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134-420: Created by a small team led by designer Niels Milan Pedersen, Lego Pirates was the company's fourth theme (after Space, Castle, Town) and it was more complex. Numerous new pieces were also created including firearms (the first LEGO series to include them), wildlife (parrots, sharks, monkeys), and cloth sails. Lego Pirates minifigures were the first to go beyond the traditional head with simply two dots for eyes and

268-551: A heretic and illegitimate ruler of England. In the eyes of the Catholic Church, Henry had never officially divorced Catherine, making Elizabeth illegitimate. Philip supported plots to have Elizabeth overthrown in favour of her Catholic cousin and heir presumptive , Mary, Queen of Scots . These plans were thwarted when Elizabeth had Mary imprisoned in 1567. Mary was forced to abdicate the crown of Scotland in favour of her son James VI . The first documented suggestion of what

402-547: A metal chain and keychain ring are attached to their heads. Various minifigures were also released as a part of pens in the Lego Writing theme. In some Lego products, figures other than standard minifigures are used. A catalog that shows all these Lego figures is available. Lego also features a variety of similar figures for non- anthropomorphic animals and other creatures like horses , dogs , cows , goats , cats , rats , mice , skunks , koalas , elephants ,

536-464: A Lego Pirates-themed land was introduced to Legoland Florida , based on the Lego Pirates toy theme. The area featured Pirates' Cove and also included The Battle For Brickbeard's Bounty. In 2021, a Lego Pirates-themed land was introduced to Legoland New York , based on the Lego Pirates toy theme. The area features Anchors Away, Rogue Riders and Splash Battle. In 2022, a Lego Pirates-themed land

670-774: A certain theme (such as police officers , astronauts and pirates ). They are highly customizable, and parts from different figures can be mixed and matched, resulting in many combinations. There are also other types of figures from Lego sets, such as animals, Duplo figures or mini-doll figures . The Lego minifigure is, together with the Lego brick, the company's mascot and one of the most popular toys of all time. Minifigures are collected by both children and adults. Similar figures, often called "Lego compatible minifigures", are also produced by various other companies (often as clones/knock-offs ), such as Kre-O (called Kreons), Lepin, Cobi , Block Tech or Mega Bloks . A precursor to

804-583: A classic for its design and innovation was re-released as 10320 Eldorado Fortress (2023) as part of the Lego Icons series. Being considered the benchmark for Lego pirate ships, the 6285 Black Seas Barracuda (1989) was re-released as 10040 Black Seas Barracuda (2002) as part of the Lego Legends series. The Black Seas Barracuda was also the inspiration for the 30th Lego Ideas set 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay, released in 2020, which can be built either as

938-561: A colony of settlers discovered the treasure first and claimed it, leading to conflict. The Governor of the colony was forced to fortify the settlements and attempted to hide the treasure in his main fortress. The Pirates were led by Captain Redbeard (called Captain Roger in some markets), distinguished by his black bicorne hat, left eye patch, peg leg on the right and a hook where his left hand was; his crew included First Mate Rummy, Flashfork

1072-665: A global empire which became the source of her wealth. It championed the Catholic cause and its global possessions stretched from Europe , the Americas and to the Philippines . This was expanded further in 1580 when Portugal was annexed thus forming the Iberian Union , greatly expanding the empire. Philip became the first monarch who ruled over an empire upon which the sun did not set , and he did so from his chambers in

1206-494: A joint at the hip to allow individual movement of the legs, and were used to represent younger teenagers, introduced for the rebooted Harry Potter theme. Some minifigures, particularly in Castle and Pirate sets, use large sloped bricks instead of legs, to resemble dresses or skirts . However, these sloped bricks are taller than standard minifigure legs. In 2018, a special skirt piece was released, shorter, more softly curved on

1340-797: A large army from the Low Countries crossing the English Channel. The appointed commander of the naval forces of the Armada was the highly experienced Marquis of Santa Cruz while Alexander Farnese would be in command of the invasion forces. Unfortunately, Santa Cruz died in February 1588 and the Duke of Medina Sidonia, a high-born courtier, took his place. While a competent soldier and distinguished administrator, Medina Sidonia had no naval experience. He wrote to Philip expressing grave doubts about

1474-429: A later term coined in analogy with the minifigure. This is the reason why the usual figures are "mini". Objects, like alarm clocks , in the form of minifigures have also been released. Minifigure customisation, is the practice of modifying Lego minifigures. This can be as simple as mixing and matching parts, or as complex as painting or remolding plastic. Some custom minifigures are made by affixing stickers or decals to

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1608-615: A major difficulty for the expedition, and the Spanish found themselves vulnerable as night drew on. The Dutch enjoyed an unchallenged naval advantage in these waters, even though their navy was inferior in naval armament. Because Medina Sidonia did not attempt to break the Dutch blockade and Parma would not risk attempting the passage unescorted, the Army of Flanders escaped the trap that Van Nassau had in mind for them. Late on 7 August, Howard

1742-406: A mechanical torso, a conjoined leg piece, and a head. This configuration is also used for many Star Wars droids ; standard battle droids follow the same pattern, while super battle droids feature a head fixed to a torso, General Grievous has space for four arms, and IG-88 has a head constructed of other Lego pieces. R2-D2 and other astromech droids are constructed from unique parts, with

1876-609: A normal head, a special piece, consisting of head and chest, which fits over the body. Pong Krell uses a similar piece consisting of a head, chest and two additional arms. The SpongeBob SquarePants minifigure has a sculpted Lego brick head that fits like a standard head, covering the whole torso similar to the ghost figures, except that these figures use short or standard legs instead of a brick. An enormous variety of clothing and accessories has been produced for minifigures, including hairstyles, caps, hats, and helmets. In Star Wars sets, troopers have uniquely sculpted helmets, adapting

2010-490: A number of strategic marriages to retain the alliance. There were many causes of jealousy between the two royal houses over the years, but the " French Wars of Religion " was the ultimate cause of the alliance breaking between Philip II and Elizabeth I , and this led to war between the two countries. By the mid sixteenth century Habsburg Spain under King Philip II was a dominant political and military power in Europe, with

2144-468: A pirate shipwreck on an island or the pirate ship due to its modular design. The 10210 Imperial Flagship (2010) of the Imperial Guards faction is the largest ship in Lego Pirates ever released, exceeding that of the 6286 Skull's Eye Schooner (1993). This ended a long running gag in Lego Pirates where the previous three Imperials' flagships were smaller than contemporary pirate ships; traditionally

2278-589: A political exercise over his desire to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon . Over time, England became increasingly aligned with the Protestant reformation taking place in Europe, especially during the reign of Henry's son, Edward VI . Edward died childless, and his half-sister Mary ascended the throne in 1553. Three years later Mary married Philip II, becoming queen consort of Spain and began to reassert Roman Catholic influence over church affairs. Her attempts led to more than 260 people being burned at

2412-518: A separate top, body and legs. The robots of Exo-Force , Mars Mission commander aliens and Bionicle miniatures have a design similar to the Star Wars battle droids , but with separate legs, movable hands, and a head affixed to a small torso. Hagrid , the half-giant character from the Harry Potter series uses a larger minifigure body, with only the head being separable. Skeletons , use

2546-507: A sitting or standing position. The hands of a minifigure resemble the letter C , which allows them to hold many Lego accessories as well as bricks, tiles, and plates. There are hundreds of a vast variety of accessories, including swords , axes , wands , cups , guns , blasters and lightsabers . Additionally, the tops of the hands are the same size as the studs on most Lego bricks, which allows them to be placed on top of them. These variations allow minifigures to be customized, keeping with

2680-543: A smile, as many of them had a variety of different printed features including eyepatches , facial hair , and feminine makeup, though in the early years all still featured the smiley face as their base. Only a few minifigures in Lego Pirates used the traditional face of two eyes and a smile; the soldier/trooper of the Imperial Soldiers and Imperial Guards, the Imperial Soldiers sailor/marine (only found in 6274 Caribbean Clipper), and young pirate Bo'Sun Will. Prior to

2814-517: A success, with over 4 billion produced worldwide as of 2020. Minifigures are usually found within Lego sets, although they are also sold separately as collectables in blind bags (e.g. under the Lego theme of the same name ), or can be custom-built in Lego stores and on lego.com . While some are named as specific characters, either licensed from already existing franchises or of Lego's own creation, many are unnamed and are designed simply to fit within

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2948-420: A typical minifigure is 4 centimetres (1.6 in). Minifigures generally feature six parts (widely referred to as tools in the toy industry): head , torso , hips , arms , hands , and legs ; these six parts allow seven points of articulation : swivel head, swivel arms, swivel wrists , and swivel legs. Minifigures are usually packaged as three separate parts in Lego sets: head, torso and legs. The plastic

3082-452: A variety of dinosaurs , spiders , snakes , smaller fish , sharks , squids , owls , crabs , parrots , alligators , centaurs or the varactyl from Revenge of the Sith . The Friends theme, released in 2012, included mini-doll figures, a more doll-like construction with more realistic anatomy, soon introduced into other themes chiefly aimed at girls . Even though the mini-dolls in

3216-521: A way as to emulate the look of stop-motion brickfilms , even being influenced by some popular brickfilms. Multiple video games also feature Lego minifigures and bricks. Spanish Armada Total Spanish Netherlands Total Western Europe Western Europe Western Europe Western Europe Western Europe Western Europe Western Europe East Indies Western Europe European waters Americas East Indies The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada , or

3350-521: A wide range of different utensils and tools. In 1989 for the launch of Pirates theme, some minifigures also included hooks for hands, as well as peg legs; this was the first departure from the traditional body parts. Starting with Lego Pirates in 1989 and spreading to Lego Town and Lego Castle in the next few years, minifigures were also produced with different facial expressions such as facial hair, eye patches, feminine makeup, and sunglasses. Most of these early facial additions were still centered around

3484-412: Is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), a tough material that makes LEGO figures durable. The plastic is melted into specially designed molds that produce the different parts of the minifigure. Some of the molds are also accessories such as weapons (swords, guns, lightsabers , etc.) or everyday accessories (cups, food, tools, etc.). Heads and torsos nearly always need further decoration, and sometimes

3618-517: Is evidence even marriage between Philip & Elizabeth was explored, but the question of faith, and the unequal relationship between the two Kingdoms made this extremely unlikely. Up until now Spain & England had remained in an alliance – one that had lasted for over 70 years. Mary's death in 1558 led to her half-sister Elizabeth taking the throne. Unlike Mary, Elizabeth was firmly in the reformist camp and quickly re-implemented many of Edward's reforms. Philip, no longer co-monarch, deemed Elizabeth

3752-510: Is from Spanish : armada , which is cognate with English army . It is originally derived from Latin : armāta , the past participle of armāre , 'to arm', used in Romance languages as a noun for armed force , army , navy , fleet . Armada Española is still the Spanish term for the modern Spanish Navy . England had been strategically in alliance with Spain for many decades prior to England and Spain entering into war. In

3886-644: Is no longer unique stern hull piece). 2020 saw the release of the 30th Lego Ideas set 21322 Pirates of Barracuda Bay, which can be built either as a pirate shipwreck on an island or the pirate ship (inspired by 6285 Black Seas Barracuda) due to its modular design. 2023 saw the release of a new Lego ICONS set 10320 Eldorado Fortress, which is a brick built redesign of the 1989 set (6276) and due to its modular design can be reconfigured for maximum play value. Two 1996 Pirate sets, "Red Beard Runner" and "Armada Flagship", and one 1994 Islanders set, "Enchanted Island", were re-released for 2001. 6276 Eldorado Fortress remains

4020-706: The Santa Ana , the Nuestra Señora del Rosario collided with a number of ships, losing her bowsprit and setting in motion a series of mishaps. She began to drift, and was taken off by the current in the opposite direction to the fleet and closer to the English. Drake in the Revenge sailed to the Rosario during the night and she was taken in action; Admiral Pedro de Valdés  [ es ] (commander of

4154-485: The Fabuland collection, produced in the 1980s, consisted of larger anthropomorphized animal characters, which also could not be easily disassembled. Belville and Scala , Lego products marketed to girls, also include larger scale figures. These figures are similar to Technic figures in articulation, but feature less angular body sculpts. Scala figures more closely resemble dolls , in that clothes are separate from

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4288-477: The Lego Games theme, the Lego microfigures were released. For that name, they are about half the size of the regular Lego minifigure. The microfigures have a fixed head, small, non-movable legs which somewhat resemble normal minifigure legs, and a hint of shoulders for arms. Bigfigures are Lego figurines that are taller and more muscular then regular minifigures which were introduced in 2008. Though most share

4422-713: The Toy Story and Avatar themes). In 2003, the first minifigures with naturalistic skin tones (as opposed to the yellow used until this point) were released, as part of the Lego Basketball theme; these minifigures were also created in the likeness of living people (additionally this also included Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars theme). In April 2004, the Harry Potter theme began to use natural skin tones, and Lego Star Wars followed in June, and by 2005

4556-673: The Bay of Biscay along the Galician coast forced four galleys commanded by Captain Diego de Medrano and one galleon to turn back, and other ships had to put in to A Coruña for repairs, leaving 137 ships that sailed for the English Channel. Nearly half of the ships were not built as warships and were used for duties such as scouting and dispatch work, or for carrying supplies, animals and troops. It included 24 purpose-built warships, 44 armed merchantmen, 38 auxiliary vessels and 34 supply ships. In

4690-526: The Dutch Revolt against Spain, as well as funding privateers to raid Spanish ships across the Atlantic. She also negotiated an enduring trade and political alliance with Morocco . In retaliation, Philip planned an expedition to invade England to overthrow Elizabeth and, if the Armada was not entirely successful, at least negotiate freedom of worship for Catholics and financial compensation for war in

4824-809: The Enterprise of England , Spanish: Grande y Felicísima Armada , lit.   'Great and Most Fortunate Navy') was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia , an aristocrat without previous naval experience appointed by Philip II of Spain . His orders were to sail up the English Channel , join with the Duke of Parma in Flanders , and escort an invasion force that would land in England and overthrow Elizabeth I . Its purpose

4958-597: The Escorial Palace by means of written communication. In comparison, England was only a minor European power with no empire, and it could exercise little influence outside of its shores – although, in alliance with Spain, it had gone to war three times against France during Henry VIII 's reign. The last of these conflicts was the Siege of Boulogne . King Henry VIII began the English Reformation as

5092-490: The Grogu figure uses this body mold. Technic used larger scale action figures between 1986 and 2001. These figures featured more realistic sculpts, although still distinctively angular, and featured more articulation, including bendable elbows and knees. These figures are further distinguished from minifigures in that they cannot be easily disassembled; even the hair pieces are non-removable. In 2001, Lego further expanded

5226-574: The Huguenots . Secrecy couldn't be maintained which made the enterprise vastly more complicated. Philip ultimately combined Parma's plan with that of Santa Cruz, initially entertaining a triple attack, starting with a diversionary raid on Scotland, while the main Armada would capture either the Isle of Wight or Southampton to establish a safe anchorage in The Solent . Farnese would then follow with

5360-611: The Low Countries . Through this endeavour, English material support for the United Provinces , the part of the Low Countries that had successfully seceded from Spanish rule, and English attacks on Spanish trade and settlements in the New World would end. Philip was supported by Pope Sixtus V , who treated the invasion as a crusade , with the promise of a subsidy should the Armada make land. Substantial support for

5494-403: The Siege of Antwerp . Three were intercepted by pataches and towed away, but the remainder bore down on the fleet. Medina Sidonia's flagship and the principal warships held their positions, but the rest of the fleet cut their anchor cables and scattered in confusion. No Spanish ships were burnt, but the crescent formation had been broken, and the fleet found itself too far leeward of Calais in

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5628-592: The Solent , the strait separating the Isle of Wight from the English mainland, it could wait there for word from Parma's army; Farnese did not get news of this until 6 August. However, in a full-scale attack, the English fleet broke into four groups with Martin Frobisher of the ship Aid given command over a squadron, and Drake coming with a large force from the south. Medina Sidonia sent reinforcements south and ordered

5762-417: The Star Wars character C-3PO (4521221) were released in random Lego Star Wars sets in 2007. The most extreme design variations were an edition of five minifigures of C-3PO , released in 2008, and two minifigures of the character Boba Fett , released in 2010, cast in solid 14-karat gold with a figure estimated to cost between $ 10,000 and $ 15,000. NASA 's Juno spacecraft which entered orbit around

5896-482: The planet Jupiter in 2016 carries three specially commissioned minifigures on board. Cast from space-grade aluminum , the minifigures represent the astronomer Galileo , the Roman deity Jupiter and his wife Juno . This also set the record for the furthest distance travelled by a Lego minifigure. Various minifigures from multiple themes have been released as keychains . The pieces of these figures are inseparable and

6030-583: The 150-ton "Bark Bond". Six other ships, of between 90 and 200 tons, were volunteered. These ships were filled with whatever pitch, brimstone and tar was immediately available. Because of the haste, the loaded guns and stores were left aboard. In the middle of the night of 7–8 August, the English set these fireships alight and cast them downwind among the closely anchored vessels of the Armada. The Spanish feared that these uncommonly large fireships were " hellburners ", specialised fireships filled with large gunpowder charges that had been used to deadly effect at

6164-521: The 605 ton Maria Juan , a carrack which had been part of Don Diego Flores de Valdes' Castile Squadron which had attempted to surrender to Captain Robert Crosse of the Hope , sank off Blankenberge with the loss of 275 men – the Spanish only managing to rescue a boatload of survivors. The galleass San Lorenzo , the flagship of Don Hugo de Moncada which had been holed below the waterline,

6298-654: The 6286 Skull's Eye Schooner (1993), which succeeded 6285 Black Seas Barracuda (1989) as the main Pirates ship set, implemented a mechanism for the ship's wheel to control the rudder which necessitated a smaller and less detailed aft cabin, plus the Skull's Eye Schooner's cannons are attached to rotating turntables on sliders instead of the more realistic placement of cannons upon wheeled naval carriages like earlier Lego Pirates ship sets. 6289 Red Beard Runner (1996), which replaced 6286, drew criticism for "battle damage" features like

6432-450: The Armada back to open sea to avoid the Owers shoals . There were no other secure harbours further east along England's south coast, so the Armada was compelled to make for Calais , without being able to wait for word of Parma's army. Starting on 1 August, Sidonia began sending Farnese messages detailing his position and movements. It was not until the following day that Alexander received

6566-429: The Armada set sail from Lisbon and headed for the English Channel. When it left Lisbon, the fleet was composed of 141 ships, with 10,138 sailors and 19,315 soldiers. There were also 1,545 non-combatants (volunteers, officers' servants, friars, artillerists etc.) The fleet carried 1,500 brass guns and 1,000 iron guns. The full body of the fleet took two days to leave port. The Armada was delayed by bad weather. Storms in

6700-423: The Armada to sail on to the east and towards the Isle of Wight. As the tide turned, 55 English ships set out to confront the Armada from Plymouth under the command of Lord Howard of Effingham, with Sir Francis Drake as vice admiral. The rear admiral was John Hawkins. On 30 July, the English fleet was off Eddystone Rocks with the Armada upwind to the west. To execute its attack, the English tacked upwind of

6834-451: The Armada's formation by sending fireships against it. Walsingham had already sent orders to Dover that fishing smacks and faggots and pitch were to be collected for this purpose. However, the English commanders felt that they could not wait for proper fireships and therefore sacrificed eight of their own warships. Drake, who was a substantial shipowner, offered one of his own ships, the 200-ton "Thomas". Hawkins also offered one of his ships,

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6968-493: The Armada, thus gaining the weather gage , a significant advantage. At daybreak on 31 July, the English fleet engaged the Armada off Plymouth near the Eddystone Rocks. The Armada was in a crescent-shaped defensive formation, convex towards the east. The galleons and great ships were concentrated in the centre and at the tips of the crescent's horns, giving cover to the transports and supply ships in between. Opposing them,

7102-469: The Caribbean , based on the film series of the same name . In 2015, Lego again briefly reintroduced the theme with Pirates and Imperial Soldiers, including the pirate ship 70413 The Brick Bounty (inspired by the earlier 6243 Brickbeard's Bounty and 6285 Black Seas Barracuda). The 70413 The Brick Bounty has a rear cabin built directly onto the rearmost hull piece which is a middle hull piece section (there

7236-481: The Channel; the four galleys , one nao , five pataches and the 10 Portuguese caravels had left the fleet before the first encounter with the English fleet. An additional 5 pataches, dispatched to deliver messages to Parma, should be deducted which brings the number to 117 Spanish ships facing the roughly 226-strong English fleet. The Spanish fleet outgunned that of the English with 50% more available firepower than

7370-577: The Dutch Republic. This problem seems to have been overlooked by the Armada commanders, but it was insurmountable. Communication was more difficult than anticipated, and word came too late that Parma's army had yet to be equipped with sufficient transport or to be assembled in the port, a process that would take at least six days. As Medina Sidonia waited at anchor, Dunkirk was blockaded by a Dutch fleet of 30 flyboats under Lieutenant-Admiral Justinus van Nassau . The Dutch flyboats mainly operated in

7504-452: The English and Spanish ships to exchange musket fire. A couple of hours into the battle, a few more Armada warships closed in to form wings on either side of the five ships already under attack. After eight hours, the English ships began to run out of ammunition, and some gunners began loading objects such as chains into their cannons. Around 4 pm, the English fired their last shots and pulled back. Five Spanish and Portuguese ships were lost:

7638-507: The English were in two sections, with Drake to the north in Revenge with 11 ships, and Howard to the south in Ark Royal with the bulk of the fleet. Given the Spanish advantage in close-quarter fighting, the English kept beyond grappling range and bombarded the Spanish ships from a distance with cannon fire. The distance was too great for the manoeuvre to be effective and, at the end of

7772-460: The English who quickly left to join the rest of the fight. The next day, the severely crippled galleon San Mateo ran aground in between Sluis and Ostend; it was taken by a combination of Dutch ships and English troops led by Francis Vere . The captain, Don Diego Pimmental, surrendered along with the survivors of his crew. Later that day, the equally crippled San Felipe , commanded by Maestre de Campo Don Fransico de Toledo, drifted away as she

7906-574: The English. The English fleet consisted of the 34 ships of the Royal Fleet, 21 of which were galleons of 200 to 400 tons, and 163 other ships, 30 of which were of 200 to 400 tons and carried up to 42 guns each. Twelve of the ships were privateers owned by Lord Howard of Effingham , John Hawkins and Sir Francis Drake. In the beginning of June, Parma had sent Captain Moresin with some pilots to Admiral Sedonia. Upon Moresin's return on 22 June,

8040-487: The European design colleges around Europe who knew "little specifically about toy design and less about LEGO building". [1] [2] The Pirates theme was brought to 4+ for 2004 and Duplo for 2006. Lego reintroduced Pirates and Imperial Guards in minifigure scale for 2009, including the pirate ship 6243 Brickbeard's Bounty, just in time for the theme's 20th anniversary. 6243 Brickbeard's Bounty uses identical bow pieces for

8174-523: The French navy and marines of the colonial era and Napoleonic Wars , being known Imperial Soldiers in certain catalogues worldwide, though explicitly identified as "Governors" on page 16 of the 1990 American catalog. The Imperial Soldiers were superseded in 1992 by the red-coated Imperial Guards led by Admiral Woodside (with 6274 Caribbean Clipper and 6276 Eldorado Fortress being replaced by 6271 Imperial Flagship and 6277 Imperial Trading Post, respectively, as

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8308-586: The Imperial Soldiers were reintroduced in 2015; the Guards and Soldiers were the respective government opponents of the Pirates during the brief periods of Lego Pirates revival. A new faction loosely based on a Polynesian concept, the Islanders, was released for 1994. This resulted in Lego having three factions in 1994 and 1995, with the Pirates battling the Imperial Guard on the high seas and disturbing

8442-607: The Imperials' sailing ship and main base). The Soldiers and Guards minifigures were very similar save for a Palette swap of uniforms and facial expressions. Both the Imperial Soldiers and the Imperial Guards used two crossed cannons under a crown as their emblem, though the Soldiers' blue flag was similar to the Flag of Quebec while the Guards had three thick red horizontal stripes. The Imperial Guards were reintroduced in 2009–10, and

8576-403: The Islanders while seeking treasure. However, in 1995 Lego discontinued all of the previously released Imperial Guards sets from 1992 to 1993 (particularly their larger sets, the 6271 Imperial Flagship and 6277 Imperial Trading Post), making the new release 6263 Imperial Outpost the sole Imperial Guards set, which essentially made the year a Pirates versus Islanders conflict. For 1996 Lego changed

8710-464: The LUL figures, only the torso and the hips of magnet minifigures are inseparable. Certain Lego sets released between 1974 and 1982 included much larger figures; the heads and hair were special pieces and the torso was a modified brick which connected to flexible hinge-like arm tubes and a towball hand brick with a stud. They are known as Homemaker figures (after the theme where they occurred) or maxifigures,

8844-610: The Lego Friends theme have more realistic anatomy, the mini-dolls' legs can only move ninety degrees into a sitting position. The mini-dolls' legs are also molded together and can not move separately as the traditional Lego minifigure legs can. The mini-doll in the Lego Friends theme is slightly taller than the traditional minifigure. Lego Duplo includes figures that have less articulation than standard minifigures and cannot be disassembled for safety reasons . Likewise,

8978-658: The Lego Pirates toy theme. The area featuring Pirate Shores is a splash park with water-oriented rides and attractions. This area was added in 2006, and Captain Cranky's Challenge was added in May 2007. Also included Pirate Reef , Soak n' Sail, Splash Battle and Swabbie's Deck. In 2002, a Lego Pirates-themed land was introduced to Legoland Deutschland Resort , based on the Lego Pirates toy theme. The area features Captain Nick's Splash Battle, Pirates School and Pirates’ Playground. In 2011,

9112-664: The Lizard in Cornwall . The news was conveyed to London by a system of beacons that had been constructed along the south coast. The same day the English fleet was trapped in Plymouth Harbour by the incoming tide. The Spanish convened a council of war , where it was proposed to ride into the harbour on the tide and incapacitate the defending ships at anchor. From Plymouth Harbour the Spanish would attack England, but Philip explicitly forbade Medina Sidonia from engaging, leaving

9246-470: The Pirates faction). 1996 was also the last year for the Islanders who had not seen any new releases since 1994 nor had their minifigures featured as guests in other factions' sets. 1997 featured just the Pirates versus the Imperial Armada; however some of the new releases like 6250 Cross Bone Clipper and 6281 Pirates Perilous Pitfalls were not well received and this turned out to be the final year of

9380-558: The Rings or Vikings , like dragons, the giant dog Fluffy , or giant spiders like Shelob , Aragog or the mirkwood spiders are entirely brick-built. Some of these figures are still considered "minifigures". At the Legoland parks, the standardized Miniland design has long been used as a template for brick-built figures, and has occasionally appeared in sets. Lego Nanofigures are miniature versions of original minifigures, following

9514-462: The Solent and occupy the Isle of Wight , but he refused to deviate from his instructions to join with Parma. Although the Armada reached Calais largely intact, while awaiting communication from Parma, it was attacked at night by English fire ships and forced to scatter. The Armada suffered further losses in the ensuing Battle of Gravelines and was in danger of running aground on the Dutch coast when

9648-539: The Spaniards, but there is no evidence for the success of that plan. The Prince of Parma was initially consulted by Philip II in 1583. Alexander stressed that three conditions would need to be met to achieve success; absolute secrecy, secure possession and defense of the Dutch provinces, and keep the French from interfering either with a peace agreement or by sowing division between the Catholic League and

9782-484: The Spanish Netherlands, Alexander Farnese had mustered 30,000 soldiers and ordered hundreds of flyboats built to carry them across the channel while awaiting the arrival of the Armada. Since the element of surprise was long gone, the new plan was to use the cover of the warships to convey the army on barges to a place near London. In all, 55,000 men were to have been mustered, a huge army for that time. On

9916-475: The Spanish gunners fired once and then transferred to their main task, which was to board enemy ships, as had been the practice in naval warfare at the time. Evidence from Armada wrecks in Ireland shows that much of the fleet's ammunition was unused. Their determination to fight by boarding, rather than employing cannon fire at a distance, proved a disadvantage for the Spanish. The manoeuver had been effective in

10050-564: The Squadron of Andalusia) surrendered along with his entire crew. On board, the English seized supplies of much-needed gunpowder and 50,000 gold ducats . Drake had been guiding the English fleet by means of a lantern, which he snuffed out to slip away from the Spanish ships, causing the rest of his fleet to become scattered and disarrayed by dawn. At one point, Howard formed his ships into a line of battle to attack at close range, bringing all his guns to bear, but he did not follow through with

10184-485: The USA market where the larger sets had a flap that opened up to display the contents. In a first for Lego, television ads used stop-motion animation. A comic book entitled "The Gold Medallion" was also released in that year, as well as a Ladybird Book series. The storyline takes place in the 18th century, where pirates had been searching for buried treasure as the doubloons (Spanish gold coins) belonged to their ancestors, however

10318-462: The arms and legs as well. This difficult process is why the figures are more expensive than any other Lego products. After being printed, the head is placed on the torso, the legs attached, and the arms are snapped on. The figures are finally bagged and readied for sale. Minifigure heads are cylindrical, and attach to a long, narrow cylinder molded onto the top of the torso, which allows the head to rotate. This feature also allows items to be attached to

10452-753: The back, and with regular leg pins to connect to the torso, instead of the studs on ordinary bricks. Skirts have also been produced, either as new molds, or as separate parts made in fabric. The first skirt mold appeared for the Minnie Mouse and Alice minifigures within the Disney Collectible Minifigures theme. Fabric skirts have appeared in Harry Potter and The Simpsons . Other legs include smoke legs, mermaid tail legs, snake tail legs and octopus legs. Minifigures have also featured unique head sculpts that differ from

10586-501: The battles of Lepanto and Ponta Delgada earlier in the decade, but the English were aware of it and sought to avoid it by keeping their distance. While Medina Sidonia was gathering the Armada ships together into their traditional crescent formation the English fleet moved in, and at dawn the flagship with four other ships found themselves facing the entire English fleet. The English provoked Spanish fire while staying out of range. The English then closed, firing damaging broadsides into

10720-526: The cook, and the young Bo'Sun Will. Another pirate leader was Captain Ironhook who has been suggested as a rival to Redbeard; both minifigures were similar except that Ironhook had a tattered shirt (some releases of Ironhook have a peg leg). Their emblem was the Jolly Roger , a black flag featuring the skull and crossbones . 6285 Black Seas Barracuda was their first pirate ship while 6270 Forbidden Island

10854-473: The day the Armada set sail, Elizabeth's ambassador in the Netherlands, Valentine Dale , met Parma's representatives in peace negotiations. The English made a vain effort to intercept the Armada in the Bay of Biscay . On 6 July, negotiations were abandoned, and the English fleet stood prepared, if ill-supplied, at Plymouth, awaiting news of Spanish movements. Only 122 ships from the Spanish fleet entered

10988-410: The enemy ships, all the while maintaining a windward position, so the heeling Armada hulls were exposed to damage below the water line when they changed course later. Many of the Spanish gunners were killed or wounded by the English broadsides, and the task of manning the cannon often fell to foot soldiers who did not know how to operate them. The ships were close enough for sailors on the upper decks of

11122-531: The entire "feel" of the Pirates line, giving the Pirates minifigs new faces, and made it Spanish-influenced. The Imperial Guards were replaced by the Imperial Armada (heavily influenced by the Spanish Armada ), though the Guards' 6263 Imperial Outpost remained available in 1996 as a medium land base for Imperial side, as ending up only two sets were released for the Armada including the 6280 Armada Flagship (although Armada minifigures were guests in new sets of

11256-524: The figures and hair is made of strands rather than molded plastic. The Baby line included figures that could not move at all and had the size a bit bigger than the Duplo figures. Creator sets also often feature animals built entirely of more classic Lego bricks. Some droids from Star Wars , such as droidekas , dwarf- and homing spider droids and pit droids and various animals and other creatures, appearing in themes like Harry Potter , The Lord of

11390-677: The figures over the torso, such as air tanks, jet packs, paper or fabric capes , breastplates or beards. The heads have a stud on top which is the same size as studs on standard Lego bricks which could allow one to be placed on it. The head is the only component of the minifigure which can be used for other applications - blank minifigure heads have often been used in Lego sets to replicate other objects such as lampshades and electrical appliances. Head accessories vary widely, and include hair , helmets and hats . The legs rotate independently to 90 degrees forward, and nearly 45 degrees backward. Minifigures also connect to standard Lego bricks in both

11524-516: The figures. There are also third party businesses which sell custom decals and molded minifigure accessories, many of which are inspired by popular media. While a relatively recent phenomenon, minifigure customisation has rapidly become popular within the wider building community, although some maintain a "purist" approach, using only elements produced by Lego. The Lego Group executives are using personalised minifigures in place of business cards , with email addresses and telephone numbers details on

11658-423: The first day's fighting neither fleet had lost a ship in action. The English caught up with the Spanish fleet after a day of sailing. The English fleet and the Armada engaged once more on 1 August, off Portland . A change of wind gave the Spanish the weather gage , and they sought to close with the English, but were foiled by the smaller ships' greater manoeuvrability. While the Spanish center manoeuvred to support

11792-474: The first engagements and had, after the Isle of Wight, been forced to conserve their heavy shot and powder for an anticipated attack near Gravelines. During all the engagements, the Spanish heavy guns could not easily be reloaded because of their close spacing and the quantities of supplies stowed between decks, as Drake had discovered on capturing the Nuestra Señora del Rosario in the Channel. Instead,

11926-525: The first report from the Admiral. On 7 August, the Armada anchored off Calais in a tightly packed defensive crescent formation, not far from Dunkirk (Farnese only learned of this on that same afternoon) where Parma's army, reduced by disease to 16,000, was expected to be waiting, ready to join the fleet in barges sent from ports along the Flemish coast. An essential element of the plan of invasion, as it

12060-599: The form of a jet pack . Classic ghost figures have a full-body cape which attaches to the head of the minifigure, and solid bricks as legs. The minifigures of The Lord of the Rings character Gollum consists only of three pieces. One piece forms the body, consisting of torso, head and legs, in a crawling position and two arms specially made for this minifigure. Some other minifigures like The Phantom Menace character Sebulba consists entirely of only one piece. Lego released multiple minifigures made of metal instead of plastic. 10 000 gold-colored chrome minifigures of

12194-799: The front and back of the torso, and hair and facial features designed to resemble each executive. It is believed that over 100 of these exist. Both children and adult fans of Lego collect Lego Minifigures without collecting the sets. The Lego group produced 2.3 billion Minifigures between 1978 and 1998 and many people buy and sell these on eBay and other sites such as BrickLink . Various stop motion animated films and television series are made using Lego minifigures. The Lego Group produced various short films, feature films and video games featuring Lego minifigures and bricks. Most of these are based on other already existing franchises like Star Wars or DC Comics . These films are created using primarily computer generated animation, they are styled in such

12328-424: The front and rear of the ship's hull, in contrast to earlier Lego Pirates ships which each had unique bow and stern hull pieces. However, there was only one more set released the following year, the 10210 Imperial Flagship (2010) which was the largest vessel in Lego Pirates ever released. After 2010, the revived Lego Pirates theme was discontinued in order to make room for a series of licensed products, Lego Pirates of

12462-418: The hip, are sometimes used to create minifigures which are shorter in stature than standard figures (i.e. children, dwarfs , gnomes , goblins , Ewoks and other small characters like Yoda or The Penguin ). Such pieces were first created for Star Wars sets but have since been used elsewhere. In 2018, a medium-sized pair of legs was introduced, sized between the shorter legs and regular legs. These legs had

12596-446: The idea for having the torsos, legs, and arm pieces interchangeable. As these were made into pieces, the company decided to give them a simple facial expression, rendered as two solid black dots for eyes and a smile painted in solid black, and without any gender or racial components, believing that these factors would be "determined by the child's imagination and play". The arms incorporated clips as "hands" which allowed to figures to hold

12730-641: The invasion was also expected from English Catholics, including wealthy and influential aristocrats and traders. A raid on Cádiz , led by privateer Francis Drake in April 1587, had captured or destroyed about 30 ships and great quantities of supplies, setting preparations back by a year. There is also evidence that a letter from Elizabeth's security chief and spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham , to her ambassador in Constantinople, William Harborne , sought to initiate Ottoman Empire fleet manoeuvres to harass

12864-621: The larger Bionicle scale, notably the Toa and Visorak characters. While these minifigures did not feature movable parts, Lego released Piraka and Inika playsets in 2006, which included minifigures with movable parts. Other variations of the standard minifigure produced for Star Wars sets included the light-up light-saber (L.U.L.S.) minifigures. These figures were released as a part of the more expensive Star Wars Episode III sets in 2005. These figures look like standard minifigures, but to facilitate internal electronics, their parts cannot be removed;

12998-420: The launch of Lego Pirates, minifigures were distinguished in function and organization by their torso, headgear (either a helmet or hair), and accessories, being generic roles without any specified character. In Lego's first attempt to establish a narrative and encourage role-playing, personalities were created for several of the Lego Pirates minifigures. Story suggestions were printed on boxes, particularly for

13132-458: The manoeuvre and little was achieved. During a lull in battle, San Salvador 's gunpowder magazine exploded, lighting a portion of the ship on fire. The Spanish attempted to scuttle the ship, but this failed when the Golden Hind came up. The Spanish evacuated the vessel and the Golden Hind promptly captured her. If the Armada could create a temporary base in the protected waters of

13266-405: The mid to late 15th century, France under Louis XI was the strongest power in western Europe. England still had possessions in what today is called Northern France, and Spain was under constant threat. Henry VII of England therefore formed a strategic relationship with Ferdinand II , of Spain. Whilst the threat from France remained, England & Spain enjoyed many decades of peace which included

13400-454: The minifigure system, with the introduction of Bionicle figures. These figures are a part of a fictional story developed by Lego and resemble biomechanical creatures. Initially, these figures were produced without articulation, only able to hold tools and weapons. Bionicle later got replaced with Hero Factory in 2010. In 2005, Lego released Bionicle playsets, with minifigure variations of characters that had previously been produced in

13534-591: The minifigure was released in 1975. These were at the same scale as the current minifigures, but had a different design. They had solid torsos without separate movable arms, solid lower body pieces that were not moveable, and heads without printed features. They had a small variety of headpieces in various colors, including caps, pigtail hair and cowboy hats. The first modern minifigures were released in 1978, included in Castle , Space , and Town sets. These were designed by Jens Nygaard Knudsen, who had come up with

13668-507: The modular design of Lego elements. While nearly all minifigure heads, torsos, arms, hands and legs are the same size and shape, some sets have included figures that deviate from the standard. Lego torsos often have black or white squares on the neck joint, this is to help with the automatic printing process when producing minifigures. Minifigures built from special, uniquely molded pieces were first introduced in " Life on Mars ". Martians are composed of five tools: two pairs of double arms,

13802-486: The number of new minifigures per year is increasing rapidly. In 2010 more than 300 new minifigures were introduced. Some minifigures repeatedly appear across multiple Lego sets, while others can be very rare, often vastly increasing their resale value. In 2019, the number of Lego Star Wars minifigures has surpassed 1000, with the Battlefront II protagonist Iden Versio (bearing code sw1000). The height of

13936-671: The only exception to this is the headgear, the left hand and arm, and each of the legs from the hips. When the head is pressed down, an LED illuminates the light-saber blade. These figures rely on battery power for their special feature. The batteries last three hours and are not intended to be replaced, although replacement is possible. Many fans, especially children, were amenable to this innovation. Others however, particularly adult collectors, found these figures contentious, considering them to be an unwelcome gimmick. The fact that in two cases unique characters were produced solely as L.U.L. minifigs, with no standard version available to collectors,

14070-410: The original Lego Pirates run. After 1997, Lego discontinued the Pirates theme to the shock of fans, because the Pirates line had always been a big seller. The original releases (1989–91) retrospectively were most nostalgic among Lego Pirates fans due to the sets' design and meticulous detail, which was sacrificed in subsequent releases for increased playability, which drew a mixed reception. For instance

14204-538: The original character designs to the minifigure format. Some minifigures, like Balin from The Hobbit , have a hair piece that exends as a beard to the chest, Exo-Force minifigures feature anime -style hair, as does the Nightwing minifigure from the Batman Arkham Asylum set. Old Boba Fett and Jango Fett minifigures had helmet pieces which back half stretched down to the minifigures' back in

14338-493: The pirate ship was also the largest and most expensive set of its era in Lego Pirates. The Lego Group has also released a variety of official Pirate Lego merchandise ranging from clothing to stick-on tattoos to board games. An official series of children's books based on the Pirate Lego theme was published by Ladybird Books in 1990. In 1999, a Lego Pirates-themed land was introduced to Legoland California , based on

14472-519: The planned campaign, but his message was prevented from reaching the King by courtiers on the grounds that God would ensure the Armada's success. Prior to the undertaking, Pope Sixtus V allowed Philip to collect crusade taxes and granted his men indulgences . The blessing of the Armada's banner on 25 April 1588, was similar to the ceremony used prior to the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. On 21 July 1588 (N.S),

14606-507: The report he made to Farnese caused him distress. Medina Sedonia was under the impression that Farnese could simply sail out into the channel with his barges filled with troops. Parma had continually informed the king that his passage to the channel was blocked by English and Dutch ships, and the only way he could bring his boats out was if the Armada cleared the blockade. The fleet was sighted in England on 29 July (N.S), when it appeared off

14740-408: The rising southwesterly wind to recover its position. The English closed in for battle. Farnese learned of this the following day. The small port of Gravelines was part of Flanders in the Spanish Netherlands close to the border with France, and was the closest Spanish territory to England. Before dawn on 8 August, Medina Sidonia struggled to regather his fleet after the fireships scattered it, and

14874-526: The same body shape and pose, There have been a few variations, such as Jabba the Hutt from Star Wars , or the wampa and the rancor which are even bigger in size. Most bigfigures don't contain removable heads, though there have been recent exceptions, such as Thanos . A precursor to the bigfigure was released in 1999 under the Rock Raiders theme. In 2016, a new mold for a minifigure-style human baby

15008-484: The same general shape, but without any moving parts, roughly the same height as a regular minifigure's legs. From 2010, they were initially produced in metal colors to represent trophies and statuettes, but from 2011 onwards they got printing to represent characters in sets produced in micro-scale, too small for regular minifigures, or to represent diminutive characters such as Ant-Man . They are also available in smaller scale sets such as 71043 " Hogwarts Castle". Within

15142-797: The set was that the L.U.L.S. minifig was contained in a 'try me' compartment of the box allowing customers (and excited children) to wear down his battery while he was still on the shelf. The set was discontinued after a year with a separate identical design but with 3 extra normal minifgs replacing the L.U.L.S. minfig. Yet another variation on the minifigure is the magnet figure, from such themes as Star Wars , Batman , Indiana Jones , and City . The magnet figures are not included in regular sets but are instead sold in packs of three or more. Some of these include accessories and display base bricks. These figures include magnets in their legs, which allow them to stick to metal surfaces. Magnet figures are nearly indistinguishable from standard figures in appearance. Unlike

15276-433: The shallow waters off Zeeland and Flanders where larger warships with a deeper draught, like the Spanish and English galleons, could not safely enter. Parma expected the Armada to send its light pataches to drive away the Dutch, but Medina Sidonia would not send them because he feared he would need these ships for his own protection. There was no deep-water port where the fleet might shelter, which had been acknowledged as

15410-534: The stake , earning her the nickname "Bloody Mary". Philip now persuaded Mary to enter into a disastrous war against France. England landed forces in the Low Countries and with the failing support of Spain, won the Battle of St. Quentin . Though this brought victory for Spain, England had neglected her French defenses, and France took English Calais in the Siege of Calais (1558) . Thus England lost her last possession in France, which she had held for over 500 years. This

15544-466: The standard minifigure head, but unique torsos, arms, and legs designed to resemble a skeletal structure; although different, these figure parts are still detachable. Skeleton figures and others alike stir up controversy on whether they should be considered a minifigure or just a "figure", due to the lack of standard minifigure parts. Additionally, some minifigures, mostly pirates, sometimes include peg legs and hook hands . Shorter legs, without joints at

15678-621: The traditional cylindrical shape; the first was Jar Jar Binks , included in a Star Wars set in 1999 Since then various other minifigures like Yoda , C-3PO , Harry Potter goblin figures, tuskens , geonosians , Zeb Orrelios , Kit Fisto , Plo Koon , Davy Jones and Bossk also use non standard heads. Kit Fisto was the first minifigure to not use an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene head, using rubber instead. Traditional accessories, such as hairpieces, hats and helmets, cannot be placed on these non-standard heads. Some minifigures, such as wookiees , gamorrean guards and ewoks use, instead of

15812-458: The tumbling forward mast and collapsing quarterdeck as these made the assembled set unstable. The changes to Lego's set design direction, not just in Lego Pirates but also across their other product lines, have been attributed to the Lego Group's retiring of many LEGO Designers who had created the sets from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, replacing them with 30 'innovators' who graduated from

15946-546: The two eyes and smile, however starting in 1997 with Willa the Witch of the Fright Knights facial expressions became more complex including open mouths and detailed eyes. Another departure from traditional parts was the use of spring-loaded legs. These legs are joined at the top. These legs were only featured in basketball sets, 2002–2003. Other leg variations include short legs for children or dwarfs, or long legs (used in

16080-442: The use of natural skin tones was expanded to all licensed products; in which figures were created to represent film actors and other living people. Popular examples between 2005 and 2008 include Star Wars , Marvel , Batman , The Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones minifigures. By 2006, Lego had reportedly produced 4 billion minifigures. There are at least 3,655 different minifigures produced between 1975 and 2010 and

16214-476: The wind changed, allowing it to escape into the North Sea . Pursued by the English, the Spanish ships returned home via Scotland and Ireland . Up to 24 ships were wrecked along the way before the rest managed to get home. Among the factors contributing to the defeat and withdrawal of the Armada were bad weather conditions and the better employment of naval guns and battle tactics by the English. The expedition

16348-400: Was also an unpopular decision. Following the initial release of these figures Lego announced no more were to be produced, due to their unpopularity and more expensive production. One set, the "7261 Clone Turbo Tank ", which featured an L.U.L. version of Mace Windu , was even reissued with a standard version of the minifig and an extra Clone Trooper figure to make up the cost of the set. There

16482-470: Was also at least one high end City themed set ("Police HQ") that included a police officer with a light up 'torch'. Another L.U.L.S. minfig in police uniform appeared without the 'saber' part of the light saber and a yellow LED in the 'handle' of the light saber, reusing the L.U.L.S. design outside the Star Wars setting as an effective 'torch'. He appeared in a high end City set based on a standard and well selling City "Police HQ" design. A complaint about

16616-527: Was called the Enterprise of England was in the summer of 1583 when, flushed with pride of his victory in the Azores, Álvaro de Bazán, Marquis of Santa Cruz addressed the suggestion to Philip II of taking advantage of it to attack England. Elizabeth finally had Mary executed in February 1587, due to constant plots against the queen carried out in Mary's name. Elizabeth also retaliated against Philip by supporting

16750-403: Was eventually implemented, was the transportation of a large part of Parma's Army of Flanders as the main invasion force in unarmed barges across the English Channel. These barges would be protected by the large ships of the Armada. However, to get to the Armada, they would have to cross the zone dominated by the Dutch navy, where the Armada could not go due to the ongoing Eighty Years' War with

16884-445: Was forced to run aground at Calais to avoid sinking. On sight of this, Howard ordered a flotilla of ship's boats to carry her by boarding. Moncada was killed during an exchange of small arms fire, a shot to his head from an arquebus. The ship was then taken after murderous fighting between the crew, galley slaves and the English. The French meanwhile could do little except to watch as the ship was plundered, but they opened fire to ward off

17018-544: Was introduced to Legoland Discovery Centre in Birmingham and Manchester , based on the Lego Pirates toy theme. Legoland Florida also included Pirate River Quest, a new pirate-themed ride. Minifigure A Lego minifigure , often simply referred to as a Lego figure or a minifig , is a small plastic articulated figurine made of special Lego bricks produced by Danish building toy manufacturer The Lego Group . They were first produced in 1978 and have been

17152-609: Was introduced. Although similar to a microfigure in body shape, it has a detachable head and actual molded arms (albeit, non-posable). It has mainly made appearances in LEGO City sets, such as the "Fun at the Park" set. It was also notable for appearing as an accessory for the Babysitter in the 16th series of Lego Minifigures , and LEGO "10255 Assembly Square", which is the 2017 Lego Modular Building . In The Mandalorian sets,

17286-624: Was reinforced by a squadron under Lord Edward Seymour and William Wynter , which had been stationed in the Downs as a reinforcement for the Dutch should Parma make any independent move. His arrival gave Howard a total of 140 ships. He also received a small amount of powder and shot, which the Earl of Sussex had collected from fortresses and garrisons on the South Coast, and some victuals. The wind and currents were favourable for an attempt to break

17420-447: Was reluctant to sail further east than Gravelines, knowing the danger of running aground on the shoals off Flanders, from which his Dutch enemies had removed the sea marks . The English learned of the Armada's weaknesses during the skirmishes in the English Channel, and concluded it was possible to close in to within 100 yards (90 m) to be able to penetrate the oak hulls of the Spanish warships. They had spent most of their gunpowder in

17554-406: Was the largest engagement of the undeclared Anglo-Spanish War . The following year, England organized a similar large-scale campaign against Spain, known as the " English Armada ", and sometimes called the "counter-Armada of 1589", which failed. Three further Spanish armadas were sent against England and Ireland in 1596 , 1597 , and 1601 , but these likewise ended in failure. The word armada

17688-440: Was their original hideout, both released in 1989. The catalogue releases for the Pirates expanded considerably with a larger base, 6273 Rock Island Refuge (1991), and then a pair of pirate ships in 1993 (the large 6286 Skull's Eye Schooner and small 6268 Renegade Runner). Opposing the Pirates were the Imperial Soldiers led by Governor Broadside and his second-in-command Lieutenant de Martinet. These blue-coated forces were based upon

17822-557: Was to reinstate Catholicism in England, end support for the Dutch Republic , and prevent attacks by English and Dutch privateers against Spanish interests in the Americas . The Spanish were opposed by an English fleet based in Plymouth . Faster and more maneuverable than the larger Spanish galleons , its ships were able to attack the Armada as it sailed up the Channel. Several subordinates advised Medina Sidonia to anchor in

17956-667: Was undoubtedly a huge blow to Mary's prestige, who is reported as stating "When I am dead and opened, you shall find 'Calais' lying in my heart." England's wealth further suffered, not just from the cost of the war, but also from the reduced revenues from Alum and the Antwerp Cloth Trade, caused by the loss of the port. The Kingdom of Spain had strengthened its hold on the Low Countries, weakening France with no cost to itself, but at great cost to England. Just before Mary's death, Philip and Elizabeth looked to come to an alliance & settlement, between England & Spain, and there

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