[ENTRY] Sabre Island II

[BrickCommander9]

 

Small but heavily fortified, Sabre Island is the first line for dedense for the Imperial soldiers. Commanded by Lutienant LaBrique, who was pers9nally appointed to the Job by Broadside. This smallt Osland keeps all the imeprial holdings secure.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 2, 2023 by BrickCommander9
Added pictures!!

[iragm]

Amazing!  Wonderfully detailed despite being small.  The cheese slopes and headlight bricks as "worn" parts are excellent, as are the SNOT'ed 1x2 slopes.  The dock and stairs really draw your eye into the tower nicely.  Although, I'm worried the door is too small for a minifigure to fit inside of -- one or two minifigures would really bring this to life.

I love the water, and how the island breaks the grid, it's just wonderful.

The pirate flag doesn't really fit without more of a story; for example, is the island unguarded and a pirate is looting it?  And, it's facing the opposite direction from the tower's flag.

The only issue I can find with the build is that the dark red bricks are "out of scale" with everything else.  That is, nearly everything is perfectly shaped, very detailed, and the studs have been perfectly tiled off, and then you've got large square chunks of dark red.  If they were spalling mortar, they'd be more uneven -- perhaps a few 1x1 round plates in dark red would look better?

But this is absolutely stunning, a wonderful design.  I hope you can post a few more pictures from different angles of all the great details.

[Mazin]

This is sweet! Lovely build, very well thought, even that chain attached to the boat is a detail that make it look perfectly. I don't even midn the lack of any soldiers with that set. It's good as it is.

But i wonder what's inside. It's stunning from the outside, but is there anything inside? Does it have some detachable floor or walls that could be open to play with the interior? Or is it constructed more like a movie decoration? - something that looks good on the camera, but isn't necessarily a usable structure ;) 

I wonder if there would be some ways to add playability into it? Like, since it's a lonely tower on a lonely rock, then maybe it could serve as a lighthouse for passing ships? 

That is if there is any space left on the top of that tower ;) No point in forcing anything additional into it, if it would work against it's current visuals ;)

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by Mazin

[Rogue Redcoat]

 

20 minutes ago, Mazin said:

But i wonder what inside.

I 100% agree we need more pictures, please @BrickCommander9:) My other suggestions are to rid of the 1x2 dark red bricks ()this gives it more of a 2015 look) and as @iragm suggested use the 1x1 round plates or the Plate, Round 1 x 2 with Open Studs: Part 35480 | BrickLink in dark red of course. My only other comments are to add 1x1 slopes Slope 30 1 x 1 x 2/3 : Part 54200 | BrickLink in yellow to the top of the tower, other than this the build looks awesome (although the build need minifigures!). Anyway, Happy building :)

[Horation]

Overall, a solid remake of a frequently remade set.

Theme

The build serves a clear purpose well, with some excellent building techniques which make it feel like a recent (but not too recent) fort for the local colonial empire. but it could really use a few imperial soldiers, I'd personally add a cannon with a pirate on that rowboat. To make it stand out from the bunch, I'd add a bit of food or a small campfire for the men on the beach would add credibility to the design.

Build

That tower is brilliant, I've got no bad things to say about it. The sideways white cheese slopes with black behind look good, the use of bricks is very lego-y, and then the foliage and rockwork are both excellent (as is the dock-finally someone who doesn't use so much brown). even the lack of ladders is completely forgiven due to the scale. There's even a hidden ladder! I will (like others have) encourage a few sideways cheese slopes on top of those yellow headlights. I will however heavily criticise the sand ; it looks weirdly artificial, and a few wedges would convey a much more realistic shape.

Edited August 1, 2023 by Horation
changed some inaccurate or under-detailed info

[BrickCommander9]

15 hours ago, iragm said:

Amazing!  Wonderfully detailed despite being small.  The cheese slopes and headlight bricks as "worn" parts are excellent, as are the SNOT'ed 1x2 slopes.  The dock and stairs really draw your eye into the tower nicely.  Although, I'm worried the door is too small for a minifigure to fit inside of -- one or two minifigures would really bring this to life.

I love the water, and how the island breaks the grid, it's just wonderful.

The pirate flag doesn't really fit without more of a story; for example, is the island unguarded and a pirate is looting it?  And, it's facing the opposite direction from the tower's flag.

The only issue I can find with the build is that the dark red bricks are "out of scale" with everything else.  That is, nearly everything is perfectly shaped, very detailed, and the studs have been perfectly tiled off, and then you've got large square chunks of dark red.  If they were spalling mortar, they'd be more uneven -- perhaps a few 1x1 round plates in dark red would look better?

But this is absolutely stunning, a wonderful design.  I hope you can post a few more pictures from different angles of all the great details.

Thank you so much for your kind words!!! 

 

I definately need to add som actuon/life with minifigs... this is just getting started.

 

More pics are also coming soon, with added figures etc!

13 hours ago, Mazin said:

This is sweet! Lovely build, very well thought, even that chain attached to the boat is a detail that make it look perfectly. I don't even midn the lack of any soldiers with that set. It's good as it is.

But i wonder what's inside. It's stunning from the outside, but is there anything inside? Does it have some detachable floor or walls that could be open to play with the interior? Or is it constructed more like a movie decoration? - something that looks good on the camera, but isn't necessarily a usable structure ;) 

I wonder if there would be some ways to add playability into it? Like, since it's a lonely tower on a lonely rock, then maybe it could serve as a lighthouse for passing ships? 

That is if there is any space left on the top of that tower ;) No point in forcing anything additional into it, if it would work against it's current visuals ;)

 

More pictures coming! There actually is a ladder up to the top inside the tower, but you cant see it well. Nothing else inside in the very small space available!

12 hours ago, Rogue Redcoat said:

 

I 100% agree we need more pictures, please @BrickCommander9:) My other suggestions are to rid of the 1x2 dark red bricks ()this gives it more of a 2015 look) and as @iragm suggested use the 1x1 round plates or the Plate, Round 1 x 2 with Open Studs: Part 35480 | BrickLink in dark red of course. My only other comments are to add 1x1 slopes Slope 30 1 x 1 x 2/3 : Part 54200 | BrickLink in yellow to the top of the tower, other than this the build looks awesome (although the build need minifigures!). Anyway, Happy building :)

Thanks so much. I actually already planned on putting cheese wedges there- i just need to find the yellow ones!!!

 

I may change out tye red hricks as well... we will see how much work i need to do to do it)

 

 

[Horation]

Wait, there's a ladder hidden inside @BrickCommander9? I'd love to see how you did it, since even I wouldn't be sure where I'd hide a ladder on the inside.

And while I'm at it, since you appear to have missed my first post, I will actually give you a different recommendation-make the sandy island around the tower bigger ; it would not only allow for a more interesting design, but it would also have the additional effect of expanding the play area.

[BrickCommander9]

21 hours ago, Horation said:

Wait, there's a ladder hidden inside @BrickCommander9? I'd love to see how you did it, since even I wouldn't be sure where I'd hide a ladder on the inside.

And while I'm at it, since you appear to have missed my first post, I will actually give you a different recommendation-make the sandy island around the tower bigger ; it would not only allow for a more interesting design, but it would also have the additional effect of expanding the play area.

I did miss your first comment. This is what I get for trying to do too many things at the same time. I may, in fact, mess around with the sandy beach and see how it looks.

 

When I put the kids to sleep tonight, I will take more pictures of this and my other entry (as well as a 3rd one I just conpleted!) And post them. I will be sure to get a shot of the ladder inside! Nothing fancy, and it's hard to practically access, But I know it's there and, at least in thepry, my soldiers have a way to get to the top!

[MstrOfPppts]

Wow! This is in my eyes a perfect example of how to add stuff to a remake yet not go too far to make the set too different from the originals. The rockwork under the tower was not in the original set, yet it makes the scene a bit more alive and realistic and keeps the overall look the same. I do think that the scale is a bit off. It looks a bit chibby and I guess making it at least 1.5 times bigger in all directions would significantly improve the proportions. I do like how you skipped the open back play feature and made the tower fully enclosed yet still keep the parts count and the style passable for a LEGO set without overwhelming details. Maybe more like a 18+ remake, but it works. I'd also suggest to skip the water plate to make it even more in the line of a real set. Skip the water completely and just make the shore a bit bigger and edit the background of images blue ... I prefer sets with no water than bad water like the azure / blue plates most commonly found in sets. The pier and the island like shape of the shore gives a good enough idea where the water goes (:

[BrickCommander9]

8 hours ago, MstrOfPppts said:

Wow! This is in my eyes a perfect example of how to add stuff to a remake yet not go too far to make the set too different from the originals. The rockwork under the tower was not in the original set, yet it makes the scene a bit more alive and realistic and keeps the overall look the same. I do think that the scale is a bit off. It looks a bit chibby and I guess making it at least 1.5 times bigger in all directions would significantly improve the proportions. I do like how you skipped the open back play feature and made the tower fully enclosed yet still keep the parts count and the style passable for a LEGO set without overwhelming details. Maybe more like a 18+ remake, but it works. I'd also suggest to skip the water plate to make it even more in the line of a real set. Skip the water completely and just make the shore a bit bigger and edit the background of images blue ... I prefer sets with no water than bad water like the azure / blue plates most commonly found in sets. The pier and the island like shape of the shore gives a good enough idea where the water goes (:

Thanks so much, I appreciate all the kind words and feedback.

I know the water is controversial in all my entries, because it kind of deviatea from a "real" set, but aside from entering them in the competition, I am designing these mocs as part of a larger layout all across the same water...

[MstrOfPppts]

Understood, but the build doesn't seem to be that much integrated into the water, you couldn't take a picture without the plate for this contest ...

[NOD]

A nicely constructed diorama. The small island with the jetty and tower are well built. Behind the entrance of the tower, I see a ladder. Also, on the defense platform with the cannon, I can see a ladder by the access hatch. The water is very nicely done, I like the bright blue near the island.

[Yperio_Bricks]

Very nice diorama with the 4 islands! Love it!

The tile pattern of the water looks pretty regular. Especially in the 2 16x32 modules. I'd break the regular pattern up and throw in some 1x1 tiles or plates.

[Rogue Redcoat]

@BrickCommander9 I love the interior even if it's small, and thanks for the extra pictures and my only suggestion now is to update the minifigures if you have the parts that is ;)

[durazno33]

I always love it when sea builds have this style of water. It looks really nice and can take a lot of time to place.

At a quick glance, the yellow seems to be competing with the red as the secondary color in this build. I would suggest using red as the secondary color and yellow as a tertiary color. You could do that by replacing the yellow brick layer with a plate of yellow and a layer of white instead to reduce the amount of yellow in the middle of the build. 

As for the structure, I'm looking at the main tower and wondering how it would support it's own weight. The bottom section is a square that transitions to an octogon that sticks out wider some from the base. Then it continues up and has an even wider top than the second level. That setup would lend itself to falling outward because of the weight sticking out from the main build. In short, I'd suggest making the base octogon shape as well instead of a square. If that is too much work, then at least widen the first floor a little more. This would require a significant rework so I understand if you decide not to do it. Just my take.