[OFFICIAL] Bricklink Designer Program - Series 5

[Yperio_Bricks]

The voting is open for the Bricklink Designer Program Series 5.

You have until June 14th at noon Pacific Time to vote!

 

Pirate Haven by elevendragons

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Anchor Cove Imperials Shipyard by DelusionB

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THE PIRATE'S DREAM by Goannas89

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The Pirate Life by chharitos

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Coconut Cape by BallisticBricks

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Caribbean Port by castellofelice

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The Thieves of Tortuga by Krackenator

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Somewhere Island by jAn_eVa

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Kraken Attack by TrumanBrick

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Privateer Frigate Fortuna by BrickPerfection

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Trading Post by KingCreations

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Trading Ship by FNeuwald

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Smoldering Bay Fishing by montymatte

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Deep Sea Discovery by Rich_Herbert

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The Old Skull by BrickyBricks82

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[Mister Phes]

4 hours ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

The voting is open for the Bricklink Designer Program Series 5.

You have until June 14th at noon Pacific Time to vote!

This is beautiful - thank you for putting this together!

[jolobas]

The Thieves of Tortuga looks awesome

[Mazin]

Wow, so many nice entries. Anchor Cove is my favourite one, not a fun of those polished walways tho, but still it seems most original idea with so many features i'd be interested in, and generally it's the most playable pirate-friendly set of all ;) 

[Akbalder]

Trading Post is the nicest.

[Yperio_Bricks]

Many nice entries! It's great to see so many pirate port towns  Tortuga, Coconut Cape and Frigate Fortuna are amongst my favorites but my absolute favorite is the Old Skull Restaurant. That modular building looks like something i really would love to build with bricks

[zinnn]

Trading Post is probably my favourite here, it's small enough to be quite affordable for most folks, but looks interesting and packed.

I also like Thieves of Tortuga set, but not the colours - they don't look very "Lego Pirates", more like a realistic MOC. Whenever those Bricklink sets pop up I always try to imagine how well they would tie with the rest of the Pirates sets. This one looks more like a stand-alone set.

 

My main issue with the Bricklink programme, is the torsos - I'm so sick of seeing the same torsos over and over again. They should allow users more freedom with designs.

[Yperio_Bricks]

1 hour ago, zinnn said:

they don't look very "Lego Pirates", more like a realistic MOC.

But that's.... good

Though all these BDP renders look lifeless, lack the Lego charm and often the background is not doing the moc any favor. Rendering good pictures is a hobby on its own i guess.

[Retrocity]

I’d love to see Caribbean Port or The Thieves of Tortuga make it. A more merchant centered set would be nice and complement existing Pirate sets. Tortuga is definitely more polished having a lot more pieces, but I really like something about the design of Carribean Port. I think it loosely reminds me of the town they had built on display in the Pirate hotel at Legoland in Florida (although more detailed). I’d like to see it with some of the Cobblestone work on the walkways like Tortuga has. 
 

I like the Trading Port too. I could see modding it slightly and making it a base for my Imperial Armada figures. 

[zinnn]

Can I just add - Coconut Cape is beautiful. Almost too pretty, but the more I look at it the more I like it.

 

Also, I found this image hilarious in the Tortuga set, so simple yet gives me 100% silly Lego vibes:

Edited June 7, 2024 by zinnn

[MightyThorngren]

I made a Top 10 list after going through every bricklink submission for Series-5 on a day off. It included a number of Pirate sets

 

 

My favorite Bricklink Series-5 sets

I favor smaller to medium builds for both budget and shelf space. No giant display pieces in this list. Counting down my top 10 sets.

Number 10 - Black Dragon Tower -
At 1537 pieces its a well detailed and imposing tower that won't break our bank and leaves space on our shelves. Not much to say about it, it's my least favorite set I mention on my list. But I think it's incredibly well done and fits all my criteria for a winning set. And the classic Black Dragon Knights are in my opinion the most iconic of all the Lego faction, and in my imagination the most feared.

https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-5/1544/Black-Dragon-Tower

Number 09 - The Pirate Life -
This set is really beautiful and looks like it functions well as a Pirate playset to counter the new Eldorado Fortress. But a bit large for my tastes at 2732 pieces and takes up too wide a shelf space. Lots of life in the set, but I wish it was a little less long at 20 inches in length. Still, absolutely impressive looking and I'm rooting for Pirate themed to make a comeback. And this is the most impressive looking Pirate base I've seen.

https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-5/1633/The-Pirate-Life
 

Number 08 - Serpent Island -
At 1256 pieces, I think Serpent Island is a really cool smaller set. We get a really awesome compact Viking Ship with folding sail and neat side build of a water Serpent and small island. It pairs well in Castle or Viking themed stuff and even could work with Pirates. This set is incredibly soulful and ready to inspire imaginations to play.

https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-5/1794/Serpent-Island

Number 07 - The Privateer Frigate Fortuna - This is the most impressive ship build I've ever seen. But at 4000 parts and almost 32 inches in length, it breaks both my budget and shelf. I love that it's fully playable though, if you happen to have a swimming pool sized space to play in. I literally have no room for it, but it's absolutely stunning and I'm amazed at how playable and sturdy this well detailed model is.

https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-5/1813/Privateer-Frigate-Fortuna


Number 06 - Medieval Beekeeper -
The largest Castle themed set within size and budget, I loved is the Medieval Beekeeper at 2080 pieces. It's a refreshing change of pace from fortresses and hideouts while offering story inspiring details while filling out the Castle world with unique civilians. It's slightly larger scale than I would like to fit with ALL Castle themed sets, but looks to be perfectly in scale with the new Medieval Village which is serviceable. It's a really beautiful set worth checking out. So full of charm.

https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-5/1648/Medieval-Beekeeper

Number 05 - Alchemist Caravan -
The first of the two wagons on my list is the Alchemist Caravan at 853 pieces. I like the classy side builds and the second pitch for the laboratory looks amazing, though it makes it feel a but too large for what it is, which is why I placed it lower than the other wagon.

https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-5/1818/Alchemist's-Caravan

Number 04 - The Wolf Den -
At a good mid range of 1604 pieces, the Wolf Den is a a cool Wolfpack encampment set up in some ruins. It folds open to completely change the look of the scene while retaining all details and being a functional playset that looks equally impressive at play. I have another Wolfpack set at Number 2, but I would be equally happy with this one. It's quite impressive and looks to be loads of fun. I like that the camp filled ruins are full of life, implying the Wolfpack are scattered about the Kingdom.

https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-5/1482/Wolf-Den

Number 03 - Wizard Wagon -
At 695 pieces, the Wizard Wagon is a very cool magical cart reminding me of the original Wizard's Cart set from so long ago. It's cute and quaint with great details and really screams magic. I love the included fireworks and side build of scenery for your displays and children and wildlife add to the story telling. This set is so charming and I'm absolutely in love with it. It's small piece count will ensure it it's affordable and it complements every Castle theme imaginable while exuding classic Lego charm

https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-5/1658/Wizard-Wagon

Number 02 - Castle Wolfstone -
At 1018 parts, this is an excellent small fort situated by the water with an ability to hinge open for play and accessibility. I think it's equally as cool as that Wolf Den, but almost 600 parts less and it manages to tap into that classic Lego Castle aesthetic and feel but keep modern sensibilities. I love both and think they together would make formidable defenses for the Wolfpack throughout the kingdom, but this would be my choice if I could only have one. Wolfstone offers everything one could want from the pack except a glow in the dark ghost or gray bird. It's a fort build into the water and had a great secret dock and raft, its a perfect reimagining of the original Wolfpack keep. I love the jail and included watchdog, but the moving gate and trap door add to the fun. It looks great as a display piece, but folds open for easier play. By far my favorite Castle set in Series-5. Affordable, playable, space saving and full of details to inspire the imagination.

https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-5/1748/Castle-Wolfstone

Number 01 -The Trading Post -
My favorite set from series 4 The Trading Post is back with improvements for series 5. The Trading Post is a great Pirate themed civilian base to interact with Pirates and Imperials. Its something we've been missing for forever and its my number one want in the program. It's an impressive display piece at a modest 1557 parts, but is also a wonderful playset that can even be split in half to reveal more details. I can not gush enough about this set. It's just so dang cool and a perfect compliment to any Pirate collection 

https://www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-5/1503/Trading-Post

 

[Yperio_Bricks]

One day left to vote for your favorite entries!

[Mister Phes]

2 minutes ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

One day left to vote for your favorite entries!

I'm confused about the voting deadline!

On my end, the Series 5 Main Page states both June 14 and June 15 as the deadline - is this what everyone else is seeing? Or is this just on my end?

[Yperio_Bricks]

In both cases i see June 14th.

But noon is a confusing time specification anyway. What does that mean? I wonder why they never write out the specific time the vote closes. And i bet a lot of people from around the world do not know what 'Pacific' refers to.

[Mister Phes]

13 minutes ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

But noon is a confusing time specification anyway. What does that mean?

In English speaking regions it usually means 12PM or 12:00.

13 minutes ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

And i bet a lot of people from around the world do not know what 'Pacific' refers to.

I assume they mean Pacific Time, which according to the time.is website, is UTC -7.

So it's currently 1:44:34 AM / 00:44:34  on Thursday, June 13

Therefore, it's closer to 34 hours until close of voting (at the time of writing this post)

[Yperio_Bricks]

6 minutes ago, Mister Phes said:

In English speaking regions it usually means 12PM or 12:00.

So when the gunmen meet for a duel 'at noon' in old movies

8 minutes ago, Mister Phes said:

I assume they mean Pacific Time, which according to the time.is website, is UTC -7.

That's what i would think too, but i wish, for an website with an international audience, they would be more precise. But maybe that's just me

So the time that is left to vote is something between one and two days

 

An other question: All entries are digital builds. Is there a rule that states that? Do the participants have to create instructions to prove that their design is buildable?

[Mister Phes]

30 minutes ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

So when the gunmen meet for a duel 'at noon' in old movies

Yes, at noon, but not high noon.

 

30 minutes ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

That's what i would think too, but i wish, for an website with an international audience, they would be more precise.

I agree! As you can see from the above screenshot, it's showing me two different dates - that's very confusing!

[MightyThorngren]

On 6/13/2024 at 4:57 AM, Yperio_Bricks said:

So when the gunmen meet for a duel 'at noon' in old movies

That's what i would think too, but i wish, for an website with an international audience, they would be more precise. But maybe that's just me

So the time that is left to vote is something between one and two days

 

An other question: All entries are digital builds. Is there a rule that states that? Do the participants have to create instructions to prove that their design is buildable?

 

 

I believe all entries have to be digitally built. Some builders also submitted a brick built version along with digital. But they won't take a submission only built with bricks with no digital file.

[sporadic]

On 6/13/2024 at 1:57 AM, Yperio_Bricks said:

An other question: All entries are digital builds. Is there a rule that states that? Do the participants have to create instructions to prove that their design is buildable?

Part of the purpose of the BDP is to promote digital building, so digital is required, but physically building a prototype is very much encouraged.  When you submit, they do a review, looking for illegal or impossible building techniques.  The review sometimes includes building the model physically if there are questionable aspects.  Instructions from the builder are required to help them do the evaluation.  If there are issues, they do try to help builders resolve them so they can submit for the current or a future BDP series.  Should a model be chosen by the crowd vote, they revise both the model and the instructions before release to make sure the build experience is a positive one.  Unlike Ideas, they try to have a light hand in any model modifications (only fixing egregious issues) so the builders original vision shows through.

[Yperio_Bricks]

52 minutes ago, sporadic said:

Part of the purpose of the BDP is to promote digital building, so digital is required, but physically building a prototype is very much encouraged.  When you submit, they do a review, looking for illegal or impossible building techniques.  The review sometimes includes building the model physically if there are questionable aspects.  Instructions from the builder are required to help them do the evaluation.  If there are issues, they do try to help builders resolve them so they can submit for the current or a future BDP series.  Should a model be chosen by the crowd vote, they revise both the model and the instructions before release to make sure the build experience is a positive one.  Unlike Ideas, they try to have a light hand in any model modifications (only fixing egregious issues) so the builders original vision shows through.

Thanks for the explanation! I didn't know that.