Tag Archives: Pirates

Certified Ship

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This is the ‘HMS Certitude’, an early-1800’s 26-gun ‘fourth-rate’ warship, as built by the rather talented hands of TLCB newcomer Powder Monkey.

Monkey’s creation packs in a boatload of features, including 26 working cannons across two decks, opening hatches and grills to reveal a beautifully detailed interior, a functioning capstan, woking rigging to set the sails, and an extensive crew of ‘Redcoat’ mini-figures.

Whilst a Navy ship, the Certitude does also feature a few ‘illegal’ (you could say piratical) techniques, including cut rigging, polyester cloth sails, and a few parts connected together in ways that LEGO wouldn’t countenance in an official set, but the result is a first rate, er… fourth-rate ship.

An extensive gallery of superb imagery is available to view at Powder Monkey’s ‘HMS Certitude’ Flickr album, or you can join the discussion at the Eurobricks forum. Click the links above to weigh anchor and set sail.

It’s a Pirate’s Life for Me

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Following our recent advertising shenanigans, this TLCB Writer is ready to find another more radical source of revenue, and Eurobricks’ Supersick_ might have the answer.

This incredible creation is a late-18th century heavy frigate, and one of the finest ships to feature here in many a year. Forty-eight brick-built cannons, a working double-deck capstan to weigh anchor, a highly detailed interior complete with cabins and stove, and working rigging that can accurately replicate real-world sailing profiles all feature, as does a skull-and-crossbones flag flying from the stern and first mast…

Which means both that this galleon is operating somewhat outside of maritime law, and also that these some very well equipped pirates.

Whether stolen from an Admiralty fleet or bought from plunder, it’s clear the piratical mini-figures aboard ‘The Supernaut’ are a mightily successful crew, which this TLCB Writer would rather like to join. Fortunately he (and you) can, as builder Supersick_ has produced building instructions for this astonishing ship.

There’s much more to see, including full build details, the real-world inspiration, digital renders, and further imagery – as well as a link to those building instructions – at the Eurobricks discussion forum. Click the link above to set sail, and consider beginning a lucrative new occupation.

Shadowy Seas

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The Lego Car Blog is not the best place to find intricate techniques for realistic castle walls, thatched roofs, or ocean waves. This is because the aforementioned items rarely appear on vehicular creations, and if they did we wouldn’t know how to talk about them. A flat-plane crank V8 or the subtleties between super and turbo-charging – yes, the finer points on lifelike rock-work – not so much.

Except today, where here at The Lego Car Blog is the most spell-bindingly beautiful – and somewhat haunting – brick-built landscape we’re sure you’ll see in brick form. Constructed from over 50,000 pieces, this is Huynh Khang and Ky Duy Phong’s ‘Kraken Shadowy’ pirate ship, and the astonishingly real ocean beneath it.

A literal sea of transparent 1×2 bricks and plates, layered over a rolling base varying in hue and elevation, Huynh Khang and Ky Duy Phong’s creation is perhaps the finest example of a brick-built ocean it’s possible to conceive. Jagged rocks stretch out of the waves like a hand from the depths, looking perilously close to the wonderful mini-figure-crewed pirate ship navigating the waters around them.

Beautifully lit, photographed and presented, there’s a whole lot more to see of the ship – and the spectacular ocean it sails upon – at Khang Huynh’s ‘Kraken Shadowy’ album. Click the link above to jump into the ocean.

A Pirate’s Life for Me

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Today’s creation is not a car, which means we’re well out of our depth. But, despite not knowing which way the wind is blowing, even we can see just how swell this magnificent 72-gun pirate galleon by Flickr’s Robert4168/Garmadon is.

To parrot a few stats from Robert, the ‘Buccaneer’s Dread’ measures 165 studs from rudder to bowsprit, 58 studs crossbeam, 170 studs tall, is crewed by 36 mini-figures (including obligatory skeletons), and features over 85 LED lights from third-party specialists Lightailing.

Robert’s voyage to complete the ‘Buccaneer’s Dread’ took three years, and the finished model is now up for sale, with much more of this piratical masterpiece available to view at his photostream. Sea dogs, buccaneers, freebooters, hearties and swashbucklers set sail via the link above!

*One hundred doubloons if you can spy all the piratical puns.

Barracuda Redux

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The 6285 Black Seas Barracuda is probably one of the greatest LEGO sets ever released. Launched back in 1989 with just under a thousand pieces, 6285 is a high watermark for LEGO’s Pirates range that the company is yet to better. But that hasn’t stopped SuperSick.

Loosely based on the original set, SuperSick’s Black Seas Barracuda Redux adds a host of smooth techniques and piece upgrades, plus an additional twelve cannons, to create very possibly our favourite pirate ship ever. In fact, apart from the flags flying in the wrong direction (sailing basics SuperSick!), it could be the perfect ship.

Join the piratical adventure at the Eurobricks forum via the link above.

HMS Texas

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This is ‘HMS Redoubtable’, an Imperial Guard ship by Flickr’s Elephant-Knight, and it has absolutely definitely got more guns than you. Even if you live in Texas.

Despite Texas having the highest number of guns (and the highest number of gun deaths – go-figure?), even a Texan is unlikely to match Redoubtable’s three gun decks and one hundred and twelve separate guns. That’s even more weaponry than is carried at an average ‘MAGA’ rally.

At over fifty inches long (that’s over 160 studs) and nearly forty inches tall, Elephant’s ship is impressive in far more ways than just than its gun tally, and there’s a whole lot more to see of this spectacular ship eleven-months-in-the-making at Elephant-Knight’s photostream.

Join the one hundred and twelve gun salute via the link above.

Skull and Crossplane

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Americans, like TLCB Elves, are excited by decals. There’s the Pontiac Firebird’s Giant Flaming Bird motif, the Ford Mustang’s twin stripes, aircraft with teeth, and many more besides.

Despite this clear appreciation for decal work, that most American of cars – the Chevrolet Corvette – isn’t really famous for any stickers at all.

Fortunately László Torma is here to correct this, by equipping the unloved LS1 crossplane-engined C4 Corvette (see, the title does make sense!) with a giant skull on the hood.

You can also build both the aforementioned skull and the car wearing it at home, as László has made building instructions for his C4 Corvette ‘Skull Edition’ available. Go on, get a boner via the link above!

Not a Carrrrgh!

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Aarrrgh, this be a fine vessel. She be a twenty-four gun barque, plain to the eye yet a beauty where it counts, from her Harrrry Potter wand rigging to her 12-pounderrr cannons. She be captained by Sebeus I and you can request to join her crew on Flickrrrr.

Not a Car

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This is not a car, but it is beautiful. Modelled after a USS Brig, the ‘Europa’ features a beautifully constructed brick-built hull, complete rigging, a crimson deck (to hide the blood), a functioning capstan to raise the anchors, a working tiller-controlled rudder, and an unusual man-fornicating-with-bull figurehead design. Built by TLCB debutant TomSkippy there’s more to see at the Eurobricks ‘Pirate’ forum – click the link to set sail.

Galactic Piratic

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Uh oh! Space Pirates! You know, pirates… but in space! Flickr’s captainsmog owns the mind that has magnificently merged two of LEGO’s most beloved themes and you can see more of his piratical antics via the link above.

Pieces of Eighty

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OK, we’re not sure how many pieces Flickr’s Robert4168/Garmadon has actually used to build ‘Montroy’s Flagship’, but it’s not many. What we are sure of is that Robert has demonstrated brilliantly that with just a handful of bricks you can create something blogworthingly wonderful. See more at the link.

Yaaar! Not a Caaar!

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The more astute among you may have noticed that this build is not a car. But it has allowed us to write a post title in a pirate voice and pirates are cool, which is a good enough reason for this TLCB writer. It’s also a properly excellent build, and there’s more to see of ZiO Chao‘s magnificent mini-figure scale ‘Black Queen’ pirate ship on Flickr via the link.

Broadside

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Blam blam blam blam! You don’t frighten us, English pig-dogs! Go and boil your bottoms, sons of a silly person. I blow my nose at you, so-called Arthur-king, you and all your silly English knnnniggets!* Blam blam blam blam!

This French vs. British battle might not contain a car, but it’s about as good a scene as you’ll even find in Lego. Wesley of Flickr is the man behind it and there’s more to see at his photostream via the link above.

*If you have no idea what we’re on about…

The Flying Dutchman

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Lego Pirates of the Caribbean Flying Dutchman

Ah, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. What started as a fun piratical zombie adventure (even if it stole more than a little from ‘The Mummy’) has since become a great rotting hulk who’s primary purpose seems to be providing a vehicle for Johnny Depp to continue his dodgy impression of Keith Richards.

So too ‘The Flying Dutchman’, a ship that started as a mighty race-built galleon but has since become a great rotting hulk who’s primary purpose…

OK, we really don’t like any of the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movies after the first two, but to be fair to us, they are complete shit. ‘The Flying Dutchman’ is an interesting visual spectacle though, gradually returning to nature whilst ferrying souls to the underworld or some such nonsense.

The Dutchman’s organic appearance makes it a monumentally tricky ship to recreate from LEGO, but that hasn’t stopped Sebeus I of Flickr, who has taken six years (roughly the same length as the third movie) to construct this spectacular version of the ghostly vessel.

With a complete (and suitably spooky) interior, an ingeniously constructed crew of mini-figure monsters, and with no Johnny Depp in sight, Sebeus’ giant galleon is well worth a closer look. There are dozens of images arable to view at Sebeus’ ‘Flying Dutchman’ Flickr album – click on the link above to take a trip to Davy Jones’ locker.

Lego Pirates of the Caribbean Flying Dutchman

The Great Caribbean Battle

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Lego Pirate Ships

From 1989 to 1993 the waters of the Caribbean Sea were a turbulent place to sail. A battle was raging, between a band of pirates led by the blood-thirsty one-legged, one-handed and one-eyed Captain Redbeard (making him something of a Monty Python sketch), and Governor Broadside’s Imperial Soldiers (later the Imperial Guard) whose mighty forts and fleet fought piratical activity across the region.

Previous bloggee Versteinert MOC has captured the time brilliantly, with this ingenious homage to LEGO’s classic Pirates line. Recreated in cutesy-sort-of-mini-figure scale are three of the theme’s greatest sets, 6285 Black Seas Barracuda, 6286 Skull’s Eye Schooner, and 6274 Caribbean Clipper, all fighting it out in what looks like an outdoor swimming pool.

There’s much more to see of the miniaturised nautical battle at Versteinert’s Flickr album – pick a side and join the fight via the link!