Design Process and Inspiration

I’ve always loved pirates! Curse of the Black Pearl is my favorite movie of all time! So naturally, Pirates has always been one of my favorite Lego themes! Whether it be the classic 80s/90s sets from before my time, the Duplo wave from the early 2000s, the revival waves or, of course, POTC. If you’ve got pirates, I’m there for it. And the ships have of course always been my favorite part. And I’d say that probably goes for most people. So when I made my first BDP submission earlier this year I knew that at some point I’d have to take a crack at designing a ship of my own. But what to do when the competition is as stellar as it is? How does one stand out? Well to be honest I don’t know, but I made a literal skeleton ship!

Originally this model was going to be much larger than the final version with a very different structure, picture The Silent Mary from 2017. Now that version of the model never really got off the ground and I’m kind of happy that it didn’t. I think it would’ve ended up too similar to that set. Of course the design inspirations are still there with the towers around the helm and the skeletal design of the hull. Though here we have literal ribs rather than the torn up designs of the Mary.

I was actually quite stuck with this build for a good while. I had drafted up plans of what I wanted the final model to be; a galleon, 3 masts, a big skull at the back, a partially open hull, the towers. But I just couldn’t really get started. Until one day, I was taking apart some older MOCs of mine and I got my hands on a 1x5x4 inverted arch and I thought: “What if I used this for the bow of the ship?” And then, the rest is history.

A version of this model was also going to include a set of brick built sails as an alternative to the folded up ones. But I decided to drop them as a good chunk of the parts used were no longer available in the new palette, but maybe they’ll return some day.

The Build: The Wind Reaper

This vessel of the undead is sure to frighten even the bravest of sailors as it approaches over the horizon. Crewed by a literal skeleton crew maybe it’d have been wise to not to mess with them. Perhaps if you quickly row away you’ll be spared from its ripping cannons. Even with its shredded sails The Wind Reaper appears to be gaining on you quite quickly. Maybe you should just toss the blundered treasure overboard and cut your losses. With any luck that’ll be apology enough. I don’t think you want to be crossing blades with the merciless undying captain of the terror of the seven seas…

Features include

3 masts with adjustable yards and climbable shrouds.
A fully detailed deck and helm both of which are detachable to access the lower deck and captain’s quarters.
An armament of 20 slightly adjustable cannons.
Anchors on both sides (non-functional).
Beautiful and ornate skeletal details.
A fully built hull which is propped up by 2 display stands (the model can be displayed without the stands, however it is not very stable).
A row boat equipped with a small cannon and anchor for our blunderous pirates to try and flee in.

Minifigures & Animals: The model includes a total of 10 minifigures. The ship's crew, including: the captain, 2 officers, a swordsman, a hatchetman, a gunner and a sniper. As well as the 3 pirates crewing the row boat. Included are also 5 animals; 3 pigeons, a shark and a rat.

Model Dimensions

W: 18.1 cm / 7.1 in

L: 48.7 cm / 19.2 in

H: 49.9 cm / 19.6 in

I hope you enjoy my attempt at a slightly different style of sailing ship and if you do then your support would be greatly appreciated! As well as any and all feedback and/or questions, I’ll try to get back to as many of you as possible! Thank you in advance!