[ENTRY] 6281 Pirate's Perilous Pitfall Remake 2023

[Slegengr]

Return to Classic LEGO Pirates with this updated 2023 version of set 6281: Pirate's Perilous Pitfall!
Model contains about 2400 pieces and would retail around the same price point as the 2023 Eldorado Fortress.

 

With 5 minifigures, 2 animals, special features, and 6 play functions, hours of adventure await!

Model separates for a wider view and open play access:

Additional connection points are included on the edges of the main rock structure to allow for other models to be attached to expand on the set.

What is the meaning behind this spooky skeleton?  It may warn of dangers ahead!

Use the rock steps to access the platform:

Watchtower includes climbing ladder, a table and seats with a treasure map, and a hiding place for a chest of treasure at the bottom:

Crystals and stalactites fill the interior of the cave and rusty iron spikes protrude from the rocks beneath the bridge:

The golden crown is kept safe in the throne room.  What secret does the throne hide?

Pivot and fire the cannon on the dock, rotate the tiller of the sunken ship, and keep guard with the stern deck swivel guns:

"Cut" the ropes to allow the mast to topple!
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3.

Pull the rope to lift the bridge!
1.

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3.

Step on the bridge trapdoor and fall onto the spikes below, releasing the boulder avalanche!
1.

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3.

Pull the pin to release the throne trapdoor and drop unsuspecting adventurers into the prison below!
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 Look out for the crocodile if you try to escape the prison!
4.

Pull the string on the back cliff to lift the trapdoor and push in the pin to hold it in place:
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Spoiler

This model was built and rendered in Stud.io with intentions to make instructions and acquire the pieces to actually build this set.  A few pieces are designed in colors not currently available but would be part of the update into a modern set.  Actual build would use old/other colors, of course.

The sail is brick-built for this representation, but would physically be a cloth piece.

This was my first time rendering in Stud.io which went well overall.  I edited the background into the rendered images, so graphics are not as good as I'd like.

Background images are free downloads:
Paper: https://pixabay.com/photos/paper-old-texture-parchment-1074131/
Wood: https://pixabay.com/photos/wood-board-structure-boards-grain-591631/

I began planning this set 6821 remake right after the release of the updated Eldorado Fortress and was able to produce the initial model on the right timeline for this contest.

I hope you enjoy this Classic Pirates set remake!

Link to full image album on Flickr

Edited August 25, 2023 by Slegengr
Added Flickr album link

[MstrOfPppts]

A nice remake of a classic set, that doesn't seem so popular among the fans. The original looks a bit rushed and this updated version really is an upgrade in regards to that. Much more visually appealing, the heightened structure makes much more sense than the original baseplate. Almost looks like an abandoned concrete pier or a wall from what used to be a fort. The play features are cool and the trap door with the spikes at the bottom are original. Can't remember seeing such cruelty in a LEGO set! (: I really like the roped fence and the fact that it is modular and can be split in the water, which is another original idea in my opinion.

Though splitting the water is original, I think that the execution is a bit lacking. Works well for a MOC, but the waves are not something we would see in the LEGO set yet alone the one stud connections between the water plates. Probably such set would be a pain to move around. I think that the landmass should extend a bit further into the water to connect the water plates together without the use of the macaroni tiles. I'm also not too fond of the bridge, looks a bit too massive and bulky. As in most other entries I have to touch the brick built sail - a fabric one would be far superior! And another thing that needs an update are the minifigures. They use the very classic faces with simple dots for the eyes rather than updated versions which would fit your more modern approach and color scheme better.

Overall a really nice design!

[Fraunces]

Great remake for a set which deserves the attention! The updates look great on all front. Not really something LEGO would design but it it a very good MOC.

[Marooned Marin]

I can only applaud at the sheer amount of playability presented in this set! 

Great entry!

[Jack Sassy]

Cut me in pieces and roast me alive! This be a beautiful entry! 

 

I was just discussing this and other sets from the last Classic Pirates line up few days ago, glad to see this one remade. An astounding job! 

[Slegengr]

2 hours ago, MstrOfPppts said:

A nice remake of a classic set, that doesn't seem so popular among the fans. The original looks a bit rushed and this updated version really is an upgrade in regards to that. Much more visually appealing, the heightened structure makes much more sense than the original baseplate. Almost looks like an abandoned concrete pier or a wall from what used to be a fort. The play features are cool and the trap door with the spikes at the bottom are original. Can't remember seeing such cruelty in a LEGO set! (: I really like the roped fence and the fact that it is modular and can be split in the water, which is another original idea in my opinion.

Though splitting the water is original, I think that the execution is a bit lacking. Works well for a MOC, but the waves are not something we would see in the LEGO set yet alone the one stud connections between the water plates. Probably such set would be a pain to move around. I think that the landmass should extend a bit further into the water to connect the water plates together without the use of the macaroni tiles. I'm also not too fond of the bridge, looks a bit too massive and bulky. As in most other entries I have to touch the brick built sail - a fabric one would be far superior! And another thing that needs an update are the minifigures. They use the very classic faces with simple dots for the eyes rather than updated versions which would fit your more modern approach and color scheme better.

Overall a really nice design!

Thanks for feedback, MstrOfPppts!  I personally don't understand the dislike for the original set (though it does rely heavily on the raised baseplate, it is similar in complexity to what would be expected in sets of the time period).  It is one of my favorite sets and the first set that came to mind for a remake when Eldorado Fortress was released.  I had intentions to make an updated version of this set as a theoretical LEGO set even before this contest was announced.

The brick "raised baseplate" was intended to be an abandoned concrete pier as you mentioned, which is part of the reason the pavers on the top are at the same level (also to keep it similar to the original set).  All of the play features except the falling mast are in the original set and the concept of the falling mast comes from the ships of the same era as the original set.  Maybe the spikes are a bit cruel, but LEGO has included equally-cruel concepts in official sets, at least in my opinion. (Reference falling axe/spear traps; first one that comes to mind is the trap with 4 axes that swing down into the doorway of 6093 Flying Ninja's Fortress)

I definitely want to keep the water-splitting feature, though this is what I consider to be the weakest part of this design (both literally and figuratively).  After this original concept with the wedge/round plates for shaping the bottom of the raised part of the "baseplate", I have seen references that use the curved slope bricks like the sand in Eldorado Fortress 2023 which is a better solution for integrity and for simplification of keeping first layer at brick height rather than needing doubled plates to get to the same level.  Though not for this contest due to limited time, I am planning to redesign the base with this concept before making my physical version.  This should also help with being able to extend out the base over the water plate gaps for more connected strength.  The macaroni tiles are indeed a weak option.  I considered adding rocks in the water for better joints and will probably do so for the physical build, but went with the macaroni tiles here to keep the same color/appearance as the original baseplate.  I am open to and glad for suggestions to improve this design before physical build.  One limitation with the brick-height curved-slope sand is that it makes attachment of foliage more difficult, but it would probably still be fine with less foliage on the beach.  I wanted to "exactly" mimic the original baseplate, but will likely hold this limitation less crucial for the physical build, since playability and structural integrity are much more important.

The bridge is more bulky since the top beam is meant to be a log rather than a rope, not just a method of recreating the original rope bridge.  In actuality, a strictly-rope bridge like the representation in the original set could not be lifted with the pull-rope, as it would just collapse.  By using logs as the top beam, the bridge would be rigid for lifting.  Does this clear up the appearance of the bridge, or do you still think it is too bulky?

The brick-built sail is only a representation of what would indeed be actual cloth.  Though I plan to follow Marooned Marin's tutorial to learn how to make cloth sails in Stud.io, I did not have enough time to try this out for this build.

I'm curious about your recommendation on the minifigures?  Only one of the heads does not have the "pupils" in the eyes (the pirate captain), which happens to be one of my top favorite classic pirate heads. (I would love an updated version)
The other 4 minifigures are as updated as I think reasonably possible (even within Stud.io limitations), though I am open to suggestions.
I'd love it if LEGO would actually release the morion and breatplate in any of the newer molded metallic colors!

 

1 hour ago, Fraunces said:

Great remake for a set which deserves the attention! The updates look great on all front. Not really something LEGO would design but it it a very good MOC.

Thanks, Fraunces.  This is one of my favorite classic sets, and I first had intentions to make a modern update after the release of Eldorado Fortress 2023.
I would be interested to know which parts of this set are too MOC-like and not enough like an official set?
The design incorporates many typical limitations of an actual set.  The main issues I considered are how much foliage to include, an official set would not have the weakly-joined water plates with macaroni waves, and the sail would not be brick-built like this (which I did not intend for the real set and only did this for a Stud.io representation).  I thought the rest was reasonably limited to what could be official, but I am open to suggestions.  My intention, both for the contest limitations and for my planned physical build, were to make this as close as possible to what could be official.

 

13 minutes ago, Marooned Marin said:

I can only applaud at the sheer amount of playability presented in this set! 

Great entry!

Thanks, Marooned Marin.  The play features match the original set with the addition of the toppling mast (see my reply above to MstrOfPppts for more details) and are a big part of why I liked the original set (ignore the fact that the Pirates would have to rebuild the log watchtower every time the boulder rolled down and smashed through!).  I appreciate the response and am also interested in suggestions for improvement for my physical build.  The spark for remaking this set is with the intention to give it to my young nephews for a similar experience as when I was a child, so it needs to actually be a good play set!

 

15 minutes ago, Jack Sassy said:

Cut me in pieces and roast me alive! This be a beautiful entry! 

 

I was just discussing this and other sets from the last Classic Pirates line up few days ago, glad to see this one remade. An astounding job! 

Thanks, Jack Sassy!  As mentioned in above replies, I first got intentions to remake this classic set to give to my nephews after inspiration from the release of Eldorado Fortress.  It is one of my favorite classic sets (I have it, but missing the elusive red carpet trapdoor hinge...).
As mentioned in above replies, I am always open to suggestions for improvement before I make this a physical build, so let me know if you have any.

[Marooned Marin]

5 minutes ago, Slegengr said:

The play features match the original set with the addition of the toppling mast

Oh I never had this set growing up, I only got Forbidden Island and Caribbean Clipper, but I'll take your word for it.

As for suggestions for improvement, I'm many things but not very good critic. I think you pretty much nailed everything but the sails on the raft (huge anti-fan of brickbuilt sails) but that's entirely subjective. Many people really do prefer brickbuilt sails over the cloth! However, there is a chance you used them becasue Studio does not come with readily available library of sails. But really, this is not something even worth addressing from your side.

Again, great work and great entry!

[Slegengr]

51 minutes ago, Marooned Marin said:

Oh I never had this set growing up, I only got Forbidden Island and Caribbean Clipper, but I'll take your word for it.

As for suggestions for improvement, I'm many things but not very good critic. I think you pretty much nailed everything but the sails on the raft (huge anti-fan of brickbuilt sails) but that's entirely subjective. Many people really do prefer brickbuilt sails over the cloth! However, there is a chance you used them becasue Studio does not come with readily available library of sails. But really, this is not something even worth addressing from your side.

Again, great work and great entry!

I did not have the set while growing up but I did dream about it while looking at the Shop at Home magazines of the day.  As a working adult with disposable income, I have bought many second-hand lots for salvaging old sets and placed many MANY BrickLink orders to collect most of the classic sets (primarily Castle, Pirates, and Space) over the last several years and got all the pieces for set 6281 except the rare and absurdly expensive red trapdoor piece.

Indeed, the brick-built sail is just due to Stud.io limitations and will actually be made from printed cloth.  Incidentally, I'm working on some custom sails to import into Stud.io using your tutorial but cannot get the Github .py converter to run on my computer.

[durazno33]

This is a nice step up from the original. I like how clean your brown bridge is from the island to the shipwreck. It looks solid yet nicely detailed.

The one thing that stands out to me as a bit odd are the light tan colored "dried" fronds on your palm tree. The shape looks a little off to me. Are you representing the dried seed pods that some palm trees have? Or is it just dried palm leaves? I'm not sure what they are.

[Slegengr]

1 hour ago, durazno33 said:

This is a nice step up from the original. I like how clean your brown bridge is from the island to the shipwreck. It looks solid yet nicely detailed.

The one thing that stands out to me as a bit odd are the light tan colored "dried" fronds on your palm tree. The shape looks a little off to me. Are you representing the dried seed pods that some palm trees have? Or is it just dried palm leaves? I'm not sure what they are.

Thanks, durazno33!
The bridge was the first component of this set that I designed and it started from the need to have solid top beams for lifting the bridge with the rope.  I liked the way these pieces came together for function and aesthetics and am glad you like it also.

Yes, the tan curved slopes are meant to represent the dried fronds in a solid, simplified way that LEGO might actually use in a set.  It is blocky, but that makes it LEGO style, in my opinion.  Realistically, TLG would probably not include them (or even the coconuts) in an official set...

 

@Mister Phes Please add this to the Building Entries Index, thanks!

Edited August 25, 2023 by Slegengr

[Mister Phes]

1 hour ago, Slegengr said:

@Mister Phes Please add this to the Building Entries Index, thanks!

Your wish is my command - done!

[Rogue Redcoat]

I love this, tons of playability and a great-looking set to play or display, here are my suggestions, when I was thinking, about the rudder and saw the cannon I was like, wait that rudder is useless so why not make it move the cannon, and while there is not much time left in the contest I would love to see this. I would also like to see a bit more living space for the pirates, perhaps they use the ship as an armory, the tower as eating and sleeping space? Also for the bridge, I would like to see one made of String with End Studs 21L overall with Rope Climbing Grips (16.1cm) : Part 63141 | BrickLink as some other builders have done. Other than this I am very impressed with your work but you left me lost with those Brick, Modified 1 x 1 with Open U Clip (Vertical Grip) - Solid Stud : Part 60475 | BrickLink on all sides of the build, near the bottom, are they used for something? Anyway, Happy building :)

[Slegengr]

8 minutes ago, Rogue Redcoat said:

I love this, tons of playability and a great-looking set to play or display, here are my suggestions, when I was thinking, about the rudder and saw the cannon I was like, wait that rudder is useless so why not make it move the cannon, and while there is not much time left in the contest I would love to see this. I would also like to see a bit more living space for the pirates, perhaps they use the ship as an armory, the tower as eating and sleeping space? Also for the bridge, I would like to see one made of String with End Studs 21L overall with Rope Climbing Grips (16.1cm) : Part 63141 | BrickLink as some other builders have done. Other than this I am very impressed with your work but you left me lost with those Brick, Modified 1 x 1 with Open U Clip (Vertical Grip) - Solid Stud : Part 60475 | BrickLink on all sides of the build, near the bottom, are they used for something? Anyway, Happy building :)

Thanks for feedback, Rogue Redcoat!

I know the rudder is technically useless since the ship is sunken, but I still thought it was a "play feature" to include.  I'm not sure I understand how you would suggest making the tiller move the cannon?  The cannon and tiller/rudder are far apart and would likely require mechanics with a drive belt/chain which would be too complicated for an actual LEGO set, in my opinion.  I find the idea intriguing, just not sure how to make it work?

Limited living space is due to basing this directly on the original set.  I did add a table to the throne cave that was not in the original set, but additional details seemed to exceed the limitations I assume for LEGO set design.  A MOC would certainly include more details.

Thanks for the suggestion on the rope bridge.  My method for the bridge design was determined by a need for a stiff upper beam so the pull-rope could realistically lift the bridge.  Since others have used your suggested design idea for the rope bridge and since my design should not be floppy, it was a conscious design decision on my part to not use your suggested piece/method even though I tried a few designs with that piece.  For a true hanging rope bridge, that design with the string with climbing grips is still my favorite modernization of the rope bridge piece.

Though the clips and bars on the baseplate similar to 10320 Eldorado Fortress are not used in the set, their inclusion is with the idea of modular expansions that would come in other sets of the theoretical new Pirates wave.  I have always loved modular designs, especially in the classic Castle sets with a portion of wall, so I added attachment points and intend to develop sets in the future to attach here.  I'm starting down a path of modernizing many of my favorite childhood sets to make into physical sets to gift to my nephews so I can help give them a similar childhood experience to mine with the classic LEGO sets.

[Rogue Redcoat]

1 hour ago, Slegengr said:

Though the clips and bars on the baseplate similar to 10320 Eldorado Fortress are not used in the set, their inclusion is with the idea of modular expansions that would come in other sets of the theoretical new Pirates wave.  I have always loved modular designs, especially in the classic Castle sets with a portion of wall, so I added attachment points and intend to develop sets in the future to attach here.  I'm starting down a path of modernizing many of my favorite childhood sets to make into physical sets to gift to my nephews so I can help give them a similar childhood experience to mine with the classic LEGO sets.

Aye, I see for the cannon you might be able to pull off something with this part Plate, Round 2 x 2 with 6 Gear Teeth / Flower Petals: Part 35442 | BrickLink with Turntable 2 x 2 Plate with Light Gray Top (3680 / 3679) : Part 3680c01 | BrickLink. Other than this, I get what you said, but I love the fact that you are remaking these sets, keep up the good work 

[MstrOfPppts]

Yes I know that the trap door was there in the original set, but the spikes underneath are a new addition. Cruel was meant more as for fun, I in particular like that detail.

Yes I understand the bridge concern and it makes a lot of sense for I agree that the original was kind of funny in how it worked. Yet I'm used to seeing a hanging bridge and this one just takes much more space. I like the approach of another entry with a hanging bridge that can be pulled ashore by a rope rather than being lifted up.

As for the liking of this set, I think that it all comes to the age and weather you owned this set or not. I believe it must have a significant value to someone owning it. But if you grew up with the older classic pirates and loved the aesthetics of those sets, nothing comes close to that. Besides this set was released to the very end of the original pirates theme and I think it is clear that they were slowly running out of ideas. It also upgraded the color scheme to include the few brown pieces from the western theme yet not enough pieces were produced to make al wood the same color. It is a bit of color mashup especially in the top right rocks part. And here I must admit that color wise your entry did a great improvement and is much more visually appealing!

Ah yes, now I see that there are some modern faces, I just had a look at the first head, and I presumed all are from the same era. It's kind of hard to see the pupils in these small images. Although I don't recognize the head with the gray beard ... anyway, mixing styles is even worse than going completely with the inferior style in my eyes. Since there are so many digital builds, I'm really surprised no one took the time to create their own updated decals to go along with the updated set! Or did I miss someone?

[Slegengr]

25 minutes ago, Rogue Redcoat said:

Aye, I see for the cannon you might be able to pull off something with this part Plate, Round 2 x 2 with 6 Gear Teeth / Flower Petals: Part 35442 | BrickLink with Turntable 2 x 2 Plate with Light Gray Top (3680 / 3679) : Part 3680c01 | BrickLink. Other than this, I get what you said, but I love the fact that you are remaking these sets, keep up the good work 

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm not sure it's a good fit for this set remake when trying to stay close to the original since the tiller and cannon pivot are so far apart.  I would rather not fill up the ship with mechanics since the empty skeleton of the ship is meant to function as battlements.  Since the firing action of the cannon requires hands-on play, pivoting the cannon with direct contact on the cannon seems better than remote lever control.  I appreciate the suggestions, as they help keep creative ideas flowing!
Taking a look back, I realize that there could seem to be an implication that the cannon pivot and tiller pivot are connected somehow, though this was not my intention. 

 

23 minutes ago, MstrOfPppts said:

Yes I know that the trap door was there in the original set, but the spikes underneath are a new addition. Cruel was meant more as for fun, I in particular like that detail.

Yes I understand the bridge concern and it makes a lot of sense for I agree that the original was kind of funny in how it worked. Yet I'm used to seeing a hanging bridge and this one just takes much more space. I like the approach of another entry with a hanging bridge that can be pulled ashore by a rope rather than being lifted up.

As for the liking of this set, I think that it all comes to the age and weather you owned this set or not. I believe it must have a significant value to someone owning it. But if you grew up with the older classic pirates and loved the aesthetics of those sets, nothing comes close to that. Besides this set was released to the very end of the original pirates theme and I think it is clear that they were slowly running out of ideas. It also upgraded the color scheme to include the few brown pieces from the western theme yet not enough pieces were produced to make al wood the same color. It is a bit of color mashup especially in the top right rocks part. And here I must admit that color wise your entry did a great improvement and is much more visually appealing!

Ah yes, now I see that there are some modern faces, I just had a look at the first head, and I presumed all are from the same era. It's kind of hard to see the pupils in these small images. Although I don't recognize the head with the gray beard ... anyway, mixing styles is even worse than going completely with the inferior style in my eyes. Since there are so many digital builds, I'm really surprised no one took the time to create their own updated decals to go along with the updated set! Or did I miss someone?

Thanks again for more comments.
Of course, since I included the spikes, I like that as a new detail as well.

I saw the other entry with the retractable rope bridge.  It is a creative and effective solution, but I prefer my design since this is a classic set remake and mine appears more true to the original.  Granted, opinions can certainly differ.

I'm sure that a significant part of why I liked the set is that it was released during a time of my peak childhood interest.  I'll always have that nostalgic connection even though I never got the set as a child (I've since BrickLinked the parts to now have the set) and spent hours dreaming over it in the LEGO Shop at Home magazines.  The Classic Pirates style is also a favorite of mine, since I first got started with LEGO products in the early 90's when some sets were still available.  I see what you mean with limited ideas and combination of color schemes.  When I first built my remake, I included only light gray rocks for the primary coloration for the entire build.  When reviewing the original, I realized that dark gray was used for the mountain, so I changed it to remain true to the original.  This combination also maintains the idea that there is a concrete pier next to a stone mountain cliff with the color difference.  Though I thought the original was fine for color choices, I do think this remake improves on the color scheme while still remaining reasonably true to the original.

I have a few newer heads that are better choices for the minifigures but were not available in Stud.io, so their inclusion will have to wait for the physical build.  Due to limited time and my recent introduction to the ability for custom Stud.io decals, I did not accomplish this for this entry and decided to just use what is available in Stud.io.  This is a whole new world of possibilities for me, though, as I will have this as a tool for future Stud.io builds!
The gray beard head was introduced on the Maharaja Llalu in the Adventurers Orient theme.  Technically, all of the heads I used are still relatively old (newest was from about 15 years ago), even though they include the pupil within the black eye.

[Rogue Redcoat]

44 minutes ago, Slegengr said:

Taking a look back, I realize that there could seem to be an implication that the cannon pivot and tiller pivot are connected somehow, though this was not my intention. 

No, I just wanted to make that rudder, well less useless, but perhaps I'm overcomplicating it, as they are pretty far apart :)

Edited August 25, 2023 by Rogue Redcoat

[Slegengr]

23 minutes ago, Rogue Redcoat said:

No, I just wanted to make that rudder, well less useless, but perhaps I'm overcomplicating it, as they are pretty far apart :)

Yeah, kind of interesting: you know what else is useless? The sail.
Maybe I could have made the tiller broken and used the port onto the deck into a gun port, though this would deviate from the original.

I also just realized that the sail should probably have a support frame so it can at least act as an awning.

The concept of reusing broken ship parts for alternate purposes may be further explored as I revise this set before making instructions and ordering parts for the physical build.

[Rogue Redcoat]

3 minutes ago, Slegengr said:

The concept of reusing broken ship parts for alternate purposes may be further explored as I revise this set before making instructions and ordering parts for the physical build.

I totally agree, just don't make the ship too much like a mini Pirates of Barracuda Bay :)

[JeffBuilds]

...I want to say something about Pirates' Perilous Pitfall...

 I never saw the point to it. It was, perhaps, the final set in the Classic Pirates wave (The greatest wave of Lego sets ever, 1989-1997), and it more or less... 'borrowed' generously, elements from two other sets in the wave, Pirates' Ambush, for the wooden tower and fortification, and Shipwreck Island for... the shipwreck Island, and used techniques we've seen before, like the retractable drawbridge. Only thing of note was the two-dimensional 'Indiana-Jones' Boulder trap.

 I say that, and stupid me, as a kid, wanted this for $60 when it first showed up at Toys R' Us. One passed through a local toystore I frequent, maybe ten, fifteen years later, and it appreciated in value to around $550 Dollars. I still wanted it, but I never actually got it-got it.

 

Those are my thoughts on the actual set. What do I think about this submission?

 I like the continuing trend of brick-built raised-baseplates! makes it more authentic! Also, the brick built sail is a plus too! it's not a repeat of the cloth sail from Shipwreck Island! And, Definitely tell me if I'm wrong, but if I remember correctly, the Mast on the ship wreck didn't have a collapsing playfeature, that was reserved for the ships from the '97 wave! That's also a plus! As is the rugged, more solid design for the draw-bridge. Doesn't look like a rope-bridge being pulled into the air!

 I don't think there was a spike trap beneath the trap door that triggers the boulder trap, but that's another plus as well!

 

It's my humble opinion, you took what was initially a Nothingburger of a set, and not just reimagined, revised, or redesigned it; You took it, 

 

and you OWNED it.

 Now, do I have anything negative to say about the set? Nah, I kinda put my all in that preamble about the OG Pirates' Perilous Pitfall. I ah... hope we can all still be friends after that, right?

[Mazin]

Excellent remake! You've turned one of the weirdest pirate sets into something realy attractive with an INCREDIBLE amount of ideas, that add so much value, playfeatures especially. Wow. Just wow. If this contest would offer prizes for them, You'd be one of the leaders. I'm absolutely stunned by Your carefull planning, and execution, as well as for Your very comprehensive explanations of how does all of this stuff work. Awesome.

I can't even decide what;s the best thing here, so many things to play with. And i'm not even the biggest fan of the boulder, it;s all of these drawbridges, pikes, traps, that drive me into it. And interconnections between different elements of it. And the build itself. Beautiful walkway on the that rockside. Awesome handrail. Briliant landscaping in a way that it's all work so well together now. Even the way You used ladders is very appealign. And towers are incredible. That smaller tower is a piece that i'd like to have in real life, to just sit there and read, relax... or write reviews of Lego sets ;)

And there's even a black pirate crest on that mountain. How cool is that!

And the fact that You've raised the wreckage a bit above the water is a good upgrade, as the way it was build originaly gave it very little playvalue and i pointed that in a previous entry of the same title. I think it could use a bit more thinking tho, to make it even more attractive, as it still just a wreckage. It;s good that these compartments can be used now for some plays, secret meetings, hiding, fights... but for example, i wish that it could be more accesible for that croc, so that it could use it a his lair.

Or that there could be a playfeature that could allow those compartments to be sort of "dried", or used as enclosed compartments, even prison cells, or that some part of it could be cut of from the water. BUT... all of this is nothing since You came up with that mast feature, genious! It add so many points to it;s overall value... that is IF folks reviewing it will learn about the way Your mast works. Cause it not that obvious from the top part of the presentation, and i guess plenty of people read only first words, and look at first few photos, unlikely to carefully go trough the entire story provided by builders. Initial photo may give some bad thought about the use of plastic sails, but i don't mind that, and those holes in material sort of make it excusable, very nice touch. And if they will see what this mast can do, they will fall in love with it. 

I wonder if that tiller can do anything tho? You wrote it can turn, but does it equals triggering some other hidden effect?

Still,  with so much briliant stuff here, who cares for the tiller? ;)

Then again You must remember that You've chosen one of the weirdest classic sets, it was nothing like Baracuda, or Eldorado, and some other popular sets that everyone loved and wanted and would love to see know. This one was forgetable, sort of like if the designers had to launch a certain number of sets into the market, but had very little time or budget or parts to properly focus on this one. And You sort of retained it;s unatractiveness. You broufgt plenty of upgrades, but i'm not sure if it will help to make it more appealing, they will find how great it is, if they will only be willing to go trough Your entire presentation. But the ugly truth is, the first impression is the most important and first impression here may tell people that it's still the same as it was, so there's no point to bother.  And so, in this way, You've definitely sucedeed as You did manage to bring this set back, adding so much playvalue into it. And some folks might have loved it back in the "good old days", every set has it;s haters and it;s commited fans, so You've provided it for them again, in a much nicer form. And that's Your victory. 

So, in order to make this set more appealing i guess it should be remodeled a bit, no idea how, but i think that this MASSIVE ROCK RANGE on the left could be the thing that should be developed in the first place. It looks nice now, but it;s sort of, a peaceful park. Between that tall tower and the smaller tower nothing realy happens. So perhaps a lot could be happening at least under that path, as it seems there could be plenty of room inside. With more hidden stashes. Perhaps a room full of stocked alkohol, that captain wants to hide from his subordinates? Maybe there should be an extra tunnel leading under it? One that could fit a simple boat. Or maybe, maybe, this rock range's tranquility is just a trick? Maybe it's a bogus area as it's in fact a concealed batter of cannons, that can pop out of the throwing iron right onto faces of shocked soldiers?   

Or maybe there could be a secret trench running between both towers? With those concealed cannons or not.

Just throwing ideas that could be used or nut. 

Then again, maybe if that wouldn;t be enough and this rocky parth could see some work on top of it. Like some small huts, booths providing supplies needed by every pirate or offering smuggled goos - rum, food, weapons, clothes, women, animal pets...

And again, as with many sets, minifigs are very important these days. Back during the classic run, they were sort of the same, now every line seems to force new exciting characters in, and people often seek them and buy sets based on the fact that they include specific figure/s not available any other way. And... well... Your minifigs aren;t anything special honestly. I like that You've used Armada soldiers, but out of five figures included, none are attractive to the point where someone would consider aquiring this set just to get them, altough i like that pirate with a parrot, and the one with bandana. 

    

[iragm]

This is a great remake of a mediocre set!  I love that the ship is fleshed out a bit more than the original, although the brick-built sail is not as good looking as a cloth sail would be, especially when viewed from the back. And yes I read the spoiler bit where you admit this.  The torn look on the front is surprising good!

The minifigures are good; the first one is an outstanding modernization of a classic figure, but the others are really just the original figures from the set.

The plant life is great, really well done.  Same with the rockwork, really excellent color usage there.

When the set separates, does the bridge lower down into the water?  Having an open display option like Eldorado has is a great idea, I'm just not sure how it works with that bridge.

The rope "cutting" feature is brilliant.  Actually, there's not much I dislike about this build!  Very nice work!

[Aanchir]

Absolutely outstanding work, especially for a set that originally left so much to be desired!

While most of the play features are direct reflections of ones from the original model, you have modernized and even improved on them in some lovely ways. I especially appreciate that you gave the suspension bridge rigid logs for support so that it can be more believable as a drawbridge, instead of the way the original set awkwardly implied a bridge made of ropes that were somehow just as rigid and inflexible as the plastic LEGO piece used to represent them!

You also did a great job giving the rolling trap a strong enough balance of curves and angles that it feels believably hewn from stone. It's hard to be sure in a digital model how smoothly it would roll with so many angular surfaces along its perimeter, but truth be told, the trap is probably just as dangerous (and no less believable) if it bounces or veers off course a bit before finally toppling over.

The spike trap looks very nice, especially with the spikes sticking out at different angles, but I kind of wish that the spikes were a metallic color — while there's nothing unrealistic about the spikes being coated in brown rust, brown horn pieces like this almost look more like flimsy wooden twigs/branches than rigid iron spikes at first glance.

In terms of aesthetics, you've really kept it true to the design philosophy of Barracuda Bay and the new Eldorado Fortress with its balance of classic colors and more naturalistic modern ones, as well as its stylish brick-built cliff faces. That said, you also made impressive use of brick colors like Sand Green and Olive Green (as well as extensive flower and plant pieces) to make this island seem believably wild and overgrown.

I also love the crystal formations in the prison cave and the skeleton's niche, which both brighten those areas up a bit with their sparkling reflections, and present a very different sort of nature motif than we've seen in any other recent Pirates sets. Likewise, I love that you kept the little waterfall from the original raised baseplate pattern! And the brick-built skull carvings on the mountain are a very creative addition — I'm impressed how convincing they look at such a small size!

Your redesign of the shipwreck is brilliant in its own right, although while the brick-built sail is extremely impressive from the front, the back looks rather messy (and not in a realistic tattered way). I understand that you were limited by the parts you had access to in stud.io and the challenge of digitally creating custom sails, though (I encountered the same issue in my own entry). Hopefully it won't cause you too many issues during the contest voting, considering how outstanding the rest of the model looks.

While the palisade wall motifs were already a distinctive feature of the original set, I like that you also extended them to the small platform attached to the bridge! That said, I'm a little iffy about the use of the 5x5 facet brick there, since that mold has not appeared in sets since 2002, and I feel like a different building technique using modern parts (such as attaching a palisade wall at an angle with either an A-frame plate or some type of hinge) would be both more believable for a modern set and more visually distinctive.

The interior furnishings of the pirate hideout are lovely! The throne in particular is a fantastic build. The only thing I'm surprised at is that you didn't change the color of the head holding the golden crown to something like Warm Gold/Pearl Gold, Brick Yellow/Tan, or even White that reads more clearly in this context as a statue/mannequin color instead of a minifig skin color!

All in all, you did an amazing job making this tropical island hideout look as beautiful as it is deadly! Fantastic work, and best of luck in the contest!

[Marooned Marin]

On 8/25/2023 at 12:24 AM, Slegengr said:

Github .py converter to run on my computer

Hmm, I noticed that this does happen when I bury the script somewhere deep on computer, for example: C:\localdisk\MOCs\MyIdeas\.....\Github

However, when I copy the folder with the github script on the Desktop, it works like a charm

Please check where have you made the folder and let me know if this helps. If not, you can send me the file and I can try to run it for you.

[Slegengr]

On 8/25/2023 at 11:18 PM, JeffBuilds said:

Spoiler

 

...I want to say something about Pirates' Perilous Pitfall...

 I never saw the point to it. It was, perhaps, the final set in the Classic Pirates wave (The greatest wave of Lego sets ever, 1989-1997), and it more or less... 'borrowed' generously, elements from two other sets in the wave, Pirates' Ambush, for the wooden tower and fortification, and Shipwreck Island for... the shipwreck Island, and used techniques we've seen before, like the retractable drawbridge. Only thing of note was the two-dimensional 'Indiana-Jones' Boulder trap.

 I say that, and stupid me, as a kid, wanted this for $60 when it first showed up at Toys R' Us. One passed through a local toystore I frequent, maybe ten, fifteen years later, and it appreciated in value to around $550 Dollars. I still wanted it, but I never actually got it-got it.

 

Those are my thoughts on the actual set. What do I think about this submission?

 I like the continuing trend of brick-built raised-baseplates! makes it more authentic! Also, the brick built sail is a plus too! it's not a repeat of the cloth sail from Shipwreck Island! And, Definitely tell me if I'm wrong, but if I remember correctly, the Mast on the ship wreck didn't have a collapsing playfeature, that was reserved for the ships from the '97 wave! That's also a plus! As is the rugged, more solid design for the draw-bridge. Doesn't look like a rope-bridge being pulled into the air!

 I don't think there was a spike trap beneath the trap door that triggers the boulder trap, but that's another plus as well!

 

It's my humble opinion, you took what was initially a Nothingburger of a set, and not just reimagined, revised, or redesigned it; You took it, 

 

and you OWNED it.

 Now, do I have anything negative to say about the set? Nah, I kinda put my all in that preamble about the OG Pirates' Perilous Pitfall. I ah... hope we can all still be friends after that, right?

Thanks for feedback, JeffBuilds!
Opinions on the original set do differ.  I don't think it was an outstanding set, but I do have nostalgia for it, think the overall presentation is decent, and really liked all the different play features and the fact that there are 4 primary structure types in the build: shipwreck, concrete pier, mountain with cave, and palisade tower (and platform with bridge).  Had there been more Armada sets made to compare to 6281, my opinions might be different, but I always liked the Armada and this set had one of my favorite minifigures growing up with the green "Captain Valiant" figure with the chrome breastplate.  The jungle setting made the set better in my mind, and something about some of the original artwork in the Shop-at-Home magazines has always been very appealing to me.  So, yeah, I have good associations with the set through nostalgia that not all others share, and I do understand the criticisms of the original set.  I think it is important to remember that this was originally a playset designed for children that, within the target age range, probably like the set in general and did not notice the flaws as much as AFOL's of today will notice them.

That being said, a strong part of my interest in remaking this set was to hopefully improve on or eradicate the flaws with the intention of completing instructions, sourcing parts, and making a box with bagged components to give this as a "set" to my nephews to share some of my nostalgia with them.

As an AFOL with a childhood through the peak era of raised baseplates and an AFOL today, I love brick-built remakes of the classic raised baseplates.  Eldorado Fortress had this to perfection, in my opinion, and I had a lot of fun with this set making the raised baseplate to appear as an abandoned section of a worn-out concrete pier.
I do like the result with the brick-built sail (except, of course, the messy back view trying to connect all the slopes in a decent manner even though I intend to make a cloth sail for the physical build; too bad there are not dual-molded 2-color plates, half red, half white! ...though I don't actually think this would be a worthwhile investment for TLG to make this type of piece, especially since the color combinations are almost limitless).
You are correct that the original shipwreck did not have a collapsing mast and I lifted the idea from the play feature on ship sets of the same era.  It makes a lot of sense on a shipwreck in my opinion, since the wood could be rotting away to the point of collapse.  Now, resetting it for future collapses may not be so realistic...
Adding solid logs to the top of the rope bridge was the first piece of this remake that I designed.  I work in structural engineering, so this was an absolute requirement!
Indeed, the original set did not have spikes under the trap bridge, but I felt they added a fitting Pirate appeal to the set and an extra element of play feature trying to avoid the spikes.  Falling from the trap bridge in the original set would not be fun, but left reasonable chance that the falling minifigure would survive without injury, come back around the pier, build a short bridge over the gap after the stone already fell, and make it safely into the throne room (where the fortunate adventurer would then trigger the throne trapdoor and fall into the crocodile cave anyways...).

I'm glad you like my redesign.  The main thing I am looking into now before proceeding with steps toward making this a physical unofficial set is that I would like to try to make the sand at the bottom with the same curved slopes and round wedge bricks as Pirates of Barracuda Bay and Eldorado fortress official sets to have a brick-height base rather than needing to build up a layer of plates atop the base layer to allow for the wedge plate shoreline.  I also plan to expand the shore a bit and add some extra rock structures to hold the base plates together without the curved wave tiles in this current render, as this is too weak of a design.

Of course we can still be friends. :)  Differing opinions are certainly allowable.
I appreciate your feedback.

 

On 8/26/2023 at 11:09 AM, Mazin said:

Excellent remake!

Spoiler

 

You've turned one of the weirdest pirate sets into something realy attractive with an INCREDIBLE amount of ideas, that add so much value, playfeatures especially. Wow. Just wow. If this contest would offer prizes for them, You'd be one of the leaders. I'm absolutely stunned by Your carefull planning, and execution, as well as for Your very comprehensive explanations of how does all of this stuff work. Awesome.

I can't even decide what;s the best thing here, so many things to play with. And i'm not even the biggest fan of the boulder, it;s all of these drawbridges, pikes, traps, that drive me into it. And interconnections between different elements of it. And the build itself. Beautiful walkway on the that rockside. Awesome handrail. Briliant landscaping in a way that it's all work so well together now. Even the way You used ladders is very appealign. And towers are incredible. That smaller tower is a piece that i'd like to have in real life, to just sit there and read, relax... or write reviews of Lego sets ;)

And there's even a black pirate crest on that mountain. How cool is that!

And the fact that You've raised the wreckage a bit above the water is a good upgrade, as the way it was build originaly gave it very little playvalue and i pointed that in a previous entry of the same title. I think it could use a bit more thinking tho, to make it even more attractive, as it still just a wreckage. It;s good that these compartments can be used now for some plays, secret meetings, hiding, fights... but for example, i wish that it could be more accesible for that croc, so that it could use it a his lair.

Or that there could be a playfeature that could allow those compartments to be sort of "dried", or used as enclosed compartments, even prison cells, or that some part of it could be cut of from the water. BUT... all of this is nothing since You came up with that mast feature, genious! It add so many points to it;s overall value... that is IF folks reviewing it will learn about the way Your mast works. Cause it not that obvious from the top part of the presentation, and i guess plenty of people read only first words, and look at first few photos, unlikely to carefully go trough the entire story provided by builders. Initial photo may give some bad thought about the use of plastic sails, but i don't mind that, and those holes in material sort of make it excusable, very nice touch. And if they will see what this mast can do, they will fall in love with it. 

I wonder if that tiller can do anything tho? You wrote it can turn, but does it equals triggering some other hidden effect?

Still,  with so much briliant stuff here, who cares for the tiller? ;)

Then again You must remember that You've chosen one of the weirdest classic sets, it was nothing like Baracuda, or Eldorado, and some other popular sets that everyone loved and wanted and would love to see know. This one was forgetable, sort of like if the designers had to launch a certain number of sets into the market, but had very little time or budget or parts to properly focus on this one. And You sort of retained it;s unatractiveness. You broufgt plenty of upgrades, but i'm not sure if it will help to make it more appealing, they will find how great it is, if they will only be willing to go trough Your entire presentation. But the ugly truth is, the first impression is the most important and first impression here may tell people that it's still the same as it was, so there's no point to bother.  And so, in this way, You've definitely sucedeed as You did manage to bring this set back, adding so much playvalue into it. And some folks might have loved it back in the "good old days", every set has it;s haters and it;s commited fans, so You've provided it for them again, in a much nicer form. And that's Your victory. 

So, in order to make this set more appealing i guess it should be remodeled a bit, no idea how, but i think that this MASSIVE ROCK RANGE on the left could be the thing that should be developed in the first place. It looks nice now, but it;s sort of, a peaceful park. Between that tall tower and the smaller tower nothing realy happens. So perhaps a lot could be happening at least under that path, as it seems there could be plenty of room inside. With more hidden stashes. Perhaps a room full of stocked alkohol, that captain wants to hide from his subordinates? Maybe there should be an extra tunnel leading under it? One that could fit a simple boat. Or maybe, maybe, this rock range's tranquility is just a trick? Maybe it's a bogus area as it's in fact a concealed batter of cannons, that can pop out of the throwing iron right onto faces of shocked soldiers?   

Or maybe there could be a secret trench running between both towers? With those concealed cannons or not.

Just throwing ideas that could be used or nut. 

Then again, maybe if that wouldn;t be enough and this rocky parth could see some work on top of it. Like some small huts, booths providing supplies needed by every pirate or offering smuggled goos - rum, food, weapons, clothes, women, animal pets...

And again, as with many sets, minifigs are very important these days. Back during the classic run, they were sort of the same, now every line seems to force new exciting characters in, and people often seek them and buy sets based on the fact that they include specific figure/s not available any other way. And... well... Your minifigs aren;t anything special honestly. I like that You've used Armada soldiers, but out of five figures included, none are attractive to the point where someone would consider aquiring this set just to get them, altough i like that pirate with a parrot, and the one with bandana. 

    

 

 

Thanks, Mazin!

The play value was a primary stand-out feature in my mind that made this set ideal for a remake.  Are there sets with more play features, especially after the easy introduction of the falling mast concept from ships of the same era as the original set?  Probably not many...  It was very fun designing the play features in a modern manner that still referenced the original, especially as I pictured playing these features with my young nephews once I physically build the final set.

The boulder is a bit strange, though I think it is a great inclusion in a playset.  It seems silly to me that the boulder likely poses no danger to the minifigure triggering its release, and silly that the boulder would likely roll right along the pier straight into the palisade tower, but it is still fun in my mind in a zany, LEGO play manner that does not always have to make perfect sense in physical parallel.

I'm glad you like the little details I tried to include in this update.  I also would like such a place to visit in real life, maybe with a few less real dangers, though.  The tower would be a nice place to build Pirate LEGO sets!

Since I had no good way to include the skull and cutlasses on the sail, I decided to embed them in the rock faces on either side of the rolling boulder (this adds some appeal to the back view of the model as well).  I was happy with this result in such small scale and wondered how noticeable this detail would be.

Nice suggestions with the shipwreck.  I do intend to add a few large stones supporting the wreck to make it fit in a bit better above the water line (and to provide attachment points for the base plates in an effort to eliminate the weak curved tile waves currently used).  The bare ribs of the hull were intended to add play value as you mentioned.  Since the crocodile's lair could be in the prison cave under the mountain, I did not make the shipwreck into a lair, but it is a great suggestion!  As should be remembered with any set, the mostly-empty interior was partially intentional as an opportunity for each builder to customize the interior as they chose with many options such as you suggest.  I prefer when sets leave some areas more open-ended rather than completing a single intention or storyline (which is also my primary dislike with licensed themes: too locked to a single storyline and not open enough to creativity like original LEGO themes with enough suggestions to help a storyline but no full completion/definition of the story).

I know presentation is always an issue, but I figured that those that find enough interest in my design will likely follow through each picture/step of the play features.  I'm fairly certain that there will still be many that only look at the first few pictures and skip most of the reading, but I still enjoyed making the details available for those who are interested enough to look into them.  The addition of the falling mast was a primary factor that made my decision to remake this particular set, as it seemed a fun and obvious inclusion to the play features!

The rotating tiller is kind of a silly inclusion as a "play feature" due to being useless, but it seemed to me like the kind of thing that TLG might mention on an official set.  Maybe it could be used to swat away the crocodile or a foe attempting to climb onto the deck, but it really is just a "play feature" by design default with no real intention of being very useful.  This is one area I am considering expanding on or adding to the design with a triggered effect of some sort, though it maybe will remain the same and should just not have been specifically mentioned.

Going into this remake of this particular set, I knew there would be a love/hate relationship for many people, but I have personal connection and interest in the original set and am planning to build this set to gift to my nephews, so I designed for my own interests rather than caring solely what all others would think about it.  As has been mentioned several times, some people did not like the original set, some view it indifferently, some liked it.  In the end, I liked the original set, chose it for the redesign, and have little concern whether or not others view this choice good or bad based on their opinion of the original set.  Of course, I am happy if others like this remake, but I enjoyed the design process and the plans for the physical build and interactions with my nephews regardless of this contest and final opinions of others.  I will mention, though, that I do appreciate the feedback and constructive criticisms offered by others, as it gives me new thoughts how it might be improved.
Another factor in this is that I prefer when a set remake stays true to the original as much as possible, sometimes even down to basic color choices matching the original, and a new design might as well be unique rather than basing it on an old set if it is not true enough to the original to feel almost exactly the same.  This has a specific effect on my design choices here even knowing that some may find this entry less interesting due to opinions about the original set that may still hold true to this remake.  I appreciate your detailed thoughts on this!

As to the long, flat, empty rock structure, it is intended to represent an abandoned and deteriorating concrete pier.  As such, though I started designing caves for added play features, I decided that it does not actually make sense in this case to have anything other than a solid rock pier (ignore the lack of explanation on how there could be a small waterfall coming out of the pier; it had to be included as a reference to the original raised baseplate even if it does not really make sense!).  If this design were an official set, I think there is enough play value elsewhere in the set and the concept of having an empty walkway atop the pier for tower and throne room access is enough of an explanation to leave the pier plain and solid, in my opinion.  Thanks for suggestions, but my preferred way to add play value is with additional sets/builds that attach to the connecting points to expand on the possibilities and storylines.  This is how I view official LEGO sets in comparison to MOC's: some features are left out to provide enough motivation to buy the other sets that could be included in the wave of sets.  This was, at least, my personal decision with this remake.  Though I did not have time to finish any  in time for this contest, I intend to design future additional sets to go along with this set for the physical build.  There will definitely be animals included in the expansion sets, since that is one significant limitation of the original set 6281 which is why there are only one parrot and one crocodile in this remake.

Pertaining to the minifigure designs, being a remake is a significant limitation in my opinion, since the minifigures need to match the originals enough to be recognizable.  I did make some modernizations within the limitations of availability in Stud.io and all figures would have updated versions of the torso prints (maybe some new head prints as well, though some of the heads will actually be updated versions that were not included here due again to Stud.io limitations) if this were to be an official set.  I plan to work with custom decals in the future in Stud.io but did not have enough time for this added benefit for this entry.  Personally, I really liked the design of all of the specific minifigures in the original set (maybe it's just my nostalgia speaking) and am happy with basic modernizations as shown.

Thanks again for detailed feedback!

 

On 8/26/2023 at 12:38 PM, iragm said:

This is a great remake of a mediocre set!

Spoiler

 

I love that the ship is fleshed out a bit more than the original, although the brick-built sail is not as good looking as a cloth sail would be, especially when viewed from the back. And yes I read the spoiler bit where you admit this.  The torn look on the front is surprising good!

The minifigures are good; the first one is an outstanding modernization of a classic figure, but the others are really just the original figures from the set.

The plant life is great, really well done.  Same with the rockwork, really excellent color usage there.

When the set separates, does the bridge lower down into the water?  Having an open display option like Eldorado has is a great idea, I'm just not sure how it works with that bridge.

 

The rope "cutting" feature is brilliant.  Actually, there's not much I dislike about this build!  Very nice work!

Thanks, iragm!

Though I did not know of the full extent of the dislike or lack of interest in the original set before deciding on this set for a remake, I was aware that there were several issues or oversimplifications in the original.  Since this was a set I dreamed of getting as a child, I have only good personal associations with the set even though I recognize limitations as an AFOL.
I was pleasantly surprised with the results for the brick-built sail tattering and see a benefit in the weight added by bricks for the falling mast play feature, but I am still heavily leaning towards a custom or original cloth sail.  Fleshing out the shipwreck and placing it at a tilt was one of my inspiring concepts toward deciding to remake this set, especially to add the falling mast play feature.

Since this is a remake, I wanted the minifigures to be as close to the original as possible.  Each figure has a few modernizations included and all would actually include new designs for the torso print (including front and back printing.  Due to time limitations and my introduction to the possibility for custom decals in Stud.io being too recent for any meaningful testing or experience, these renders are within the limitations of current availability within Stud.io and I was happy enough with the results.  The pirate captain in this original set has always been one of my favorite Piretes minifigures produced (I like the version with the cocked hat in set 6249 Pirate's Ambush even better), so I was also happy with the result in this modernized version.

I'm glad you also like the foliage and rockwork decisions.  Though it could be done better in a MOC and though I may be redesigning it somewhat if I change the sand to curved slopes at brick height, I thought this amount of foliage reasonable for an official set, though this set's jungle pier setting does require more foliage than was included in either of the official sets Pirates of Barracuda Bay or the 2023 remake of Eldorado Fortress.  The rockwork follows the same basic design concepts as the recent sets, so it is not original and is really just reconfigured in this design to match the original raised baseplate.  I'm still happy enough with the result.

Nope, the bridge does not (yet) lower into the water when the set is separated.  This is a major design flaw that requires either a redesign so it does lower into the water, or the inclusion of an additional set that would be some form of pier or boulder that replaces the cannon pier attached to the shipwreck removed during set separation.  This is an idea that I plan to work out in the future though it was not resolved before the entry deadline.  Definitely a significant limitation currently...

The shipwreck and falling mast play feature were definitely quite enjoyable to design.
Thanks for your feedback!

 

On 8/26/2023 at 1:41 PM, Aanchir said:

Absolutely outstanding work, especially for a set that originally left so much to be desired!

Spoiler

 

While most of the play features are direct reflections of ones from the original model, you have modernized and even improved on them in some lovely ways. I especially appreciate that you gave the suspension bridge rigid logs for support so that it can be more believable as a drawbridge, instead of the way the original set awkwardly implied a bridge made of ropes that were somehow just as rigid and inflexible as the plastic LEGO piece used to represent them!

You also did a great job giving the rolling trap a strong enough balance of curves and angles that it feels believably hewn from stone. It's hard to be sure in a digital model how smoothly it would roll with so many angular surfaces along its perimeter, but truth be told, the trap is probably just as dangerous (and no less believable) if it bounces or veers off course a bit before finally toppling over.

The spike trap looks very nice, especially with the spikes sticking out at different angles, but I kind of wish that the spikes were a metallic color — while there's nothing unrealistic about the spikes being coated in brown rust, brown horn pieces like this almost look more like flimsy wooden twigs/branches than rigid iron spikes at first glance.

In terms of aesthetics, you've really kept it true to the design philosophy of Barracuda Bay and the new Eldorado Fortress with its balance of classic colors and more naturalistic modern ones, as well as its stylish brick-built cliff faces. That said, you also made impressive use of brick colors like Sand Green and Olive Green (as well as extensive flower and plant pieces) to make this island seem believably wild and overgrown.

I also love the crystal formations in the prison cave and the skeleton's niche, which both brighten those areas up a bit with their sparkling reflections, and present a very different sort of nature motif than we've seen in any other recent Pirates sets. Likewise, I love that you kept the little waterfall from the original raised baseplate pattern! And the brick-built skull carvings on the mountain are a very creative addition — I'm impressed how convincing they look at such a small size!

Your redesign of the shipwreck is brilliant in its own right, although while the brick-built sail is extremely impressive from the front, the back looks rather messy (and not in a realistic tattered way). I understand that you were limited by the parts you had access to in stud.io and the challenge of digitally creating custom sails, though (I encountered the same issue in my own entry). Hopefully it won't cause you too many issues during the contest voting, considering how outstanding the rest of the model looks.

While the palisade wall motifs were already a distinctive feature of the original set, I like that you also extended them to the small platform attached to the bridge! That said, I'm a little iffy about the use of the 5x5 facet brick there, since that mold has not appeared in sets since 2002, and I feel like a different building technique using modern parts (such as attaching a palisade wall at an angle with either an A-frame plate or some type of hinge) would be both more believable for a modern set and more visually distinctive.

The interior furnishings of the pirate hideout are lovely! The throne in particular is a fantastic build. The only thing I'm surprised at is that you didn't change the color of the head holding the golden crown to something like Warm Gold/Pearl Gold, Brick Yellow/Tan, or even White that reads more clearly in this context as a statue/mannequin color instead of a minifig skin color!

 

All in all, you did an amazing job making this tropical island hideout look as beautiful as it is deadly! Fantastic work, and best of luck in the contest!

Indeed, most of the play features are updates of the original except for the falling mast and spikes under the trap bridge.  Redesigning and trying to improve them was very enjoyable.
As mentioned previously but I'll say again here: I work as a structural engineer, so the unsupported rope bridge during retraction with a pull rope could not remain!  The solid top logs and the hanging planks were the first part of this entire set remake that I addressed and completed.

The rolling stone really should not be permitted to roll very far, considering it would just run right into the palisade tower anyways!  This is certainly a sill design flaw from the original, and the angularity of the stone (and design in general) is driven by part limitations (not just in Stud.io, but TLG production as well, as far as I'm aware).  I was happy enough with this design for now, but may need to redesign after physical testing of this play feature.

For a Pirates set, I thought the spikes under the trap bridge would be fitting.  I'm still undecided on what color to use, as I can see your point.  These pieces are not currently available in dark/earth orange anyways, so I already have to decide if I will use metallic colors in the physical build.  Though some of the wrong appearance in this model seems to be due to rendering issues with the color and the shadows added from lighting, it still seems a bit funny to me to use the same color for the spikes as is used in some of the wood railing details at the palisade tower and cannon pier... I really want these spikes to appear rusty, though, and dark/earth orange seems to be the best color match for rusty iron.  If I use a silver color, the spikes may blend in too much with the rocks. Gold might be a passable compromise, but then they will look like an unrealistic waste of the pirate treasure (though ironic that a hopeful treasure thief may be injured by treasure).

As this was a distinctive goal, I am glad you think I kept well to the aesthetics and design philosophy of the official modern Pirates sets.  Since it is a classic remake, I wanted the colors to match the original as much as possible but still decided on a few updates for particularly strange colors.  The ship ribs/framing and platform surfaces, which would be wood, are still designed in black to match the original (a design choice that I personally appreciated in the 2023 Eldorado Fortress remake), but the yellow wood in the original railings was changed to dark/earth orange since yellow would not work well enough for me.  I chose to represent them as a wood color variation rather than as gilded(?) railing supports.  At one point, I had included masonry brick bricks in light gray, dark gray, and sand green for detailing, but changed them all to sand green since this is likely a limitation that would be applied in an official set, and was pleased with the results.  The same applies to the olive green corner slope bricks (still not sure if I wish they existed in green or if I do prefer the olive green, though I'm leaning toward the latter), so I think this piece shape is only included in the one color in the entire set.  I don't think this is an absolute design limitation for official sets, but do think it is something that would be taken into consideration since it would limit the number of stops/bins needed when filling the bags of pieces during manufacture of the set.

Ever since LEGO introduced the Slope 45 1 x 1 x 2/3 Quadruple Convex Pyramid, I've wanted to use it to make quartz crystals and thought this would be a fitting place to do so.  They add nice visual appeal with just a few parts and, though I have not researched the exact science behind crystal formation, seem to fit well with a cave and on rocks near water.  The choice of clear crystals in this application is a clear winner in my opinion (pun intended) as it adds a bit of distinction without standing out like other colors would.
There was no question in my mind that the waterfall had to be included since this is a remake of a classic set that had that detail in the baseplate (even if it does not really make much sense; what is the water source? ...it is still a fun detail).
Thanks for noticing and confirming my inclusion of the skull motif and cutlasses on the rock face (included on back and front).  I was pleasantly surprised with the results as well for such a relatively small scale.  It seemed believable enough to me to be included as a visual break in an otherwise-bare cliff face.

The tattering effect of the brick-built sail was surprisingly convincing to me even though I am still more likely to include cloth sails on the physical build.  Though I did not check into this during design and just stumbled across the concept while searching through curved slopes/wedges in Stud.io, I would not be surprised to find others using this same tattering technique, either in official sets or custom sets/MOC's with brick-built cloth.  I'm glad you like my design for the shipwreck.

Since the original set had the battlements on the lower platform in black, I assumed they were meant to be wood and reused the palisade design for a coherent design.  I used the facet brick to mimic the original, but I really like your suggestions to have angled log-brick palisade, especially since there is not really a good option to physically build the facet brick solution with available pieces in the right color.  This is definitely something I will look into for completing the process on this set for my nephews!

Since the plain red carpet of the original seemed too plain, I decided to include that throne for sitting to appreciate the crown treasure and am glad you also like this inclusion.  It adds a bit of fun to the trapdoor play feature, since a minifigure should be able to be seated on the throne while the trap is activated.
The head for the crown is in Stud.io and will certainly be physically built in gold.  The render gives a strange appearance due to pearl gold being contrasted with chrome gold.  It should look better in the physical build.  Note that Captain Buck o' Neer's epaulets are also pearl gold and appear similar to yellow in the close-up render of the throne room. (P.S. The captain is not named officially so I made up a name in the style of most of the 90's official names; eventually I'll have to make an additional set for the island of Neer, maybe Fahr as well; intentionally cheesy, I know)

 

On 8/27/2023 at 2:30 PM, Marooned Marin said:

Hmm, I noticed that this does happen when I bury the script somewhere deep on computer, for example: C:\localdisk\MOCs\MyIdeas\.....\Github

However, when I copy the folder with the github script on the Desktop, it works like a charm

Please check where have you made the folder and let me know if this helps. If not, you can send me the file and I can try to run it for you.

Thanks for checking into this.  I originally copied the script to a flashdrive, but also tried and failed with a direct download and unzip to desktop.
As a work-around, I did find a free online converter that served my purposes, though I did not yet get my unit conversions to work perfectly and had to use some random scaling factors to transfer into Stud.io.  For my other entry, Sailor's Hideout, I got custom sails to work, although I still need to learn how to properly apply decals to curved surfaces so the sails could be striped instead of tan matching the color of the sand.  For some reason, when I applied a striped image decal, the stripes only applied to a portion of the curve and I could not find a way to change decal application depth to go around the curve.

Edited August 28, 2023 by Slegengr