In a world governed by human masters, and overrun by their loyal barking servants, one species rose above their restrictive servitude with gnashing teeth and claws… quite literally! They take no quarter, kneel to no one, and if sufficiently cute, bend the world around their very will. From their purr-spective, the sun revolves around them. They are, of course, Plunder cats!
In this colourful and neatly packed MOC, LEGO Pirates Forum veteran (hosted by Eurobricks) Oky, explores the concept of what may eventuate should a flock of felines overcame their distaste for water and turned to a life of piracy, complete with their own safe haven on a mountainous isle known as the Cat Skull Island.
Cat Skull Island, the last bastion of freedom and endless napping – no barking allowed!
Oky writes:
PlunderCats are on the move, PlunderCats are loose!
The PlunderCats are a band of ferocious feline pirates lead by the fearsome Captain Fluffybeard. Their hideout is located in the middle of the Caribbean on Cat Skull Island and is essentially a big cat tree.
I hope you like my entry for the pi-RATS & BUG-aneers contest on Bricknerd.
The Crew
Oky has sourced far and wide to fantastic use of the various cat-themed minifigure parts. Can you identify which sets and minifigs the parts have originated from?
Captain Fluffybeard and his fearsome feline crew ready to wreak havoc upon the world, right after some milk and a long nap
Captain Redbeard, Ironhook, Brick Beard and even Metalbeard cannot withstand the pounce of the felonious feline known as Captain Fluffybeard!
A Tour Around The Furball Hideout
Unlike other islands scattered among the Caribbean, Cat Skull Island is unique, easily distinguish by the immense cat skull at the mountain peak
Their ship is little more than a crate with sails; cats after all, usually place more interest in the box, rather than the box’s actual contents. Although, sailing is perhaps a fruitless venture, for their seamanship is rather limited due to their tendency to utilise the sails as scratching posts. As you can well imagine, drapes aren’t readily upon the high seas, unless these kitty crusaders happen to plunder a Home Décor cargo fluyt.
It seems that the Discovery Channel didn’t lie, among felidae family, females are superior hunters
The island was once inhabited by the mysterious Mouselanders until the PlunderCats relentlessly hunted them and drove them to yonder shores. A statue buried within the sands offers a scant reminder of their once magnificent culture. And yes, that is a cat poop right next to it. After all, what is a beach but a giant litter box?
That’s a turd alright. There, right there in the sand! Hmm… if you think about it, they transformed this whole beach into a minefield (gasp!)
The PlunderCats are constantly pursued by the Imperial Guard Dogs, but have recently succeeded in capturing their arch enemy, Admiral Barkington. Holding him for ransom while confined within a barred kennel, they tantilise him with a delicious bone just beyond his reach. Needless to mention, the admiral’s fury meets no bounds!
Admiral Barkington, caught and extremely unhappy inside a prison cell which happens to resemble a huge pet transport box
Inside their cat tree house lies table with a treasure map and various chests and barrels. Captain Fluffybeard also houses a parrot her – in case he wants a snack to play with.
I know what you are thinking, there must be gold inside that chest… Oh how wrong. you be! As these are cats, so they probably use the chest as another box for napping
Outside the hut, femme fatale felines are amidst a swashbuckling cat fight. One stands at the ready upon a rickety bridge connecting the tree house to the guard tower, below the hairball cannon is armed to defend against offshore intruders!
With so many kitties present, one may speculate that a crazy cat lady lurks within the shadows – perhaps your island voodoo witch
Aye, fire those hairballs away! And make double-sure they’re packed with fleas and kitty litter! That’ll teach those Imperial dogs to keep their distance!
A PlunderCat has tumbled head-first from the hut’s roof into a barrel of catnip, upsetting a carton of milk and spilling it EVERYWHERE! Yer know, because… he’s a cat. A crane sits beneath, and while not employed to haul supplies into the cat tree house, it make an extremely effective dangly for cat toys.
Captain Fluffybeard is known to spend hours each day playing with improving his swordsmanship with the fearsome dangling toy
Upon one of the platforms, two extremely renown cat musicians, keyboard piano cat and bongo cat, play merry sea shanties entertaining the island’s inhabitants. Let us hope they don’t catch a cold and go viral!
For your entertainment only, ‘Everything is Awesome‘, in lounge cover by Richard Cheese PlunderCats
Near the peak of Cat Skull Mountain, inside the giant cat head is a chamber in which the PlunderCats store their most prized treasure; The Golden Cheezburger. An emancipated skeleton serves as a timely reminder to thieves that no one dare claim the treasure but the PlunderCats! Cascading from the giant skull, a waterfall pours into the river below… like a cat barfing onto carpet.
The Golden Cheezburger, most prized treasure of the PlunderCats.
Just hope the precious cheese won’t attract piRATs this way….Get it? pi – RATS? As in rats, who love the cheese and are also pirates! YARRR HAAA HAAA HAAAA!!!
About the Builder…
Oky is a motion graphics artist who graduated from the Art Institute of California. While his parents are Turkish, he was born in Berlin but moved to the United States in 2005. The result – he can speak 3 languages fluently! Aside from LEGO, he is obsessed with cartoons, especially PIXAR animations, fueling his obsession with Toy Story sets. His favorite colour is lime green while his favorite animals are frogs and cats (who would have guessed?).
He been a longstanding member of the Eurobricks forum since 2007, and has miraculously avoided experiencing one of those ominous “Dark Ages“. His brick projects include building licensed theme MOCs, shooting single-pane funnies, and writing killer set reviews inside – all of which are listed here.
If images are more to your liking, rather than wrestling with reviews, visit his Flickr profile and you’ll fast learn why he’s gained near 3,000 followers!
What Do Yer Think?
Now the question remains… if the island was originally inhabited by a tribe of Mouselanders, why be there a humongous cat skull carved into mountain’s peak? Can you conceive an explanation so we may resolve this plot discrepancy and move on with our lives? Are you flabbergasted this adorable entry failed to trounce its opposition in the pi-RATS & BUG-aneers contest on Bricknerd? The winning MOC was actually a rat, a pirate rat. So which do you deem better? Island or at? Share your thoughts in the most swashbuckling LEGO Pirates forum in the world. Play us out, Bongo Cat!
Hello Kitty!
