thoughts on this new LEGO Pirate themed set.