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A bluecoat fort named "de Monchy": Fort de Monchy by Ids, on Flickr Fort de Monchy - front by Ids, on Flickr Fort de Monchy - boat by Ids, on Flickr The tale of the missing bananas is finally solved, now how to get the culprit: Fort de Monchy - banana heist by Ids, on Flickr And some interior shots and pirates. Fort de Monchy - interior by Ids, on Flickr Thanks for looking and let me know what you think.

Preparing for War, Spudkirk 622 Spudkirk was a bustling hub of activity in recent months. Hundreds of troops from across the Corrish Empire were gathering in Spudkirk to fight the Lotii. Preparing for War 2 by LM71Blackbird, on Flickr The 26th Regiment of foot are currently quartering in one of the many storehouses located around spudkirk Preparing for War 5 by LM71Blackbird, on Flickr This particular store house is well fortified being so close to the water. Preparing for War 6 by LM71Blackbird, on Flickr Along with the regular troops, the Royal Artillery Corps. also operate a mortar battery to accompany the storehouses defensive cannons. Preparing for War 3 by LM71Blackbird, on Flickr Sir Major Brickford has travelled to Spudkirk with a detachment of Her Majesties Royal Marines of the 45th Regiment of Foot out of Quinnsville. Lord Spud is overseeing inspection of all the newly arrived troops. Preparing for War 7 by LM71Blackbird, on Flickr A detachment of the 47th Regiment of foot is headed for camp after their inspection. Preparing for War 8 by LM71Blackbird, on Flickr Scattered around the settlement, heavy infantry can be seen keeping an eye on the settlement in their dark red uniforms. Preparing for War 9 by LM71Blackbird, on Flickr With all the activity, the Block Watch has been put on guard duty for an important strategy meeting. Preparing for War 4 by LM71Blackbird, on Flickr The guard house has been cleared out and repurposed for an early stages war meeting. Preparing for War 10 by LM71Blackbird, on Flickr In attendance is Major Sir Nathanael Brickford, Lord Spud, Colonel Sir Dirk Allcock, and Captains of the 18th Hussars and 26th Regiment of foot. Preparing for War 11 by LM71Blackbird, on Flickr Once the battle plans are drawn, Corrie Vengeance will rain down the Lotii! Preparing for War 12 by LM71Blackbird, on Flickr ------------------------------------------------ A build that I have had in the works for what seems like forever! Finally got around to posting. Sorry for the slightly unedited photos. My laptop has been overheating so I can't do any graphic intensive work on it at the moment. It consists of 6 32x32 base plates for a stud count of 6,144. The storehouse is to be licensed as a medium commerce and the blockhouse as a small residence for Spudkirk. C&C are welcome and appreciated and thanks for looking! Full overview of the build in the spoiler below.

Ahoy! The Barracuda has set sail and Redbeard is threatening the shipping routes once again! So the Bluecoats had to up their game to protect Imperial trade. For the start they have hastily restored the tower on the Sabre Island. What do You think about their effort? I designed this MOC as a tribute to my second Pirates set, that I think I got in 1990 and loved like hell. But I also wanted it to closely match the style of the new Barracuda. I also didn't want to use too many fancy and exotic elemens but efficiently use the stuff that most of us already have in our inventories. It's not too big with 1443 elements (excluding minifigs). The build is rather sturdy (maybe except for the furniture) but it still empoys some techniques and tricks that you might find interesting. I have published the instructions on Rebrickable: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-71657/SleeplessNight/sabre-island-anno-domini-2021 There are also a few more pictures on flickr: Stay safe and fair winds!

The Red Fort, or Gaer Goch in Welsh, is a small fortification built to keep the local area under the authority of the King. He has installed his Sheriff and a small garrison of men to guard the keep. Two local peasants are allowed on the grounds, for a share of their produce they can fish and graze their livestock. The keep of the fort, I have made the top floor a little fancy for the sheriff to be comfortable, and put in a few details to break up the walls. The keep has a connected tower for a watchman to look out over the land. A local rascal seems to have bagged herself some game, daringly close to the castle. The side of the gatehouse and the second tower. Guards and knights populate the fort, some knights are simply visiting as they travel from place to place. The travelling fool visits the manors and inns of the county, his little dog part of the act. He has been asked to stay a few days, the Sheriff has guests and would like to entertain them. The plan from above, you can see the well inside the castle, the angled walls I put in to place, the wall walk around the whole space. The footprint is two 32x32 baseplates, minus a quarter at the overlap. The guards and knights were chosen for their colours and the fact I used the Dragon knights for my Yellow Castle project. The Sheriff and his wife with their little dog were a final touch. I built this during lockdown in 2020, it has taken me a while to get around to photographing it. I went over to Caldicot Castle to take the photos, it makes for a good backdrop. The build process is over in my Instagram photos. I am peppermint_builds if you would like to take a look. I have been a little inactive over 2021 so most images are easy to find. If people are interested, I can post them here properly. Hope you enjoy my classic styled build

Aurelia, Blueton, April 621 The defenders of Aurelia were ready to fight to their last final breath, the muskets clenched in their fists. Apart from some strong artillery positions, only a few improvised barricades divided them from the redcoats and the horde of screaming natives. The first houses of Aurelia were immediately behind them: if they failed, the enemies would have burnt the settlement to the ground and slaughtered whoever attempted to resist, or maybe slaughtered everyone, with no distinction. With the muskets loaded with buckshot, the soldiers were waiting to see the white of enemies' eyes. They probably had no real chance, outnumbered by more than two to one, but they were ready to sell their skin dearly. When the enemy soldiers and the Ténotclaxcans war band disappeared back into the jungle, nobody could really believe their eyes: diplomacy had ended the war just a day before the disaster! The very next day, as civilians were still drinking and celebrating, the heads of Aurelia garrison gathered to understand what had gone wrong. The main problems were quite obvious: the "neighbors" of Aurelia were stronger than expected, especially if they joined their forces; and the fortifications were absolutely inadequate for the size of the settlement, especially if the attackers came from the interior of the island. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 621 After months of hard work, the Bouclier ("the Shield", as the Aurelians called their new fortifications) was finally completed. With several forts and smaller batteries ready to support one another, a strong garrison and an impressive number of heavy artillery pieces, the new system of fortifications has turned Aurelia into an incredibly hard nut to crack, may the enemy come from the sea or from the land! Coastal batteries Aurelia had already some old batteries defending the entrance of the port, that to date had been sufficient to repel pirates and small raiding parties. As a part of the Shield, the existing batteries were reinforced, and new ones were built. Positioned on strategic points of Aurelia cliffs, the coastal batteries would now represent a real menace also for large attacking forces. A simple but effective flag system allows fast communication among distant batteries, so that fire can be concentrated against chosen targets. The batteries represent small and difficult targets, scattered along the coastline and low above the water. At the same time, with their heavy 32-pounder cannons, they could start a deadly crossfire against an enemy fleet, hitting the ships hard right at the waterline and sending them to the Halls of Poseidon. Even if the batteries are not strongly fortified, the sturdy brick wall offers good protection to the artillerymen. Each battery is manned by a detachment of the Artillerie de Marine Coloniale (Naval Artillery of the Colonies), formed with recruits coming from the Nouveau Monde colonies and trained in the Royal Artillery Academy of Breshaun. Forward blockhouses During the attack of April 621, enemy forces arrived unspotted almost to the outskirts of Aurelia, likely with the help of native guides and warriors. To prevent something similar from happening again, a series of small brick blockhouses was built on the edge of the jungle, near to the faded border with Ténotclaxcan lands. Each blockhouse is a small bastion fort, protected by a dry ditch and equipped with a few cannons. The low, angled walls offer a bad target to enemy artillery, while the ditch and other obstacles make them still difficult to climb for an attacker. The small garrison of each blockhouse is strong enough to repel without problem enemy patrols and to deter warbands of hot-headed warriors from raiding the lands of Oleon. In case of stronger attacks, this first line of defence would likely be overthrown, but this would inevitably cost heavy casualties and precious time to the enemies, allowing Aurelia garrison to organize a counterstrike. Although small, the blockhouses include some solutions typical of modern-style fortifications: for instance the low, thick walls are made of bricks, that shatter less than stone when hit by cannonballs; moreover, the height and the angle of each element is calculated to create no blind spots for defenders' musket fire. Moreover, a low gallery runs behind the scarp wall (that is, the inner wall of the ditch). Shooting through small loopholes, the defenders can shoot the enemies climbing down the ditch with almost no risk of being hit... another unpleasant surprise for the attackers! Light mortar batteries Small batteries of light mortars are scattered on low heights behind the first line of defenses, their short bores ready to send death upon the enemies of Oleon. With their arched trajectories, mortar projectiles can fly over the forward blockhouses and fall over the attacking forces, sending them into chaos. Differently from cannons, mortars can fire small fragmentation shells, that explode a few meters before impact. For an attacking force, slowed down by ditches and barricades, this would mean a hellish rain of fire and iron splinters falling on amassed soldiers, a horribly effective way to stop them. Here, the head of Aurelia garrison is inspecting one of the forward batteries, proudly manned by a crew of Aurelia Artillery Militiamen. Main fort The chain of defenses built around Aurelia is likely sufficient to repel most of the menaces to the city. An enemy sufficiently strong and motivated to overcome them, however, would still have to face the Jewel of the Shield, the main fort protecting Aurelia. The fort is built according to the "Modern Style of fortification": this means that the position and the size of each element are carefully calculated with precise geometries to block and deflect artillery fire, and at the same to make the advance of enemy infantry as hard as possible. In "Modern Style", the fort begins hundreds of meters far from the wall, with the glacis, an artificial slope shielding the fort from enemy artillery: while the defenders have a clear sight (and fireline), the attackers can only see (and aim at) the very top of the wall, unless they conquer the external earthworks before. The covered way runs right behind the glacis. This long trench represents the first line of defense, and can also be used to move soldiers to any point of the outer perimeter for a counter-attack. The fort is surrounded by a dry ditch, wider and deeper than the one of the blockhouses. Also here, the scarp wall and the caponiers (tiny blockhouses traversing the ditch) are equipped with musket ports, that would turn the ditch into a deadly trap for the attackers. Mortar batteries are scattered behind the outworks. In this position, they can provide close fire support to the defenders, but they can also be abandoned quickly if the enemy tries to storm them. The fort itself is nothing more than a low, sturdy, embankment lined by a brick wall. Completely different from the elegant castles of the past centuries, it is basically a platform for cannons and soldiers. With its new Shield, Aurelia has definitely more chances to grow in peace and prosperity on the Northern tip of Blueton, one of the more disputed islands of the archipelago... people sleep better (and merchants invest more) when the enemy is beyond a thick wall, with a lot of big, big cannons pointing at him! OOC: During the last "diplomatic crisis" I started building a series of fortifications for Aurelia (formerly Dragonstone). I delayed the publication of the original fort due to the new war rules but, in the meantime, I built a series of additional defenses, making the project larger than I originally planned... and a lot slower to complete! I hope you like the result! I will license it as a Large Fort, with a footprint of some hundred studs above the 4096 required.

Brickford Landing was both growing and at risk from the Lotii threat. Earlier that season they had captured a Lotii scout who had been scoping out their position. With Major Brickford away on the Island of Terraversa, Captain Keats decided the small island battery that protected the settlement was not enough security. He instructed his small group of soldiers to build a medium-sized fort a small way inland. The fort featured a tall tower from which a sentry could keep an eye on sea traffic. The fort also included a number of batteries that could support the small island battery if the need arose. Once the basic fort had been constructed, Keats was ashamed of how ugly it was. His men had quickly thrown it together and it served its utilitarian purpose: keeping the settlement safe. However, he wanted to impress Brickford when he returned to the island. So, Keats asked his men if any of them knew how to carve rock. Private Beesley spoke up - his father was a master carver in Belson and Beesley had grown up learning the trade in his father's shop. With no better option available, Keats decided to trust Beesley and excused him from his normal duties for a few weeks so he could work on improving the look of the fort. Keats was pleasantly surprised by the results. Now if only he could figure out how to keep the whitewash they were applying to the sloped walls from washing off following a heavy rain... -------------- OOC: Just an excuse to build a fort on a raised baseplate. Tried out sloped walls like @CapOnBOBS, but you can't really tell from this angle To be licensed as a medium fort by Corrington

Ay seamates! I got some new fotos but had problems with the background due to size, hope you will enjoy anyway: Bienvenidos a Cartagena! Lower your anchor, take a bottle of rum and relax from your adventurous voyage through the caribbean sea! Puerto de Cartagena by Captain Störtebricker The harbour should reasamble the harbour of Cartagena de Indias which intense impression has burned into my mindn after a visit there. The city was one of the first foundations made by the spanish and became one of the connection point for the gold and silver routes. The fortifications of the city have been raided several times until they have been build as strong that no one could conquer them again. In 1585 the famous pirate Sir Francis Drake did so and conquered and looted the city. In the same year the main cathedral was finished, too. So I hope you can see what brought me to this idea. The harbour consists of 3 parts (by now...): El castillo: The fort on the hill could welcome you with a big volley so be sure that you are coming in on a frienndly mission. It is situated on a rock with a cave underneath to hide some stuff you dont want to bring into the harbour. For pirates a skeleton shows then how they will be threated. The main tower is already been demolished and now converted to a small barrack. In front of the dorr there is a trap door throwing you into the cave. The fortress should be way bigger but for me it works as representing the first corner of the main fort. The doors lead you into the city... The colonial warehouse: With the warhouse I tried to reassamble the famous colonia architecture. I features a fishing gear shop and a warehouse whti a big balcony. From there you can have a nice view on the main square in front of the cathedral... The cathedral: The main cathedral looks like a fortification but due to the rich inhabitants it has nice stained glass windows. But these inhabitants do not belive very much in god but more in gold so the altar is filled up with all the treasures stolen from the surrounding natives all around the caribbean. So come in and take a closer look! The cathedrals has detachable roofs and can be accessed by minfigs on all levels. Besides the cathedral there is right now the tavern from POTC but it can easily be removed to continue the pier to expand the harbour... (which I hope I can do!) All in all I hope you enjoyed your stay and be ready to set sail for your next adventour! - Captain Störtebricker (More fotos: Flickr Album Puerto de Cartagena )

The winter snows came early in 601 AD, the Angle king of Bernicia, Aethelfrith has not long won a great victory over the Gododdin at Catraeth and warrior bands scour the land. One such group comes across the old fort of Raxtomessavadum, unbeknown to then once maned my their mercenary forefathers. There they find the fort abandoned except for two romano-british hermit's, Sabinus and Aneirin who call down curses on the pagan invaders. Aneirin is cut down, while the drunken Angles use Sabinus as a butt and laugh at how his god cannot save him. Fast forward to the spring of 638AD and the new king Oswald visits the site of the martyrdom, surveying the land he tells his architect of the chapel he wants built to commemorate the two hermit's and to pay his dues for the actions of his father's men.

Pirates Island, a nice little place to relax when they’re not plundering the seas.

The Imperial Watchtower is up to Version Four, on 28th June 2021. Imperial Watch Tower Version Four by R Y, on Flickr Imperial Watch Tower Version Four by R Y, on Flickr After building my Grand Castle MOD by deconstructing the second Medieval Castle, I was left with the rocky green base from the gatehouse, a staircase and a bottom of a battlement, plus some wall sections and what seems like a lot of spare pieces at the time. Instead taking those apart and sorting them out, I thought why not build something instead. From building four towers, and studying the instructions of B Model, I decided to use that experience and knowledge to build an Imperial watchtower, overlooking an waterway or the sea. MOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr I used the 8x16 brick yellow plate as the base, the dark azure plates surround it to create the coast and two olive green half circle plates for grass lands. I know that each level will be six bricks. I have three 4x8 dark tan plates to build as the cliff top, a 2x4 dark tan plate will be the base of the staircase also connecting the 4x8 half round olive green plate to the 8x16 tan plate. Using this knowledge I can gauge how far to build the cliff base from the edge of the plate, ten studs long, I still don’t know if I have enough pieces, I used inverted slopes where possible, placing the flat face on the outside. The two reddish brown 1x5x4 arch pieces are sitting on a combination 1x4 light bluish gray arches and 1x4 2 studs plates, and 1x6 dark blue tiles completes the steps. MOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr The tower is built like the original LEGO model, 6x6 studs side by side. I had six dark bluish grey panels left, they made up the walls with other bricks bordered by 1x1 round bricks. A black door frame was removed from the yellow wooden keep to make the entrance. I also have four 1x2x2 castle windows left as I removed them from my Grand Castle MOD, I needed black lattice diamond pane for the yellow keep. I was still short on dark bluish gray bricks so I needed to have more opening. I designed a bow window recess to free up a wall of dark bluish gray bricks, using reddish brown round corner windows and light bluish gray round corner macaronis, sitting on two inverted slopes, a dark blue slope and corner slopes for the roof. I really like the bow window recess as it provides a 180 degree view out to the sea. I managed to build up a two floor tower, again using inverted slopes to make up the numbers. I used the beautiful gargoyle design from LEGO model B, two are facing out to the sea, acting not only as elongated water sprouts directing water into the sea, they protect the tower from evil spirits. I introduced a bit of colour using the SNOT yellow wattle and daub panels sitting on two inverted brackets, I put one blue and one white 1x1 tooth plate to act as coat of arms on the yellow door sign. This made the tower ground floor one stud taller than the six bricks height of others. I didn’t initially use the dark tan 6x6 plates as the tower is enclosed, but realised they are required to provide structural rigidity to the body of the tower. MOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr MOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr That was my first watchtower attempt after many rebuilds, moving the light and dark bluish gray pieces around so at least the opposite walls on each level has the same colour and brick patterns. MOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr The next day, my mate was asking me about the Grand Castle MOD that I posted here, are the walls of the yellow wattle and daub building facing the great tower blocked off with bricks, or was it open access? I said it was open access on the first floor, closed on the second floor; then it dawned on me I can remove the two panels on the second floor, and possibly build up a third level. However, I still don’t have enough gray pieces. I know I have sacrificed the trebuchet design many times already, what is one more time… well, I had to take it apart completely this time. The counterweight provided the gray pieces, the frame provided five reddish brown tiles to swap out the dark blue ones on the staircase, two reddish brown 1x4 bricks were swapped into the roof of the keep for two dark bluish gray ones to go into the Imperial watchtower, four 1x1x5 solid studs and one 6x6 plate became the core of the roof. Two reddish brown arches went to the ground floor wooden columns to match the arches from first and second floor inside the yellow keep. Two 1x12 bricks are used on the cliff top to free up more grey bricks. As the tower got higher, I had to increase the height of the corner buttresses to balance it; they went from two bricks high, to three, and finally four, 2x2 corner bricks are used as I do not have enough 2x2 bricks. I moved the tower one stud inside the cliff, due to the round corner window piece broke up the line of light bluish gray edge, which is visually displeasing and break in weight transfer. Moving the whole tower in by one stud allows me to continue the edge from top down to bottom, with the brown window frame siting on the outside of the 1x1 round bricks, they are linked by two 1x2 round plates. One extra stud of space allowed me to create a nicer dark blue roof with a plate of yellow underneath. I had to take another black door frame from the yellow keep, on the second floor facing the tower, to support the back buttresses. I tend to hold the tower on the buttresses; as the bow window recess, built with 2x2 round corner bricks, is no longer in between the 2x2 bricks, the force of my finger grip would push in the buttresses and nearly collapsed the whole towel; the door frame solved this issue, a simple but very effective fix. The big 1x4x3 window with two pearl gold pane are used to provide the big opening on the third floor, I was literally on the last usable small gray pieces when it was built, the stepped pattern of dark and light bluish gray bricks is for looks and also due to the lack of bricks. MOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr Imperial Watchtower by R Y, on Flickr I wanted a pavilion roof originally, but do not have any 3x3 corner pieces left, so made to do with a dark blue gable roof. I was also short of a 1x2 yellow brick for the gable ends, so had to take one from the keep roof, replaced it with a yellow technic holed brick, hidden away from view. Dark blue 3x2 slopes stacked on top of each other with a 2x4 brick inside for support completed the roof with one flag on each gable. So here it is, after many rebuilds, my Imperial Watchtower made from the spare pieces of my Grand Castle MOD of 2 x 31120 Medieval Castle. Please share your thoughts on comments! MOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr MOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr MOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr MOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr MOC Imperial Watchtower 31120 by R Y, on Flickr

Welcome to Fort Leeward, designed to fend off the toughest of pirates, like fierce Captain Breakwater and her motley crew. Thank you for reading and please share and support, and offer any suggestions. SUPPORT NOW!

Willow is a 1988 film with story and produced by George Lucas and directed by Ron Howard. With Warwick Davis in the lead role. It will have a Disney TV series in 2022. The project has 513 as of this time on LEGO Ideas: https://ideas.lego.com/projects/55c36299-4a0a-48b8-9dfa-c623ad427260 If you like it, please support it's free! Tir Asleen: portcullis (raised by a winch on the battlements) Rolling barrel rolling down the walkway like in the film. On the left: tunnel (on a hinge piece. In the film Madmartigan hid with boxes/hay in the film and surprised attack Queen Bavmorda troops) Battle over the bridge with the troll: Also notice a person frozen in a crystal and the troll poo that Madmartigan unluckily steps in the film Another person trapped in a crystal. And a cage similar to the one Madmartigan was in earlier in the film. Catapult. In the film it's placed on the battlements between the two towers. The Eborsisk dragon that Willow accidentally transformed from a troll. Project Link again: https://ideas.lego.com/projects/55c36299-4a0a-48b8-9dfa-c623ad427260

Link: https://ideas.lego.com/projects/2948b9f0-6132-4243-bf62-dda71a111ab8 Wanted to make a set based on japan that would include a section of a forest as well as some buildings. While having cliffs that could open up and have more of a display/play area in the process. Tried to cram as many details as I could to generate a certain feel to the set. While trying to make the trees in a new realistic way so they stand out. Front view with the characters: Opened View: Tree and ground that's accessed at the center when it's opened. The front of the design. With the stonepath staircase, waterways and waterfall. Marketplace The big statue on the bottom level can be turned. Back of the cave system below the building: Roof: Side view: Kitchen Room (above the cave) Samurai Armour Room (Above the Kitchen) Roof Room: Statues: Characters, some are fantastical like the short Nuppeppo (folklore creature) and the Samurai guardian: Thanks for viewing, let me know what you think.

This is my creation for Brickstory 2017 contest, for the "Age of Piracy" category. This is my biggest creation so far.. and it came with a theme that I love.. Pirates!! This inspiration came from one of my favorites series.. Black sails!!! :D And because i didn't like the end of Vane.. I decide to change it a little bit!! And the story starts..: Year: 1715 Place: Nassau Mission: Free Vane and burn Nassau to the ground! Vane is shuttled to the town square of Nassau where he will be executed. Bones and those loyal to him join the crowd, intent on a desperate rescue attempt. However, Vane makes eye contact with Billy and gives him a silent order to stand down.. But Captain Flint has a different opinion than the movie series.. Free Vane and kill them all!!! Nassau it's ours again!!! I hoped you like my creation! C&C are welcome!! :D

This is my reimagined version of Saber Island - this time the outpost has been built on the former volcano that makes up Volcano Island. Set on a 32x32 base plate, made from under 1600 pieces with seven minifigures, a seagull, a shark, a crab, a lobster, a clam and a starfish. The little dock is served by a crane that can lift the cargo up to the fortress. For the poor Imperials, it's up that rickety staircase we go. The staircase is in a bad state and many of the handrails have rotted away. Some supports have been put in to hold up what's left, let's hope they're strong enough. A view up at the outpost from the staircase. I added an extra level to the original set. I also added a little extension to the side. The roof also has a tiny bell tower build to raise the alarm when enemies approach. The cannon emplacement and tree are present as they are in the original set. I added a creeper plant up the other side of the building to add a bit of visual interest. I chose dark red as the base colour, I almost went for dark tan. All three balconies and windows in the middle floors have different builds. The roof has been enlarged and I used the broken rungs technique from the Elusys Ra Anwal's Forbidden Island build to make the tower look run down. I would ideally have the telescope on pearl gold, but the sextant piece isn't available in that colour. The roof has a sextant and compass accessory, you can just about see the alarm bell in the tiny building. Below the roof is the Governor's office. The Governor's table is complete with maps, quill and ink pot, goblet and decanter, with a nautical painting on the wall. The office is lit by a chandelier, the table build, and most of the interior is SNOT. Below that is the barracks with two bunks, below that the entrance hall with a store room to the side. The barracks has a little weapon rack, the entrance hall has a banner and chest full of gems. 'In real life' there would be a mess hall and kitchen closer to the camera. And now to the Volcano Island. One thing I always wanted to do was have a skull that was solid rock, not with gaps for the eyes or nose. The skull opens up to give access to a hidden cave where the Pirates can store their loot. I did want to add a subterranean prison with access to the cave, but there was no room. The Pirates have to be very sneaky to get in their hideout under the watchful eye of the Imperials. I should have rendered these without the roof, it's very dark. There are little islands dotted around covered in coins. There is also a carved stone skull with glowing eyes, I wonder who carved it... The hole here is big enough to get your hand in for play in the cave. So that's it, I hope you liked my take on a combination of these two older sets. Any comments or criticisms are, of course, welcome

Named for nearby Fort Legoredo, the town of Glencoe was first settled in 1869 by the people following the Wichita, Xenia, Yazoo & Zephyrus Rail-Road through the Colorado on towards it's junction with the Union Pacific to create a branch off of the First Transcontinental Railroad. Usually these towns die off once the construction teams move on, but this town didn't because of one crucial fact: Valuable veins of silver were discovered by the Construction crews in a attempt to tunnel through the side of Raindance Ridge. This new wealth happened to be right up the tracks (about a mile or two) from the City. The town (and fort) continue to have a booming industry in the 21st century, with tourists flocking to the Wild West town, movies being shot on-site, and more recently, the reopening of the silver mines because of advances in mining techniques. (seen above is the town in the 1950-70's TV / Movie boom) The railroad still stops at Fort Legoredo depot (shown above) and the town of Glencoe, with a Native American reservation and the preserved Army Fort nearby. US 1880's LEGOREDO MODULAR TRAIN DEPOT I originally got this basic model from a page on Bricksafe by user @sed6 as seen here. I revised the freight door to be movable, changed the roof color to dark red from black, building color to sand green from tan, plus I added a "cast iron" heating stove and it's chimney flue to the model for late-1800's period look. I have named the Fort Legoredo passenger depot after the famous set number 6761. (Fort Legoredo)  The model features the separate entry doors to the station premises for cargo and people on the both the street and track sides. There is also plenty of outside seating on both the left and right sides, yet they are still under the roof awning to be protected from rain. (three seats per side) Inside we have the freight area (on the left) and the passenger area (on the right) with a connecting door between the two. The passenger section also has the heating stove which currently is keeping the coffee hot. (or is it boiling the water for tea?) This part of the station also has three inside seats for weary passengers and a cash register for ticket dispensing. The station is modular, and comes apart in four sections: - Left platform end - Right platform end - Station roof - Station building 1870's LEGOREDO CITY This bank was partially inspired by set 10255 (Assembly Square). The rear of the bank also has a modified safe from set 10217. (Diagon Alley) along with two bank teller's windows and a desk. This barber shop was inspired by set 6765. (Gold City Junction). The barber shop features two chairs taken from set 10246, (Detective's Office) along with a sink and cash register. This general store is supposed to be modeled after the one in set 6765 (Gold City Junction), but with updated parts and expanded collection of items for sale. Inside, we have a cash register and a not-yet-finished interior. Hank Haystack from the LEGO Movie owns and operates this store. This saloon was inspired by the bank in set 79109. (Colby City Showdown) It features a typical saloon swing-open door, a cash register, and several spots to sit down and order a drink and is owned by Doc Brown from Back to the Future. (Hey, he can't drink it, doesn't mean he can't sell it!) Being on a corner, much of the building is left to the imagination as I wanted to avoid lift away floors to keep with the vintage 1990's Western feel. This sheriff's office was taken almost wholly from set 79109. (Colby city Showdown) The rooftop cannon has been removed, and a sticker-based sign from set 7954 (Woody's Roundup) has been placed up there instead. The floor of the building has also been redone, and most of the odd colored part removed. The rear of the building features the sheriff's office and his armory, plus the jail cell with it's exploding front wall. This blacksmith's store was heavily inspired by 2011 Ninjago set 2508. (Blacksmith Shop) I revised the colors scheme, removed the rotating rear wall, and added a holder for the sign. The roof still folds open like the original set. The post office was mostly taken from set 40305 (LEGO brand store), which has been reworked into a post office. There is a hanging sign out front in the shape of an envelope, and the sign on the top of the building clearly defines the building's purpose. (though the inside is empty at this point!) It is off a Frontier church for my Wild West town. I based it partially off set 309 and 1309 (both called "Church") from 1957 / 58's Town Plan theme.. the only official Lego church ever made, as far as I know. The words "Church of the Unmodified Brick" go on some 2 x 4 tiles with custom stickers I'll probably get from my dad's label maker. (as I don't own one) The model features a "golden" bell in the tower, and seven seats for parishioners, while the Reverend has to stand to deliver his fire-and-brimstone sermon on the "evils" of cutting baseplates, third party bricks, and gluing parts together. The rear window has a trans blue / trans orange stained glass window with a cross outline in front of it. The lattice work for the windows is supposed to continue into the square versions using 22 of this part. This church will go along with the gothic graveyard I assembled from both 70420 (Graveyard Mystery from Hidden Side) and 75965 (Rise of Voldemort from Harry Potter.) Also, please ignore the older 4-2-4 steam loco in the back of this photo, it's not important and has been disassembled for a 2-8-0 as seen in the Train Tech sub-forum. (and below) US 1880's TRAIN MODELS - PASSENGER This train is meant to be built from sets 7597 (Western train Chase from Toy Story 3), 71044, (Disney Train and Station) and set 10014. (Caboose from the My Own Train series, albeit a bit bigger width-wise!) I also used the 1955 Disneyland RR passenger car instructions from @TJJohn12, as seen on Flickr here. I just recolored them and simplified them for this model. The coal-burning straight stack-styled locomotive is a mish-mash of two steam locomotives, (both 4-4-0 type) from the Toy Story set and Disney train model. I just stretched out the Disney model, added a blind driving wheel to either side (making it into a 4-6-0), and repainted it into a Toy-ish color scheme. Oh, and I built a brand new tender from the rails up, which will use 1970's red 12v-era wheels. (I hate the new Powered Up wheels without the metal axle, so this was my only choice!) The locomotive is missing these printed parts, which are colored wrong on the model for visibility. They are as follows: - the green 1 x 4 printed number "1" bricks, two on the loco and two on the tender. - a single printed red 2 x 2 brick with "1" print for the headlamp. - one 2 x 2 printed round tile for the firebox door in the cab. This baggage / coach car is styled after TJJohn12's free instructions. I did change the color scheme a bit, with black windows. black roof, and red doors, instead of red doors, reddish-brown roof, and red windows. Two of these are also going to be built, and were designed with TJJohn12's instructions. (with some subtle design changes by me for ease of ordering and a slightly simpler design) Now, I know passenger train's are not supposed to have cabooses, but this one does as I couldn't figure out a good red light arrangement for the rear-facing passenger car. Thus, this 10014-styled caboose was created in 8-wide. The yellow 2 x 4 tile on the both sides of the car are actually supposed to be this printed red part of the same size. US 1880's TRAIN MODELS - FREIGHT This freight-hauling locomotive is meant to be built from sets 7597 (Western train Chase from Toy Story 3), 71044, (Disney Train and Station) and set 10014. (Caboose from the My Own Train series, albeit a bit bigger width-wise!) I also used set 10013 (Open Freight Wagon, also from My Own Train) as a guide for the pipe-carrying car, plus model 15 (Tanker) from set 10183, Hobby Trains for the tanker car. This loco shares the same tender as my other Western 8-wdie loco from this time period. The engine itself, however, is an enlarged version of 7597, in yellow and blue. It's also meant to have inside pistons as it's an early-to-mid 1860's locomotive. (thus the lack of visible pistons!) The locomotive is missing these printed parts. They are as follows: The four yellow 1 x 6 bricks are supposed to be printed with this number 2. while the headlamp is supposed to have two of these printed yellow 1 x 1 tiles. The firebox door requires this print. Inspired by a @wildchicken13 model from Bricklink, back from before Lego bought them out. This boxcar is not inspired by any specific car in particular, and was done freehand without looking at other 8 wide boxcars. The four doors slide open. Model 15 (Tanker) from set 10183, Hobby Trains was the inspiration for the tanker car. It should feature this print on the 2x2 round white tiles. This model was built from instructions seen at the Old Workhorse's Lego Ideas page as seen here. (I am not affiliated with the creator of that page, I just used their free instructions, visible further down in the updates section, to build the traction engine seen above.) The model has been attached to an 8-wide flat car for transportation across the county. This 10014-styled caboose was created in 8-wide for my passenger train, but has been redone in yellow for the freight train. US 1880's TRAIN MODELS - U.S. MILITARY This entire military transport train was inspired by sets 60052, 79106, and 79111. This train also has a couple play features, such as a rotating Gatling gun, moving steam engine side rods, and a exploding jail car wall. This eight-wide model is a complete model of my own design, and is inspired by the steam engine from the 1970's Western film, "Breakheart Pass". I included working pistons, and a more cohesive color scheme of red and green, with a splash of yellow. Big Ben bricks' medium size wheels, 4 flanged and 4 blind, are meant to take the place of the gear wheels. You can buy them at his site here. The tender and cab walls are supposed to have four of this printed red 1 x 6 piece inserted into them: The front headlight is supposed to have two of this printed 1 x 1 placed on it. This horse car was originally a cattle car from set 60052, (2014 Cargo Train) but I've re-purposed it for my Army officer horses. These cannons are from set 79106 (Calvary Builder Set) and were placed on a generic flatcar for transport by rail. The rotating Gatling gun you see here was taken from set 79111. (Constitution Train Chase) This car has the basic "look" of the 1955 Disneyland MOC trains cars from TJJohn12, albeit without the clerestory roof, which instead has a walkway for train crew / soldiers on lookout during fuel stops. The jail car you see was originally from set 79111. (Constitution Train Chase) while gaining the styling of the 1955 Disneyland MOC trains cars from TJJohn12. This car has one play feature that is sure to blow you away: the back wall can be removed to get at the jail cell via the "dynamite" on the outside of the back wall. When pushed back towards the other end of the car, the lever on the left side pops the back wall out and the bad guys can escape! US 1880's TRAIN MODELS - MAINTENANCE OF WAY ROTARY SNOW PLOW This blue train is marked (4-8-0+0-8-4 Garratt, for heavy duty rotary snow plow jobs) is pulled / pushed by an 8-wide Garratt-type steam locomotive is perfect for use on the mountainous terrain of Colorado Rocky Mountains, with it's double steam locomotive pistons sets. (Before anyone says anything about Garratt loco's not being ever sold into the North American market, I'll say it's an lost experimental prototype to help with a motive power shortage. It may have been seen by the owner as a economical way of sending one locomotive to do the job of two.) This steam powered rotary snowplow was inspired by the real-world Denver and Rio Grande's narrow gauge plow "OY", as now seen on the Cumbres and Toltec RR in New Mexico / Colorado. I've decided to name my plow "YO" in tribute to my inspiration, using four of this part from the original Toy Story sets as a sort of marker. The rear of the plow features the coal tender with a ladder from the water tank-top down to the magnetic coupler. This 8-wide engine was originally a SRW locomotive works product, (made by Anthony Sava and formerly available on Bricklink until LEGO sadly removed most of his models.) I reworked the engine to have working pistons and side-rods plus a longer frame. This made it from 2-4-0+0-4-2 to a 4-8-0+0-8-4, among other smaller updates to the engine. I also substituted a Disney train-style boiler onto the engine to backdate it to the mid-1880's or so. The rear of the steam locomotive. This part in black goes on the water tank and coal bunker walls (it's the number 4). Even with the added pistons, the engine can go around corners and switches quite easily. A simple caboose, for the snow plow train. I used a pair interesting windscreen parts for the cupola windows. US 1870's WESTERN MILITARY - FORT LEGOREDO This is an updated and enlarged form of sets 6769 / 6762, (Fort Legoredo) with new parts and some modifications to the original set. These new parts include two cannons which oddly are missing in the original sets. I have heavily modified this model by adding Technic pins to hold the sections together, and by filling in the gaps in the wooden walls. The jail cell has also been enlarged and opened up for play-ability, plus a train platform had bee placed at the secondary gate for loading and unloading soldiers and equipment. The yellow flag is supposed to have this print: http://www.bricklink...35pb107#T=C&C=3 while the tan plates above the main gate are to have printed 1 x 1 tiles spelling out "Fort Legoredo". (which are sadly not in LDD) The back of the fort features the commander's office and jail cell below. I removed the originals set's trap door and enlarged the cell. The main gate has been greatly enlarged to allow for wagons to enter the fort. The secondary gate allows for rapid deployment of artillery and troops off of trains and into the fort. The commander's office is above the jail. I plan on adding a custom Confederate officer into the cell. Not much to say about this part... US 1870's WILD WEST MINI-FIGURES Commanded by General Buford Armstrong, the garrison at Fort Legoredo is ready for anything... or so they think! These Native Americans are of the tribe displaced by the US Army and the silver miners in the Raindance Ridge area back in the 1880s. They went onto reservations, which they then left under cover of darkness for their even older ancestral burial grounds: known only to their lone elder, the much revered Chief Big Bear. When they arrived, they found two people already there: Doctor Emmett Brown and his wife Clara, who had decided to take a 20th-century shortcut through an 19th century world and got lost. Chief Big Bear could somehow tell that Doc Brown was a man "from many sunrises from now" (aka the future), and offered to help him if he could help them. So, Doc drew up the plans for the time train, and, with the help from his inventions and the native americans, worked to keep the hidden valley a secret for ten years, all while getting parts for the engine from opening a saloon in the nearby town of Legoredo City. (He can't drink it, but he can sure sell it!) US 1870's MODULAR EADS TRAIN BRIDGE Here is my final design of the St. Louis bridge, commonly known as the Eads bridge because of it's designer, James B. Eads. It uses Indiana Jones roller-coaster ramps for the arches, which looks pretty cool. The bridge is nine tracks total in length and 19 bricks high from base to track. (this means about fourteen brick of clearance between arch top and floor, so some ships could pass through!) First, a little background info from Wikipedia (which is also where this picture came from): "The Eads Bridge is a combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River at St. Louis, connecting St. Louis and East St. Louis, Illinois. The bridge is named for its designer and builder, James B. Eads. When completed in 1874, the Eads Bridge was the longest arch bridge in the world, with an overall length of 6,442 feet (1,964 m). The ribbed steel arch spans were considered daring, as was the use of steel as a primary structural material: it was the first such use of true steel in a major bridge project. The Eads Bridge, which became an iconic image of the city of St. Louis, from the time of its erection until 1965 when the Gateway Arch was constructed, is still in use. The bridge crosses the St. Louis riverfront between Laclede's Landing, to the north, and the grounds of the Gateway Arch, to the south. Today the road deck has been restored, allowing vehicular and pedestrian traffic to cross the river. The St. Louis MetroLink light rail line has used the rail deck since 1993." This is a rough representation, as it is missing a lot, (I.E. no car deck, missing tunnel under downtown, and lack of the East St Louis ramp approach.) Here is the modular component, of which three of these big sections together via eight Technic pins (four per section) to make the whole bridge. The modular component of the bridge's design also makes it a LOT easier to carry as the whole bridge with the three sections weighs about 10 pounds total. US 1870's WESTERN STAGECOACH, TOWN CARTS, SNAKE-OIL SALESMAN VEHICLE, US ARMY CANNON CART + AMMUNITION WAGON "Come one, Come all! Gather 'round for a cure to end the all-too-common cold!" It may say "bait shop" on the side, but it really is a patent "medicine" store, where Anton Dewey Cheatum makes his own brand of lethal cures using rattlesnake venom, whiskey and his special addictive ingredient... one or two tastes, and you'll come back for more until you drop (dead). Usually this happens after he has fled town in his red wagon with the citizens hard-earned cash. This Express Stagecoach model was mostly taken from set 79108 (Stagecoach Escape) from the 2013 Lone Ranger theme. I removed some of the random colors to give it a more unified look, and replaced red with yellow as the main color for this stage while the rear baggage ejection feature still works as originally designed. Here we see inside the stage, with the roof removed and doors opened. The brown box on the roof is the safe hauling the silver miner's pay, disguised as a steamer trunk to fool bandits. These wagons are for my townsfolk and their businesses. The yellow crates hold various liquor bottles for the Saloon, and the other wagon is headed for the mine with TNT and a barrel full of Whiskey. This 1860's US Army covered ammunition wagon with cannon is inspired by set 6716 (covered wagon) from 1996's Western theme. The cannon can come detached from the wagon, and become ready for action very quickly. Revered among the west are the lawmen, the get-it-done type of folk, like Wyatt Earp, for example. This is the ride of not a single one of those type of men. The wagon you see here is the official Mayor's carriage of the town of Fort Legoredo. This wagon was used for the second though fifth mayors, with the first (the one who died before this wagon was delivered) being the only truly honest and good one in the bunch. He was pushed off of Boulder Cliff Canyon in 1872 by cattle ranchers for giving the Native Americans a fair share of the land they were owed in a treaty that was signed by all involved.... unfortunately, this mattered not to the ranchers. The next eight years and four mayors were full of lust, greed, bullets, and backstabbing. It wasn't until 1880 that a real era of economic boom and social change began in the Fort Legoredo area. (The snake oil delivery wagon, mayor's wagon and the two town wagons were designed by Baskerville bricks (seen at this Bricklink store here.) with some added flourishes by me.) WILD WESTERN STERN-WHEEL STEAMBOAT The captain of the Proud Mary is Thaddeus Sweeney, better known as "Old Man Sweet-tooth", for his habit of chewing saltwater taffy when the going gets tough and and giving candy out to the little children whenever he lands at small towns and native american villages such as Lone Tree, Nebraska, or Fort Legoredo, Colorado. He usually plies his brand-new-for-1872 stern-wheel steamboat up and down the Rapid River, with the Missouri River in Iowa at one end, and the the mighty cliff face of Showdown Canyon Springs at the other end in the middle of Colorado. Thaddeus is the only one he trusts to handle his ship, as he says the Rapid River is too treacherous for many newer pilots, as the wrecks that litter the shoreline prove. However, even Captain Sweeney admits from time to time that age is catching up to him, and he has been looking for a suitable first mate for the Proud Mary for some time. The name of the ship is the Proud Mary, after the Creedence Clearwater Revival song of the same name, as I figured it would be appropriate. The rear paddle moves around 360 degrees and simultaneously slides the gray piston parts in and out on both sides. WILD WESTERN RAILROAD TRUSS BRIDGE This through-truss bridge design was originally downloaded by me (I don't remember the name of the original designer who created the bridge) from the LEGO Factory / Design By ME page in 2010-ish and was never built in real life due to questions about it's strength. I came across it again while looking at my MOCpage account's older files and made it into the version seen above using newer parts and a longer frame quite a while ago. (and as to those original questions about it's strength: It's built like a safe, as I can pick it up with a single finger by the top..... just don't drop it, because the reddish brown parts won't survive the landing!) More recently, I revised the deck where the track goes to be able to take the RC track up and be able to put down 9V down more easily. (We run 9V trains at shows in Gateway LUG.) In short, the track is now more easily removable to become 9V, 12V, or even a road bridge. The bridge fits any of my trains, and should fit all official LEGO trains except for double stack containers such as sets 10219 (Maersk Train) and 10170 (TTX Intermodal Double-Stack Car). WILD WEST RAILROAD WATER TOWER This model was inspired by fellow builder @Pdaitabird and his water tower, as seen here on his Flickr page. I have re-purposed the model for my Wild Western town / railroad. The tower top rotates a full 360 degrees with the water pipe, allowing the engineer to pull up, get his loco full of (imaginary) water, shove the pipe away, and move on. US 1860's WESTERN SILVER MINE AT SKULL ROCK This Wild West model was originally LEGO set 79110 (Silver Mine Shootout) from the 2013 Lone Ranger theme. I added a more reinforced right wall and a real base-plate to support the model, as I know from experience it can be pretty flimsy if handed wrong. I also added the collapsing water tower from set 79111 (Constitution Train Chase) to the front corner as another action play feature. The model has also been heightened by five bricks to allow for regular train cars to pass through, but unfortunately it still isn't wide enough for custom locomotives with side-rods to fit through. (yet!) The natural rock formation (the skull) on top of the mine gives it it's name, and features a carved out section for two cannons to protect the mine, either from Native Americans wanting their sacred mountain back, or desperadoes looking to cash in on the (supposedly cursed) silver. You can see many more details on the mine can be seen in this topic. NOTES ON THE POST EDIT 1/16/21 Added new 8-wide trains and new overall pictures of the Western town / Army fort. As usual, comments, Questions, and complaints are always welcome!

Here is my latest MOC, Fort Iron Cactus. It is my interpretation of an Old Wild West Fort. Inspiration for this comes from a mix of the Lego Western theme, Ninja theme, and some Ninjago. Some details about this fort is the base is 64 x 64 studs, it is made with some of the modular techniques were different sections of the building are able to be removed. It is able to be separated into 13 different sections plus the base section. Different sections of this fort include an armory, jail cell, chow hall, bunkhouse for the enlisted, bunkhouse for the officers, and an office/living quarters for the fort commander. There are three groups of minifigs in this MOC: enlisted in the light blue uniforms, officers in the dark blue uniforms, and of course two bad guys. 1 by Jamin Star, on Flickr 2 by Jamin Star, on Flickr 3 by Jamin Star, on Flickr 4 by Jamin Star, on Flickr 5 by Jamin Star, on Flickr 6 by Jamin Star, on Flickr 7 by Jamin Star, on Flickr 8 by Jamin Star, on Flickr 9 by Jamin Star, on Flickr 10 by Jamin Star, on Flickr 11 by Jamin Star, on Flickr 12 by Jamin Star, on Flickr 13 by Jamin Star, on Flickr 14 by Jamin Star, on Flickr 15 by Jamin Star, on Flickr I have also submitted this MOC as a project on Lego Ideas website https://ideas.lego.com/content/project/link/0c31545f-c770-4ec4-961a-8f8583ba45c6

I've been promising my fellow MCTCers a fort for a long, long time. But at last, here she be! I hurry to say that the brick separator roof was @Garmadon's idea. Credit where credit is due and I'd hate for Captain Nordau to feel like I'd robbed his designs. But on the other hand, I don't recall him crediting me for those lamp posts he totally ripped right off my desk... As you can see, this fort is totally ready for a prolonged siege by any number of Class 10 pirate ships. No false front here. And it was nice to have this one wall going straight up. Fortunately the soldiers here are able to get their hands on a newspaper or two once or twice a year. So the angled stuff was actually pretty complex, but I'm very happy with the end result. And always happy to show off my light aqua... ...and my light yellow... I tried to go detailed in keeping with my previous Salida Este MOCs. Would have been nice to use some vibrant coral somewhere but I stuck with the pastel colors. Anyway, now we in Salida Este can finally rest secure. Maybe... C&C welcome! Edit: Forgot to mention that there's a build log on my blog.

Fort Arltrees, February 620, El Oleonda The fort giving the name to the new Oleander settlement was finally completed. Fort Artrees was not much more than a palisade surrounding a few buildings, but now nobody could dislodge the small contingent without a hard fight. Lieutenant Marcel Dubois, the officer in charge of the garrison, was quite satisfied by the result: now, at least, nobody could take them by surprise, and more soldiers would soon have flowed towards the settlement… or at least that was the plan. Meanwhile, he had decided to reinforce all the weak points with additional defences: the soldiers built some cheval de Frise to protect the cannon loopholes... ...and deployed a real forest of pointy poles to prevent an attacker from approaching the wall with ropes and ladders. The garrison spent the rest of the time doing little jobs, such as unpacking tools, sharpening a blade with a whetstone or "testing the quality" of some Oleander aquavit. Others spend some time gambling, something strictly forbidden in most garrisons, but allowed in Fort Arltrees, considering the absence of any leisure or distraction. Everybody, however, was ready to run to his position in case of need… and more than grateful for the 24-pounders just unloaded from the warship Scamander. Overall view: Not so much to say about this build… I wanted to show the complete fort before licensing it. Despite the plot size (32x32) I will license it as a small fort, due to both the simplicity of the building and, storywise, the rushed and not exactly irresistible defences. Thank you for watching!

Fort in Astrapi, Île de Zeus This is my entry for Challenge II - Defending Yer Claims, category A. On Île de Zeus, which has recently been incorporated into the empire of Oleon, Oleander military engineers have been busy erecting defensive structures. They are designed to be suitable both against any hostile natives and to defend the island from other nations if the political tensions should turn into open war. This small fort is built using resources which can be found in great abundance on the island, namely wood and sand. The slope of the walls increase their effective cross-section to provide additional protection of the rooms inside and the sand provides excellent ballistic protection (compare with modern-day sand bags). The fort is of course not built to withstand a prolonged siege, but it’s heavy cannons and high elevation should be able to put up a good resistance against any of the smaller vessels still predominant in the waters of New Terra. The three cannons can be directed in all directions from the fort, and a soldier in the high lookout tower can spot approaching ships better than lookouts on higher ground on the island, since the peaks are most often shrouded in clouds while the land closer to the beaches is more likely to have good sight of the seas. A lot of weird angles in this build and quite a few iterations to get things the way I wanted, but I'm fairly happy with the end result. The gate is on the other side if someone wonders, but in the rush to complete this it didn’t turn out well enough to merit a picture... I tried a new black background for this photo session, which I think worked ok except for that the contrast to the black roof wasn't very good... I also tried some different lighting with another flash from above, to simulate sunlight. What do you think of that?

After months of exploring islands in the New Haven Sea, Eslandola’s expedition finally set foot on the island of Maldria. Initial exploration had identified a prime location for a settlement on the north side of the island, and preparations for a base for further exploration of the island were begun. Now, after much hard work by the ship crews and troops that made up the human capital of the expedition, a permanent base was established. Even though the fort was done, work crews continued on other tasks, as a dock and other infrastructure was needed for the new settlement. Ship gun crews and troop leaders worked to make sure the fort’s armament was ready. Outside the fort, musketeers patrolled the perimeter, as the island was still a great unknown. Inside the fort, expedition leader Philip “Pip” Janszen discussed matters with somewhat-renowned explorer Thaddeus Calvo. Pip’s protestations aside, Calvo informed Pip that the men had already named the fort after their expedition leader. It was Fort Janszen. He was stuck with it. ---------------------- This is a part of my ongoing AMRCA exploring the New Haven Sea, but I’ve posted it separately for licensing purposes. All C&C welcome.

With settlements being raided, and altercations between Corrington and Oleon in the eastern islands, it was no time to relax on security. And Eslandolan troops were scattered all over the Brick Seas. But recruitment numbers had been up ever since the regimental soccer team went to the Soccer Cup finals. Finally, Weelond had a battalion of fresh troops ready for service to supplement the veterans already on duty. The new battalion paraded through the main gate of Fort Weelond, reviewed by General Alonzo: The traditional core of Eslandolan infantry were the pikeman: But it had become apparent in the Eslando-Mardierian war that the musket needed to be featured in greater quantity: A couple more pics: All C&C welcome.

The latest and greatest engineering has come to Turtle Island. This Forts long guns are hefty enough to slice any ship to ribbons. OoC: I built this off memory of the civil war fortifications in New England from when I toured as a kid. It was originally built with a barracks in the center but I decided to make it a tower at last minute. After I posted a preview in the faction pm, I was sent this link to the fort that stood in Tortuga. Ironically it is very fitting hence the naming. Comments and Criticism welcome!

After losing the corvette HMS Badger to a nefarious fleet of pirates (and sinking the flagship, the Komodo Dragon), Corrington had been outraged to see the pirates parade the prize into the Olean port of Lavalette. Hence, Corrington had sent an official request to the RNTC authorities to size the unlawful prize and return it to its proper owners. This had left the authorities of Lavalette in a dilemma, as can be seen from the following official communication. Official letters: The outcome had been an agreement that Corrington would dispatch a group of Royal Engineers to assist in building up fortifications to counter the the pirate threat. In return, Oleon would seize the HMS Badger and expel the pirate fleet, as well as assist in the build up of similar Corlander defences at some point in the future. A plan had been made for a distributed build up of fortifications that would add up to a well-rounded defence of the settlement. Lavalette Fort Headquarters by Tom Gray, on Flickr (32x16 by @Spud The Viking) Fortifications: Visitors for Lavalette by @Bregir (32x16) Lavalette Cannon Battery by @LM71Blackbird (32x16) Innovative Tactics for Lavalette by @Drunknok (32x16) Mortar Emplacement by @Bregir (32x48) Small Fort at Lavalette by @Bodi (32x32) to be continued... For now, a large fort will be licensed.

This MOC was a commissioned model builld. My client gave me the general layout, and some specific details to include, and then let me go from there. It’s 64×64 plus the two stud border, and is modular, allowing each 32×32 module to be easily removed, and also allowing for easy additions in the future. All the building’s doors/trapdoors are functional, the two cranes work, and the prison cell has a break-away wall. Total piece count, excluding figs and accessories (all the dock cargo) was 5696 parts, making it my largest MOC in the Pirate theme so far. See lots more pictures on my website: http://www.brickbuilt.org/?p=3813 Feedback welcome