2024’s Infamous Steve Contest is done and dusted… like a freshly swabbed deck!

Moving on to the second place winner of the Small Building Category we have, “Sneaking Steve” by YellowFrog.

Another vignette, but of the imperial variety; in this scene, Steve surreptitiously creeps towards a blue coat fortress, right beneath the Soldiers‘ very noses.

But what madness drives this audacious behaviour?

Let’s find out!

---

YellowFrog writes:

Being a Small Building Entry, YellowFrog was limited to 200 parts…

A last-minute entry into the Steve contest.

Estimated 180 parts, built in an hour.

Aye, it took less than an hour to put together a winning entry!

Ahoy!  This build be similar to 6258 Broadside’s Brig… but without the brig…

---

The Backstory

Steve is sneaking into a blue coat fortress…

He needs to be careful so they don’t spot him…

Who knows why he’s going there?

But for such a perilous journey, it must be important!

Is that a barrel of rum I see? That would explain it.

He’s going to steal their precious rum, probably to sell in his trade as a merchant.

That’s how Steve does his trading – he steals goods and sells them under the guise of a merchant.

Little do they know, he is a pirate at heart (hence the stealing).

But does Steve manage to steal the rum?

YellowFrog has not yet answered that vital question…

The End…

---

The Infamous Steve Contest

The Infamous Steve contest was Classic-Pirates.com’s major contest held during mid 2024 in the LEGO Pirates Forum at Eurobricks.

Entrants were tasked to expand the lore of Steve, one of the most enigmatic minifigs in LEGO history.

The second place winner of the Small Building Category received a LEGO set of their choice to the value of 35€, or approximately $55 Australian dollars in YellowFrog’s local currency.

The Infamous Steve Contest

What be your favourite entries from the Infamous Steve Contest?

---

Classic Castle Connection

There be a generous amount of overlap between the LEGO Pirates and LEGO Castle themes, particularly when it comes to imperial forts.

Often, it takes just a few tweaks to covert from one theme to other…

YellowFrog writes:

If anyone wants to see how I built this, and then adapted it to be a castle MOC, see here:

It was actually based on a castle set, originally.

Now, watch this helpful instructional video:

And if yer web browser don’t support video, watch it upon the YouTubes.

---

About the Builder…

YellowFrog (also know as Rob) is an Australian AFOL who first appeared in the LEGO Pirates Forum during the onset of the 2024 Infamous Steve Contest, and then sailed on to becoming a prime contender for the Creative Critic.

Along with Sneaking Steve, YellowFrog submitted a few more entries named Steve’s Double-crossing, Steve’s Island Holiday, and Quadruplets, respectively; but beyond this contest, the Classic Pirates be unaware of any further pirate exploits from this lemony amphibian.

Nonetheless, those four builds be an impressive debut into the world of LEGO Pirate building!

Yellow Frog Studios

In usual turn of events, we be lacking a Flickr or Instagram profile to share with yer!

Give the Yellow Frog Studios YouTube Channel a follow as you’ll be treated to LEGO builds, animations, and more, every Saturday at 4PM (GMT).

YellowFrog’s channel also provides greater insight towards some of his other contest entries, albeit they’ve undergone some re-titling from their contest counterparts.

---

What Do Yer Think?

Should Steve have snuck into the second position?  Or is this entry first prize material? Or be there other entries that should have crept ahead?

And did Steve manage to evade the sentry and make off with the rum?  Or was this how the Soldiers were able to seize The Cutter?

It’s now time for you to sneak into the LEGO Pirates forum and let the rum trade know what you think of Sneaking Steve…

Or maybe just tell YellowFrog what a marvelous build it be… if yer agree…

Now that the Infamous Steve Contest is disappearing over the horizon, we shall be exploring some of the winning entries.

Commencing with third place winner of the Small Building Category; “From Merchant to Pirate” by Yatkuu.

A gorgeously lit vignette, with attention focused towards blue-steel ambience contrasting against  bright, yellow minifigure visages.

Our hero Steve has found himself in a pickle! But how was he trapped within jarred in the first place?

---

Yatkuu writes:

Being a Small Building Entry, Yatkuu was limited to 200 parts…

Parts count, highly textured walls are extremely parts intensive and I wanted to keep this one under the 200 elements limit. Granted, there are not 200 elements visible in the final shot and the non-visible parts could have been optimized to offset the overall parts count – but I didn’t want to overthink it all because I wanted to keep it simple. The main focus is meant to be on Steve/the prisoner and I didn’t want the rest of the piece to be too distracting.

Legend has it this cell is tucked away in the brig of Yatkuu’s “Hermit Fortress” – despite the fortress being a blue coat Soldier stronghold, while Steve’s sentry here is an Imperial Guard.

Sebeus posed the question:

This one picture invites the viewer to want to see more but I suppose it is only this perspective?

Yatkuu responded:

Obviously, with 200 elements I could not really build a castle (here’s a behind the scene look at the build)… but I would like to think that this prison cell is actually located in the basement of my “Hermit Fortress“.

In regards to how the lighting was achieved…

SevenDeadlyStreamers queried:

May I ask if you achieved this effect with a phone camera or a dedicated camera?

Yatkuu responded:

I shot this in the afternoon with sun shining in from the right and leaving a small gap open in the cell ceiling to give the “ray of light” effect. The camera was laid flat on the table and I covered it and the front part of the build with a blanket to shield it from the outside light and used my phone as small light source under the blanket to make the guard visible. I was hoping the yellowish light of the phone would give it a latern-like glow – I’m not sure I achieved that, but this was the 40th attempt and I decided it was good enough!

---

The Backstory

What happened to Steve between his last appearance as a merchant at the Imperial Trading Post and his transformation into a pirate aboard Captain Redbeard’s Skull’s Eye Schooner?

Well, if you were to ask him, his stories would vary, often depending on his rum intake that day.

Once, he claimed to have traveled to China, where he made a fortune in the silk trade, only to lose it all in a game of dice. Another time, he boasted of rescuing an Indian princess from an arranged marriage, only to find her “quite a handful”, as he put it.

The truth, however, is much more mundane.

Steve was caught with goods on which he had “forgotten” to pay taxes and was sentenced to a year in jail.

But Steve never wallowed in self-pity. He took this setback in stride, using his time in jail to plan his future and contemplate revenge against the Imperials…

---

The Infamous Steve Contest

This contest was another joint-venture between the LEGO Pirates Forum at Eurobricks and Classic-Pirates.com held during mid 2024.

The objective was to continue the story of Steve, one of the LEGO Pirates theme’s rarest and most enigmatic minifigs.

The third place winner of the Small Building Category received a LEGO set of their choice to the value of 20€.

The Infamous Steve Contest

Tied in Third Place

Yatkuu’s entry was met with fierce competition, tying in third place with “Steve Origins: Meeting Redbeard” by Oky at 24 Votes each.

A sudden death tiebreaker vote was launched to resolve the draw, with the first entry to receive 10 votes declared as third place winner!

It was a grueling, neck and neck race, but “From Merchant to Pirate” eventually edged into the lead, winning 10 to 8.

---

About the Builder…

Yatkuu or (Gregory Coquelz) is a Belgian LEGO artist and zombie.

Like most talented AFOLs, you’ll find him on common haunts like Flickr and Instagram, where ye may observe the full extent of his building talents.

He has a tiny amount of activity happening on Facebook, Pinterest and X, if those platforms are more to yer liking.

Yer also may subscribe to his YouTube channel if you prefer a more audio/visual style of presentation.

Upon more than one occasion his creations have been featured in the trade press, by the likes of Brick Journal and Briques Mag.

And to round out his impressive list of accolades; he’s also a LEGO Ideas 10K Club member… but we’re still waiting for him to submit a pirate-themed creation to vote on.

---

What Do Yer Think?

Are yer enamored by the beautiful lighting and photography?

Do yer agree with this entry is worthy of third place?  Should it have ranked higher? Or should “Steve Origins: Meeting Redbeard” taken the third position?

Come forth to the LEGO Pirates forum to discuss From Merchant to Pirate… or spare a few kinds words to congratulate Yatkuu!

With the Open Submission of BrickLink Designer Program Series 6 having commenced September 16, the Classic Pirates had a ponderance regarding the BrickLink Studio software.

Specifically;

Does the Series 6 Palette include more pirate-themed parts than earlier series?

Well, it wasn’t long until Marooned Marin launched a recuse mission with a boatload of helpful information…

Looking for Series 7 commencing January 2025? Try this useful article.

---

So What’s the Deal?

Marooned Marin provided a detailed response in the LEGO Pirates Forum.

Marooned Marin writes:

To quickly touch upon question above, […] the answer is NO!

BDP Series 6 Palette of available parts showed even less pirate parts in contrast to previous series.

For readers completely new with this program in a nutshell this means that BrickLink gives in advance allowed list of parts and colours which can be used by fan designers to create anything they like, as long as they use only those parts.

Fewer pirate parts in Series 6!  But it’s not only pirates…

Probing further into the matter the Classic Pirates asked:

Do you happen to know if soldier flags and torsos are still available?

Marooned Marin responded:

No more Bluecoats whatsoever, no more flags or torsos. That’s the big difference between Series 6 and Series 5, which is unlucky for Pirate builders.

Well, that’s terrible news for builders who were intending to submit an Imperial Soldier design!

This exclusion correlates with the rumour surrounding 10320 Eldorado Fortress having its production run truncated by an entire 24 months; now expected to cease production during late 2024, rather than 2026.  More on that in a future blog post.

Marooned Marin continues:

Also no more flintlocks and rowboats, which were also previously available. As for Islanders, they were never available on BDP program. Not considered as Islander, but there is also no crocodile. We do have one parrot and sharks, but for anything else directly related to pirate theme it’s only what you see on this [above] image.

How unfortunate!

Despite Ominous Isle and The Thieves of Tortuga passing the BrickLink Designer Team’s review, the palette of pirate parts has shrunk!

How all is not lost! Well, for imperial flags at least.

Marooned Marin continues:

The Imperial flag can be made using the stickers, they allow stickers, with exception of minifigures – you cant use stickers for torsos.

How’s your graphic design skills? Stickers could provide a solution…  For flags at least.

Marin also clarifies the difference between the BrickLink Designer Program and “A Pirate’s Dream” Activity…

Marooned Marin continues:

This was something like BrickLink Community Activity  with goal of using the Studio.io with all available parts, past and present, to promote digital builds and creativity. Award was something like a badge or public recognition.

BrickLink Designer Program is completely different matter, with strict framework for submissions and limited parts. Be assured, there are no islanders available in BDP, indigo classic or POTC.

But this won’t stop dedicated LEGO Pirate fans!

Marooned Marin’s creation, Tapu Island won the Large Building Category of the Infamous Steve Contest; next he intends to adapt it for the sixth series of BrickLink Designer Program.

How will he overcome the lack of Indigo Islander parts?

Marooned Marin concludes:

Oh I got really creative, but I don’t want to spoil as you’ll find out soon enough.

But it’s important to highlight here, for someone who maybe skipped through this blog-post that BrickLink Designer Program is not some “evil branch” of LEGO which has agenda with Pirates, they simply operate and comply with parts which are available and/or planned for production in the next year or two.

BrickLink is doing really amazing work with BPD program.

It will be exciting to gaze up the creative solutions he’s employed to overcome the limitations!

---

BrickLink Designer Program Series 7

Looking for general information on Series 7 commencing in January 2025?

The Classic Pirates have compiled all the details in this useful article.

BrickLink Designer Program Series 6

---

What Do Yer Think?

Buyers

Be yer interested in buying pirate-themed BrickLink Designer sets?

Builders

Are yer a builder intending to submit a design in the future?

If so, how will you overcome the reduced availability of pirate-themed parts in BrickLink Studio?

Submit

Open Submission for Series 6 kicked off on September 16 and ends September 27.

You have until the timer ends to submit your design.

Discuss

Let us know if you have additional information or questions regarding the available pirate parts…

Or whether you’re planning to submit a pirate-themed design in Series 6.

The BrickLink Design Program discussion continues in the LEGO Pirates Forum.

As an added incentive to Vote for the Winners of the Infamous Steve Contest, we held a Prize Draw offering a $25 LEGO set of your choice to anyone who Voted.

So now be the time to reveal who WON!

---

How the Draw Winner was Determined

To determine the Winner everyone who Voted was assigned a Ticket Number.

Voters received TWO Tickets if they Voted for both Building Entries and the Creative Critic… or just one Ticket if they voted for one or the other.

A random between 1 and the total number of Tickets was selected using the number generator provided by the Picker Wheel website.

---

And the Winner is…

So you can be assured of authenticity, here is a shoddy handheld video of the Draw…

Many congrat-ye-lations to
BINGOWALDORF

A $25 LEGO set of your choice will be dispatched on the next ship departing from LEGO Shipping Port.

Well, through LEGO.com’s distribution network in your region.

---

What Do Yer Think?

Is offering a Prize a good incentive to Vote?

Or are there better ways to encourage Voter participation?

Let’s keep drinking that celebratory rum in the LEGO Pirates Forum!

And feel free to leave yer Feedback on the Voting System for this Contest.

 

The Soldiers, yer know the blue coats lead by Governor Broadside, were the original adversaries to the LEGO Pirates. Debuting in 1989 at the dawn of the Pirate theme and fading into obscurity after 1993, until their brief reappearance in 2015.

Their largest and most expensive set, 6276 Eldorado Fortress clocked in at 496 pieces (or 504 pieces according to certain sources) but the structure was much elevated in size thanks to its stone-textured base plate.  The next largest, was 6267 Lagoon Lock-Up at 187 pieces, or 70412 Soldiers Fort at 234 pieces, if ye wish to take the most recent sets into consideration.

But alas! The soldiers never saw a set released sized between d Lagoon Lockup and Eldorado Fortress. A LEGO Pirate fan can dream… and create their own classic set concepts, can’t they? Well, that’s exactly what Marcin Mrowiński’s has done with”Imperial Bay“. Like Jason from The Brickstop, Marcin has explored the possibility of how a Soldiers set may be designed, if it were released circa 1995.

---

Marcin writes:

My favourite LEGO sets were always Castle & Pirates.

This time I present to you “Imperial Bay”.

Inside the tower you can find the “Marble Prison”. Building on the left has Guvernor’s Office where he can finally count all the collected golden coins.

---

---

So what does it look like in real life?

It doesn’t end there! Marcin acquired the necessary pieces and actually built Imperial Bay using real LEGO bricks!

Marcin writes:

Was finally able to build my MOC in real life

For the youngest audience the Marble Prison was the most interesting stuff in this set.

A superb effort!  But the Classic Pirates wouldn’t say “No” to another pirate minifig… like Governor Broadside… oh, and a boat for the pirates… with a sail too!

---

About the Builder…

Marcin appeared in the Classic Pirates Facebook Group one day to bring word that his magnificent Imperial Bay was available on Rebrickable. Before that, we’d never heard of the blighter! But we’re glad we’ve discovered him, for he has even more great builds in that classic set style. He even has an Instagram account albeit  terribly underutilised, but perhaps with some encouragement, that may change.

---

What Do Yer Think?

Has Marcin succeeded at building a design in the style of a classic LEGO Pirate set circa 1995? will you be acquiring the instructions from Rebrickable and building it yerself?

Now my pretties, swim!  Yes, swim to the Classic Pirates Facebook Group to discuss Imperial Bay in greater detail.

Or swim to the LEGO Pirates Forum and we shall discuss more builds in the style of classic pirate sets!

We’ve finally arrived at the end of Steve’s journey.

The Votes have been counted… the tied places have been resolved…

So there’s only one thing left to be done…

Announce the WINNERS!

---

Creative Critic

It takes great dedication to claim the Grand Prize for the Creative Critic.

Not only must Critics provide useful advice… they also must demonstrate a likeable demeanor, because let’s face it… Builders don’t Vote for Critics who are rude and unfriendly!

The Critic voted most helpful and WINNER of the 215€ LEGO set is…

HORATION

Horation joined the Contest a couple of weeks after it commenced, but remained committed to the very end, and now that commitment is being rewarded!

---

Small Building Category

Builds containing a minimum of 25 Pieces and a maximum of 200 Pieces.

Third Place

Winner of the 20€ LEGO set…

What happened to Steve between his last appearance as a merchant at the Imperial Trading Post and his transformation into a pirate aboard Captain Redbeard’s Skull’s Eye Schooner?

Second Place

Winner of the 35€ LEGO set…

Steve is sneaking into a bluecoat fortress…

He needs to be careful so they don’t spot him…

First Place

Winner of the 50€ LEGO set…

The high seas are calling!

We see a raft baring one sailor… This is Steve!

---

Large Building Category

Builds containing a minimum of 200 Pieces.

Third Place

Winner of the 35€ LEGO set…

Steve didn’t always have command of his cutter. After an unfortunate incident, which involved some noodles somehow, he was stripped of his command and sent to serve aboard the Margaret Hamilton…

Second Place

Winner of the 70€ LEGO set…

On just another day in the Caribbean Steve, the Merchant, arrived at the Imperial Trading Post on his trusty Cutter sailing for profit and adventure. Soon after disembarking his vessel, Blue Coats of the Imperial Soldiers raided the Imperial Guard’s Trading Post…

First Place

Winner of the 215€ LEGO set…

Welcome to Tapu Island located somewhere beyond the Island of Fogs.

From the well-hidden jail cell, all the way to the throne at the top, Tapu Island holds many secrets…

---

What Do Yer Think?

It’s time to ignite the gunpowder magazine again and crack open the celebratory rum!

Now, let’s all convene in the LEGO Pirates Forum to congratulate the winners!

Oh wait… we have one more Prize to give away…

 

The Goonies is a beloved 1980s movie that many a LEGO Pirates fan grew up watching, so perhaps it’s long overdue for The LEGO Group to mine nostalgia from this classic film.

Or maybe yer never seen the movie and this be an exciting period of discovery for yer.

During August 2024 the LEGO Ideas Team announced a submission to their “If we could turn back time” challenge would be officially produced as an official LEGO set, at an indeterminate point in the future.

So today we shall be digging deeper into “The Goonies (1985)” by Delusion Brick…

---

Delusion Brick writes:

Who among us isn’t familiar with The Goonies?
It wasn’t just a movie for me in the ’80s it was an extraordinary adventure brimming with the spirit of youth and camaraderie. Inspired by this, I’ve endeavored to create a concept that captures the essence of the adventures experienced by the film’s characters, from the mysterious caves of One-Eyed Willy to the enigmatic lost pirate ship.

And now for a 360 degree animated overview of the build:

If yer unable to view embedded videos be sure to watch it on YouTube.

Delusion Brick continues:

The set I’ve designed is a tribute to the journey’s outset and its thrilling conclusion. On one end, we start at the Fratellis’ hideout, navigate through caves laced with booby traps, and slide down into the heart of the adventure. On the opposite end, we encounter the legendary pirate ship of One-Eyed Willy himself. This set is a homage to all the movie’s heroes: Mikey, Brand, Chunk, Mouth, Andy, Stef, Data, Sloth, Jake, Francis, Mama Fratelli, designed to rekindle that sense of wonder and adventure.

And if yer not familiar with The Goonies movie, there be a detailed synopsis with photos later in this Blog Post.

---

The Build

Delusion Brick’s design cleverly fuses the facade of One Eyed Willy’s ship, The Inferno against the booby trapped filled cavern system leading to its resting place.

The reverse side showcases the network of caves containing vignettes of key scenes throughout the movie.

---

The Ship on Screen

Fans who haven’t viewed the flick in a many year may have forgotten the ship isn’t actually a wreck.

Thus Delusion Brick’s build deviates from its source material, but how this may reflect in the finalised LEGO set remains to be seen.

Based on discussions in the LEGO Pirates Forum and social media, LEGO Pirate fans prefer ships with fabric sails, so the exclusion of such material may harm product sales.

Nonetheless, the Classic Pirates are still gathering data so here be a poll for yer:

Authenticity is a crucial aspect of honouring nostalgia based products.  LEGO sets aren’t designed as identical matches their source of inspiration, yet fans are quite attuned to the finer details, so too much creative liberty may dissuade them from making a purchase… or two.

Yet, it’s no secret LEGO Ideas concepts tend to undergo generous revision before reaching consumers, so the initial submission may be radically altered.

Now that fans have been treated to the possibilities introduced with Barracuda Bay, expectations are no doubt astronomically high.

Originally submitted as a shipwreck island to LEGO Ideas by Bricky_Brick, the final design was executed as dual build to include both the shipwreck concept, and a fully independent Black Seas Barracuda remake.

So the bar has been set! Fans may be expecting no less with The Inferno ship and adjoining cavern system, including all it’s diabolical devices of death.

Nonetheless, the Classic Pirates remain optimistic that the LEGO Design Team can work their magic and rock the AFOL world a second time!

---

I Haven’t Seen the Movie!

Maybe yer a youngin’, or maybe yer never got around to watching it… or maybe it’s been so long yer completely forgot!

But the one line synopsis be; a group of teenagers discover a treasure map and embark on a quest to uncover the treasure of the notorious pirate, One Eye Willy.

So this is yer cue to watch movie right now… or continue reading if yer don’t mind spoilers…

Detailed Synposis

The Goonies is a 1985 adventure comedy film directed by Richard Donner, based on a screenplay by Christopher Columbus and produced by Steven Spielberg.

In the small coastal town of Astoria, Oregon, a group of misfit kids from the “Goon Docks” neighborhood known as “The Goonies” stumble upon an ancient treasure map in the attic of their friend Mikey Walsh.

In a last-ditch effort to rescue their neighborhood from a greedy developer threatening the foreclosure of their homes, they embark on an adventure to find the long-lost treasure of One-Eyed Willy, a legendary 17th century pirate.

The kids; Mikey, Data, Mouth, Chunk, along with Mikey’s older brother Brandon, his love interest, Andy, and her best friend, Stef, must navigate a series of underground tunnels filled with fiendish booby traps.

All the while, they’re pursued by the nefarious Fratelli crime family, who seek to claim the treasure for themselves.

During the film’s climax they discover Willy’s treasure laden ship, The Inferno. However, during the final confrontation with the Fratellis, they inadvertently unleash The Inferno from its subterranean entrapment, and it sails away with the bulk of the treasure.

Where The Inferno and One-Eyed Willy’s fortune winds up has never been revealed… but with some ingenious set design, perhaps LEGO fans could continue the tale.

---

About the Builder…

Delusion Brick (Vaggelis Ntezes or the legendary 3D artist known as V) is a multi LEGO Ideas 10K Club Member (four times at last count) from Greece.

His LEGO Ideas profile is brimming with beautifully designed submissions, rendered in his gorgeous trademark style.

His favourite LEGO themes include Castle, Batman and of course, Pirates!

Classic-Pirates.com has previously covered his Imperial Sailboat, “Belisarius” Skeleton Pirate Ghost Ship and Dimension Portal Lighthouse, but you can explore his broader talents via Instagram and Flickr.

Upon his YouTube Channel you’ll discover motion overviews which rotate 360 degrees and the camera zooms in upon key features. He also has Pinterest if yer would like to browse.

The Classic Pirates were alerted to Delusion Brick’s talents when he submitted Seagull Bay Lighthouse Imperial Fortress to LEGO Ideas back in 2021.

While the submission attracted 10,000 supporters, the LEGO Ideas Team rejected the design for commercial production.

Fortunately, Seagull Bay has been repurposed for the BrickLink Designer Program in recent times, so maybe one day it will appear among your LEGO Pirates collection.

Regardless, the Classic Pirates are extremely happy that Delusion Brick’s talents have finally been recognised by The LEGO Group in an official capacity!

---

What Do Yer Think?

Are yer a fan of The Goonies?

Would yer buy an official LEGO set inspired by Delusion Brick’s build??

How closely should the final design resemble the ship from the movie?

Some tough questions need to be answered! What do you think is required to turn this concept into a successful LEGO set?

Let yer thoughts be known in the LEGO Pirates Forum.