The Imperial Armada sub theme emerged during the tail end of the LEGO Pirates theme during the years 1996 and 97. Its debut consisted of just two sets, 6244 Armada Sentry and 6280 Armada Flagship, with no further additions the following year leaving us to speculate whether they were all the Imperial Armada sets The LEGO Group intended to release? Or did plans exist to expand the sub theme further, but ultimately aborted along with the LEGO Pirate’s theme itself?
Not a skerrick of information has surfaced, nor may we ever receive an official answer to this quandary. Nevertheless, it has not hindered AFOLs from exploring their own concepts, most notably Armada Port by Brickhammer, a 10K LEGO Ideas submission which updates and expands upon the classic Imperial Armada aesthetic.
Master0889 has also taken a crack with “Return to Spanish Armada Fort“, albeit with a generous helping of beige and tan, a trademark of his building style.
A bustling port with no shortage of details – count the seagulls.
HINT: some are chickens
Master0889 writes:
My New MOC – Return to Spanish Armada Fort
What do you think about my project?
I built it for the Lego contest 90th Anniversary: Pirate Theme Celebrations
A mighty conquistador stationed on the parapet. Here, we can also see Armada green in a Harry Potter hue
Another mighty conquistador… on pollo duty.
HINT: “pollo” is Spanish for “chicken”
The Harbour Master ensures the floral arrangements remain fresh and prevents seagulls from flying away with the pineapples.
HINT: Flowers attract cute turtles
And on the west side we have… a few palm trees and that lovely floral arrangement
And there you have it maties! That concludes our tour of Armada Fort – makes you wonder what’s in that topmost tower, doesn’t it?
HINT: It could be more than just a cannon
LEGO 90th Anniversary
During 2022 The LEGO Group turned the ripe old age of 90 and hosted a plethora of classic themed contests which required entrants to submit suitably themed creations. Castle, Space and even Bionicle were celebrated, and to the surprise of some, Pirates were given a moment to shine!
Hundreds and hundreds of glorious pirate-themed entries means hundreds and hundreds of glorious pirate-themed MOCs to blog… one day…
Fueling life into the Imperial Armada spirit, Return to Spanish Armada Fort was berthed and submitted into the Pirate Themed Anniversary Contest, but ultimately pipped at the post by Levi CJ Mason’s submission, “Cut Throat Falls Outpost”.
Ah well, as fine as the fort may be, it was never destined to claim the nonagintennial crown. Still, the Classic Pirates are forever grateful, as that contest alone encouraged dozens of fantastic new pirate MOCs to be unleashed upon the world.
About the Builder…
Master0889 (Adrian Sowińskior or Brick Islander as he’s known in certain circles – sometimes even King Kahuka) has been pottering around the LEGO Pirate MOC Forum post 2020, but the bulk of his work can be discovered on Instagram and Flickr. Here you’ll be treated to remakes of classic sets like 6267 Lagoon Lockup and 6276 Eldorado Fortress in his trademark brown and beige palette. However, should ye be bold enough to venture further into the past, you’ll discover once upon a time he built with a more traditional set decor before exploding into colour.
He’s also submitted a few creations to LEGO Ideas, both as contest entries and as submissions with the aim of reaching 10,000 supporters. He hasn’t yet fulfilled that objective but follow his LEGO Ideas profile and maybe we can help change that in the future, should he submit another of his dazzling creations.
What are you thoughts?
Should Return to Spanish Armada Fort have won the 90th Anniversary Pirate Themed Contest? Or did the LEGO Ideas Review Team make the correct decision? Would this fort be a fine addition to the Imperial Armada sub theme if were released as an official set? Or is the colour scheme perhaps esoteric to its builder’s (contemporary) signature style?
Tell us! Zip by the LEGO Pirates Forum and share your thoughts right now!
