[ENTRY] Rock Island Refuge (Now Finished)

[CaptainDarkNStormy]

Update: I tried using black and I like the look a lot better. Yall were right!

Yeah I know the crane looks familiar. I wanted to make it brown but don't have some of the necessary parts to do it. I did change the crank mechanism though.

4 hours ago, Mazin said:

Love the overall design, custom sail is impressive, Your pirate is a very intruiging character and i guess he's got this love-hate relationship with his seagull sidekick ;) Awsome. And that Barrel with fish is a a nice addition too. Should he get a fishing rod or a spear to be able to hunt them tgo? Or perhaps his seagull is specificay trained for this purpose and he's angry that she doesn't want to do her job ;) 

Speaking of barrels tho, maybe You could use their covers to replace those two central elements in the base of the raft? I mean, wooden stuff is very nice, but i'm not a fan of those shiny pieces sitting between them :) 

I have a net I can add to it for him to catch fish with! Agreed about the tiles. I'll fix it.

3 hours ago, F1stzz said:

Banger  Tho I guess a paddle is needed for the scallywag to steer it 

Thanks! Yes a paddle is needed for a rudder!

 

5 hours ago, CAESARBLACK said:

I like this alot.
I would try to make it somewhat modular like the eldorado remake. 

Thanks! Modular will be difficult because of the rope bridges.

 

4 hours ago, MstrOfPppts said:

The raft looks nice, I like the sail! I'd switch the black with either brown or dark tan also looked good in some other raft entries.

Good suggestion!

[Aanchir]

Oh, this is coming along very nicely! It's very neat how you've replaced some of the arched windows from the original set with crumbling, cracked stone walls, It really helps the architecture look a little bit more gloomy and foreboding compared to the pristine and stately look of Imperial buildings, while still being formidable enough to endure enemy cannon fire, and solid enough to provide the pirates with plenty of cover while defending their territory!

The rope bridge design you've come up with looks very attractive. I do worry somewhat that the planks might come loose easily during play, given that they're only attached from above, and only by single-stud connections — but I suppose that could be a play scenario in and of itself, given how common it is in fiction for bridges like this to come apart as characters are crossing them! The stone staircase is also nice, but it should probably be at least one stud wider (as it is, it seems one of their arms would end up colliding with the wall of the jail cell if they tried climbing up or down the stairs).

I love that you've included a hammock (it surprises me how rarely I see hammocks in Pirates sets and MOCs)! I sort of wish there were a second one attached above it like how you'd sometimes see hammocks arranged board a ship, but I understand that you may only have one of these hammock pieces. I also kind of wonder whether it might look better if the hammock posts extended from the floor to the ceiling, so they would be like structural elements of the fort instead of just furniture? Your choice, obviously!

The rock that slides away to reveal a hidden entrance is both a classic play feature and an iconic feature of adventure/treasure-hunting stories, and you did a beautiful job integrating this one in a way that it is well concealed, but still opens nice and smoothly! The little hidden treasure niche on the dock also adds some great play value.

You did a beautiful job with the raft, too, but I do think that you either add either an attached steering oar like in the original set, or a loose oar piece for the pirate to hold for slightly better control of where he's going!

Now, on the negative side: as it is, the colors of the model feel pretty far removed from the original set. Replacing some of the grey stones of the foundation and entrance ramp with mossy green ones would help it to resemble the original set better, and as a bonus, would help the island stand out better from Eldorado Fortress than it does currently. Changing the fort's walls to black with occasional grey stones also helps, but I wish you hadn't done away with the cracked "window/peep hole" in the crane tower's wall as part of that process. It did a lot to make the wall feel less "flat", and also to add some play value so pirate gunners could use it as a loophole to fire at enemies from. from.

[durazno33]

Looks like you're making some great progress.  I agree with what has been said about that raft. That's a great sail. Keep up the good work!

[Mazin]

 

Quote

I have a net I can add to it for him to catch fish with! Agreed about the tiles. I'll fix it.

Great! Fishnet is an interesting and original option :)

I see some extraordinary way You used for that bridge, btw, both of them. Hope all those elements would hold and not fall away tho :) 

And that's a lot of pineapples! I guess someone will finaly make a use of that kitchen area, and prepare a pizza feast :) 

Edited August 24, 2023 by Mazin

[Rogue Redcoat]

20 hours ago, CaptainDarkNStormy said:

Update: I tried using black and I like the look a lot better. Yall were right!

Aye, sometimes you just have to go for it  it looks amazing, and I hope it's finished in time :)

Edited August 24, 2023 by Rogue Redcoat

[MstrOfPppts]

Looks great with the black, it misses the window though. And now the rocks that are part of the wall make sense and it's more visually appearing when the building is of different color. I agree the crane would look better in brown for the wooden parts, the joints can still remain in the original colors. Would go perfectly with the pier.

[CaptainDarkNStormy]

23 hours ago, durazno33 said:

Looks like you're making some great progress.  I agree with what has been said about that raft. That's a great sail. Keep up the good work! 

Thanks!!!

On 8/23/2023 at 6:25 PM, Aanchir said:

The rope bridge design you've come up with looks very attractive. I do worry somewhat that the planks might come loose easily during play, given that they're only attached from above, and only by single-stud connections — but I suppose that could be a play scenario in and of itself, given how common it is in fiction for bridges like this to come apart as characters are crossing them! The stone staircase is also nice, but it should probably be at least one stud wider (as it is, it seems one of their arms would end up colliding with the wall of the jail cell if they tried climbing up or down the stairs). 

 

15 hours ago, Mazin said:

I see some extraordinary way You used for that bridge, btw, both of them. Hope all those elements would hold and not fall away tho :) 

I used the rope bridge design in my Forbidden Island MOC and it's worked quite well. Fairly sturdy but won't hold up to rigorous play. Unfortunately the staircase cannot be widened without drastic changes to the entire model. The stairs go under the rear rope ladder so space is limited.

On 8/23/2023 at 6:25 PM, Aanchir said:

The rock that slides away to reveal a hidden entrance is both a classic play feature and an iconic feature of adventure/treasure-hunting stories, and you did a beautiful job integrating this one in a way that it is well concealed, but still opens nice and smoothly! The little hidden treasure niche on the dock also adds some great play value.

Thanks! I figure a real Lego designed set would have features like that so I tried to include them where possible.

On 8/23/2023 at 6:25 PM, Aanchir said:

I love that you've included a hammock (it surprises me how rarely I see hammocks in Pirates sets and MOCs)! I sort of wish there were a second one attached above it like how you'd sometimes see hammocks arranged board a ship, but I understand that you may only have one of these hammock pieces. I also kind of wonder whether it might look better if the hammock posts extended from the floor to the ceiling, so they would be like structural elements of the fort instead of just furniture? Your choice, obviously!

Thanks! I found that hammock on Bricklink last year and knew it would be perfect for stuff like this. I need to get more! I ended up just going with the posts as is.

On 8/23/2023 at 6:25 PM, Aanchir said:

You did a beautiful job with the raft, too, but I do think that you either add either an attached steering oar like in the original set, or a loose oar piece for the pirate to hold for slightly better control of where he's going!

Thanks, I added the rudder!

On 8/23/2023 at 6:25 PM, Aanchir said:

Now, on the negative side: as it is, the colors of the model feel pretty far removed from the original set. Replacing some of the grey stones of the foundation and entrance ramp with mossy green ones would help it to resemble the original set better, and as a bonus, would help the island stand out better from Eldorado Fortress than it does currently. Changing the fort's walls to black with occasional grey stones also helps, but I wish you hadn't done away with the cracked "window/peep hole" in the crane tower's wall as part of that process. It did a lot to make the wall feel less "flat", and also to add some play value so pirate gunners could use it as a loophole to fire at enemies from. from.

Yeah I really liked the window too. I might go back and add it again. I added lots of vegetation to the final product too to differentiate it from Eldorodo, plus some green studs on the ramp!

5 hours ago, MstrOfPppts said:

Looks great with the black, it misses the window though. And now the rocks that are part of the wall make sense and it's more visually appearing when the building is of different color. I agree the crane would look better in brown for the wooden parts, the joints can still remain in the original colors. Would go perfectly with the pier.

Yeah I liked the window too!

 

6 hours ago, Rogue Redcoat said:

Aye, sometimes you just have to go for it  it looks amazing, and I hope it's finished in time :)

Challenge Accepted!

[Rogue Redcoat]

Aye, it's finished and it looks awesome , My only suggestions are adding a bit more fortress to that cannon, and maybe fixing the boxes with food to look like a small market, other than this the entry looks great :)

1 minute ago, CaptainDarkNStormy said:

Challenge Accepted!

Yay 

[Mazin]

6 minutes ago, CaptainDarkNStormy said:

Thanks!!!

 

I used the rope bridge design in my Forbidden Island MOC and it's worked quite well. Fairly sturdy but won't hold up to rigorous play. Unfortunately the staircase cannot be widened without drastic changes to the entire model. The stairs go under the rear rope ladder so space is limited.

Thanks! I figure a real Lego designed set would have features like that so I tried to include them where possible.

Thanks! I found that hammock on Bricklink last year and knew it would be perfect for stuff like this. I need to get more! I ended up just going with the posts as is.

Thanks, I added the rudder!

Yeah I really liked the window too. I might go back and add it again. I added lots of vegetation to the final product too to differentiate it from Eldorodo, plus some green studs on the ramp!

Yeah I liked the window too!

 

Challenge Accepted!

Very cool updates, glad You've made it, i thought that it looked good enough without that crow's nest already, but with it, well, it's somewhat unexpected and unique i guess ;) little tribute to the Forbidden Island set i suppose? :) 

And the beach looks so much better now. Good job. Characters seem interesting as well, surely would like to feast with them, i miss that original raftman tho ;)  But hopefuly he will resurface in some future moc ;) 

[CaptainDarkNStormy]

15 minutes ago, Rogue Redcoat said:

Aye, it's finished and it looks awesome , My only suggestions are adding a bit more fortress to that cannon, and maybe fixing the boxes with food to look like a small market, other than this the entry looks great :)

Oh good call!

 

5 minutes ago, Mazin said:

Very cool updates, glad You've made it, i thought that it looked good enough without that crow's nest already, but with it, well, it's somewhat unexpected and unique i guess ;) little tribute to the Forbidden Island set i suppose? :) 

And the beach looks so much better now. Good job. Characters seem interesting as well, surely would like to feast with them, i miss that original raftman tho ;)  But hopefuly he will resurface in some future moc ;) 

My wife thought it needed a crow's nest. It was a last minute addition. I'm glad you like the beach. And don't worry, he'll be back!

[Rogue Redcoat]

9 minutes ago, CaptainDarkNStormy said:

Oh good call!

Aye, but wait is that @Mister Phes, what happened 

 

[Mister Phes]

12 minutes ago, Rogue Redcoat said:

Aye, but wait is that @Mister Phes, what happened 

Overworked due to running a LEGO Pirates fan community and hosting a contest - can be fatal!

 

On 8/22/2023 at 11:22 AM, CaptainDarkNStormy said:

Wow!

But as mentioned elsewhere - it looks like it needs more greenery.

Probably because of the use of the smaller palm leaves.  Needs the large, classic palm leaves like the original set.

 

[CaptainDarkNStormy]

42 minutes ago, Mister Phes said:

Overworked due to running a LEGO Pirates fan community and hosting a contest - can be fatal!

 

Wow!

But as mentioned elsewhere - it looks like it needs more greenery.

Probably because of the use of the smaller palm leaves.  Needs the large, classic palm leaves like the original set.

 

Alight, more greenery it is!

[MstrOfPppts]

Well this turned out a lot better than the direction the initial image was going for. At least for my taste that is. I do agree that there is some space for more greenery. In some places it feels a bit rushed and unfinished - for example the back side could use a fence where the sleeping net is. Also the big plated are on top does not match the completely tiled ramp and feels a bit empty. And the sails of the bluecoats are of an inappropriate color. And to give it a more real set vibe you could easily skip a figure or just go with an updated version of the lineup from the original.

I really like the heightened crow nest, it's a nice addition.

[CaptainDarkNStormy]

8 hours ago, MstrOfPppts said:

Well this turned out a lot better than the direction the initial image was going for. At least for my taste that is. I do agree that there is some space for more greenery. In some places it feels a bit rushed and unfinished - for example the back side could use a fence where the sleeping net is. Also the big plated are on top does not match the completely tiled ramp and feels a bit empty. And the sails of the bluecoats are of an inappropriate color. And to give it a more real set vibe you could easily skip a figure or just go with an updated version of the lineup from the original.

I really like the heightened crow nest, it's a nice addition.

Yeah my wife suggested the crow's nest so the rope ladders and top bridge had a "destination" for the pirates to reach. I'm glad she thought of that. Now that I've had a few days to digest what I built, I kind of agree with the rest of your critique. My original thought was to leave some blank areas to have places for mini figs to be positioned or played with, as this is supposed to resemble a proper set and not a pure MOC. After looking at it though it does have an empty feel. Same thing with the greenery. I felt like it looked more lush in person than in the photos.

[durazno33]

Box it up and start taking orders. This looks great! I just rebuilt my copy of this set a few days ago so it is nice to see the improvements that you have made. I like the crow's nest tower. It provides a reason for the bridges to nowhere that were present in the original. I see you changed the sail color on the small boat from blue to red. I like this color change choice. 

I think my only complain is that one dark grey 2x2x3 slow you have half way up the ramp. I don't mind the lower one as it is close to the other grey ones but that one seems bit far up from the rest of them.

[iragm]

This really came together very nicely!  In no particular order, some thoughts:

The toucan egg is too large, part 58176 in white would work better.

The raft is wonderful and could hold its own in the mini set category.

The baseplate has too much gray plate on the top of it -- it's quite a large, flat,  undecorated area.  The tiling and detailing on the ramp is great though; any chance of continuing that on the top of the baseplate?

The colors and masonry are good, nice work taking feedback from people in this thread.  I especially love the water and use of dark tan as wet sand.

Your minifigure selection is excellent.

All in all, a wonderful build.  There's another quite similar rock island refuge remake in this contest and I must say I really love all the many great details you've added to this.  Very very nice, I would buy this if it was an actual set.

 

[hatchpattern]

Great overall design. Very true to the original set.
I think that the original set lacked alot of visual integrity.
The buildings always look like they are going to fall over.
I think that the addition of the articulated stones help make the build feel stonger.
I do think that the walls need more integration with the floor, but that's neither here nor there.
Great work, I love that you adapted the design over time. Editing is always welcome.
Pen's down when the timer is up.
Keep up the great work!

[CaptainDarkNStormy]

7 hours ago, durazno33 said:

Box it up and start taking orders. This looks great! I just rebuilt my copy of this set a few days ago so it is nice to see the improvements that you have made. I like the crow's nest tower. It provides a reason for the bridges to nowhere that were present in the original. I see you changed the sail color on the small boat from blue to red. I like this color change choice. 

I think my only complain is that one dark grey 2x2x3 slow you have half way up the ramp. I don't mind the lower one as it is close to the other grey ones but that one seems bit far up from the rest of them.

Thanks. I might have to scour Bricklink for a good used one now. This one I never had as a kid. If you want this one, I'll have instructions made and loaded onto Rebrickable by the time the contest is over.

Yeah you're right about that DBG Slope. I'll have to swap it for an LBG one.

 

6 hours ago, iragm said:

This really came together very nicely!  In no particular order, some thoughts:

The toucan egg is too large, part 58176 in white would work better.

Oh good call I didn't even think of using one of those. I'm not sure if I have one in white but they're cheap on Bricklink.

6 hours ago, iragm said:

The raft is wonderful and could hold its own in the mini set category.

Thanks!

 

6 hours ago, iragm said:

The baseplate has too much gray plate on the top of it -- it's quite a large, flat,  undecorated area.  The tiling and detailing on the ramp is great though; any chance of continuing that on the top of the baseplate?

 

Yeah I should go ahead and do that. I'll look better and more consistent.

 

6 hours ago, iragm said:

Your minifigure selection is excellent.

Thanks! My son always swaps out minifig pieces so everything is mix and match now. I tried to keep them in line with the crew of the original set.

 

6 hours ago, iragm said:

All in all, a wonderful build.  There's another quite similar rock island refuge remake in this contest and I must say I really love all the many great details you've added to this.  Very very nice, I would buy this if it was an actual set.

Thanks, and if you really want to build it stay tuned to Rebrickable.

6 hours ago, hatchpattern said:

Great overall design. Very true to the original set.
I think that the original set lacked alot of visual integrity.
The buildings always look like they are going to fall over.
I think that the addition of the articulated stones help make the build feel stonger.
I do think that the walls need more integration with the floor, but that's neither here nor there.
Great work, I love that you adapted the design over time. Editing is always welcome.
Pen's down when the timer is up.
Keep up the great work!

Thank you so much!

[Brickshipyard]

I really do like your spin on the Rock Island Refuge! The custom base is no easy feat. I experienced this difficulty last year when building my own custom R.I.F. Fortress. I ultimately went with the first Ninja walls to keep it simplified because the rock shaping is intense! You did a good job all the way around. What I like more are the pops of color and the characters each have a distinct personality. Lots of ropes, bridges, and cliffs for some fun adventures. Hard to decide if your R.I.F. or the other entry is better, both are really solid! I may have to vote for both ;). Good luck in the contest!

[CaptainDarkNStormy]

Update!

Version 2.0 is out! I remade it more in line with my other MOCs utilizing trans blue tiles for the water. The rockwork is all SNOT built now. Other suggestions from some of yall were implemented as well.

Rock Island 2.0

Rock Island 2.0

Rock Island 2.0

Rock Island 2.0

[thewatchman]

This is wonderful!

 Maybe my favorite of your builds yet!!

[Yperio_Bricks]

Oh yes, the finished moc looks wondeful Great rockwork! I love that cozy spit of sand on the back.

[Rogue Redcoat]

Awesome, I love it now that it has a realistic look to it, and the rocks look great! 

[CaptainDarkNStormy]

On 10/25/2023 at 9:13 AM, thewatchman said:

This is wonderful!

 Maybe my favorite of your builds yet!!

Thank you!!! 🥰

 

On 10/25/2023 at 9:30 AM, Yperio_Bricks said:

Oh yes, the finished moc looks wondeful Great rockwork! I love that cozy spit of sand on the back.

Thanks! I really spent a lot of time on the rock work! I added that little sand bar just to have something besides water in that corner and it turned out nicer than I expected.

 

On 10/25/2023 at 1:48 PM, Rogue Redcoat said:

Awesome, I love it now that it has a realistic look to it, and the rocks look great! 

Thank You! I had lots of gray slopes and wedges I wanted to put to good use 😂