2023 Series 2
Series 2 is about to commence and here be the official announcement:
We will accept Series 2 submissions from May 15th – June 2nd. The best designs have the chance to be series 2 sets, so get those ideas flowing!
Plot a course to the BrickLink Designer Program 2023 Series 2 blog post for further details.
10 May 2023 UPDATE!!!
The five Series 1 finalists have been announced for crowdfunding in February 2024… and not one of them is a Pirate-themed creation!
Once again the LEGO Pirates failed to meet the selection
The finalists are:
- “Mountain Fortress” by SleeplessNight
- “Parisian Street” by NicolasCarlier
- “The Old Train Engine Shed” by Mind_the_Brick
- “The Snack Shack” by Skeletuhr
- “General Store – Wild West” by llucky
Let’s extend our congratulations to these talented builders!
Here are some stats for yer
2 April 2023 UPDATE!!!
Voting has closed for Series 1 and the Bricklink Designer Program Team will review the entries during April and May, 2023.
The BDP Design Team will review all designs and pick 5 finalists. Our team checks every design for building experience, brand fit, and crowd favorites.Check back in early May to find out which we choose!
Furthermore, the Bricklink Designer Program will be accepting Series 2 submissions starting May 15th, and Series 3 submissions in September.
Aye, mark yer calendars – this be far from over!
Read on if you’re curious to learn of the Series 1 Pirate submissions…
The BrickLink Designer Program has risen from the depths prompting the Classic Pirates to round up all the LEGO® Pirate submissions to make yer life easier!
Your mission is to vote for as many fan designs as yer please before 31st March 2023 at 12pm Pacific Time
Screenshot of Bricklink’s technologically advanced voting system
Bricklink instructs yer to “Use an emoji to vote” but the interface involves clicking a voting button with an emoji icon.
The LEGO Pirate Submissions
Here be a round up of all the entries that may tickle yer fancy…
“Imperial Outpost” by Legobouwer
A small outpost, manned by several soldiers to keep an eye on the pirate’s movements. The model is modular to make access to all the areas easier. In the tower there is a storage room, weapons room, an office and a small bedroom.
We’re long overdue for an Imperial Fortress, don’t yer think?
Built with 3888 bricks, integrating as much details as possible such as a gate that can be opened, weathering of the walls, wooden support beams, debrie on the beach and some plant- and animal life.
“Ghost Ship” by Jacob Horn
Rising from the depths and draped in seaweed, it sets out for adventure once more! The undead captain and first mate may not feel the crisp sea air in their hair, but they still thirst for adventure, and being dead won’t stop them.
How would yer like a ghost ship outside of the Pirates of the Caribbean licence?
“Working within the limitations of the BDP palette allowed me to not overthink this design. Forced to work without premade hulls afforded greater flexibility on the size of the ship. A main focus that I had was to use colors that evoked the early pirate themes from the late 80s and 90s.”
“The Crimson Outpost” by Brick Jester
The Crimson Outpost is located on a small island not far from the pirate town Port Sauvage somewhere in the maze of Caribbean archipelagos. The tower of the old pirate fortress stands firmly, withstanding the waves, and can be seen from afar.
When 6265 Sabre Island met the Inn from 31109 Creator Pirate Ship
I’ve always been fascinated by the old Lego Pirate sets, I love the ships, but was under the impression that the pirates were never getting any proper buildings. My intention is to change that.
“Pirate Fort Island” by Space Police
A small pirate fortress used by a band of renegade pirates.
A return to a simpler time… and rendering technology…
I got inspired by my pirate sets and a similar fortress I built with real bricks for the Imperial Soldiers.
“Captain’s Hideaway” by JBuildsBricks
Off on a distant abandoned island fort in the seven seas lies the Captain’s Hideaway, where Pirate Captain Sierra Blackwood and her crew have settled themselves.
How about a well armed fortress for your pirates?
“The Captain’s Hideaway features everything the Blackwood crew needs, including the Captain’s Quarters, barracks for the four crewmates, a storage room for supplies, a strategy room for plotting the crew’s next adventure, observation and defensive decks, and a dock for ships.”
“Black Fortune” by BrickMOCBay
Arrrr….The Black Fortune pirate ship… It started as a modification of one of an older design and turned out to be built almost from the ground up. Model consists 3980 parts with 10 minifigures included. Dimensions: 89 cm / 35 inches long | 57 cm / 22.5 inches high | 24 cm / 9.5 inches wide.
Imagine if this ship had sails…
The main focus was to have the right amount of detail inside and outside and catch the perfect pirate vibe from the Golden Age of Piracy without going overboard but still have some of movie like feeling.
“The Driftwood Gangs Hideout” by Moccer Mommy
Ahoy you landlubbers! Let me take you on an exciting adventure full of gold and sea salt. We accompany Lady Morgan Davis who is on a rescue mission. Her childhood friend, Stede Brickus, has been kidnapped by the Driftwood Gang and taken to a deserted island.
There is much to explore in this impregnable fortress
The set contains 6 minifigures for action-packed pirate adventures. In addition, the set is packed with numerous play features that work smoothly. These action features such as a working crane with a cage, a destructible prison cell and wall piece, a blast function on one of the watchtowers, movable tentacles, and a secret treasure hidden behind swiveling stairs, invite you to play and discover.
“The Skull Island” by Zinnn
The Skull Island is a modern take on the concept of a treasure island discovered and repurposed by pirates.
And here is our modern rendition of the skull in cliff face concept…
It has bats hanging from a ceiling, spooky spider guarding the weapons and a skeleton that serves as a warning to anyone willing to loot the cave.
“Imperial Brig” by Arselus
Welcome to the Imperial Brig. It is inspired by many classic LEGO pirates sets and a general interest in pirates and adventures on the high seas.
When your Broadside’s Brig starts getting a bit full, you may need to upgrade to something more spacious
The Imperial Brig consists of 2024 parts total and 5 minifigures: an imperial officer, two imperial soldiers, and two pirates, one in the brig, and the other attempting a daring rescue. Its nostalgic yellow, dark-red, and white color pattern would fit nicely next to modern or vintage sets. The Imperial Brig would be a perfect display set for classic pirates fans!
“Croco Island” by Marcel V
Laying in his cosy cabin, Captain Pete just wants to spend his remaining days peacefully on Croco Island“. Palm trees, a sandy beach and the gentle breeze from the ocean, everything could be fine. But arrr, those young rivaling pirates try to get hold of Captain Pete’s treasure! Good thing he’s well prepared: Not everything is as it seems…
The Crocodile Cave concept is not something we’ve yet seen in an official LEGO Pirate set
Have fun defending Croco Island“ and trap the enemies inside the treasure cave. Use the cannon to disperse the pirate ship or just relax at the beach and have some tasty coconuts. Maybe Captain Pete can also become friends with the young pirates and the trio can sail away to find even more gold hidden out there?
Timeline
To ensure smooth sailing, Bricklink has devised an “interactive” timeline which you can interact with on the Series 1 Voting Landing page.
It’s Crowd Validation season – so give those pirate designers the validation they deserve!
Or if yer prefer it all laid out before yer very eyes…
Create your designs
December 9, 2022
Design your models in Studio but be sure to follow the Submission Guidelines.
Open Submission
February 1 — 28, 2023
Submit your models to Bricklink during the 4-week window before the deadline on February 28, 2023 at noon Pacific US time.
Crowd Support
March 7 — March 31, 2023
BrickLink invites all members to vote for their favorite submissions. This crowd vote weighs in alongside the Bricklink Designer Program’s internal selection criteria which influences the designs chosen for crowdfunding.
Review
April — May 2023
The Bricklink team will review each design for building experience, brand fit, and crowd favorites.
5 Designs Announced
Late May 2023
Bricklink will reveal the five Series 1 designs and then collaborate with designers to prepare their creations for production.
Crowdfunding
February 2024
BrickLink members will have the opportunity to pre-order their favorite set(s), with a limit of 2 of each set per household.
Production and Shipping
Summer/Fall 2024
The sets will enter production an orders will be ready for shipment approximately 6 months after pre-ordering. Actual dates and shipping times may vary.
What is the BrickLink Designer Program?
This enthralling initiative provides LEGO fans the opportunity to submit digital designs in the hope of realizing them as BrickLink Designer Program sets. Approved designs will be granted crowdfunding opportunities with pre-orders.
No more than 5 designs will be selected for crowdfunding and only those which achieve the 3,000 pre-order minimum will enter a production run of up to 20,000 sets.
Fan designers will be afforded greater responsibility to refine their designs by adhering to Series 1 Submission Guidelines.
Submissions must be built in BrickLink Studio with their Studio files using the correct requirements.
Pirates Completely Snubbed in the 2021 BrickLink Designer Program?
Aye, this program echos some rather unfortunate history for LEGO Pirate fans… but cast nary a doubt for it’s completely different now!
So, what’s different in the Series 1 BrickLink Designer Program?
The 2021 Invitational was limited to existing LEGO IDEA 10K Club projects and only produced 10,000 of each design which achieved crowdfunding. Whereas Series 1 is an open invitation providing the designs the meet the Submission Guidelines and 20,000 sets will be produced.
BrickLink probably didn’t use this exact graphic on their website
How this be helping Pirates anymore than last time, yer might be pondering? Well, Captain Redbeard is shrouded in doubt, but…
The BrickLink Team explains:
What prompted the change from before, where you took LEGO IDEAS 10k Club projects to now where you are taking an open submission?
We really want to promote digital building with BrickLink Studio. There is endless creativity when building virtually, and we know that virtual building leads to physical building. In this way, we encourage new builds and new submissions. If you have a 10k Club model, you are also welcome to submit it to the BrickLink Designer Program Series 1 once you have adapted the model to follow the Submission Guidelines and only use elements from the Series 1 Palette.
Yer can browse the Designer Program’s Frequently Asked Questions for the complete details.
What calling it “Series 1” says about the Program’s future
We’re committed to helping you realize your ideas through the BrickLink Designer Program. By calling this iteration Series 1, we’re indicating the BrickLink Designer Program has matured from the one-off 2021 Invitational into a program we can sustain over time. With this and each future Series, we’ll issue a fresh brief and Submission Guidelines. This way, the program can evolve as we learn from experience during each series.
Be sure to read the The BrickLink Designer Program Continues with Series 1 article for the historic overview.
Who Yer Gonna Vote For?
What do you think of the Pirate-themed designs submitted to Series 1? Do you think any have the potential of coming future sets? Or should the lot be scuttled?
Scroll back up and review the pirate submissions, vote as yer rotten heart sees fit, then comment on the Facebook Post or join us in the LEGO Pirates Forum so we can discuss this program further.
