LEGO Pirates was the fourth ‘classic’ LEGO theme featuring the iconic LEGO Minifigure. It was introduced in 1989 with four large sets which were available worldwide, and another five small sets which were released in 1989 in Europe, but released in 1990 in the United States.

1989 LEGO Pirates Catalog – United States.

Why am I so familar with the original LEGO Pirates theme? I was the perfect age when they were released — I’m pretty sure that my extended family gave me all four of the large sets for Christmas that year (and the smaller sets as soon as they were available in our region). The best set in the lineup was definitely the massive #6285 Black Seas Barracuda, but the original #6276 Eldorado Fortress was the best set in the ‘Soldier’ lineup (since the diminutive #6274 Caribbean Clipper was pretty boring compared to the flag bearing pirate ship).

I’m lucky enough to still have my original copy of #6276 Eldorado Fortress (1989) – and even the box is in decent condition.

My memories of the classic #6276 Eldorado Fortress are pretty crisp since I re-built the set about 10 years ago by finding all of the pieces in my collection of LEGO Bricks from my childhood. As you can see, I still have the original box showing the $62.00 price that my family paid in 1989. That would be about 150$ for the 506-piece set in today’s dollars (based on US government-provided CPI estimates).

#10320 Eldorado Fortress (2023) – Box front and Back.

#10320 Eldorado Fortress costs $214.99 (214.99€ / £189.99 / 279.99 CAD / 329.99 AUD), contains 2509 pieces, 8 minifigures, and is recommended for ages 18+. It will be available July 4, 2023 with LEGO VIP.

Build Process

As with all modern LEGO sets, the build process is broken up into numbered stages with one or more bags for each stage.

The build process involves 10 numbered stages.

I was surprised to find not just one, but four instruction booklets in this moderately-sized LEGO Set. This does offer a convenient way to break up the build process into four major phases. It also includes a small pouch containing the three sails required to build the small ship. Notably absent is a sticker sheet – this set does not need one since all of the necessary parts are printed.

The set includes four instruction booklets!

Book 1 – Soldier Sailing Ship

The first book only requires the first bag of parts – or rather the three different bags with the number ‘1’ printed on them. We begin the project by building a medium-sized sailing ship that was not included in the original set at all.

The ship’s hull is brick-built, but I do not understand why it is white.

I’m not going to mince words – they gave us a small ship that is at a completely different scale than actual pirate ships from the series and isn’t clearly based on anything from the same vintage as Eldorado Fortress. I can not figure out why it has a white hull when all of the earlier ships have a brown hull. (for example: #6274 Caribbean Clipper had a brown hull with blue and white sails.)

To make matters more confusing, the accent colors are black, red and yellow, which was the color of the Black Seas Barracuda – the iconic pirate ship and definitely not an Imperial / Solider set. Besides, wouldn’t it make more sense for the set to come with a larger ship for the villanous pirates?

The completed ship at the end of Bag 1.

That said, it does feature some decent building techniques, especially in shaping the brick-built hull. I just can’t figure out why it was included at all — to be honest, it feels like it was designed to be a gift-with-purchase set, but was added to the main set at the last minute.

Build time: 35 minutes.

Book 2: Ramp and left fortification

Unlike the 1989 classic, this model is not built on a deep vaccum-moulded baseplate. Instead, we will painstakingly build up the rockwork using individual 199Dark Stone GreyDark Bluish Gray bricks stacked on Medium Azure plates.

As we begin Bag 2, we find a lot of well-greebled rockwork, which does mean that you need to take your time to ensure that the bricks are stacked in the right place. Thankfully, it builds up pretty quickly, since it uses a lot of tall slopes to gain height more quickly. There’s even a letter hidden inside the base.

Progress at the end of Bag 2.

We begin Bag 3 by building another section of stonework on another 8×16 322Medium AzurMedium Azure plate, although we end up attaching it to the earlier module only a few minutes later. The shape really starts to take form, revealing a space where a sloping ramp can be attached on the left side of the model.

A hand-cobbled ramp leads up to the fortress.

And that’s exactly what we do at the end of this stage – we build an intricately detailed cobblestone ramp which uses some of the new rounded tiles from the last decade to achieve a worn-in look. This module snaps into place easily, re-creating the ramp of the original – albeit at a somewhat larger scale overall.

I was pleased that we start building the fortress itself in Bag 4. One of the most interesting details is how they captured the exposed red bricks that were printed on the castle wall sections of the original set using individual LEGO elements in this set, mostly using the relatively new 1×2 Plate, ⌀1 Rounded Ends (part 35480) in 154Dark Red color. This is a pleasing effect, with the rounded edges evoking the reality that the white plaster is worn or damaged in these areas.

Back of fortress shows a lot of brick detailing.

The arched entrance is extremely faithful to the aesthetic of the original set, and it has a swinging gate doors at the top of the ramp. We wrap it up with two highlights – the first is a small palm tree on the right corner of the mode. Finally, I got to share the joy of LEGO cannons with my son, with him jumping with enthusiasm about seeing the cannonballs fly. (I’m please to report that the modern versions still shoot out with an impressive amount of force and distance.)

Front of fortress at the end of Bag 4.

The end of Bag 5 offers a satisfying midpoint for the model, since we wrap up the front and left side of the fortress by adding an extra story to the tower. It has a 297Warm GoldPearl Gold lattice window surrounded by 154Dark Red finery, and the small room has a really robust looking brick-built door. On the top of the tower, we find a second working cannon – doubling the projectile play value of this adult-focused set!

Satisfying progress as we complete Bag 5.

Build time: 99 minutes (Bag 2: 23 minutes, Bag 3: 27 minutes, Bag 4: 29 minutes, Bag 5: 20 minutes).

Book 3: Small Tower and Trap Door

Bag 6 builds another standalone module, although I am sure it will be integrated into the larger model later in the project. The small size and singular tower reminds me a lot of #6265 Sabre Island, a smaller set that came out the same year as the orginal #6276 Eldorado Fortress. I was stoked when I opened the bags to see yet another functional cannon, bringing our total to 3 cannons so far. I have no doubt when placed in the hands of kids, the ship will be overtaken by the pirates and one of the cannons will be attached awkwardly to the ship.

This small module reminds me of #6265 Sabre Island.

The seventh bag completes a rather bland, square assembly which only really makes sense if you are familiar with the original set. This is the iconic trap door which pirates can be dropped into if they refuse to play nicely once captured. The original set introduced the 8×8 plate with lattice grid (part 4151) that is still used today, but this version uses the modern trap door and frame (parts 92099/92107).

Small lever on the side opens the trap door.

Build time: 45 minutes (Bag 6: 30 minutes, Bag 7: 15 minutes)

Book 4: Crane and Prison Cell

In Bag 8 we build our second-to-last module, which is a small but robust tower for the front right corner of the model. It is super sturdy because a significantly upgraded crane goes on top, with a strong triangular-shaped arm and clips which a slender string can glide through to livt and lower the hook. Even the hanging basket is gussied up, with four chains holding a trasure chest instead of a single bent hose. It looks a bit too large in isolation, but looks great attached to the growing model.

The new crane is a serious upgrade from the original set.

We’re in the home stretch, with just two bags left to complete the final module. Bag 9 is all about creating another intricate platform of rock work. This one has even more stuff hidden in it’s base, with a room full of treasure that’s only a few studs away from a skeleton of a pirate (still wearing a red scarf on it’s head). The book suggests that he might have died looking for a letter hidden somewhere in the tower, but I suspect he was also trying to find the treasure.

Skeleton and Treasure hidden beneath the prison cell.

As we work our way up, the foundation of the building comes into view. We even have a wooden trap door that allows access to the treasure hidden below, although it is such a tight squeeze for fingers that it isn’t an especially viable play feature.

In the tenth and final bag, we complete the prison cell on the rock base from the previous bag. The cell is curiously positioned on top of the trap door where a treasure is hidden, leaving lots of questions around whose treasure it really is. I really like angled tile roofs on three sides that add some unique personality to this section of the model.

Front and Back of the final module.

Build time: 81 minutes (Bag 8: 29 minute, Bag 9: 28 minutes, Bag 10: 24 minutes)

Minifigures and Parts

I didn’t have time for a detailed assessment of new/rare parts in this set, so I simply highlighted a few of the most notable parts I encountered while building the set, and the role they play in the completed model.

Notable parts in this set:

• 1×2 Plate, ⌀1 Rounded Ends (part 35480) in 154Dark Red.
  Used extensively to re-create exposed bricks on printed elements of original set.
• 45° 2×2 Inside Corner Slope (part 3046) in 199Dark Stone GreyDark Bluish Gray.
  Used in large quantities to create the intricate rockwork in the base.
• 2×4 Cannon Base (part 2527) in 21Bright RedRed, and Shooting Cannon (part 2533) in 199Dark Stone GreyDark Bluish Gray.
  Three are included in this set.

I am also excited to see a nice selection of 8 minifugures included in the set. I am a bit disappointed that we do not have Captain Redbeard in this set, but it looks like a swashbuckling female pirate has taken his job.

The eight minifigures, parrot and monkey are highlighted on the side of the box.

Notably, this set includes two female soldiers as well, which was not something we found in the original set. This obviously wouldn’t have been common in the era of pirate pillaging the high seas, but I appreciate the attempt to make the set more inclusive.

Value

I already mentioned that this set is only 70$ more than the inflation-adjusted price of the much smaller and much simpler original set. Let’s also do a more contemporary comparison against some modern sets.

Note: Prices based on date of initial release. (The LEGO Group increased the price of many older sets in late 2022.)

As you can see in this chart, this set offers a slightly worse than average price-per-part (8.7 cents per piece) and a slightly worse than average price-per-gram of almost exactly 10 cents per gram. (I prefer price-per-gram as it takes into account sets that feature fewer parts that are larger overall.)

Conclusion

Given my familiarity with the source material, this was a really easy review to write. My only significant gripe with this set is that the ship does not make any sense. I really dislike that color scheme does not match the Imperial / Soldier ships and it has a white hull when I would expect it to be brown. Further, the scale is completely off, with tiny cheese slopes in place of cannon hatches. If you decide to display it alongside the fortress, I suggest you place it behind the model and leverage forced perspective technique to make it look like a much larger ship in the distance.

#10320 Eldorado Fortress – Completed Model.

Fortunately, the rest of this set is excellent. It is fun to build with plenty of treasures integrated into the base, and a range of good building techniques for the fortress built on the rock. I love that it was built as modules that can be rearranged easily, as this increases display value and offers additional play opportunities.

You can arrange the modules differently, such as this flat presentation which would look great as a display model.

Most of all, it plays appropriate homage to the original with a very similar overall composition, upgraded prison room, trap door area, and an impressively well built crane. The price is fair but not excellect — it even compares favorably to the inflation-adjusted price of the original set which was much smaller and less detailed.

#10320 Eldorado Fortress is an Excellent set.

I seriously considered giving this set top marks, but the negative first impression building the small ship brings it down a notch to a still-impressive 4/5 Star (Recommended) rating. I strongly recommend this for anyone who remembers the 1989 Classic Pirate range fondly, as well as anyone who wants to visit the classic Pirates era for the first time, but with a modern twist.