2015 LEGO Pirates Rumors and Discussion

[Dreamweb]

I wish they released this new hull in a new colour instead of brown or dark brown again. Friends gave us white hull, so how about red now? Or dark blue for that matter - for the soldiers perhaps? It would correlate nicely with the dark blue boats that the soldiers have.

[David Thomsen]

Yes but atleast use the totally different color scheme then...... fine Ships were brown, we can live with that, but everything thats red (and white) on this ship should be totally counter colored, so it does not look identical to older ships....

I see the colours as just part of the Pirate theme, the same way that Friends has a very distinctive colour scheme. Ships are brown, forts are white with red bricks, pirates have red and black colours on their ships, soldiers are either red or blue, everything used to have yellow features but that has been replaced with beige, ships used to have white features but don't any more, etc. Apart from the odd colour like the green cannon flaps on the Skull's Eye Schooner, the Pirate Theme has always had a particular palette that has evolved slightly over time.

I do think the colour differences are more than people are giving credit for, though. Dark brown instead of brown, red instead of dark red, dark tan (I think) instead of tan, and much more dark tan on the new model than tan on the old. The roof of the cabin is dark tan instead of brown. The sails I expect to change. They've changed pretty much everything they could while staying within the Pirate-theme palette.

Edited September 25, 2014 by David Thomsen

[Sebeus I]

I wish they released this new hull in a new colour instead of brown or dark brown again. Friends gave us white hull, so how about red now? Or dark blue for that matter - for the soldiers perhaps? It would correlate nicely with the dark blue boats that the soldiers have.

I second that, a dark blue hull would be great for imperial ships, I recall that the Interceptor from POTC had a dark blue hull as well.

A (dark) tan hull would be interesting as well.

[The_Cook]

I wish they released this new hull in a new colour instead of brown or dark brown again. Friends gave us white hull, so how about red now? Or dark blue for that matter - for the soldiers perhaps? It would correlate nicely with the dark blue boats that the soldiers have.

There are costs involved in holding inventories of parts in lots of colours, there was a Reddit thread where Mark Stafford talks about designing the ExoSuit for Ideas and how he was only allowed a certain number of colour swaps, ie. requests for an existing part to be produced in a colour that isn't already in the manufacturing schedule. In his case he ran out of swaps before he could change the colour of Barrel that so upset many AFOLs because it was the wrong shade of grey.

The hull pieces aren't a common part; to get them produced in a new colour that isn't Dark Brown or White means more storage is required both to hold stocks of the old colour for spares and the new colour for immediate use in the sets and as spares. That may not sound like much but multiply that by the hundred of thousands of different elements that TLG produces and the volume of elements that they need to keep in store for a global supply of spares and you're talking several very big warehouses for items that are ultimately sold for just a few pennies (a few cents for non-UK readers). Thus even a new colour for an existing part is a major economic decision and therefore designers are limited in the number of new colours that they can get elements in. Ultimately TLG would produces parts in all colours if they thought they could charge for them but that isn't the case, we're always looking for how can we get our bricks the cheapest; just read the threads about how I'll pass on it now and get the sets when they're on the clearance shelves! To pass the minimum cost on to the consumers TLG have to limit the palette and elements to minimise those storage costs.

Edited September 25, 2014 by The_Cook

[TheLegoDr]

^Exactly. If they produced all of the colors we want, they'd go broke (speaking of which, look at their color scheme when they almost did go broke).

As far as color swaps, I'd love another black hull so I can extend my Black Pearl. They are too costly to buy a few extras. But maybe they will release it again with the new movie.

I could see a dark blue hull. I'd almost want a white hull for them for some reason. I feel too much blue would be a bad thing. I like the older Spanish ship with the white hull and the blue top.

But as far as designers choice, they probably felt it was better to get some of these other elements in new colors/prints instead of a new hull color. Especially since most kids probably don't care. They'd expect a ship hull to be brown. Is this one reddish brown, we think? I don't own any reddish brown hulls, only dark brown. So this is actually a change for me.

[Alcarin]

I see the colours as just part of the Pirate theme, the same way that Friends has a very distinctive colour scheme. Ships are brown, forts are white with red bricks, pirates have red and black colours on their ships, soldiers are either red or blue, everything used to have yellow features but that has been replaced with beige, ships used to have white features but don't any more, etc. Apart from the odd colour like the green cannon flaps on the Skull's Eye Schooner, the Pirate Theme has always had a particular palette that has evolved slightly over time.

I do think the colour differences are more than people are giving credit for, though. Dark brown instead of brown, red instead of dark red, dark tan (I think) instead of tan, and much more dark tan on the new model than tan on the old. The roof of the cabin is dark tan instead of brown. The sails I expect to change. They've changed pretty much everything they could while staying within the Pirate-theme palette.

The problem I have is, when I look at a ship I think, would a pirate ship in red and white straps (color wise) sail the seas back in teh days? And if I dont see it as something regular, then it puts me off..... if atleast we could buy sails in all or different colors on LEGO.com (same materials)

[Dreamweb]

Yeah, I know a different colour for the hull is highly unlikely. Still, I can dream, can't I? :) Dark blue hull would look absolutely amazing, sadly it will never happen. Somehow I think red would be LEGO's first choice IF introducing a new colour - like they did with the RBR long ago. Now that I think about it, this new hull is already available in 4 colours. The old wide hulls came in 3 colour variations, the old narrow ones in 4... So it seems that 4 may be the final number this time around too, for such a specialised (and large) piece. On the other hand - it wouldn't hurt to have at least one more. :)

[David Thomsen]

But as far as designers choice, they probably felt it was better to get some of these other elements in new colors/prints instead of a new hull color. Especially since most kids probably don't care. They'd expect a ship hull to be brown. Is this one reddish brown, we think? I don't own any reddish brown hulls, only dark brown. So this is actually a change for me.

I wasn't actually sure to begin with but I think it is actually dark brown, which unfortunately looks like the most common colour for it to appear in.

If they make a D2C set with either another Imperial Flagship scale ship or a smaller ship in an Imperial Trading Post style set I wouldn't mind for it to have either a black or a white hull, since I don't have any ships in those colours. I think black is unlikely though because it's a very Piratey colour and I doubt they'll do another pirate ship soon, but white is very possible. Dark blue would also be good too, but as has been discussed it seems more likely that they'll recycle an older colour.

[Ardelon]

Well I for one would want to avoid jelly-bean hulls for ships. Disliked the Armada Flagship and the RBR for this very reason (though otherwise the RBR was OK). To a lesser extent, this also applies to black hulls like the CBC and BP, though they are a bit less garish or cartoonish than white or red or dark blue. (though I thought the BP was too black, and the CBC was cartoonish for other reasons).

I say keep the hulls brown and make the cabins and other superstructures as colorful as you want. I could see a hull in dark orange or nougat, as those colors could still pass for wood.

Actually, the one color I would understand on my hulls is copper, to emulate the copper plates on sailing ship hulls.

[David Thomsen]

When I google image search for 'sailing ships' a good portion of them have white hulls, which is why it seems an acceptable colour to me. Maybe these ships are too modern for our Pirate Golden Age era but if I don't know better then I don't think kids will either.

[Darth Punk]

It's very unlikely a pirate ship would have been painted white. In that era paint would have been used mainly for camouflage. The hull would have either had copper plaiting or some tar like substance for anti fouling purposes. A blueish gray or something in that range would have been more likely used to help make the ship blend into the horizon and water. Some white was used but only for smaller vessels for coastal raids to help blend in with fog.

[just2good]

Brick Bounty has a chef with the snowboard cap in white and a kid. Final set has some great minifigures but a meh boat. But there's a swordfish! DO NOT ASK TO SEE THIS PICTURES, I CANNOT SHARE!

Edited September 28, 2014 by just2good

[Rob1321]

Snowboard cap? You mean a beanie?

[David Thomsen]

Brick Bounty has a chef with the snowboard cap in white and a kid. Final set has some great minifigures but a meh boat. But there's a swordfish! DO NOT ASK TO SEE THIS PICTURES, I CANNOT SHARE!

What are the colour of the sails?

Edit: I think this is the snowboard cap:

Edited September 28, 2014 by David Thomsen

[VintageLegoEra]

What are the colour of the sails?

The sails are red and white same as previous set.

[David Thomsen]

The sails are red and white same as previous set.

Do you have the same final picture(s)? Because if that's so it's disappointing, I really believed they would use black and white sails to make it more distinctive from the BBB.

Hmm maybe I will just bricklink the new pirate torsos.

[just2good]

The sails are red and white same as previous set.

This.

Edit: I think this is the snowboard cap

This.

[Slurpifier]

Final set? You definite its not Brick Bounty?

[VintageLegoEra]

Do you have the same final picture(s)? Because if that's so it's disappointing, I really believed they would use black and white sails to make it more distinctive from the BBB.

Hmm maybe I will just bricklink the new pirate torsos.

I wish too but still confidential. You kmow, we must respect the confidentiality....:-)

[David Thomsen]

I wish too but still confidential. You kmow, we must respect the confidentiality....:-)

When will they not be confidential?

Oh I had another question, the 'kid' that was mentioned... child or goat? I can imagine a chef having livestock on a ship.

I guess I've got lots of questions but can wait to see the final set to answer them.

[VintageLegoEra]

When will they not be confidential?

Oh I had another question, the 'kid' that was mentioned... child or goat? I can imagine a chef having livestock on a ship.

I guess I've got lots of questions but can wait to see the final set to answer them.

Hopefully by October...;-).

Who told you about goat???...no goat.

Ask as much as u want but better to be a surprise ;-)

[David Thomsen]

Who told you about goat???...no goat.

I just thought that the word 'kid' could mean 'child' or 'young goat'...

The only thing I'm really curious about is, what colour coat does the Pirate captain wear? He had a black coat in BBB and a red coat in the Minifigures series.

[Darth Punk]

Did the bowler hat turn out to be a placeholder?

[Pulp Detective]

Wow JUST2GOOD you can't just throw a bomb and leave it at that mate,if you remember anything else about the sets mind you sharing it with us??If you can't it's ok.Still I'm excited we're getting some decent minifigs but a snowboard hat....???

Edited September 28, 2014 by LOTR343

[KristofBD]

Well if the minifigs look great, can you tell us a bit more about the bluecoats? And what minifigs are on the ship?