LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean Black Pearl Review: A Behemoth Build on the High Seas

22 years after Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl first sailed into theaters and mesmerized audiences everywhere, LEGO enthusiasts have finally gotten their hands on the high-seas build they’ve been asking for. LEGO partnered with Disney on several Pirates sets over the years, including a couple of bigger build ships from the franchise’s later installments (Queen Anne’s Revenge, Silent Mary). But the most iconic ship from the films, the Black Pearl, only received one build back in 2011, and it wasn’t exactly grand in scale.

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Still, the 804-piece adventure from 2011 has been the only Black Pearl LEGO set available for years, and the price for new, still-in-the-box copies of the set will run you close to $1000. This fall, things changed, with the launch of a massive ship from LEGO that has made Pirates fans swoon. This new LEGO Black Pearl (or Captain Jack Sparrow’s Ship, as it’s officially called) is the ship that fans have always dreamed of, even in spite of a couple minor issues.

This new Black Pearl, which is currently on backorder at LEGO (shipping in 60 days), is an absolute behemoth of a set. It consists of 2862 pieces (about 600 more than the Silent Mary) and, when finished, is more than two feet high and two feet long. Honestly, after building the whole thing, the biggest challenge has been figuring out where to display it — trust me, this one is one you will want to display.

The pieces are spread out across 22 different bags (plus sails and masts in their own packaging) and and the set comes with eight minifigures — Jack Sparrow, Barbossa, Will, Elizabeth, Gibbs, Anamaria, Cotton+Parrot, and Jacoby. Overall it’s a great assortment of characters, though it is a tad disappointing that Barbossa’s beloved monkey, Jack, wasn’t included. Between the enormous size and all of the minifigs, it shouldn’t be too surprising to see the $379.99 price tag on Captain Jack Sparrow’s Ship. It’s one of the more expensive sets out there right now, but you’re getting what you pay for.

The entire build took me just under eight hours, spread out across a few days. Your time will vary, obviously, and mine might skew a little on the higher side because I took extra time with the sails at the end. But anywhere in the 6.5 to 8.5 hour range should be expected.

The first six bags or so are all dedicated to the base level of the ship and the many, MANY cannons that are included within it. One of the coolest features of the Black Pearl is the gear mechanisms that pop all of the cannons out of the ship simultaneously, but in order for that to exist, you have to build each of those individual cannons. After knocking out all 16 of them, I really think I could put one of those things together in my sleep.

One major note I have for this whole build, but particularly these first few bags, is that it will save you a ton of time and stress if you do repeat steps simultaneously. What I mean by that is there are several different situations where you will end up building two or four of the same big chunk. Rather than doing one all the way through and then going back for another identical round, identify those things when you spot the little “x2” icons in the instruction manual and build them at the same time.

After putting all of the cannons together, you’ll head into the walls of the ship and the flaps that actually allow the cannons to pop out. This can get tedious but don’t get discouraged, it goes by faster than you think it will.

Bags 10-12 are the most fun of the entire build, as they represent the bar on the main deck (where Barbossa delivers his “Best start believin’ in ghost stories, Miss Turner” line in the movie) and the Captain’s Quarters. That Captain’s Quarters/dining area at the rear of the ship is fantastically detailed, and the top easily detaches from that specific section so you can display that room.

Speaking of easily detachable, I was surprised and delighted by the base of this set. In addition to the boat itself, there’s a whole base section that it sits on in order to give the feeling of a traditional model ship. The Pearly rests firmly on the base but doesn’t completely click in, allowing for an easy dismount that won’t have you accidentally removing pieces each time.

The final four bags of this build belong to the masts and sails, and they are easily the most frustrating part of the entire experience. With the cloth sails, it’s not quite as exact a science as the bricks themselves, so getting them to behave and do what you want can be a little tricky. That goes quadruple for the ropes that run up the side of the ship and attach to the masts. Those quickly became the bane of my existence as I tried to finish this build.

These ropes aren’t what you’re expecting — they’re some kind of rubber material rather than the easily-manipulated string that other sets have used in the past. If these things get a little twisted in the box or just a tad bent out of shape, they will stay that way for a while. Then what you’re left with is a curved and twisted set of ropes that can’t really be made to look straight unless you take a lot of time bending and turning them into submission. Given the material, it’s likely the ropes would be able to settle back into straight lines over time, but it makes for an infuriating experience in the moment. It’s that moment that all LEGO builders have experienced at one point or another: When what you have doesn’t look like what’s on the box.

Once you’ve got the ropes cooperating and the sails on their masts, the Black Pearl is complete, and the final product is a sight to behold. There are a few quibbles to be made here and there, but this monster set is able to easily outshine its own flaws at the end of the day. If you’re a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean, this is the Black Pearl set you’ve always hoped would come, so it’s worth grabbing at some point before it’s eventually retired.

Now, let’s hope that LEGO has a Flying Dutchman up its sleeve in 2026…

A review copy of LEGO’s Captain Jack Sparrow’s Ship set was provided by the manufacturer.