Brick Breakdown: LEGO Pirates Island

(Written by William)

In this Brick Breakdown series I review official LEGO sets, from the perspective of looking at interesting building techniques we can all learn from. Today we will be looking at the #70411 LEGO Pirates Treasure Island. You can also check out the previously discussed LEGO techniques found in official LEGO sets at the end of this article. 🙂

As you know, LEGO Pirates are back this year. As the movie license of Pirates of the Caribbean is now over, there is no competition for the high seas. This means we’re back to the original LEGO Pirates, with simpler designs, but more freedom in what can be created. Since this is essentially a re-launch of LEGO Pirates, it was necessary to reestablish the two sides of the conflict. This is done with some fairly basic, tried and true designs; the soldiers get their various fort/outpost bases and the pirates get wrecked islands and a cool ship. So now let’s find out what valuable techniques are buried on Treasure Island…

➡ NOVEL PULLEY USE WITH LEGO

Often when you see a LEGO pulley design it is used in a very functional way; basically to lift things up – like a crane in a LEGO City set, or for closing a LEGO Castle gate. In the #70411 LEGO Pirates Treasure Island there are some minor twists to the pulley. First, the pulley is hidden behind tree leaves and is threaded among one of the pieces on the rocky outcrop. This makes the chain the pulley uses only partially visible – which differs from most pulley designs where you can see the full pulley action.

The next major difference is that when the pulley mechanism is activated, it pulls on a fixed object. The skull wall features a hinge that prevents the wall from leaving its position. The end result is a very specific redirection of how the pulley’s force is applied. In this case, the skull lifts like a hidden passageway. With all the decorations it can be easy to miss this simple yet very clever and effective technique. If you control an object’s movement with things like hinges, then the standard use of a pulley will change its effect. The real task will be figuring out the right placement to anchor the pulley and position the hinge.

➡ DECORATIVE & FUNCTIONAL WALLS WITH LEGO

I would like to begin by saying that you can make these types of walls in any thickness with a variety of styles. The one style I am going to cover is probably the most common and is what is featured in this LEGO Pirates set. I would encourage builders to only view this technique as a starting point and explore more complex designs using the principles found here. In the #70411 LEGO Pirates Treasure Island set a wall that is both decorative and functional is the skull wall section; it has a clear decorative look and it is used as a hidden passageway.

So let’s look at its basic principles applied here. For starters, the wall is two studs thick. This is very important because each row can be dedicated to a different facet of the wall’s construction. In this example, one of the stud rows is all about forming the skull with slopes and shaped elements. The second row is used for solidifying the wall by making it stable and features the hinge that gives it its functional aspect. This represents a clear separation of the two main qualities we are looking for in something that is both decorative and functional. I recommend anyone attempting this type of design to start with a two stud thick wall. It is easy to keep things in their proper place and it doesn’t take up a whole lot of space.

➡ APPLYING WHAT YOU LEARN

The novel use of the pulley seen in #70411 LEGO Pirates Treasure Island set is just one example of how you can alter a simple mechanism. Often by adding your own restrictions to a device, you can dramatically change what the device is capable of accomplishing. Consider any LEGO model you designed with an action element. Then think of ways you can change that action with a hinge or additional mechanisms.

As mentioned in the section about decorative and functional walls, the style described is only the simplest one to understand. You could build the wall sideways to add new complications, or make the wall thinner by using plates in a sideways fashion. You can even go the other direction and add more stud rows because you may want the middle to be functional and the opposite sides to be decorative. Your options will dramatically expand with just a little experimentation. For the LEGO Pirates sets see the Online LEGO Shop.

So what do you think? How do you like the LEGO The Pirates sets? Did you get any of them already? And did you learn from the interesting building techniques used in the sets? Feel free to share your own experiences and tips, or ask questions in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the other reviews in this series:

• Brick Breakdown: LEGO The Hobbit The Lonely Mountain
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Super Heroes Green Lantern Set
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO UCS Tumbler
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Minecraft The Cave
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Minecraft Ender Dragon
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Santa’s Workshop
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Ideas Exo Suit
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Ideas Research Institute
• Brick Breakdown: Emmet’s Contruct-O-Mech
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Forest Animals
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO King’s Castle
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Cinderella’s Castle
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO MetalBeard’s Sea Cow
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO MetalBeard’s Duel
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Minecraft Sets
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Disney Princess Sets
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Back to the Future DeLorean
• Brick Breakdown: The LEGO Movie Ice Cream Truck
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Parisian Restaurant
• Brick Breakdown: The LEGO Movie Flying Flusher
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO The Hobbit Dol Guldur Battle
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Winter Village Cottage
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Winter Village Market
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Lord of the Rings Council of Elrond
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Castle Dragon Mountain
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Lord of the Rings Pirate Ship Ambush
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Ninjago Golden Dragon
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Superman Black Zero Escape
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Tower of Orthanc
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO City Dump Truck
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Monster Fighters Ghost Train
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Lone Ranger Silver Mine Shootout
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Lone Ranger Constitution Train Chase
• Brick Breakdown: Ninjago Temple of Light
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Lone Ranger Colby City Showdown
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Lone Ranger Comanche Camp
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Lone Ranger Stagecoach
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Star Wars AT-RT
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Arkham Asylum Part 1
• Brick Breakdown: LEGO Arkham Asylum Part 2
• Brick Breakdown: Legends of Chima Polybags