The 1989 Sets versus 2009 Sets

[guerrillatyphoon]

I think the new smaller sets are on par with the old smaller sets, but Soldier's Fort and Brickbeard's Bounty are pretty bad compared to Eldorado Fortress and Black Seas Barracuda. I never noticed how similar the 1989 and 2009 lines were. It's really awesome seeing them side by side.

[Norro]

1989! It's all about the build... Granted the new figs are intriguing (a trifle over detailed for my tastes) but the sets can't even begin to compete. Not only do they fail miserably to leave you with parts to build from, most of them wreak of being 'built to budget' to quote brickzone...

Not that I'm against them, I'm thrilled to have pirates back and it is by far Lego's best line at the moment, just still not 89 ; )

God Bless,

Nathan

O.K. The soldier impulse was a nice gesture...

[General Armendariz]

I still have the catalouge for 1990 Those were awesome!

Edited August 7, 2009 by General Armendariz

[Millacol88]

1989, definitely. Just comparing the smaller sets, its pretty equal, but looking at BSB and Eldorado, as well as Forbidden Island, its pretty clear that these sets are better than there 2009 equivalents. Talking about minifigs, however, 2009 wins hands down. Double-sided printing, lots of variety, and plenty of accessories definitely make 2009 a better year minifig-wise.

[Destroydacre]

Looks like 1989 is winning hands down... do you think there's any 2009 set that comes close to beating its 1989 equivalent?

I'd give Shipwreck Hideout and Kraken Attackin' the nod over Forbidden Island and Castaway's Raft, myself. I personally love all 4 sets, but I think both made signifcant improvements over the previous versions. I'm a big fan of the crow's nest on top of the raft and the cabin remains in Shipwreck Hideout.

As for BSB and Eldorado Fortress, they blow away the BB and Soldier's Fort, imo. Now the fort may have some additions in the future that help bring it up to par with the Eldorado Fortress, but as of now, it falls way short. The BB looks very nice (the exterior gives the BSB a run for its money), but the lack of interior detail drops it well below the BSB.

All the other sets are similar enough in comparison that I really couldn't say any were far superior to their counterparts.

[frontbeast]

i vote 89, remeber it as yesterday, the stuff that came up back then was trtemendus. and just seems alot better and fun to play with then the 2009

[David Thomsen]

I think I have to abstain from voting. When it comes to choices like this, nostalgia is going to win every time, even when I can see the improvements of the 2009 sets over the 2008 sets.

Now that I'm used to them, I prefer the colour palette of the 2009 sets. I prefer the 2009 minifigs with their printed backs. And yet, when I look at the sets side by side like that, there's no way I can possibly vote for the 2009 sets over the 1989 sets. Nostalgia won't let me.

[Lego_Warlord_8]

The new minifigures are a significant step forward. If by the time this line plays out we had new bluecoats, islanders and Spanairds that would make this new line stand out very well.

I agree with both of you. Even though I wasn't even close to being born during the golden days of LEGO pirates, I still have managed to find a brand new BSB for real cheap. From what I have and what I have seen, the 89' sets are entirely better than what we have now in the 2009 sets. The prices where better then too. ~LW 8~

[Brickvergnugen]

1989 for the simple reason that there were more sets involved including a ship for each side of the battle.

Never realized the parallels between the two series though. Thanks for posting it.

[Spyder]

Now I may not be a Pirate fanatic, (I'm more of a Star Wars guy), but I do have a couple of the new sets. The 2009 Pirates have some great minifigs and new pieces, but that's not enough to sell the whole line to me. The 1989 sets were original and are great builds. Therefore my vote goes to '89.

[Thee Pirate]

I voted '89.

Remember when every single Lego set came with a mini fold out magazine? I remember getting one with one of my sets, and upon seeing the Black Seas Barracuda, thinking holy crap I WANT A PIRATE SHIP!!! I've always loved old sailing ships. Even when I was little kid, I didn't care if the movie was Swiss Family Robinson or Treasure Island, I loved it. The BSB is beyond a shadow of a doubt, the best designed Lego set to ever grace the shelves of a store. From a design standpoint, the BB is severely lacking.

El Dorado Fortress... what a hell of a set that was. My dad bought it and played with my brother, sister and I. It was great, it had everything you could want in a fortress, gates, a tower or two, a prison, a dock, a couple cannons and the most beautiful baseplate Lego has ever produced. The Soldier's Fort? It has a wall at the back to protect it from land attacks, and 1 cannon. Big woop.

Since set design easily makes up most of a set and minifigs are such a small (but very important part) part of a set, I vote '89.

the '09 minifigs are leagues ahead of their '89 counterparts, but come on... that was 20 years ago. THe minifigs had better get better :-p otherwise the 2009 sets wouldn't be worth a damn.

[Corvus]

I didn't vote. It's way too hard to decide, as they both have their ups and downs.

Ups of '89: Rediculously awesome pirate ships. I managed to snag the BSB when LEGO was doing the 'retro' set theme, whenever that was. I also found the Armada Flagship in Toys 'R' Us in 2001. They may be the only sets I have of the theme, but I sure do love them. Absolutely beautiful ships.

Downs of'89: Not much, really. Some of the smaller ships I'm not really a fan of, but I don't really have anything to complain about.

Ups of '09: The Soldier's Fort and Kracken Attackin' I own, and they're both pretty neat. the fort is solidly constructed, and really reminds me of the '89 set. The raft in Kracken Attackin' is very cute and well built, so that gets a thumbs up from me. I don't own any other sets, but from what I've seen and read on reviews, the Shipwreck Hideout is very nice, too. The figs are also amazing- especially the Governor.

Downs of '09: Stickers on the walls!

The ship seemed too simplified. No lines on the ship, only some tubing holding up the bow sail (Yes, I know there's a name...and it's pathetic that I forget this). The downside for the 'unique' faces is that they're all variations on the same 3 or 4 faces.

I'm sure some hardcore pirates are going to scoff at my pathetic knowledge of '89 (and lack of knowledge on sails), but hey, at least I'm dabbling in what's way out of my area.

EDIT: Ha! Forestay!...or is it jib?

[Joey Lock]

Theres a obvious winner here.

[Darth Legolas]

I never noticed how...similar they are. No opinion here, seeing as I'm not a pirate fan...

[Captain Cannon]

BSB vs BB+ BRICK BEARDS BOUNTY! lets face it fols the shark is new and great the mermaid is great its just... great

EF vs SF= ELDORADO FORTRESS! even though i dont have it, that fortress looks much better then the new one

FC vs SH= SHIPWRECK HIDOUT! just cool the hiden traps and new lady pirate are awesome

SI+HS vs LI= LOOT ISLAND! i mean for $20 you get a better island 3 figs (includeing new castaway) a croc and a boat, its awesome

CR vs KA= KRAKIN ATTACK! one word:kraken

PM vs PBP= TIE! there both great!

BT vs PS= BURIED TREASURE! it won by a monkey

well for me i like 2009 sets better

----------------------------------------

BlueCoats shall beat all

:pir-skull:

[Rijkvv]

I don't understand all your abbreviations.

[Captain Cannon]

i didn't want to type all there names(ok im lazy) soo i just did this: like brick beards bount would be BB

[andy0002]

1989 was better.

one thing sums up my ideas: more for our money.

[gormadoc]

I prefer the 1989 sets because of the design and set playability, the new sets are good but the old sets just have that feel about them that just makes you want to buy them.

[Big Cam]

I voted 1989, only because that's where all my Pirates come from.

In reality though, 2009 has alot of good new colors. Like white walls instead of yellow, it makes a big differance in making the set look more updated.

I think LEGO did a great job on keeping to the classics and also keeping them updated. Except for the Blacksea's Barracuda, this set cannot be beat (It is also the pride of my older collection)

[Ratshot]

1989 was a thousand times better then 2009.

1. 1989 had way more figs in the sets. (Brickbeards Bounty has a pathetic crew of 4 compared to Black Seas Barracudass crew of 9.)

2. One thing that TLC does that ticks me off, is building a set that is not complete on every side, like Soldiers Fort. El Dorado Fortress was a beautiful set

And last, they over priced some of the sets like such as Soldiers Fort and Shipwreck Hideout.

[Rick]

1989 was a thousand times better then 2009.

1. 1989 had way more figs in the sets. (Brickbeards Bounty has a pathetic crew of 4 compared to Black Seas Barracudass crew of 9.)

2. One thing that TLC does that ticks me off, is building a set that is not complete on every side, like Soldiers Fort. El Dorado Fortress was a beautiful set

And last, they over priced some of the sets like such as Soldiers Fort and Shipwreck Hideout.

BSB has a crew of 8 (Redbeard, a wench, two pirates with blue coats and tricorner hats, and four 'regular' pirates with striped shirts and Village People mustaches), SES has a crew of 9. Eldorado Fortress is unique also in those days in being closed on all sides, although it clearly has a 'windier' back than front side.

[Legoking]

I choose 1989 by far. I would have to say the best set of 1989 is the Black Seas Barracuda.

[snefroe]

nothing beats the old line, really. the first pirate sets signified a revolution in Legoland. printed faces, an entirely new line with every pirate element you could think of. a ship nobody had ever seen before... the list goes on... it's not just nostalgia ... the 1989 line simply was superb.

still, i don't think the 2009 is bad though... i think it's a great line too, probably the best sets from 2009... it's just... how do you beat a legend? Even if quality is the same, 1989 will always win, because, back then , the entire line was a huge risk and a massive investment. 2009 is at best a copy and success garanteed...

[MillerTime]

Not even close. 1989 had such great sets and great designs...

2009 has the bley colors (still worst mistake in Lego's history), pretty bad parts choice, it's aimed at young kids with its cartoon skulls instead of realistic ones for original pirates and the designs are way too simplified. The figs are good but the 1989 figs were great just the way they were. Not to mention many of the new figs are very cheap plastic.

1989 wins in a landslide in every category.