2015 LEGO Pirates Rumors and Discussion

[Boettner Builds]

The pirates army builder, I mean chess set, is on sale at s@h. The already good deal just got gooder :)

Edited August 31, 2015 by redtrooper27

[CaptainToad]

Almost positive there will be no Pirates sets next year.

hopefully the ninjago pirates will be in some sort of way compatible

[Captain Fortune]

I just ordered the promo set on eBay. I've got a thing with these little sets, and this one is even more special.

Being said that, it was quite obvious that this wave would not continue. I don't feel disappointed about this because I expected it. The only hope is to have another ship like the Imperial Flagship, wich was not exactly released as a pirate set, strictly speaking.

So this promo set it's more likely a "See you soon Set".

hopefully the ninjago pirates will be in some sort of way compatible

Frankly, I woudn't expect much.

And about the Pirate chess... The pirates are Ok, but Holly s**t, where are the shakos and the backpacks? Nasty. That is absolute laziness from Lego.

Edited September 19, 2015 by Captain Fortune

[Jellyeater]

And about the Pirate chess... The pirates are Ok, but Holly s**t, where are the shakos and the backpacks?

And epaulettes.

Nasty. That is absolute laziness from Lego.

It's all about money. If there where shakos and backpacks no one would buy other sets. :)

[Captain Fortune]

It's all about money. If there where shakos and backpacks no one would buy other sets. :)

It's about money, but I don't think that's the reason. Everybody can buy everything on internet, nowadays. I think that is all related with the production of these kind of pieces: they prefer reuse it from other themes rather than make new ones. That's why I said laziness.

Edited September 21, 2015 by Captain Fortune

[stevebuscemi]

LEGO stopped caring about customers the minute it realized it could game the system by "price per brick" and started putting in huge amounts of small pieces to bloat brick count. It's amazing how the size of models hasn't gone up but the piece count has doubled on most sets. Not even talking about friends sets either. SW is horrible now.

These pirates sets looks terrible other than the pirate ship.

Edited September 21, 2015 by stevebuscemi

[mattb483]

I don't know why everyone is complaining about the chess set being an army builder? If you guys wanna army build go to brick and pieces on Lego.com and order the piece from the sets. The blue coat torso is 69 cents i belive. Better to do that then go spend 50 bucks on a lame chess set.

[AViewToALego]

Speaking of chess sets, is there still issues with chinese plastic or has it been fixed since the previous release?

[Jellyeater]

I don't know why everyone is complaining about the chess set being an army builder? If you guys wanna army build go to brick and pieces on Lego.com and order the piece from the sets.

Two simple words: no shakos in Lego.com. It is 5 words actually. :)

[lomis]

Two simple words: no shakos in Lego.com. It is 5 words actually. :)

I was able to order 8 or them by calling the order in severs months ago even though they weren't on the site.

[Matthias]

Two simple words: no shakos in Lego.com. It is 5 words actually. :)

I phoned with TLG and you can get the shakos at phone!!! That was a week ago. I did not order them because one cost 1,36 €. Than Bricklink is cheaper.

Edited September 22, 2015 by Matthias

[CaptainToad]

I just ordered the promo set on eBay. I've got a thing with these little sets, and this one is even more special.

Being said that, it was quite obvious that this wave would not continue. I don't feel disappointed about this because I expected it. The only hope is to have another ship like the Imperial Flagship, wich was not exactly released as a pirate set, strictly speaking.

So this promo set it's more likely a "See you soon Set".

Frankly, I woudn't expect much.

And about the Pirate chess... The pirates are Ok, but Holly s**t, where are the shakos and the backpacks? Nasty. That is absolute laziness from Lego.

Exactly the reason why I passed on the chess set - otherwise a no-brainer, I said to myself I will not pay the extra money

LEGO stopped caring about customers the minute it realized it could game the system by "price per brick" and started putting in huge amounts of small pieces to bloat brick count. It's amazing how the size of models hasn't gone up but the piece count has doubled on most sets. Not even talking about friends sets either. SW is horrible now.

These pirates sets looks terrible other than the pirate ship.

You are right - sometimes there is an insane amount of small pieces used that increase the ratio while keeping the build small - very often a couple of pieces are used for no reason when one bigger pieces would have been sufficient.

I don't know why everyone is complaining about the chess set being an army builder? If you guys wanna army build go to brick and pieces on Lego.com and order the piece from the sets. The blue coat torso is 69 cents i belive. Better to do that then go spend 50 bucks on a lame chess set.

the shako is quite expensive -

I think the chess set would have been awesome if its potential had been fully realized - the lack of fully equipped soldiers hurts

[BrickOn]

I phoned with TLG and you can get the shakos at phone!!! That was a week ago. I did not order them because one cost 1,36 €. Than Bricklink is cheaper.

Sure its cheaper until you start trying to make an order up to a minimum spend and then boom suddenly your cart it full of other things...

[Aanchir]

LEGO stopped caring about customers the minute it realized it could game the system by "price per brick" and started putting in huge amounts of small pieces to bloat brick count. It's amazing how the size of models hasn't gone up but the piece count has doubled on most sets. Not even talking about friends sets either. SW is horrible now.

These pirates sets looks terrible other than the pirate ship.

I'm getting really sick of reading nonsensical and poorly-researched complaints like this.

Fifteen years ago, LEGO sets were being criticized at length about using large, specialized bricks (what AFOLs generally call "juniorization") instead of smaller bricks. It's part of what made the earliest Star Wars set designs so blocky, inauthentic, and generally lackluster. The LEGO Group's reasoning behind this trend was that they saw lots of kids playing video games instead of playing with LEGO and assumed kids wanted instant gratification — quick, snap-together builds that were not a challenge to assemble and let the kids jump into role-play a lot faster. However, this trend was not successful and was one contributing factor to their near-bankruptcy in 2003.

Around 2004, as part of their recovery effort, LEGO started conducting anthropological research on boys to find out what they wanted in a toy. The researchers found that LEGO had read the video game situation all wrong. What boys loved about fast-paced video games, and also about LEGO, wasn't a sense of "instant gratification", it was a sense of mastery, confronting play as a sort of a challenge. This realization, not some desire to manipulate AFOLs, is the reason why LEGO reversed their design trend and started to focus on increasing the level of brick-built detail in sets and decreasing the number of large, specialized pieces that take the fun out of the building process. In other words, LEGO's shift towards smaller pieces is in direct response to what kids and AFOLs alike wanted.

And believe it or not, it didn't mean charging more for less LEGO. 6265 Sabre Island is one of the first LEGO Pirates sets from 1989. It cost $15.50 ($30.10 in today's money), contained 96 pieces including 3 minifigures, stood 13 centimeters tall, and weighed .21 kilograms. 6262 King Kahuka's Throne was one of my childhood favorite sets from 1994. It cost $21 ($34.10 in today's money), contained 141 pieces including five minifigures, stood about 12.5 centimeters tall, and weighed .30 kilograms. 70412 Soldier's Fort is a current LEGO Pirates set. It costs $30, contains 234 pieces including five minifigures, stands 15.7 centimeters tall, and weighs .54 kilograms. In other words, not only the number of bricks but also the net weight of those bricks are one and a half to two times higher in a current set than with 20- and 25-year-old sets that cost more after adjusting for inflation. And the set itself is taller, to boot! The only thing it doesn't include that those other sets did is a baseplate, opting instead for a more complex brick-built foundation.

I don't see how exactly you think LEGO is cheating or deceiving buyers in this situation. If anything, older sets cheated buyers by giving them less LEGO (by both weight and piece count) for more money than today's sets!

[Captain Fortune]

...

Very, very interesting. Thank you for this!

By the way, can I ask you a question? You seem very informed... I remember that january 1998, where I was a child, I watched the new catalog and didn't see anything about Pirates. I was VERY disappointed, and I could'nt believe how that was possible. Now it's funny to remember those old times hahaha, but I was really pissed off.

Which were the reasons lead the Lego Group to remove the Pirates Theme?

Thank you very much for your time!

[Aanchir]

Very, very interesting. Thank you for this!

By the way, can I ask you a question? You seem very informed... I remember that january 1998, where I was a child, I watched the new catalog and didn't see anything about Pirates. I was VERY disappointed, and I could'nt believe how that was possible. Now it's funny to remember those old times hahaha, but I was really pissed off.

Which were the reasons lead the Lego Group to remove the Pirates Theme?

Thank you very much for your time!

I honestly don't know the specific reason. What I can tell you is that LEGO was not doing well financially in the late 90s and early naughts. LEGO was a bit worried at that point that a lot of kids considered LEGO too "old-fashioned", so during that time there was a lot of experimentation with less traditional themes (Adventurers, Ninja, Wild West, Rock Raiders, etc) and a bit less focus on the traditional themes like Pirates, Space, and Castle. The book Brick by Brick by David C. Robertson talks a lot about the LEGO Group's decline and recovery during this period and I really recommend it to anybody who's interested in learning more about this period of LEGO history.

After the LEGO Star Wars theme launched that helped mask the LEGO Group's financial desperation for a couple years, but then in 2003 when there were no new movies for any of the LEGO Group's major licensed themes, they nearly went bankrupt. Only the success of the Bionicle theme that year kept them in business. That's about when they decided they needed a new CEO (Jorgen Vig Knudstorp) and a new brand direction, and when they invested in anthropological research to figure out what exactly it was kids wanted from toys instead of just making their decisions based on "conventional wisdom".

It's also worth noting that pirate genre in general really began to fall out of favor during the late 90s. This is often blamed on the massive failure of the movie Cutthroat Island in 1995 which made other companies reluctant to invest in pirate-related media until Disney launched the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise in 2003.

It's a lot easier for LEGO to market a theme if it's already "trendy" by pop culture standards... there's not so much pressure on LEGO to convince kids pirates are cool if a bunch of other companies are trying to market pirate-related stories and products as well! This is even true of current themes. Part of the reason LEGO developed the Ninjago theme when they did was that they saw an uptick in ninja-related toys and media aimed at kids. Conversely, it's part of why there haven't been non-licensed Western LEGO products in so many years, since very little Western media these days is aimed at kids.

Edited September 27, 2015 by Aanchir

[AViewToALego]

It's also worth noting that pirate genre in general really began to fall out of favor during the late 90s. This is often blamed on the massive failure of the movie Cutthroat Island in 1995 which made other companies reluctant to invest in pirate-related media until Disney launched the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise in 2003.

This always annoyed me to no end! Cutthroat Island is a very underrated movie, and it didn't fail because it was bad, it failed because people wasn't interested in pirate movies at the times. It's a huge shame, not only for LEGO pirate fans, but also for swashbuckling adventurers like me. The marketing must have been awful.

"Out of sight, out of mind" as they say it.

Edited September 28, 2015 by AViewToALego

[Sigolf Brimabane]

I loved Cutthroat Island when I was a kid. I would love to see it again :/ It's not that easy to find though. It was on tv in Sweden a few years ago late at night. I only saw the second half of it then. I remember it having all the good pirate tropes. Treasure map in pieces etc.

[Capn Frank]

Cutthroat Island is a very underrated movie,

Reading through its Wiki page, one thing stuck out:

...in short, a satisfactory movie - but it doesn't transcend its genre, and it's not surprising or astonishing. ... But unless you're really into pirate movies, it's not a necessary film.

It would seem that the movie would only be loved by die-hard pirate movie fans.

and it didn't fail because it was bad, it failed because people wasn't interested in pirate movies at the times.

So you agree that the movie failed. This movie was a box office failure (Budget $98 million, Box office $10 million). And you agree that it failed because interest in pirates was waning. I am confused as to why you are annoyed by Aanchir's post.

I think TLG could do something similar to Ninjago and create their own media content to support the Pirate Theme.

[AViewToALego]

So you agree that the movie failed. This movie was a box office failure (Budget $98 million, Box office $10 million). And you agree that it failed because interest in pirates was waning. I am confused as to why you are annoyed by Aanchir's post.

I'm not annoyed by Aanchir's post, I'm annoyed that the movie was a box office failure.

[Capn Frank]

I'm not annoyed by Aanchir's post, I'm annoyed that the movie was a box office failure.

Ok good.

[TalonCard]

I'm getting really sick of reading nonsensical and poorly-researched complaints like this.

I really appreciate your post! I've been wanting to post something similar as the generally negative attitude lately surprises me. Allow me to continue injecting positivity into this thread:

There has never been a better time to be a LEGO Pirates fan than right now. Call me an old-timer, but I remember the Becalmed Years from 1998-2008 when there were no new proper minifigure Pirate sets whatsoever. (I suppose I shouldn't count 2001-2002 as there were some really nice re-releases, but honestly they were so close to the original availability of the sets that we didn't appreciate them enough.) Guys, there were times I thought I'd never see a new Pirate set.

It is so much better now. We've just had this very year a solid wave of Pirate sets. And we've seen at least one Pirate themed release a year since 2009--six years!--which keeps things fun for a completeist like me. I would argue that it's an even better time for Pirates fans than any other--including the oft pined for years of 1989 and 1993. Why?

#1. Lots of new Pirate minifigures and pieces. We've got lots of different maps, flags and sails, a wide variety of hats (and now wigs!), bottles, telescopes and old-timy globe pieces.

#2. More opportunity for Piratical goodness in nontraditional themes. The LEGO Movie, Collectable Minifigures, Spongebob, Pirates of the Caribbean, Games, Junior, and soon Ninjago have all done a spin on the Pirate theme and have given us some really great stuff. We've even had things like Chess Sets and Advent Calenders that I could only have dreamt of as a kid. And even if you don't want to buy the sets just to get at the Pirate parts...

#3. Better aftermarket availability! ...you don't have to! Look, I know Ebay and Bricklink aren't perfect and the prices for complete sets are high. But there was a time, boys and girls, when a set was just gone after it was retired. And if you wanted an extra part or a minifigure from a set you didn't have, you either had to lie to LEGO customer support or do without. Now you can buy almost any part or set you want with relative ease and some patience.

#4. Internet shopping. You are all lucky to never have to know the dissappointment of saving for one that particular LEGO set only to find out that every store in your area is sold out. With the plethora of online dealers, especially Amazon, this is pretty much a thing of the past.

#5. LEGO Stores. Not really a huge plus in terms of Pirate availiblity, but c'mon. These weren't even a thing when I was a kid, or they were miles and miles away in exotic locations like "Billund" or "Minnesota". (I'm pretty sure that last one isn't even a real place.) Now I live in a city that has three stores that sell only LEGO. One official, two sell used. Isn't that crazy? I know that's a fluke, but wherever you live I can almost guarantee you're closer to an awesome LEGO store now than you would have been in 1993.

#6. Really obscure stuff finally coming out of the woodwork. Pirate audio dramas? Pirate books? Overseas commercials? Obscure comics? Sure, technically they were all around back in the 90s, but you never would have seen them if not for places like YouTube, Brickshelf, and this very site.

#7. Speaking of which... I think it's amazing that there's a place where people who are just as crazy about LEGO Pirates as I am can come to talk about them. :) Don't wanna get too mushy here, but yeah.

Between having ready access to the newer sets, many outlets to pursue the older ones, and tons of inspiration and parts available online if you want to design your own ships and islands, it's just a great time to collect Pirate LEGO. I wouldn't go back to 1989 even if I could. :)

TC

[Captain Fortune]

...

Very good intervention. As a kid, I suffered all the inconveniences you spoke about. However, we must say that not all the solutions come from Lego, but from the technological advances in general. So I wouldn't say that there has never been a better time, that is clearly an exaggeration to me.

Anyway I agree. We are having very solid waves since 2009 wich are very respectful with the original idea of classic Pirates. In other words, I would kill for having something like this when I was 10 years old and Pirates disappeared!

...

Thank you.

It's funny how I could never understand the reasons when I was a kid. You don't consider Lego as a company with its economic factors when you're 10.

I started to read the book yesterday.

[David Thomsen]

I'm quite happy too. When I was a kid I was at the mercy of what my parents could afford for me, so I never had large pirate sets, only small and medium... now I can buy what I like, so I have all pirate sets since 2009. Also, while the Pirate themes haven't lasted more than a year, that's fine with me because I don't want to buy an entire theme of Lego every year. And in between, every couple of Collectible Minifigures sets have included some Pirate themed figure, just to keep me always interested.

And if I'm really nostalgic for sets from my childhood, I can just bricklink them. :)

[Captain Dee]

Hmm... after reading the last several posts, I'm ready to proclaim this the "Golden Age of (Lego) Piracy."

At the very least we have the greatest total volume and variety of sets, parts and minifigs we've ever had - even if some of the sets have been underwhelming.

Yarr!! Brick on, me hearties!