Drink Up Me Hearties, Yo Ho! – LEGO Icons Eldorado Fortress Revealed

As part of the LEGO 90^th anniversary celebrations, the renowned creative toy manufacturer asked fans to vote for their favourite classic themes and sets to be reimagined for new set releases. Last year, LEGO Ideas revealed the first two winners: the Lion Knight’s Castle 10305 and Galaxy Explorer 10497 from the Castle and Classic Space themes, respectively.

LEGO has now revealed the next classic set to receive an update – Eldorado Fortress 10320 from the legendary Pirates theme. The new set will be available for very important pirates (VIPs) from 4^th July 2023. Everyone else will have to remain stuck in Davy Jones' locker until the public release on 7^th July.

The new set is priced at $214.99.

The Eldorado Fortress (also known as Governor’s Fort Sabre) was first released in 1989, and the iconic sea fortress was a must-have item for kids growing up in the tail end of the 80s and the early 90s. We were never lucky enough to own the original brick-built sea base, though we did own other sets from the theme.

One glance at the new set is enough to get our nostalgia compasses spinning. The Eldorado Fortress 2023 edition has some very familiar brick elements from our youth, such as the red and grey cannon (which still shoots cannon balls!), the bent palm trees with notable green foliage, and the blue and white flag of the Blue Coats. The Blue Coat soldier minifigures look as smart as they ever did, and the Buccaneers are dressed in a wonderful array of quirky pirate fashion, reminiscent of the best cartoon seafarers from the likes of Disney’s Peter Pan and Pirates of the Caribbean.

The updated pirate LEGO set also makes use of modern LEGO innovations such as movable modular sections, allowing collectors to arrange the model in different layouts (as pictured above) compared to the 1989 original, which was limited to one configuration.

Additional details and surprises include more detail in the Admiral’s office, pirate prison, and other secret spaces waiting to be discovered. One of the stand-out elements from this new pirate-themed set is the addition of a larger Imperial boat, which also features printed fabric sails.

For anyone looking to form the starting point of a large LEGO-city-style build of the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean, this new set offers an eye-catching centrepiece ready to be surrounded by similar sets. If you’re lucky enough to own any LEGO Pirate models from back in the day, perhaps it is time to dust them off, sing a few sea shanties, and display them alongside this worthy reimagining of a classic…