Marooned Marin

@YellowFrog Good to hear that we are all on the same page. Now I only have to make all renders (featuring canoe) again. ----------------------- CHAPTER 8 - KING KAHUKA <- now available - see the first post

I had trouble with opening domestic LEGO store website, so I went international, just to browse and see sets in 25€ range. I've just sent you PM with my info and working link at LEGO store Croatia. Thank you.

Is this the story of how Steve stole one apple, sold it, bought two apples, sold them as well, bought three apples... and so on... until his rich uncle died in the Caribbean and left him all he owned. Mighty fine small build, and great to see progression from the first to this latest version.

Yeah, you're right Horation. Forget my question @Mister Phes, I'll be mighty happy with Exotic Parrot 31136 | Creator 3-1. I'll think it will make a addition in the living room. I will send you my contact info later today. Thanks!

I'll claim it then! Question. On the off-chance that I win something on the builder contest, is it possible to wait a little and combine two prizes for one bigger set, or due to the marketing and sponsor purposes of the contest I pick 25€ set right now and let you know my contact information via PM?

CHAPTER 7 - The Apparition <- now available - see the first post Yes that's excellent advice! I don't know what I was thinking adding hinges. Thanks! To make the rotation of gaff less flimsy, I added two liftarms and one harpoon connecting the technic connector. From experience, this is much better than using standard techinc connector (for this purpose only). There was also room for extra pack of arrows for our Islander hunter. I think I'll go with Islander sail. I like it and thank you @Horation , @Autumn and @SevenDeadlyStreamers for a prompt reply. @SevenDeadlyStreamers No problem man. Just let me know when you upload your version, I'm eager too see it. (If it's better I'm gonna duel you in the dawn)

@Mister Phes Am I eligible to claim any 25€ set, my both large and small builder topics reached 25 replies? If there is available prize, I hereby would like to claim it.

UPDATE 09.08. As advised by creative critiques: big awkward 6x8 plate was removed made necessary changes to the rudder (it's simplified now) added custom makeshift sails in digital version updated all images (see the first post)

CHAPTER 6 - The CAVE <- now available - see the first post ..... @Christophh Thank you! I'm happy to hear that you like it. When you finish your Islander MOC, be sure to share it in the forum, and by the way, welcome to the forum. ..... CANOE DESIGN UPDATE @SevenDeadlyStreamers got me thinking about lively colours on the canoe, so I got an idea of using the original Islander cloth sail. After some CAD work, I managed to import the sail into the Studio are here is the result. Obviously I needed to rework the gaff (a spar attached to the mast), so it can hold the triangular sail. I would like hear your thoughts which version do you find better looking, custom or the islanders. @Autumn @YellowFrog @Horation @BardDandelion @thewatchman

CHAPTER 5 - NOT ALONE <- now available - see the first post

@YellowFrog If you like the minifigure, I used someone named Argus Filch from Harry Potter series -> link I got him sometime ago and had a feeling that it will come handy one day. I really liked the tattered look of it. @NOD You are a legend, and I always love to hear from you! Thanks so much! If you love the comic, stay tuned, new chapter will be posted every day, and story is about to get really interesting. @SevenDeadlyStreamers Thanks for the praise and suggestion of lively colours. I was thinking about trying adding this sail, instead of the plain custom one. What do you think, would that work? @Horation and @BardDandelion That's really interesting and thanks for the input, the production process and usage of parts that way makes sense. While we are on the note of the parts, during the design of the raft and the island, I used a BDP series 6 pallet most of the time. I entertained the idea of somehow submitting the final design on the next series program in September. However, as the island grew I kept discovering less and less parts available either in colour or even in shape. And we are talking about basic parts, like plates and bricks and slopes. By the end I gave up on the idea and simply started to use all parts still available in desired colours. For those who are reading this and wonder what it's all about, Bricklink designer palette is based on the parts and colours which will be produced and available in the next year or two. This means, for our example, if there are no more pirate torsos in the new pallet (as such is the case), LEGO is not planning to produce any in the mentioned period. Things could change in 3 months when a new parts pallet is released, maybe they will bring pirate stuff back, we need to wait and see.

Hilarious! I love it!

CHAPTER 4 - The STORM <- now available - see the first post Here he is. This is the best that I can do with my real Steve minifigure. Oh, and congrats on reaching the first 100 comments. You are too kind with your praise, and I can't express how much your nice comment has made my day. Thanks matey! I've always wondered how the process for introducing new part in LEGO goes? Like, is there a mob of designers organising a rally in front of the corporative HQ, marching, shouting and demanding this one new part from CEO and his gang of cronies, who stay walled up in their meeting room, until someone finally submits. Or... is there one person with such immense power who simply wakes up in the morning and says, right... today I'm gonna introduce a new part and those puny designers better put it in good use, or else!

@Mister Phes Thanks for adding this build into the entries index. @Autumn Thanks for your high praise. As for the roasting of the unlucky sailor, my nephew made me add that detail into the real build and when I did the photo-shooting I competently forgot to remove it. No cannibalism on digital version, only fish. The capital problem is the modularity of the design. Modular section dictates the boundaries, and in case of waterfall I could not go deeper because then it would overlap with second section, and when you rearrange the whole thing in a different way the small stream on the separate sections looks confusing. To be honest, designing this with modular approach was the real challenge. I kept thinking of Rubik's Cube. As soon as you make one section right, the next one was misaligned. The idea behind the waterfall is that it can be be raised (pivoted) during the play, as it serves like an secret entrance to the cave beneath. But I'll see what I can do to minimise the gap while still allowing the free rotation. @YellowFrog @BardDandelion Thank you both! The dark red was the colour of choice because the main part (the huge wedge) does not come in reddish brown. We have white, medium nougat, black or dark red option. I went with dark red because of the reference to red canoes of Islanders. (Good catch BardDandelion) Dark red also gives more serious tone, and it blends nicely with reddish brown - several parts are indeed in reddish brown. @Horation -> The colours In this contest I tend to use digital renders to showcase the design, and only add an image or two of the real-build to show it was tested in real life. Sadly, I don't have any real Islanders minifigures, so it was either do the photos without minifgures or use what I have. And one thing people hate in this forum is MOCs without minifigures. I also noticed now that I have competently forgot to add my version of Steve minifigure on the real build! What a blunder. -> The Rock work I kinda like the slope + curved slope combination, but I'll give it a go in a different file and play around with only slopes and see what happens. Thank you for your input and effort you are putting into this contest, and I'm glad that you find the overall design of the island awesome.

Here is the current situation. On the right you can see what connectors go where. As I see it, 3l pin is crucial. Problem with the technic axle is that I don't have one straight line, from end to end, for one to go through. Although it's a good idea. (actually I have one line, the top one, but if I use axle then I cannot add wood tiles on the sides.) Ohhh, sorry I misunderstood you. I also tried to add tiles and this and that on the plate, but yeah, it only grew bulkier and not much better.

Thank you Mister Phes, it's incredible and inspiring how you find time and energy to run this contest, and so far without a glitch, at least from our side. Back to design discussion. @Autumn I didn't neglect three separate plates idea, actually it was the first thing I tried. The problem is the third plate (back on the "stern"). That whole plate can be connected with only one technic pin. You can see how flimsy the whole thing would be, with the plate rotating like a hand on a clock. I tried even with big wedge plate. Didn't look good. But I really appreciate your input, and I thank you for it. @Math Wizard I agree, the stud closest to rudder is intended for a minifigure. The third stud can be easily covered, or even better, I could rotate technic connector by 90° angle and avoid the stud completely. As for re-building both the digital and real thing, I'll try to do it. @SevenDeadlyStreamers Thanks, I'm happy to hear that you enjoy the story so far. Chapter 3 is now available HERE. I think those guys (creative critiques) would hang me from the main mast if I add some yellow or blue colours to the raft. But I was actually thinking of red paddle (oar) instead of reddish brown. Maybe that could work? @YellowFrog Thanks for your input so far. I'm glad that you approve this latest version. @BardDandelion Man I really love your designs and I'm happy to see you sailing here with us. Too bad you don't have time to participate as a builder, but on the other hand, you usually win every contest you enter, so maybe not so bad. Joking aside, I love to hear your feedback and to answer your question, the blue technic pin, yes in digital I could have made her even brown, but while designing I was using BDP series 6 pallet (I had some thoughts of entering the series 6 this September), and that pin was available only in blue and tan, so I went with blue. When I look at it now, it does stand out. What is seen it cannot be unseen. Darn!

QUICK INFORMATION Parts: 1867 parts (with minifigures, monkey and shark) Dimensions: W: 34cm L: 40cm H: 17.8cm Weight: 1300 grams Difficulty: Moderate Build (tested on one +11 years old) Type of set: For Display & Play ORIGINS I was re-reading the classic Robinson Crusoe some months ago and was drawn to the idea of somehow turning that story into a set. When Infamous Steve contest came along, I immediately knew what my large build was going to be. The modular section approach came from the new Eldorado Fortress. I quite liked that idea in that set, however I found the inner (closed) section was not used fully. The whole set was orientated more on the exterior. On my part I tried to squeeze as much as possible within the island. BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS AVAILABLE Instructions are available on Rebrickable. LINK to Rebrickable BACKSTORY While designing the island my mind kept returning to the original story of Robinson Crusoe. What if Steve, like Crusoe, got shipwrecked on a cannibal island, but with the twist, the cursed cannibal island from which he cannot escape? Or maybe he can? We start with the first two chapters of the story, already published inside the King’s Merchant raft, a small vessel loosely tied to this build. I plan to post the remaining chapters daily, one chapter per day. Chapters are grouped inside the hidden / spoiler area. I did this to make the scrolling through topic easier, there is simply too much images for one post. In addition to the first two chapters, let’s continue with Chapter 3 – The Island! DOWNLOAD FULL COMIC IN PDF HERE Enjoy! CHAPTER 1 - The King's Merchant (CLICK ON SPOILER TO SEE) CHAPTER 2 - Déjà vu (CLICK ON SPOILER TO SEE) CHAPTER 3 - The ISLAND (CLICK ON SPOILER TO SEE) CHAPTER 4 - The STORM (CLICK ON SPOILER TO SEE) CHAPTER 5 - NOT ALONE (CLICK ON SPOILER TO SEE) CHAPTER 6 - The CAVE (CLICK ON SPOILER TO SEE) CHAPTER 7 - The APPARITION (CLICK ON SPOILER TO SEE) CHAPTER 8 - KING KAHUKA (CLICK ON SPOILER TO SEE) CHAPTER 9 - The OFFER (CLICK ON SPOILER TO SEE) CHAPTER 10 - SWEET REVENGE (CLICK ON SPOILER TO SEE) CHAPTER 11 - The PLAN GONE BAD (CLICK ON SPOILER TO SEE) CHAPTER 12 - ENDGAME (CLICK ON SPOILER TO SEE) CHAPTER 13 - The CURSE OF TAPU ISLAND (Epilogue) DOWNLOAD FULL COMIC IN PDF HERE

Thank you all for taking time and offering constructive feedback, I'll try to address all highlighted points a little further below. @Math Wizard I'm glad you liked the story and thank you for many nice compliments. I've been working around the clock and hopefully next instalment of the story is coming tomorrow. @Horation Thanks for the praise! I find it very hard to build without the story in mind. Actually, story comes first and then I go about and build the scene or MOC. @YellowFrog and @Autumn I'm glad you liked it. The tehnic base idea came from yards on my ships, which are all built from tehnic connectors, and what is a makeshift raft then a bunch of yards and beams string together. To be honest, going through all the raft designs, I was surprised that none tried this approach, so that gave me extra motivation to do it as best as I can. ................................. Let me now address the troublesome points. -> The big 6x8 plate I agree with the critique, it's definitely the weak spot of the whole design. It's main function is to give the raft sturdy structure. Secondary function is to serve as a studded floor where we can attach barrel, container, and where our minifigure can walk, sit etc... As I still need the plate for the mast and barrel (not to mention the rigidity of the structure), perhaps this could serve as a compromise. See the image. This way there are still two studs for the minifigure to stand, sit or whatever... the structure is still sturdy, and the texture of the base is clearly visible. Let me know your thoughts. ->The string At the moment of building the test-design, I didn't have LEGO string, but I had designed it with that in mind. Two 40L strings should work just fine. However, I much prefer the colour of the custom rope as it fits better with the period of the age of sail. But this is only my personal taste. In any case, LEGO strings can work with this design. -> The cover photo @Mister Phes Following the unanimous advice of all above creative critiques, I have updated the cover photo of the build. Can you please do the same in the [CONTEST] The Infamous Steve - Building Entries Index Here is the new photo. Thanks

QUICK INFORMATION Parts: 155 parts (with minifigure, monkey and shark) Dimensions: W: 11.2cm L: 18cm H: 17.4cm Weight: 64 grams Difficulty: Easy Build (tested on one +11 years old) IMPORTANT: Model does not float ORIGINS While I was writing a story synopsis for my [LARGE] build, a raft idea popped into my mind. I needed a small vessel which will carry hero of the story, Steve, to the island of many hardships. What started as something simple and insignificant suddenly turned into a standalone design. And here we are. The model was inspired by the fantastic raft thread, here on Eurobricks forum, named Rafts Rafts Rafts by Zinn. Many nice designs there, I warmly suggest giving it a thorough read. BACKSTORY Here I would like to share first two chapters of a long comic. These two chapters will shed some light on Steve’s situation. The remaining chapters will be posted in the [LARGE] Tapu Island topic, hopefully next week. Chapters are grouped inside the hidden / spoiler area. I did this too make the scrolling through topic easier, there is simply too much images for one post. For those who would rather enjoy comic in a PDF format here is readily available link: DOWNLOAD HERE Enjoy! CHAPTER 1 - The King's Merchant (CLICK ON SPOILER TO SEE) CHAPTER 2 - Déjà vu (CLICK ON SPOILER TO SEE) READ COMPLETE STORY HERE UPDATE 05.08. As advised by creative critiques, digital cover was replaced by a photo of the real build. UPDATE 09.08. As advised by creative critiques: big awkward 6x8 plate was removed made necessary changes to the rudder (it's simplified now) added custom makeshift sails in digital renders updated all images (including cover image) UPDATE 14.08. Old animated GIF was replaced with the new -final- version of the raft.

I said it elsewhere, I'll say it again, yours version of the Flying Dutchman is simply the best Capt @Barbatos. Photos are excellent quality, really professional look. Since I'm not a member of the ACOL Facebook group, and could not see the detailed information, I was wondering, what was the price for one ship?

Very, very, very niceeeee!

@Andy-Roo The amount of work that you managed to squeeze into this is only matched by how awesome the whole thing turned out to be. Brilliant storytelling and even better documentary. You can count on my vote when the time comes. P.S. Mighty nice of you for giving Triton appearance inside the story. I'm happy to hear that you have enjoyed building it.

This is not a ship, this is a pure art! I really enjoyed the video, excellent choice in music. Overall, it's a real beauty to see, even only on pictures. I can only imagine how it looks in real life. Well done!

Oh this is great video, and I was not aware of the whole 'Train' competition in this series. Some really great, wonderful designs there, not only in trains, but overall, so much creativity and fun ideas. Thank you @JopieK for sharing the video and giving us some more reach inside the community. Also, a BIG thanks to all EB members who gave their support!

@Space Coyote Nay, thank you for your words of praise, I really appreciate it and I'm glad you like my overall result. @Phil B I've spent quite a while battling that window you mention, and I agree with you, it's the one thing I don't like. Adding one 45° angle window leaves too much of a gap, and consequently reduces the structural integrity for the ''easily removable'' roof - the build feels too flimsy for my taste, and I like solid tough builds. In the end, macaroni solution was a bitter compromise. Thank you for giving me constructive feedback @Murdoch17 Thank you very much! @Ropefish Maybe I will EDIT My big THANKS to Train Admin for frontpaging my MOC. I've just seen it there and it's a real honour. Thank you immensely