The Black Pearl: A Nerdy Voyage of Stats and Sails
Avast maties! What are those black sails ye see on the horizon? It’s the most feared, beloved, and probably the most frequently stolen, wrecked, and otherwise iconic pirate ship to ever sail the seas—the Black Pearl um, Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship!!!
be it shrunken? OR has it grown?!
LEGO Icons 10365 Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship (though from now on we’ll be calling it the Black Pearl) is a feast for the eyes, but there is so much more to it than what’s on the surface—and I’m not even including the full hull when I say that! So to kick off SHIPtember, let’s dive right on in to the nerdiest Pirates of the Caribbean article you probably didn’t know you needed.
Pieces of Eight (and Then Some)
Before we hoist the sails and take her out to sea, let’s have a look in the cargo hold. This build is packed with treasures, and some of the parts are pure gold for builders.
There were a number of very cool pieces that stood out to me throughout the building process, the most obvious of them being of course the lovely new 45° slope (4x4) on the inverse hull. These are perfect for the job and promise to be very useful for roofs, custom boat hulls (of course!) and any quantity of other things with nifty angles in them.
Personally I love the 1x2 centered T brackets too, and while they’re not new to this set I have no doubt that a few more would do nobody’s collection any harm. A lot of great slopes and a bunch of unexpected peach arches hiding away for ballast were some of the most interesting parts in my book, but obviously if (like me) you’re into building black hulled pirate ships you’ll find a plenty of parts to feast your heart on in this vessel!
Building Like a Buccaneer
But the goodness doesn’t stop with the parts—the build experience is filled with so many clever techniques and gorgeous angles that I’m not going to be able to mention them all! Chief among them, however, are the brilliant stern window construction, the attachment of the trailboards, and the beautiful tapering on the stern and cabin area.
And what would a pirate ship be without cannons? This iteration of the Black Pearl boasts 16 of them (14 more than the 4184 Black Pearl did!), and our LEGO Senior Set Designer Mike Psiaki did an amazing job not only coming up with a great design that looks phenomenal and didn’t get old while building, but also incorporating what makes for the most impressive and fun function of the set, beyond a doubt!
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But more on that in a moment…
Hoist the Nerd Flag
It’s time to get to the important part of this article (serious nerd alert!) I know we all are just waiting to ask the burning questions, like, which of these included minifigures should be steering? Just how often in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies are all three lanterns lit? What is Mike Psiaki’s favorite scene, and where are Pintel and Ragetti? And, are you finally going to tell us about that awesome set function?
Image via LEGO
Pintel and ragetti’s reaction to not being included. Image via IMDB
Pintel and Ragetti
So let’s start with the minifigure selection. According to the designer Mike Psiaki, which minifigures to include in the set was one of the hardest things to decide. After lots of consideration Pintel and Ragetti unfortunately didn’t make the cut in favor of such important and fun characters in the franchise as Barbossa and Will Turner—but if you ask me, that’s because those two rascals are probably hanging out on “Captain Barbossa’s Pirate Ship…”
Whose Got the Wheel?
But when we get to the question of who should be at the wheel, the reasoning behind the minifigure selection becomes instantly clear. Nothing says nerdy like a totally unnecessary table, so here we go—after rewatching all the films, here is a beautiful chart tracking every scene in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies with anyone at the helm of the Black Pearl:
And in case you wanted to know the number of different shots (not scenes) each character figures in—due to the differences in camera angles, quick cut editing and cinematography (as well as the Black Pearl movie set), Karina actually comes out on top with a whopping 31 camera angles and shots in her three scenes from Dead Men Tell No Tales, followed by Cotton with 17 overall, Barbossa with 14, and Jack with 13. Which kind of does seem to make the argument for it being called “Barbossa’s Pirate Ship.”
But to be sure, the last scene from the last film, Dead Men Tell No Tales, features Captain Sparrow at the helm, and as we all know, possession is nine-tenths of the law… or ten-tenths if you’re a pirate.
cotton at the wheel! What does he think about these stats? I think you’ll have to ask the parrot
Ship Lanterns
The Black Pearl set has three gorgeous stern lanterns which give the appearance of being lit with trans-yellow cones under (or over!) a trans-clear dome top. The Black Pearl always seems to have had three stern lanterns (even back in the early days when it was christened the Wicked Wench (the name “Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship” is a definite improvement on “Wicked Wench,” I’ve got to admit, even if it is lengthy).
But surprisingly, no scene features a clear shot of all three lanterns lit until almost ten minutes into the second movie. Bet you didn’t know that! Here are even more stats about how those lanterns appeared when seeing the Black Pearl on screen:
percentages may be slightly approximate
In fact, after an in depth analysis, it would appear that perhaps two and a half lanterns would have been quite as reasonable as having all three lit - that said, I certainly do appreciate the pristine look!
Speaking of which, I very much enjoyed tracing the Black Pearl’s iterations through the movies to its final, almost Baroque appearance in it’s post-bottled state, so to be honest I personally was quite curious about this next question…
Deeper Dives
Still got wind in your sails, matey? Good—because we’re not done digging through this treasure chest of trivia just yet. Chart a course for deeper waters as we tackle even more nerdy questions that only the most dedicated Black Pearl buccaneers would dare to ask.
What is Mike Psiaki’s favorite scene with the black pearl?
As I was deep into my investigations regarding the Black Pearl, I wanted to know what our set designer’s favorite scene was. While he said that in some ways the set was made to represent Jack’s ship as it was at the end of the first movie (as is witnessed by the minifigure selection and interior), Mike Psiaki’s personal favorite scene with The Black Pearl was the sinking of the Endeavour from At World’s End. Do we agree with him? I think we do. (At least my brother Josiah does!)
That said, he did give a shout-out to the un-shrinking scene when the Pearl finally emerges from the bottle in movie five too, and it certainly is fun that for a brief period there the Pearl was almost the exact same size and scale as the LEGO set!
How to Pronounce Caribbean?
This is another question for the ages, one that has baffled and confused many a sailor and ship builder. Is it pronounced “Caribbean” or “Caribbean”? Ask ten pirates and you’ll get at least twelve forceful opinions.
Well I can definitively say once and for all and without a doubt it is pronounced “Caribbean.” Now that conundrum is settled, let’s move onto our last nerdy question for this article, the one that really got me started down this path in the first place.
Do the gunports open in every single Pirates of the Caribbean movie?
We’ve already taken a peak at the epic cannon design on the Black Pearl and caught a glimpse of the mechanics behind it, now’s the moment to see it in action!
The lovely decorative gears on the stern of this gorgeous vessel do more than just enliven the scene—they control all sixteen cannons and recreate some of the most epic moments in the Black Pearl’s history, including the battles against the Interceptor and the Flying Dutchman. It seems only appropriate to answer such an important question with a table.
Of course in On Stranger Tides, The Black Pearl is bottled up for the whole movie, but otherwise we have very nearly a clean sweep! At any rate, I think we can all agree that it is a phenomenal feature for a LEGO pirate ship and that it’s insanely satisfying to watch and play with.
Smooth Sailing Ahead
From clever techniques to that endlessly satisfying cannon function, 10365 Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship is a build worthy of its legendary namesake. Whether you’re a die-hard Pirates of the Caribbean fan, a builder chasing clever techniques, or just someone who loves a mostly swooshable ship, the Black Pearl is a treasure well worth adding to your fleet.
From her sleek curves to her firing broadside, she’s a beauty fit for the high seas of your display shelf. So hoist the mainsail, grab your preferred minifigure crew, and set course for adventure… just keep an eye out for mutiny. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a compass pointing straight to a pile of unsorted LEGO.
LEGO Icons 10365 Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship will be available September 12 for around $380 in the US, EU, CA, UK, and AU.
DISCLAIMER: These sets were provided to BrickNerd by LEGO. Any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
What do you think? Are you excited for Captain Jack Sparrow’s Pirate Ship? Do you have any favorite piece of trivia about The Black Pearl you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments below!
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