Creation Presentation The Soldiers' Fort Standard by Nelson 15 XI 08 A new, modular building standard for Pirate-themed creations was introduced in the 2009 LEGO set # 6242 - Soldiers’ Fort. This simple building style allows the fort's components - the tower, shack, bridge, and jail - to be rearranged in different configurations. It also allows fans to build their own modules to expand the fort, much like the classic LEGO Castle sets. In this article, we will examine the building style, and provide some examples of modules you can build. We shall refer to this standard as the “Soldiers’ Fort Standard”, since it first appears in this set. (We’ll also refer to it as the "Three and Ten" standard, since it utilizes '1 x 1 Technic Bricks with Hole' as connectors on the third and tenth studs of the baseplate (when viewed from the right side)...besides, "Three and Ten" also sounds quite piratey - Arrr!) The Technic bricks are placed on the long sides of the module with a 6-stud gap between them. In the 6242 set, the Fort is constructed on a series of blue 6 x 10 baseplates, representing a small harbor or waterway. In the modules used for the tower and jail, two of these blue baseplates are used. You can see in the animation above the basic construction of this module. The 1 x 1 Technic bricks with holes are all white in the set, but any color can be used (white bricks tend to look better if they are visible, for consistency purposes). You will note in the set that the modules with buildings on them, also have 1 x 1 black round bricks and plates as ‘posts’ on the two front corners of the dock. (They don't extend into the waterline, so they are not pilings.) The corner module adds a 6 x 6 blue plate to the base, and the arch is turned to make an inside corner. A 4 x 4 plate with cut corner is used to extend the overall width of the base and achieve the "Three and Ten" standard, and the connectors are also found on the back (long) end of the corner module. Technic pins are used to connect all of the modules together. Now, let's take a look at the Soldiers' Fort standard in some add-on modules I have created. I call this fort "Le Baton Rouge". I have used the basic color scheme and design of the Soldier’s Fort set, and changed it a bit to my own building style. I have also incorporated old Pirate elements and minifigs to show how the old and new Pirate lines can be combined. The modules feature some additional buildings to compliment the Soldiers' Fort set. As seen below (from left to right), they are: a tower, a small guardhouse, and an armory. The scene has been accented with two smaller modules: “Skull Rock” features a small bridge and foliage, while the pier is merely an extension of the 6-wide module in the forward direction. As seen in the 6242 set, the bridge can extend out by one stud. As long as your build follows the "Three and Ten" placement for the module connections, it's fine. The pier uses a 6 x 12 blue baseplate rather than a 6 x 10 one, which allows for additional arches to match the design of the corner module: The Soldiers' Fort walls are 2 bricks tall, so don't forget to add them as needed. You can adjust them to fit your needs or liking. Below are some ideas for layouts using the Soldiers' Fort Standard. Hopefully you will be inspired to try your hand at building your own modules, or put together a fort display at your next event. Larger images of "Le Baton Rouge" can be found here. If you have an article to share, contact Nelson.  Home | Archives | Gaming | Events | Sets | How-to | Creations | Stories | Links | Contact  © 2008-2011 ForbiddenCove.com. Site design © Anthony Sava, Benjamin Ellermann, and Nelson Yrizarry. All rights reserved. This is an unofficial, fan-created LEGO website, and is not sponsored, authorized, or endorsed by either The LEGO Group or The Walt Disney Company. "Pirates of the Caribbean" and all related characters are © The Walt Disney Company.