[ENTRY] Sailor's Hideout

[Slegengr]

Adventure awaits at the Sailor's Hideout!
Based loosely on Classic Pirates set 6258 Smuggler's Shanty, this is a new set using similar building techniques introduced in the updated 10320 Eldorado Fortress.
Designed as a set that will be completed (including instructions and box) in physical bricks for a birthday present for my nephew, the building techniques are very sturdy and fairly basic in the style of an official LEGO set.

Set includes 2 sailor minifigures, a monkey, a shark, a parrot, and a crab.

Watch out for the mischievous monkey and the pesky shark!
Use the fishing pole to catch fish and hang them to dry on the shack roof beams.
Take a nap in the shack on the rug made from an old sail.

Island Front:

Island Rear:

Dig up the buried treasure under the campfire:

Sail the dory up to the pier:

Dory (sails are new parts and will be made custom for the physical build; probably with color stripes but I could not get the image to apply properly in Stud.io part designer):

Full album of images on Flickr

...and I forgot the string for the fishing pole before rendering the images!  There will be one included in the physical build and one would be included in the theoretical set.

I should mention that some of the design decisions for the dory are based on discussions about @Marooned Marin's design for Sloop Windy.  Credit to Marooned Marin for the spar attachment to the mast, and this is not a mini set entry so it will not compete against Sloop Windy in the contest.  No design stealing/infringement is intended.

(@Mister Phes for indexing, thanks!)

Spoiler

Wood background image is free from pixabay: https://pixabay.com/photos/wood-board-structure-boards-grain-591631/

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by Slegengr

[Mister Phes]

6 minutes ago, Slegengr said:

(@Mister Phes for indexing, thanks!)

It has been added to the Entries Index!

[Rogue Redcoat]

Very nice, the small dory and a relaxing island were a good call, and it has everything one could want, animals, a boat, minifigures, and gold. The only thing I would change is the seaweed, I don't quite understand the medium azure 1x2 clip instead of the 1x1 clip. Other than this I would say to change the monkey but it's not in stud.io so, anyway happy building :)

[Slegengr]

7 minutes ago, Rogue Redcoat said:

Very nice, the small dory and a relaxing island were a good call, and it has everything one could want, animals, a boat, minifigures, and gold. The only thing I would change is the seaweed, I don't quite understand the medium azure 1x2 clip instead of the 1x1 clip. Other than this I would say to change the monkey but it's not in stud.io so, anyway happy building :)

Thanks for the feedback, Rogue Redcoat!
The use of the 1x2 clip is intentional to provide extra attachment over seams between the water plates at the base of the build.
Though the monkey included in an actual set would certainly be the single-piece monkey as included in the 10320 Eldorado Fortress, as my set is designed to be made into a real, personal set to gift to my nephew for his birthday and I have strong preferences for the poseable monkeys as well as around 20 extra monkeys right now collected over the years from used lots, the choice for the old monkey was no question for me.

[Rogue Redcoat]

2 minutes ago, Slegengr said:

I have strong preferences for the poseable monkeys as well as around 20 extra monkeys right now collected over the years from used lots, the choice for the old monkey was no question for me.

Aye, a man who has his monkeys in order, while I on the other hand first don't like the look of the old one and don't understand why Lego never made the newer one poseable, anyway I still think the seaweed should still be on a 1x1 as you said the set is very sturdy any way so I think your good in that department :)

[hatchpattern]

This is gorgeous island set. I can see this as a series of island pieces for a larger cast away island.
This might be the outermost dock allowing larger ships to dock nearby. The balance of parts and shapes is nice.
The wooden columns really feel that they are embedded into the ground.
I think it would be nice to see a palm tree on site to compliment the palm frond roof.
Keep up the great work!

[Slegengr]

1 hour ago, hatchpattern said:

This is gorgeous island set. I can see this as a series of island pieces for a larger cast away island.
This might be the outermost dock allowing larger ships to dock nearby. The balance of parts and shapes is nice.
The wooden columns really feel that they are embedded into the ground.
I think it would be nice to see a palm tree on site to compliment the palm frond roof.
Keep up the great work!

Thanks for feedback, hatchpattern!  Small island builds like this will always be of interest to me.  They offer so much for playability as nice small sets.
The pier is a bit small for ships to dock, but the dory could bring in crew or cargo from ships to shore.  Having columns in between the corner sand slopes definitely worked nicely for revealing the posts embedded in the sand.

I considered adding a palm tree, but decided the island was not large enough for it without appearing cluttered.  I guess the only trees on this island were cut down to make the shanty.

Though not for this contest, there will be more MOC sets and classic set remakes to follow, as I plan to keep making sets for my nephews so I can relive my childhood and share the experiences with them.

[MstrOfPppts]

Nice layout for a new set. No doubt your nephew will like it though for an AFOL I think that the square and straight hut build has more like a 4+ feel to it. Also the double thickness of the pier does not help in that regard. I guess that the pillars do need some more detail. Besides the very same hidden stash build was already introduced in another entry as well as a few similar rudder solutions. I'm not trying to say that you did not come up with the idea yourself since great minds think alike they say. It's just that this entry does not include much originality to stand out.

Else I like how you filled the gaps between the leaves which was a problem in past sets using this technique for a roof. I also like the red and green combination for the boat. But I don't understand the change of monkeys hands color since the TLG uses the race neutral yellow.

[Fraunces]

You got the charm of the old sets and the fanciness of the new sets! Really good!

[Mazin]

Interesting idea. I think that the roof maybe a bit overplanned for such a little and simple structure, perhaps an island could be bit bigger too since You've decided to abandon original version's simplicity for more carefully designed set. 

Using fireplace to cover a secret stash is excelent, it's been done here and there, but it's always somewhat unique way to hide things, and i don't recall it being part of Lego sets before ;)

I also like the idea with fish being hanging there, to either dry or as a sort of decoration ( maybe both ), but i wodner if it couldn't be done better. I mean, sticking them like that by their mouth might be a bit too simple. Maybe there could be away to install some hooks. And to be honest, because they hang on this side, the other side seems a little empty, so i'd suggest adding some other quipment to the opposite section of the hut, like a musket and an axe for example. 

And the parrot on the top screams to me that it could be an idea for some roof decoration. Wooden parrots or somesuch. Not sure if it could be done, and where would he take all the needed materials from, but we can always dream ;) Besides, he did build this hideout somehow. And got wood for fire from somewhere, maybe from that guy with a boat ;)

Also the best way to enchance this sets attractiveness would be to replace that fellow with epoulettes with someone more interesting. I don't mind the bearded guy, but the guy in the boat looks just dull. 

Anyway...

I'm realy looking forward to see the version You'll do for Your nephew tho :) At least, i hope You will share that box art and finished present with us :)

[iragm]

This is great!  I actually really like the unstriped tanbark sails on the sloop.  The hut design in nice; a good update to the original shanty.  I agree that a palm tree isn't needed, there's plenty of green already in the roof.  I really like the hidden treasure design, but I might use part 65509 (double jumper) instead of 2x jumper tiles.

As for the seaweed, it makes sense where it's under the dock, but it doesn't seem necessary at all in the water next to the island.  Plain azure plates like Barracuda Bay used are fine.

Good selection of accessories here, and I like the animals.

I would also add an imperial minifigure, just to give the set a bit more conflict.  Excellent work overall, this really feels like an official set, and it's a good modernization of a classic!

[durazno33]

8 hours ago, MstrOfPppts said:

But I don't understand the change of monkeys hands color since the TLG uses the race neutral yellow.

I was going to agree with this but I went and google searched monkey's hands and it appears monkeys have hands that more or less tend to match the rest of their appearance.  I think it really depends on the species.

One tiny detail I might suggest is changing the green flag on top of the boat to a different color. Maybe red or light orange (like the crab). As is, it matches the color of the plants and the flag isn't a plant. Changing the color would give contrast from the leaves.

[Marooned Marin]

On 8/25/2023 at 5:44 PM, Slegengr said:

Oh I like this! You made the bowsprit look so elegant. Well done, and thank yee for crediting me for the spar attachment.

[Slegengr]

On 8/26/2023 at 3:00 AM, MstrOfPppts said:

Nice layout for a new set. No doubt your nephew will like it though for an AFOL I think that the square and straight hut build has more like a 4+ feel to it. Also the double thickness of the pier does not help in that regard. I guess that the pillars do need some more detail. Besides the very same hidden stash build was already introduced in another entry as well as a few similar rudder solutions. I'm not trying to say that you did not come up with the idea yourself since great minds think alike they say. It's just that this entry does not include much originality to stand out.

Else I like how you filled the gaps between the leaves which was a problem in past sets using this technique for a roof. I also like the red and green combination for the boat. But I don't understand the change of monkeys hands color since the TLG uses the race neutral yellow.

Thanks for feedback, MstrOfPppts!

To be clear, this set was literally designed as a gift for my nephew who is turning 4 in October, so the 4+ feel is quite intentional.  Adding this as an entry was more just a way of sharing the design and getting some feedback rather than with intentions of trying to win the contest.  This was a unique challenge for me to design something that would be visually appealing and have a few challenging techniques to encourage his learning while also being basic enough that my nephew might be able to build this without help.  He may need initial help with the sails and the gap fillers between the leaves, but I hope this just challenging enough to encourage his learning of new techniques over time.

I will note that the rudder solution, as far as I know, was my original design and suggestion in the discussion of Marooned Marin's Sloop Windy as I linked in the original post.  This is the same discussion from which I got the design for the connection for spars to masts from Marooned Marin.  Since this is not in the mini-build category where Sloop Windy is found, I did not consider this infringement as the designs would not be competing, but maybe I'm wrong about that.  The hidden treasure concept is my original, though quite an obvious solution in my opinion, and I did not notice until after submitting this entry that @Oky used the identical technique in his mini-build Treasure Island, even down to using the shovel as a lever for removing the tiles.  Again, no infringement of design was intended and the simplicity of the design is intentional.  I'm okay with this entry not standing out and being lost in the voting, as I had fun designing it and did so with the primary intention of making an actual 4+ set for my nephew.

After several failed attempts at covering the gaps between the leaves, I was happy to find a sufficient result that was not overly complex (albeit likely complex for my nephew that is turning 4).  It is one of my favorite design details of this build, which is no surprise since it is one of the few techniques that goes beyond the 4+ limitation.  The red-green dory color-scheme will likely be extended to the sails with green and white stripes for the actual build but I had troubles with the decal application in Stud.io and gave up on this for the digital submission.  A dory with primary visual of tan sails next to an island with primary visual of tan sand is really not ideal, in my opinion.

For the monkey hands color change, I'm still undecided on final choice.  The monkeys I have obviously have the yellow hands, but I could easily change them and don't know if it is a significant issue of monkey race based on skin color?  It is certainly not my intention with this change.  As mentioned below, images I find of many different monkey species of darker fur color seem to have darker skin color, so the color change would be more accurate.  Since I am still a fan of the race-neutral yellow for minifigures, I certainly could leave the yellow hands on the monkey, especially if this will be perceived as an issue...

Thanks again for feedback.

 

On 8/26/2023 at 6:24 AM, Fraunces said:

You got the charm of the old sets and the fanciness of the new sets! Really good!

Thanks, Fraunces!  I'm glad you like the results of my design decisions.

 

On 8/26/2023 at 8:06 AM, Mazin said:

Interesting idea. I think that the roof maybe a bit overplanned for such a little and simple structure, perhaps an island could be bit bigger too since You've decided to abandon original version's simplicity for more carefully designed set. 

Using fireplace to cover a secret stash is excelent, it's been done here and there, but it's always somewhat unique way to hide things, and i don't recall it being part of Lego sets before ;)

I also like the idea with fish being hanging there, to either dry or as a sort of decoration ( maybe both ), but i wodner if it couldn't be done better. I mean, sticking them like that by their mouth might be a bit too simple. Maybe there could be away to install some hooks. And to be honest, because they hang on this side, the other side seems a little empty, so i'd suggest adding some other quipment to the opposite section of the hut, like a musket and an axe for example. 

And the parrot on the top screams to me that it could be an idea for some roof decoration. Wooden parrots or somesuch. Not sure if it could be done, and where would he take all the needed materials from, but we can always dream ;) Besides, he did build this hideout somehow. And got wood for fire from somewhere, maybe from that guy with a boat ;)

Also the best way to enchance this sets attractiveness would be to replace that fellow with epoulettes with someone more interesting. I don't mind the bearded guy, but the guy in the boat looks just dull. 

Anyway...

I'm realy looking forward to see the version You'll do for Your nephew tho :) At least, i hope You will share that box art and finished present with us :)

Thanks, Mazin!

After several iterations and disliked/failed designs for covering the gaps between the leaves on the roof, I was happy with this result, both in aesthetics and in build techniques that are complex enough to challenge my nephew and yet simple enough (hopefully) that he can learn without significant frustration.  The limitation on island size is intentional for my design intent for my nephew, so I don't plan to change that at this point.  This contest really has no direct bearing on my design and just coincided as a fun way to share the design.

Hiding the treasure under the fire is primarily driven by force of the design, but I though it would be an interesting idea as well.  The simplicity of the design was exactly what I wanted for my design intent.

Again, not to sound redundant, but the simplicity of the hanging fish is intentional since the set is designed as a gift for my nephew's 4th birthday.  This is also part of the reason why the back is plain in contrast, as well as my belief that an official set would likely not include 4 fish so there could be 2 on each side.  Additional accessories also seem to me like they might exceed official set limitations, but I do like the idea of an axe for chopping the firewood and will likely add this for the physical build.

Wood carving would be a fun inclusion as a pastime for the sailor on the shore, though I don't plan to give away my rare old parrot in brown color to my nephew at this age!  I may try to incorporate this idea some other way.  The parrot needed a perch, so I added the top cones, but I do agree that they seem to imply some form of added decoration to be needed.

The design for the minifigure in the boat was a personal choice for a basic minifigure with readily-available parts and classic appeal to entice my nephew into appreciation for the classics! ...not so fitting for this contest and I could have changed the design for these renders even if I intend to build with different pieces, but I'm satisfied with my choice.  As a real set, the torso would certainly be an updated version or new design.

On 8/26/2023 at 8:20 AM, iragm said:

This is great!  I actually really like the unstriped tanbark sails on the sloop.  The hut design in nice; a good update to the original shanty.  I agree that a palm tree isn't needed, there's plenty of green already in the roof.  I really like the hidden treasure design, but I might use part 65509 (double jumper) instead of 2x jumper tiles.

As for the seaweed, it makes sense where it's under the dock, but it doesn't seem necessary at all in the water next to the island.  Plain azure plates like Barracuda Bay used are fine.

Good selection of accessories here, and I like the animals.

I would also add an imperial minifigure, just to give the set a bit more conflict.  Excellent work overall, this really feels like an official set, and it's a good modernization of a classic!

Thanks, iragm!

I also like the tanbark sails, but I am torn for final design between appreciation for realism and childhood preferences.  Though tan is more realistic, the tan color matches the sand too closely and I certainly would have preferred a color-striped sail on my LEGO builds as a child.
The original set lends itself well to my design intent for my nephew.  I'm not totally happy with the 5-stud width caused by even spacing between columns and mid-rail post, but it worked out well enough in the end.
Wow, thanks for the suggestion on the double jumper plate for the buried treasure cover!  I forgot that piece existed.  It would surely work better for attaching the fire and maintaining the play feature for a 4-year-old.

The seaweed on the shoreline was primarily included for the clip plates to be additional attachment points between base plates for sturdiness.  Maybe they are unnecessary.  I'm still inclined to include them regardless of necessity, but I could be convinced otherwise.  Maybe I will answer this debate further with the physical build if it is sturdy enough.  Another thing I noticed is that I originally needed an attachment since the first design had one of the wedge plates attached to the sand along only one line of studs, but I since modified the design with a 2-stud-deep overlap that likely makes the additional clip plates and seaweed unneeded.  It will remain under the pier either way, since I find it a fitting and interesting inclusion.

Accessories and animals are one of the best aspects of sets for children, so including them was a guarantee in my design requirements!

Though I considered adding an Imperial Guard in the dory (originally he was an Armada soldier), I decided to make him a more neutral sailor for a few reasons.  1. Parts are more readily available and cheaper and I already have uses for all of my updated Imperial minifigures in my armies (not that I couldn't spare 1 Imperial torso...), 2. I like this jacket with epaulets and have rarely seen this combination (though I'm sure it's been used before), 3. I tried to avoid direct references to violence/conflict for the most part since my nephew will be 4 and I think his mother will take some convincing over time to such inclusions in a toy.  I could argue that "boys will be boys" so to speak, but as much as I've already convinced her to listen to me and my brother (her husband) about our childhood LEGO experiences and advice, I don't want to spoil a good thing by moving too fast with the perception that I am encouraging violence with my choice of gifts.
For an official set, very likely the sailor in the dory would be an Imperial Guard or Armada soldier.

Though I referenced 6258 Smuggler's Shanty a bit in the shack design since it was a set I enjoyed as a child, the reference is very loose.  (Just to make sure this is clear, since my personal preference is either for quite faithful remakes or completely new designs rather than for the middle ground)

 

On 8/26/2023 at 11:48 AM, durazno33 said:

I was going to agree with this but I went and google searched monkey's hands and it appears monkeys have hands that more or less tend to match the rest of their appearance.  I think it really depends on the species.

One tiny detail I might suggest is changing the green flag on top of the boat to a different color. Maybe red or light orange (like the crab). As is, it matches the color of the plants and the flag isn't a plant. Changing the color would give contrast from the leaves.

Thanks, durazno33!
Yes, I thought my basis was not wrong that dark nougat hands would be a better match to real monkeys.  The yellow hands, though the classic choice (probably due to limited color palette at original introduction), have never seemed as accurate as flesh-tones even though the same could be said for minifigure skin as well.  I already have well-established personal preference for yellow skin on minifigures due to the race-neutral aspect and surely due in part to nostalgia, but I guess I don't think race is an issue with monkeys and chose a more accurate representation.

The point about the flag color is noted.  This would have been particularly bad if I had used one potential solution for filling the gaps between leaves with the same streamer flag piece in green, as there would be a color and shape match in that case.  I'm still kind of partial to the red-green color scheme of the boat, though, so I'm not sure what I think about this.  I'll have to check the aesthetics of using dark green for the green components of the dory, although then I'd probably have to change the seaweed to green instead of dark green.  Maybe I'll try out different dory color schemes altogether, as I have a few of the rowboat pieces in several different colors.

 

23 hours ago, Marooned Marin said:

Oh I like this! You made the bowsprit look so elegant. Well done, and thank yee for crediting me for the spar attachment.

Thanks, Marooned Marin!  After our discussion on your thread, I tinkered around with the bowsprit attachment solutions until settling on this design.  Since I was not building for the Mini challenge, exact piece limitation did not matter as much.  One fun aspect of this design is that the cross-axle technic brick could be changed for a pin technic brick to make the jib swing to better catch the wind like some small sailing vessels such as the Galway Hooker (one of my personal favorite aesthetics/designs for small sailing vessels), which seems to have a hinged jib from what I've seen in pictures.  I'd like to learn more about sailing some day so I can know more specifics about design and function of these components.

I just realized that none of the views in my renders show the back side of the mast/booms/bowsprit to show how it is built.  I'm still not sure whether or not I will include the round plates with hole to help keep the sail shaping by pushing the clew.  Due to the method of attachment on the luff of the gaff sail and head and clew of jib sail, these round plates may be unneeded.
Not a render, just a screenshot:

Edited August 28, 2023 by Slegengr

[MstrOfPppts]

Well I must admit that at the flood of all the entries some details must have slipped from my head. I didn't remember all the conversation from the other entry you offered the idea for the rudder. As a registered critic I had a look at all the entries as real competitors and expressed my opinion as such. Now looking at it, I must say I think your nephew might have some problems - unless he's extraordinarily skilled with the small pieces. I think that LEGO has it figured out and that those numbers on sets are there with a reason. A 1x2 tile is as little as it gets in the 4+ line and there's no 1x1 plates especially not the round ones. A kid who turned five was still struggling a bit with the sideways lights on city cars (6+ sets) but he's more of an occasional builder. All the technic stuff might be a bit problematic too.

Anyway I imagine your nephew will like the set and hopefully you didn't take my previous comment too harsh.

[Slegengr]

9 minutes ago, MstrOfPppts said:

Well I must admit that at the flood of all the entries some details must have slipped from my head. I didn't remember all the conversation from the other entry you offered the idea for the rudder. As a registered critic I had a look at all the entries as real competitors and expressed my opinion as such. Now looking at it, I must say I think your nephew might have some problems - unless he's extraordinarily skilled with the small pieces. I think that LEGO has it figured out and that those numbers on sets are there with a reason. A 1x2 tile is as little as it gets in the 4+ line and there's no 1x1 plates especially not the round ones. A kid who turned five was still struggling a bit with the sideways lights on city cars (6+ sets) but he's more of an occasional builder. All the technic stuff might be a bit problematic too.

Anyway I imagine your nephew will like the set and hopefully you didn't take my previous comment too harsh.

Oh, no problem, I did not take your critique as harsh!  I'm just good at over-explaining myself while still not communicating what I meant.

It's hard to fully explain, but I wanted most of the basic features of the set to be 4+ building techniques with a few sections of more difficult techniques to challenge my nephew.  I should also mention that his dad (my brother) will be thrilled with the opportunity to help out as needed from his own LEGO experience and will likely relish the opportunity to hearken back to our childhood LEGO nostalgia.

I could also mention that this nephew has an older brother that just turned 7 who built 10497 Galaxy Explorer at age 6 with shockingly little need for assistance even through the technic portions.  I was building another set alongside him at the table and kept expecting to need to help him but consistently found that he was farther along than expected when I checked with him.  This older brother may have troubles letting his younger brother build this set without interfering...

In all, this set is quite a hodgepodge of building technique complexity that likely would be either more complex or more simplified if it were an official set.