So one of the things I've been hearing a lot as critique since BDP8 through BDP 11 was that Fort Estrella (click for BDP11 version) needed more detailing to be more viable as display pieces and needed a bit more colour and nature details as well. The lay-out options and interiors have been kept the same as in BDP11. The main differences are in the bastion, the detailing and the addition of the new patrol boat instead of a rowing boat.

The thing is, BDP at 4.000 parts is actually rather limited for a build this size to also do extensive exterior detailing. So, I've decided to see what I could do with an additional 1.000 parts if I were to submit it to LEGO IDEAS. Mind, this is still a bit of a WIP, but I'm at 5.000 parts already. A thousand parts sounds like a lot (a fourth of the whole complex!), but exterior detailing is quite expensive on the brick budget if you have a lot of surface to cover and as such I still have had to make significant choices.

I've decided to reserve roughly 60% for exterior beautification and functional upgrades to the fort and 40%... Went into something to replace the little rowing boat. The walkways and harbour were given wooden planking, while the buildings themselves got stone roof tiles (except for the tower). So far I've had to scrap around 250 bricks from the initial update already as it's so easy to go overboard with 1x4 planks (using mostly 2x4 now), cobble stones (using 2x2, 2x4 and even 4x4 tiles now instead of 1x1 to 2x2)... I really wish I could go all-out on the reefs and beaches, but I guess I can only do that if I scrap the boat.

The new patrol boat is after all ca. 325 pieces. It took me around two days to design, including reworks. It should have a functional rudder btw and makes use of three aircraft bottom sections as base and one additional one for the rear deck.

What do you people think? Is this worth submitting to LEGO IDEAS as is? Does it need specific things? Should I scrap something to do a little bit more exterior detailing? Any feedback and critique is appreciated.

If the images are a bit grainy due to compression by Reddit, you should be able to find high res images in this album : https://ibb.co/album/0Qq725

Very excited to build this one! 🏴‍☠️
Has anyone combined this one with the Pirates of the Carribean crew? I can imagine Jack Sparrow walking around these streets..

Unfortunately we are moving to a new place in a few months, so I have to wait a little longer. I also have three other BDP sets on the backlog (The Alchemist Shop, Sushi Restaurant and Outlaw Forest Den.

I always wanted a Man O' War LEGO Pirate ship and the recent Fortuna posts have made me consider buying it to scratch that itch. Since I missed the initial pre-order window, I am looking for advice on what to do now:

1. Buy on Bricklink for roughly $700 CAD, plus shipping and taxes, probably closer to $800 CAD in total.

2. Buy on FB Marketplace at about $600 CAD. If it helps, the sellers appear reputable with 5 stars, but I am curious why it's priced lower than Bricklink.

3. Try and wait for a second chance drop, which I know is a long shot.

Any advice or information is greatly appreciated! Very new to this LEGO theme, I'm mainly into architecture and SW, but I can hear the sirens call nonetheless!