Random set of the day: Sky Pirates
Posted by Huwbot,Today's random set is 1100 Sky Pirates, released during 2001. It's one of 2 Town sets produced that year. It contains 109 pieces and 2 minifigs, and its retail price was US$17.
It's owned by 134 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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So many of these interesting, beautiful little airplane-related sets are so hard to find. I tracked this one down on eBay, some years ago. It required a few pennies, but it was worth it.
Too bad it doesn't feature Don Karnage.
A white shark!!
Apparently they're refugee Rock Raiders.
Noce albino shark!!
With the title, I thought of Ninjago.
"Specially made for Airline Companies"???...but...don't Sky Pirates usually go after civilian aircraft? I mean: I think this would be equivalent to gifting a 'Crook' set to a Police Officer...or a Bank Manager.:)
I wish my parents had been lucky to see sets like these in airports during their heyday, but I don't think they went to Europe much so that was likely not going to happen. That and probably they were overpriced even back in the day.
@brick_r said:
""Specially made for Airline Companies"???...but...don't Sky Pirates usually go after civilian aircraft? I mean: I think this would be equivalent to gifting a 'Crook' set to a Police Officer...or a Bank Manager.:) "
“Here ya go, kids! Try not to ponder too deeply on the implications until we’re safely back on the ground. Or at least not until your parents have finished signing all the waiver forms…”
Another set that makes me wish I'd taken airline flights on the regular back in the day.
@Randomness: Seconded.
Been playing too many Metroid games, I immediately read that as "Space Pirates" and did a massive double take lol
Does the shark fly too? Or is he not one of the titular pirates.
Does anyone else notice that the harpoon gun looks like it’s being bent in the 408326: HANGER 1X4X2. I think whoever built the set to take pictures for the box art accidentally inserted the harpoon too far. I hate it when Lego gets bent or broken, one of my biggest pet peeves
The design looks fine, but the orange on grey/black doesn't do it for me. Not a fan of the color orange.
7180 said: "don't talk to me or my little symmetrical son ever again!"
Of all the airline promos this certainly was one of the more interesting ones.
@Randomness seconded. But one from the period would look like 1380 (actually from a year later) so maybe we're good. Besides, this is unlicensed goodness baby!
Better 'sky' pirates than ..ummm. 'other' ones...
Why is Axel from Rock Raiders flying that plane? Flying things was Jet’s job. Maybe this is pre-Rock Raiders and his life of piracy is how Axel got grounded and sent to the mines
@rahlmaclaren said:
"Apparently they're refugee Rock Raiders."
I really like the reuse of Sparks in so many themes, for once he was so rare in Rock Raiders itself and on the other hand it shows the versatility of the Rock Raiders pieces (ok, it's just the print) that many claim they don't have. Also that torso/head combination of the female smuggler (?) is unique to this set. And yes, production-wise this was a thing back then.
Also this set is actually a different take on the 1999's flight line promo. Check out the designer's (Bjarke Lykke Madsen) set list for more info, it's an interesting read, although I believe not all of his info is correctly remembered. It does however strengthen my theory that Arctic was meant to be released in 1998 instead of as 2000, maybe even completely replacing X-Treme Team and/or RES-Q, given that there are so many similarities.
@brick_r said:
""Specially made for Airline Companies"???...but...don't Sky Pirates usually go after civilian aircraft? I mean: I think this would be equivalent to gifting a 'Crook' set to a Police Officer...or a Bank Manager.:) "
If there's one thing guaranteed to settle down a nervous child on a long flight, it's pouring ideas into their head about imminent attack.
And small, easily lost pieces.
So even LEGO town had a sci-fi/fantasy phase at one point...
@brick_r said:
""Specially made for Airline Companies"???...but...don't Sky Pirates usually go after civilian aircraft? I mean: I think this would be equivalent to gifting a 'Crook' set to a Police Officer...or a Bank Manager.:) "
I don't think sky pirates is a real thing...
Sky Pirates in flight, afternoon delight!
The slight indent around the left propeller compared to the smooth right propeller suggests to me that it has been put on in reverse? Possibly the lone survivor is using a radio controlled shark to fend of the space pirate, not that there is anything worth stealing apart from a radio controlled shark.
AVAST!
@MCLegoboy said:
"AVAST!"
Antivirus? I guess 'sky' isn't the only thing they pirate...
@Miyakan said:
"A white shark!!"
are they rare? I have a bunch of them...
There were only two town sets in 2001?! That must be a record low.
This could be near the top of Lego's ugliest planes. And the little boat scores high on ugliest water models, along with the dock. But that shark...beautiful.
"Sky Pirate... Sky Pirate
How high can you fly?
You'll never, never, never reach the sky."
(modified from "Sky Pilot" by Eric Burdon)
@L_Gomez426:
That’s just for shooting around corners, so you can hide behind cover while taking out that shark!
@Bobsy said:
"If there's one thing guaranteed to settle down a nervous child on a long flight, it's pouring ideas into their head about imminent attack.
And small, easily lost pieces."
Okay, two things. If there's two things guaranteed to settle down a nervous child on a long flight, it's pouring ideas into their head about imminent attack, and small, easily lost pieces.
And the Spanish Inquisition.
I stumbled across this set on Brickset randomly a while ago and it just seems quite strange to me, kind of out of place. The lack of context is kind of creepy if I'm being honest. Like, "sky pirates. they exist. they fly orange and black planes. They land in the ocean. beware!". Thats it. Eery...
@madforLEGO:
Ice Pirates? Gotta watch out for them…
@Ridgeheart:
Trans-yellow, yes. Trans-neon-green? That would make you too much of a target, like the sort of thing you would force on your Cadet/Decoy Corps, so they could prove whether or not they’re worthy of actually being in your crew.
The color scheme certainly fits with the Ninjago Skybound wave , especially 70601 : Sky Shark
Airplane - Check
Shark - Check
Sky Pirates - Check
Black / Orange / Grey - Check
Where did all these airline sets actually get sold? What geographies? Were they actually sold on airplanes? In airport shops? Duty-free? I've only seen them in Shop At Home catalogs. I've never encountered one in the wild, but I've only flown within the US. Many of them never even appeared in LEGO.com that I recall, including the last two airline RSOD.
@Binnekamp said:
" @MCLegoboy said:
"AVAST!"
Antivirus? I guess 'sky' isn't the only thing they pirate..."
Nah man, it's just a piratey thing to say.
Apparently it threw a lot of people in the Mando Season 3 premier. It never even phased me, honestly I still haven't noticed. I only watched it twice on the day, but I guess a pirate saying something a pirate might say it going over people's heads as of late.
@madforLEGO said:
"Better 'sky' pirates than ..ummm. 'other' ones..."
Bite your tongue.
@PurpleDave said:
"And the Spanish Inquisition."
Yeah, but who expects that? Nobody, that's who.
@AllenSmith:
Nowhere. They were only available for stealing. I mean, sky pirates, amiright?
@Ridgeheart:
They had a giant “B” on their shirts. They were cadets who had not yet proved themselves worthy. And a convenient distraction that allowed the real Blacktron to go about their business unbothered by petty claims of, “That’s mine,” or “Hey, give that back”.
The Town-ish sets of post-Town (i.e of the City Centre/Town Jr. era) that have something of the design philosophy of the then-current Star Wars sets are fascinating to me--and I'd probably have loved this set from the name alone.
@MCLegoboy
Avast me hearties. Them land lubbers be speaking ill of our pirate speak. Off the plank with them scurvy dogs! Scrub them off the deck and send them to Davy Jones' Locker!
Arrrrrrrrr!*
*Indeed, friends. The non-sailors have misconstrued our culture and language and I sincerely disagree with their ill-informed opinion. We must take action to rectify this wrongdoing to the best of our abilities.
Let's try our best everyone! :D