Month of LEGO - Arrrgghh Pirates - 10210 Imperial Flagship

Arrrrgghhhh. There be pirates here matey. Started in 1989, the Pirates theme brings a lot of firsts to the LEGO Universe. First flintlock pistols and muskets. First peg leg and hook hands. First beards and patch eye faces. First monkeys and sharks. First skeletons! And finally, first elements for the construction of large sailing ship models. There are over 80 sets in the Pirates original theme.

The Pirates theme is all about the (you guessed it) Pirates sailing around the Caribbean. There are Pirates (of course) who sail under the Jolly Roger. There are also the Imperial Soldiers…Governors…Guards (they changed names a few times based on time and where you lived). Also, a neutral group, the Islanders was introduced in 1994. The theme includes sailing ships (of course), shipwrecks, forts, islands, hideouts, treasures, an advent calendar and even a chess set.

There are 13 sailing ships in the series with the largest of these being the 6286 Skull’s Eye Schooner at 912 parts.

But, there is actually another larger vessel. Sort of, it is officially listed in the Creator theme - the 10210 Imperial Flagship. Weighing in at 2590g and a displacement of over 25,000 cubic centimeters (58x48x9), this set comes with 1619 parts and 9 minifigures.

Released in 2010 at an initial price of $179.99 (in the US), the current price for an unopened in original box on Bricklink is $850 – a little less if you don’t want the box. Quite the return if you put it in the attic. Someone on Amazon is selling for over $1000. Makes me think that buying the 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay for $199.99 is something I will consider – especially since that build is two in one – a ship and a shipwreck.

Back to the Imperial Flagship. This is a nice model for display as well as a nice model for kids to play with. One of the things that I have loved about the LEGO Group is that they make many sets that are good for kids and adults. For adults, the ship is a nice model that would look fine on your bookshelf (assuming you don’t mind having LEGO models around).

For kids, the top deck and aft deck both remove to expose the lower decks of the ship – including a brig, the artillery deck, a galley and the Captain’s quarters.

Exceptionally detailed as always, the Captain has his own telescope, map table and (yep you guessed it) organ. No organist is included, so one must assume the Captain is a musician as well.

In the galley, we have chicken roasting and plenty of pots, pans and utensils for the crew (well, one at a time). Four cannons, two muskets, and two crates of ammo supply the artillery deck. Topside, we have three main masts to hold seven sails and a bowsprit to hold the eighth. Also hanging from the bowsprit is a sawtooth shark for decoration. A working winch can raise and lower the anchor. Of the nine minifigures, we have the Captain – Governor Tierney and his daughter, Leigh Tierney. We also have the captive Captain Brickbeard, a cook, a Lieutenant and four Imperial Guards. Overall, a pretty cool set and quite the investment if you picked it up in 2010-2013 while it was available in stores.

Enough for today, Ahoy Mateys!