"A Pirate's Life!" Contest - Discussion Thread

[Shadows]

More great entries! Keep it up, guys! *y*

I have question.

Do we need to include spare parts? - Do they count against the piece count?

Does it have to have current colours, like bley, to make it like TLC would release it today? I don't have any bley cutlasses :'-(

Spare parts are optional (sometimes LEGO doesn't even count them) and no, your entry does not have to be in bley and reddish brown. There have never been appropriate bley cannons or reddish brown hulls, among other pieces, so we can't do much about that.

But they'd never release a set where something could be considered racist, hence why they removed the Hovito from the final Temple Escape...but then again, they did do Islanders... :-/

Didn't you ever notice what colour they made all the Asian minifigs in the Adventurers Orient Expedition sets? X-O :-D

[Big T]

Ooh I like I like, looks like I might have to get my thinking cap on. Will probably only enter the Impulse and small set contests, but it gives me a good reason to get building again

[Mister Phes]

Real pirated LEGO as a prize, eh? No thanks! :-D

It definitely won't be pirated... It will be legitimately purchased by wonderful contributors of the Pirate Forum instead.

What do people think of my pirate pub entry?

It looks like quite an interesting vignette and I like the drama taking on the inside. The pirate falling off the rampart is also quite amusing, but I don't see it as something the LEGO Group would normally release as a set.

[MagPiesRUs]

I just posted my Impulse Entry. TinyPiesRUs seems to have beaten me to the post though... 8-|

I knew I should have posted it last night! |-/

Sorry about that :pir_blush: I tried to post mine early for the same reason. Yours is still good though...

I just realised that the piece count was 25. I could've sworn it was lower than that... Is is okay if I add a few more pieces? :-$

Edited April 6, 2008 by TinyPiesRUs

[Shadows]

Sorry about that :pir_blush: I tried to post mine early for the same reason. Yours is still good though...

I just realised that the piece count was 25. I could've sworn it was lower than that... Is is okay if I add a few more pieces? :-$

Entries may be changed up to the very last day of the contest, just try to replace the old images with identically named ones, or edit your original entry post to indicate the new one instead of posting another entry and potentially confusing me. *wacko*

[kaboom4]

My entry is kind of like the Green Grocer, Cafe Corner, and the other one, since I made it more for display. What I forgot to mention is that you can take off the fort roof and replace it with a jail and other rooms (just like the Cafe Corner).

[Shadows]

My entry is kind of like the Green Grocer, Cafe Corner...

Do the Green Grocer and Cafe Corner combined have 7 minifigs, by any chance? *cough*read the guidelines for each class of entry, please*cough* |-/

Subtle, aren't I? ;-)

Modular is certainly a nice way to go. I'd love to see a modular harbour, port, city, fort, lighthouse, just about anything pirate themed. Heck, if you were building, say 3 sets of different sizes, you could almost achieve that effect and create them to work together. Was that a hint to you builders who haven't started yet? Why yes, it was. ;-)

[Matn]

My entries are ready. I have just photographed the Impulse one. I will post it soon! =)

Edit: at the 'hint' above me, I have already said that my Large one will be a modular entry. It will be a 'check-in' harbor with pirates who control everyone (and everything) that enters the harbor. I will adjust it later, because I want to put in a little shop in the Large.

Edited April 6, 2008 by Matn

[SlyOwl]

A question about voting:

How will people vote?

-Most TLC?

-One you'd buy?

-Best Looking?

-Best Built?

This will affect how I build - TLC would include a cheesy <insert that tiresome argument> catapult for the Islanders, but this wouldn't be very good looking... 8-|

Modular is certainly a nice way to go. I'd love to see a modular harbour, port, city, fort, lighthouse, just about anything pirate themed. Heck, if you were building, say 3 sets of different sizes, you could almost achieve that effect and create them to work together. Was that a hint to you builders who haven't started yet? Why yes, it was. ;-)

Very well! My modualr ship shall be compatible with Kahuka's palm tree and my Imperial fort! X-D

[Shadows]

A question about voting:

How will people vote?

-Most TLC?

-One you'd buy?

-Best Looking?

-Best Built?

This will affect how I build - TLC would include a cheesy <insert that tiresome argument> catapult for the Islanders, but this wouldn't be very good looking... 8-|

People will all vote differently. That said, don't take the part about creating something that LEGO would actually make too seriously. Yes, it should be a consideration, but there are obviously certain techniques that they would never use and some kinds of scenes that they wouldn't create, and I don't see any reason to discourage that.

So, I'd say... go for the best mix of all of those elements possible. That's how I'll vote, and probably a good way to appeal to as many people as possible.

Very well! My modualr ship shall be compatible with Kahuka's palm tree and my Imperial fort! X-D

Excellent! I'll hold you to that. ;-)

[QuartermasterRobert]

Just curious, what exactly does "modular" mean here? How well the models work together? Can you give an example?

[Matn]

IMO modular means that you can click them together with technic pieces, and that they look good together.

Ow! I have entered my Impulse entry.

[kaboom4]

I'll re-shoot my pictures with 5 people, not 7.

[Shadows]

Just curious, what exactly does "modular" mean here? How well the models work together? Can you give an example?

IMO modular means that you can click them together with technic pieces, and that they look good together.

A good answer that pretty much sums up what I mean. On a similar note, just creating sets that go well together, even if they don't attach, is a nice way to go, if you don't want to go modular.

I'll re-shoot my pictures with 5 people, not 7.

Good lad. *y*

[Shadows]

IMPORTANT RULES UPDATE!

Got your attention? Good!

After careful consideration, and a brief experiment at building my own Impulse set (not to enter, that wouldn't be right), I've discovered that counting minifigs as pieces is unfairly restrictive. I did manage one, but felt like I couldn't fully accessorize without a few more pieces, and I wasn't impressed with the result.

What does this mean to you? Nothing! Too bad! :-( ... Ok, ok, don't give me that look, I'm kidding. X-D

Minifigs no longer count as pieces.

The limits per class still count, and animals are still a piece each and their limits still count.

For those of you who have already entered, please feel free to add pieces accordingly (assuming you were following the rules in the first place X-D) and change your pictures/update your entry post.

For the rest of you, well, get building! :-D

[Mister Phes]

TLC would include a cheesy <insert that tiresome argument> catapult for the Islanders, but this wouldn't be very good looking... 8-|

Think what the LEGO Group produced during the Classic Pirates area, not what they produced during Vikings/Knight's Kingdom era - this is Classic-Pirates after all!

[Capn Frank]

...

Minifigs no longer count as pieces.

...

Does this mean that each M-F that was 3 pieces each is now equal to 0,

and any accessories and headgear added to M-F's still count?

P

[Duke]

Hmm, I may have to rethink my impulse set >:-)

By the way skipper24.. good job ripping off my lego set presentation X-O

[Nikola Bathory]

Does this mean that each M-F that was 3 pieces each is now equal to 0,

and any accessories and headgear added to M-F's still count?

P

see this:

4. A standard minifig does not count against your piece total (hat or hair, head, torso, leg assembly). Extra accessories are extra pieces however, even if attached or worn (like a backpack).

[SlyOwl]

Oh, I have more questions :-$

Does the figurehead (if half a minifig) count as one, and so can be omitted from the part count? Or does it count as parts and so is not a minifig?

And are composite images allowed, to show action features and to fit in more angles of the set?

Yeesh, my first draft ship had 600 pieces! *sing* It's unfortunate that I don't have any 12-wide hull pieces, so I'm having to build to the size of the RBR with only a third of the parts! *sing*

Edited April 7, 2008 by SlyOwl

[Ricecracker]

one more question ;-)

can we include a link to a folder with more pics (if three won't fully show our model.

thanks

[Capn Frank]

see this:

Thanx Nikola! :-D

As you can see i never went back to check the original rules again. :pir_blush:

Well, i've posted my next entry.

It's the Turtle Sub

It was really hard to make such a small vessel with a person inside, close to the same shape.

But i really like the way it has turned out.

Think i'd like to keep this one built next to the Constitution.

Thanx to my Slave I, Speeder Bikes, and Sand Crawler, i was able to make this vessel. X-D

The largest one is almost done too. *y*

P

[Shadows]

Oh, I have more questions :-$

Does the figurehead (if half a minifig) count as one, and so can be omitted from the part count? Or does it count as parts and so is not a minifig?

If it contains an official LEGO torso, it counts as a minifig against your limit, but doesn't count as pieces. Accordingly, if you don't use the legs, you could use them somewhere else in your set without them counting as pieces. Ditto for the hair or hat.

If you can make a figurehead with a real LEGO head, but something else as the torso, you can count all of that as pieces instead.

And are composite images allowed, to show action features and to fit in more angles of the set?

Sure, but realise that you probably don't want one as your first image, since you'll lose the ability to see all of that when it's thumbnailed for the voting.

can we include a link to a folder with more pics (if three won't fully show our model.

Why not? One word of advice from experience though... make sure your main entry pic really sells it, because people rarely seem to click the link to even see the original entry post, so imagine how few will go there and then click a brickshelf link.

[hollisbrick]

Umm dumb question bu what is a Burp/Lurp??

[oo7]

Firstly I'd like to say that this is looking to be an awesome contest that will hopefully stimulate further interest for the themes of later historical era in the community! If only the new theme month wasn't diverting so much of the attention....

Small: Build a small set with no more than 100 pieces, 3 minifigs and 2 animals, and 2 parrots. A single baseplate up to 16x16 may be used. 3 burps/lurps (total, not 3 of each) may be used. No large ship hulls. All other rules apply.

Large: Build a larger set with no more than 200 pieces, 5 minifigs and 4 animals, and 4 parrots. A single 32x32 baseplate, or 2 16x32 baseplates may be used. 5 burps/lurps (total, not 5 of each) may be used. Ship hulls are allowed. All other rules apply.

I think I'm going to have to agree with some others here and say that these restrictions seem a little too limiting in some cases. I'm thinking - would one consider the Imperial Outpost a large set? That particular product weighs in at just about 200 pieces and is designed in a very simplistic mid-nineties style - lots of prefabricated walls, roofs, and rock. Even official sets produced by The LEGO Group today contain more pieces for the overall size than they did a decade or so ago, largely due to the increased amount of detail and even the decreased use of the old wall pieces. Back then a really big pirate ship set would have 875 parts - that would arguably be a good bit higher if a set of the such where to be made today. I hope you understand my thoughts and think nothing more of it, as there is no need to take them into consideration unless you seriously find a valid point in it. Regardless, I will begin to build an entry or two of my own under the current piece count restrictions which I am not expecting nor particularly hoping to change. :-)

That being said, I want to express my love for Phred's most recent entry; a work being both historically educational and creatively incorporated in to the pirate universe as well as one masterfully crafted in the style of an authentic Lego set. *y*

Umm dumb question bu what is a Burp/Lurp??

Big/Little Ugly Rock Piece.