TomSkippy

Not really a car guy, but my kids got into the Speed Racer: Next Generation show. The song got stuck in my head. I'd always respected the Speed Champions line, so I thought I'd update the old Speed Racer. The actual car I built doesn't have a black windshield and the wheels obviously don't turn like that. But I like the poster style. Here's a build render: I love that you can actually get official stickers. What do you guys think?

I'm working on a very large ship. It'll probably end up 1 meter or so in length. I'm trying to build a skeleton/frame inside so it doesn't buckle or come apart when I lift it up. Ultimately, I'd like to have it lifted up on a stand. My question, is this frame sturdy enough? The technic frame itself will be doubled/stacked on top of itself, with a two plate buffer between the stacks so I can connect the 14720s. I will also have a layer of plates under/over it.

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I was a little sad pulling her apart and sorting her back to the bins. A fine ship!

Oilskin Johnny was nervous. More than usual. Apparently he was Captain of the Ship. He was pretty sure captains shouldn't be afraid of their crew. The casual violence, greed, and maybe the worst case of scurvy he'd ever encountered. The Captain's quarters were cozy. Johnny was sure the crew would make themselves at home. He planned on sleeping in the dinghy. La Rongeuse was a pretty ship with an impressive broadside. The chains were an early attempt at a simple beakhead. Stern shot. I really like how the rat detailing turned out. As the time for his cruise approaches, Oilskin Johnny is wondering if he can somehow avoid the whole business. I have not licensed the ship yet; I'm interested in trading the ship license for a large property. Let me know! You can check out more pictures (including guns out/in shots) here IRL Build discussion.

Main Building Category Saber Island 2023 by TomSkippy 6269 Islander Palace by BrynnOfCastlegate 6278/6292 Enchanted Island Remake by Danny_Boy4 Short Pork Island by Yogginton Mini Building Category Shark Cart by TomSkippy Treasure Island by Oky

With the release of The Pirates of Barracuda Bay, TLC produced an incredible remake of the original Black Seas Barracuda. I'd always wanted a 'good guys' ship to go along with the new Barracuda, with TLC delivering a new and improved Eldorado Fortress and a contest, I felt it was time to try for a Clipper. The goal was to make a ship which was proportional to the original Clipper AND to the untrained eye looked like it was designed by the same people as the New Barracuda. I had to resort to using a bunch of parts off the barracuda, as a result I don't have a comparison shot. That said, part count is around 1300, dimensions/stud count have it only a few studs (4-6 I think) longer than the original clipper, and every vertical dimension is shorter than the new Barracuda. It looks great and should look just as good next to the new Barracuda as the original Clipper did next to the original Black Seas Barracuda. Shoutout to okbrickworks for the fresh clipper sails. Forgive the minifigures, I don't have Eldorado yet, so I had to use the 'old' new bluecoats. Sadly the admiral has a Dark Bluecoat and an old bicorne. I also don't have enough Black Tricornes with ponytail to have more soldiers (shakos don't go with the Clipper). As a result, the officer uses a modified tricorne with white wig combo and one of the sailors has no ponytail at all(gasp). This will be rectified in the future. My favorite ship angle a la Endurance. The anchor works same as the new Barracuda. All the exterior pics are with real bricks. I found a great lego yellow paint, so Owl with Spread Wings 67632 gloriously replaces the original yellow bird. Stern shot with fleur de lis design. Another side shot: the non gun side has 2 1x6 black tiles to keep the lines smooth. Gun/Anchor side has 1x2 holes so the gun ports can open down like the original Clipper. Notice the bell. Bluecoat ships need one to call hands when pirates are near. I originally wanted to simply copy the one from the Silent Mary. But with the discovery of TLC yellow paint, I used a 3172 Pith Helmet with a bar with ball joint inside. May not see it, but there's a bucket next to the angry soldier, he's swapping the deck. While I have built this using real bricks, I did most of the design in Stud.io. The interior shots are rendered with Stud.io. Three reasons: 1) Camera angles for interiors are tough sometimes. 2) Lighting. 3) When it came time to order parts, I didn't want to spend so much on blue cannon carriages, my build uses brown. I may break down in the future for some blue ones. Captains cabin. Another angle. Bed on the other side. The lantern is nice, but I could be talked into a violin. Under the main deck. Easy to remove and access. Remove the cannons for bunks. Not sure HOW they would remove them or where, but soldiers gotta sleep somewhere. Beds flip up to reveal a spot for personal items. Other side. You can switch out the tricornes for shakos and backpacks if on shore leave. Aft has storage. The little gray piece is a mouse. Reference to a regular bane of sailors' existence, also Sea Rats represent! I didn't render the interior of the bow, I just kept the toilet from the original PoBB One last note. when I embarked, I promised to stick to designs that TLC would use. I did make one major exception: The helm does control the rudder. Getting the old ships wheel to actually turn a rudder was ridiculous and some of the methods/connections are wonky (though still legal). TLC would never. This is why the box the wheel attaches to is so large; this is why the rear mast is a couple studs too far forward; and this is why the captain's cabin is so cramped/only accessible through the sides. I think it's hidden well enough to excuse. Flickr album here, I don't think there are any additional pictures or notes. I plan on putting up rebrickable instructions and probably a helm post at some point. But those will be awhile. Hope you like it!

Loved the response. The shark is properly attached! There is room for a 1x2 stud connection underneath. I have two 1x2 jumper plates attached to the shark with the harness/round tile under. It’s shockingly simple and solid. Funny thing about the fishing line: it adds 4 parts: fishing pole, plate with clip, fish sticker tile, and string. Easily removed. I agree, not sure if it’s better or not.

Brilliant!

Changed the Islander minifigs to yellow, added a toucan, swapped the kayak for a little catamaran, and simplified the foliage to be more Lego Co. @Aanchir I appreciate your comments, and you are absolutely correct about the pool and the skulls/totems. It's changed. And while the water passage couldn't be brought back, it is no longer an island. @iragm (and others). The zebra drum rotation in the back has to stay. I tried several other methods, but unfortunately, the color and classic use of the (albeit weird) zebra pattern needs to stay. Mounting it on a 2x2 plate with bars (as a 'skin') looks strange there (though would be awesome in other builds), using other patterns looks out of place (whether the newer aztec shield from the CMF line or the Indiana Jones or a custom Jaguar skin). Moving the drum to a "playable" position is a great idea. Maybe I'll do that sometime in the future, but I have one last competition build to finish, and moving all the gears/axles is more than I currently have time for. Besides, I like the "coat of arms"/logo look of the back (using the main iconic Islander pieces)... not having the zebra is missing something. Thanks everyone for the encouragement and critique.

As a young child, I remember turning the lego shark upside-down and seeing the stud connections. Try as I might, I could never effectively employ the shark. Almost 30 years later, I may have reached the pinnacle of my abilities. I present (what I hope to be) the 90s equivalent of the Bathtub Stunt Bike 60333-1, my 2023 MINI BUILD ENTRY: The Shark Cart. The bar clip doubles as a kickstand Ironhook is the only option for characters: he needs some damage (presumably from the shark), and Redbeard is too "buttoned up" for a shark chariot. Play features: kickstand, shark, and the 2x2 round bottom tiles make it slide very smoothly. Beyond that, I'm considering what a Broadside or Kahuka cart might entail. Flickr Link

I definitely need to simplify the greenery. The palm and other beach plants are less parts intensive than the PoBB set, the palm is just a trunk and double layer of leaves. unless you’re talking about the bar fence, the roof doesn’t take many parts at all since the plant pieces do most of the work. @Mazin it’s a remake of forbidden cove. If you look at the original, they’re almost identical (the dimensions are close as well). The original literally WAS a roof on a rock! I’ll get another render, the cave inside is tight, but accessible. You can fit two figures inside and there is some depth. there are some roots and webs on the walls (to cover up all the technic gears allowing the rocks to open (have to gear down to open the side door in 1/4 turn). There are also headless skeletons on the floor. I could work on a small catamaran and see about something else for the inside. @iragm When you say the drum tile should be on a drum, do you mean it should sit somewhere and face vertical instead of horizontal? Because it is on a 2x2x1 round red brick. @Yoggington Thanks for the follow! Thanks for all the encouragement!

Forbidden Cove. I remember buying this set when I was 9. Enchanted Island was out of the question. This was my consolation. I loved the rotating face. I loved that it had extra Islander hair (the Kahuka mask was awesome, but I already had him, I needed more soldiers). The happy sandy beaches, the imposing tropical tower. Good times. With so many others remaking Enchanted Island, and with so much time spent on Saber Island, I thought this would be a fun project. The thatched roof does work with real bricks, there can be a little tension on stray cactus pieces, but nothing worse than being stored in a plastic tub with 6000 other pieces. The frame holding it up is sturdy. Islander minifigures are sourced from the new Indiana Jones set. The triangle stonework is as well. I'm sure you'll notice several things. Yes, I took 90% of the Tiki mask from the new Indiana Jones set. Yes it is crooked. And no, I'm not sure what that red stuff is in the little pool. If you straighten the Tiki mask, a door to the cave opens up! Inside we have headless skeletons strewn around, some roots, and a golden treasure. With real bricks you'll want to grab x276 (Sun Disk from Amazon Ancient Ruins) or 73681 (Golden Idol from Indiana Jones), but since those models aren't in Stud.io I used a skull with metallic gold. If you turn the zebra-print drum on the back... The mouth opens! The gap is enough for a figure to squeeze through (2 studs wide by 4 bricks tall). There you have it. Flickr album is right here Rebrickable instructions will eventually be up. Got a few more contest builds first! Let me know what you think!

Thanks! I tried so many different things with the interior... I even tried hiding a microbuild of Saber Island inside, just not enough space.

@Rogue Redcoat thanks! I’m pretty excited for it too. @Mazin Thanks! My boys have enjoyed playing with it, unlike a lot of my other Mocs, this one isn’t fragile. Originally this was supposed to be a small side project, while I focused on one big one. That ship sailed, but I have a few other builds I think may eclipse this one. Stay tuned!

Hey all, thanks for the comments. I'll try to respond to everyone. Rockwork: @BrickCommander9 @Rogue Redcoat @Horation I actually hate rockwork. It takes so much time, and I wanted to rebrickable instructions so the inside had to be better/make sense. I got tired of cheese, I thought that the exposed studs would make it more varied and rugged. I think you're right, I cheesed the exposed studs. The vertical gaps, the guiding principle was how much the tiles underneath stuck out. I originally thought the little gaps looked more natural, but I think you're right. I got tiles underneath. I tried running a dark gray to light gray gradient. The issue is that the height/number of snot wedges. Too many of the wedges/slopes cover the entire height, so the color change looks too haphazard and unnatural. Dock: I’m not really a fan of black docks on newer builds. It’s hard to see what’s going on. I originally wanted one of the browns, but there’s no 2x6 wedge plate in any brown. Tower: @hikouki @Mazin @MstrOfPppts @thewatchman @iragm Thanks for the kind words about my other builds! The red stones around the arch may not look it, but they are solid. I think the vertical part of the 1x1 bracket helps, they are easily as secure as a regular stud. With the door underneath, they aren't getting bumped either. I added some different colors to the cracks, excellent idea. Doors don't open. The bricks framing the door prevent it from opening outward, and the inside is too cramped to open inward. The upstairs door is simply to give visual access to the overhang and I didn't like duplicating the main door. I spent a huge amount of time trying to make the inside of the tower useable. Sadly, I couldn't make it work with these dimensions. The LARGEST size inside (excluding the entrance) was 3x3, and a shako couldn't stand anywhere inside either. Expanding the size of the tower would take a week or two of work. The support from the front entry, the length, the rockwork and cave entrance etc. The curved stairs are a modification on the Modular Bookstore's stairs. It fit much better in the rocks compared to the 1x4 tile plate method, and it is much more sturdy. Play features: @NOD Animals - I knew I forgot something! Added a parrot. No model for a hermit crab, seagull moves eyes from tower, so we got a parrot! This is more of a display piece than anything. I know even Lego displays usually have some play. I thought of a cell, but there's no good place for it, except for underneath, and I thought that the hint at a red/blue feud is more unique. I didn't have a real hook (ha!) to bring pirates into it, so I felt that sticking with the original's lack of pirates was better than something half-baked. I'm working on a small pirate boat, which might work, but we'll leave it for a different build. A full-sized cannon barely fits and there's definitely no room to fire it. Unpopular opinion below: I definitely got carried away with the sabers. I swapped the flagpole. @LetsBrick After finishing the build, I thought: This would be AWESOME in a Trading Post or Eldorado remake! Well. The build was supposed to be fast. I can't get an interior to work. Maybe in the future, I could remove the sword crest to another building, add the new dorado crane on top, use the small pirate ship I'm working on, then we've got the genesis of IGTP. We'll see. New pics: