[ENTRY] Short Pork Island

[Mazin]

Damn dude, this stuff got such an obscene amount of ideas and engineering that we should probably create a new category to simply pick what's the best play feature shown in here ;)

Honestly tho, i think You've probably overcomplicated it a bit too much, yeah, i know You've wanted to push Yourself, i've read what You've said, but honestly, i think we all want to see the bridge and a somewhat finished product, with slightly less care about those other features ;) I mean, the bridge is the real MacGuffin, is i don't think i've seen anything like this before. So cool. This element alone could probably let You score a lot of points, cause i'm sure viewers would love that, but wouldn't care that much about some other features, well designed and engineered, but perhaps not as eyecatching as that bridge baby of Yours. Then, i'd say i realy like those two "minisets" with islanders and pirates... i set minisets for purpose, cause i know they are just two puzzles out of the 1000 pieces included in Your leviathan... but perhaps, perhaps You should consider using entering them in the minibuild category, should You have problems with finishing this monster. Or they could be entered as separate entries. Damn, even that statue or a bridge could probably be used as smaller but highly attractive sets, and since some folks already presented sets planned as modules, for somethin bigger, then perhaps this one could be the same. Set one/module one - a statue, Set 2, module 2 - a bridge, set 3/module 3 - kign kahuka with bodygaurds, set 4/module 4 - pirates etc... end then You could add other elements after this contest is over and combine them together... 'm sure people would like it... But that's up to You. And the most important thing is to actually present a finished product... if not a couple of them ;)

[MstrOfPppts]

Fabulous minifigures, great to see that some time went into making a nice figbarf instead of just reusing some already seen combinations. The islander chief misses something on top of his helmet though.

[Yoggington]

11 hours ago, Mazin said:

<snip>..but honestly, i think we all want to see the bridge and a somewhat finished product, with slightly less care about those other features ;) I mean, the bridge is the real MacGuffin, is i don't think i've seen anything like this before..<snip>

Thanks man, appreciated. Unfortunately with the deadline rushing in, the bridge will come after the cut-off, or perhaps in another project. If I wasn't pivoting it as a deadfall I think it'd be a lot simpler to put together.

But still, that deadline is encouraging more progress.

So firstly breaking up the sand and stone with some green plate to map out the forest floor was an excellent call. It looks much better now. Somehow bigger thanks to the zoning.

I've tried out various trees and plant layouts, and I think this mini-palm is worth seeing, using the newish fern element;

That's likely what I'll go with at the lower level, you can see some studs with holes in the first pic for locations. The colour combo in the flower ties in with my plans too.

As part of the general layout (and story) I've now added the compulsory treasure that lured the pirates in in the first place.

The chest slides in and out and ramps up for ease - it's a lot more 'hidden' with the large palms in place later. The chalice can be just about glimpsed from the window behind, and as simple as the pattern above is, I quite like how it ties in with the use of that same gold jumper elsewhere.

 

 

Lastly for tonight, and the biggest thing - this is clearly no longer a remake of Enchanted Island. So I'm renaming it as 'Short Pork Island'. I'll be giving Kahuka a pet piglet (maybe offspring of the Barracuda Bay pig :o ). But more importantly, I finished the smaller statue.

It's a pig and skeleton pig on the back :D

 

[F1stzz]

8 hours ago, Yoggington said:

It's a pig and skeleton pig on the back :D

Hilarious  Such a cool gimmick right there, nice work 

[Yoggington]

So the last of the bricklink orders arrived in record time (shop local!) and I think I can say that I have a finished model now. With time to spare :o

Here's the finished product:

And just for scale, here it is relative to Baracuda Bay:

I will spend the remainder of the time taking some better photos, and mocking up a nice photoshop presentation. Maybe a few small edits.

One direct question for the critics - I could do with some 'mini-builds' in here maybe. Any thoughts of what?

I have now made a small boat for the island faction;

And the hut has changed a bit - turns out my long axle that gives it stability up the centre was a few bricks longer than I'd figured. It worked out to heighten it all though, as the accessibility was a bit tight for adult fingers previously

[MstrOfPppts]

Looks splendid as it is! If you have too much time, I'd rather suggest making an entry for the mini category rather than adding any mini builds to this entry. Sometimes less is more and you're already walking on a thin line between a MOC and what could eventually become a LEGO set. (: Therefore I would also remove the white tiles representing waves(?) to come closer to a passable set. I would prefer the hut to be without the middle pillar but I understand that might cause some stability issues. I really like the added bluish (teal?) color to the hut pillars, works quite nice! Only now with this extra color have I noticed that there are a bit too many in the hut part. Is the DBG and black part really necessary? The technic connector could be attached directly to a stud. The islanders boat is also great and all the rest looks awesome as from the beginning!

[Yoggington]

Good call on the white waves. That's an easy fix at least.

I will have to test the removal of the centre column. While I like the look of it myself, it really hampers the space inside. Much easier to set up the throne if it was gone. I'll try it out tonight.

With the connectors, they seem necessary, the stud-to-pillar connection wouldn't hold up much. Just unfortunate about the colours available. I'll try it out at the same time I play with the column removal, but I think they will end up being a necessary evil.

[iragm]

On 8/18/2023 at 8:39 AM, MstrOfPppts said:

I think that the base should be green to make it a bit more like a jungle

I agree with this, an excellent suggestion.

On 8/17/2023 at 10:05 PM, Yoggington said:

a neat sloping beach with angle palm trees

A very clever technique.

On 8/17/2023 at 10:05 PM, Yoggington said:

I've abandoned the bridge until post-competition.

This was a good call,  the set looks great as-is.  The only suggestion I have is the white quarter round tiles that are "waves": would they look better if they were clear cheese slopes?

On 8/21/2023 at 10:21 PM, Yoggington said:

Three Islanders;

Look great, and I like the green over the sand.  It's a really nice look.

On 8/21/2023 at 10:21 PM, Yoggington said:

the massive duck tattoo

I am not a fan, it's too goofy and contrasts (badly) against the masterful and very detailed work in the rest of the build.

My only other suggestion is related to proportions and the rule of thirds.  Right now, this is very symmetrical build (with the tower on the left and the statue on the right).  It needs some negative space; I would keep just one of the small islands and place it to the left of the large island so that it occupies about 1/3rd of the final picture.

This design so far is masterful and you've got a good shot at winning -- if you can finish, that is!

[Mazin]

11 hours ago, Yoggington said:

I will spend the remainder of the time taking some better photos, and mocking up a nice photoshop presentation. Maybe a few small edits.

One direct question for the critics - I could do with some 'mini-builds' in here maybe. Any thoughts of what?

By "mini-builds" are You thinking about entering a mini category as i've suggested or do You think about something that could be added to this bigger set?

With Your mad scientist approach to constructing, i guess it would be hard to come up with something challenging for You, and something that would not be too time consuming and would give You a chance to do more engineering. And honestly i'm a bit tired with boats, rafts, buried treasures and sacrifices after so many entries... and i guess there might be few more of them as so many people have similar ideas ;)

So i'd go with something that wasn't done yet and where there's very little chance it will be done. Like, i don't know, a shooting range for the cannon/catapult or shooting contest, with members of each Lego Pirates faction present and competing to hit skulls or other distinctive targets, that could trigger some play feature effect, like that they would collapse, fall, turn etc and thus open a stash with a golden idol as a trophy.... IF that would suit You and if it could be done with limited amount of pieces and limited amount of time.... and if You'd have those pieces :) 

At least i'd like to see something like it made by someone, maybe i'l try it myself. I have it in my head, but can't tell it if could be doable, i don't know ;) 

Anyway... 

Just throwing ideas at You, cause You asked for it ;) 

[Yoggington]

7 hours ago, MstrOfPppts said:

Looks splendid as it is! If you have too much time, I'd rather suggest making an entry for the mini category rather than adding any mini builds to this entry. Sometimes less is more and you're already walking on a thin line between a MOC and what could eventually become a LEGO set. (: Therefore I would also remove the white tiles representing waves(?) to come closer to a passable set. I would prefer the hut to be without the middle pillar but I understand that might cause some stability issues. I really like the added bluish (teal?) color to the hut pillars, works quite nice! Only now with this extra color have I noticed that there are a bit too many in the hut part. Is the DBG and black part really necessary? The technic connector could be attached directly to a stud. The islanders boat is also great and all the rest looks awesome as from the beginning!

So I have given this a spin, and it looks great. Good call, thanks. I think removing the centre pole was something I knew I needed to do but was putting off. I'll save the pics for the final submission.

 

2 hours ago, iragm said:

This was a good call,  the set looks great as-is.  The only suggestion I have is the white quarter round tiles that are "waves": would they look better if they were clear cheese slopes?

My only other suggestion is related to proportions and the rule of thirds.  Right now, this is very symmetrical build (with the tower on the left and the statue on the right).  It needs some negative space; I would keep just one of the small islands and place it to the left of the large island so that it occupies about 1/3rd of the final picture.

Cheers for all the input. With the waves, I think the other post made the right call in just removing them altogether. This brings it back in line with the design aesthetic the official Barracuda Bay/Eldorado Fort seem to be going for. If I follow through here post-competition, I imagine I'll be bringing some better looking water in though.

I was hoping the silhouette main viewing angle would have a bit more interest than it ended up with alright. A taller hut and a not-so-tall bigger statue. The mechanisms inside the statue kinda put paid to that, plus stability of the tree. Again, I need to call it 'good' at this point and not rewrite the fundamental layout this late in the day. Another one for the post-comp period.

 

1 hour ago, Mazin said:

By "mini-builds" are You thinking about entering a mini category as i've suggested or do You think about something that could be added to this bigger set?

With Your mad scientist approach to constructing, i guess it would be hard to come up with something challenging for You, and something that would not be too time consuming and would give You a chance to do more engineering. And honestly i'm a bit tired with boats, rafts, buried treasures and sacrifices after so many entries... and i guess there might be few more of them as so many people have similar ideas ;)

So i'd go with something that wasn't done yet and where there's very little chance it will be done. Like, i don't know, a shooting range for the cannon/catapult or shooting contest, with members of each Lego Pirates faction present and competing to hit skulls or other distinctive targets, that could trigger some play feature effect, like that they would collapse, fall, turn etc and thus open a stash with a golden idol as a trophy.... IF that would suit You and if it could be done with limited amount of pieces and limited amount of time.... and if You'd have those pieces :) 

At least i'd like to see something like it made by someone, maybe i'l try it myself. I have it in my head, but can't tell it if could be doable, i don't know ;) 

Anyway... 

Just throwing ideas at You, cause You asked for it ;) 

I'm thinking more like.. say in the one of the modular sets you'd have smaller things to build within. A chest-of-drawers, or a bathtub, or a flowercart. Is that a mini-build? A side-build?

In this we have the throne.. and that's kind of it?

A small archery target could be good. I liked the hanging cage I saw in another entry but I've already got the main skeleton ribcage trap.

 

On top of that, where would I even put it?

I think at this point, I just have to call it good and get working on the presentation. Cheers though.

[Yperio_Bricks]

Wow, seeing the set build in all its glory i am impressed. The staues are so good! Great minifigure selections as well!

[MontyMatte]

The sections of your creation that you have already completed or shared really make a great impression on me and make me want to see more. It looks very professional!!! I especially liked the statue. These details... <3

[Yoggington]

Well we're not there yet, a little photoshopping to go as of yet, but we do have the front box art;
<snip>

Edit 1: Big asterix beside that piece count btw. I've no idea how many are in here and there's no way I mock up a stud.io render before the deadline.

Feel free to guesstimate yourselves and we'll see who was closest once I eventually do that

 

<edit 2: to remove previous pic, better one below and in OP>

Edited August 25, 2023 by Yoggington

[Mister Phes]

10 hours ago, Yoggington said:

Well we're not there yet, a little photoshopping to go as of yet, but we do have the front box art;

Is it safe to use this image for the Entries Index?

[Yoggington]

39 minutes ago, Mister Phes said:

Is it safe to use this image for the Entries Index?

Not quite yet, I'll be finished by tonight and I'll alert you when it is.

[iragm]

This really came together.  It's not perfect, but the build techniques and thought you've put into it make it my favorite Islanders entry in the contest so far.  (And that is some high praise given the quality of the other entries!!)

It could still be improved by having a better "rule of thirds" following silhouette.  I also find the colors a bit cluttered - removing the dark pink and teal would go a long way to improving it.  But, still, even as is, this is masterfully done.  I would love a video of the final build showing the statues rotate.

[Rogue Redcoat]

Perfect, if looks great as it always was, the only thing I would update is the colors, add some more color to the right side of the build, and perhaps a back of the box would look nice to show the play functions (if you have the time), anyway 

[MstrOfPppts]

Glad the hut part worked out without the nasty colored pieces and without the middle pillar the throne room looks great! I only now noticed that the color in the side boat to the canoe is azure(?) and not ordinary blue. I guess this one is to similar to the water in the picture and blue would probably go together better since there's already blue in the islanders stickers!

Great entry and nice photo editing, can't wait what more is to come!

[Yoggington]

Presenting Short Pork Island.

This is a modernisation loosely inspired by the Islanders sets of my youth. An older brother had pirate ships sure, but even the famed Black Seas Barracuda and it's fancy cannons stood no hope against our spears when we were small and plentiful. I say 'loosely' because this build had a bit of a journey - starting as a re-do of Enchanted island - but ending up as something else. Read the thread to get the gist.

Short Pork Island is a heavily forested isle with (mandatory) ruins and treasure to catch the pirate's interest. A large foreboding statue features front and centre - with a smaller cute piggy sidekick at it's right hand. Is this a tribute to King Kahuka or some deity? To the rear of the Island features an Islander tree-hut, modernised to a six-sided palm tree design, replete with throne & shields & drum and food.

I am a sucker for a good mechanical feature in a build, and in here we feature three main play features;

1) On the front of the stone statue you can tug one of the ears to drop whatever you've loaded up out the mouth - skulls, pineapples, jewels.

2) Turning the splat gear buried in the sand turns both the large statue, and the smaller pig statue roundaways to reveal a much more sinister pair of bone statues.

3) The ribcage of the larger statue opens at the front as a place to lock away captured scallywags.

I hope the minifigs here speak for themselves for the most part. The tricorn pirate has a double-sided face - the backside is a shocked expression. Perfect for being jailed or having pineapples rain down upon him. The more folically-challenged scallywag is the torso with the large duck tattoo on the back.

It should be noted that King Kahuka's pride and joy piglet is known as 'the Pig Kahuna'.

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by Yoggington

[durazno33]

It's looking good! I love the details in the idol, the prison cell, and the throne in the tree. 

The catamaran seems to have a really thick side float. Can you make it a bit thinner? Maybe just taking the 1x4 red tile off might do the trick. I think it would make it appear less heavy.

[Rogue Redcoat]

14 minutes ago, Yoggington said:

Miles ahead of you on the back of the box, see OP or previous post now.

I even made sides for a box and maybe I'll fake a 3D table set-up after the deadline, no time beforehand! Here they are though if you are interested.

Awesome, and you certainly are way ahead of me on this, and your Photoshop work is perfect just like your set 

[Yoggington]

6 hours ago, iragm said:

This really came together.  It's not perfect, but the build techniques and thought you've put into it make it my favorite Islanders entry in the contest so far.  (And that is some high praise given the quality of the other entries!!)

It could still be improved by having a better "rule of thirds" following silhouette.  I also find the colors a bit cluttered - removing the dark pink and teal would go a long way to improving it.  But, still, even as is, this is masterfully done.  I would love a video of the final build showing the statues rotate.

I'll see if I can get a video (or gif) of the rotating in action. The statues move in opposite directions (direction dependent on which way you turn the gear) and can spin forever. I was careful to make sure the rotation & gear sizing work so that they will both face the same way at the same time

I will admit it's a little clunky due to the sheer weight in the larger statue - I'd prefer it smoother - but it does work and that's the main thing.

 

6 hours ago, Rogue Redcoat said:

Perfect, if looks great as it always was, the only thing I would update is the colors, add some more color to the right side of the build, and perhaps a back of the box would look nice to show the play functions (if you have the time), anyway 

Miles ahead of you on the back of the box, see OP or previous post now.

I even made sides for a box and maybe I'll fake a 3D table set-up after the deadline, no time beforehand! Here they are though if you are interested.

Big pics:

 

https://i.imgur.com/7FEKD7l.png   https://i.imgur.com/INxDHwn.png

5 hours ago, MstrOfPppts said:

Glad the hut part worked out without the nasty colored pieces and without the middle pillar the throne room looks great! I only now noticed that the color in the side boat to the canoe is azure(?) and not ordinary blue. I guess this one is to similar to the water in the picture and blue would probably go together better since there's already blue in the islanders stickers!

Great entry and nice photo editing, can't wait what more is to come!

It's actually turquoise - same as the stripe on the hut and the various highlights dotted around on the statue base & cheeks, hairpin, chameleon etc.

I'm a little colourblind in that end of the blue spectrum.. maybe the colour levels on the box art are a bit wonky whoops. I don't really have time to fix unfortunately - my own deadline is tonight, due to a busy weekend ahead.

 

7 minutes ago, durazno33 said:

It's looking good! I love the details in the idol, the prison cell, and the throne in the tree. 

The catamaran seems to have a really thick side float. Can you make it a bit thinner? Maybe just taking the 1x4 red tile off might do the trick. I think it would make it appear less heavy.

Not at this stage I'm afraid, re-doing all the photos & work that went in there is not gonna happen. Possibly in the post-competition stage when I see if I can get that bridge going.

 

@Mister Phes This is now complete as it's getting, and you can add it to the entries index, thanks.

 

Also also. I'd love if someone would tell me where the setting to turn the rich text editor off permanently is. It's driving me a little bonkers with it's assumptions.

 

 

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by Yoggington

[Mister Phes]

4 hours ago, Yoggington said:

@Mister Phes This is now complete as it's getting, and you can add it to the entries index, thanks.

And by the powers invested in me, it's been added to the Entries Index.

[Fraunces]

Amazing build... The techniques are just great!

Really liked the updates and how you got the end result. Fits perfectly next to the Barracuda Bay also. Minifigs are all great. Good work!

[Mazin]

15 hours ago, Yoggington said:

Presenting Short Pork Island.

This is a modernisation loosely inspired by the Islanders sets of my youth. An older brother had pirate ships sure, but even the famed Black Seas Barracuda and it's fancy cannons stood no hope against our spears when we were small and plentiful. I say 'loosely' because this build had a bit of a journey - starting as a re-do of Enchanted island - but ending up as something else. Read the thread to get the gist.

Short Pork Island is a heavily forested isle with (mandatory) ruins and treasure to catch the pirate's interest. A large foreboding statue features front and centre - with a smaller cute piggy sidekick at it's right hand. Is this a tribute to King Kahuka or some deity? To the rear of the Island features an Islander tree-hut, modernised to a six-sided palm tree design, replete with throne & shields & drum and food.

I am a sucker for a good mechanical feature in a build, and in here we feature three main play features;

1) On the front of the stone statue you can tug one of the ears to drop whatever you've loaded up out the mouth - skulls, pineapples, jewels.

2) Turning the splat gear buried in the sand turns both the large statue, and the smaller pig statue roundaways to reveal a much more sinister pair of bone statues.

3) The ribcage of the larger statue opens at the front as a place to lock away captured scallywags.

I hope the minifigs here speak for themselves for the most part. The tricorn pirate has a double-sided face - the backside is a shocked expression. Perfect for being jailed or having pineapples rain down upon him. The more folically-challenged scallywag is the torso with the large duck tattoo on the back.

It should be noted that King Kahuka's pride and joy piglet is known as 'the Pig Kahuna'.

  Reveal hidden contents

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Excellent turnabout! And great presentation! I was a bit worried that You will demote Yourself to some lower parts of charts, because of Your overambitious approach to Your original design, but it's absolutely awesome and one of my favourites.

I won't repeat all the good things i've said before about this project, in short, mechanical features are brilliants and minifigures and crafts are damn cool, but it actually stands ground so well as a finished set, the way it is, ieven if it's slightly smaller version than what we thought we will see. Actually, the fact that i's not a remake of Enchanted Island may be very beneficial in the voting, as it's something very unique now.

So in short, it's one of those toys were it's even hard to tell what it is if i one needs it, but it looks so colorful and so weird at the same time, it offer such a big variety of cool build and playfeatures and is so eyecatchy at the same time, that it's a definite "mom i want it now!" set :) 

Even those little pets, how cute, and they are a great bonus, definitely adding great value to this already entertaining pack. 

One question and request tho... Could You please upload this packaging in a simplified version, that is with only the background and no additional elements, yellow lines etc? :P If possible of course. I'd just love to steal this art and use it as a wallpaper :)