Random set of the day: The Black Pearl
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 4184 The Black Pearl, released during 2011. It's one of 14 Pirates of the Caribbean sets produced that year. It contains 804 pieces and 6 minifigs, and its retail price was US$99.99/£84.99.
It's owned by 7,639 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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61 comments on this article
I remember seeing this on the shelf at the Lego store in Disneyworld Florida in 2012. I bought 10223 Kingdoms Joust, which is a fine set, but something in me regrets not getting the Black Pearl instead :(
Yup…big regrets on not picking this up…
There's only two of those bottles in this set, and they both look empty...
Why is the rum gone?!
https://youtu.be/JImcvtJzIK8
My white whale!
Unless I get my life together and luck out with a well paying job OR win the lottery, I'll never hold a copy in my hands :/
In the span of a decade, this set has gone from being worth $99 to $1200 (NISB, US).
So if you bought 9 of these back in 2012, you would now have over $10k worth of Lego.
Talk about inflation.
I never liked how there isn't a third cannon for that last gun-port; I think the stairs prevent you from just putting one there.
Had this in my hand at Target, and put it back on the Shelf (Thought it wasn’t a very good build) fast forward to about 5 years ago and I’ve grabbed 2 and make them into a pretty decent MOC…
A few months back, a lady sold me the sails (in excellent condition), hill and masts for this beauty!
I also found a mint Davy Jones (missing only his hat) in a bulk purchase last year! (hat now acquired).
I’ve created a list of the missing parts (it’s a long list, but they are mostly quite common) and minifigs (Maccus is very expensive and I don’t think I’ll ever own him!)…..
Now I just need to find the time to Bricklink all those parts!…… crazy that this was on my to-do list last night (but I fell asleep at my computer!)…. And now this is Set of the Day!!
Them: You can't hear a LEGO Set
Me: 'He's a Pirate' begins to play.
Beautiful set, wish I could afford it :)
In 2009 I was able to buy 6243 Brickbeard’s Bounty for half price at Target after Christmas. That made my husband more receptive to buy 10210 Imperial Flagship because he enjoyed building BB. By the time 4184 The Black Pearl and 4195 Queen Anne’s Revenge came out he was totally on board with having 4 pirate ships. They look great lined up next to each other.
It's not the best ship Lego has made, but it may be in my top 5. Especially for the cheaper ship of the wave (QAR was bigger and more expensive.)
A fair bit of detail was packed into this ship. Though the stairs being there does take away the use of the one canon port.
And of course, all that black... Mmmmm, So glad I got an extra set of sails and hulls for a good deal one time. I have this and a MOC displayed in my house.
I am completely upset that this came out during my time in the Lego Dark Ages...so many good things I missed out on...and this is at the top of the list.
I've got this and the QAR. 2 of my favorite sets. I added more guns to both to fully fill them out.
I oggled over this one so much back in the day. I've mentioned on Brickset here before that Pirates of Barracuda Bay + the Legacy version of the Destiny's Bounty were my first two LEGO pirate ships. I think a part of that is me chasing lost whales like this.
A buddy of mine picked it up from Good Will for $3.99 last year. Complete set... unbelievable deal!
@northrop said:
"A buddy of mine picked it up from Good Will for $3.99 last year. Complete set... unbelievable deal! "
I did too, a couple years ago, but had to drop $200. Still a deal!
Silly me, and had a few in sealed box and sold them a long time ago. Heck I think Target had these at 50 USD during black Friday one year if I recall correctly
Davy Jones and co. can’t help but make me feel that the line needed a Flying Dutchman set.
This is the set we will always remember as the set we almost bought with Captain Jack Sparrow.
@SearchlightRG said:
"Davy Jones and co. can’t help but make me feel that the line needed a Flying Dutchman set."
Could just grab the Mega version.
I mean yeah brand loyalty but if there's no Lego alternative...
Hey Americans, the Lion Knights Castle is now available on Lego.com!
I paid C$300 or 350 for a used copy no box from an original then teenage owner, and it had only about 10 missing but basic pieces. Gave it as a gift to my oldest son who had recently discovered the movies and was a big fan; fast forward a few years and he wanted to sell it himself to get a tablet…so I bought it, again, but only for $50 that time. I regret and disagree with his choice but a gift is a gift, and my second deal was way better than the first. Plus, it’s still cheaper overall than trying to buy another one today!
@Vladtheb said:
"Hey Americans, the Lion Knights Castle is now available on Lego.com!"
Yeah, available for VIP members, limit 1 but no Hideout promo with it so far. I ordered it, Ill hate myself later...
I almost didn't buy this set at the time. But in the end I bought it. I don't regret it.
@ElephantKnight said:
"And of course, all that black... "
But could it use some more -tron?
I've always though this set is beautiful but not as majestic as 4195 Queen Anne's Revenge.
It's one of my favourite sets. I have a soft spot for Lego Flagships.
This beauty currently graces my mantle. With current used prices I probably should put it in a glass case!
Great set I have the Queen Anne’s revenge set but am still looking for this set but eBay prices go up
Day by day
Ah yes, the one POTC set I do not own, and the one set I most likely will never find. I am lucky enough to have found Davy Jones for $50, Maccus for $18, and Bootstrap for $12.
I had this set before but I was unsatisfied with it’s small size. I dream of a day that the Black Pearl gets the UCS treatment she so rightfully deserves.
Aye, the ONE that got away...
The one that got away for me too. I had a choice between this and the original Quinjet, and while I think I made the right choice getting the Quinjet (because it's way better than all the subsequent versions and 2012 was the year Marvel LEGO was fun), I still think of the Pearl once in a while. Still, looking at it now, I see the reasons I didn't get it: It's a bit plain compared to QAR and the Imperial Flagship, and the minifig selection is a bit lacking. Davy Jones & co are fine, but I think the actual crew of the Pearl is what could have pushed me to choose this over the jet. If there ever is a PotC 6 we might see a UCS version, but I don't see it happening otherwise.
@madforLEGO said:
"Silly me, and had a few in sealed box and sold them a long time ago. Heck I think Target had these at 50 USD during black Friday one year if I recall correctly"
Your definitely right.
Funny story, my parents were Black Friday shopping and my dad wanted to buy TBP and QAR for that price.
Of course my mom said no and he just got TBP, now they realize what a mistake that was. LOL
That's a nice boat. I mean ship.
I always thought that if you took the sails from this and put them on 4195, you'd have a pretty good Black Freighter from Watchmen, what with all the skulls and bones on the QAR.
A bit more yellow and trans yellow and this could be turned into an awesome Blacktron ship... ;-)
I bought one of these discounted for use in a stop motion film. After the project was finished I then made the worst decision ever and sold it on ??
@MeisterDad said:
"I paid C$300 or 350 for a used copy no box from an original then teenage owner, and it had only about 10 missing but basic pieces. Gave it as a gift to my oldest son who had recently discovered the movies and was a big fan; fast forward a few years and he wanted to sell it himself to get a tablet…so I bought it, again, but only for $50 that time. I regret and disagree with his choice but a gift is a gift, and my second deal was way better than the first. Plus, it’s still cheaper overall than trying to buy another one today!"
You're so much nicer to your kids. I absconded with all the 'gifts' via the principle of 'prior appropriation' and its correlational principle of 'selling old, cool Lego sets ees estupid.' No negotiation!
Yet.... I make up for it by buying him said tablet for Xmas, and... an inordinate amount of PaB pieces under the principle of 'spoiling a teenage MOC Lego artist to keep him out of the Dark Ages.'
I do everything I can to keep our po' Lego™ in business.
@Lego_lord said:
"I've always though this set is beautiful but not as majestic as 4195 Queen Anne's Revenge."
I agree!
QAR is the most stunning and amazing sailing ship LEGO ever made, from its colours to its details!
I have a dozen pirate ships, including MetalBeard’s Sea Cow, Destiny’s Bounty, and the original Black Seas Barracuda, and QAR remains my favourite!
So, I suppose Jack just decided to disappear (most likely fell into the sea as Davy Jones was chasing him (as to quote Jones himself - ''I am the sea'')).
@lemish34:
Mac is is the bestus. Even better is I managed to get my hands on a dark-bley misprint of just the minifig head, which I turned into a zombie.
A weird bit of trivia I just picked up is that the guy who played Hadras (the conch shell head that gets knocked off of its body) in the second film then played a member of Sao Feng’s crew in the third film (the one who sings a line from the song).
An even weirder bit of trivia I learned two years ago when stopping in to see the boatbuilder I worked for in high school is that they contracted him to build three small boats for the second and third movies. They only needed two, but apparently managed to destroy one before they were done filming with it, and had to order a replacement. It takes him a few weeks to build a lap strake (clinker) hull, and even longer if you want ribs added (they’re no longer necessary with modern marine plywood, and they’re a massive PITA for upkeep, but absolutely necessary for a period film). I kinda wonder now how much they had to change in the original filming schedule while they waited for the new boat to be ready (after delivery, they probably had to hand it off to props or set to dress it like the original).
@Jack_Sassy:
He spent a surprisingly small amount of time actually onboard the Black Pearl, and even less of that captaining the crew.
Lore time:
Play the lego video game or go to Disneyland to enter the ride to find out more.
There have also been movies, but who even saw those?
In May and June I watched all five in a row, one a week. Around then we had the Cannibal Escape RSOTD. But who does that?
As for this set... it's great and all but WHY did they have to limit the release of the BLACK PEARL?!!
Because pirate ships weren't expensive enough on the 2nd-hand market already? Such a shame!
She’s beautiful. Wish I’d got the PotC ships when they were retail
@PurpleDave said:
" @lemish34:
Mac is is the bestus. Even better is I managed to get my hands on a dark-bley misprint of just the minifig head, which I turned into a zombie.
A weird bit of trivia I just picked up is that the guy who played Hadras (the conch shell head that gets knocked off of its body) in the second film then played a member of Sao Feng’s crew in the third film (the one who sings a line from the song).
An even weirder bit of trivia I learned two years ago when stopping in to see the boatbuilder I worked for in high school is that they contracted him to build three small boats for the second and third movies. They only needed two, but apparently managed to destroy one before they were done filming with it, and had to order a replacement. It takes him a few weeks to build a lap strake (clinker) hull, and even longer if you want ribs added (they’re no longer necessary with modern marine plywood, and they’re a massive PITA for upkeep, but absolutely necessary for a period film). I kinda wonder now how much they had to change in the original filming schedule while they waited for the new boat to be ready (after delivery, they probably had to hand it off to props or set to dress it like the original).
@Jack_Sassy:
He spent a surprisingly small amount of time actually onboard the Black Pearl, and even less of that captaining the crew."
Then he was a poor captain but a captain nonetheless.
Yo ho, yo ho, a Pirate's set for me...
(I wish!)
@Jack_Sassy:
You know, you could probably get a copy of this in trade for 100 PotC minifigs, depending on the exact mix..
I purchased one of these at Amazon for $79 in February 2012. Awesome deal!! I think one or two of the minifigures are worth that much now.
I almost didn’t buy this set—thought it looked too small alongside the QAR. Thankfully my collector's mania got the better of me, and I still have it built. It still isn’t my favorite LEGO ship, but a great set nonetheless!
Haven't seen this before, this was still during my dark ages. But very cool set!
But what impressed me most was just looking at the parts inventory: so many black pieces! And almost all of the other colors are there with a purpose. Only 23 pieces in a 804 piece set that are in an unnecessary weird color, and most of those are Technic pins and axles, mostly hidden. What's left is four 1x1 plates that are red for no reason at all. And this was a set aimed at kids 8-14 years old! Did any of them even manage to build this set??
Now compare that to 21317 .....
Had the pleasure of cleaning this set for a close family friends who's son (who sadly passed last year) had this set and was their pride and joy. this set was cleaned with great care and missing parts reordered, which wasnt many and then an acrylic case purchased so it could be kept in there for them dust free so its a lasting memory.
a stunning set with some great figures as well.
@PurpleDave said:
" @Jack_Sassy:
You know, you could probably get a copy of this in trade for 100 PotC minifigs, depending on the exact mix.."
Thankfully there is no day limit in which I must collect these 100 minifigures. >:)
Oh wow, this set just looks so good... I regret it, that I did not buy it back then. But it was just too early and the wrong theme...
I missed it when it was released. Saw it again in a shop in Hong Kong, again did not buy it, now it is unaffordable and very hard to get.
Lego regrets.....
I managed to pick this up at Wal-Mart on clearance for about $58 or some crazy price like that. Same with Queen Anne’s Revenge, it was on clearance at my local Meijer. Those were the days.
@monkyby87 said:
"I managed to pick this up at Wal-Mart on clearance for about $58 or some crazy price like that. Same with Queen Anne’s Revenge, it was on clearance at my local Meijer. Those were the days. "
Glad for you @monkyby87 - here in South Africa chances of getting that kind of discount on Lego is as slim as chicken teeth :-)
Wonderful that they went all in on the black - feel like if it came out today, this set would be a disastrious mix of grey and black.
@Orange_Jooze said:
"Wonderful that they went all in on the black - feel like if it came out today, this set would be a disastrious mix of grey and black."
...and teal, and orange, and purple, and many more....
@StyleCounselor said:
" @MeisterDad said:
"I paid C$300 or 350 for a used copy no box from an original then teenage owner, and it had only about 10 missing but basic pieces. Gave it as a gift to my oldest son who had recently discovered the movies and was a big fan; fast forward a few years and he wanted to sell it himself to get a tablet…so I bought it, again, but only for $50 that time. I regret and disagree with his choice but a gift is a gift, and my second deal was way better than the first. Plus, it’s still cheaper overall than trying to buy another one today!"
You're so much nicer to your kids. I absconded with all the 'gifts' via the principle of 'prior appropriation' and its correlational principle of 'selling old, cool Lego sets ees estupid.' No negotiation!
Yet.... I make up for it by buying him said tablet for Xmas, and... an inordinate amount of PaB pieces under the principle of 'spoiling a teenage MOC Lego artist to keep him out of the Dark Ages.'
I do everything I can to keep our po' Lego™ in business. "
I bought his entire LEGO collection for just enough to buy the tablet he wanted, so our methods are different but the end result is the same. As for being nicer, well, there is a reason for my alias, right?
@LegoDonJuan said:
" @monkyby87 said:
"I managed to pick this up at Wal-Mart on clearance for about $58 or some crazy price like that. Same with Queen Anne’s Revenge, it was on clearance at my local Meijer. Those were the days. "
Glad for you @monkyby87 - here in South Africa chances of getting that kind of discount on Lego is as slim as chicken teeth :-)"
I don’t know if you would find those kinds of discounts these days though anymore, that was many years ago before Lego exploded in popularity and value like it is now.