14 replies to this topic

[Jason Cicchini]

The Log Baron

One of the most notorious people in Darwynia is Vikdar Brommel, commonly known as the Log Baron.
He is the owner and founder of Brommel's Log & Lumber, a large-scale exporter and supplier to all of Historica.
Personally worth millions of darics, his influence also extends into other various dealings: Loan Sharking, Smuggling, Information Networking, and referring clients to specialists with only the best reputations.
His garishly decorated private residence lies in the outskirts between Darwynia and Albion.



Brommel greets Sharra Foxpaw, a legendary hunter, and her elven lover and partner, Dornir Threeleaves.
There have been several recents attempts on Brommel's life, and so he has summoned the adventurers to his home to hire them to investigate.




Formerly from Mitgardia, where he trained as woodworking apprentice, Vikdar left Valholl in his eighteenth year and traveled down in the lush grasslands of Avalonia. A rumored romantic, the windows and door of his home are handcrafted pieces made by Brommel himself.



Closer pictures of the main characters of this MOC can be found at the Citizens of Avalonia Brichshelf folder, here when moderated.

[Captain BeerBeard]

I don't think I've seen a building with this type of styling before. I really like the gold over the window. Lookin' good!   Keep'em coming!

Edited by Captain BeerBeard, 07 March 2012 - 07:21 PM.

[de Gothia]

Looking really good Jason! Great story too and I´m a bit concerned to have that kind of fella close to my Benoic!     

The building is packed with great details like the large window, the other windows with two windows in one (did that make sense? )  the whips on the door and the woooden roof!

The back of the house is rather plain though, perhaps some windows? Or is it because there are some private business going on there?  

Great job on this one Jason!

[Kayne]

Nice job!  You have incorporated some nice techniques in here.  You have already grown as a builder since we started the Guilds of Historica!

[Jason Cicchini]

Captain BeerBeard, on 07 March 2012 - 07:19 PM, said:

I don't think I've seen a building with this type of styling before. I really like the gold over the window. Lookin' good!   Keep'em coming!

Thanks, BeerBeard! Coming from you, that means a lot!
I've been experimenting with styles/shapes of buildings we haven't seen in LEGO form before. A lot of Center City Philadelphia (a.k.a. home) has some well hidden European-styled architecture, and I draw a lot of inspiration from walking around and finding little gems here and there. The idea of rounded walls with dormer windows and slanted rooves was the inspiration for this one.

de Gothia, on 07 March 2012 - 07:28 PM, said:

Looking really good Jason! Great story too and I´m a bit concerned to have that kind of fella close to my Benoic!     

The building is packed with great details like the large window, the other windows with two windows in one (did that make sense? )  the whips on the door and the woooden roof!

The back of the house is rather plain though, perhaps some windows? Or is it because there are some private business going on there?  

Great job on this one Jason!

Thanks, deGothia!
Benoic is a dear neighbor to Darwynia, but I'm sure Vikdar already has some business partners there. So, watch out!
Thanks for mentioning my favorite details! I really like how the whips as a corner detail worked. I may use a mod of it again soon.
I wanted to really convey hand-crafted woodwork, someone who took a lot of pride in it.
As far as the back, I did have an idea for a scene but I felt it might be a bit overkill for this build, so I dropped it at the last minute. But yes, you got it. Vikdar's private quarters are positioned near the back, so most of the "unsavory" dealings commence there. Hence, no windows.

Kayne, on 09 March 2012 - 08:30 PM, said:

Nice job!  You have incorporated some nice techniques in here.  You have already grown as a builder since we started the Guilds of Historica!

Aw, shucks! That's very kind, Kayne. I've been brickin' for a while, but haven't really hit my stride 'til recently. When I saw GoH I knew I'd have a great excuse to hunker down and produce some good builds. I'm glad you like them, and thanks for the support!
There is definitely more to come, and don't forget: I'm working on the Royal Opera House for Albion as well!  

[Kerntechniker]

Looks really great and I enjoy this 360° shots from the house.

In addition your story makes this entry even more enjoyable.

I am looking forward to see more from you.

[ZCerberus]

Some nice techniques on this one.  I like that you went for the angled walls and used some interesting parts like the minifig legs and whips.

I would suggest you put some windows on the backside though.  It looks a little bland without them back there.

[Kayne]

Jason Cicchini, on 13 March 2012 - 12:06 PM, said:

Aw, shucks! That's very kind, Kayne. I've been brickin' for a while, but haven't really hit my stride 'til recently. When I saw GoH I knew I'd have a great excuse to hunker down and produce some good builds. I'm glad you like them, and thanks for the support!
There is definitely more to come, and don't forget: I'm working on the Royal Opera House for Albion as well!  

Same with me.  I started building about this time last year, but when I saw the GoH challenge I really hoped to join a group with some great builders and improve myself.  I definitely think that this project is a huge help for newbies like me!

Edited by Kayne, 13 March 2012 - 03:35 PM.

[Ecclesiastes]

ZCerberus, on 13 March 2012 - 01:23 PM, said:

Some nice techniques on this one.  I like that you went for the angled walls and used some interesting parts like the minifig legs and whips.

I would suggest you put some windows on the backside though.  It looks a little bland without them back there.

Indeed! I definitely like the angles, it worked out well on the roof and that's quite difficult. Also the use of the whips is a great idea.

[Jason Cicchini]

Kerntechniker, on 13 March 2012 - 12:34 PM, said:

Looks really great and I enjoy this 360° shots from the house.

In addition your story makes this entry even more enjoyable.

I am looking forward to see more from you.

Thanks, K! This story will tie into my 3rd Challenge entry, so stay tuned!

ZCerberus, on 13 March 2012 - 01:23 PM, said:

Some nice techniques on this one.  I like that you went for the angled walls and used some interesting parts like the minifig legs and whips.

I would suggest you put some windows on the backside though.  It looks a little bland without them back there.

Many thanks, Z! I've been working on a few things to keep up with you guys, glad to see my first venture was successful!
I've been teetering on the edge with my recent builds, trying not to break into my non-GoH builds or the Kingdom's Joust I bought myself as a X-Mas present...but every challenge it gets harder and harder not to.

Kayne, on 13 March 2012 - 03:35 PM, said:

Same with me.  I started building about this time last year, but when I saw the GoH challenge I really hoped to join a group with some great builders and improve myself.  I definitely think that this project is a huge help for newbies like me!

I agree. I felt very intimidated at first, knowing I wanted to challenge myself. Not only is this guild (and every one) founded by a Master Builder, but when the first challenge started and all these great creations started showing up, I knew I had to amp up my game.
Getting recognition from said people and the rest of the community has spurred me on to continue doing one of the things I love, and to try to contribute my very best amongst esteemed colleagues.

Ecclesiastes, on 13 March 2012 - 04:44 PM, said:

Indeed! I definitely like the angles, it worked out well on the roof and that's quite difficult. Also the use of the whips is a great idea.

Again, many thanks. I've found myself back in love with strange architecture, and I'm trying to feature that in my builds. If I can't have the coolest, or the biggest, or the most detailed build, I can definitely do the quirkiest!  

[MikeyB]

Great building and like other have said, some nice detail and use of parts.  

[quote name='Jason Cicchini' date='14 March 2012 - 06:07 AM' timestamp='1331716067' post='1230388'


I've been teetering on the edge with my recent builds, trying not to break into my non-GoH builds or the Kingdom's Joust I bought myself as a X-Mas present...but every challenge it gets harder and harder not to.

[/quote]

I think that is a dilemma we all face!  Here is my opinion, if you have a decent storage and organization system, it isn't that hard to rebuild the original sets.

That said, i still have all my modular buildings on display even though they are a great source for parts (all those lovely Dark grey tiles!) they just look so nice together!

I created a list of parts I thought would be useful to have (tile pieces, jumper plates, arched windows, headlight brick, bricks with studs on the side, 1x1 round plates, etc) and have been buying a $20-$30 bricklink order every 2 to 3 weeks.  It builds up your collection of free pieces fairly quickly. I still can't leave Most my MOC together yet but I do have enough for a couple small buildings now....

Edited by MikeyB, 14 March 2012 - 12:50 PM.

[Derfel Cadarn]

That's a great building! You have certainly improved. Nice to see that you have attempted a more difficult shape then a standard square. Tackling angles in building is a good way to improve and find out what works and what doesn't. This is a great effort and has many nice details. Well done on the roof work. Keep up this good work

[Jason Cicchini]

MikeyB, on 14 March 2012 - 12:46 PM, said:

I think that is a dilemma we all face!  Here is my opinion, if you have a decent storage and organization system, it isn't that hard to rebuild the original sets.

That said, i still have all my modular buildings on display even though they are a great source for parts (all those lovely Dark grey tiles!) they just look so nice together!
...

This latest challenge has forced me to break into my Superhero sets for detail work, so the modulars aren't far behind!
After all, I'm going for the win here! XD

[Jason Cicchini]

Derfel Cadarn, on 14 March 2012 - 08:57 PM, said:

That's a great building! You have certainly improved. Nice to see that you have attempted a more difficult shape then a standard square. Tackling angles in building is a good way to improve and find out what works and what doesn't. This is a great effort and has many nice details. Well done on the roof work. Keep up this good work

Thanks, DC! I know I've done a good job if I get a comment from you. hehe
I have plenty up my sleeve, so stay tuned!

[rogueang]

Some nice window and roofing techniques on this build.  I really like the main door.  The use of the arches for non-windowed walls is a great idea - I might have to try that.  nice build!  It's always nice to see new building techniques.