Mega Bloks Pyrates

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Pyrates is a construction block toy line manufactured and merchandised by Mega Bloks since 2004.

The line consists of pirate themed sets that require some degree of construction, and are most known for their introduction of a new style of Minifig that features ball jointed articulation at the hips, shoulders, and neck, in addition to hinged knees, elbows and rotating wrists, making them the most articulated figures in that scale.

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[edit] Story arc

The story arc developed to support the line, establishes that Lord Pyrate, on his deathbed, decreed that his wealth be dispersed all over the world, so no one of his successors would ever be as rich and powerful as he was.[1]

After the disappearance of the ships charged with hiding the treasure, several factions rose to try and gain control of it. Each of these factions are comprised of visually differentiated sets and characters, that emphasize the traits given to the toy line.

[edit] Factions

The competing factions are:

Sea Marauders.

These are the typical run of the mill pirates, peg-legged, hook-handed and eye-patched. The minifigures for this group are the most varied visually, with different characters being created by simply assembling them from from a limited number of basic pieces, often molded in different colors of plastic. These minifigs almost invariably sport some paint washes to bring out the sculpted details

Privateers.

These are corsairs operating under a Letter of Marque, although it is never specified from what country. They are led by Admiral Bluebeard , and all figures share the same basic body and colors (red coats and black pants), with the only variety stemming from the different head designs and the paint applied to them.

Skeleton Crew.

This band of undead pirates is charged with protecting the treasure from the other factions, and acts pretty much as foil to them. They sail under Captain Dreadeye's command. The minifigures of this faction are virtually identical among them, with the same basic skeleton body, and a pool of three standard skull heads. The difference between characters is conveyed almost exclusively by the paint decorations applied to them.

Buccaneers.

A splinter group from the sea marauder, lead by Admiral Scathe, whose animosity towards Captain Cutlass is well known. Although the minifigures for this faction use the same body variations as the Sea Marauders, these sport a few new headsculpts, and are decorated in a cleaner fashion than the wash-ladden Sea Marauder minifigs.

Lost Souls.

These are ghostly pirates with their own agenda, with loose ties to the Skeleton Crew. There are only a handful of Lost Soul minifigs, all of them being the same mold as characters already used for any of the other factions. The twist lies in that all of these Lost Souls are molded in translucent blue plastic, with slight paint frosting and silver details added.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Pyrates story, megabloks.com
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[edit] External links