[ENTRY] Armada Fortress

[SpacePolice89]

[SpacePolice89]

I tried to build something that is similar in style to the official Imperial Armada sets. While I like the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Soldiers more I still fell that the Imperial Armada got way too few sets and got discontinued too early. They should have had at least a couple of more years and some medium sized and larger bases and fortresses added to their lineup. 

[Mazin]

Wow, that's a lot of baseplates in one backyard ;) 

And what a lovely little set. And with it being little i think that maybe there's too many characters for this kind of size? One of the islanders could go, well, be sacrificed for more parts to the main structure. I actually like it, got a feeling this would be well rememberd by fans if it would come out in the 90s. Love that roof finishes, white battlement and that terrace, but my favorite part perhaps is that blue-red-blue thing over the window, forgot the proper word ;) 

And that shiny thing above the sitting officer is supposed to be a lantern or a chandelier i guess? This part of Your design is a bit confusing in my opinion and maybe it could be replaced with something more resembling classic lego lantern or a torch?  

The little room inside You've created gives me this vibe of a classic set, but at the same time it realy serves no purpose, it's to small to make a use of it, tho maybe there could be enough place for weapon rack or a little cabinet, a shelf with accesories that could be found in this kind of compound? 

And the ladder seems badly positioned, i have no idea what's the reason for it being there other than so that the monkey could hold on to it ;) It's certainly not intended for that watchguard to climb up that higher part. And it's kinda strange that in order to get to that skeleton soldiers would have to go trough that door, then jump down to the floor climb to that creepy torture chamber ;) Or maybe this area of the compound is supposed to be secret and even it's inhabitans are not aware that that poor fellow is hanging behind their wall?

So the option for an upgare and improvement would be to get rid ot that back wall on the left side, and extend it a bit into the rear, this would create more room inside the compound and maybe there could be some direct walkway leading into the skeleton's apartment. Then the ladder could be properly moved into the other side of the fort, so that it could be used to climb up. Or if You'd decide that there's no need for an offical route to the higher ground, then maybe the ladder could be replaced for something more fitting in such creepy location. Like bars to turn this section into a prison. Or You could actually add two more ladders of this type to use them as bars. 

[SpacePolice89]

@MazinYou have some good suggestion how to improve the build, I'm very grateful for the feedback.  I know it's a bit cramped and it could benefit from more space. One of the Islanders could be sacrificed and I suspect that wouldn't be the first time. Actually you gave me an idea for a small Islanders set called "Ritual Sacrifice" that could be my entry in the small set contest. The lantern is inspired by the lantern from my favorite Imperial Guards set 6263.

 

You can see a similar lantern in the upper right corner of the picture above. The awning above the window is inspired by a similar structure in Imperial Soldiers set 6267.

The two pictures above are the properties of Brickshelf users Goparullleeezzz  and Medex and used here only for illustrative purposes of the original Lego sets in the pictures.

I tested some different gates and ladders for the dungeon but I wanted to keep it simple and mysterious. The skeleton has been there for a long time and no one knows about the ruby the skeleton is holding.

[Mazin]

Glad i could help :) I wasn't familiar with that Imperial set, thanx! Looking forward to see and review Your mini cosntruction entry then :) 

[Rogue Redcoat]

I love the way you have designed a 1990s set, and I think you did it well, and while I don't really like the Armada figures the set looks awesome. I do recommend however adding a small dock and perhaps a row boat for the men manning the fort, other than this you could add a cannon if you wanted to but it's not necessary, anyway Happy building :)

[Mister Phes]

22 hours ago, SpacePolice89 said:

I tried to build something that is similar in style to the official Imperial Armada sets.

Since there are only two Imperial Armada sets you haven't got much reference material to draw from.

But what stands out about 6244 Armada Sentry is the use of green highlights with some subtle gray areas, which are perhaps defining features of this subtheme as they differentiate the buildings from those found in the Soldiers and Imperial Guards sub themes.

In another fan creation (unrelated to this contest) you'll note the builder has picked up on these details and incorporated them into the build:

 

I think there are some more things the builder could have done to ensure design consistency but you can observe how the two builds are related.

[SpacePolice89]

1 hour ago, Rogue Redcoat said:

I love the way you have designed a 1990s set, and I think you did it well, and while I don't really like the Armada figures the set looks awesome. I do recommend however adding a small dock and perhaps a row boat for the men manning the fort, other than this you could add a cannon if you wanted to but it's not necessary, anyway Happy building :)

Thank you! I considered adding a row boat and some pirates but ultimately I went with the Islanders because they seldom appear in sets from other factions.

53 minutes ago, Mister Phes said:

But what stands out about 6244 Armada Sentry is the use of green highlights with some subtle gray areas, which are perhaps defining features of this subtheme as they differentiate the buildings from those found in the Soldiers and Imperial Guards sub themes.

You are completely right, some green would have been perfect but I didn't have the necessary pieces in green so I went all white. I was more focused on creating a "Spanish" look with the tower and the flag. 

[Mister Phes]

16 hours ago, SpacePolice89 said:

You are completely right, some green would have been perfect but I didn't have the necessary pieces in green so I went all white. I was more focused on creating a "Spanish" look with the tower and the flag. 

And you have done a fine job with the parts available to you!

[SpacePolice89]

44 minutes ago, Mister Phes said:

And you have done a fine job with the parts available to you!

Thank you!

[iragm]

On 8/13/2023 at 5:07 AM, Mister Phes said:

And you have done a fine job with the parts available to you!

Absolutely!  This is a great build!

The ladder does not bother me at all; it was common to have jail areas closed off with a single ladder like that back in the 90s.

The lantern should be black like the original, not gray -- the gray makes me think of rocks.  I like the awning, but perhaps the roof should match?  Either that, or the roof should be black/green like other armada colors.  Red is more of a redcoat color.

Finally, that little room is just too small.  Remove the back wall and it'll add some play value to the set.

All in all, I do like this, it captures the classic style of building very well.  Nice job!

[SpacePolice89]

On 8/14/2023 at 10:59 PM, iragm said:

Absolutely!  This is a great build!

The ladder does not bother me at all; it was common to have jail areas closed off with a single ladder like that back in the 90s.

The lantern should be black like the original, not gray -- the gray makes me think of rocks.  I like the awning, but perhaps the roof should match?  Either that, or the roof should be black/green like other armada colors.  Red is more of a redcoat color.

Finally, that little room is just too small.  Remove the back wall and it'll add some play value to the set.

All in all, I do like this, it captures the classic style of building very well.  Nice job!

Thanks for the feedback. I've been thinking about making the whole set a little bit bigger or longer so at least one minifigure could fit inside where the back wall is currently.