Build Like A Pirate: “pi-RATS & BUG-aneers” Contest
/Only a few days left to build like a pirate! But remember, no human minifigs are allowed!
Yo ho, me hearties! It be time fer another BrickNerd contest in honor of LEGO’s 90th anniversary. We here at BrickNerd thought the buildin’ community was long overdue fer a Pirate-themed contest—so if yer lookin’ for yet another Castle or Space contest, ye can go walk the plank! It be pirate builds we’re seekin’ for this here contest—pirate crews, ships, hideouts and forts. But beware, ye scurvy dog. This here be a BrickNerd contest after all, so there always be a nerdy twist…
Give a hearty cheer to the swashbuckling “pi-RATS & BUG-aneers!”
An Inspiring Crew
Simply put, all of the human minifigures in your LEGO collection have been set adrift, and it’s the sea-Rats and Bug-aneers that rule the seas! In other words, no human figures are allowed* in your pirate creations! Your crew can’t be made of standard yellow or fleshtone-headed minifigures. That means Brickbeard is out, but BUG-beard is in! Boring normal Imperials? Meh. But a fabulous Fabuland-crewed pirate ship!? Yay!
Your pirate creation should also be inspired by your crew—and for your crew, it’s anything goes! Think of pirate dragons, animals, Chima figures, rock monsters, brick-built buccaneers and other non-human potential pirates like Vidiyo robots, mythical creatures, and aliens. Be inspired by Muppet Treasure Island. Have you ever seen dinos navigating on a prehistoric pirate ship? What would a Treasure Planet-like ship crewed by space insects look like?
*The only exception to our “no standard minifig” rule (they’re more like guidelines anyway) are costumed-minifigures where you can conceivable see the entire figure as whatever outfit they are wearing. We’ll consider them stowaways (or infiltrators). So you can have a crew of all humanoid creatures like chickens, elephants or sharks. Or you can have a company of inanimate objects like corn, tree trunks or hotdogs. And fig-bashing is allowed and encouraged! (Fig-bashing is where you combine the best parts of multiple minifigures to create a new character.)
But remember, your LEGO creation (ship, fort, hideaway, etc.) must both FEEL like it belongs in a sea-faring pirate world AND be directly INSPIRED by your crew. (Take a look at the original LEGO Pirates theme for more insight and design cues if you need a jump start or this Eurobricks Pirates forum with some great building tutorials.) You have until the end of August!
Pirate Booty! (We Mean Prizes)
Any good pirate contest needs piles of treasure! And wow, do we have a lot of loot to give away!
Our winners will walk away with gold (our shiny Golden Nerdly trophy), bounty (LEGO shopping sprees for the top three), and rare gems (the top eight will get a Rolli mouse and the figs that inspired our contest logo). We also have some other prize sponsors like Crazy Bricks and Ktown Bricks providing custom creature and pirate-themed fig elements. Here are all the prize details:
1st, 2nd & 3rd Places
Golden Nerdly Trophy & BrickNerd Swag Box
LEGO shopping spree (First: $150, Second: $100, Third: $50) (or local equivalent)
Rolli mouse with pirate hat (and accompanying CMF Series 18 Elephant Girl minifigure)
Fly guy pirate figure (based on CMF Series 14 Fly Monster minifigure)
Crazy Bricks custom Mouse Guard minifigure (Conrad, Celanawe or Saxon chosen in winning order)
Ktown Bricks custom pirate torso (new, unreleased design)
5 Honorable Mentions
Rolli mouse with pirate hat (and accompanying CMF Series 18 Elephant Girl minifigure)
Fly guy pirate figure (based on CMF Series 14 Fly Monster minifigure)
Ktown Bricks custom pirate torso (new, unreleased design)
Crazy Bricks custom minifigure weapons pack
BrickNerd swag
Promotion Raffle
If you are not one of the lucky top-8 to receive a Rolli mouse and Fly-guy pirate figure, fear not! Entrants not named as top-3 or honorable mentions still have a chance to win a pair of those figures by helping us promote this contest. All you need to do is promote the contest on a platform of your choice, submit an entry to the contest, and provide us with proof of your promotion (a link sent to us or put in your submission usually works best). Then the rest is left to fate.
So batten down the hatches and get building! You have until August 31st to get your crazy crews and pirate creations in order.
pi-RATS & BUG-aneers Official Rules
Entries must be a pirate-themed ship, fort, or hideway inspired by a non-human crew.
The contest will be judged by BrickNerd contributors and patrons who will evaluate entries based on concept (who are the crew and how is the creation inspired by them), pirate-ness (does it feel like it could be related to pirates), quality (is the creation built well and feature any NPU), and presentation (is the scene composed and photographed in a way that enhances the creation).
Entries can be posted either on Flickr or Instagram. A link to your entry should be posted in the pi-RATS & BUG-aneers Flickr group using the hashtags #piRATSandBUGaneers, #BrickNerd and #LEGOpiratecontest. If you do not have a Flickr account, you can use the hashtags and tag us on Instagram and we’ll post a link to your entry for you.
The contest entry period starts today and ends on Wednesday, August 31st, 2022 at 11:59 pm PT (7:59 am GMT on Sept. 1st for the Europeans). Winners will be announced a few weeks after.
Please only add one photo/submission of each entry to the Flickr group (extras will be removed). If you upload an Instagram gallery, please make the first image the one you want to be judged. If you don’t have either Flicker or Instagram please email your submission to dave@bricknerd.com.
You may enter as many times as you want with unique creations. A single builder can win multiple prizes.
All entries must be new creations. Entries may be updated as long as the contest is still open.
Digital renders are allowed, though the creation must be structurally sound and all the pieces must be available physically. Custom and modified minifigure parts, sails and accessories are allowed. Modified and custom bricks are not allowed, though unique prints/stickers are acceptable.
These rules and the prizes may be modified at any point.
Are you a pi-Rat or a BUG-aneer? Which LEGO prize is your favorite? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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