So let’s add Land Ahoy to the ever growing list of pirate-themed ideas to be rejected.  But do not despair! We shall not surrender! We shall support more pirate-themed ideas all the way to 10K, so that one day, another shall succeed, just like Pirates of Barracuda Bay.

The LEGO Ideas Team writes:

First and foremost, congratulations to Ralf Ranghaal for reaching 10,000 supporters on LEGO Ideas, and toward everyone for all of the support of the Land Ahoy project! The results of the LEGO Review are in and you can see full details on the LEGO Ideas Blog.

Review Results for Land Ahoy
Our team has thoroughly considered the possibility of releasing this project as a LEGO set according to the criteria of the LEGO Review. Unfortunately, the LEGO Review Board has decided that we will not produce this project as a set.

Thank you to Ralf Ranghaal for the passion and creativity that went into this project, and to all of you who voted so that we would have the opportunity to consider this as a potential LEGO set. We’re sorry to deliver this disappointing news.

How do we arrive at our decisions?
By gaining 10,000 supporters, a fan-submitted project moves from the Idea Stage to the Review Stage, where it earns the opportunity to be considered as a future LEGO® set in a process called the “LEGO Review.” Gaining 10,000 Supporters is just the first step in this process.

A “LEGO Review Board” composed of professional set designers, product managers, marketing representatives, and other key team members examine each qualified project. They build concept models and determine if the concept meets our high standards for what it takes to be a LEGO product. Among some of the top factors that we evaluate 10K creations on include:

• Products on shelves
• New products currently in development
• Brand fit
• Expected demand
• Licensing possibilities
• Production capacity
• Build quality (i.e. stability, safety)
• Feasibility
• Playability

Every potential LEGO product, including those developed internally, goes through a similar process and must meet the same standards.

The amount of time this takes varies due to all the factors involved. Unfortunately, this process sometimes means that well-conceived projects that gain just-as-passionate followings have to be turned down. Please note that the LEGO Review Board makes all final decisions on which new sets the LEGO Group will release based on LEGO Ideas projects.

The Original Post:

Have you ever got the feeling the Earth isn’t flat?

Well, you should have that feeling because there is plenty of evidence to suggest it isn’t! But centuries ago it was common knowledge among seafaring folk, that the world was a disc, held up by four pillars in the centre of the universe. Sailors feared the horizon, for if they sailed beyond it, they’d plummet to their doom… or be eaten by a hideous monster!

Eventually, some bright sparks figured out Earth was an oblate spheroid and worked up the courage to sail into the unknown. LEGO MOCs and sets however, rarely break free of “flat Earth” syndrome – that is, until now!

Ralf Ranghaal has divulged in an interesting concept not seen since the Slapbands of the early 1990s… a LEGO base which can remain flat… or curve upwards!

His nifty YouTube video demonstrates how it works…

Ralf writes:

I made some similar builds before and was asked to submit them.
So I made this model of a map using only regular, standard techniques.
It is quite sturdy and a real build model. I plan to do a video showing how to roll up the flat build.
After rolling up a stand has to be attached. I made quite a basic stand out of basic bricks

The model can be made even more sturdy by adding a hose inside. Of course it cannot be rolled up then any more.

This is a design that is eye catching and has never been done before as a set.

You can have it flat… but it looks pretty ordinary!

But if we curve it upwards it starts to become…

It becomes something quite unique! But ummm… isn’t the surface of the Earth convex?

But wait… There’s More!

This isn’t Ralf’s only foray into map building – more recently posted “ChooseYourWorld” to Flickr.

This MOC gives new meaning to the Earth being flat…

Ralf writes:

A few days ago LEGO published a globus.

So here is an alternative for a blockhead like me and all the other ones out there.

I also wanted to build a disk but I don’t have much time right now.

The build was more difficult than I imagined. Especially the cluch of the tiles was so strong that you can actually see that the left side is not straight.

Also the block was way heavier than I expected so I had to place it in a straight line. I intended to to use a slight angle first.

I also tried to use other colours for the landscape but one important part is not available in green or bright green. I could have used some complicated snot techniques like I did in ‘Hybris’ or much simpler in my Halo ring but in the end I just opted for this rather minimal approach

If your immediate impression of Land Ahoy was an island being engulfed by a tsunami, Ralf has conceptualised that too in “New Wave“…

Don’t worry! The Imperial Guards build `em to withstand all kinds of weather conditions!

In case someone wonders: it’s all done with hinges. I didn’t bend plates or something like that 🙂

And finally… Ralf combined some of his builds to create “Death of a Sailsman” – this MOC is worth a Blog Post to itself, but we’ll tease you with a single image right now.

Judging by the size of those buildings, this is one gigantic ship!

This is a combination of some older models: you may know the map and my pirate city. I threw together two maps, and the back of the ship and completed the ship.

As usual I didn’t care much for historical accuracy, more for fancy looks 🙂

About the Builder…

Ralf Ranghaal (or Ralf Langer or Rla Rla) is LEGO Ideas 10K Club member who likes to break free of the common plane (I.e. flat bases) and experiment with ideas that typically break the fourth wall when it comes to the foundations of LEGO builds.

Be sure to follow him on Flickr and Instagram for regular updates of his work. Or if you prefer video demonstrations, visit his YouTube Channel or TikTok to see him break the fourth dimension as well!

How can I help?

Comment on the LEGO Ideas Blog to let the LEGO Ideas Team know about their terrible decision!

And if you’ve already done that, check out more LEGO Pirates MOCs on LEGO Ideas. If any of the projects achieves 10,000 supporters, you will have a wonderful opportunity to add it to your ever-growing collection, provided that it is approved by the LEGO Ideas Team…