Random set of the day: Armada Flagship
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 6280 Armada Flagship, released in 1996. It's one of 8 Pirates sets produced that year. It contains 284 pieces and 3 minifigs, and its retail price was US$50.
It's owned by 2112 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
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33 comments on this article
Smaller than many Pirates line ships, but no less desirable. It is a sleek and beautiful vessel, and a worthy addition to any collection of seafaring LEGO.
Such a small flagship shows the dire financial position of the once great Armada during the golden age of Lego piracy. No wonder Captain Redbeard had such great success against them.
I just rebuilt the re-release of this, to go with the new Barracuda!
It does have flags on it, so it’s a flagship in the most basic sense, but it’s a bit small to be a flagship.
This set was one of the oddest things I’ve ever seen at retail. I found it Brand New Sealed sitting on a shelf a full 10 years after release at Wal Mart. It rang up full retail price. I was just glad to find it, as I was in my dark ages when it came out.
@Vladtheb said:
"Such a small flagship shows the dire financial position of the once great Armada during the golden age of Lego piracy. No wonder Captain Redbeard had such great success against them."
I love this comment. I spent 15 minutes writing a long response, arguing your point about the fictional history of Lego piracy, only to have it disappear when I tried to post :( It was probably too long!
@fishy_the_hutt said:
" @Vladtheb said:
"Such a small flagship shows the dire financial position of the once great Armada during the golden age of Lego piracy. No wonder Captain Redbeard had such great success against them."
I love this comment. I spent 15 minutes writing a long response, arguing your point about the fictional history of Lego piracy, only to have it disappear when I tried to post :( It was probably too long!"
Oh no! I want to hear your take on Lego pirate economic history!
I've got this one built... found it in a bulk purchase. It's a bit worse for wear or I'd probably just sell it. It's not great compared to other ships, especially next to Queen Anne and the Black Pearl.
The more pirate ships you have the better a display you can create with Pirates of Barracuda Bay!
This set works far better as a merchant vessel for the pirates to attack and plunder than as a warship! The actual Spanish armada mostly used large galleons that could perform both trade and military functions.
It was odd to see that Pirate ships were larger than Imperial ships. Nevertheless each ship was a beauty in itself. The size of this ship is most definetly more managable than the Barracuda.
In 1996, Pirates was the one main System theme I only had one set from. ONE. It was the measly Pirate's Plunder, which is unremarkable other than the fact it might be the second LEGO set I was given directly from a retail purchase, not second-hand. That was in 1993 or 1994. So by 1996, with my LEGO Mania in full swing, I was desperate for Pirate sets! Any of them seemed appealing to me, even though I originally was only enamored by the ships. Therefore, to my child's eyes, Armada Flagship looked incredible with the white, gleaming hull and those awesome green railing pieces. I really love railing pieces.
But in short order, mom found remnants of Imperial Trading Post at a garage sale, and suddenly, my desire was sated. And in 2001, I got the Skull's Eye Schooner from another garage sale (as well as another Imperial Trading Post), plus lots of other Pirate sets from 1993 through 1997, so I finally had the vast Pirate collection I desired. None of the sets were the Armada Flagship, however, and this is key because when the set was released again as part of the LEGO Legends line, I got to appraise it not with eyes hungry with desperation, but the calm, collected purview of a seasoned LEGO collector all of 13 years old. At that point, even the chrome armor and white hull pieces couldn't sway me into giving it a home among the pirates and Imperial Guards. It would look ridiculous! So, in conclusion, this is one of those sets that definitely got worse in my eyes as time went on.
There's that color combo on the box front again similar to the train sets, albeit the reds are in the clouds, but it's the same combo of red yellow and blue - interesting.
Anyone know how to clean the sails? No fraying after all this time but more than a little stained.
But for real I love those little Lego conquistador helmets
Whew, I rewrote it.. I'll see if I can post in smaller segments
@Vladtheb
(1/4) You're not wrong, but I'd argue you're putting studs before their bricks. Redbeard defeated the Empire as soon as he reversed his protection-racket policies toward the Outer Baseplate port towns, mandating bounty-sharing by any ship under his flag. It just took the center a good ten years to realize it had been unbuilt!
(2/4) For what minifig, whether fishmonger, craftsman, or backwater magistrate, would choose Imperial taxation over a share of the studs? Redbeard's benevolence (though a mere token in practical terms, and likely repaid three-fold in free lodging & ale from dockside innkeepers) solidified his political position with any settlement at least a 32×32 away from "civilization"; the populace's submerged resentments had their clutch power overcome, and when let loose they swiftly produced such an array of passive resistance (and yes, occasional violence) that the Empire had no chance to react.
(3/4) You know the rest: declining tax revenue led to supply problems for the Armada. Equipment shortages & lower piece counts fed into declining recruitment. A growing reliance on smaller, "efficient" vessels (like the one above) was the only choice the Admiralty could make at this point. Yet it was one doomed to insufficiency, as these ships had none of the firepower nor intimidation factor required to bring the unruly townships to heel.
(4/4) As the grand but aging ships which projected the Crown's power during the boom period were parted out (maintenence costs being too great to keep them in service), 6280 was christened the Flagship a mere EIGHT MONTHS before the signing of the Jumper Plate Treaty on the shore of what is now Lego City Harbor.
I miss this small set and only bought the 6289 Red Beard Runner when the new Pirates wave arrived in 2009 (https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Pirates/year-2009).
I wanted to have additional ships for my daughter.
This set was also re-released 5 years later under the reference 6291 Armada Flagship.
My one issue with this, and it's common to most Lego Pirates vessels, is that as a sailor the sail plan is more or less incomprehensible- I mean what's going on with that rear mast and sail? I would be madness to expect fully detailed standing and running rigging (oh how tedious that would be to build) but come on!
I remember my Grandma taking me shopping to Toys R Us for my 11th birthday and buying me this ship. Gutted that I later made the mistake of selling all my Lego at a car boot sale to buy a computer in my teens.
Never really liked this one, it felt a little all over the place with the colors.
I have two of these ships. Really nice color scheme and great figures. This ship is better than the pirate ship of that year.
I'm in love of the color scheme of this ship.
LOL Considering this is the flagship of the entire armada, no wonder the English beat them in 1588 at the Battle of Gravelines.
I wish lego would release naval ships along with pirate ships. Does anyone think we will get a modern remake of eldorado fortress with a naval ship or a imperial flagship re-release sort of thing to go along with POBB?
I got this along with skull's eye schooner in a job lot several years ago only to find they'd been partly glued. The idea was to de-glue them somehow and re-build and display them, but I still haven't done it. I was looking again at them over the weekend trying to decide what to do and where to begin..
@Brickchap said:
"LOL Considering this is the flagship of the entire armada, no wonder the English beat them in 1588 at the Battle of Gravelines.
We were told there was a storm of brick separators :p
@Al_S said:
"My one issue with this, and it's common to most Lego Pirates vessels, is that as a sailor the sail plan is more or less incomprehensible- I mean what's going on with that rear mast and sail? I would be madness to expect fully detailed standing and running rigging (oh how tedious that would be to build) but come on!"
Isn't the rear mast just a (backwards) lateen rig?
Armada faction could use a reboot with some new sets, they haven't been seen for a while.
Just add some nice Silver Ingots as cargo :D
@Brickalili said:
"But for real I love those little Lego conquistador helmets"
Morions are not my favourite style of helmet, but if you are after some LEGO ones, try BrickLink:
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=30048&idColor=65T=C&C=65
I love the Armada faction, those helmets are one of my all time favorite minifigure headgear! The chrome chestplate is also super cool. Wish we got more sets for these guys.