CaptainDarkNStormy

Aight, I shifted gears this morning and worked on the raft. What do y'all think? Raft 2 Thanks

I guess I had the wrong take on this. I interpreted it as just a rocky island that RedBeard’s crew made into their own makeshift fortress/hideout. This is my first time remaking a set that I don’t have the original of. I didn’t think of it being an abandoned/taken over imperial fort.

Ok I'm calling it quits for tonight. Here's what I got. Rock Island WIP by Chris Boyd, on Flickr Rock Island WIP by Chris Boyd, on Flickr Rock Island WIP by Chris Boyd, on Flickr Rock Island WIP by Chris Boyd, on Flickr Rock Island WIP by Chris Boyd, on Flickr

Thanks for the feedback y'all! I took some of the suggestions with me as I worked on it for a few hours this afternoon. I made some good progress. I'll share another photo tonight of where I'm at. Yes, it will be ready!!! I've started to add more DBG in the upper parts to add some differentiation, but I wanted to make the upper parts look like they were more in line with the base rather than built on top. Oh and I already swapped out the ropes for tan ones. I had ordered some specifically for this build but my son grabbed them for something he made and I was temporarily using the black one to figure out spacing. Thanks! Brilliant suggestion! I have plenty of birds: Parrots, seaguls, toucan, bluebirds, etc. They will be included! Perhaps a nest somewhere too! I've started to add more DBG pieces in the upper sections so it's not just all DBG. Also more vegetation so plenty of green. Another solid idea. I'll see what I can fit in in various places. This is definitely worth considering. My original idea had it as a smaller area but maybe I could make enough room for a rowboat for a quick getaway. I went ahead and made the stair "railing" more irregular. The jail is accessible and there's room for multiple figs. Yes I live in a coastal area so I'm well aware of what that looks like. I'll experiment with ways to make it look less nice. I still need something there for the ramp/water transition. I like the idea of sand better than more rocks just to add some differentiation. The rear part of the dock does have enough room for a cannon. I'm also going to put one on the rocks in the front. I'm hurrying! Thanks, I'm excited to see it finished. I've added some DBG pieces to the upper part. I think it helps break up the LBG pieces and looks better than black. Thanks!

Thanks! Noted!

Update August 24th: I think I've reached a final product. I'm going a way for work tonight so I won't have time to make any more changes. Thanks to all you creative critics out there who provided me with insight. Without further ado... Behold, Captain Redbeard's newly renovated Rock Island Refuge. 31 years have passed since the famous menace of the Brick Seas took over this rocky isle. Now he and his crew have a place to relax and party in between plundering stints on the Barracuda. A second cannon and weapons cache have been added to defend against the pesky Bluecoats. The dock has been expanded and crane upgraded. Some secrets still remain though. Let's see what the Island looks like in 2023. Scallywag has gotten quite adept at fishing off of his raft. Looks like fresh Mahi Mahi is on tonight's menu unless the seagull has a say in the matter. Port and Starboard need their potassium! Capt. and Scallywag eye the new weapons. The party deck never runs out of rum! Pirates gotta eat after a long day of plundering! How cute is this Toucan hatchling going to be? Scallywag makes sure the latest raid's booty stays safe. Captain Redbeard is not aware that the back wall to the brig can be opened by Imperial Rescuers. Hang in there bro. Quartermaster needs a nap after ordering the crew around. Looks like this island was first discovered by the Armada. It's Captain Redbeard's treasure now! I thought I’d go ahead and show ye mateys what I got so far since the deadline is rapidly approaching. This way I can get some feedback from the creative critics while I still have time to make changes. The DarkNStormy Crew has had a busy summer which didn’t leave much time for Legoing. Luckily ‘lil Stormy is back in school and I have a few days off this week for finish my project. Oh and he’s planning on entering a build as well! Anyways here’s what I got so far. I used some techniques from the new Eldorado set because it uses the same baseplate after all. It doesn’t match it exactly though. Some other changes of note from the original: 1. I went with brown for the dock instead of black. Just my personal preference. Plus the new PoBB set has a brown dock. 2. I’ve gone with just light bluish gray and dark bluish gray for the rockwork, going for a wet/dry effect. The original had more green on the raised baseplate. Instead I’m adding vegetation like leaves and vines onto the gray rock. 3. I shied away from the use of black for the upper parts, and tried to build it more into a seamless rock transition from the base. 4. I changed the placement of the jail door and the stairs for better functionality. 5. I changed the pit into a sea cave with a hidden entrance that rotates to open on the backside of the island. It still has the top door that hinges open that the original had. 6. I added the beach at the bottom of the ramp. It provided a more seamless transition. I figured since the new Eldorado added some sand then I could too.

Thanks Matey!

It's at 49 in my (hopefully) final version. Here it is! Imperial Cannon Final by

Omg this is so epic!!! I’m actually working on the same set for my entry and I hope it turns out as good as yours. I hace made some different design choices with mine so they won’t look identical.

Thanks for the feedback! Like I mentioned above my original design was truer to the original, but to build that tall I had to use larger elements to avoid going over the 50 piece limit. By building lower it allowed me to use more differentiation and smaller elements. I liked this solution better after comparing the two. Not a bad idea at all! My pleasure! Thanks again for the feedback! Good suggestions as well. I appreciate the feedback!

Thanks for the detailed feedback! My original design had the arch and was truer to the original form. After creating that one I started playing around with different elements and liked this lower profile design better. I really thought this set needed a critter and a crab seemed perfect for the sand under the dock! You are correct about the part count being a limiting factor and that's why I omitted the "rammer" piece. That's a brilliant suggestion about swapping the soldier for an officer and losing the backpack! I agree with that but I used a singular blue 6x14 plate for the base and added a 1x6 and 1x8 plate under the tan ones in the back. A wedge plate would increase the part count again but I might be able to work one in there somehow. It does have a turntable under it. It's the 2x2 one that the original set had. the cannon covers it up. Thank you, and thanks for the feedback! I might play around with this one a little more before the deadline but I have to prioritize my main entry. It's in the finishing stages!

I have remade the classic 1795 Imperial Cannon Set into new mini build. I gave it a more streamlined profile and used some elements that weren't available in 1994, such as the masonry brick and the crab. It's the perfect little fortification for defending a harbor mouth or islet. My design: thumbnail_Chris-01 by Chris Boyd, on Flickr thumbnail_Chris-02 by Chris Boyd, on Flickr The original:

Question for ya, My son has seen me working hard on my contest entry and wants to make his own. He’s only 7 so he doesn’t have any online accounts, nor do I want him to make one. Can I enter his build for him under my account?

Gotcha. I’ll try to keep it more in line with PoBB or the new El Dorado.

I just want to clarify some things as my original idea for an entry is closer to the full on MOC category. Something like this: D1F36B79-9CAB-4595-BA33-DDB9F404C523 by Chris Boyd, on Flickr After reading the recent update, it should be more like this to fit the rules of the contest? Forbidden Island SImple by Chris Boyd, on Flickr

Nice! The old Clipper definitely needed an upgrade. This version looks like it could hold it’s own against the Barracuda.

Splendid design. At first glance this is my favorite entry so far. Love the roofs.

OMG 😍

Thank you! 🥰

😘🔥💅😂

Ooooh that thing is lookin sexy 😍

Thanks for the shout out at the top! I’m ready to start building something new!

Oh wow I didn't know such a thing existed!

Thanks for yer kind words matey! I plan to make a strong entry, but I’m sure there will be others. It’ll be fun seeing all the cool designs!!!

Ooooh I can’t wait!