[ENTRY] Forbidden Cove

[TomSkippy]

Forbidden Cove. I remember buying this set when I was 9. Enchanted Island was out of the question. This was my consolation. I loved the rotating face. I loved that it had extra Islander hair (the Kahuka mask was awesome, but I already had him, I needed more soldiers). The happy sandy beaches, the imposing tropical tower. Good times.

With so many others remaking Enchanted Island, and with  so much time spent on Saber Island, I thought this would be a fun project.

The thatched roof does work with real bricks, there can be a little tension on stray cactus pieces, but nothing worse than being stored in a plastic tub with 6000 other pieces. The frame holding it up is sturdy.

Islander minifigures are sourced from the new Indiana Jones set. The triangle stonework is as well.

I'm sure you'll notice several things. Yes, I took 90% of the Tiki mask from the new Indiana Jones set. Yes it is crooked. And no, I'm not sure what that red stuff is in the little pool.

If you straighten the Tiki mask, a door to the cave opens up!

Inside we have headless skeletons strewn around, some roots, and a golden treasure. With real bricks you'll want to grab x276 (Sun Disk from Amazon Ancient Ruins) or 73681 (Golden Idol from Indiana Jones), but since those models aren't in Stud.io I used a skull with metallic gold. 

 

If you turn the zebra-print drum on the back...

   

The mouth opens! The gap is enough for a figure to squeeze through (2 studs wide by 4 bricks tall).

 

There you have it. Flickr album is right here

Rebrickable instructions will eventually be up. Got a few more contest builds first! 

Let me know what you think!

Edited August 16, 2023 by TomSkippy

[iragm]

Very nice build!  It really feels like a modernized Islanders set.  Great play features and many wonderful techniques used.  I am not sure about the fleshie Islanders in a classic set, but everything else is so nice that I can look the other way.

The cave in the back looks too small to be able to position the blue pirate minifig in, an extra stud of height, or the ability to remove the roof would make that easier.  The 2x2 islander drum tile should be on a drum, not mounted on the wall.  Apart from that, this is wonderful!  The skulls on spears are my favorite part, very clever and simple design.

[Mazin]

Ok, first i'm a bit confused if it's a remake of Forbidden Cove or a set simply inspired by FC, i believe You should clear that up in Your post's name as it's important to know which category does it fall into :) 

It's definitely a very nice MOC, with lots of work, thaught and nice details, and I realy like the overlll look with all those plants, "the face", and those spikes with skulls by it are just awesome! And that crest on the back, characters seem to be an interesting group as well. But i thing that islander's boat is a bit unfitting in there, he seems to be out of place, gone fishinh, You know. A classic canoe or a raft, even a small catamaran with a sail would work better in there.

Then about the island, i think that it might be a bit overfocused on that roof. If it was a display piece, then it's completely understandable, but with a playable set and with Lego's simoplicity i'm not sure if it this part needs so much detail, especially that nothing's realy happening under that top, it's just a watch tower, all we can do is put that single guy in there and seems that's it, with very little space from what i can see.  

And then, with the whole impressive rock structure under it, it seems there should be much more room inside. Seeing the first picture i was sure they would be a whole compartment in there, with the tower thing being detachable perhaps, at least my mind got used to that idea after seeing mane previous entry ;)

Anyway, right now i have this feeling that this area is a bit "undeveloped", too tiny, and there could be more inside. Tho, using that golden skull is nice and original idea. With so many Pirate sets providing hidden treasure i believe they could make a rule that every chest and every secret stash could host a different special item, to trigger the 'collect them all" trend among fans ;) So that's a big plus!

With the crest behind, maybe i'm a purist, but i think it could use, ekhm, symmetry? I like the fact that if gives as such pieces as the tamtam and islanders' shield, and those spears, and the mask. The playable feature You've mentioned is cool too, but maybe there could be two tamtam used on both sides, or two shields, for both esthetics and to make players choose which tamtam/shield is right? And if he would pick the wrong one, it could trigger a trap... but i know, i know, Your set is probably done now and it wouldn't be easy or possible to implement any drastic changes, especially that You want to focus on other entries, but it's worth and fun to discuss such possibilities, so that maybe this set could look even better in the feature.

So, to sum it up...

The good stuff: nice overall look making it a very displayable build, great work on decorative elements, interesting characters and pieces included, and the GOLDEN SKULL as a special item, not available in any other Pirates set! ;)

On the dark side: uniteresting replacable kayak, very little space inside the rock, and not a lot of playvalue within the island itself, as it's just a huge rock, with highly detailed roof realy, that i'd probably dismantle for pieces rather than use constantly ;) 

 

Edited August 16, 2023 by Mazin

[MstrOfPppts]

I think it's pretty clear that this is a remake even if just by the topic title. I think it's a bit too far on the MOC side for passing as a LEGO set. Especially the very parts intensive palm tree, roof top and the greenery on top of the rocks. I agree that the canoe is a bit out of place and the islanders should remain classically yellow. Else it's a very nice creation and the main head statue looks awesome replicating the shape of the original. Sadly the cave is too small to fit the boat as in the other entry, which in my opinion was the main play feature!

[Yperio_Bricks]

Great entry! I am not so much a fan of the old bushes but here they work well for the roof. The red pillars and classic parrot add a nice splash of color to the whole set. The big Tiki face with the accompanying skulls and spears looks fantastic! You also make good use of some of the pieces and colors from the Indiana Jones Temple and most notably the indigenious warriors! Great set all around

[xoona]

Very cool set. I like the greens around the base.

[Yoggington]

I have no critiques but I just wanted to comment to say how much Iove that roof. You've got a new flickr follower eager to see what you come up with next.

[TomSkippy]

On 8/16/2023 at 8:56 AM, MstrOfPppts said:

I think it's pretty clear that this is a remake even if just by the topic title. I think it's a bit too far on the MOC side for passing as a LEGO set. Especially the very parts intensive palm tree, roof top and the greenery on top of the rocks. I agree that the canoe is a bit out of place and the islanders should remain classically yellow. Else it's a very nice creation and the main head statue looks awesome replicating the shape of the original. Sadly the cave is too small to fit the boat as in the other entry, which in my opinion was the main play feature!

I definitely need to simplify the greenery.

The palm and other beach plants are less parts intensive than the PoBB set, the palm is just a trunk and double layer of leaves.

unless you’re talking about the bar fence, the roof doesn’t take many parts at all since the plant pieces do most of the work.

@Mazin it’s a remake of forbidden cove. If you look at the original, they’re almost identical (the dimensions are close as well). The original literally WAS a roof on a rock!

I’ll get another render, the cave inside is tight, but accessible. You can fit two figures inside and there is some depth. there are some roots and webs on the walls (to cover up all the technic gears allowing the rocks to open (have to gear down to open the side door in 1/4 turn). There are also headless skeletons on the floor. 

I could work on a small catamaran and see about something else for the inside.

@iragm When you say the drum tile should be on a drum, do you mean it should sit somewhere and face vertical instead of horizontal? Because it is on a 2x2x1 round red brick. 

@Yoggington Thanks for the follow!

Thanks for all the encouragement!

 

[iragm]

21 hours ago, TomSkippy said:

When you say the drum tile should be on a drum, do you mean it should sit somewhere and face vertical instead of horizontal?

Yes, exactly -- it's an animal skin of some kind, I think, and it looks odd to see it as a wall decoration.  It would make more sense if it was somewhere the Islanders could use it as a drum, or, if you want to be creative with it, have it as a skin being "dried" vertically on a Plate, Modified 2 x 2 with Bar Frame Octagonal or a Plate, Modified 2 x 2 with Bar Frame Square.

[Rogue Redcoat]

A great set, my only ideas are swapping out the fleshy figures (although they do look great ) I would also add the canoe instead of the kayak, and perhaps a way to get up into the tower. As for the colors, I would add a bit more red or yellow for a throwback to the old sets, anyway, I love your builds, so happy building :)

[Aanchir]

Huh, interesting re-imagining of the original set! I like the use of bush pieces for the thatched palm-leaf roof, even if the tall peaked roof is a considerable departure original set. The colorful triangular tiles and stone details on the large statue also feel very in keeping with the Islander design language with its bold colors and patterns, even in different colors than were available to 90s set and graphic designers! I feel like a lot of people re-imagining the Islanders sets this radically would try and tone down the colors out of some misguided sense of "realism", so I appreciate that you went the opposite direction and really emphasized the islanders' artistic expression.

I also appreciate that you were thoughtful about making treasures something other than the more European-inspired golden goblets and coins from the original sets, even if you were limitted by the parts available on Stud.io and ended up defaulting to a European-style crown as a placeholder anyhow. This is one of the big changes I would hope to see if LEGO ever did create a new non-licensed islander faction! The use of Kahuka's skull over the crossed spears is also quite nice, though I agree with some of the other commenters that the circular animal skin doesn't make much sense on the wall there — frankly, I'm not a fan of that specific print in general, since it resembles zebras more than anything, and zebras certainly don't live on islands!

One thing that bothers me is that by reimagining the model as an island/peninsula, the name "Forbidden Cove" no longer makes much sense! A cove is usually a type of coastal inlet or a sheltered bay with a narrow opening to the sea, and in the context of the original set this presumably referred to the  waterway that leads into the treasure cave/grotto, but could also refer to an circular/oval-shaped bay that the set's coastline sits at the edge of. But in this case you've removed that narrow waterway, and a peninsula like this would generally not be found extending into a sheltered bay. That said, this re-interpretation does still fit with many of the European set names which instead refer to the model more generically as a "treasure cave".

The use of fleshies alongside standard yellow minifigures also feels odd to me, but I understand that this is a matter of personal preference, and that you were not necessarily aiming for a strictly "set-like" design. I have much stronger negative feelings about the  "red stuff in the little pool".  It feels like an unpleasant echo of the sort of savage/barbaric stereotypes of their cinematic and literary precursors which make me less comfortable with the Islanders sets in hindsight — despite how much I loved them as a kid, and how much effort the various LEGO Pirates marketing teams undertook to present the Islanders as a humane and civilized people and rightful masters of their land and treasures.

I have similar feelings about the skulls on spears. In that case it's at least a little bit easier to interpret as decorative carvings of skulls to serve as warning totems, rather than the remains of actual human/minifig victims, but I would still probably be more comfortable if they were animal skulls (like the cow skull, which could also allow you to attach horns like on some of the similar warning totems from the original sets) or a stylized skull mold like these ones introduced for the Ninjago theme.

In any case, I recognize that a lot of this stuff comes down to your tastes differing from mine, and I'm in no place to say what you should or shouldn't do with your own MOC. Moreover, I can appreciate its outstanding creativity and technical innovations, regardless of these various misgivings. Admittedly, some of these factors might limit its appeal in the contest voting, depending on how many voters feel similarly about that stuff. But regardless of whether it does well or poorly in the polls, it's still a very impressive creative achievement!

[durazno33]

This is excellent! The design is well done, colors are spot on. I like the color choice for the blue pirate torsos so that they stand out in the build from the earth tones. The roof is great the rock, sand, and water look good. The height of the build and framing is just right so that the picture looks like a pyramid which is a pleasing shape. I can't say I have any real suggestions. Well done!

[TomSkippy]

Changed the Islander minifigs to yellow, added a toucan, swapped the kayak for a little catamaran, and simplified the foliage to be more Lego Co.

@Aanchir I appreciate your comments, and you are absolutely correct about the pool and the skulls/totems. It's changed. And while the water passage couldn't be brought back, it is no longer an island. 

@iragm (and others). The zebra drum rotation in the back has to stay. I tried several other methods, but unfortunately, the color and classic use of the (albeit weird) zebra pattern needs to stay. Mounting it on a 2x2 plate with bars (as a 'skin') looks strange there (though would be awesome in other builds), using other patterns looks out of place (whether the newer aztec shield from the CMF line or the Indiana Jones or a custom Jaguar skin). Moving the drum to a "playable" position is a great idea. Maybe I'll do that sometime in the future, but I have one last competition build to finish, and moving all the gears/axles is more than I currently have time for. Besides, I like the "coat of arms"/logo look of the back (using the main iconic Islander pieces)... not having the zebra is missing something.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and critique. 

 

[Rogue Redcoat]

I looks great now, just change that blue float to red, but I love that blow dart, another Indiana Jones reference :)

[Glowboy]

I like the use of turquoise pieces, you don't see that too often and I think you use it to great effect!

[Fraunces]

Wow, really great work. This feels exactly how I think LEGO would remade Islanders, the athmosphere is just right. The original set was my friend Pirates set, so this remake really hits a different spot!

[Yperio_Bricks]

So i was browsing the forum and ended up at your flickr @TomSkippy and only today i noticed the coconut build. That's simply ingenious. So good!