17 replies to this topic

[Captain Settle]

I started a farm MOC, as my character in GOH, William Thornton, was a farmer, but he is now a warrior. I had too decide whether to scrap the MOC or try to finish it. In the end I decided I would experiment with roof design's, and then put it as part of a village. It is also my attempt at the title of high lord of agriculture.



The MOC is split into a farm, and a small path with a market stall on it. In the picture above the stall is closed to stop robbers getting in...



... but when in business it open's up. It seems this man is a butcher.



and it seems Atholas is already flirting with the village women.



The farm has seen better days, as the fence seems very rickety.



Still, the cow seems happy, sipping from it's trough.



The scarecrow isn't much good at scaring away the birds.



But the farmer, Tybolt, is very good at scaring away the local village children with his grumpy attitude. He is seen here planting seed's.

Comment's and criticism welcome!

Edited by Captain Settle, 08 July 2012 - 09:20 PM.

[TenorPenny]

There is a lot of action and real charm here, especially the farmer planting seeds..!

[soccerkid6]

Lots of nice details   It kind of bothers me that the roof only has one side, but it's not too big of a deal.
The scarecrow is pretty cool, and I like that you included so many animals.
Looking forward to seeing more builds from you  

[Captain Settle]

soccerkid6, on 08 July 2012 - 06:43 PM, said:

It kind of bothers me that the roof only has one side, but it's not too big of a deal.

Believe me, it bothers me more. I might try to add another side, but I can't find another brown handle bar. But thanks for the comment's!

[Legonardo]

Nice!

[de Gothia]

Great to see your first moc! Nice scene with great posing of the minifigs! Nice too see that you are using a background when you are taking photos!

Some advices: The baseplates are rather dusty and have a lot of hair (cat?) on them. Try to clean them in water.
I know that we all have different amounts of bricks, so this is just a suggestion if you have more bricks.. Try to use more plates to create different heights in the landscape. Plates could also be used so the roads and paths doesn´t stick up but is incorporated in the landscape.

Keep up the good work!  

[Damaximus]

Nice little scene!!!

Great work and typically Avalonia!

[Captain Settle]

de Gothia, on 09 July 2012 - 08:28 AM, said:

Some advices: The baseplates are rather dusty and have a lot of hair (cat?) on them. Try to clean them in water.
I know that we all have different amounts of bricks, so this is just a suggestion if you have more bricks.. Try to use more plates to create different heights in the landscape. Plates could also be used so the roads and paths doesn´t stick up but is incorporated in the landscape.

Thank's. The baseplate is very old and has been in storage for a long time(Used to be my brothers) and I will add plates to the path as I have been editing it, and have already added another side to the roof.

[MikeyB]

You've done the hardest part so far!  

actually sitting down and building and then putting it out here for all us to see.

I agree with the critics so far, the roof the paths and plates.  

A couple things that might help with limited bricks is to build smaller.  Perhaps just use one baseplate, this will help fill up some of the dead space and fill the areas with details that you already have.

Most of us want to build a big scene like a castle or a whole village but try building the details first, I think you did a great job on the fence and your scarecrow is another great detail and is a good start.   But how about a well?  or a small chicken coop?

All and all good start and looking forward to seeing the changes you make.

Edited by MikeyB, 09 July 2012 - 04:36 PM.

[ZCerberus]

There is some real promise here.

You have a lot of good ideas and some fun details.  

The issue as others have pointed out is the land seems a little sparse, as in it either needs more work in the space between the major parts of your build or you need to build in a smaller area if you don't quite have the bricks to fill the space.  

A nice start to be sure though.

[Stormblessed]

Ok, I'm going to be honest here. I do feel that too many forums have a unspoken rule that no one can say anything bad about another's creation. I am not going to say that you suck and should never build again. Do not take the criticism in bad taste.

I feel like this is half finished and it has a bad use of space. It has some nice bits, I like how the minifigures are posed, but it does feel like it was scrapped together quickly. The market stall doesn't look very nice and the half finished roof is sad (but you already mentioned that). It is also very empty and could have had a smaller baseplate and that would have created a more efficient use of space.

I am just a low post user and my comments might be ignored. Also, you did say that this was an experiment (unfinished?). Honestly, I don't like it, but if it is just a WIP, then is has promise.

[ZCerberus]

We should focus on helping people improve their skills.  People improve with time and feedback.  Try giving some feedback on improvements instead of just insulting the MOC or MOCer.

[Stormblessed]

I did give suggestions, not just insults. I said make the baseplate smaller and make the market stall more attractive. Maybe a bit bigger. But I am also not sure if it was finished or not.

Edit: Because honestly, there isn't much to say. Its just empty. That's why I don't like it. I don't think its terrible, or awful and would probably be fun to play with as a battle or something, but it isn't a great farm. I don't hate, I just don't like it. I don't hate Captain Settle, nor his building. I do think he should have said whether it was a WIP or not. That could change my opinion of it.

Edited by Stormblessed, 09 July 2012 - 09:16 PM.

[Captain Blackmoor]

Not everyone around has a huge pile of bricks at his/her disposal, not everyone is able and or willing to spend a fortune on bricks.
From what I can see here is that Captain Settle has done a great job here. And it's not only about the creation itself, it's also about taking pictures and presentation. These pictures are sharp and a lot of people can learn from this, including myself.

The farm itself looks great, I like the farmhouse and all the detail you've put in.
I'm not sure about the green windmill/tree thingy though.

[Stormblessed]

I don't have tons of money to spend on bricks ether, just so you know. And yes, the photography of it was very well done. Just because I criticize it doesn't mean there aren't good things about it. I don't hate it, after all. Nor Captain Settle. I hope he doesn't take my comments in bad taste, as you appear to have.

[Captain Blackmoor]

Stormblessed, on 09 July 2012 - 09:18 PM, said:

I don't have tons of money to spend on bricks ether, just so you know. And yes, the photography of it was very well done. Just because I criticize it doesn't mean there aren't good things about it. I don't hate it, after all. Nor Captain Settle. I hope he doesn't take my comments in bad taste, as you appear to have.

No one did take this in bad taste. But from what I know, and Zcerberus also mentioned it, people improve with feedback, not with critisizm. And the line in between is quite thin. Feedback should motivate, encourage and inspire the builder.

[Captain BeerBeard]

@ Stormblessed I've been in your position before. Don't be so harsh with  your criticism. LEGO in it's purest form, is a light hearted toy. The world dosen't end when you see a moc you don't like. These forums are about positive feedback. If you want to climb the ranks and be a serious moc'er, pure honesty will be your downfall. You don't need to reply to me but think about what I said.

@ Captain Settle Your first attempt is much better than mine was. I only got one comment. It was that bad. The advice I can give is, never stop buying LEGO. Building all the time helps too.

[Gabe]

A nice start for a first moc, but i suspect that in thinking in terms of a whole villiage, you have been a little over ambitious! Not that that is a bad thing, ambition can really push you to become a better builder by going outside your comfort zone, but certainly when you are starting out it's good to begin small. If you look at some of the vigs that other builders here have done, then you can see how small we are talking - 8x8 and 16x16 are not uncommon.

As for your build, you have some nice details going on like the fence, the scarecrow and the farmer sowing seeds. The water trough is nice too, but could be improved by making the lip of the trough a plate or so higher than the water level. The house is a good start, but suffers a little from looking so unfinished. There are ways around this though - you could show the roof under construction perhaps, or just make the house a bit less deep with an open back to show a simple interior etc. It's all about using the bricks you have more thoughtfully, rather than asking them to do too much by spreading them too thin.

Anyway, i hope some of that helps. When you are starting out it can certainly be hard to amass the right types of elements in a great enough quantity for your vision, but keep at it and it will come eventually. Check back to DC's guide for ideas about what sort of elements to target on BL, and you'll be building your village in no time!    

Edited by gabe, 14 July 2012 - 06:52 AM.