LEGO Ideas Pirates of Barracuda Bay revealed!

Brickset.com

Finally, some good news this week. LEGO has just unveiled the next Ideas set: 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay which, given that brand stores remain closed for the foreseeable future, will be available exclusively from LEGO.com on April 1st.

It's based on the Ideas project Pirate Bay by Bricky_Brick that passed review in September last year. Here's the press release and product information:

21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay, 2,545 pieces

US $199.99 / CA $259.99 / DE €199.99 / UK £179.99 / FR €199.99 / DK 1599DKK / $299.99 AUD

Pirate shipwreck island building set for play and display

Rekindle nostalgic memories of childhood LEGO construction projects with this LEGO Ideas set: 21322 shipwreck island model for display and play. Enjoy some calm, quality time alone building – or share the fun with others.

Discover the captain’s cabin, food store, kitchen, bedrooms, supply dock, farm, toilet, jail cell, tavern and hidden treasure, plus lots of fun accessories, 8 pirate minifigures, assorted animal figures and 2 skeleton figures to inspire action-packed stories. This set includes an island that can be split in half and rearranged. The shipwreck can also be dismantled and reassembled to make a ship inspired by 6285 Black Seas Barracuda LEGO model from 1989.

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Source: 49422

CathyVT

I'm so happy that an intact ship can be built, not just a "wrecked" ship. I mean, I figured someone would have come up with an alt build of a not-wrecked ship, but I like having that option right out of the box. It looks very cool. It'll be my pandemic-present to myself...

GIR3691

This is frickin fantastic. It's a beautiful combination of the Ideas set, a retro set re-release, and a fun play feature idea for kids. 

klinton

I freaking love this! They full elevated the original concept with this final product.

pxchris

This exceeds all expectations for me!!
It went from simply a want to a downright need!

panchox1

dang. I was planning on ordering the Corner Garage today. now I'm pondering..... 

CathyVT

Oh, and now of course we'll all want that female pirate from the upcoming CMF set. :)

TheBigLegoski

Not just an awesome set, but check out that retro box art!

mr_benn

This makes me feel so incredibly nostalgic, totally hitting the right buttons.  

lowlead

I like.  I probably buy.

Mr_Hobbles

Instant purchase for two. This is an incredible set!

Switchfoot55

I've not been a Pirate collector (though I've always wanted a ship or two), but this might just push me over the edge into that world. It looks fantastic!

Malkan

Very excited about this one! Being able to build two versions was a great idea. The original barracuda was my favorite set as a kid. The pieces are all mixed in with the kids stash now but I think I'll start digging them out while there's nowhere to go!

monstblitz

Take my money, day 1 purchase.  Part of my Lego obsession stems from the original Black Seas Barracuda perennially being on my Christmas list as a child and never getting it.  Ideas has been on fire lately. 

Fauch

There were also rumors about a creator pirate ship, though the box looked very plain, so I'm not sure if it was real? The destiny bounty and silent mary are among my favourite sets but I don't have any classic pirate ship to match them.

eMJeeNL

This is just brilliant. I do miss the raised BPs from the IDEAs submission - but the 2-in-1 factor makes up for that. Wow. My 4 (almost 5)yo will also really go nuts on this island - and its really playable too!
Might run along with @CathyVT 's idea and get myself a Quarantine-present.

bpk2300

Very impressive. I have no where to put one, but I am seriously tempted. 

madforLEGO

Great Ideas set, and love the idea that you can build the ship instead of the shipwreck. However, I really wish LEGO would realize there is more out there than just white and red striped sails.

CathyVT

madforLEGO said:

Great Ideas set, and love the idea that you can build the ship instead of the shipwreck. However, I really wish LEGO would realize there is more out there than just white and red striped sails.

No, I don't think there are. Sails are red and white striped. That's it. Why are you trying to rock the boat?? :)

KungFuKenny

madforLEGO said:

However, I really wish LEGO would realize there is more out there than just white and red striped sails.

Agreed... With the more recent pirate ship models Lego does seem stuck on red and white stripes.  That certainly wasn’t the case historically.  There have been a few other options- you could have black and white striped sails (like #6286 and #6268 ), or even solid black or dark red ones (POTC).  The Imperial Flagship had white with thinner tan stripes. My personal favorite after the Black Seas Barracuda was The Skull’s Eye Schooner (#6286)...

CathyVT said:

No, I don't think there are. Sails are red and white striped. That's it. Why are you trying to rock the boat?? :)

”rock the boat”... nice one :-)

Fauch

but it's obviously based on the barracuda, so it has to be white and red. (but even better if they add the sails from the above set in the package too)

M_Boss

Am I the only one who is a bit disappointed at the changes from the submitted model? I much prefer the more realistic look rather than the "cartoony" classic look. I guess a lot of it comes down to the fact that I do not have nostalgia for classic pirates.

LuLego

M_Boss said:

Am I the only one who is a bit disappointed at the changes from the submitted model? I much prefer the more realistic look rather than the "cartoony" classic look. I guess a lot of it comes down to the fact that I do not have nostalgia for classic pirates.

Can anyone post a pic of the photos side by side, please?

CathyVT

LuLego said:

M_Boss said:

Am I the only one who is a bit disappointed at the changes from the submitted model? I much prefer the more realistic look rather than the "cartoony" classic look. I guess a lot of it comes down to the fact that I do not have nostalgia for classic pirates.

Can anyone post a pic of the photos side by side, please?

Here's the original: 

It seems more building-like than Lego's version. I can see why some people prefer it, but I do really like that you can make a boat with the Lego set. This original only has one mast, and no sails... 

Here's the Lego result:

Bumblepants

The original is nice but I prefer the color variation in the official model. 

Brainslugged

I feel kinda the same way about this as the Fairground Mixer. I really wasnt a fan of that till I realised the entire thing packed up onto a couple of trucks. At which point I thought it was amazing. Same with this island and realising it turns into an a great-looking ship. Would love to know the size compared to the Imperial Flagship. Shouldn't be too hard to work out.

Redbullgivesuwind

I love this and it might be a little present from me to me. The only thing that I dislike is that you cannot put the cannons into the hold of the ship. Otherwise, it looks like the pirates have something to take on the Imperial Flagship. I just need to buy one now... 

pxchris

The designer interview on New Elementary is absolutely fascinating!

http://www.newelementary.com/2020/03/lego-interview-21322-pirates-designer-madge-carlson.html

Their review of the set, as well as Brother's Brick are also both great. I'm looking forward to the Brickset review though.

Honestly, this just checks all of the boxes to me. I am far, far more interested in this final set than I ever was in the Ideas submission.

My only quandary now, is that I'm worried the secondary market for #6285 is going to spike a bit, making it even more difficult to acquire that set. After being able to complete #6274 and #6276 my plan was to work towards #6285 throughout the year.

ReesesPieces

M_Boss said:

Am I the only one who is a bit disappointed at the changes from the submitted model? I much prefer the more realistic look rather than the "cartoony" classic look. I guess a lot of it comes down to the fact that I do not have nostalgia for classic pirates.

I really do like the look and build of the original as well.  However, the Lego's version looks good while limiting the price point.  As others have said, being able to build the ship is a huge bonus.  I knew the model would be scaled back drastically to reduce cost and I think they did a great job with it.  In other words, I'm bit disappointed with the changes but happy with what we do get.

LuLego

Both are excellent. They aren’t really the same model though, are they?

andhe

Yes do read the articles on newelementary as mentioned by @pxchris

It's really interesting to see the design process (the article has images of a number of previous sketch models) and you can really see how they took the original idea and turned it into the final model.

madforLEGO

pxchris said:

.....My only quandary now, is that I'm worried the secondary market for #6285 is going to spike a bit, making it even more difficult to acquire that set. After being able to complete #6274 and #6276 my plan was to work towards #6285 throughout the year.

It appears that the #6285 is going for about 200 USD now. If that is the case, I have a feeling the original will drop a bit due to the fact you can get an updated BBB for 199.99 in the Ideas set (I mean you can build it for the ship after all). My guess is the original drops to around 150 USD as long as the Ideas set sticks around.

LuLego

andhe said:

Yes do read the articles on newelementary as mentioned by @pxchris

It's really interesting to see the design process (the article has images of a number of previous sketch models) and you can really see how they took the original idea and turned it into the final model.

Thanks. That was one of the most interesting articles I’ve read recently.

I’d love to see other prototypes for other models too.

Fauch

Both sets actually seem to have a pretty similar layout

Aanchir

Fauch said:

Both sets actually seem to have a pretty similar layout

Yeah, the more I compare the finished set to the original project, the more similarities become obvious. Even besides the separate rooms or structures (ship's bow, jetty, galley, captain's cabin, inn, brig, etc) being arranged more or less the same way in the final set as in the proposal, a lot of the interior furnishings are also clearly based on those in the original MOC, even if some features like the number of candles or size of the bed in the captain's cabin have been diminished.

And a lot of the architectural features and building techniques that were so distinctive to the original like the two-tone wood panel walls, crooked windows, brick-built wooden doors, modular structure, etc. are still present in the finished model, just used on more particular parts of the model for the sake of variety. I definitely feel like if anything, the resulting model has raised the original project's complexity and standard of detail.

And I don't mean that as a knock on the original project creator — one of my biggest struggles with larger MOCs is creating a coherent look without resulting in the model seeming samey or repetitive.

M_Boss said:

Am I the only one who is a bit disappointed at the changes from the submitted model? I much prefer the more realistic look rather than the "cartoony" classic look. I guess a lot of it comes down to the fact that I do not have nostalgia for classic pirates.

Honestly? A lot of the time, the tendency to associate the past with dull and dingy-looking colors like browns and greys is less "realistic" than pop culture portrayals of history often insinuate.

There are multiple reasons that people associate dull colors with the age of piracy. For starters, we base a lot of our understanding of history on surviving artifacts, art, and architecture from the periods we're hoping to relate to, and pigments are some of the first parts of those that degrade, and most difficult to authentically preserve.

Also, a lot of traditional printing and filmmaking was either in black and white or extremely limited color palettes due to the limitations and cost of color pigment or film, so limited use of color has become a widespread visual shorthand for eras gone by.

But overall, most real-life pirate dens were just towns that happened to turn a blind eye to trading in smuggled goods, and reports of their wickedness often revolved less around the prevalence of gambling, drinking, prostitution, and other "worldly" vices there than the tendency for the towns themselves to be shabby, violent, or unclean.

And if anything, pirate dens such as Port Royal, Jamaica were often as notorious for the opulence that resulted from their ill-gotten wealth as the vices that enabled it — almost like the Las Vegas of their day!

CathyVT

Here's a random question. Why does Captain Red Beard never have a feather in his hat, even though there's a hole to put one? Why make the piece with the hole if Lego never uses it?

Lyichir

CathyVT said:

Here's a random question. Why does Captain Red Beard never have a feather in his hat, even though there's a hole to put one? Why make the piece with the hole if Lego never uses it?

Because the hat was shared with Governor Broadside, who did use a feather. Plus having the option is always nice.

560Heliport

Because the Imperials' senior officers wore the same hat (with different printing), and they did wear feathers.

CathyVT

560Heliport said:

Because the Imperials' senior officers wore the same hat (with different printing), and they did wear feathers.

OK, so you're saying it's inappropriate for the pirate captains to have feathers in their hats? I just want to make sure I have it right. I was mostly a space girl as a kid/teen and don't recall having any pirate sets, so I'm not an expert on it all yet. :) Although, I do seem to have a Captain Red Beard (but unfortunately he's got yellow epaulets, not brown, and has a tri-corner hat, not the appropriate hat with the skull and crossbones. And I've got several other pirates and imperial guards! 

Fauch

Would be great when we get the review, if it's possible to take comparison pictures of the new barracuda ship with other ones like the old one of course, or the imperial flagship, silent mary...

560Heliport

The only pirates to wear feathers in their hats were in two Education sets, #9349 and #45023, and #70413. But give them feathers if you like- especially if you have extra feathers from the sprues they came on back then! Maybe they old pirates didn't wear feathers to avoid upsetting their parrots? "I hope that wasn't anyone I knew!" ...Perhaps this explains the eyepatches? 

oldtodd33

I took a family pole from wife and daughter. We all like the original the best and wish Lego would have made that one. My wife pointed out that the original looks like a really cool seafood restaurant. 

CCC

I wonder what this significant redesign might mean for the blacksmith set. Here they have taken a wonderful MOC and turned it into a more LEGO-like set, with very strong vintage vibes. Will they do the same with the blacksmith, and end up doing a Castle like set instead of what was submitted?

sonatine01

Clearly I’m in the minority but I much preferred the original. I don’t think I’ve seen a set on the front page with such overwhelming support.

Again as with other recent ideas sets I like the end product but every time I look at it I can’t help compare it to the original that I much prefer. I guess I just find it frustrating that the approved submissions that I’ve voted for are changed so much.

The changes in colour and look both take away from the original for me and it’s no longer a must buy but now a highly unlikely to buy. 

Heres hoping the piano still does it for me :-)

KungFuKenny

Designer video is up now...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--ZWpeesHnQ&feature=emb_title

Gibbo1959

sonatine01 said:

Heres hoping the piano still does it for me :-)

Yeah, they made a few tweaks and now it’s a drum kit!

Pyrobug

As a drummer, I wouldn't mind that!

panchox1

If it's a 3-in-1, a Bass for me please!

LuLego

Video was good. I am almost persuaded to buy this.

I wish that hadn’t changed the Jolly Roger flag from the original 1989 version.

I’m going to be trawling through pics today to study the interior.

£180 seems a fair price for the piece count... but that’s a fair chunk of money. I just need a little more persuasion.

Gibbo1959

panchox1 said:

If it's a 3-in-1, a Bass for me please!

And then we’d have that ELP set I’ve always wanted, And as they did Pirates on Works Vol 1, we’re now back on topic. Phew! 

CCC

Gibbo1959 said:

sonatine01 said:

Heres hoping the piano still does it for me :-)

Yeah, they made a few tweaks and now it’s a drum kit!

  Or an 80s-style keytar, with the keyboard part upside down.