As the 2020s dawned, Pirates of Barracuda Bay stormed into toy stores— a triumphant fusion of classic LEGO Pirate spirit and modern design brilliance.
The set ignited the imaginations of LEGO fans and continues to shape their creations, firmly cementing its legacy to this very day.
The source material: 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay
Siroco honed his attention towards the set’s most beloved gathering place, José’s Inn — a lively tavern, echoing with laughter, clinking mugs, and whispered plots… with mutineers scheming to make off with the lot…
Siroco writes:
Sourced from the topic in the LEGO Pirates Forum:
Greetings!
I grew up with Lego in the 70’s and always loved pirates, but building sailing ships with the parts available wasn’t easy, and the result wasn’t pretty, but I spend many wonderful hours trying my best, in absence of proper minifigs I used Arial soap-powder/detergent premium figures.
Just look for the sign
Siroco continues:
Now, many years later, I am the proud owner of set 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay, which I bought mainly for the ship version but the desert island deserved a upgrade.
Now let’s convert Asha in the City of Rosas into a LEGO Pirate set!
Siroco continues:
When I saw set 43223 Asha in the City of Rosas I thought, colonial architecture, bottles everywhere, it’s a Pirate set!
So this is that part that will be redesigned…
Redesigned José’s Inn
Tradition dictates, the nature of these modifications require swapping out the standard minifig crew and accessories for their piratical counterparts — cutlasses, tricorns, and treasure!
Here be the piratical conversion
Well, turns out a Disney set using LEGO Friends elements can scrub up quite nicely as a LEGO Pirate set! Slap a new coat of paint on the roof and we’re there!
There also be parallels with a Juniors set…
Both have a nicely executed facade, but as we’re about to discover, the architecture falls flat… literally…
So, here be an digital concept for the rear of the set…
A CAD rendering of the cafe
Perhaps the weakest point of the build, attributed to its lack of detail and bland inset wall, just begging for a makeover.
Aside from minifigure swaps, the design remains constant
Typically classic LEGO Pirates sets receive some form of interior, claustrophobic as they may be in the more diminutive sets. But at this José’s Inn, we’re left with a rather spacious alcove.
Rear of Asha in the City of Rosas
The original set manages to circumnavigate this blandness by offering a plethora of accessories and some decorative stickers of hanging carpets.
About the Builder…
Siroco or Rui, is a seasoned AFOL from Portugal.
This be Classic Pirates first encounter, so we don’t have any socials to share.
We plucked this glorious MOD straight from the [MOD] José’s Inn (inspired by set 43223) topic in the LEGO Pirates MOC Forum on Eurobricks.
Having spent years gazing at the magnificent creations in the forum, Siroco decided it was high time to emerge from the shadows, and share a creation of his own.
After a seemingly endless dark age, Siroco rediscovered LEGO through Pirates of Barracuda Bay — and from that moment, LEGO Pirates became his favourite theme.
Imperial Version
put his own imperial spin on 43223 Asha in the City of Rosas. Unfortunately there only be two images so we’ll shoehorn them in here:
kolonialbeamterdemartinez writes:
From the Instagram Post
Another crossover for the pirates. 🏴☠️
Disney set 43223!
I saw the ”Asha in the city of Rosas” MOC from @brickstery a few weeks ago. This inspired me to take a closer look at the Disney and Friends sets… what can I say… it works brilliantly! 🤩
What Do Yer Think?
Does 43223 Asha in the City of Rosas convert nicely into a standalone José’s Inn LEGO set? Or would yer have plotted a different course for the design of this legendary watering hole?
Got yer free LEGO Insider box art yet?
Now, step into the online tavern… Chatter and spill yer thoughts with the mates in the LEGO Pirates Forum and Classic Pirates Facebook Group!
