US_Army_Tom

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjASpXN Please click the link to my Flickr (above and below) for the complete set of pictures--I couldn't upload more here for some reason--thank you!) Hello, everyone! I hope my entry is not too late. Very much an amateur, and I built this with my son using pieces from the original El Dorado, Imperial Trade Post, Cannon Cove, Lagoon Lockup, and a few others. "Just beyond the eastern horizon from the stout walls of El Dorado fortress, Governor Broadside's Garrison is built securely into a small volcanic atoll. With a strong belt of smaller forts and outposts in all directions, and a fleet of ships prowling the seas in search of bands of Redbeard's marauding pirates, the Governor retreats here to conduct most of his business, send and receive correspondence, and rest his busy mind. A strong garrison of soldiers protects this citadel on the high seas, maintaining a 24-hour watch of the horizon with a battery of cannon at the ready to repel any potential pirate blockade runners seeking to raid the Governor's mansion. Soldiers rotate on and off duty, taking shift on the watch while also enjoying the mess hall and resting in their barracks. All of these amenities can be accessed through removable walls on two sides of the watch tower barracks. The Governor's cabin can also be accessed by removing a wall, to reveal his desk, his personal affects displayed by the windowsill, and most importantly his bed which conceals the riches confiscated from imperial raids against pirate strongholds. Should Redbeard ever slip past the fleet and forts beyond the horizon and attack the garrison in earnest, the Governor is prepared to slip away through his secret escape hatch! Concealed beneath his cabin is a swift, stout skiff armed with a small swivel gun. With this as his fallback, the Governor can escape if needed to quickly outrun his adversaries and rendezvous with the Caribbean Clipper. But can his garrison survive a pirate raid? Can the Governor outrun his attackers on the high seas? Only you can decide when you build Governor Broadside's Garrison!" https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjASpXN

Hello! New member, here, and I admire this build! Lots of detail, modularity, and playability. I am not too familiar with the original, but the 90s version of myself would enjoy this set to no end! That said, one thing that always bothered me about the islander sets is that they always fail to provide living shelter for the islanders. Its as though they do nothing but guard their gold and respect their statues/chief. How about a hut? Or a lean-to? Give them the basic things they need to survive day-to-day, including the rainy days. Not sure if there's room for you to add such detail, but I don't think I am the only one who would appreciate it. Great work and good luck!

Hello! I really like this build and love the details you have throughout the set. Very tight, compact, yet highly detailed and playable. This is a top contender in my humble opinion and gets after the spirit of this contest beautifully. I rank it up there with the Carribean Clipper I commented on above. Very nicely done!

Hello! New member, here--I love these builds because I knew exactly which sets you were remaking as soon as I saw them. You managed to update the old ones with new/better details, but you captured their original spirit and simplicity. Very well done, and kudos for inspiring those of us who don't have massive amounts of parts at our disposal! I am a father of five and I just do this as a fun hobby with my kids using my old sets from the 80s and 90s. Your builds are awesome, and I could see myself buying these at a LEGO store feeling good that my kids would love them and that I didn't have to break the bank.

Hello! My name is Tom, and I am new to the forum. I noticed this *outstanding* build and wanted to say I love it as a MOC. That said, it is very robust and far too detailed to match up with the classic pirate sets I grew up with. And the hanging skeleton seems a bit much in terms of something LEGO would actually release to kids. I offer this criticism as someone who might have the exact same problem with my own contest entry (which I hope to post today or tomorrow!). It's grown too large, and while I love it, I am drifting away from the spirit of the contest, and now I am trying to find ways to pair it down. Awesome build!

Hello, my name is Tom and I am a new member! I've been looking through the entries trying to make helpful yet humble comments. I have no points of improvement for this one! Beautiful build--I've had my Caribbean Clipper since it came out back in the day, and while I love it to death, I always wish it had a more robust gunline, and was always puzzled by the pointless rear mast. I also didn't like how the quarterdeck was inaccessible from the main deck. Your remake of it may very well be my favorite one so far--the 1990s version of myself would have absolutely treasured this ship! well done.

Hello! My name is Tom and I am a new member. I loved this set when I was a child back in the early 90s, and you've reimagined it splendidly! I love the added details, and the color texture on the walls. One thing I noticed is you have a naval cannon on the swivel out on the deck--but it is on wheels. While I always disliked cannons being fixed to any platforms (as the original one is fixed on the swivel), you cannon will recoil and roll into the water after the first shot (thats what those wheels are for). Perhaps consider redesigning that gun station as a wider, more robust feature where a cannon crew could work the gun more realistically. Tis would be an imporvement on the original as well. Also, the double draw bridge is really neat, and leaves more room for shipping to safely get through. However, there's no way for the ends of each bridge section to link in with one another, making it seem precarious! I think you could mitigate this by creating a very simple hoist on each side, so that the weight of each bridge is held by ropes (aka string) in a suspension style. You already have a crane on one side that could be used for this purpose--just need a simple corresponding one on the other side. Good luck, and great build!

Hello! My name is Tom and I am a new member, humbly offering some feedback. First of all, I love this build, and could totally see my 8 year old self in 1994 playing with this for hours--well done! I would offer, since its a guard tower where soldiers would spend days on end pulling guard shifts on and off, maybe a small fireplace detail could be incorporated? This would not only add a great detail, but it would give those sentries a means of cooking food, or even getting warm if a storm should blow in. Also, as a guard tower, some sort of signal method should be the main purpose of the top deck. If they spot the Black Seas Barracuda on the horizon, they need to signal back to the main fortress immediately. No radios, phones, or internet back then--signal fires were the fastest way to communicate, but flags could also work. You have a great torch on there--maybe make it more prominent and incorporate a few swallow-tail flags as signal flags? Again--very humble advice--I love the build!

Hello! My name is Tom--new member, but a long time LEGO pirate enthusiast! Your build is much better than the original--smaller, but more detail, and I love the cannon! I am also using a smaller cannon in my contest entry, and it always used to bother me that LEGO cannons only came in one size. Beautiful build!

Hello, my name is Tom and I live in the Hudson Valley in New York. I am new to building MOCs, and I am new to this forum, but I am a long time LEGO enthusiast, and this contest has reignited my love of the classic pirate sets I played with long ago (most of which I still own!). Grateful for online communities like this--I look forward to sharing my entry!