WORK IN PROGRESS - Governor Broadside's Mansion

[Mister Phes]

A couple of weeks ago I created an Imperial Armada MOC Work In Progress. It was originally intended to be a military building roughly the size of Lagoon Lockup for the Imperial however I thought it looked too elegant and it would be better suited as a governor's mansion.

I modified the structure slightly to overcome design aspects I was displeased the first time and in the progress made it slightly larger. I've also replaced the Imperial Armada mini-figures and flags with their Blue Coat Soldier counterparts.

So here are some sample images...

My biggest gripe about this MOC is it lacks features, aside from a loft which conceals a treasure chest there's not much else of interest there.

[Captain Roger]

Well, i think Governor Broadside is too simple for being Governor's mansion.

Skull eye's schooner can crash that "mansion" easily

[Evil Willy]

Wow thats really a nice piece you have there. With the background there it really looks like a carribean resort. And those flowers look like post all around making it look elegant. Those are from the kk2 right? I love those stud flowers. Good job, keep it up my dear friend.

[Mister Phes]

Well, i think Governor Broadside is too simple for being Governor's mansion.

Skull eye's schooner can crash that "mansion" easily

What would you be expecting for a mansion Captain Roger? The Skulls Eye Schooner could easily "crash" every Imperial Guard structure except Eldorado Fortress, so why does this one need to be more robust? A mansion isn't a military building so therefore it doesn't require heavy fortification and more than likely its located inland on top of a hill, but for the intents and purposes of this MOC I've made it sitting over the water.

But anyway, tell us what a Governor's mansion should look like?

Wow thats really a nice piece you have there. With the background there it really looks like a carribean resort. And those flowers look like post all around making it look elegant. Those are from the kk2 right? I love those stud flowers. Good job, keep it up my dear friend.

Since my camera isn't very good that's how the picture turned out so I just designed a background to fit. I'm not sure where the plants come from but I don't think they're the flower type. If anybody knows then do share!

[oo7]

Those "flowers" could be from any one of these sets, including a couple +4 pirates sets.

This Building does have a very luxurious feel to it but like Captain Roger I think this is to small to be called a mansion.

The backround makes this "mansion" look like it's floating in the middle of the ocean but miraculously the palm tree can still grow :-P

Oh, and that flag is to big for that building It would look better with this.

always happy to help ;-)

[Brick Miner]

Since my camera isn't very good that's how the picture turned out so I just designed a background to fit.

HA !!! i never would have guessed !!! does this also explain your signature's appearance ??? you've done a wonderful job of hiding your camera's flaws !!! or at least, done a great job (artistically) of working with what you have !!!

i have to ask if you are using highly USED bricks ??? the interlocking of the bricks around the door area (on the lower floor) seam a bit weak. making for a less attractive presentation. also, i just noticed on the upper arch too. the only reason i bring this up, is that i know (along with creating a quality MOC) you are going for quality presentation. this is apparent in your taking thoughtful photos, and designing artistic backgrounds.

i don't think i agree with the mansion size as others have mentioned, i would concentrate on "features" as you have already identified.

by the way, since you are calling this a WIP, are you looking for suggestions... or are you just sharing your progress ??? the reason i ask,... in your 2.0 version you identified and successfuly fixed a lot of the problems YOURSELF... very note worthy !!!

- BrickMiner

[Tordenskjold]

Do you have any picture of the backside mr Phes? very nice set. look like a display from lego :)

how is your manor guarded? by patrol or just by a guard at the cannon? can send you a patrol from my fortress if you need it :-D

[Mister Phes]

Those "flowers" could be from any one of these sets, including a couple +4 pirates sets.

Since I won them in an eBay auction they could be from any of those sets! Good work in identifying them.

This Building does have a very luxurious feel to it but like Captain Roger I think this is to small to be called a mansion.

Like I said in the first post this MOC is intended to be a LEGO set the size of Lagoon Lockup (its quite a bit bigger though). If I haven't stated this clearly enough in the past, here it is again: I endeavour to build in the style of the original pirate sets. Therefore I have imposed limitations upon myself, so I cannot make it bigger otherwise I'd breach the laws of early 90s LEGO design. Since it must fit the scale of the other Imperial Guard sets you wouldn't expect a mansion to be bigger than Eldorado Fortress or the Imperial Trading - would you?

The backround makes this "mansion" look like it's floating in the middle of the ocean but miraculously the palm tree can still grow :-P

It's probably not the ideal background but I was tired and couldn't be bothered making one with scenery. The palm tree, however, is sitting on a yellow 4 x 4 Corner Round brick like the palm tree in Treasure Outpost.

Oh, and that flag is to big for that building It would look better with this.

Then the flag is also too big for Sabre Island and Lagoon Lockup, which is where this flag was primarily used. Governor Broadside's Mansion is significantly larger than both those sets.

i have to ask if you are using highly USED bricks ???

No, they are white. Its a combination of the camera and the lighting, If I had better of both then I could produce better pictures.

Then the flag is also too big for Sabre Island and Lagoon Lockup, which is where this flag is primarily used. Governor Broadside's Mansion is significantly larger than both those sets.

Bare in mind that the palm tree in Lagoon Lockup sits upon a mere 2 x 6 brick jutting out the rear left side, so my palm tree is completely plausible under the design laws I've adopted

the interlocking of the bricks around the door area (on the lower floor) seam a bit weak. making for a less attractive presentation. also, i just noticed on the upper arch too. the only reason i bring this up, is that i know (along with creating a quality MOC) you are going for quality presentation. this is apparent in your taking thoughtful photos, and designing artistic backgrounds.

This is a good point, I'll have to look into this. Any suggestions on how to improve this? I'm fairly limited to what I can do here.

i don't think i agree with the mansion size as others have mentioned, i would concentrate on "features" as you have already identified.

I'm happy with the size because if I make it any bigger then its going to be the wrong scale to the other Imperial Guard set - besides I've already made it quite a lot bigger than the original version.

[Captain Roger]

Well, i think Governor Broadside is too simple for being Governor's mansion.

Skull eye's schooner can crash that "mansion" easily

What would you be expecting for a mansion Captain Roger? The Skulls Eye Schooner could easily "crash" every Imperial Guard structure except Eldorado Fortress,

Well man, you forgot Imperial trading post

But anyway, tell us what a Governor's mansion should look like?

A governor is a very powerfull man, i think his mansion should be bigger, and he need more soldiers for his protection, and the protection of his wife(I think the girl you put here is his wife, isn't she?) If pirates know where is Governor's mansion, they probably want to attack for steal him because governor is rich, but they probably want to attack only for revenge...and is his mansion has only one cannon and two soldiers, pirates can damage so much the governor...and they could kidnap his wife too, being his wife here is an important reason for have a more powerful structure.

[Tordenskjold]

A governor is a very powerfull man, i think his mansion should be bigger, and he need more soldiers for his protection, and the protection of his wife(I think the girl you put here is his wife, isn't she?) If pirates know where is Governor's mansion, they probably want to attack for steal him because governor is rich, but they probably want to attack only for revenge...and is his mansion has only one cannon and two soldiers, pirates can damage so much the governor...and they could kidnap his wife too, being his wife here is an important reason for have a more powerful structure

i think its just the right size if you compare with Eldoradofortress and other buildings. i tried to build a gouvernors house for my Port . it was to have a ballroom , office, kitchen. guardroom and bedroom. but it ende up as bigger (and taller)than the fortress itselves. so i demolished it. as Mr Phes say, if you use Lego sets as a "scale" indicator then you cant have the mansion bigger than the fort defending it.

i would guess that if this mansion was in the Lego carribean. it would lay some place not so far from Eldorado fortress and imp strading station. every boat that came close would be caught in crossfire between several art positions. and eventually you could get help from one of the sailers too.

as you can se in the picture from mr Phes there has been a guard change, one guard i rowing back to the barracks :-D

[Captain Roger]

2 guards are not very secure but you may be right about "every boat that came close would be caught in crossfire between several art positions" if you think they are other soldiers structures near the mansion...

[Mister Phes]

Mr Tordenskjold is correct in identifying that the Governor's Mansion would be on the same island as Eldorado Fortress, meaning that means Eldorado Fortress is the main line of defence. Being in a LEGO universe I can get away with logistical errors like putting a mansion in the middle of the water, and I don't have a large enough green base plate so I can't transfer it.

Governor Broadside's Mansion includes the Governor Broadside mini-figure and 3 Imperial Guard mini-figures which is the same number of soldier mini-figures as The Imperial Trading Post!

[oo7]

This Building does have a very luxurious feel to it but like Captain Roger I think this is to small to be called a mansion.

Like I said in the first post this MOC is intended to be a LEGO set the size of Lagoon Lockup (its quite a bit bigger though). If I haven't stated this clearly enough in the past, here it is again: I endeavour to build in the style of the original pirate sets. Therefore I have imposed limitations upon myself, so I cannot make it bigger otherwise I'd breach the laws of early 90s LEGO design. Since it must fit the scale of the other Imperial Guard sets you wouldn't expect a mansion to be bigger than Eldorado Fortress or the Imperial Trading - would you?

Ah yes, I see your your point now.

The backround makes this "mansion" look like it's floating in the middle of the ocean but miraculously the palm tree can still grow :-P

It's probably not the ideal background but I was tired and couldn't be bothered making one with scenery. The palm tree, however, is sitting on a yellow 4 x 4 Corner Round brick like the palm tree in Treasure Outpost.

no matter what brick the palm tree is on it will die if it absords brine.

Oh, and that flag is to big for that building It would look better with this.

Then the flag is also too big for Sabre Island and Lagoon Lockup, which is where this flag was primarily used. Governor Broadside's Mansion is significantly larger than both those sets.

Oh yeah your right, well then I don't like that aspect in the design of Sabre Island and Lagoon Lockup.

[Mister Phes]

no matter what brick the palm tree is on it will die if it absords brine.

Then its fortunate that The LEGO Company has never produced brine pieces! :-D

Oh yeah your right, well then I don't like that aspect in the design of Sabre Island and Lagoon Lockup.

Which is fair enough considering that Cannon Cove which has approximately the same number of pieces as Sabre Island uses the smaller flag. However, the smaller flag would look too small on the Governor's Mansion so I'm keepin the larger one.

[WesternOutlaw]

Very nice MOC Phes. I like the balcony and the classic red "Legorado-style" roof. Is the boat your own design or a mast/flag design from an actual Pirate set? Looks very good. I also think the large flag looks fine on this set and you did a nice job on the background.

If this were an actual set, I would buy it.

[Mister Phes]

Its reassuring you'd buy this creation if its an actual set, Brickster! I think it still needs a little more work like the architecture around the doorway as indicated by Brick Miner (for that I think I might replace some of the white bricks with yellow) plus I'd incorporate a couple more interesting features as that's what I think it lacks the most.

I'd also make a better Aunt Prudence but that's the only non pirate female mini-figure head and torso I have. Ideally she'd also be wearing a dress but I didn't have a dress piece nor a suitable slope. And due to this lack of suitable pieces for creating females Camilla has be overlooked completely...

This boat has been lifted straight out of Enchanted Island which I'm not entirely pleased about. As I don't have a working printer at the moment I can't make the custom sails I'd so I think I'll just leave it how it is for the time being.

[WesternOutlaw]

Minor changes. You did a good job.

[Norro]

I like this (though not as much as the previous version). I also think it should be a little more robust. One thing that all the original Lego models did was imply more just beyond...ie Lagoon Lockup is the tip of a harbour/fort even the ITP is only the early skeleton defences of the real port. This model in attempting to be self contained seems a little small (to me). My other suggestions would be a mor built up railing beside the cannon, and perhaps a different setting for the door.

Thanks for sharing and God Bless,

Nathan

[SuvieD]

Well this is looking good.

If you want suggestions I would first say that you change the name to something like The Govenors Villa or something as this is no mansion. Secondly, drop the cannon and the pirates as this is not a war MOC but a "living" one which LEGO rarely created but should have. In place of the canon I would add a two story (4x4x10) bell tower with a one brick high roof and of course a bell in it. I would also expand the dock a little and add some barrels or textile bundles (colored plates). If you need to have a pirate add one in some stocks out on the dock or something similar. One of the corner pieces should use the brick pattern to add variety. A small crane of some kind might also be a nice feature.

I can picture this as an imperial villa located on a stream that empties into a bay or deep within a bay too shallow for anything but rowboats. I think you nailed the overall look of the imperial sets but you may have too many figures. The plants are great, more than what you would see in the older sets but not too much at all. I would like to see your redesign if you make one.

MOC on matey!

[Mister Phes]

If you want suggestions I would first say that you change the name to something like The Govenors Villa or something as this is no mansion.

Governor Broadside's Villa... Hmmm... Interesting! But if The LEGO Company were to release a masion how could they make it any bigger without interupting the scale of the other sets? Regardless "villa" seems like a nicer name and it rhymes with conchilla.

Secondly, drop the cannon and the pirates as this is not a war MOC but a "living" one which LEGO rarely created but should have. In place of the canon I would add a two story (4x4x10) bell tower with a one brick high roof and of course a bell in it.

Bell tower? That's an interesting concept but why would there be a bell in Villa? Its probably an idea best kept for a religious building.

I would also expand the dock a little and add some barrels or textile bundles (colored plates). If you need

to have a pirate add one in some stocks out on the dock or something similar.

I can't expand the dock too much given the size of the baseplate but this has given me a thought...

One of the corner pieces should use the brick pattern to add variety.

I purposely didn't use one of these walls for the same reason you're suggesting to get rid of the cannon. since its a wealthy residential building the walls would be well maintained and therefore the bricks would be covered up with plaster (or whatever was used) to prevent them from being exposed. So that's staying how it is.

A small crane of some kind might also be a nice feature.

I had a crane in the previous version but when it became a mansion I removed it. I didn't think a crane was a very residential feature hance its removal.

I can picture this as an imperial villa located on a stream that empties into a bay or deep within a bay too shallow for anything but rowboats.

I was thinking it would be located up in the hills for offensive reasons - but since I can't be bothered designing a background like that perhaps I'll try the stream idea.

I think you nailed the overall look of the imperial sets but you may have too many figures. The plants are great, more than what you would see in the older sets but not too much at all.

You're probably right here. There's 7 mini-figures here but if I were to make it more residential then I'd probably reduce the pirates and Imperial Guards, leaving Governor Broadside and Aunt Prudence. And if I'm lucky I'll come across the right pieces for a Camilla...

I would like to see your redesign if you make one. MOC on matey!

Your feedback was brilliant and definantly an incentive to continue work on this MOC - when I get round to it...

I like this (though not as much as the previous version). I also think it should be a little more robust. One thing that all the original Lego models did was imply more just beyond...ie Lagoon Lockup is the tip of a harbour/fort even the ITP is only the early skeleton defences of the real port. This model in attempting to be self contained seems a little small (to me). My other suggestions would be a mor built up railing beside the cannon, and perhaps a different setting for the door.

I didn't the Lagoon Lockup was anything more than it is, I never thought it alluded to be a prelude to something bigger. This particular MOC is based on the Imperial Outpost which I think is definitely self contained. Governor Broadside's Mansion is bigger than both these sets and maybe the pictures aren't really relaying this. To look at it in real life the size looks fine.

The door however will definitely be worked upon - I have some ideas for this already...

[SuvieD]

The easiest way to add size to a LEGO set is exactly what LEGO does themselves. They built upwards or lifted it up. Many pirate sets did this and castle also. Though I am not fond of the raised baseplates but an aditional story the the building might help.

One way to make it look good would be to add more arches, pillars and roof areas at different angles or over lapping each other. It could add the illusion of size while being not that large or using that many pieces. In other words juniorize it!

Another thing to consider is that LEGO never expanded the theme to what it could have or should have been. Most of the pirate sets were on islands or water except for the giant islander set which is obviously near a river of some kind. They never did make a port town or anything of that kind but they should have. If I were to make a true mansion I would have it be at least three stories (18 bricks tall) in height and take up the majority of a 16x16 yellow baseplate. Mansion has always been relative but clearly means larger than the rest of the buildings around it.

Eldorado Fortress is merely that, a fort. It is not a barracks, an inn, or anything else. That is why it is not very large. It is not the be all end all of protection againt Pirates. If you want it to be the largest, simply don't make a mansion. If you want to have a all in one fortress then eldorado is only a small island fort used as a launch point or defensive choke point, while a larger fortress built to protect a town would be made later.

[Mister Phes]

I already said I liked the idea of it being a villa better than a mansion. But having said that this is what an actual Governor's Mansion looks like...

And its not overly big...

Although I beg to differ that Eldorado Fortress isn't very large... Its the largest blue Imperial Guard set! Fort Sabre and Cannon Cove are the small island forts used as launch point or defensive choke point, and Elorado Fortress, is the BIG fortress! I believe it is what the LEGO Company intended as "the ne all end all of protection against pirates". It makes no sense to have Eldorado Fortress as the small island fort, then have even smaller forts like Sabre Island and Cannon Cove.

It seems you're over understating the scale here Mr D. Do you currently have any of the forementioned sets built? If you do I recommend putting them all side by side so you can compare and gain perspective.

Governor Broadside's Mansion is actually taller (not counting the flag) than the Imperial Outpost and its structure is even more substantial. In comparission to all the blue and red coat Imperial Guard sets, this MOC is noticably larger than all of them, with the exception Eldorado Fortress and The Imperial Trading Post.

In my next photoshoot I probably should take pictures of them side by side...

[john cleese]

just to offer a few suggestions. First off i think you should split up the floor into a foyer or hall and atleast two seperate rooms and then furnish those rooms. Maybe one could be a bedroom where governer broadside and his fiance could sleep and the other a study. Next i would suggest that you remove the two large arches in the back and replace them with a singls 1x8x2 arch, then add spiral stairs going up to the second floor and make a seperate structure held to the baseplate with some 1x3 grey inverts for the stairs. I hope you consider using some of these ideas.

[Mister Phes]

I don't think I'll have enough room for a proper foyer but I was thinking of adding an elaborate porch inspired by the suggestions of SuvieD and Brick Miner.

Problem with furnishing the rooms - how would I make reasonable looking furniture yet conforming to the laws of early LEGO design? That would be tricky. By the way... Aunt Prudence is Broadside's sister so it probably wouldn't be a good idea if they shared a bed...

A spiral stair case (white would be perfect - does such a piece exist?) would be a good idea, however I don't have any...

[john cleese]

use a black starcase it would be inside the structure anyway. And there was furniture in the BSB and other pirate sets, mainly ships. you make a chair with 2x2 round plates on top of four 1x1 round plates and a table with 1x1 round bricks used as legs and a 4x4 plate, beds are made similarly just with longer plates. you could even add two white 2x2 tiles for pillows and a yellow ornamental brick for a head rest. And a foyer is just an entrance hall, technically youve already built one.