Interactive Bricks

You did a great job bringing 6254 Rocky Reef to life. The trees and and greenery really bring this rebuild into this century. Hard to believe the OG is almost 30 years old! I like the hidden inclusion of the statue (love me some gold frogs!). When I look at the original, the skeleton shows prominently in the promo picture, as if it is staring down the pirates, waiting for them to take and nap so he can nab their treasure. I was a little disappointed that the skeleton was not readily seen until the very end. It's a simple thing, but it really sets the tone. If there was a way to make the cave less cave-like (ie take off the roof) and more like a split rock, I think that would go a long way in recapturing the aesthetic of the original. Of course, what you've done looks really great. Hiding the green gem in rock adds a fun playability feature. You've taken the original basic build and elevated it to a full-fledged island retreat!

I know your written description featured some sarcasm about being a good build, but I gotta say you've actually done a great job representing a 4+ Pirates theme. I love the humor in your write up and I can tell you had fun posing those figs. Having Harry Hardtack continue his 2004 battle with Monkey is such a great nod to classic set 7081! I feel like you did a great job emulating the style -- the 4+ sets used those thick 16x16 technic baseplates, too. The skull on the building was a great nod to set 7074, too. My only suggestion... where's the crocodile?? :) Curious minds (and the minifigure named "Scurvy Dog") need to know! Thanks for bringing a smile to my day. :)

I'm a big fan of small-but-mighty builds. Huge MOCs are amazing, but with smaller MOCs every part counts -- and I think you've proved that here. I pulled up the original set and my first thought was to smile. I think you've done a grand job paying homage to the OG set, while also bringing a modern aesthetic to it. The trick with these sets is balancing simplicity with design. Overall, I think you've hit that balance well. Excellent shaping with the palm tree - it brings a perfect pop of color. I have three suggestions/critiques to ponder: 1) I think building out the angled water and pocket of land is the right call and you've layered it well. I noticed the water isn't quite symmetrical. I like the shape, but the emptiness of the smooth part of the plate feels like it is missing something. Was there a reason you didn't use the same wedge plate as on the other side? 2) Excellent shaping with the palm tree. It brings a perfect pop of color. If you wanted to continue the the diagonal visual (started by the palm tree), make the 3-point leaves the same green shade as the palm tree. Your eye already catches the angle of the leaves and this will bring attention across the build. If you had a red parrot, putting that on the palm would also bring the eye back up that diagonal line, highlighting the red carriage for the cannon. 3) As for the wall, you've done a great job representing the original single (and stickered) wall. The clips on the inside to hang weaponry is an excellent upgrade. From the outside, however, it seems to lack the same level of detail. Interspersing stacked plates (instead of bricks) might help, especially if you did a square plate, round plate, square plate sandwich. It would give that iconic weathered look of the original. I've included a pic as an example. Overall, great clean build. Wish you all the best!

Excellent presentation in the picture! At a quick glance I thought I was looking at a real LEGO set's box art! You've done an excellent job with your color theme -- the blue and white are the perfect crisp contrast. I particularly like the small detail of the blue shutter over the cannon portholes. There are two things I would consider tweaking: 1) The ship's mast head seems a little too small given the powerful density of the ship. I like how you used the white wings and the gold figure head. I would see if you could build up the bow of the ship to meet the to meet the bowsprit (the thingy that sticks out the front that the sail attaches to). 2) You've done a great job shaping the back of the ship/quarter deck. The front, by comparison, seems a little boxy with the exposed studs. I would see if you could add some slopes to give it a little more curve. Once again, excellent job with the gold detailing throughout -- it stands up nicely against the blue and brown! Hope to see some updated pictures soon. All the best! -Bethany

Ahoy! I'm Bethany and new to Eurobricks -- but a longtime fan of LEGO Pirates! Part of my 'daytime' job is to help kids learn to build better MOCs and provide feedback and encouragement. When I saw there was a pirate contest with the opportunity to give fellow builders feedback, I knew I had to give it a try!