[ENTRY] Harbor mouth fort

[janhansson]

This MOC is not a remake, but rather a new creation. An artillery fort that guards the entrance to the harbor.

I have received a lot of good suggestions for improvements, and here is the final version (The original version is hidden in the spoiler at the bottom)

Since we did not get the old lieutenant in the new fortress, I decided that perhaps he was sent off to command some other fortification
(as was the case in many classic sets like Sabre Island for example).
De Martinet is a bit interesting to recreate as in the comic book he has long black hair tied into a queue and sport a moustache, while as a minifigure he has redish brown short hair and a beard. Since the dual molded hair-tricorn combos currently do not give the option for black hair I decided to go withbrown hair queue and moustache.

The set also has three pirates.

 

The dock is at the front of the fort

 

To get any further you need to pass through the tower. The lower floor also acts as a guardroom. (The tower above can be taken off for a better view)

 

After passing through the tower there is a stair up onto the works. Here there is a ladder up into the cannon tower.

 

There is also a ladder into the ground.

 

This ladder end in a dark corridor, that leads to a storage room. Since the fort has no proper cell, the soldiers also chain their prisoners down here (and apparently forget them at times). A treasure chest are also kept safe here.

 

The pirates have a boat called "The jolly skeleton". They are searching for the treasure, not knowing that the soldiers have already claimed it.

 

 

Spoiler

 

This MOC is not a remake, but rather a new creation. An artillery fort that guards the entrance to the harbor.

To get to the fort you need to go by rowboat to the dock and pass the gates.
The passage through the tower also acts as a guardroom with a weapon rack and some supplies.
On the other side there are stairs up onto the works where one of the cannons has been placed, ready to bombard any enemy ships that come into view.
From here there is a ladder leading up into the tower, where the remaining two cannons are (can be aimed forward or to the sides, through the gunports).

The fort has no prison cell - any pirate or enemy soldier to be captured alive would be sent by boat to the governors prison in the town.

Since we did not get the old lieutenant in the new fortress, I decided that perhaps he was sent off to command some other fortification
(as was the case in many classic sets like Sabre Island for example).
De Martinet is a bit interesting to recreate as in the comic book he has long black hair tied into a queue and sport a moustache, while as a minifigure he has redish brown short hair and a beard. Since the dual molded hair-tricorn combos currently do not give the option for black hair I decided to go withbrown hair queue and moustache.

He gets four soldiers to boss around.

 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2023 by janhansson
Addition of final version to the first post for viewer convenience

[iragm]

Nice build!  I like the color scheme overall: a great balance of tan, white, green and red.  And great use of darker colors down low, lighter colors higher up.

It seems like the sand (light tan) is a bit tall -- if it's meant to be rocks, why not use gray instead?

The structure itself is a bit uninteresting and could benefit from having the rule of thirds applied to it -- a higher section with a tower or a lower balcony would be welcome.  I like the dock and the gate; they work well and look nice.

The roof is perhaps not as sloped as it might be, although this may not matter in the hot carribean climate.

The minifigures look nice and work with the set.  Good work overall!

[Rogue Redcoat]

First, I love the new minifigs, and the roof has a great pattern, I do have some suggestions though. First, I want to see the inside, Although you mentioned supplies and a gun rack we can't see them. Second, the red bricks give a 2015 feel if it goes with Eldorado I think you should go for a better look with these Plate, Round 1 x 2 with Open Studs : Part 35480 | BrickLink. Third, the roof as @iragm suggested does need to be sloped more, but lastly the island need rocks and some light blue water underneath, then I think it could pass for a lego set, great start though, Anyway Happy building. :)

[Horation]

A good idea, but it could use a few improvements

Theme

I quite like the idea for the fort, and the large amount of space on it is a nice change from the small builds one sees around here. Unfortunately, that space is lightly used ; there's room aplenty under the grass for a jail cell, a storage room or anything you want, but it's hidden by a staircase. Personally, the explanation makes little sense ; a fort should have it's own dungeon, and it would add playability. Also, there are no pirates to fight, which is an easily fixed mistake (one sided builds reduce play options)

Build

There's a nice colour scheme, an original roof and a well positioned ladder, as well as a tall build make for an impressive structure, however the interior looks a little uninteresting ; I would add a few tables, barrels, maps and the likes. I would also consider making it possible to lift the staircase to add extra interior space. And finally, there could be a palm tree here and there ; the bushes already add some character to the build.

[janhansson]

Thanks for all the feedback and interesting suggestions for improvement. I have made some changes - I have included some images below my answers.

 

On 7/23/2023 at 5:30 PM, iragm said:

Nice build!  I like the color scheme overall: a great balance of tan, white, green and red.  And great use of darker colors down low, lighter colors higher up.

It seems like the sand (light tan) is a bit tall -- if it's meant to be rocks, why not use gray instead?

The structure itself is a bit uninteresting and could benefit from having the rule of thirds applied to it -- a higher section with a tower or a lower balcony would be welcome.  I like the dock and the gate; they work well and look nice.

The roof is perhaps not as sloped as it might be, although this may not matter in the hot carribean climate.

The minifigures look nice and work with the set.  Good work overall!

The lighter tan is supposed to be small bastions built by stone and earth. I considered light and dark bluish gray as well as white and yellow, but I felt tan felt more natural. I have made some changes to get the roof more sloped.

On 7/23/2023 at 7:11 PM, Rogue Redcoat said:

First, I love the new minifigs, and the roof has a great pattern, I do have some suggestions though. First, I want to see the inside, Although you mentioned supplies and a gun rack we can't see them. Second, the red bricks give a 2015 feel if it goes with Eldorado I think you should go for a better look with these Plate, Round 1 x 2 with Open Studs : Part 35480 | BrickLink. Third, the roof as @iragm suggested does need to be sloped more, but lastly the island need rocks and some light blue water underneath, then I think it could pass for a lego set, great start though, Anyway Happy building. :)

The tower can now be taken off, to better show the guardroom. The masonry bricks have been replaced. I tried switching the water color to light blue.

23 hours ago, Horation said:

A good idea, but it could use a few improvements

Theme

I quite like the idea for the fort, and the large amount of space on it is a nice change from the small builds one sees around here. Unfortunately, that space is lightly used ; there's room aplenty under the grass for a jail cell, a storage room or anything you want, but it's hidden by a staircase. Personally, the explanation makes little sense ; a fort should have it's own dungeon, and it would add playability. Also, there are no pirates to fight, which is an easily fixed mistake (one sided builds reduce play options)

Build

There's a nice colour scheme, an original roof and a well positioned ladder, as well as a tall build make for an impressive structure, however the interior looks a little uninteresting ; I would add a few tables, barrels, maps and the likes. I would also consider making it possible to lift the staircase to add extra interior space. And finally, there could be a palm tree here and there ; the bushes already add some character to the build.

I added an underground storeroom. As it seems it also doubles as a place for the soldiers to "forget" prisoners. (There is not enough height underground to fit a normal cell door, but I think this works.)

I will build something for the pirates, but it still remain to be done.

The soldiers probably cut down all palm trees to not obstruct their cannons, but I have added a little more greenery on the ground level.

 

The updated fort from the front with the updated masonry and roof. (And the water is a lighter blue - is this better that the earth blue base plate?)

 

 

The backside

 

The guardroom

 

A ladder leads into the underground.

 

The combined underground storeroom/dungeon.

 

[iragm]

1 hour ago, janhansson said:

And the water is a lighter blue - is this better that the earth blue base plat

IMHO yes -- it's at least more modern, and so it better fits with the colors in the rest of the build.

The newly angled roof is a great improvement, and the brick-built masonry is wonderful, much more intricate and detailed than just using 1x2 masonry bricks.  Nice work!

 

1 hour ago, janhansson said:

The lighter tan is supposed to be small bastions built by stone and earth. I considered light and dark bluish gray as well as white and yellow, but I felt tan felt more natural

The weakest part of this design is now the dark tan/tan base.  If this was constructed by people, it's a bit too uneven: something as simple as a couple masonry bricks or a small 1x2 log profile wooden retaining wall would go a long way towards saying "people built this".  But if it was carved by wind and water, it's too regular, especially the lower dark tan part where there's a lot of 2x2 slopes.

 

1 hour ago, janhansson said:

The combined underground storeroom/dungeon.

Adds a wonderful play features and makes good use of the lower area!

 

I really dig this update, it's greatly improved over the original.  You've done an amazing job incorporating feedback, something few people can do.

[Rogue Redcoat]

The updated fort from the front with the updated masonry and roof. (And the water is a lighter blue - is this better that the earth blue base plate?)

The underground storeroom looks great (perhaps an old cannon and some more barrels could do, Idk?), so does the greenery and I belive that the light blue base plate adds a nice touch to make it a bit more "Lego" like. Thanks for the prompt updates to the build (I always love that) :)

[Horation]

18 hours ago, janhansson said:

I added an underground storeroom. As it seems it also doubles as a place for the soldiers to "forget" prisoners. (There is not enough height underground to fit a normal cell door, but I think this works.)

I will build something for the pirates, but it still remain to be done.

The soldiers probably cut down all palm trees to not obstruct their cannons, but I have added a little more greenery on the ground level.

 

The room and the added foliage work really well! I'm looking forward to those pirates and I really enjoy how you actually listen to the comments and often make compromises that work well, it feels fulfilling to be listened to.

[janhansson]

Thanks for the kind comments and additional ideas. See the end of this post for some pirates!

On 7/25/2023 at 12:28 AM, iragm said:

IMHO yes -- it's at least more modern, and so it better fits with the colors in the rest of the build.

The newly angled roof is a great improvement, and the brick-built masonry is wonderful, much more intricate and detailed than just using 1x2 masonry bricks.  Nice work!

 

The weakest part of this design is now the dark tan/tan base.  If this was constructed by people, it's a bit too uneven: something as simple as a couple masonry bricks or a small 1x2 log profile wooden retaining wall would go a long way towards saying "people built this".  But if it was carved by wind and water, it's too regular, especially the lower dark tan part where there's a lot of 2x2 slopes.

 

Adds a wonderful play features and makes good use of the lower area!

  

I really dig this update, it's greatly improved over the original.  You've done an amazing job incorporating feedback, something few people can do.

I have added a few modified bricks into the bastion walls now. For example:

 

 

On 7/25/2023 at 12:30 AM, Rogue Redcoat said:

The updated fort from the front with the updated masonry and roof. (And the water is a lighter blue - is this better that the earth blue base plate?)

The underground storeroom looks great (perhaps an old cannon and some more barrels could do, Idk?), so does the greenery and I belive that the light blue base plate adds a nice touch to make it a bit more "Lego" like. Thanks for the prompt updates to the build (I always love that) :)

I will have to consider this for a bit. I could add a few things, but there still nee to be some room if the soldiers need to chain more pirates down there.

 

On 7/25/2023 at 5:29 PM, Horation said:

The room and the added foliage work really well! I'm looking forward to those pirates and I really enjoy how you actually listen to the comments and often make compromises that work well, it feels fulfilling to be listened to.

OK, here comes the pirates! I first thought to build a raft, but then I found some pieces that seemed to want to be part of a boat, so I built that instead!

First the crew

 

And here is the boat itself

'

[Horation]

The boat is nice and simple, but it could use a little less black at the front. overall it's a very sucessful boat design for such a small build.

[Rogue Redcoat]

I love the idea to include a small boat with some pirates, for the boat I would try to make the bow a little more curved (and maybe add a small figurehead). As for the colors try and continue the white stripe around the front and I think it might look better if it were just 1 brick width and not 2 for the stripe. Anyway, Happy building :)

[iragm]

Yes, as others said, the little boat adds a tremendous amount of play value to the set and really brings it to life.  As others said, continue the white stripe on the hull if you can.  A jib could be a good addition.  And your flag is facing the wrong way :)

The tiller is great, quite unusual to see a design like that, but it works perfectly.

A small figurehead, something as simple as a skull or a white bird, would add some interest to the boat.

[Mazin]

I like the build and idea, however it's a mixture of simplicity and waste of material at the same time in my opinion. It's just that's it's a very simplictic design which sits on an extremely big pile of bricks for sand  ;) 

Thus, maybe this lower part could be transformed into something playable too? Like hidden quarters or ammo depot under that grass perhaps? 

[janhansson]

Thanks again for all the good suggestions!

I have narrowed down the white line and continued it around the entire hull, trying to get the bow a bit more curved in the process. There is now a figure head (and I decided to name the boat "The jolly skeleton" after it). I tried adding the jib sail from the Eldorado fortress' boat (basically the only official LEGO sail that could work). I am not sure how well it works, since it has a different color, but it may be realistic to think the pirates stole it from another ship. Please let me know if you think this is better than having no jib sail. Finally I turned the flag the right way, thanks for pointing that out. 

On 7/26/2023 at 11:41 PM, Horation said:

The boat is nice and simple, but it could use a little less black at the front. overall it's a very sucessful boat design for such a small build.

 

On 7/26/2023 at 11:56 PM, Rogue Redcoat said:

I love the idea to include a small boat with some pirates, for the boat I would try to make the bow a little more curved (and maybe add a small figurehead). As for the colors try and continue the white stripe around the front and I think it might look better if it were just 1 brick width and not 2 for the stripe. Anyway, Happy building :)

 

On 7/27/2023 at 1:04 AM, iragm said:

Yes, as others said, the little boat adds a tremendous amount of play value to the set and really brings it to life.  As others said, continue the white stripe on the hull if you can.  A jib could be a good addition.  And your flag is facing the wrong way :)

The tiller is great, quite unusual to see a design like that, but it works perfectly.

A small figurehead, something as simple as a skull or a white bird, would add some interest to the boat.

 

[Horation]

Before it looked good, now it's excellent, and don't worry too much about the sails ; most people have no clue how they're supposed to go, so I'd personally remove the jib since the weird colour differences (even with your good explanation) look a little strange.

[iragm]

The boat looks great now, the only suggestion I have is to make the sails match -- either the tan or the red/white striped are good, just not when used together.

[Rogue Redcoat]

Yeh, I agree with others, the updates look great but the front sail needs to match the other striped one, or just get rid of it. 

[janhansson]

Again thanks. I have removed the jib sail, and have updated the initial post with some new pictures.

 

On 8/1/2023 at 11:00 PM, Horation said:

Before it looked good, now it's excellent, and don't worry too much about the sails ; most people have no clue how they're supposed to go, so I'd personally remove the jib since the weird colour differences (even with your good explanation) look a little strange.

 

On 8/2/2023 at 1:55 PM, iragm said:

The boat looks great now, the only suggestion I have is to make the sails match -- either the tan or the red/white striped are good, just not when used together.

 

On 8/2/2023 at 4:57 PM, Rogue Redcoat said:

Yeh, I agree with others, the updates look great but the front sail needs to match the other striped one, or just get rid of it. 

 

[Rogue Redcoat]

It looks perfect now and thanks for taking all of our creative critics into consideration! But now that this one is complete I might ask... What's next... another entry... ? (because I hope so :)

[janhansson]

13 hours ago, Rogue Redcoat said:

It looks perfect now and thanks for taking all of our creative critics into consideration! But now that this one is complete I might ask... What's next... another entry... ? (because I hope so :)

I will post at least one more entry, hopefully today. A small remake of an old set this time :)