Dream Team Posted May 9, 2011 (edited) Aye me hearties, After hours spent on deciphering the instruction video for Port Royal (given by the card of the wonderful Syrena) I actually gave this 'set' a shot. The idea of building an entirely new set out of 2 sets was tempting enough to get me started. However, I bet many of you noticed how blurry and unclear this vid is, so it wasn't that easy to build. Stopping the vid after each brick that was placed didn't really speed up the proces either. Not to mention that I didn't break down the 2 sets needed to build this set which costed me quite some time to look for certain bricks and to find them later still attached to a section of a building that was stil intact. So if you want to build this set as well, I recommend that you take the time to demolish the 2 sets (London Escape and Whitecap Bay) and possibly even sort the bricks a little. For this review, I must admit that it is my first try on doing a (pictorial) review of a LEGO set. Some of the pictures didn't really turn out the way I wanted but I hope you can still enjoy the set as much as I do. Now without further ado, the review. Let's see some overview pictures of the set first. The fort part of the set is built in 3 sections. The three sections are modular so you can rearrange them as you wish and easily attach new/own parts of the fort. The first section you get to build contains a stable where the brown horse of the London escape set is stabled. The build is pretty much straight on without any special techniques or other things worth mentioning. Interior on the first floor is a table with a candle and a spider on the floor. Looks like it hasn't been cleaned in ages The second part of the fort is the main section. It contains an alarm bell on top with a small balcony where an imperial soldier is on the watch to look for suspicious ships making port. I wonder what he thought when he saw Jack and his 'ship' arriving in the first scene of the first movie (more about the 'ship' later this review.) The two torches on front of the building were my own touch although they were inspired by the picture about Port Royal you get when claiming another reward. No other interior other than the alarm bell. Odd thing about this section is that the LDD vid makes you start on this section in the middle of the building and work your way up and down as it goes. The third section is basically the mirrored version of the first section without the stable part. As interior there is some sort of shelf with a sword and a magnifying glass on either side. When all three parts are attached together they look something like this. Next comes the white horse. You get to build a new cart for the horse. Some SNOT work here to give the cart a good shape. The exact use of the cart is not very clear. There is room for coachman and possibly one or two other minifigs but that about it. Anyway, I assume you are able to find some use for it if you play with it or set it up as part of a scene. After the horse cart you get to build some sort of a small rock. When finished, it looks pretty awesome IMO. Good use of the dark green parts and the black cheese slopes here. Not sure about the use of it but it might be suitable enough to crash a small ship on or whatever evil plans you might have with this rock. The next build is Jacks 'ship'. I only noticed I was building a boat when it was almost finished Oh well, it doesn't look too bad for a ship made out of non-ship sets and the SNOTty side of the ship gives it a swell touch. After this magnificent battle ship you get to do the two smaller rowing boats. Both get a set of oars and a stool. One of them even gets a binocular. The reason there is only one stool per boat (instead of two as it is in the Whitecap Bay set) is simply because all the left-over 1x2 plates are used in the dock. And the dock is what you get to build right now. The build of the dock is done in two parts that are brought together in the end but I will discuss it as a whole. For me the dock is the best part of this set. It's really awesome to see how they were able to create such a living dock with only the parts from the two sets (well, "only"???... I'll get on about that later.) A great way of using the sh!t load of gray 1x1 (pillars? columns? Grr, must've been the rum that I cannot come up with the correct name for them but I'm sure you understand what I'm talking about.) We even get to use the rat that comes with the London set, even though it's hidden underneath the docks(!) Two cranes are placed to load crates on and off the ships that make port there. And yes, most pictures are from this part of the set. Fasten your seat belts! Having fun with a few Jacks Oh well, then to the final thoughts! The first thing I have to mention is that I wasn't able to build this set 100% from the two sets that were supposed to be enough to do the job. Somehow I needed to use my own stash to fill in a few empty holes. The bricks that I needed were the following: - 4x Reddish-brown 1x2 log bricks - 1x Black 4x6 plate - 1x Light Sword - Blade (Reddish-brown) - 1x Dark stone gray 1x10 brick So either I'm missing a part of one of the sets that contains these bricks or there is a mix up in the instructions... What I like about this set is the diversity in the buildings and the features. I've seen the film where this scene is from more than once and I think they caught a lot of the essential elements of this scene. What I like as well is that anyone with some Pirates/Castle elements is able to expand the fort as they please. Due to the modular build it is remarkably easy to build additional sections to the fort without having to worry about ruining the original build or having troubles with getting the expansions fitting on a ground plate. The build itself was great fun and I really recommend this set to others with the patience to watch and build. So I'd rate the build 10/10. The building instructions don't score that well right now. The blurry LDD vid and missing parts make it score only 4/10 . The playability of this sets get 10/10 from me as well, mostly due to the diversity in the buildings, as all one needs to 'play' with this set is some figs, maybe a few more spare bricks and your imagination! I believe this set is great for some action scenes and would make a great addition to any fleet around (although the dock doesn't really stand out next to the QAR I don't think I should discus the price for the set here as EUR145 to get the 2 sets and build this set is just ridiculous I am currently working on making a clearer LDD file for all you Pirates lovers and I hope to have it done somewhere the next few days. Please bare with me that this is my first LEGO set review (although this isn't an official set so it might not even count as one... ) Anyone else built this set yet? Please let me know what you think of it!!! Keep the rum flowing! ~Robin P.S. Couldn't resist to take a few more pictures with minifigs! All of this and more on Flickr UPDATE 06-10: LDD file is finished! Big thanks to AndyC for helping me out with a few issues. Download file here! Edited May 10, 2011 by Dream Team Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blackknight112 Posted May 9, 2011 thanks for the review. I must say it looks really good for a combi-built! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rocketbilly Posted May 9, 2011 Very nice. This is far better than I thought ti would be, and I actually think it might be worth buying doubles of the sets to have this assembled as a proper set in the theme, if Lego doesn't make their own Port Royal. Oh, and the little "Boat" I believe is supposed to represent the scene where Captain Jack arrives at the port on the mast of his sinking ship - so it's just supposed to be the mast with the rest of the ship already sunk beneath the water. I think that's pretty cool! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dream Team Posted May 9, 2011 Oh, and the little "Boat" I believe is supposed to represent the scene where Captain Jack arrives at the port on the mast of his sinking ship - so it's just supposed to be the mast with the rest of the ship already sunk beneath the water. I think that's pretty cool! Yes, I figured as much. And you can see the moment he jumps of his ship in the picture. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
marcosbessa Posted May 9, 2011 Dream Team, thanks so much for this review! This was my first work at LEGO as a Designer. Yes, I designed this! :) It has been unbelievable to be on the other side.... but specially now reading the first review of my first work coming out!! And the fact that it is such a nice review on this "first-kinda-set" of mine is just awesome! Thanks a lot! ;) I was intrigued by the fact that there seems to be some "extra elements" in this combo-set... I believe there must be some mistake, but I'll check it anyway! Cheers! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Cam Posted May 9, 2011 I think it works quite well. Not as well ruined as the original two play sets, but thats to be expected when designing a set with a limited number of pieces as oppressed to the other way around. Also having the actual creator chime in is great, care to provide us with a nice pdf document of the instructions Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dream Team Posted May 9, 2011 Dream Team, thanks so much for this review! This was my first work at LEGO as a Designer. Yes, I designed this! :) It has been unbelievable to be on the other side.... but specially now reading the first review of my first work coming out!! And the fact that it is such a nice review on this "first-kinda-set" of mine is just awesome! Thanks a lot! ;) I was intrigued by the fact that there seems to be some "extra elements" in this combo-set... I believe there must be some mistake, but I'll check it anyway! Cheers! Aha, so you're responsible for the 'outstanding' instructions vid Thank you for your kind words, it's been an honour reviewing your set. I've loved building it from start to finish and I'd happily buy it if it was for sale. And as Big Cam said, you don't happen to have the instructions available for your fellow Eurobricks members, do you? I'll work on the LDD file myself nonetheless. Keep on designing more awesome sets! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
marcosbessa Posted May 9, 2011 Aha, so you're responsible for the 'outstanding' instructions vid (...) Ahaha... no, I'm just responsible for the design of the model itself. The way it was used/distributed as nothing to do with my work! :) So, not my fault... And I can't give you more than what you have, I'm sorry! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dream Team Posted May 9, 2011 Ahaha... no, I'm just responsible for the design of the model itself. The way it was used/distributed as nothing to do with my work! :) So, not my fault... And I can't give you more than what you have, I'm sorry! Hehe, no need to feel sorry for that ;) You did a marvelous job and the fact that the instructions weren't 100% clear was just a good challenge Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MCNwakeboard Posted May 9, 2011 Thanks for putting the set and review together! All of your pictures will help make the build a little less difficult. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Becker Posted May 9, 2011 Great review from this set, even at its not yet "Offical" Lego set. I really can see at Lego would make this into a "Real" set if and when POTC line would contiune, i like the small fort or wall over there, and the small sinked boat and a rock gives alot of playbility. The dock area looks fantastic as well. Great job whit this review, i think tis review should also be indexed, even at its not yet a "Real" or "Offical" set. i hope to give this set a try when i get my hands on the POTC sets. (If i get). Captain Becker Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningtiger Posted May 9, 2011 Thanks for building and reviewing this unusual Lego design, why unusual ?.....it's being a long time since Lego really gave ideas for a different build out of a sets part collection, unless it was Creator. I must say, mixed feelings...parts look like a cheap-looking MOC while the docks which I really like look fantastic. I'm not going to spend over 200 bucks to build this....I'll scratch-build one out of spare parts, I torn-down all my old castle sets (minus MMV though ). Keep on drinking that rum everyone (hic) ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dream Team Posted May 9, 2011 Thank you all for the kind words! As I said before I started on the LDD file of this set as well. I have the fort/wall part finished and will do the rest tomorrow (hopefully :) ). For those who cannot wait to see it. A few side notes: - First of all I have little experience with file-sharing through the forum and when trying to attach a file to my post I got the line: "Error You aren't permitted to upload this kind of file". So if you want to download it, click the link below. - I've tried to get the appropriate colours in the build but I'm not entirely sure about two colours used. I used Cool Yellow (and I hope that one is correct) and Light Stone Gray, mostly because it makes it a lot easier to determine whether you have to use Dark Stone bricks or Medium Stone bricks (as it should be Medium Stone Gray I think... I hope I'm correct :) ) - I didn't attach the three parts of the fort together as that simplifies the building guide mode a lot. When you attach all three the parts, the guide mode makes you start in the middle of the building and work your way up and down as it goes (as said in the review). Have fun :) I appreciate C&C on the lxf as well. Click here for the file! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fives Posted May 9, 2011 I must say, this is pretty awesome. The set itself is okay (the rocks and the dock are great, but the fort itself is a bit meh), but the whole idea of alternate sets is awesome. I wish I had the money to get doubles of these two sets so I could build this. If only this idea was used in the SW theme. It would be nice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Piranha Posted May 10, 2011 (edited) Thanks for the review and the file. It looks pretty good, I like how it is modular and the dock is very good. I wonder why one of the rowboats wasn't made into jacks boat like in the old pirate days when there was small rowboats w/canvas? I guess it was because there is no canvas in the two sets But the sinking affect is nice. I also quite like the rock. I hope though TLG decides to do an official model of this set, it would be very good, same concept, a few extra figs Jack's boat (full size) for about $100. But I doubt it since alternate builds I don't know of any that made actual sets later on? Dream Team, thanks so much for this review! This was my first work at LEGO as a Designer. Yes, I designed this! :) It has been unbelievable to be on the other side.... but specially now reading the first review of my first work coming out!! And the fact that it is such a nice review on this "first-kinda-set" of mine is just awesome! Thanks a lot! ;) I was intrigued by the fact that there seems to be some "extra elements" in this combo-set... I believe there must be some mistake, but I'll check it anyway! Cheers! So you work for TLG and you designed this alternate model build? That is nice Edited May 10, 2011 by Macoco Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
marcosbessa Posted May 10, 2011 (...) So you work for TLG and you designed this alternate model build? That is nice Yeah, I'm working for LEGO as a designer since october last year! ;) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SimWilliamSparrow Posted May 10, 2011 Yeah, I'm working for LEGO as a designer since october last year! ;) Awesome! Do you know if there is going to be a second wave of the theme? If so, I hope you'll get to design some of the sets, because you did a great job on Port Royal. "Take what you can, give nothing back" Capt. Jack Sparrow and first mate Joshamee Gibbs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dream Team Posted May 10, 2011 The LDD file is finished! You can download it here. I tried but failed to find the two sea-weed pieces (one for the rock and one for the dock) in all four modes, so apologies for that. Have fun with it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyC Posted May 10, 2011 The LDD file is finished! You can download it here. I tried but failed to find the two sea-weed pieces (one for the rock and one for the dock) in all four modes, so apologies for that. Have fun with it! Your colours are a tad off (Dark Tan is Sand Yellow, Tan is Brick Yellow) and the seaweed pieces can be found in the minifig section. I've put a fixed version on my Brickshelf for you: LXF File Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dream Team Posted May 10, 2011 Your colours are a tad off (Dark Tan is Sand Yellow, Tan is Brick Yellow) and the seaweed pieces can be found in the minifig section. I've put a fixed version on my Brickshelf for you: LXF File Ah, thank you so much! I was afraid that would happen as I wasn't completely sure about the colours used. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyC Posted May 10, 2011 Ah, thank you so much! I was afraid that would happen as I wasn't completely sure about the colours used. No problem, fantastic work managing to build it from that rather fuzzy video! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeya Posted May 10, 2011 Cool, thanks for this review and the wonderful LDD file! As for the missing bricks you had to use from your collection... If you're like me then you stashed away the extra parts when you built your boxed sets. Maybe for the Port Royal build, they made use of the extras that you squirreled away. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
marcosbessa Posted May 10, 2011 (...) As for the missing bricks you had to use from your collection... If you're like me then you stashed away the extra parts when you built your boxed sets. Maybe for the Port Royal build, they made use of the extras that you squirreled away. I checked the inventory of the sets used and they have all the elements i've used... the 4x6 black plate you say it was missing, I believe it should be 2 2x6 black plates! ;) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeya Posted May 10, 2011 I checked the inventory of the sets used and they have all the elements i've used... the 4x6 black plate you say it was missing, I believe it should be 2 2x6 black plates! ;) Fair enough; I was just theorizing. It's strange that they would include other elements not in the two sets. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dream Team Posted May 10, 2011 (edited) No problem, fantastic work managing to build it from that rather fuzzy video! Thank you! It's been a challenging but fun build :) Cool, thanks for this review and the wonderful LDD file! As for the missing bricks you had to use from your collection... If you're like me then you stashed away the extra parts when you built your boxed sets. Maybe for the Port Royal build, they made use of the extras that you squirreled away. Thank you :) And as said by Marcos, I don't believe that was the case here. It's probably an error of my own I checked the inventory of the sets used and they have all the elements i've used... the 4x6 black plate you say it was missing, I believe it should be 2 2x6 black plates! ;) In that case I'll check my own sets again tomorrow as I have the entire line still separated from the rest. It's good possible that I missed some parts (grumbles at kids playing with the sets) and what you say about the black 4x6 plate is also possible. I missed it when I had to place it on the cart but I'll check again if I mixed it up somewhere else. Edited May 10, 2011 by Dream Team Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
