24 replies to this topic

[Nate]

I have made some changes that were suggested. I hope you like it!

I put together I slide show for this entry. You can see it here on Youtube

Brickshelf when public

Edited by SlyOwl, 08 December 2009 - 10:24 PM.

[Inconspicuous]

Looking good, Nate! I'm really digging the roof tiling and the SNOT pathway. The hanging fish and little plant are awesome as well. My only bit of advice is to take a shot looking down on it, because I really think the SNOT path would look better when viewed from the top and not the side.

Good entry and good luck.  

[Nate]

Inconspicuous, on Oct 19 2009, 10:06 PM, said:

Looking good, Nate! I'm really digging the roof tiling and the SNOT pathway. The hanging fish and little plant are awesome as well. My only bit of advice is to take a shot looking down on it, because I really think the SNOT path would look better when viewed from the top and not the side.

Thanks! I had planned on taking alot more pictures but I waited too late in the day, so I was competing against daylight. lol but I will try to get around to it tomorrow though!

[Paul cantu]

I really like this idea, it fits the contest perfectly. I like the stone appearance of the building and the roof is built well too.
You also chose some excellent minifigures for this moc.
Suggestions
-I think you should add a child to the moc that is running to his father. If you don't want to do that than I suggest adding a dog, cat or parrot to the moc.
-You want the house to appear as if it located on an island or other tropical area to make the entry feel piratical. i think adding a palm tree will be the best way to accomplish this.
-I think you should have the soldiers hat in his hand and maybe a musket or sword in his other hand.
-You should add a broom or shovel to the empty barrel.
-Adding a bit more furnishings to the house and a small window or vine to the side of the house will add that one extra bit of detail.

[Nate]

Paul cantu, on Oct 19 2009, 10:12 PM, said:

Suggestions
-I think you should add a child to the moc that is running to his father. If you don't want to do that than I suggest adding a dog, cat or parrot to the moc.
-You want the house to appear as if it located on an island or other tropical area to make the entry feel piratical. i think adding a palm tree will be the best way to accomplish this.
-I think you should have the soldiers hat in his hand and maybe a musket or sword in his other hand.
-You should add a broom or shovel to the empty barrel.
-Adding a bit more furnishings to the house and a small window or vine to the side of the house will add that one extra bit of detail.

I had considered adding a child. but decided againt it, but I think I may.
I wasn't going for the island or tropical feel in this MOC. It's supposed to look like it's in the country.
I was going to have the hat in his hand but it was annoying me how it looked, and how I had planned the sword didn't look great. but I will look into that.
Good idea. Hadn't thought about that
It's rather small in there so I was running into crowing problems of a table blocking the fireplace.. so I'm still not sure on that. and I was going to add a vine but by the time I got around to it I was way too tired to bother. lol

Thanks for all your tips. I'm going to make some changes probably later tonight, and then take new pictures.

[Black Rabbit]

I agree with everything paul cantu said and i think if you listen to his suggestions this model could look even better
The snot walkway doesn't really have a piratey feel to it and i think it would look better if you used 1x1 studs and tiles to make it.

[Rick]

This is a great emotional scene in all its simplicity. An example of where one picture tells a whole story. I like the photography from behind the soldier's back and the overgrown garden and wrecked fence.

[74louloute]

I totally with Rick. I like the fact that we don't see the soldier face. The picture of his back in the foreground and his wife in the background is splendid.
I like this entry, well done !

[badboytje88]

The best thing about this moc are the drying fishes in the window, the frog on the lawn and the little green carrot strem in the road. The idea sure is very good. I am somewhat surprised that no one thought of it before!

~Badboy

[martinsuper]

Really neat MOC! I had just got done watching "As far as my feet will take me", which is about a German POW escaping Siberia and trying to get home. This really reminds me of the bittersweet homecoming and how you really managed to capture the feeling!

I like how the path is lower than the rest of the "lawn". It looks more believable.
Is the fence supposed to be in disrepair and overgrown because the husband has been gone? If so, VERY nice job of showing that simply.
I really like the roof and how it looks weahered.
The inside of the house is simple and to the point. You have done enough in there without doing too much and I especially like the fireplace.
The random barrel by the house is very well done! You might think that just placing a barrel is a simple process, but those who know me, know that I love barrels and barrels get extra points in my book!
I really like your mini-fig selection in this scene. The soldier, wife, hair, and heads all look perfectly applied. I know some have said that a child would be a good idea, but then I think that you would be doing too much and that might clutter up the scene.

GOOD JOB!

-martinsuper

[MetroiD]

Croak! Give me vines, I'm bored of shrubs already! Croak!

Did I say that? No, 'twas that frog featured for no apparent reason in your awesome entry... But I admit, I love the green fella. What's its name? Can I pet it?

Anyway - as Paul cantu mentioned, vines would make a very nice addition - but that would just be a minor detail, since the overall level you've achieved with this MOC is really very high! The idea itself is quite heart-warming - even to ol' seadogs such as fellow EB members... I particularly like the fact that you've gone for a countryside look and created an actual solid house as opposed to a shack by the beach which most soldiers / pirates are supposed to call home.

The position of the female "wife" minifig at the door is simply perfect. I would only suggest adding something there to give it an element of surprise - the broom mentioned earlier would be a nice touch, especially if it were just dropped in excitement (Cheesy. I know. But it should work ;) )

As to the soldier - I think you made the right choice by dropping his hat on the grass beside him. But how about adding a rucksack to that? I know that he has a bag printed on his torso, but I feel that an actual backpack wouldn't go amiss there. If you go for the large backpack, that could give you a nice alternative as a way of adding a sabre without necessarily putting it in the soldier's hand - since I presume that's not a thing you'd want in this scene.

Whatever you do, please don't touch the house or the fence. Those are both absolutely perfect. Oh, and the frog too :)

[Bonaparte]

The best part of a war must be coming home alive. That's when you are a soldier of course; a despotic Emperor like myself likes to have another war every day  

I very much like the concept of this entry and you did well on the execution  

[Nate]

Thank you all for your suggestions! I have made some modifications as you can see from the pictures. She's now holding a broomm there's a bag and musket added on the yard, vine's on the wall, and redid the pathway.  I hope you like it! =]

[Milan]

It was good before, now it is even better. Nice work!

[Rick]

The idea is what really sells this, but it's a little 'fuller' now, with the back pack and the gun added to the shako.

[Nate]

Rick, on Oct 25 2009, 08:02 AM, said:

The idea is what really sells this, but it's a little 'fuller' now, with the back pack and the gun added to the shako.

Is that a good or a bad thing?

[Rick]

Nate, on Oct 25 2009, 06:39 PM, said:

Is that a good or a bad thing?

Definitely a good thing. Compared to the first version it looks a little more 'finished' now.

Edited by Rick, 25 October 2009 - 07:24 PM.

[Nate]

Rick, on Oct 25 2009, 02:24 PM, said:

Definitely a good thing. Compared to the first version it looks a little more 'finished' now.

Oh ok. haha. Thanks! I'm very happy with how it turned out.

[badboytje88]

The update surely is a improvement! I love the fact that you kept the little green carrot top in the road. That's the greatest little detail ever!

[MetroiD]

Subtle improvements always go a long way :) Glad to see you added that backpack and the broom, the story makes even more sense this way. The path is also a winner and the idea with those vines is also nice, although I think the way this one is placed makes it stand out a bit too much - it almost looks as if it were glued to the house. I'd suggest adding a few more wine pieces to give it a more natural look... You could check out the way I garnished the sidewalls of our Flower Shop with vines if you're unsure as to how that would look.

[Nate]

Yea I realize I should have done more with the vine, but I ran out of (couldn't find) the peices to connect them to the wall.  So I had to leave it as is. And I think it looks rather amusing so I'm happy with it.   Thanks for the suggestion though!

[Big Cam]

It looks good.  The first image tells the whole story, you really get a sense of feeling with this set up.  Very nicely done.

Any shot of the soldiers face?

[MetroiD]

Big Cam, on Oct 26 2009, 08:37 PM, said:

Any shot of the soldiers face?

I can totally imagine it being something like this ->
It's a crying shame that LEGO never did actually make such a minifig expression!

Nate, the vine definitely looks nice, adding more just would have added a more "cottage" look of the house. That's not to say that it doesn't look perfectly nice as it is though!

[martinsuper]

Nate, on Oct 24 2009, 11:04 PM, said:

Thank you all for your suggestions! I have made some modifications as you can see from the pictures. She's now holding a broomm there's a bag and musket added on the yard, vine's on the wall, and redid the pathway.  I hope you like it! =]

GREAT WORK! This is a awesome example as to how small modification can add up to a big change in the look of the MOC. I really like the changes and it brings out the areas that you want to "show".

GREAT JOB!

-martinsuper

[curtisrlee]

Aww, I should of thought of THIS earlier!!!  


I like the Soldiers-Coming-Home Idea very much!