Mazin

Yeah, i'm aware of that. But it could always be reevaluated, as who was registered or not, and this was a rule, and who left real feedback... That is if Governor Phes would be willing to do so ;) And there's always an option to cosinder carrying the voting process out in phases, like where in phase 1 only those "more involved" would vote and they would pick their votes from the entire run of entries, and then, after votes would shrink that list down to definite leaders, lurkers could vote for them in phase 2, as this would also give them a bit more time to check out those most popular sets.

Obligatory 39 words per vote to explain what drew the voter into it could be an option too ;) and yeah, the problem with every poll is that a lot of folks might might not even wanna scroll down trough so many entries, and will pick just something from the top and won't invest time to check, so sometimes picking the right cover image would be a deciding factor, as this single pic would either drew someone or discourage from going deeper, and some builders seem to have a problem with presentation, so i guess it's also up to You to select those images for them in the list section ;) Or perhaps You could give a smaller number of votes based on who's the voter - like 3 votes to lurkers and 5 votes to us, "registered reviewers" ? ;) I mean, if those those additional 2 votes would be important for the overall verdict.

Excelent entry! I'm absolutely in love. Great photogrphy, great build, great ideas, awesome elements included and obcsene amount of playfeatures i''ll need a year to discover, give me an another year and i might start to get bored and become picky ;) I don't even know if it's reay built or if it's a render to be honest. But then again, i dont realy care. I wanna have it. Didn't even think we'd get something bigger than Enchanted Island, especially in the Islanders sector ;) And it's not that that it's big, it's also a monstrosity of all those little things merged beatifuly together, like, i wonder if You've spent last few weeks reading trough other entries or if You had this planned already before, cause there's jsut so many things we've discused separately all over other entries mixed nicely together in here. Even things that aren't part of the mai structure itself are stunning and well thought, like that little raft, small but great, and it's got a flag used as as sail, wow! And there that islander's catamaran. Characters seem to be nicely selected too. And with the lagoon... One thig is just better then anoter, we have a drawbridge, a turning bridge, a double brdge. Hm... should we stop here and wonder if this this element could be changed for better? Naah, i don't wanna do that. and i've run out of ideas, or at least wanna enjoy this one for a while. With all those beautiful towers, roofs, walkways, stairs, hidden compartments, LAVA BOMBS! :o wow! Tunels, arches, crocodile cages, vegetation, tribal elements, sculpted elements, and even those small yellow island drops here and there... and those instructions... seriously dude, You're a madman. One thing i don't understand on the istruction tho, it's about that last picture in the very lower right corner. I don't get what's the playfeature there :) I guess this area with tribal face/statue isn't that visible on Your photographs and so it's hard to tell what's going on there. Perhaps You could add an another pic then? Or would that be too many already? I also wonder what's behind that big black door where those lava bombs are located? Is there a secret room too or does it just store all that lava? Or maybe there's a secret treasure room inside as we see those pirates running out from there with a chest? Perhaps an another reason to provide one more photo for us? ;) ( could be done with a separate gallery on a different site, not everyone is eager to jump to links, but i do sometimes, especially with sets like this where i want to see evey corner ;) )

As a modern remake i guess it's a fine a job, but then the original was an extremely weird set, and this one definitely retained that craziness. I mean, there's definitely plenty of stuff going on, plenty of parts, it's sort of a mixture of brutalist architecture, children as acting architects and effects of the battle of Singapore ;) So in short, i didn't realy like the original, and since You've done Your work quite well, i should probably judge Your set equally and dislike it too ;) But i guess maybe not every sets is meant to be loved. Tho, this one could definitely see few changes to gain more love. Even if it's a remake, it could be better than the classic, no one says it needs to be the same. Like, i think it would be better if You'd decide to change the color pallete and make the whole thing look more continuous, cause right now we have that huge pile of mud or whatever it is, some green, a wooden tower, a big rock and some wreckage. I'm not saying that You can't keep all those elements, but... it could be visually more appealing, more consistent and not look like a structure built by 4 different constructors separately and then mered together ;) And it's also a bit blured at the same time. Like that boat totaly looks like if it was just pulled out of that mud. So i'd use a different color for it, to make stand out more. You know, since this is a wreckage area, maybe You could incorporate some elements from the ship in the mud? Like that they would be visibly sticking out of it, to make a suggestion that it was just covered by some land fall, or that pirates simply used their own shovels to throw some sand on it, to make a bridge between that wooden tower and the rock. And with all that massive mud/land formation, it seems there would be a huge volume of space under it ha? Therefore i guess it could fit at least a little secret stash, or real treasure room, armory, etc. And am i wrong or is this set modular? I mean, i believe that left part of Your creation is not connected to the right one. There's a clear crack in the middle of the mud area. Does it mean that it could be set up differently? Or is it just the way it was built that some parts aren't tied up together? :) But i see some ideas here that are quite new to this contest. There's a bridge which can be folded. That's a nice one thought! There's also a some trap operated by a monkey (?). So i wonder if it's a real thing that can be activated somehow, by stepping on same brick or pulling/turning one element? Or is it just a line left in there that we can simply use freely to play? :) And that builder is someting! Haven't seen it in different entries. I wonder how does it work tho? I see that there some palm tree leaf sticking out of the rock area, that may be also a walking plank? Is this a thing that trigger the builder to come down and crash unlucky intruders? Or maybe it is a walk-the-plank thing indeed? If it is than i think this set could use some crocodile or a shark to finish the job, cause it wouldn't make much of a sense to force someone to walk a plank in these shallow waters ;) Shark or a croc would make a slighlty different story ;) And should You decide to go with a croc, then that prison cage in the rock (?) could be used as it's own pet room, perhaps? It doesn't realy look like a place that could keep any prisoners from escaping anyway. If it's supposed to stay as a jail, they could i suggest securing that entrance properly? I mean, with a door that wouldn't leave that huge gap above it? And as there's probably a lot of loose parts from the wreckage laying around, then that prison gate could be probably made with use of those elements. And with the wreckage itself. Hm... it's hard to turn it into something better, cause i guess it's supposed to be sticking out of the water just a little bit. So there's nothing realy that could be done there if You realy wanna keep it that way. The only thing that could help to use those 3 flooded compartments would be either imagination, or if You'd decide to pull that vessel out of the water a bit more. In that case You could turn them into something usefull and more playable, after all, it's not obligatory for remake to use the same size, height, lenght as the original etc. It's just that i cant help thinking that these compartments could be turned into some cool area, separate or connected. Like a flooded crocodile's nest with sleletons, where unwanted folks could be dropped into. Or a prison could be moved in there from it's current location. Or it could serve even as captain's personal office, if it would be dried up, or a fish pond, or a wildlife preserve with some fauna and flora realy taking over. I see that there's already a crab, so maybe it's just started. It's just that there's nothing there except of unusable remnants of the ship. On the other hand all that wreckage still got an impressive sail. But i'm not realy a fun of it. I understand that You probably wanted to do a sail, but didn't have a proper one, and did Your own. But i'd suggest using all those red and white pieces to incorporate them into Your land. To add more color to it. Perhaps it could be used to form a red carpet for Your captain, so that he wouldn't have to walk on all that mud? ;) Oh, and probably the easiest way to make it more attractive, one that is screaming, is to replace that little pirate flag with a proper one :) It's just a bit tiny for that location, don't You think? Tho i know that this place is inhabited by crazies, therefore they might just do things a bit differently ;)

I see that You did decide to go with a canoe and a river theme :) Cool. Very nice changes with simple but very attractive build. We get a jetty, a palm tree, a canoe, a bunch of soldiers, and even a spider somehow got into that box ;) Wow. I'm starting to think that You've managed to turn this almost-not-allowed set into a almost-a-winner in this category ;) Oh, and I hope You will keep those originals pics stored somewhere, would be a shame to throw them out, after the weren't bad at all ;)

I'll be damned. I can speak french! Didn't know i still had these lessons from high school in me ;) And to think all i had left was "je suis Martin", je mappelle Martin, quatre vingt dix neuf and all sorts of oui oui ;) Thanx for responding :) And yeah, i guess limit of parts is always an issue. And i don't realy think it's that important to secure that entrance. After all, it;s a toy set :) Kids can create all sorts of doors anyway. But if we were so strict about it, and would want to add more fun to it, and if You'd have parts, i'd suggest to simplu install a leaf from classic palmtree, single one would be enough, and then he could be could be attached to the top of that tower in a way that would allow it to be skewed to the external side of the island.

Wow, this is a great set and one of those i'd like to buy right away, without any doubts! :) It's a real classic, yet still very original, as it's something we haven't seen in the franchise yet, i detect here this sort of a swampy New France, Louisiana, New Orleans vibe. Tho it could probably be some river hideout in the carribean just as well. Like Dominica they used for POTC. And it's very well done. i love the build from outside, great ideas all the way, from left to right, from top to bottom. So many spots here i'd like to play with like right now. That coffe area on the roof, that chimney and fireplace, just what my characters would need for that cold rainy hurriace season. And a garage for a croc, i can feel this could be a recurring thing in a lot of scenarios. Btw, would that garage fit that boat too? Just checking ;) Most importantly, its got this iconic look that won't let you forget about it, after you;ve seen it once it will stay with you. With me at least ;) If they would make a proper Pirates animated show or a movie, it's one of those builds i'd definitely see in it, especially with all those features, and that collapsable bed, who would thought about that! And the fact that You've made it all easily accesible is very very appealing. Even the characters are somewhat spot on. I realy like that green lady. Two things i'd suggest for You to eventualu change - that sandy thing under the palmtree. I'd have to see how it would look in a life build or a better render, but right now it;s kinda like that tree was sitting on a beach ball. And perhaps You could add a little garden umbrella for that sitting place on the roof? I'm not sure if it needs anything, but i think it would be a nice touch, and it would balance all that reigning brown. I'm talking about a simple leaf from that palm tree or a small sail from a captured boat/vessel. Something that could give protection from borh sun and rain ;) And that's all from me. Boy, i realy hope to see more stuff like this from You. I would totaly like if it was just one building in a whole pirate village :) If only those renders were more attractive for human eyes, some viewers might not like to look at them, as it's somewhat a struggle to focus ;)

Very impressive moc, and a good idea for a legit set, tho i guess all that impressive body of water would have to go away if this design could be made sellable, and sellable as a regular set, not as display piece. I also think that since the bridge is an important connector, a key word for this set, then it would be great if people could reposition those island and put the bridge wherever they would want to. What i mean is, any side could be made into a front side, or the back, at least i would like to be able to do so. Then, i'm a bit confused which prison is which on Your presentation, so it's hard for me to tell if You've made enough use of all that space inside those rock formations. Cause obviously there is alot of volume under those buildings, and i guess these could fit a lot of playable stuff, like hidden entryways to inside ot the outpost, or into the prison etc, hidden stashes, hidden armory, hidden map rooms, etc. I'm also curious about this little spotter point in the lower part of one of those islands. It would be great if You could show this place from more angles, nad if it's accesible enough, cause i can't realy figure out how does this soldier gets inside, and if there's a hatch leading to the top of that little tower, cause i cant spot any ladder or path leading into it. And talking about accesibility, i admire the fact that You've made those removable floors, tho i think it would work better with openable walls, cause honestly, i wouldnt like to have to remove those parts all the time during plays :) Then again it an option and it might be just harder to make build them? i don't know. The thing is that when i look at that wall with windows and plants it looks so inviting to turn it into a double door ;) Like, that by pulling one of those plants that wall could actually open :) But i guess we might just save this idea for other time, ha? ;) I do know for sure that i realy like all that vegetation You've placed in there tho. Wonder if that vegetation couild be designed to form an invisible ladder tho, so that any determined climber could be able to get to the top by conquering that wall :)

Damn dude, this stuff got such an obscene amount of ideas and engineering that we should probably create a new category to simply pick what's the best play feature shown in here ;) Honestly tho, i think You've probably overcomplicated it a bit too much, yeah, i know You've wanted to push Yourself, i've read what You've said, but honestly, i think we all want to see the bridge and a somewhat finished product, with slightly less care about those other features ;) I mean, the bridge is the real MacGuffin, is i don't think i've seen anything like this before. So cool. This element alone could probably let You score a lot of points, cause i'm sure viewers would love that, but wouldn't care that much about some other features, well designed and engineered, but perhaps not as eyecatching as that bridge baby of Yours. Then, i'd say i realy like those two "minisets" with islanders and pirates... i set minisets for purpose, cause i know they are just two puzzles out of the 1000 pieces included in Your leviathan... but perhaps, perhaps You should consider using entering them in the minibuild category, should You have problems with finishing this monster. Or they could be entered as separate entries. Damn, even that statue or a bridge could probably be used as smaller but highly attractive sets, and since some folks already presented sets planned as modules, for somethin bigger, then perhaps this one could be the same. Set one/module one - a statue, Set 2, module 2 - a bridge, set 3/module 3 - kign kahuka with bodygaurds, set 4/module 4 - pirates etc... end then You could add other elements after this contest is over and combine them together... 'm sure people would like it... But that's up to You. And the most important thing is to actually present a finished product... if not a couple of them ;)

A very simple set, but how rich it is! Wow, did anyone ever come up with this idea? To create a minibuild that would consist almost entirely out of treasure? ;) No memories like that in my mind. So it's very smart actually. I guess lots of kids would ask their mother to buy it, as it would surely provide fabulous storytelling values. And they of course it would give them bragging rights to confront their friends' collections :) I wonder if Lego would allow this kind of set tho, as i have a feeling that they would prefer to spread all those diamonds, coinds and golden artifacts all over different toy packages, so that kids would buy more of them, should they want to collect more riches of the pirate world. Still, i'd totally go for it and green light it. I like the way it is. Lots of other interesting parts, even the lack of weapons is sort of excused here as we have plenty of other cool stuff and i guess, folks who would buy this set, would probably grab an another cheap figure pack, to go with it. So well done. I'm a bit worried if it should receive a proper minibuild to go with it tho, some folks might argue that their's no real design it. It's only design is planning which parts could be included. Does it count? I don't know. I know tho, that i'd refinitely chose it over many other mini entries, that might offer nicer builds, but can't offer so many riches, so much play value and bragging rights as this one ;) This is one definitely got the charm of classic stuff, i'm so much lookign for. I'm curious if any pieces could be sacrified to make it even more attractive tho, like say, if You'd get rid of one of those chalices, and replace that with a spider, or a rat, or ven a croc, it would probably stand out even more while still offering visually the same amount of gold, wouldn't it? Plus, i don't want to jump into safe decisions, but probably switching those ordinary pirates into more characteristic type, like Captain Redbeard with a female bandada companion, or One-Eyed Jack would make it more appealing. But then i guess You'd prefer to keep Your own characters as they are and nothing wrong with that :)

It's hard to say much at this point, and boy, harry up mate, cause i do really wanna see it finished before the deadline! ;) And then i guess You could still use some time window for eventual changes, based on our suggestions or not. But even at this point i guess i've made few important observations. 1. Although its definitely different from the original and from an another entry with that title we'e seen in this contect, it is a proper ROCK ISLAND now ;) Cause, in contrast to all those black RIRs this one actually looks like something build in a rock, with rock, and it is indeed what it's name would suggest, a hideout in a sort of rock castle sitting on a rock. So i'll give You points for that :) 2. Seaside castles and rocky islands are typically associated with wildlife, birds, flying over it or making nests everywhere ( not to mention those obvious white traces ), so i'd add it there. A seagull or too, perhaps some egs or nests. A sealion or a seal would be something new. That is if You'd be brave enough to move a bit away from the classic carribean vibe ;) 3. Lack of black might scare others from considering it a proper remake, but as i said in a different entry with RIR, original seemed to be to black and too depressing, and thus it would be cool to actually redevelop remakes into something with more fun, more life, more color. Then again, so far reigning blackness was simply replaced with grey, but i hope You'd add some color here and there. 4. Pirate hideout of this size could only mean that it was reposesed by them from some previous owner, conquered from some local imperial boys, or perhaps simply taken after it was abandonded. So i'd suggest leaving some hints in the build to who those preious owners and constructors of this castle were, like remnants here and there. If it's sort of a ruin, then perhaps You would be able to show that some wals, entries, or windows were part of something bigger, probably more decorated, had all those elements that pirates obviously didn't opt to renovate or that they might have vandalize even more. And then, of course, since they are pirates and they like to collect things that belonged to others, maybe that loot could be build into Your structure too? Like elements that clearly used to be part of merchant or imperial ships here and there. Or souvenirs from a raid on the Islanders etc. You know. New windows straight from governors quaters, foreign flags used as a roof or a hammock, ships' figureheads sticking out of walls etc. 5. I absolutely love the idea of an underwater section. Seeing that this whole rock island is so big it immidiately hints to the idea that there should be some big space under it. So i'm hoping You'l devolop a nice chunk of it :) Perhaps pirates could have a hidden garage inside it with a concealed entrance. There's surely enough space to do so. 6. Different staircase is a nice change, they look very nice. That "handrail" could be less regular tho, like, right now it looks seemless, and i think it should have a more irregular, to signify the fact that it was ripped from that rock. I also have doubts if there's enough space on them to stick a figure in there? Jail looks very appealing, but is it accesible enough? 7. I'm not sure about that beach. In Eldorado it looked well, but that compound was build with lots of white and yellow elements. And with Your reigning rock grey and earth colors i'm affraid there's too much contrast. For now at least, cause it might get better when we'll be able to see a bigger picture :) It's not that i have anything against sand, it's just that it looks too nice and it should probably have a more dirty rotten look ;) Like, if You've seen ramps leading from any structure or buiding into water You probably now what i mean... especially if there is an outflow :) 8. Seeing Your dock i guess You won't fit a cannon in there and it will be moved somewhere else? 9. Very nice work with plants, wood and rock so far. I like those gaps. Keep up the good work. And for God's sake, hurry up! :)

Thanx for responding and glad my words are appreciated :) And yeah, i think merging Remakes and "New" sets is quite useful, cause with remakes there's always a bit controversy whether they looks too similar, or too different, should they be the same size, or bigger, should they offer more play features or should thye just stick to what the original had to offer, so it's hard to judge them and i guess everyone will have his own opinion about this matter. To me these sets' main focus, whether they are new or remakes, inspired by, etc, should be on brining back all those damn cool values we've seeked in Pirates years ago and we would like to seek again now. Then again, that's just my idea, logical to me, but others might have different thoughts about it. Absolutely. Voting for own entries would be like liking own posts on FB ;) Ticket straight to hell ;) My only concern tho, is that it would be unfair if builder A would vote for an entry of builder B, out of real respect or as a courtesy, but builder B would not vote at all, thus gaining points from others, but not giving them to rivals. Therefore either every builder involved should be obligated to vote, or they should all not vote at all.

As i said, and i said it many other entries, accesibility is one of the most important thing with Lego sets to me :) But i'd do it by using more open spaces ( if possible ) more openable walls, openable sides, openable roofs etc. Removable parts seem to work better in all those builds with rocks or houses, than a ship. But i guess i'd have to buy to try it to be sure ;)

Oh yeah, damn, i didn't realize that mast's thickness might be reasoned by Your sail's build, i should have figured that out. But i'm only a simple humanist, not an engineer ;) So You absolutely have a point here.

I'd prefer to focus on reviewing rather than making the rules, i just don't feel good about crossing between those two territories ;) And with summer almost gone, i didn't even start making my own build, not sure if i'll even sit to it as it requires time and place to work on anything and with so many entries seen and diccussed i'm worried i might borrow ideas from others and it wouldn't seem fair ;) But... i was quite sure this contest was almost over and that we would be pretty much done with reviewing and suddenly entries started coming out of the woorwork, and a lot of builders promised to deliver more entries, so no one can tell what will those last days will bring. Maybe today will be the last day of minientries, or we might just see a flood of them coming on the last possible hour. Big sets seem to have claimed their positioned on our virtual shelves as well, but perhaps some real surprises will grab my eye balls right after i'll finish this post. Anyway... if i could suggest anything about voting, it would be postpone with cementing any voting rules until Governor Phes will be sure how many entries per category there is, and should any of them be transfered to a different, but proper category. Or should any entry entry be banned, couse there was one such issue or two. Some builders seemed to have problems with posting pictures, so i guess it might take a while too. Tho, it's not up to me to set deadlines, but all i wanna say is that it would a fair thing to fo to simply wait till the building part of the contest is over, and then to allocate an appropriate number of votes based on the number of entries in said categories.

Wow, what a monster! And this might be the most historically accurate vessel in the series, because You were the first one to provide a RAT, obligatory passenger no crew during the are of sailing ships could leave the port without ;) Might be a bit creppy for others, but i like it. Always an another playable element. Tho, with the size of this craft... i guess no animals are even needed ;) I'm worried if it's not to big for a kids toy tho. I mean, i'm aware that there was even a bigger vessel released but in my humble oppinion toys main goal is to be playable, and all those ships should be able to actually "sail" on carpets, and kids should do that with ease, instead of being forced to stay at anchor most of the time ;) This one might be a bit too heavy. But maybe i'm wrong. And maybe it could be targeted at adult clients. Another thing i'm not sure if i am a fan of are those removable elements of the ship. A very original idea, i hae to admit, but it might be too original as i do believe kids would prefer to keep all those vessels in one piece... that it unless they would like to dissassemble it and reuse tho parts according to their own will ;) I mean, i do like it if all areas are easily accesible, like openable sides, roofs, hatches etc, but the way Yout did it, it might be a bit too much. Honestly, i wouldn't like to go that far if i would have that ship. Adn then, i wonder if it wouldn't make those elements too loose, wether they would hold togetger. Lastly, i'm not sure about Your color choices. It seems to be just too monotonous with all that brown and blue reigning tones. And after all, You did name it Carribeab Clipper, so i'd put a bit more of yellow here and there. It's just that tight now it looks kinda lifeless, it needs more fun, right now it is a great moc and a great model of a ship, i'll give You that, but it still could use a little more magic dust here and there to make it look like a proper Lego toy :) ... especially that it would have to be an exspensive one ;) Tho, maybe i'm completely wrong and i'm too focused on enforcing esthetical rules, and kids would love it simply because it would be BIG and too expensive for them to put their hand on it, and kids usually dream about all that stuff they can't get ;)

Nice :) So are they already starring in Your flicks or just rehearsing? ;) And where can we see them? Guess they will invade that Rock Island Refuge of Yours, ha? ;)

Wow. I'm trully stunned by those changes! :o Glad i could help :) And I envy You for Your will to engage in such revolution. After all that was Your baby and You did already invest a tremendous amount of work into that design :)

It's got a classic vibe due to it's simplicity and build, but i think perhaps it needs a bit more work, like deciding what kind of purpose this outpost could have, cause there's definitely plenty of options here, but it's a bit chaotic :) I like that tunnel/gate or whatever it is, those plants inside on the wall are a very nice touch, but both of the overall impression would be better if You'd have a clear idea what would You like to do with it's sides. I mean, so we have two prison cells, or maybe that's just a steel door and cool, it's always nice to have a jail cell or a door with a set as those are nice construtctive elements. But i believe it lacks "oficial" story behind those choices. Sure, kids and adults can add their own version to explain what this structure all about, but in my opinion it would just be much more attractie and could gain You more points it would could see a bit more planning. So let's pretend for a moment that You tunnel/gate is indeed an entry to a much bigger place. In this case perhaps those cells could host some captured pirates/smugglers or even their sceletons as a clear signal to every guest that these soldiers won't make a fuss. Should You decide to go for it, then perhaps those prisoners, dead or alive, could be locked behind bars and prison door would be an additional element. I mean, i don't mind the fact that both prison doors are OUTSIDE of the fortification, after all, this is Lego, and Lego's a different world, bending rules ;) But, i believe that people would prefer if such door weren't that accesible to outsiders ;) And if You will decide to have some prisoners, then of course someone might be trying to free them. So i'd add more determined characters to Your roster, cause right now these trio don't realy look like folks who would even have a jail in their facility. They have such friendly faces :) Also, we've seen some nice play features in other entries related to ways of escaping, like prison walls that could fall out, or secret escape routes. It is a nice bonus that people sometimes wanna add to their design, tho not necesary of course. But anyway, should You consider adding a pirate or two, they could use that boat for both their mission and for escape, or maybe they should have an another cannon installed on it to counter the one on top of that fortification. And in order to get to that cannon, maybe, just maybe, their should be some ladder? Like a dual one, to get onto that first floor and then to the very top. But i'm using the word "maybe" cause people say that ladders aren't realy needed and minifigs can climb up just thanx to kids' imigination. Tho, in this case, i'd say that a ladder could add some visual value and play value to Your set, and You could consider installing it behind the gateway, on the side, by one of those prison cells. Maybe one of those prisons could just be dropped and You could use that space for a place to secure that chest, cause it's very unsafe to keep it just like that on the 1st floor ;) Now, another "controversial" issue with Lego builds... do fortifications need battlements? Like, some folks might point out that there's not much of protection for soldiers on that first floor and none for cannon operators on the tower. I'm not saying that it's crucial to add it, but it might let You score more points with viewers if You'd put more bricks here and there. It looks a bit empty. I'd actually risk saying that the top of You tower would make a very nice roof and so Your cannon could be moved to a diffrent location, like that unfinished boat ;) But should that cannon leave Your otpost, then it could definitely use more defenders on the first floor. And, although that handrail looks very nice, right now it makes it look more like a friendly terrace, rather than a legit defensive position in a military structure. So why not install some muskets here and there just to add more life and fun to it, ha? Or those muskets could be just stored on weapons racks, which could be positioned by one of those columns on the left, and on the the very right corner of the terrace. I just think that the entire floor is a bit empty, that's all :) Also, I'd suggest turning that central section of the terrace's ballustrade into some sort of entry sign above the gate. Like, a military crest made out of two crossed sabres or somesuch. Folks like this kind of details and it would definitely make it look more attractive than a one long continuous handrail ;) And lastly, there's still a lot of space left on those sandy elements on both sides of Your structure! Should it be left just like that? In classic sets it would be normal, but with modern times and viewers i have a feeling that they might look just undeveloped. So why not add some rocky elements in there? Or plants. Or both. A palmtree is always a good idea, trees always seem to add more value and are adored by everyoen :)

"sea turtles mate" ;) hm, maybe that's bamboo? thei look a bit like human heads too, little heads, but still head ;) anyway, whatever it is, most important thing is that it's damn cool and that's what counts ;)

Yeah :) It's listed as either a door plate/board or as a raft in most offers i've seen, and it was obvious it was a door for me, or at least i wanted to think so, as it got the look and it also got those little bolts that suggest it was in a frame... then again it probably could be a cover from a crate just as well, so i guess it's up to buyers imagination to determine what do they want it to be ;)

Thanx for responding and for cclearing that up to me :)

Outstanding :) I don't know if it's a proper remake, cause it's a somwhat different and it might fall under the "inspired by" category. If it has a proper number of parts then it could probably go into mini-builds? Tho it;s not for me to judge, and it doesn't change the fact that I absolutely love this design. And it's actually better! Actually this whole turnament is turning me, a radical classics fan into someone very fond of those modern versions and elements provided with them. Comparing the original with Your approach, first one seems very rushed, well, oversimplified realy, but i guess that might have been there intention, to give something easy to build for kids. Not saying that Yours is complicated, but there was difinitely some more planning on Your side, and i can't be picky about anything. Entire structure of Your fortification is very well built, with mixed elements, but very consistent and all those brick and wooden elements work well together. Even the way You've positioned that barrel and all important changes - soldier and the flag - it's all very ballanced, especially since You've added a little bit more water and reshaped it a bit. And of course that little crab is like icing on the cake. So i can't be picky about anything, well, maybe about the cannon, cause it seems stuck in place, and that gunman couldn't make a good use out of it. Or maybe it's the rotating kind? I wonder if a seagull wouldn't be a good addition, to make a give it even more value and let that crab have his own animal friend... or his own enemy ;)

Perhaps You could use some of these idea in Your upcoming mocs then? :) Cause, i can;t You not coming up with other builds :) Then again contests usually give more energy to start up these projects, and, more importantly, to actually finish them ;) Anyway, thanx for responding :) And yeah, if people like what's being served to them, only a madman dare to would change that winning recepy ;)

Stunning and so fast :D When i saw thic pic at first i thought that You've only reposted the classic box, only to relize it's actually the remake :) I wonder if using the same backgroud would be actually accepted by Lego tho, or if should be "remasted" in some way to look similar to classics but sort of different and new at the same time :)