Sourcing Craziness!

Well, the success of my Skull's Eye Project had an unexpected consequence.  You see almost all of the Lego sets that I never got as a kid were very popular.  As I wrote about the Skull's Eye, I am not the only kid who longed for that ship and then grew into a gainfully employed adult.  The problem is that many of the sets I missed and have been on the lookout for ever since were very popular and therefore fetch a large price on any of the after market sites.  As much as I love Legos, even I have my limits as to how much I am willing to pay for them, and many of those sets are just too expensive.  But in sourcing the Skull's Eye and making my own sails I was able to dramatically reduce the cost (when adjusting for inflation, I got mine for less than the original MSRP) of that set.  And now I must confess I have gone a little bit "sourcing" crazy. 

Since completing that last project I have gone on to source and make the sails for the remaining 5 ships at I was missing.  Pictured from left to right below are 6289 Redbeard Runner from 1996, 6274 Carribean Clipper from 1989, 6271 Imperial Flagship from 1992, 6268 Rennegade Runner from 1993 and finally the (very ugly) 6250 Crossbone Clipper from 1996.

All of those sails are hand made, you would not have been
able to tell if I had not told you!

I have also gone back and done 6090 Royal Knight's Castle from 1995.  Picture below are me and my budding Lego maniac on Christmas morning putting the finishing touches on it (I made the castle my Christmas present, how thrifty of me no?)  It has been glorious! 

All of these sets were completed for at or less their original MSRP not adjusting for inflation, not bad, not bad at all!

Perfecting 4184 The Black Pearl

When the first images of this set appeared the response from the AFOL community was largely disappointment bordering on disgust. 

I personally felt, and still feel, that this was unfair.  To Lego's credit, with the parameters they had to operate in, I thought they did a pretty good job.  There is a front deck (unlike the Brickbeard's Bounty) and the rear cabin is enclosed (unlike the Queen Anne's Revenge).  There are three masts and the center one has three sails (unlike any of the older ships).  On top of that you get some exclusive minifigures, if that floats your boat (pun completely intended) or could get it even cheaper if you were willing to pass on them (I bought mine on Bricklink for 40% off sans figs).  Furthermore, if you take into account inflation this set costs the same amount in today's dollars as the original good guy boat: 1989's Caribbean Clipper. 

Put those two side by side and I wager you will begin to think that maybe the Pearl isn't so bad after all!  For the price you pay I think you get an excellent model.  Thank you your honor, I rest my case!

However, if you compare the Pearl to the ship as seen in the movies, or even the Lego video game, even I will admit that it is not at all a faithful recreation.  The cost of the exclusive parts for the minifigures and the pressure to maintain the $100 price point meant something had to give.  Accordingly, movie accuracy was sacrificed. 

So I set out to see if, without adding hull sections, I could make the model more movie accurate. Along the way I added a few details that I think all Lego ships should have and the result was fantastic.  Below are some pictures illustrating what I did. 

I completely redid the back.  I added more windows and changed their color as well as making the entire shape more accurate by cantalevering out the cabin and adding the sloped roof.  The ship in the movie also had decorative supports underneath the windows which I mimicked using minifigure megaphones.

I added a working mechanism for the anchor to the front, extended the deck, added stairs up to the deck and installed hatches to access the hold below which I sealed off. 

The middle section was finalized by adding a walkway from the front to the back which tied into the stairs that came as part of the original model.  You can also see the cantalevered windows in the back and the redone shape of the top deck.

Just like when I modified the Queen Anne's Revenge I also made instructions for how to do these modifications so I will be able to recreate them in the future.  Overall I really liked the improvements and felt that they make a great ship even better.

Resurrecting The Skull's Eye Part 4: Making The Sails

As I alluded to earlier if I had needed to buy the sails that would have been a deal breaker for this project. Whether on eBay or Bricklink the price for sails is obscene.  Painful as it is this makes perfect sense as sails are the ultimate exclusive part; each one is unique to its particular set alone.  Some shapes and sizes a shared but the design is particular to each ship.  With such a limited supply the cost is bound to be high. 

On most things I am a purist.  You will not find a single Megablock, Tyco or other cheap imitation piece in my collection.  However, as I mentioned earlier I am not opposed to changing the color of an official Lego piece (and am doing so on this project) and I am also not opposed to creating my own custom parts when I can do it at the same level of quality as Lego.  With the sails and flags I am in a unique position in that I have a fashion designer as a wife which gives me access to some expert knowledge and work as an engineer which gives me access to some fairly high end software, both of which I will put to good use.  I am certain I can make top quality replicas.

My first stop is http://www.classic-pirates.com/ and their excellent library of 1:1 scans of all the Lego sails from every ship Lego has produced.  After downloading those I import them into a computer aided drafting (CAD) program that I use for work.  I then painstakingly trace them down to the smallest detail saving the final product as a PDF.

Screen shot of sail tracing

Ok now for the material.  This is where my wife and her textile training comes in.  What is that mysterious not quite paper but not quite fabric material Lego sails are made of? The answer?   Artist's canvas.  Yes that material is the same stuff as those large canvases you see hanging in museums with all manner of wet media spread across them.  A quick stop at my local hobby shop and I have a pad of artist's canvas with more than enough sheets. 

I insert those sheets into my home printer and must confess that even I am taken aback by the perfection of the result.  Out of the machine come a set of sails indistinguishable from the originals for my soon to be constructed schooner.  Some quick work with my beloved bride's extra sharp scissors and I have a full set of sails for under $8.00!

For those of you interested in trying something like this project yourself I will post, in a later entry, detailed step by step instructions for how to make your own Lego sails from scratch as there are some particulars and pitfalls you should be aware of. 

The parts are here and after a little painting I have before me the final product, I will post final pictures, including the few modifications I did, as well as the final costs in my next entry. 

Resurrecting the Skull's Eye Part 3: The Bricklink Purchases

I approach buying Legos on Bricklink like generals approach a war.  Making a large purchase (as I am about to do for my Skull's Eye project) is like storming an enemy's  beachhead; poor planning or execution will cost you... Dearly.  Ok so I exaggerate a little bit but the point holds.  With the plethora of stores hawking their plastic studded wares Bricklink can be overwhelming to those looking to pinch pennies as I am.  Here is how I do it. 

My Bricklink purchases are made after hours at work.  No, this is not because I am trying to hide my Lego addiction from an indignant spouse (my wonderful bride is the biggest supporter of my habit God bless her!).  It is because my work computer has 2 screens, and I am going to need them.  I open up no fewer than 8 windows (4 per screen to start) each to the homepage of Bricklink.  I then do a search for the 8 pieces that I think are going to be the most rare. 

Filling the carts

I start with the ones I have labeled as exclusive (as per my earlier blog entry) and then move into the mid-range pieces filling in however many remaining windows I have choosing the parts based on my past experience with their exclusivity. 

These become my 8 starting stores and I then search for my Wanted List in each one of them.  9 times out of 10, if I have done a good job of parsing out the pieces into the 3  categories, this will yield all of the parts I need being in the carts of these various stores.  If not then I find stores that have the missing ones until I have all of the parts accounted for.  Obviously the is a lot of overlap and by the time I have all the pieces accounted for my carts are swelling with repeats.  Thus begins the slashing (and why I want the 2 screens).  Like some sort of perverse reality show I begin eliminating repeats leaving only the most inexpensive offering for a given piece in the cart of it's respective store.  Along with the cold numerical considerations there is also a certain amount of judgement which must be employed at this stage.  Yes a given piece may be cheaper in store A but if that is the only piece that is cheaper and store B has that same piece for a mere few cents more then it is not worth the shipping to buy that single part from store A.  Often whole stores will get eliminated for this reason because even if I can save a couple of bucks on pieces it isn't worth the 7 or 8 dollars I would have to pay in shipping.  Judgement is also needed as it relates to the size of pieces.  Baseplates or other large specialty parts are going to require a larger box for shipment, so packing more small parts (even if they are a bit more expensive) in with the larger ones that are going to have to be shipped in a larger box anyway can potentially save you money somewhere else.  So really my technique is part science and part my gut instinct mixed with past experience. 

When it is all said and done this time around I am left with items in 6 stores and the sense that I have had a mind numbing out of body experience.  Bricklink does not have a lot of automated tools to assist me in my technique, I have to track which pieces are accounted for on my own as there is no online tool that lets you fill your wanted list with the cheapest option across multiple stores (at least not that I have found, if someone knows where this feature is please let me know!).  At the end of one of these crusades (which can take, on a project like this, multiple hours) my head is spinning and I am always wishing I had enough money to just order from the first stores that come to the top of the list.  But I have the parts I need and the supreme satisfaction of feeling like I have won a battle. 

Normally, completing my orders would usher in the time that would find me bouncing around with the anticipation of a child on Christmas Eve waiting for all the parts to come in so I can build the new set.  This time, however, I have a task to occupy my mind and hands: the sails. 

My Next Project?

I was 9 years old in 1993, and like most I don't have a lot of clear memories from that long ago.  Among the few that I do have is one that happened in the long defunct K-Mart store that used to be on the west side of the Indiana town I grew up in.  Not sure what brought us to that store as my mom almost never shopped there (the town’s Target was much closer to where we lived) but for whatever reason I ended up in the Lego aisle that day and can distinctly remember, with photographic clarity, holding 6286 Skull's Eye Schooner in my hands. 

At $126.50 in 1993 (which is equivalent to just shy of $200 today in 2011) this set was well beyond even the most remote chance of ever being added to my collection.  I dreamed of owning it there in the store and then put it from my mind to instead focus on the plethora of sets which were within the realm of possibility.  But as attested to by my razor sharp memory of holding that box, the Skull’s Eye lodged itself in my consciousness.   

Through the years I have kept an eye out for it.  I remember looking at auctions in the early days of eBay, and have also checked bricklink.com for it through the years.  After over a decade of this searching I can say with certainty that I am not the only one who has been haunted by that set as I have never, even if the model was incomplete, seen it sell for less than $200.00.  Still sealed I have seen it go for over $1000.  Its rarity is further demonstrated by the fact that I have never seen it assembled in person.  Whether in Lego stores, the Mall of America, store displays or friend's houses there a very few sets that I have not seen in person at least once, but the Skull’s Eye is one of them. 

The other day I was contemplating different Lego projects I could do.  Having recently scored some excellent eBay purchases which have added to the already fairly large stash of extra pieces from past Bricklink orders I have been feeling the itch to start a project.  As different options came to mind I suddenly had the thought "I wonder if it would be possible to resurrect the Skull's Eye?".  For those of you unfamiliar with the lingo to resurrect a set means that you purchase the raw pieces and assemble the needed collection of parts yourself rather than buying the set whole.  I have done this previously and found that, depending on which set you do this with, it is possible to sometimes obtain an old set for less than its original MSRP and it is almost always possible to do it for cheaper than buying the whole thing from eBay or Bricklink provided the set is more than about 10 years old and does not have too many specialty parts.

The Imperial Trading Post was a past set I have resurrected

I am going to look into this and I will let you know if I think it can be done.  If it is possible and I decide to do this I will blog in detail about the process to serve as a rough guide to anyone who would like to try and resurrect a set themselves, the Skulls Eye or other.       

Lame Movie Scene = Lame Set

4183 The Mill
The Chronicler's Rating - 2/5
Price ~ $40.00
Year Released - 2011

In the case of Star Wars it is so easy.  With 6 movies, a tv series and a host of video games and other material from the expanded universe Lego has an almost endless pool of material to draw from in order to create new and exciting sets.  From locations to vehicles there are a lot of options.  This is not the case however in some of the other franchises Lego has ventured into.  I saw it first in a few of the Indiana Jones sets that just left you saying "um I recognize that is an accurate recreation of a scene from the movie but... it is kind of lame". The Mill is such a set. 

Once you create the ships and a few of the more famous locales like the Fountain of Youth and the Isla de la Muerta (which Lego has done) the pirates franchise doesn't

have a lot of other noteworthy locations to turn into sets.  The problem with this set is that it is hard to imagine anything to really use it for.  Lego has released an actual mill set in the Kingdoms theme (7189 Mill Village Raid) that has a working windmill which operates the mill equipment in the building so I can't even say that this set would work in a medieval setting as an actual mill because there is a much better offering concurrently available.  This set has no equipment inside other than the bell and the wheel is built not to grind grain but detach so the young builder can recreate that ridiculous scene from the movie which tried to be funny but to most was just lame.  The fact that this set is recreating such a lame scene does not help it much. 

FOR PARENTS

This set is not designed to create great play possibilities, it is designed to recreate a scene in which the primary appeal was witty dialogue and a ridiculous set of circumstances.  In my opinion the movie failed on both those counts but even if it had succeeded that is very difficult to recreate into a satisfying Lego set.  The result is a set I would advise you to avoid.  If your child is interested in the mill aspect of this set for a medieval story head over to the Kingdoms section of the store and pick up 7189 Mill Village Raid as it is a much better set. 

FOR KIDS

On every front I would advise you to spend your money on a different set.  The pieces on this set can be found in almost any castle set, the figures are available in other sets (or will be soon) and the play possibilities with The Mill are so limited that I think it will quickly bore you.

CONCLUSION

for the most part Lego has done an excellent job of making great sets from the Pirate's franchise.  Unfortunately, with The Mill they were undermined by the fact that this is not the greatest scene and therefore the need to adhere to movie accuracy resulted in a lame set.  Spend your money elsewhere.

Happy Building

The Lego Chronicler

Undermined by Price

4194 Whitecap Bay

The Chronicler's Rating - 3/5

Price ~ $80.00

Year Released - 2011

In the last few years Lego has undergone a subtle yet undeniable shift.  In comparison to just a few years ago the would be buyer's dollars just do not go as as far as they used to.  With rising manufacturing costs, more and more themes requiring licensing fees and straight up general economics this shift was somewhat inevitable but that does not make it an easy pill to swallow.  Lego has tried to mask this fact by increasing the piece count of sets dramatically over that same timeframe but those pieces are small (which is the point, they add far less plastic to the production cost than their counterparts from years past) and don't add a lot of bulk to sets.  On some sets it is less noticeable than others but Whitecap Bay is, unfortunately, not one of them. 

The large price tag on this set is truly a tragedy for two main reasons.  First this is a fabulous set and secondly it is without precedent in Lego's history, never before has there been a lighthouse set in a Pirate theme.  The play possibilities of this set are extraordinary.  You can play along the story lines of the movie (this is after all a recreation of a scene from the latest film), it can easily be incorporated into an existing pirate collection, or it could be a historical lighthouse in the harbor of a modern city.  With great colors, excellent construction and architectural details I really like this set.  The only problem is price. 

FOR PARENTS

Even if value is not one of your major considerations in buying a Lego set for your child or grandchild it is hard to look at this set and not think "they want HOW much???".  As great as it is, once built, it is hard to believe that it cost so much.  Because of how little I feel you are getting for your money on this set I would recommend that, unless your child has their heart set on it or are huge fans of the latest Pirates movie, you look elsewhere.  The smaller sets for more money phenomenon has not hit all sets and themes equally, it is still possible to get more for your dollar (a good place to look is in the non-licensed themes such as City, Ninjago or Castle).  Another option is to get 4183 The Mill which is cheaper and could be easily modified into something resembling Whitecap Bay with a few pieces from your child's collection.  If, however, you can absorb the price, and your child loves the Pirates movie or pirate Legos in general then I would highly recommend this set to you. 

FOR KIDS

This is a great Lego set.  Whether you are looking to add to existing pirate collection or start a new one this set would make a great addition.  They only thing you need to think about is whether or not you want it enough to spend this much money on it.  Lego sets like this can easily turn onto disappointments if you are expecting it to be huge and then find that it is not as big as you thought.  Get this if you have thought about it and still want it otherwise I would spend your money on something that gets you better pieces for the money. 

CONCLUSION

This set is without precedent in the history of Lego Pirates (both the recent theme based on the movie and the long running Pirate theme that preceded it).  Beyond being the first historical lighthouse set ever produced there have only been 2 other lighthouses of any type in the modern era of Legos (6414 Dolphin Point from the Paradisa theme from the early 90s and 5770 Lighthouse Island from the Creator theme this year) so this set is truly in elite and unique company.  Not only that but it has excellent play value along with great construction and pieces.   Its only weakness is price and that weakness is, unfortunately, quite looming.  If you can stomach the price get this set but if you cannot and must look elsewhere I don't blame you. 

Happy Building

The Lego Chronicler

Perfecting the Queen Anne's Revenge

If you have purchased 4195 Queen Anne's Revenge, first off major kudos to you, and secondly you may have noticed that while the outside is breathtaking the inside is... a little spartan.  There are a few key features that, in order to meet their price point, Lego omitted from this ship.  I recently set about to see if I could remedy those deficiencies and was very pleased with the result.  So pleased in fact that I can honestly say, with these modifications, the Queen Anne's Revenge is my favorite of all my ships (surpassing even 10210 Imperial Flagship).  To do this I cannibalized 4191 Captain’s Cabin for a few specialized parts and added some extra pieces from my own collection. Here is what I did.

THE FRONT DECK

While the Revenge did improve upon 2009's Brickbeard's Bounty in that it did have a front deck the 2 small pieces Lego included are just not satisfactory considering the ship's  size.  I modeled my improvements off the first Lego pirate ship: 1989's Black Seas Barracuda.  That ship included holds beneath both the front and rear decks accessed by hatches.  I created the same thing here. 

As you can see there are two hinged hatches.  I have extended the deck to just before the first cannon port where I have added a solid wall with a ladder built into it.  I moved the anchor assembly up onto my deck and added a simple locking mechanism using a spare hinge piece.  To round it off I added a few small holders for weapons and called it good.  Nothing I did changed anything about the way the ship is built in the directions, I just filled it in.  A future modification I may try is to make the entire front deck removable and add a furnished crew quarters beneath... we will see.  

THE REAR CABIN

What I felt was the most major deficiency of the Revenge was that its rear cabin was not enclosed.  This has been my biggest pet peeve with all of the smaller Pirate and Imperial Guard ships Lego has produced through the years.  The minute I saw pictures of this set I knew that I would be adding a door to that cabin.  The result is, I feel, a door and facade that blends in perfectly with the rest of the ship making it impossible to tell where the original design ends and the modifications begin.


The 6x4 stud brown plate for the door came from set 4191 The Captain's Cabin.

This is the door assembly up close.

THE REAR DECK

In keeping with what I did in the front I also finished out a small rear deck immediately in front of where the rear cabin attachs.  I added two more hatches to access the space beneath and also a small extension out over the cannon well with a fourth large bone as a rail.  The hatches provide access to the area beneath the rear cabin which the instructions left empty but I finished out as the ship’s galley in a similar manner to the rear of the Imperial Flagship. 


You can see the two hatches with handles next to the support for the mast and
the stove for the galley on the left as well as table and supplies on the right.

MISCELLANEOUS

I incorporated many of the special elements from set 4191 The Captain’s Cabin in various places as well as connecting the front and rear decks on the sides of the cannon well using 3-1x8 peg black plates per side.  The end result is a feel a much more complete set than the original.  I am thrilled with how it turned out.


You can see the 1x8 stud plates that I added here, the ones
on the right end are missing for comparison.

The globe from The Captain's Cabin was a great new piece,
I mounted it near the ships wheel as shown here.

I created detailed instructions for these modifications so they can be recreated the next time I assemble the ship.  If anyone is interested in them let me know and I can send them to you.    

Happy Building
The Lego Chronicler

Worthy Of Joining The Hallowed Company

4195 Queen Anne's Revenge
The Chronicler's Rating - 5/5
Price ~ $120.00
Year Released - 2011

This set joins a hallowed company, revered the world over by kids right on up to the hard core Lego enthusiasts: the large scale Lego pirate ships (large scale defined as having a wide hull and 2 or more middle sections).  It is an elite company which, despite spanning over 2 decades is, with the addition of the Queen Anne’s Revenge is comprised of only 5 other sets: 6285 Black Seas Barracuda, 6286 Skull’s Eye Schooner, 6289 Red Beard Runner, 6243 Brickbeard’s Bounty and most recently 10210 Imperial Flagship (this last one is not technically a pirate ship but it fits in the category of large scale ships).   Lego enthusiast far and wide generally consider the large scale ships to be the holy grails of Lego sets and will argue to the bitter end which one of these revered sets is the best; with their respective opinions being heavily influenced by whichever one they happen to have in their collection.  On the addition of this set to my collection I am fortunate enough to have 4 of the 6 so I can hopefully bring a somewhat objective opinion to the table in this review.  My thoughts can be summed up in one brief sentence: this set is magnificent.

The Queen Anne’s Revenges is heavily influenced by its predecessors, despite the fact that it is first and foremost a re-creation of the ship seen in the movie.  When considered in this vein Lego has done an excellent job of balancing three potentially contradictory goals: creating a movie accurate model, incorporating the hallmarks of the great Lego ships of the past and keeping the price within a reasonable range.  For this delicate balancing act they are to be heartily commended.  I would place this set squarely in the middle of the pantheon of large scale Lego ships ahead of the Brickbeard’s Bounty and the Red Beard Runner and beaten only by the Barracuda, Skull’s Eye and Imperial Flagship.  Considering that all 3 of those latter ships are generally considered by fans to be in the top 10 of best Lego sets ever produced this is hardly a demerit!   

I could fill several pages with observations on the positives of this set as well as the aspects that are influenced by its predecessors.  However, as this forum is meant to primarily inform potential buyers I shall settle for summarizing a few of the main attractions.  First off, this ship is huge due to the inclusion of 3 middle hull pieces.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the measuring standards and design of Lego pirate ships here is a brief tutorial.  All Lego pirate ships have the same basic construction there are front and rear hull pieces joined by what are referred to as “middle pieces”.  The number of these middle pieces are the defining characteristic that determine how long the ship is.  Only one ship, 10210 Imperial Flagship, has ever had more than 3 (and that set was a collector’s model so in some ways it doesn’t count) so this set is tied for second longest ship ever produced alongside the Skull’s Eye and the Barracuda.  The color scheme is beautiful and it has stunning architectural details due to the inclusion of numerous small pieces (a major plus!).  Furthermore it has a middle mast with 3 sails which no other set except for 10210 Imperial Flagship, has ever had, and more cannon ports than any other ship ever produced (I must quickly point out however that only 3 cannon’s are provided so not all of these ports can be armed at the same time without the addition of more cannons).  And finally, it is just stunning to look at.  I have always had a soft spot for how magnificent Lego pirate ships look and this one continues that tradition, a true feast for the eyes, especially from the front!

FOR PARENTS

As a child I longed for a Lego pirate ship with nearly every beat of my little heart.  Due to their expense it was not until much later in life, when I could earn my own money that I was able to finally add one of these treasures (and subsequently several more) to my collection.  Trust me when I say your child or grandchild will adore this set.  If it is at all possible for you to make it happen get this treasure, it will be enjoyed for generations. 

FOR KIDS

Whether it’s that you like the movies, just want a pirate ship, or need an opponent for another ship you already have there are a thousand reasons to get this set.  Save your allowance and birthday money and add this to your collection, you will love it!

CONCLUSION

I must confess I was nervous when I heard that Lego was getting into the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.  When the Harry Potter franchise temporarily replaced the long running Castle theme in the early 2000’s the need to make the sets movie accurate precluded the inclusion of the aspects which made the Castle theme what it was.  Harry Potter wasn’t a bad theme, it just wasn’t Castle.  I was worried that in the name of “movie accuracy” the ships in this new theme would not have the magic of the great ships of the past.  I was delighted to discover that, although definitely a re-creation, the Queen Anne’s Revenge does not look out of place alongside such legends as the Barracuda or Skull’s Eye and is worthy of being included in the pantheon of Lego pirate ships on its own merits.  The positives of this set are so overwhelming that the few minor demerits my trained eye can see are not even worth mentioning.  I will go a step beyond recommending and say that if you only get one large set in 2011 make it this one, you won’t regret it. 

Happy Building

The Lego Chronicler