670Unique parts
2,809Total parts
Ominous Isle is the dreaded base of operations for the fearsome Captain Mutton Chops and his motley crew. The signature skull is the final warning to foolish travellers that they have ventured too far into dangerous waters and are about to have their first and final encounter with the legendary pirate captain.
The isle is surrounded in mystery. There are rumours of secret treasure, fierce sea monsters and ancient ruins from a lost civilization. However, the pirate crew is quite at home here, with strong defences, a luxurious captain’s quarters, a well-stocked kitchen and an overflowing treasure store.
The isle’s real surprise though, is that it never appears the same way twice. The surrounding islets seem to constantly rearrange themselves, linked by numerous bridges and crossings. This makes it impossible to accurately describe Mutton Chops’ hideout because every witness has seen a different version.
The sheer verticality of the isle is also incredibly intimidating, giving the landmark true presence. It is a significant trek to get from the landing jetty to the top of the ancient lookout tower, gradually climbing the many surrounding islets. But for those on the crew, there is a grand shortcut. The barred gate in the mouth of the skull is mechanised to open on demand and grant direct access to the core of the base.
Truly, Ominous Isle is a stronghold befitting of the great Captain Mutton Chops!
5 Minifigures included.
Model Dimensions:
Length: 39.3 cm / 15.5 in
Width: 60.6 cm / 23.9 in
Height: 30.6 cm / 12.0 in
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Ahoy!
My name is Jared Le Cras, a.k.a. ‘jazlecraz’ for anything LEGO brick related, and I have been a huge LEGO Pirates fan for as long as I can remember. As a child, I was captivated by the sprawling pirate layouts seen in my LEGO product catalogues from the early 90s. Amazingly, these catalogues survived my lengthy ‘dark ages’ period and were a key inspiration in the creation of Ominous Isle.
Since returning to the way of the brick, I have received the most joy from designing and building my own creations. I’m fond of all the classic themes beyond pirates, especially western, castle and underwater. You might even have spotted some of my other BPD submissions in these themes. Building within these worlds is great fun and it has been wonderful to see the LEGO Group recently give us some sets with modern reinterpretations of these classic themes.
Ominous Isle is the pirates set I always wanted as a child. Although pirate ships are cool, it was the idea of a secret pirate base on a tropical island that I always found most enticing. I wanted the set to capture the intrigue and trepidation you would feel while approaching a location known to be as dangerous as it is beautiful. I found that increasing the verticality of the build most provoked those feelings, and Ominous Isle was born!
The defining feature of the set is its ability to be rearranged in many unique ways since each islet has multiple standard attachment points for bridges. I’ve always struggled with limited display space for LEGO sets, so a model that can be displayed in many possible configurations is very appealing. I’m sure there are other builders out there who will appreciate this aspect of the model too!
How do you find inspiration for your designs? What inspired this BDP set in particular?
The LEGO product catalogues from the early 90s have been a big inspiration for many of my recent builds, and Ominous Isle is no exception. Those layouts created entire worlds for the sets to inhabit and I enjoy attempting to recreate that feel in my own builds.
What was the first set you ever built? Which one is your favorite? What is one set you would love to see being made?
I think my first set may have been 6850 Auxiliary Patroller from the Futuron theme. It was simple but very swooshable! My current favourite is 79689 Tallneck from Horizon Forbidden West. I’m a big fan of the games and that set is about as perfect as a LEGO set can get. I made my own Thunderjaw model to go alongside it, but I’d love to see an official version from the LEGO Group one day.
How would you describe your building style? Do you usually design sets within a certain theme?
I have a background in engineering, so my early builds were all about precision and structural integrity. Over time I’ve slowly been embracing more creative building and the use of color, but it hasn’t been easy! I like to dabble in many different themes because I find it helps expose me to a great variety of building techniques and styles.
How would you describe your role in the LEGO® fan community?
I reside in Perth, Western Australia, known for being the most isolated capital city in the world, so perhaps unsurprisingly, my involvement in the LEGO fan community has been almost exclusively online. The development of the online community over the years has been fantastic, I doubt I ever would have left my dark ages without it.
Have you been to any LEGO community events or conventions? If so, what were they like?
Sadly no, but it is definitely something I plan to do in the future.
What do you think makes a BDP set successful?
I think a successful BDP set strikes a perfect balance between two main targets: being sufficiently niche that the LEGO Group doesn’t plan to create an equivalent set themselves, while having enough broad appeal and being impressive enough to get the community excited.
What advice would you give to the next set of hopeful BDP designers?
How you present your build is really important. Most people who vote in BDP are glancing over a gallery of thumbnail images from hundreds of submissions. It is vital to capture the most compelling aspect of your build in a single image – something that will make it stand out in the crowd.
Why not be the first?