While the Classic Pirates veered off course in the wake of the recent Eldorado Fortress Remake rumours, a brand NEW Skeleton Pirate minifig was released as part of the Quarter 2, 2023 LEGO Build-a-Minifigure (BaM) selection.

These minifigs are available in 3-pack blister cards which cost US$9.99 / AU$19.99 and can be found at at BaM Stations at LEGO Stores throughout the world, or ordered from the Certified LEGO AG Megastore website if you’re moored in Australia.

Mix and match! The minifigures can be customised allowing you to select a different hat/hairpiece, head, torso, legs, and one accessory.

It also appears the Pirate Skeleton has usurped Captain Redbeard in the available minifigure selection, with the only other pirate on deck (at the time of writing) is the Pirate Wench.

What Does the Skeleton Pirate Offer?

Here be the pieces the default Skeleton Pirate minifigure includes prior to any mix’n and match’n.

Skeleton Pirate includes everything you see here. Firearms not included… unless you customise

Overview of the pieces:

• A bicorne hat featuring the modern version of the Jolly Roger
• A head with the classic skeleton face print
• A new torso, with skeleton in a vest design printed on both front and back
• Standard minifigure arms in plain white
• Standard minifigure hands in plain white
• Dark red minifigure legs dual moulded black feet/boots
• A black gladius – that’s Roman for “sword”

Front and back – wouldn’t that satchel be more convenient at the front?

This be how LEGO Pirate minifigures actually ship – in Build A Minifigure blister cards rather than ships

The Original LEGO Skeleton

The very first LEGO skeleton reanimated during 1995 in the LEGO Pirate set 6254 Rocky Reef, along with three LEGO Castle sets; 6036 Skeleton Surprise, 6078 Royal Drawbridge and 6090 Royal Knight’s Castle.

Peek-a-boo – look who! It’s the very first LEGO Skeleton

A pristine, clean white skeleton with notably different anatomy from the latest release – rather than a printed torso, the original skeleton bares a torso and limbs moulded to depict bones.

This version would appear in five more LEGO Pirate sets during the final two years of the theme’s classic run (1996-97); 6204 Buccaneers, 6232 Skeleton Crew, 6248 Volcano Island, 6281 Pirates Perilous Pitfall and 6296 Shipwreck Island.

Old skelly would not be resurrected again until 2009 when it appeared in 6299 Pirates Advent Calendar, albeit with a more menacing face and new shoulder joints.

Skeletal Parts

Some LEGO Pirate fans have noted the standard minifgure torso is not as effective at depicting skeletal remains as previous incarnations, particularly because the standard torso doesn’t appear emancipated enough.

The three different skeletons associated with the LEGO Pirates theme

Lyichir suggested a coat with sleeves may help to disguise this shortcoming, but perhaps the minifigure could have included moulded skeletal arms, similar to its predecessors, Although, these bony appendages utilsed different shoulder joins to that of regular minifigures.

CAD Renders of the two previous LEGO Skeletons and their different arm joints.
Image sourced from Julia’s Docs.

Such arms may require a new torso mould with shoulder joints that enabled them to be connected, a caveat perhaps adding too much expense to figure’s production cost.

Read the Mega Lego Skeleton article on Julia’s Docs for a comprehensive breakdown of LEGO skeleton anatomy, complete with glorious Computer Generated renderings of every facet of the cadaverous fig imaginable!

MOCing Potential

It’s early days so MOCs featuring the new Skeleton Pirate are few, but here’s some we’ve sighted:

First Mate Rummy is building a skull island, Barracuda Bay style…

Pulp Bricktion used the Pirate Skeleton in an entry to #gbc_goesvignette held by Germanbrickscollab

Caspar CvS put this little scene together with the Black Seas Barracuda in the background…

But wait! What are those Imperial Guards doing?

Let’s make some slight adjustments… better or worse?

Leg Variants

Our Facebook Group Captain, PxChris reported in both the LEGO Pirates Forum and Facebook Group that his local Build A Minifigure tower also offered the legs in a tan and brown variant:

Which do you prefer?

My BAM tower had both of these dual moulded legs in stock, and while the red & black ones may have been the “intended” legs for this figure, I actually quite prefer the dark tan & brown ones.

It lives up to the hype!  I’m really loving this new pirate skeleton fig from the LEGO Stores BAM stations. While the red/black legs may have been the intended combo, I actually much prefer the dark tan/brown legs that were also available in my store.

What Do Yer Think?

Will you be recruiting the Pirate Skeleton to your crew? Or do you prefer a more lively folk on board?

Armed and ready to join your crew!

Share yer skeletal thoughts in the LEGO Pirates Forum or on the Facebook Post…