BrickLink Designer Program Series 8

Brace yerself for BrickLink Designer Program Series 8!

Pre-orders for “Privateer Frigate Fortuna” have been officially announced and Crowd Funding for The Thieves of Tortuga be just months away.

But that ain’t no excuse for us to remain idle, as we desire even more pirate-themed build to pass review in the future!

So here be the course we’ve charted to make it a reality…

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Official Announcement

The official BrickLink Designer Program Series 8 webpage is live and loaded with valuable information!

The official Series 8 webpage declares:

We’re accepting submissions from April 14th – April 25th 2025. The best designs have the chance to be Series 8 sets, so get those ideas flowing!
Learn more

So be sure to digest them updated guidelines and craft the finest pirate masterpiece to ever sail the BrickLink Designer Program!

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Series 8 Q&A Webinar

Mark yer calendars for 10AM Pacific time on 25 March, 2025!

The Series 8 Webinar will walk you through latest guidelines so yer can build the best submissions possible.

LEGO® BrickLink YouTube Channel writes:

Learn about the Submission Guidelines for BrickLink Designer Program: Series 8 as Alex, BDP Project Manager, covers updates and common questions. Aspiring fan designers ask questions and get clarification to some of the nuances of various guidelines.

And if yer unable to watch embedded videos in yer web browser, off to YouTube ye shall go.

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Series 8 Timeline

Here be the key dates for this series:

New Palette Released Mar 3rd 2025	Update BrickLink Studio software to access the latest colour palette containing parts for Series 8.
Open Submission Apr 14 — april 25, 2025	This is when you leap into action and submit your designs before the deadline on 25 April at noon Pacific US time. Submit now!
Crowd Support 5 May — 16 May, 2025	BrickLink members are invited to vote for the LEGO Pirate submissions. Your vote weighs in alongside the Brick Designer Team’s internal selection criteria and influences the designs selected for crowdfunding. So be sure to register a BrickLink account if yer don’t have one!
Review May 16 — Jun 14, 2025	The BrickLink Designer Team examines the designs for building experience, brand fit, and crowd favorites. I.e. yer pledges of support!
5 Finalists Announced 14 Jun, 2025	The BrickLink Designer Team unveils the five Series 8 designs that will proceed to Crowdfunding. Then team then collaborates with fan designers to prepare their submissions for to be churned out by the factory.
Refinement 14 Jul, 2025 — 1 May, 2026	The finalist designers work with the official LEGO Model Governance and Building Instructions team to make necessary adjustments to their designs before locking them in for pre-production.
Crowdfunding Jun 2026	You (should ye be a BrickLink member) may pre-order your favorite BrickLink Pirate sets, with a limit of 2 of each set per household. So now is the time to buy additional houses if you want more than 2 sets. Sets which achieve more than 3,000 pre-orders will be produced, and a maximum of 30,000 of each set will be manufactured during a limited, one-time production run.
Production and Shipping Nov 2026	The LEGO Group will produce the sets in their environmentally friendly factory and yer order will be fulfilled approximately 6 months post pre-order. The final dates and shipping times may vary.

Open Submissions

Open Submission for Series 8 is between 14 and 25 April, 2025.

You have until the timer reaches 00:00:00:00 to build yer design!

Once that happens, hit the button below and submit away…

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Reduced Pirate-Themed Parts?

Bugger! From Series 6 onward fewer Pirate-themed parts be available in the BrickLink Design Studio palette.

Now that 10320 Eldorado Fortress has been retired, there be no need to keep producing them Soldier parts!

Fewer Pirate Parts Available in BrickLink Design Studio?

So how you will overcome this limitation in your Soldier and Imperial-themed builds? DelusionB demonstrates how it’s done in “Anchor Cove Imperials Shipyard“.

Just don’t turn yer fort into a blinkin’ modern day tourist attraction!

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Crowdfunded Pirate Designs

The BrickLink Designer Team has granted three pirate-themed designs the nod of approval.

The most recent; “Privateer Frigate Fortuna” by Brickperfection from Series 7 has been announced for Crowdfunding (pre-orders) during February 2026.

Also awarded the team’s seal of approval; “Ominous Isle” from Series 2 by the joyful Jazlecraz, and “The Thieves of Tortuga” from Series 5 by the crafty Krackenator.

‘Tis a magnificent leap forward from the dark times of July 2021 when the BrickLink Designer Program set sail, leaving pirates marooned and forgotten.

The Thieves of Tortuga

Once the good ship Fortuna casts off, yer LEGO Pirates will be needin’ a haven to evade capture! Don’t allow them to be shackled by privateers!

Ye will be able to pre-order Thieves of Tortuga via LEGO.com during the Crowdfunding phase in June 2025.

But do ye dare?

Ominous Isle

Perhaps yer missed the Crowfunding phase for Ominous Isle but all is not lost!

eBay sellers are still offering the set… BUT avoid complacency because the longer yer leave it, the higher the price rises.

And one day, they’ll disappear from eBay too!

What Next?

Our labors not be done, salty sailor! The brick seas still demand the sweat from our brows.

LEGO Pirate lovers must remain ever ready, seizin’ every opportunity to champion new pirate-themed LEGO products whenever they arise!

What kind pirate-themed BrickLink set is yer heart yearning for next?

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What Do Yer Think?

Will you be submitting pirate-themed designs to Series 8?

Builders

Read the updated guidelines  and start working on yer designs!

Open Submission for Series 8 takes place between April 14 and 25.

You have until the timer reaches 00:00:00:00 to build yer design!

So build away!

Buyers

Is the BrickLink Designer Program the last bastion of hope for new LEGO Pirate set releases?

Or do BrickLink Designer sets lack the allure of the retail releases?

And what of The Thieves of Tortuga? Will yer be pre-ordering come June 2025?

Share yer thoughts and questions in the LEGO Pirates Forum and Classic Pirates Facebook Group.