Broken Bricks

I was thinking about starting out with a few land-based MOCs, such as a fort or lighthouse, and then, once I felt more confident about my MOCing abilities, trying to build a ship. Any recommendations are welcome. But feel free to share you personal experiences as MOC builders in what regards parts that you find very useful, that you use often, etc. Also thanks Green Avenger for that link to the Jumper Plates. I had no idea what those were at first (I didn't know they were called that)

So I was on Bricklink the other day trying to come up with some parts to buy so I can start MOC'ing and I found myself asking the following question: What are the most essential parts for a Pirate MOC? In other words, what parts do you most often use when doing Pirate MOCs? I have never done a MOC myself, but at the top of my head, based on what I have seen here, I'll name two: 75 2X1X3 slopes - they seem to come up a lot in rock formations and landscaping 1X1 round plates - they are often used to create a cobblestone effect or add texture to walls What other parts do you guys consider "Pirate MOC essentials" and why?

Unlicensed sets are better for several reasons already mentioned. However...I am a big fan of the spaghetti westerns/man-with-no-name movies, like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly! I wouldn't mind seeing LEGO sets based on those movies. But that would be highly unlikely... Would would be truly awesome would be a Unlicensed theme loosely based on the styles of those movies! I find the whole Calvary vs Indians thing a bit uninteresting...

Wow! Impressive! So many cool things in this MOC it's hard to name just a few...but to keep it short: I love the vegetation!! It looks very dense and tropical-like! I also like the ruins on the right side! I think not too many MOCs go for the "ruins" look, but it's something I definitely like too see! And the rocks...I see Swash Buckler's point about cliffs/rock formation being a little overused around here, but I have too say you've done a pretty good job at adding variety to this style. I don't mean just the cave. I also like the big pointy rock protruding from the sea a little in front of the cliff and the fact that the cliff is not too symmetrical, with that part extending out on the right side. It looks very realistic! A question for you Derfel: Do you reuse parts from old MOCs to build new ones or do you have all of them next to each other? If the latter is the case, you should have quite an amazing island going on by now!

Very nice review! Good job! Indeed, I always thought that this was one of the weakest Pirate set designs. I particularly dislike the little raft, which looks more like a floating box. LEGO has done so many simple and yet better rafts than this. It really makes you wonder if the designers of this set were trying at all. If I ever buy this it will be for the great minifigs and and for the parts. One thing I noticed: the alternate design on the lower left corner vaguely resembles Shipwreck Hideout! Except, of course, that SH is a bigger, much more beautiful set. Once again, great review! It's good to see that some of the '96-'97 sets are being reviewed lately. There are not too many reviews of those.

Awesome MOC! I loved how you used a few rather specialized parts that fit perfectly in the theme of your MOC, such as the big barrel, the cauldron, the he bowls and the colorful small parts for the soup. The fish hanging from those hooks were a great idea as well. Overall, I think you've managed to create a MOC that is rich in detail but without emphasizing buildings/landscape but instead the characters, their objects and their interactions. Also, nice job on the photography! Not everyone can photograph a MOC this well! Great angles, good lighting/background. It is so disappointing when you see a good MOC that is poorly photographed so you can't see all the details. Definitely not the case here!

So these are on sale?

Quentin Tarantino movies!! Reservoir Dogs Pulp Fiction Jackie Brown Kill Bill (Vol. 1 & 2) Death Proof Inglorious Basterds Those sets would have some badass minifigs!

I wanted to do a poll, but I don't see the option... Anyway, my question is: where do you get your MOC parts from? 1- Mostly BL/PaB 2- Mostly the sets you own 3- About 50/50 sets and BL/PaB 4- Other I am curious because I see so many beautiful, intricate MOCs with a such a huge variety of parts that it really makes me wonder how you can amass such a enormous and diverse collection. Please also discuss any details such as why you do what you do, also any specifics such as, do use use parts from any sets or only certain ones (e.g. sets you don't like, have two of, etc)? Do you buy pieces in bulk randomly or strictly what you need, etc.

I'll usually agree with anyone that says that LEGO sets are overpriced these days...but in this case it might be worth it! I mean, it is THE BIGGEST ship LEGO has ever made, and will probably stay that way for a long time. Plus it is a beautiful design, with some excellent minifigs. I think it's worth the money. I just need to save up because I recently came out of the dark ages and went on a ebay/BL rampage. Now I have 9 amazing pirate sets but I really need to take a break from buying LEGO.

This post is a contradiction... On ebay things are only a good deal as long as you are the only one that knows about it. The minute someone else finds out it stops being a good deal. Oh wait...are you the person selling these?

I went into the Dark Ages at the age of 11 approximately. I still held on to my huge LEGO collection but eventually gave it all away to my younger cousins when I was 14. Then recently, at age of 24, my mom gave me Cannon Battle of the new pirates line for Xmas (along with her actual xmas gift). She said that she had seen at a store and it reminded her of my LEGO years from childhood... Well, as you can imagine, building that little set brought out so many nostalgic feelings! Moreover, I was so impressed with the new colors, parts and specially the two-sided torsos and printed shakos that I started considering restarting my collection. So when I stumbled upon Eurobricks and realized there was an entire world-wide community of AFOLs out there I made the decision to buy some sets and here I am!

That is really good news. I was under the impression that the IF was TLG's way of saying "goodbye" to the Pirates line (now that it's temporarily discontinued) and was only gonna last a few months. But it seems like most of you agree on at least a year. That will give me enough time to save up for that beauty.

I really wanna buy the glorious IF, but its high price tag is forcing me to save up some money first. I'm sure I am not the only one here who is doing that, so here's my question: How much longer before LEGO stops selling the IF? I really should buy this thing before it gets discontinued as the price from ebay/BL/etc will surely go through the roof, even for used ones, as soon as that happens. So, what are your estimates?

Sounds like someone is making an investment... I have no idea about the answer to any of your questions. But here's another one: Stocks or LEGO? Which is better in this economy? (Jk!` )

Nice MOC! I really like the tower. I was thinking the other day about how difficult it is to build a large round structure with LEGO, such as a round tower, but your interesting approach shows that it can be done.

Prices are low? To be fair, they almost always start pretty low and remain so until about 24hrs before the end. Then, in 65% of the cases, by the end of the auction it's usually within a reasonable price range, not a bargain but not a rip-off either. In 25% of the cases it ends up costing more than the same set on Bricklink (which is a waste of money) In 10% of the cases the price remains low. So, probably only one or maybe two of these auctions will go for a low price.

Forbidden Island! I must have been 3 or 4 years old, but I still have pretty vivid memories. It seems like a lot of you also had Forbidden Island as your first...it must have been a relatively inexpensive set! Now..since I gave away all my Lego when I entered the Dark Ages my new "first" set as an AFOL was Brickbeard's Bounty.

Thanks! These do look good indeed, and it's clearly a return to human factions, which is nice. I also like that we'll be getting a new version of the jester!

Beautiful ship! I really like the color scheme and the stern looks beautifully designed. I also love the figurehead and that yellow, rope-like thing in the bow. What is that called?

Another pirate bites the dust? Nice ship!

Where do you guys see the pictures of the new sets? I haven't found any working links in this thread so far.

This looks great! I love your idea! It looks more like an actual "fort" that way!

Thanks for all the advice guys! I emailed the guy this morning. Still waiting for a reply. I still don't know what I am gonna do about the smell. I am a little reluctant to try any chemicals, so I might try exposing it to some fresh air or using Ratshot's linen sheets technique. I guess the lesson to take from this is: 1-always ask if it's from a non-smoking home unless it explicitly states so. 2-Smoking is bad for your health AND it stinks up everything around you, even your LEGO!

Blackheart Brit's suggestion sounds like the way to go to really reinforce the BBB. However, I wanna point out that initially I had the same problem as you, Firestorm. I fixed it by just pressing a little harder on the center on the cabin. If you look at your BBB (or the manual) you'll notice that the cabin rests on top of a hull piece as well as a pair of 2x1 tiles and a pair of 1x1 round plates. Since the latter two pairs of parts are raised compared to the hull, when you first attach the cabin they somewhat keep the bottom of the cabin from attaching to the hull studs. You just need to apply a little pressure over the right spot to make it happen though. If that doesn't help, a little reinforcement should do it.