LEGO knows exactly what sets its devoted fans will go to the ends of the Earth to find, and sometimes makes them do exactly that. If you want to buy a super-sized, 11.8-inch tall version of one of the most iconic minifigures of all time, you’re going to need to head to the actual home of LEGO in Billund, Denmark.
It feels like it was just yesterday that LEGO was commemorating the 40th anniversary of its 1.5-inch tall, claw-handed figures which debuted in 1978 with a design that would end up being used for over 8,000 minifigures over the years, but that was five years ago. This year marks the 45th anniversary of the minifigure, and to celebrate the milestone, LEGO has given one of the most iconic and recognisable minifigures a lavish upgrade, with a brick-built Captain Redbeard that’s no longer very mini.
The original Captain Redbeard minifigure debuted in 1989 with the equally iconic Black Seas Barracuda pirate ship, which LEGO also resurrected back in 2020 with a 2,545-piece upgrade. The new super-sized Redbeard is assembled from 1,041 pieces, which means it’s no longer to scale with any of LEGO’s pirate sets, but it allowed LEGO’s designers to include more intricate detailing, including “a treasure map with secret references to the designers behind the product.” And while Redbeard can be perched atop an included display base, he’s also fully articulated for fans who want to display him in a more dynamic pose.
Unfortunately, A Minifigure Tribute is the fourth LEGO set to be exclusively available only at the LEGO House in Billund, Denmark, which is a sort of museum and visitors centre for LEGO and its fans. It will be available starting on March 1 for around $US85 ($AU126), so if you don’t have plans to be in Denmark any time soon, you can expect to pay a lot more than that to secure a copy of this set on eBay next month.
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