UPDATE: 22, October 2023
Crowd Support for Bricklink Designer Program’s 2023 Series 3 has closed and the submissions are now undergoing review by the Bricklink Designer Team.
Here’s a screenshot of the Series 3 homepage during the Review Phase
The official Series 3 webpage currently states:
The BDP Design Team will review all designs and pick 5 finalists. Check back on November 21st to find out which we choose!
The Review Phase will take place between 22 October and 20 November, 2023 in which the team:
Checks every design for building experience, brand fit, and crowd favorites.
So return to these waters on 21 November to discover whether any pirate submissions have been granted amnesty passed review.
The 2023 Series 2 submissions bought us Ominous Isle, the first ever pirate-themed submission to be approved for Crowdfunding under the BrickLink Designer Program.
Overall, 2023 has been a more promising year for LEGO Pirate sets with the updated Eldorado Fortress and Scary Pirate Island Gift With Purchase, albeit with a smattering of passionate commentary from those who hold official set design to an extremely high standard.
Nonetheless, we remain must steadfast upon this trajectory by continually demonstrating our support for LEGO Pirates is stronger than ever!
So here be the 2023 Series 3 submissions you can vote for..
Crowd Support
According to the official BrickLink website you have until October 21 to vote for the Series 3 submissions you like most. Voting influences the BrickLink Designer Team’s selection of the five designs that progress to Crowdfunding during October 2024… that be the phase in which ye can place yer order!
Here be the official timeline for 2023 Series 3
There be no limits upon how many submissions you can vote for – so vote for ALL the pirate submissions today! Show the LEGO Group and BrickLink Designer Team that demand for LEGO Pirates is stronger than ever!
“Seagull Bay Lighthouse Imperial Fortress” by Delusion Brick
Parts: 3,594 | Minifigures: 7 | Stickers: 3
The set has: 2 pirates, a spy dealer and a captain captive. 4 soldiers, one officer, one Commander, Commander’s daughter and one trained soldier! And finally a sailor intended for work!
Here be yer latest blue coat Soldier fortress with joining lighthouse
Delusion Brick writes:
Greetings to all LEGO Pirate enthusiasts and beyond! I come bearing exciting news—I’ve crafted a brand-new fortress complete with a majestic lighthouse, tailored for our esteemed navy fleet, aptly named “Seagull Bay.”
This endeavor has long been a dream of mine, inspired by the iconic LEGO pirate series of 1989. My collection boasts pieces dating back to 1989, ’90, ’91, and onward, serving as a cherished vessel of nostalgia for the whimsical voyages of my youth. Consequently, I’ve embarked on a creative journey to pay homage to the beloved Imperial Soldier set.
“Baltic Explorer” by CG101
Parts: 2,654 | Minifigures: 4
Set sail on a journey of creativity and craftsmanship with the Baltic Explorer. This project pays homage to legendary ships that once graced the Baltic seas. This set brings maritime history to life in an authentic and awe-inspiring way.
Full model: 33 in. (83.9 cm) long, 23 in. (58.3 cm) high, and 9.5 in. (24.1 cm) wide.
A full hulled ship – nothing hidden below the waterline here!
CG101 writes:
My inspiration for the Baltic Explorer stemmed from a fascination with maritime history and a desire to construct an authentic, period-correct ship model. Departing from the conventional LEGO ship designs that often truncate below the waterline, the Baltic Explorer proudly features a detachable full hull, faithfully capturing the essence of a majestic vessel sailing the open seas.
“Imperial Outpost Island” by KingNono
Parts: 753 | Minifigures: 3
You can remove the roof to look into the cabin and the prison.
The lovechild of 6242 Soldiers Fort and 6267 Lagoon Lockup
KingNono Writes:
Welcome to my Imperial Outpost with a small island.
As a fan of the old Imperial and Pirate sets, I wanted to recreate a small scene to combine both themes. The pirate is about to blow up the mountain to expand the treasure he has already recovered. But the Imperials have already used the map to track him down and shortly before the explosion they catch him and are able to lock him up.
“Blockade Runner” by Rockfact
Parts: 1,622 | Minifigures: 3
Set sail for adventure with the crew of the Blockade Runner! These Privateers are smuggling treasure disguised as a fishing haul. Help them navigate through dangerous waters as they avoid enemy ships and watchtowers, battle a mighty Kraken, and escape from the clutches of a siren sea witch.
The cephalopod from 6240 Kraken Attackin is all grown up and attacking ships now
“Shipwreck Island” by Radiosilenced
Parts: 1,510 | Minifigures: 2
Welcome to shipwreck island, despite being centered in the Bermuda triangle, it’s a relatively safe island and one of three land masses on the inside of the triangle.
Despite conveniences like umbrellas, a barbecue and a shipping container full of supplies, one of the castaways has perished
Radiosilenced writes:
This build really tested my skills, natural formations like trees and rocks are not my strong suite and neither are buildings, but I think this turned out really good for what it is. This build actually started out as a floating island but evolved into this over time and I’m honestly surprised I was able to keep this on one base plate too though i could have added like ship debris or something if I used multiple.
Imperial Frigate Concordia by Perfectionist
3,989 parts | 13 Minifigures | 1 sticker | 0 sails
A 20-gun frigate assigned to hunting those pirates! Also carries a treasure chest, for those who dare… This is an extremely ambitious design with a smoothly curving hull built on a sturdy technic frame and a detailed, Minifigure-friendly, interior.
Imagine how dashing this ship would look with sails
Perfectionist writes:
In my opinion, wooden sailing ships are uniquely beautiful and I have built an entire fleet of sailing ships with Lego from 2009- 2013. Concordia is my best work so far and the culmination of many years of experience. Thanks to the BrickLink Designer Program, it could come to you!
“The Golden Crab Tavern” by Svartath
Parts: 2,992 | Minifigures: 7
Legend speaks that every hundred years the ocean god gives a very special kind of offering to the sea people, to honor the once prosperous times. It is said that a creature with a golden shell is sent and has the power to bring glory and good fortune to whoever finds it, as long as they do not greedily seek to get profit from selling its pure gold shell.
Size: 27w 46L 36H (cm) | Weight: 2.2(kg)
Another pub for Jack Sassy to visit and review on ShipAdviser.com
Perfectionist writes:
This tavern is a full 360° display model as it’s supposed to stand in the middle of the sea and be seen from every direction. This is why I wanted something looking nice from every angle of view. I believe it could be a great addition for Pirates collectors as we need more shack looking models full of wood planks and chaotic looking construction. I wanted a twisted building with inclined walls, we need to feel that pirates only had access to wood planks to build it, they did what they could.
“Merchant Hideaway” by Modeltrainman
Parts: 1,922 | Minifigures: 5
Enter the world of Sanctuary Cove, a haven for merchants and commoners, a place where no riffraff is to be found…LEGO never produced a merchant vessel, so I wanted to fill the gap!
This is be where the merchant goes bananas!
“Skyship” by Niels_9
Parts: 1,170 | Minifigures: 2
In the floating archipelago there is only one way to travel and that is by skyship. The zephyr is one of these skyships crewed by captain gale and her first mate Mr. Blizzard. The ship has been upgraded with the latest steam powered propulsion system, making it one of the fastest available.
Why settle for conquering the seas when you can capture the skies!
Niels_9 writes:
The model is made out of 1170 parts and and has sideways sails that can be moved into different positions. The roof at the backside can easily be removed to provide access to the interior. It further comes with 2 minifigs (captain and first mate) and a number of accesories they can be displayed with. The model is about 46cm (18inch) long, 39cm without the front pin. The with without the sails is 13cm (5inch) or roughly 39cm (15 1/3inch) with the sails at their widest position. The height of the model is 15cm (6inch). I hope you enjoy my design as much as I did creating it.
“UCS Pirates Treasure Map” by MyFirstMOC_HUN
Parts: 1,499 | Stickers: 3
The life of a treasure hunter is not without its dangers, as a section of the map is marked with a death’s head. It is unwise to stray from the marked path, for if not for the Islanders, the adventurer may find himself in the clutches of soldiers.
Which locations do you recognise on this map?
MyFirstMOC_HUN writes:
I got the idea for the map from a builder called Chocobrick77. He made a copy of the map that came with the figures in the old sets. I really liked it, but there were elements of it that I either didn’t like or just would have done differently. Since I didn’t want it to resemble his idea, I completely rethought this project. Previously, you could find these bases in the official LEGO Art kits that I used for the map. This set is made up of 12 blocks, surrounded by a frame similar to the Art sets.
“Shallow Waters” by Bricking.Pepe
Parts: 1294 | Minifigures: 4
The model shows a small boat with its crew in some turbulent waters with waves crushing onto the boat. The water serves as a display stand as you can quickly grab the boat and use its varios play functions since it is not connected to any studs. It is rotated in two different dimension to give a more realistic feel to the scene.
Boat: L: 38cm (15 Inches) | W: 8cm (3.15 Inches) | H: 24cm (9.5 Inches)
ARRRRGH!!! That ship is heading right for blondie!
Bricking.Pepe writes:
At the beginning of this year I rediscovered my old LEGO bricks through my little son after not touching any Bricks for 20+ years. My loved ones and me built some small vehicles and had a lot of fun building and playing together. After i checked the current Lego sets I was hugely impressed by what is possible with Lego Bricks today, so I ordered some sets for the purpose of future Christmas gifts. I got some GWPs with it and bought some really small new sets for myself to build.
Special Thanks
A big thank ye to new Classic Pirates recruit, Yperio Bricks for sifting through all the Series 3 submissions to pluck out the piratey ones for us!
What be the BrickLink Designer Program?
This be The LEGO Group’s Crowdfunding initiative for producing AFOL creations as official sets.
Support LEGO Pirate themed submissions whenever and wherever possible!
- First yer build a design with BrickLink Studio and submit it to the BrickLink Designer Program during the Open Submission phase.
- During the Crowd Support phase (that’s the phase we’re in now) fans vote for the submissions they’d like to buy as future sets.
- Next comes the Review phase in which the BrickLink Designer Team determines the 5 entries from to be refined by the Model Governance and Building Instructions teams.
Now yer might be thinking: Wait! Isn’t this the same as LEGO Ideas?
Nay! From here onward the BrickLink Designer Program veers off on a very difference course.
LEGO Ideas sets are produced for general retail and appear in stores throughout the world, whereas BDP sets are granted crowdfunding opportunities and only receive a production run if a minimum of 3,000 pre-orders are placed. Furthermore, they have a limited production of 20,000 sets and you, the customer may only purchase two sets from each series.
So BrickLink Designer sets far more exclusive!
And unlike LEGO Ideas submissions which can be built however yer like, BDP submissions must be built using BrickLink Studio as per the Submission Guidelines.
But let’s not get too carried away, the focus is currently Crowd Support so here be the official announcement:
We invite all BrickLink members to vote for their favorite submissions. This crowd vote weighs in alongside the BDP’s internal selection criteria and influences the designs chosen for crowdfunding.
Be there Any Point to Voting?
AYE!!! …and AYE means… YES!!!
While Pirates were neglected during previous BrickLink Designer initiatives, they succeeded in 2023 Series 2 when “Ominous Isle” by Jazlecraz was selected for Crowdfunding during June 2024.
Let’s ensure this is the first of many!
Now, Ominous Isle may not be yer cup of tea, but that isn’t a valid reason to be complacent! In the future, there may be a submission that IS yer cup of tea, so we’ve got to keep the kettle warm! In fact, we must keep it whistling on the stove to ensure The LEGO Group never forgets the love for LEGO Pirates remains strong!
And the best way to stoke the fire is to vote on every pirate-themed submission… whenever the opportunity presents itself.
What Do Yer Think?
Are the Series 3 pirate-themed submissions worth voting for? Do yer think any will sail through to the Crowd Funding phase?
Make it happen!
You have until 21 October, 2023 to vote and there be no limits to how many submissions you can vote for.
This is an official opportunity to be heard and inform the LEGO Group there is yet more demand for LEGO Pirate sets…
So scroll back up and get voting!
And once yer done that; it’s off to the LEGO Pirates Forum or Facebook Page to discuss which pirate submissions yer voted for… or the reasons for why yer didn’t.
