Crowd support has begun for the BrickLink Designer Program’s second 2023 Series!
No need to scour through all the entries yerself, this blog post be a round up of all the Pirate Themed submissions.
But first…
The Official Announcement
It’s time for Crew Support!
The official Bricklink Designer Program website states:
Vote for your favorite fan designs!
Use emoji to vote for as many designs as you wish until June 30th at noon Pacific. Vote tallies are secret.
So get voting on them Pirate submissions!
The LEGO Pirate Submissions
And now let’s get to the submissions which count the most…
Imperial Sloop “Neptune” by Arcturus7
In the Caribbean waters of the colonial era, the sloop was a popular style of ship among traders and pirates alike. Sloops came in a variety of configurations but were often single-masted vessels with a gaff-rigged mainsail and usually long and thin in shape. They could be operated by smaller crews and were fast, allowing them to overtake slower ships or outrun threats from larger, more heavily armed square-rigged vessels.
An Imperial ship without any Imperials!
The full build is 1005 pieces including 4 minifigures and 1 sticker, and is approximately 18” long by 14” high by 4.5” wide when displayed on its stand. The ship itself is approximately 18” long by 13” high by 4.25” wide.
In many ways, I designed this ship as a counter to more typical designs. I wanted to represent imperial forces rather than pirates. I wanted something smaller yet still respectable, equally able to be displayed or played with, but more attainable as compared to a multi-thousand-piece build. And I wanted something unique in appearance that didn’t follow the same formula for number of masts and style of sails. I’m very proud of the results and I hope you’ll lend your support to turn this design into reality. Thank you!
Ominous Isle
Ominous Isle is the dreaded base of operations for the fearsome Captain Mutton Chops and his motley crew. The signature skull is the final warning to foolish travellers that they have ventured too far into dangerous waters and are about to have their first and final encounter with the legendary pirate captain.
Vote for Captain Mutton Chops from the 70s – the 1670s!
The isle is surrounded in mystery. There are rumours of secret treasure, fierce sea monsters and ancient ruins from a lost civilization. However, the pirate crew is quite at home here, with strong defences, a luxurious captain’s quarters, a well-stocked kitchen and an overflowing treasure store.
“Imperial Ship – Vengeance” by BrickMOCBay
The terror of the seas…The royal Vengance imperial ship… All pirates, you’ll be warned! Justice shall be done upon you!
BrickMOCBay returns with a new Imperial ship… another ship without any imperial minifigs…
This ship is the counterpart of any pirate ship out there in the seven seas. Basically it has the same fundamentals as my Black Fortune pirate ship, but heavily modified to get the imperial look with all the details inside and outside to match the arch enemy pirate ships. The main goal is to present an imperial ship long waited by the pirate theme fans.
Dimensions: 83 cm / 33 inches long | 57 cm / 22.5 inches high | 24 cm / 9.5 inches wide
“Pajaro Island Fort” by Vdogbytes
Pajaro Island Fort, is a rocky tropical island, that is home to a small naval fort which guards the coast from pirates. The island is named after the birds which stop for rest during their annual migrations. The island is also home to the yellow tavern which provides food and fresh water to visitors.
Move aside Imperial Armada, we have a new Imperial faction with green uniforms!
I designed this set to be modular and all interior sections are accessible for play. There is a total of 2011 parts, including 7 minifigures, 3 canons, 3 birds, 1 fish, 1 crab, and 1 rat.
“The Interceptor” by Krackenator
The Imperials are not the only ones who have a problem with pirates. The Colonials have put together a navy of their own to defend their coastlines. To lead the fight against pirates is a newly launched ship named “The Interceptor”. It is a heavily armed frigate ready to bring thieves to justice.
Finally an Imperial ship that actually has Imperial minifigures!
This model has a fully removeable deck to allow access to the lower deck where most of the cannons are as well as the captain’s cabin. The captain’s cabin is very spacious for a LEGO ship of this size. In it. There is plenty of room to dine, sleep, and review maps and battle strategies.
Dimensions: Length: 31.7in (80.6cm) | Width: 9.5in (24.2cm) | Height 21.6 (55cm)
“Merchant’s Hideaway” by Modeltrainman
Well, we do need more merchants to plunder
Enter the world of Sanctuary Cove, a haven for merchants and commoners, a place where no riffraff is to be found…LEGO never produced a merchant vessel, so I wanted to fill the gap!
“The Crimson Outpost” by Brickjester
The Crimson Outpost is located on a small island not far from the pirate town Port Sauvage somewhere in the maze of Caribbean archipelagos. The tower of the old pirate fortress stands firmly, withstanding the waves, and can be seen from afar.
Brickjester resubmits his submission from series 1
This design was made by me from scratch, inspired by quite a few sources. I’ve always been fascinated by the old Lego Pirate sets, I love the ships, but was under the impression that the pirates were never getting any proper buildings. My intention is to change that.
“Black Fortune” by BrickMOCBay
Arrrr….The Black Fortune pirate ship… It started as a modification of one of an older design and turned out to be built almost from the ground up. Model consists 3980 parts with 10 minifigures included.
The Black Fortune is also back for another round…
This is a resubmission of the same model from Series 1. It started as a modification of one of an older design and turned out to be built almoust from the ground up. The main focus was to have the right amount of detail inside and outside and catch the perfect pirate vibe from the golden age of piracy without going overboard but still have some of movie like feeling.
Dimensions: 89 cm / 35 inches long | 57 cm / 22.5 inches high | 24 cm / 9.5 inches wide.
“Imperial Brig” by Arselus
Welcome to the Imperial Brig. It is inspired by many classic LEGO pirates sets and a general interest in pirates and adventures on the high seas.As a small boy I received a LEGO pirates set at Christmas after my family had fled our war-torn country. It left a lasting impression on me that I’ve only come to realize as an adult.
When your Broadside’s Brig starts getting a bit full, you may need to upgrade to something more spacious
The Imperial Brig consists of 2024 parts total and 5 minifigures: an imperial officer, two imperial soldiers, and two pirates, one in the brig, and the other attempting a daring rescue. Its nostalgic yellow, dark-red, and white color pattern would fit nicely next to modern or vintage sets. The Imperial Brig would be a perfect display set for classic pirates fans! Its nostalgic yellow, dark-red, and white color pattern would fit nicely next to modern or vintage sets. As a play set it offers the chance for pirates and imperial soldiers to go at it, whether at the lower level, on the ramparts, or in the barracks.
What be the BrickLink Designer Program?
The gist is; you build a digital design using BrickLink Studio and then submit it to this program, pray to the almighty gods that AFOLs vote for it, and then somehow magic it into an official set someday in the future. But not a LEGO set… a BrickLink Designer Program set… which is different.
Approved designs are granted crowdfunding opportunities with pre-orders but a maximum of 5 designs are selected for crowdfunding, and only designs which reach 3,000 pre-orders enter production up to 20,000 sets.
Submissions must be built in BrickLink Studio as per the Series 2 Submission Guidelines.
What Do Yer Think?
Does Captain Mutton Chops have what it takes to become the next Brickbeard?
Are there any Series 2 submissions which catch yer eye? Do yer think any have a hope of becoming a set? And have yer voted for any of them?
A doubloon for your thoughts on the 2023 Bricklink Design Program… Let’s discuss this matter further in the LEGO Pirates Forum or on the Facebook post.
