Horation

@Mister Phes I have gone ahead and redone the render so that it doesn't cut off the flag. I feel like the update is quite satisfactory as it is, especially since I've now made the poster have the correct height.

@CaptainDarkNStormy, I can give a few suggestions : You could use the same technique you use for that yellow building at the other end of the street (with a different colour scheme, obviously). You could use 1x1 round bricks to make a really clever roof like @A_Goodman did in his imperial trading outpost remake. You can do something similar to the new medieval village and use a few pieces to make it seem like straw is covering the roof. Or you can dazzle us with your own creative choice!

Wait, I made a small update since that picture was published. I am aware that I have done like 5 billion edits already, so it's good that you were waiting for me to confirm before updating the pic.

Maybe we can do decimal votes? (ex: 0.500 votes to A, 0.300 to B, 0.200 to C)

@Sebeus I, good to know the conversation is interesting to you! I understand the points you are making, and for a Lego contest build it is more than acceptable to keep it as is. But, in the spirit of this competiton, I chose to give a few nitpicks, to help you improve it some more.

Finally, someone makes a vintage-style set with some proper colours! I feel like this is a proper build which doesn't look bland, and good on you for using panels with red decorations rather than merely bricks like so many others are. There are ladders and a proper interior, I particularly like the little stables you've built. I also appreciate the mixing of old and new parts, with ingot pieces and masonry bricks doing much to add texture where regular parts would have failed. But I have to suggest an improvement or two. First, use a background of a different colour than the build, you have such a pic on your flickr ("Redcoat Imperial Manor by the sea with a Young Infamous Steve Render with Fix"). I'd fix that pronto to improve my odds of winning if I were you, since people will mostly see the top picture in the entry database, and it makes the build pop out more when the background is different. I can also suggest maybe showing an action shot, or at least a picture of the pirates being put in jail, it would make the scene look more alive. Other than that, a nice build with lots of minifigures in it!

Arguably, but if you are caught in a misty environment or are going around a rock and an enemy ship is right in front of you, speed won't help you much. Indeed, "speed as a suit of armour" was a thing the british loved to do, they called those ships battlecruisers, you can look up the battle of jutland if you want to see how that ended up...

Stuff happens, no worries! But don't blame it on an inanimate object, or said object will invariably rebel against you in the future... Glad to see you like the changes I've made, @YellowFrog! I think this'll be the definitive version, so @Mister Phes can you please update my entry with the latest picture?

Thanks! I think illegal building techniques are allowed, correct @Mister Phes? (And while I'm at it, can you update my entry pic with the picture I used in my update?)

A wonderful little vessel, with brilliant sails and attention to detail (like the fact that you aren't using a steering wheel for such a small ship) as well as the blue water splashes on a darker "ocean" all contribute to one of the best ship entries to date! I do, however, have to make a few critiques. The cannons look great, and it's the first time I see that particular part choice for the barrel, but I feel like the crew is comically small for such an arsenal ; you need at least 4 crew to man a 2-cannon-broadside plus a pilot, and ideally a few more. The fact that you focused so much on accuracy for the build only makes it that much more disappointing to see you didn't think of proper crew amounts. I'd have also liked if there was a better spread for the swivel guns ; there's 4 at the back and none at the front, leaving the ship vulnerable to frontal assault! I think that simply moving 2 of those to the front would fix the issue. I know my critique is long, but it's only because I feel like such a large ship deserves to be at its best when voting starts. Best of luck!

Wow, this looks like a pirates-style modular building! I like the floor, and I appreciate the small details inside (like the blood next to the severed hand). The exterior looks sufficiently textured with the help of masonry bricks, with neither too few nor too many used in the build. I have however got to make a critique or two : I don't really like the roof technique, as it looks a little too "empty", but I'll admit this is a matter of choice. Another thing I do think you could improve is the lack of stuff in front of the Pub, this is a harbour establishment, after all, so where are all the crates and barrels? And I'd like an overview shot of the whole back, so one can better see that lovely interior!

It's an interesting build for sure, and I appreciate the effort to keep it vintage, I like the fact that it feels so full of people and I feel like all those cannons and troops make it look like a real fort. But, there's a lack of variation in the colours, it's either all white or all yellow, but that's something easily fixed by replacing a few bricks with one of the old panel pieces like you did on the sides. I also must say that for such a busy tax-collecting hub, we see no merchant, no goods being exchanged, in fact there's very little on the inside of the fort. I'd add some detailing in there, like some barrels of rum of a few barrels or containers. A small thing which I liked was the vegetation, and the fact that it is only there where there are no guns (since they presumably cut the ones in front of the cannon holes down), I like that attention to detail a lot! Good luck with your entry!

Personally, I don't mind the sail colour situation that much, as it adds a little bit of originality to the whole build. It's also perfectly understandable for a physical build, since you do not have infinite amounts of parts available.

@Christophh, glad to see you like it! The bridge is made by tying some string around each of the bucket handles, and then I connected those pieces of string near the holes at both ends, this then allowed for a working bridge design.

One trick is to learn to let go, if I haven`t touched a build in over a month, that makes it available for MOCs, but I can choose to keep it built. Once I do touch it though, then it is fair game to demolish it...

@RichardGoring, sometimes, there's a procedure for when they make a set so as to avoid some customers unfairly getting it before others (ex : those in Denmark getting it before those in Sweden), and then they make a load of dickeys for it, and then I guess they don't all sell, so because of those procedures, they probably have some markets which still have the original runs remaining while others are all out, so they ship 'em out to every warehouse and then allow for new orders...

An interesting build, and I like the story that goes along with it! There's a bunch of little details, like the seashells and coins, and I like the hidden features, it really feels like an updated vintage set! However, I'll criticise a few things on presentation : The background works well and emphasizes the build, but it makes some of the plates making up the base look a little uneven, especially at the front, make sure they are well connected and even out the cloth underneath before pictures is what I'll recommend. Also, the rockwork feels a little blocky at times, and I can see a few gaps that could be fixed by moving parts around, like that sloped corner piece at the entrance to the "cave". Good stuff overall!

That's always annoying to deal with, but I personally find that it's not how I have to put the sticker that matters, but the quantity! In both recent and older racing sets, there were always loads of stickers which made everything fiddly to put properly.

Quite an original idea! I like the roof and the style of the structure- it is very reminiscent of vintage sets. I also appreciate the interior details, it's not something everyone thinks about. I have however got a few critiques for this build. First, there's a lot of white and not much else on the structure, which I understand is meant to be accurate to real world lighthouses, but adding some stickers with dark red brick patterns or replacing some of the white bricks with dark red masonry bricks would do a lot to make it look like traditional pirate sets Also, how does Steve leave the island if he needs to? There's no dock and no small boat for him to use, so he's stuck there, which could be quite annoying, I feel like adding a small dock with a few plates could really improve the build's quality.

Has anyone claimed the remaining 1st to 25 prize? If not I think there are three contenders other than me. Anyways, update, 1846 EST, 11-08-24, with a cutoff of 10 replies, and I've removed those who've claimed a prize : Steve's Hand Emporium by bingowaldorf : 16 Steve's Treasure Hunt by KolonialbeamterdeMartinez : 17 The Merchant vessel Margaret Hamilton by Elephant Knight : 20 Escape from the Imperial Trading Post by A_Goodman : 25 Steve's Upgraded Cutter (The Untold Story) by Andy-Roo : 25 Steve's Double-crossing by YellowFrog : 12 Steve's Doom by MyFirstMOC-Hun : 17 The Final task by Math Wizard : 20 The rime of the ancient mariner by Samarth : 18 Steve's First Voyage by SpacePolice89 : 13 Steve's Hideout by MyFirstMOC : 12 Origin of Steve the Merchant by SevenDeadlyStreamers : 14 Skull eye's Schooner by SevenDeadlyStreamers : 14 Enchanted Island by Me : 23 Infant Steve recruited as royal spy by lotr : 17 Steve's Childhood by MyFirstMOC : 18 End of the pier by Elephant knight : 18 Steve's boat by MyfirstMOC : 13 Steve's origins in the desert by me : 40 Infamous Steve and the Fountain of Fortune by Juhlhaus : 15 Quadruplets? by YellowFrog : 14 Steve's Arrival in port royal by Captain Braunsfeld : 13 Steve's origins : Meeting redbeard by Oky : 11 International society of steve by BrynnOfCastlegate : 13 Steve meets cap'n tongs by SevenDeadlyStreamers : 16 Mini Imperial Trading Post by SevenDeadlyStreamers : 26

@SevenDeadlyStreamers, I saw the new update but just forgot to write a reply, sorry! I have to say, it looks much more colourful and detailed than the first version, and the boat looks wonderful. I don't feel like there's anything worthy of being changed, at least on such short notice, so best of luck in the voting phase!

I see, I'll try to fit in an update as soon as reasonably possible. Other than that, I'm quite satisfied overall, so I think I'll leave it at that after the update.

@Math Wizard, no need to apologise, you didn't do anything wrong, this is meant to be fun, and not a chore! As for the poster, it has been noted, and for the row or bricks at the bottom, it was originally necessary but I think I can remove it now (or at least hide it from the render. @Autumn do you agree?

I see there's been no answer from either @Math Wizard or @YellowFrog, is this a good silence or a bad silence? I'd love to get some definitive feedback from such distinguished fellow critiques.

I feel like these boats are quite interesting, but obviously the background is lacking, add a a few sheets of paper on every side and add a strong light, in this case white light would do fine. And I know you won't change the build, but there are too many studs on the sides of the small ship, I'd add something there to cover those studs up, like a few white tiles, or add a little detailing there. I also have to say it doesn't look like a battle, more like someone took two ships and put them side to side, make them point their guns at each other, maybe even add battle damage! , presentation is half the work in a contest, and I feel like that's what's lacking here.