Rufus

D2C Contest: Professor Hale's Oasis Hacienda

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On a rocky outcrop in the midst of the barren and dusty desert sits a harmonious lush oasis, where our heroes have established a luxury Hacienda. Here they can rest and recuperate from their exhausting adventures, store and display their treasures, and plan their next expeditions.

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Here we see Professor Hale greeting heroes Jake Raines and Helena Skvalling as they return from their latest adventure in their powerful convertible car. Mechanic Mac McCloud prepares to tinker with the car; the Professor's native assistant Ahmed Sleet tends the thirsty camel, and his housekeeper Frau Katzendogz watches from the balcony.

Set 10xxx: Professor Hale's Oasis Hacienda

Build the Professor's luxury desert retreat!

Join Jake Raines and Helena Skvalling as they meet at Professor Hale's beautiful Oasis Hacienda to discuss their adventures and plan their next expedition! This ultimate Pharaoh's Quest set features several fully detailed and furnished rooms, all with exciting play features.

  • Main hall features a Power Functions fireplace, treasured artefacts, mummy statue and billiard table that doubles as a dining table!
  • Kitchen contains a sink, work table, stove and beer barrel
  • Professor Hale's study has a bookcase, treasure chest and desk where the Professor can scrutinise his newly-acquired artefacts
  • Bedroom contains a bed, dressing table and a trap-door access to the roof
  • Tower contains Amset-Ra's sarcophagus and a look-out point
  • Sports car seats two and has a real folding roof
  • Contains 9 minifigures and a camel: Professor Hale and Jake Raines in evening dress, Helena Skvalling, Mac McCloud, the Professor's handyman Ahmed Sleet and his housekeeper Frau Katzendogz; Anubis, mummy and Amset-Ra in his sarcophagus.

The building has a modular construction, allowing easy access to the various areas for play. Here the roof has been removed, showing the main staircase and landing.

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Helena and Jake play billiards whilst waiting for dinner to be served.

Now the entire upper floor has been removed. The billard table converts easily to a dining table, so Jake and Helena can regale the Professor with the tales of their daring deeds. Note the Power Functions fireplace! Hope that mummy doesn't come to life.... :look:

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Frau Katzendogz prepares the next course of dinner in the kitchen. The kitchen features a stove, sink, work table and a barrel of ale. The other room is the Professor's study, and contains a desk, bookcase and treasure chest. In this view, you can also see the pattern of the tiling on the veranda, and the clear waters of the oasis waterfall.

An alternative view of the main hall, showing some more of the Professor's artefacts:

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Helena and Jake make use of the bedroom to take the Pharaoh's Quest love intrigue to the next level :grin:

The entire building has modular construction, allowing easy access to all areas:

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Here you can see the Anubis statue in the landing alcove, the trap door allowing access to the roof, and the (unoccupied) bed in the Bedroom. The roof section has a rotating fan on the underside, and a small roof garden which Frau Katzendogz tends when she's not busy keeping house for the Professor. In the tower module (bottom right), you can just see what Professor Hale did with Amset-Ra's sarcophagus. Was it wise to bring the ancient king's remains here, Professor?

Here's a close-up of the sporty convertible car:

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The car seats two comfortably side-by-side, and has opening doors. The roof folds up and down with ease, protecting the occupants from the dust storms that terrorize desert travellers. You can see the roof folded down in the first photograph, or here.

For more pictures, see the Flickr slideshow.

I don't MOC very often, and this is by far the biggest and most intricate MOC I've ever done. My goal here was to create a true 'dolls' house' playset, whilst keeping within the theme, and maintaining a reasonable size and part count. The architecture is a deliberate fusion between North African and Spanish colonial styles, and I thoroughly enjoyed adding the little details, especially the tiled floors. I'm particularly pleased with the light-up fireplace, and the folding roof of the car.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed building and presenting it! Please let me know what you think.

Rufus

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Great work Rufus!

The colour scheme of the building is excellent and it certainly has that Pharaohs quest feel to it.

Oh and I love the convertible, Thats just amazing default_thumbup.gif

Good luck in the contest default_classic.gif

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Brilliant MOC Rufus (looks like we have a winner :wink: ). I really like the architectural details and you really spent a lot of attention to the interior. The white tiles on the exterior may be a bit too bright, but the floor tiling outside and inside look very colorful. The car is great and I love the fold-down roof.

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Good job, Rufus! I love this entry a lot, and if it was released I'd be very tempted to get it. There's plenty of play features and minifigures, plus interesting building techniques to keep AFOL's happy. Well done, and good luck!

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Very good entry! I love all the details! The pool table is very clever and the mosaic patterns on the floor are very convincing. All in all this MOC really breathes the right atmosphere. I would definitely buy this one if it were a real set (even though I am a castle fan).

Edited by KristofBD

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Great job, Rufus. I like the little details.

Water is really brilliant made, and that roof (that small one) is also cool.

And the inside... I think you're going to win.

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Wow! This is really amazing and it contains the "wow" factor! :wub:

I will definitely pick this up if this was ever released as an official set. Good luck for the contest.

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This is another example of awesome entry.

How am I going to vote (or anyone else).

I can't stop looking at all those awesome details. :wub:

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Lovely work, Rufus! The outside looks great already with it's near-studlessness and the the different techniques and parts you used, but the inside is even better. Everything about this entry looks authentically PQ D2C to me.

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ouch ! very nice entry, exactly what I understand behind D2C !

I note some lovely details :

Droids legs for the balcony

Trophys inside the house are nice

Rock around the house

Good luck Rufus, sure you'll mark points with your Hacienda !

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Fantastic work! The details are great and the overall look is just beautiful. For me that´s a perfect entry!

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Amazing entry all round!

To me it looks like that D2C set we all want LEGO to produce.

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Outstanding entry. Where can I buy this beauty. Simply lovely. I love the tiling throughout, the play features, furniture, vehicle, exterior and much much more :thumbup:

Smashed it!

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Wow, another amazing entry, excellent job on this beautiful work Rufus! The building is simply lovely both inside and out, even the accompanying vehicle is a great build in itself. And as always, the presentation is top-notch. This is certainly one of the stand-outs in the very competitive pool of entries. Best of luck! :thumbup:

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Wow Rufus, this MOC looks really mint. Great job and good luck with the contest! By the way I love frau Katzendogz :tongue: Brilliant character, brilliant!

Edited by badboytje88

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Nice job!I was wondering of the piece count but I have a feeling there's no answer; roughly how much sets $ were used to make this? Also, what set is Ahmet's face from and where is Archie's torso from?

I really like the fireplace and light brick, and the axes on top. I have two questions though: What is the significance of the pone on the roof? Is it a handle to open and go down? And where do they go to the bathroom? :D

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The stairs... Pool table... the car... It could be a real Lego set! very Nice

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The building is great, but the best part, the cherry on the icing is definitely the sports car. I love it.

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Very cool! I love all the little details and the overall architectural style as well.

Thank you, Cornelius, I'm glad you like it!

Great work Rufus!

The colour scheme of the building is excellent and it certainly has that Pharaohs quest feel to it.

Oh and I love the convertible, Thats just amazing default_thumbup.gif

Good luck in the contest default_classic.gif

Thanks, Yellow Brick!

Brilliant MOC Rufus (looks like we have a winner :wink: ). I really like the architectural details and you really spent a lot of attention to the interior. The white tiles on the exterior may be a bit too bright, but the floor tiling outside and inside look very colorful. The car is great and I love the fold-down roof.

Ooh Rick you flatter me :blush::wink: ... about the tiles, I kinda see what you mean, but I don't think any other colour would work.

Good job, Rufus! I love this entry a lot, and if it was released I'd be very tempted to get it. There's plenty of play features and minifigures, plus interesting building techniques to keep AFOL's happy. Well done, and good luck!

Thank you Gregorovich!

Very good entry! I love all the details! The pool table is very clever and the mosaic patterns on the floor are very convincing. All in all this MOC really breathes the right atmosphere. I would definitely buy this one if it were a real set (even though I am a castle fan).

Thanks, KristofBD. I'm pleased I got the 'atmosphere' right - that was the most important thing for me.

Great job, Rufus. I like the little details.

Water is really brilliant made, and that roof (that small one) is also cool.

And the inside... I think you're going to win.

Let's not speak too soon - there are some really fantastic entries out there... but thanks.

Wow! This is really amazing and it contains the "wow" factor! :wub:

I will definitely pick this up if this was ever released as an official set. Good luck for the contest.

Thanks, Fangy! :blush:

How am I going to vote (or anyone else).

*<whisper> Vote for Rufus*

:laugh:

Lovely work, Rufus! The outside looks great already with it's near-studlessness and the the different techniques and parts you used, but the inside is even better. Everything about this entry looks authentically PQ D2C to me.

Thanks, Brickdoctor!

ouch ! very nice entry, exactly what I understand behind D2C !

I note some lovely details :

Droids legs for the balcony

Trophys inside the house are nice

Rock around the house

Good luck Rufus, sure you'll mark points with your Hacienda !

Thanks, lego-maniac. I'm glad you spotted the droid legs :blush:

Fantastic work! The details are great and the overall look is just beautiful. For me that´s a perfect entry!

:blush: More high praise! Thanks!

Amazing entry all round!

To me it looks like that D2C set we all want LEGO to produce.

:cry_happy: Thanks so much, Boney!

Outstanding entry. Where can I buy this beauty. Simply lovely. I love the tiling throughout, the play features, furniture, vehicle, exterior and much much more :thumbup:

Smashed it!

High praise indeed, from the Master! :blush:

Wow, another amazing entry, excellent job on this beautiful work Rufus! The building is simply lovely both inside and out, even the accompanying vehicle is a great build in itself. And as always, the presentation is top-notch. This is certainly one of the stand-outs in the very competitive pool of entries. Best of luck! :thumbup:

Thanks, Kiel.

The car... :wub: The house... :wub: You have my vote Rufus. The PF fireplace is incredible, as is the car and the interior is stunning.

:blush: I'm really glad you like it.

Wow Rufus, this MOC looks really mint. Great job and good luck with the contest! By the way I love frau Katzendogz :tongue: Brilliant character, brilliant!

Yay! I'm glad you picked up on that! You should see the other names I considered :laugh:

Impressive. I really like this one.

Thanks, Gahrian. I'm particularly flattered that you've made your first post in my thread! :thumbup:

Nice job!I was wondering of the piece count but I have a feeling there's no answer; roughly how much sets $ were used to make this? Also, what set is Ahmet's face from and where is Archie's torso from?

I honestly don't know the piece count... but I'd estimate 1500 - 2000. Many are small tiles and cheese wedges. Ahmet's face is one of the few 'black' faces - from the PoP Battle of Alamut set 7573. "Archie"'s torso is Lucius Malfoy's from Freeing Dobby 4736.

I really like the fireplace and light brick, and the axes on top. I have two questions though: What is the significance of the pone on the roof? Is it a handle to open and go down? And where do they go to the bathroom? :D

The phone is a handle to lift the trap-door, allowing access to the roof. The figs will have to stand on the bed to get up there. As for your other question... it's c. 1930, and the middle of the Sahara, I guess they use chamberpots :sadnew:

The stairs... Pool table... the car... It could be a real Lego set! very Nice

Thanks, Nieks! technically, it's a billiard table (I couldn't fit 15 balls on there :wink: )

The building is great, but the best part, the cherry on the icing is definitely the sports car. I love it.

I'm really pleased the car is proving popular. I'm hoping the roof technique will catch on :grin:

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Great job Rufus!

My yet to be photographed entry is located in an oasis too, but I'm afraid it won't stand a chance against yours.

The modularity is great and you achieve to give an oasis feel with a quite small area (foutain and tree) :thumbup:.

Good luck in the contest!

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What a beautiful and creative entry Rufus! :wub:

The color scheme is immediately pleasant to the eye and the smoothness of the facade is akin to hacienda architecture! The oasis is a very neat touch to augment the feel of a refreshing spot in the desert. What really knocks it out of the park for me is the interior: So much thought about art and functionality has gone into the layout which looks like a functioning and livable environment for the professor to inhabit. :thumbup: From his office with the small bookshelf to the kitchen with the corner sink, to the epic stairwell complete with trophies from archeological expeditions, this is a very tidy and very pleasant build! You should revel in the glory of this work! :thumbup:

Good luck in the contest although I know this entry will do quite well! :wink:

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WOW! AMAZING!

One of the best custom sets I ever saw! I would totally buy this!

I love all the details! the waterfall! the lightbrick in the fireplace! and the bookcase!

:laugh::wink:

Edited by Stab

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