[ENTRY][SMALL] Steve meets Cap’n Tongs!

[SevenDeadlyStreamers]

This entry is mostly for fun, and to let people know about the little game we play here at Classic Pirates called “Brethren of the Brick Seas” 

This is my sigfig from BotBS who goes by the name Cap’n Tongs. And he is serving up some delicious seafood to our friend Steve!

This small diorama is built with 117pcs (not including the 2 minifigs).
 

Cap’n Tongs is a member of the Sea Rats faction, so it’s no surprise he would be socializing with a nefarious character such as Steve! 

[Math Wizard]

Ahoy again me Matey! You’ve sure been busy in these parts!

I heard that polly wants another sandwich from Captain Crit, so here we go!

This build is simple yet effective at showing off Steve and advertising for BotBS! It is a very clean render, with a good background as well!

I’m having a tough time critiquing these great builds, but I managed to think up a thing or two that could improve this scene. The first would be to eliminate some of the visible studs, both on the sideways barrels and on the top of the vignette. I would use tiles in both these cases if I were you, to keep the model nice and clean. A second thing you might look at is how to render realistic lights. I don’t know much aything about digital building, but the candle flames look pretty fake. I don’t know if there is a better way to do that or not.

Overall though, this is an excellent build. Ye did a great job, especially with the shelf o’ bottles- the parts usage for the supports is a superb idea! I love how much you were able to cram into this small space to make it feel really inhabited. 

I hope you continue to have fair winds Matey!

[SevenDeadlyStreamers]

13 hours ago, Math Wizard said:

Ahoy again me Matey! You’ve sure been busy in these parts!

I heard that polly wants another sandwich from Captain Crit, so here we go!

This build is simple yet effective at showing off Steve and advertising for BotBS! It is a very clean render, with a good background as well!

I’m having a tough time critiquing these great builds, but I managed to think up a thing or two that could improve this scene. The first would be to eliminate some of the visible studs, both on the sideways barrels and on the top of the vignette. I would use tiles in both these cases if I were you, to keep the model nice and clean. A second thing you might look at is how to render realistic lights. I don’t know much aything about digital building, but the candle flames look pretty fake. I don’t know if there is a better way to do that or not.

Overall though, this is an excellent build. Ye did a great job, especially with the shelf o’ bottles- the parts usage for the supports is a superb idea! I love how much you were able to cram into this small space to make it feel really inhabited. 

I hope you continue to have fair winds Matey!

Thanks Captain Crit! Notes on the studs, and BrickLink Studio’s built-in rendering is limited. Some people use Blender with Mechabricks to achieve a more polished render with better lighting, but that’s a little beyond my skill set at the moment. However, you encouraged me to do a little more research and I might try my hands at it with one of these small builds!

Thanks again matey! 

[Garmadon]

Ah, I don't know why but that buttered crab really looks delicious!   Great to see Steve hanging out with your BoBS character, and that candle bracket on the wall is a really nice design too, I'm going to have to remember that!  Same with the bars under the shelf on the left wall, I love how it looks like they're doing something when we all know that the shelf is really holding them up after all   I agree with MW about tiling the top of the wall, but the barrels look fine to me since that's the way LEGO usually tops them in sets   The parchment-y sort of background works great for presentation too, another solid entry from you, mate! 

[SevenDeadlyStreamers]

On 6/20/2024 at 3:32 PM, Garmadon said:

Ah, I don't know why but that buttered crab really looks delicious!   Great to see Steve hanging out with your BoBS character, and that candle bracket on the wall is a really nice design too, I'm going to have to remember that!  Same with the bars under the shelf on the left wall, I love how it looks like they're doing something when we all know that the shelf is really holding them up after all   I agree with MW about tiling the top of the wall, but the barrels look fine to me since that's the way LEGO usually tops them in sets   The parchment-y sort of background works great for presentation too, another solid entry from you, mate! 

Thank ye! I’m glad you noticed my floating shelf with pretend supports, lol

[Horation]

I like the colour choices, and the background colours are better than most digital builds.

But I think making it seem more restaurant-like would fit better, as this looks like a cave, so we'd expect a wine tasting session, maybe just replacing the barrel with a stool piece (if you know what I am referring to, it was using as a landing gear in classic space spaceships) would fit better. Alternatively, if you want to go all the way, adding some taps on the barrels would be more logical...

Overall, a small wall that does all that it shall need to capture the moment.

[Captain Pirate Man]

Very fun little build. That crab Captain Tongs made looks good... Either that or I'm just hungry, lol. He is a member of the Sea Rats you say? I get the feeling this scene takes place on a ship then? I could see this taking place in the kitchen of a vessel. 

[Mazin]

Lovely little build! Both characters are on point, eveything piece seem to play a role in this small story, no unnecessary elements in sight  - a map on the wall is a rather smart and simple way to remind us that it takes place in the Carribean, without it it could be just darkish tavern anywhere in the ( tfu tfu ) land. By the size of the pouch on the floor i i can say that's one hell expensive lobster! Or maybe Steve payed a visit to his culinary friend, to pay him his share of the loot... pardon! earning from his totally legal and honest business?  Then again look, there's even a bucket incase lobster wouldn't taste that well and Steve would have to vomit... so perhaps Steve isn't realy paying a visit but is forced to take part in this cruel dinner in order to seal some new lucrative trading deal?

Anyway... i don't see anything worth adding here. But should You be willing to make a sequel to it, or rebuild it using real parts then perhaps You could find a way to to put a window in there? With a bit of a palm tree visible from inside, which would bring more tropical vibe to it. Or perhaps there could be even bars instead of a simple window, thus Steve would be sitting in a prison instead of a restaurant, and the lobster would be a clear sign that even in jail he's treated with great respect... or that he can afford best cousine any time and wnywhere ;)    

[SevenDeadlyStreamers]

On 6/30/2024 at 12:58 AM, Horation said:

I like the colour choices, and the background colours are better than most digital builds.

But I think making it seem more restaurant-like would fit better, as this looks like a cave, so we'd expect a wine tasting session, maybe just replacing the barrel with a stool piece (if you know what I am referring to, it was using as a landing gear in classic space spaceships) would fit better. Alternatively, if you want to go all the way, adding some taps on the barrels would be more logical...

Overall, a small wall that does all that it shall need to capture the moment.

Haha, I know the exact landing gear part. 
I wanted to make sure I stayed below the piece count so I kept the base pretty small. Taps on the barrels would be a nice touch, it’s definitely worth a revisit. Thanks for the tips!

On 7/2/2024 at 3:51 AM, Captain Pirate Man said:

Very fun little build. That crab Captain Tongs made looks good... Either that or I'm just hungry, lol. He is a member of the Sea Rats you say? I get the feeling this scene takes place on a ship then? I could see this taking place in the kitchen of a vessel. 

I was originally going to use Capt’n Tongs raft/restaurant, but the contest calls for a new build so I started from scratch. Now that mentioned it, I think I could make some tweaks to turn this into a ship’s mess deck!

On 7/2/2024 at 8:03 AM, Mazin said:

Lovely little build! Both characters are on point, eveything piece seem to play a role in this small story, no unnecessary elements in sight  - a map on the wall is a rather smart and simple way to remind us that it takes place in the Carribean, without it it could be just darkish tavern anywhere in the ( tfu tfu ) land. By the size of the pouch on the floor i i can say that's one hell expensive lobster! Or maybe Steve payed a visit to his culinary friend, to pay him his share of the loot... pardon! earning from his totally legal and honest business?  Then again look, there's even a bucket incase lobster wouldn't taste that well and Steve would have to vomit... so perhaps Steve isn't realy paying a visit but is forced to take part in this cruel dinner in order to seal some new lucrative trading deal?

Anyway... i don't see anything worth adding here. But should You be willing to make a sequel to it, or rebuild it using real parts then perhaps You could find a way to to put a window in there? With a bit of a palm tree visible from inside, which would bring more tropical vibe to it. Or perhaps there could be even bars instead of a simple window, thus Steve would be sitting in a prison instead of a restaurant, and the lobster would be a clear sign that even in jail he's treated with great respect... or that he can afford best cousine any time and wnywhere ;)    

I enjoy reading your comments, so thanks for the extra insight into the story. I have a bit of a backstory for my sigfig over in the BotBS forum. Essentially Capt’n Tongs is searching for someone, so there may be more to this meeting than meets the eye. 

[Mazin]

11 minutes ago, SevenDeadlyStreamers said:

I enjoy reading your comments, so thanks for the extra insight into the story. I have a bit of a backstory for my sigfig over in the BotBS forum. Essentially Capt’n Tongs is searching for someone, so there may be more to this meeting than meets the eye. 

Glad to hear that. Hope Yu gonna expand this universe of Your own into other entries :) 

[Autumn]

I like this, it looks like a secret meeting over a meal in a cellar. I have to disagree with some critique about the visible studs, this is Lego and you shouldn't always hide them all, I think you have just the right amount on display.

(And is it just me or is the plate off-centre on the barrel lid?)

Edited July 30, 2024 by Autumn

[Horation]

Agreed @Autumn , too few studs and it would look like a cheap chinese toy!

And I think you are correct about the plate containing food's inconveniencing position, and I do think it would look a little better if it were centered correctly.

Edited August 3, 2024 by Horation
style choice

[Math Wizard]

On 7/30/2024 at 6:28 AM, Autumn said:

I like this, it looks like a secret meeting over a meal in a cellar. I have to disagree with some critique about the visible studs, this is Lego and you shouldn't always hide them all, I think you have just the right amount on display.

(And is it just me or is the plate off-centre on the barrel lid?)

I think there's also some consistency to think about. The wooden beams are tiled over, and the floor is tiled, so it stems to reason that the top of the build should be tiled. Perhaps even using the 1x4 tiles that have one stud on each end would look better- a halfway point between tiles and studs 

(and yeah, I think the plate is off center-- but when has a pirate ever needed everything centered? They seem to be known as quite rough people, not pretty perfectionists lol )

[Autumn]

8 hours ago, Math Wizard said:

I think there's also some consistency to think about. The wooden beams are tiled over, and the floor is tiled, so it stems to reason that the top of the build should be tiled. Perhaps even using the 1x4 tiles that have one stud on each end would look better- a halfway point between tiles and studs 

That is a fair point, I hadn't noticed. Still, I don't typically like studless builds, when I see one it's like its almost ashamed of being Lego.

[Horation]

Yeah, but I feel like it is quite important to have some variety.  

And anyways it is implied that there's a roof which isn't being shown.

 

[YellowFrog]

Nice build: I like the use of dark tan for the walls, as it is not often seen in MOCs. The part usage is also great, particularly the minifigure hand bar clip things under the shelf, and the barrel(?) for the table. One critique would be the black base: I think reddish brown would have been less noticeable in the build.

[Math Wizard]

15 hours ago, Autumn said:

That is a fair point, I hadn't noticed. Still, I don't typically like studless builds, when I see one it's like its almost ashamed of being Lego.

I feel the opposite- When you can't tell something is built out of LEGO bricks, that's when it really excels! The studs are just the connection points- they're meant to be hidden. We try to hide the internal mechanisms and connection points on other things, so why not on LEGO?

[Horation]

@Math Wizard, part of the fun of Lego is the childishness, the fact that one would try to hide it misses the point in my book.

And while I agree for mechanisms (including technic mechanisms), I feel like structures follow different rules.

[YellowFrog]

Something about Lego is that it is different to everybody:

To some, it is a toy, simply to function, so it doesn't really matter what it looks like because imagination will fill in the blanks.

For others, it is a hobby, so they like the studded look.

But for others, it is an art form, and hiding studs has the cleanest (and arguably best-looking) appearance.

[Horation]

Well, as the romans would say De gustibus non est disputandum. As such, I feel like letting the creator choose would be the best course of action.

As for me, these are studded bricks, why try to hide it? 

Edited August 9, 2024 by Horation

[BardDandelion]

Yummy!..? :D

I like the joke you made here. My interpretation of the scene is that chef wasn't the best at his job and due to lack of skills he lost both hand while cutting some fish. :D

Nice detail with the butter on the top of the crab. ;)

[YellowFrog]

4 hours ago, BardDandelion said:

My interpretation of the scene is that chef wasn't the best at his job and due to lack of skills he lost both hand while cutting some fish. :D

Or perhaps his hands were amputated after he served a disappointing meal to a pirate captain. They are notoriously ruthless, after all.

[BardDandelion]

This also may be the case. Maybe we shouldn't know that, making it a mystery adds a lot to the story. :D

That character reminds me of one character from One Piece. This is a story about pirates and there is chef who is an amputee. @SevenDeadlyStreamers have you read the manga or watch anime or Netflix live action adaptation?

[SevenDeadlyStreamers]

1 minute ago, BardDandelion said:

This also may be the case. Maybe we shouldn't know that, making it a mystery adds a lot to the story. :D

That character reminds me of one character from One Piece. This is a story about pirates and there is chef who is an amputee. @SevenDeadlyStreamers have you read the manga or watch anime or Netflix live action adaptation?

I had just finished watching the live action Netflix show when I joined the Brethren of the Brick Seas… so yes it was totally inspired by Red Leg Zeff. I just made a backstory with him loosing his hands instead of a leg. Good catch!

[BardDandelion]

@SevenDeadlyStreamers Hah! That's a W for me. :D

I guess that this show would be enjoyed by more people from this Pirate part of Eurobricks forum. After all, this is a classic, swashbuckling adventure story about a group of missfits becoming friends. It could be also a great source of inspiration, not indirectly, as in case of your build, but also directly - the world of One Piece is so colorful and filled with craziness that it would perfectly work in LEGO version.