MinifigureSowcase: Pirates of the Caribbean Extended Cast
While the short lived LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean theme captured the visage of many of the franchise’s most iconic characters, there were several whose lack of representation left something to be desired. As such, I have taken it upon myself to encapsulate said characters, using exclusively LEGO with my own custom designs.
1. Lord Cutler Beckett
Arguably the main antagonist of the series, and undoubtedly that of the third film, Lord Cutler Beckett displays a cunning wit and masterful manipulation to seize control of the open ocean. His commanding presence portrayed by Tom Hollander was unfortunately never captured in LEGO form, outside of the LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean game. In the spirit of said game, while not “stooping” to the level of comical humor, I have used dark brown mid-legs to capture Beckett’s *AHEM* Napoleonic disposition. Outside of that, a 15th century wig from the LEGO revolutionary soldier (yeah, THAT was a thing!) and an existing face print and cane lended by a Harry Potter wand concluded the ensemble of LEGO Cutler Beckett.
2. Governor Weatherby Swann
An exponentially simpler minifigure, Governor Weatherby Swann’s roles in the film series dwindled as it went on, ending in his off-screen demise a third of the way through At World’s End. Coincidentally, it is from his brief appearance in that film that I have based his minifigure counterpart. Inspired by the LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean game, the Governor uses the same exact hair piece as his daughter, recolored in light grey to resemble his pompous wig. The wrinkled face of a diplomat is courtesy of Gandalf the Grey from the LEGO The Hobbit line specifically. And, like may of the more regal characters in the PotC franchise, Wetherby Swann’s garb varies from scene to scene, so I chose to emulate his sand green coat featured in, as previously mentioned, At World’s End.
3. Commdore James Norrington
James Norrington is one of the oft overlooked characters in the Pirates of the Caribbean films, which is an awful shame, considering how perfect the grandeur of his righteous demeanor juxtaposes the crude heroism of everyone’s favorite Captain. Not to mention, in one capacity or another, he is present in all three of the first films. However, while his drunken, disheveled look from Dead Man’s Chest was officially captured in LEGO set 4183 The Mill, we never got to see his far more prevalent and memorable Commodore/Admiral garb. Fortunately, many new parts have been introduced to the LEGO catalogue to accomplish the task of promoting a magnificent officer. I couldn’t decide whether to use his more yellow look from the third film or his whiter look from the first, but ultimately decided on the latter because of it’s more coherent scheme. Finally, his head comes courtesy of Legolas, ironically a LEGO iteration of one of Orlando Bloom’s famous characters. And the Commodore’s hat is no more than the LEGO Pirate girl’s hat/hair piece, with the hair colored silver. It by no means ideally matches the good Commodore’s appearance, but it does come far closer than what a simple tricorne could accomplish.
4. Elizabeth Swann
Elizabeth is one of the characters who, albeit extremely sparingly, was depicted in LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, particularly set 4181 Isla De Muerta, which depicts her red dress version from the first film. However it is undeniable that Elizabeth started playing a far more active role in the second and third films. As such, I have elected to remake her minifigure, reusing her stellar face print and hair, while making a new torso that resembles her garb from the latter part of Dead Man’s Chest. It’s a simple cut, but it compliments Will Turner’s similarly simplistic look. Perhaps in the future I will remake her minifigure again, reusing the face and hair but making her appearance as seen in At World’s End.
The marvels of adventure games will always come and go, but nothing stands the test of time better than a game where you can pillage, plunder, and sail the seven seas with friends. Finding these games are always a challenge, so here we have 20 pirate games with swashbuckling adventures great and small.
when i played lego pirates of the caribbean and i hit the weird fever dream level i would grow emotionally attached to the other versions of "me" that i would interact with in order to solve the level's puzzles and depart from it. and every time i would feel this deep ache when i had to leave my friends behind and from that day forward i learned a lesson that no other event had ever taught child-me quite so poignantly: that to love is to suffer, in some ways