Arggg!

I almost scrolled right past this based on it’s thumbnail, that’s a testament of the awesomeness of this build by Miro78. If it wasn’t for that slight tilt of his head I might have overlooked this. Celebrating LEGO Pirates’ 30th anniversary, Miro built this perfectly proportioned Captain Redbeard and his trusty parrot guarding his treasure. I’ve always had a soft spot for LEGO Pirates, it’s the theme that brought me out of my involuntary dim age.

Historic Harbor

This excellent harbor scene by builder Vaionaut one of those MOCs you can appreciate from the medium resolution image, but must really be seen in person or scrolling around the large image to get the full effect. It’s so effortless in it’s construction and flow that you’ll miss all the clever techniques and color combinations unless you’re drilling down.

Shipwreck Island

This is what I call making the best of a bad situation. When you wreck your ship you can think of it as “broken”, or you can think of it as “building materials”. As you can see these industrious pirates went full Bob Villa and have themselves a pretty spiffy little island. Nice build Travis Brickle.

Say Wench Again, I Dare You

Meet Sena Cross, pirate. She’s got a treasure chest, two flint locks and has had about enough of your crap. Builder vitreolum needed a break from all the micro scale building he’s been cranking out lately, but not from pirates, so he crafted this little lady.

The Black Seas Barracuda

Just yesterday I was wondering when and if we’d see this ship from builder vitreolum, ask and ye shall receive eh? This is the ship that rescued me from my reluctant dim age, and it is forever dear to my heart. It was also pivotal to the purchase of my house, as it was part of the collection I sold when we purchased it. No, I have no regrets, I love this house and I’m grateful for it.

A Pirate's Life For Me

Although I never owned any LEGO Pirates sets in my youth, I still have very fond memories of playing with these beloved sets in a friend's attic. This model by LegoFjotten really captures the whimsical feel of these sets and brings a huge smile to my face as I recall the endless hours of adventure between the Pirates and the Imperial Soldiers. And let's be real, we all played as the pirates. 

Shiver Me Timbers

I don't know how many of a particular thing you have to assemble before you have a "collection", but in this case I'm going to go with two. Builder LEGO7 has added this salty old maniac gunner to his pirate collection, and the Caribbean just got a little less safe. With two pistols and a rifle, he looks ready for action, and with that look in his eye, it's happening any moment.

Green Sea Rock Lighthouse

Dioramas don't have to be huge or elaborate to be impressive. They don't need to be loaded with figures to tell a story. And they don't need to be busy or intricate to be detailed. This MOC by W. Navarre is compelling without being over-the-top and I find that fascinating. I want to know it's history, I want to know the ships it protects, I want to see what's inside. That's a good diorama.

Mission San Escobar

This lonely Caribbean island by PigletCiamek makes me want to be on a boat. Not a pirate ship really, but a Disney Cruise Line boat. And I won't get off the boat in all likelihood, I'll just admire the island from a distance while I eat way too much food and enjoy some activities. But since this is 1715 there's no such thing as DCL yet, so likely I have dementia and probably scurvy, and am actually in a small row boat. I'm a terrible Pirate.

Black Flag

I've never played any of the Assassin's Creed games, but if I ever do decide to jump in I'll certainly have a lot to play with some 10 titles in the series. The one I find the most fascinating is Black Flag, because pirates. I mean a mashup of time travel, elite assassins and pirates, how can it loose? It also makes for as awesome LEGO diorama as you can see from this layout by builder Legopard. And I'm pretty sure that's Captain Hook I see at the trading post, nice easter egg Jonas.

The Lonsaí

What do you get when you mashup castle, pirates, space and a yearly need to build a SHIP 100 studs or longer? You get the Lonsaí by W. Navarre, which somehow we missed back in September. But thanks to this lovely photo edit by Mark of Falworth it's back in the spotlight. What an absolutely fantastic, whimsical vessel.

Down To Davy Jones

I love the scale of this awesome little ship diorama by W. Navarre. Normally to get this kind of mood and detail the ships would be twice the size, but not this one thanks to some clever building techniques and perfect part selection. Combine that with excellent color selection and story, and it's pretty much a perfect MOC.

The Dark Bluish Gray Pearl

This boat is sorta blowing my mind. I mean, it's inspired by the Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean, so it's got my attention already. But that hull design and technique has me absolutely flummoxed. I could not tell you how it's done, nor how it stays together. But combine that with loads of cool techniques and the color palette and it's just a stunner from every angle.

Nassau 1715

I visited Nassau once, sorta. We were on a Disney cruise a few years ago and that was one of the ports. I have to confess I didn't even get off the boat. But I think if it had been 300 years earlier, and this was the view from the boat, I'd be heading down that gangway (and probably killed by pirates, bugger). This is a collaborative build from Ryan K, Erik Platt, Brian Carter, Patrick Taylor, Ben Lefke, Jack Spitler, and Max Sweeney that premiered at Brickfair VA and is just another reason I wish I could attend east coast events, gorgeous! Click through for more pics.

The Death Of Captain Morgan

Being a victim of the continual commercial assault that is American television, I'm afraid the first thing I think of when I hear the name Captain Morgan is some goofball in a bar lifting his leg awkwardly to show his allegiance to a spiced rum. But this excellent MOC by builder Jacob Nion has nothing to do with that, but rather the story of the unfortunate end of Benjamin Morgan, you can read all about it here.

Ship In A Bottle

I have great fondness for the classic Pirates line. It was the first series I bought as I came out of my reluctant dim ages. The first set I bought was the Black Seas Barracuda, and it was magnificent. So to see it miniaturized and in a bottle makes my nerd heart go pitter patter. Builder Bangooh, you just made my morning.