Do you ever lie awake at night and wonder what the ultimate pirate ship should look like? To begin with, would it be a nimble sloop of war, a mighty galleon, or even a man-o-war? How many guns? How many masts and sails? And by God, what fearsome name should it bear?
So many choices! No wonder sleep cannot find a torture soul when tormented with a project of such grandeur.
No matter how daunting the task may seem, this did not deter master builder and 10K LEGO Ideas club member Hasan Kabalak from doing more than mere wondering, as he took upon challenge and produced the Scorpion’s Soul, his ultimate pirate ship.
Hass Kabal writes:
I’m in love with the Pirates theme and this is how I decided to build this ship.
Back in time, LEGO released the Pirates of the Caribbean sets, and therefore their new ship. I took it and did it with great pleasure. Then I thought why not bigger?
I wanted to build a ship with a systematic design just like it, but larger and for pirates, like the Imperial Flagship as an example, which was designed with flat system construction stages.
So came the Scorpion’s Soul.
Forget about those LEGO Harry Potter and Star Wars bookend ideas! If ye have a pirate library, all yer need is a huge ultimate pirate ship and one a seriously big shelf!
Released in 2010, with a fantastic design and a whopping 1664 piece count – a record for its time, the 10210 Imperial Flagship captured the hearts of many within the LEGO Pirates community. For the first time Imperials had the upper hand over the treacherous Pirates in terms of vessel size and raw firepower. It should not come as a surprise that the Imperial Flagship, along the Pirates of Caribbean movies, inspired Hasan to balance the scale of power back to pirates favour.
The Ultimate Pirate Ship
Although the whole ship is worthy of closer inspection, its most distinctive features is the gorgeous handcrafted sails tailored from shiny satin style fabric and then meticulously painted
Hasan says that it takes him around a month to produce the whole set of sails. It’s not fun, but even to this day he gets orders only for sails, since people will always pay for a good handjob (hmm… that came out wrong!)
Master builders somehow never fail to amaze us with exceptionally beautiful sterns
The captain’s cabin is another work of art with it’s gorgeous round balcony, curvaceousness and a huge glass window with printed scorpion motive
To maximise playability and ensure an easy access to the captain’s quarters, the poop deck is detachable
Hasan ensured that Captain Red Hook has everything a good captain needs; a nicely made bed, an office table with a map and a trash can
The stairs leading up to the strong and formidable forecastle
The stairs leading down to the ship’s hold and surely stocked with a vast treasure hoard
The forecastle features one but deadly chase gun and two gunners
The figurehead depicts an fearsome figure resembling an angel of death, holding a scorpion and a trident, probably plucked right out of Poseidon’s hands
And finally, a real life comparison of the Scorpion’s Soul against the Imperial Flagship. How do you like your odds now Governor Tierney?
Captain Red Hook and the Crew
The Scorpion’s Soul is captained by the legendary Red Hook, allegedly descendant of the evil Lord Vladek
The entire crew, featuring even Captain Redbeard who is somehow ok in the role of a subordinate (but for how long…)
How could this be the ultimate pirate ship if it didn’t have a fully operating galley below the forecastle, mess hall and a crew sleeping quarters in the stern
Life at sea demands fulfilling various jobs of great important; from keeping a lookout for sails on the horizon, to piloting, drinking on a job, all the way to feasting and more drinking…
That and more, under the watchful and menacing Captain’s eye (hmm… someone should inform He-Man that we found his sword)
Where’s the Scorpion now?
Hasan Kabal continues:
Unfortunately, I sold the model I made for myself years ago. There was a lot of demand and I couldn’t turn it down.
I also sell the digital design. Many people bought and made it. Once in a while, there are those who make the ship but cannot make the sails. Upon their request, I make and sale completely handcrafted new sails.
It’s exciting to have my own design included in people’s LEGO collections. I come across it on many social media posts and I like it very much when I see it.
Did you know that Scorpion’s Soul was also on LEGO Ideas where it became stuck on 2,573 votes and failed miserably because YOU (present company included) did not do your part and pledge yer support? Now You know and we hope you are happy with yourself (present company included).
Oh well, to err is human… and now before we wrap this nice blog-post, we can at least enjoy for a minute or two in the original Scorpion’s Soul video made over a decade ago, back in 2011.
About the Builder…
Hailing from Constantinople (modern day Istanbul you ignorant scallywags) Hasan Kabalak a.k.a Hass Kabal is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to building smart and stunning MOCs. Some even say he is related to the Barbarossa the Pirate, one of the most infamous pirates of the 16th century who gave the Spaniards and Italians a tough time. Maybe he is, maybe isn’t, we don’t know, but we do know that Barbarossa would not object to getting his wicked hands on the Scorpion’s Soul.
Hasan can be found on the all popular social media platforms where he regularly shares his ideas:
If you are interested in obtaining building instructions or 3D digital files, you can do so by visiting his Rebrickable profile.
Last but not least, Hasan is also a member of the LEGO Ideas rejected 10K Club, where he gave an insight about his brick passion in an interview worth reading.
What Do You Think?
Now be honest, is this the ultimate pirate ship? Would you like to own one, or do you already? Do you think Governor Tierney should be worried about his much smaller Imperial Flagship? Would Captain Redbeard agree to share the high seas with Captain Red Hook? Do tell, we are waiting for your comments at the LEGO Pirates Forum.
