Ruined Church

[Duke]

Hi everyone, i'd like to share my latest MOC with you. In theme with my series of highly original names I call this 'Ruined Church'.

This is the best angle of the church in my opinion, it shows the one complete wall with all the arch techniques which I very much enjoyed employing.

Moving round to the front it looks like this:

If we peer over the top you can see that it isn't empty!.

A group of outlaws have taken refuge inside the ruins.

A foraging party leaves to gather produce.

Whilst their leader greets a wandering monk.

Here are a couple more angles:

And finally the rest of the gallery HERE.

Comments and suggestions very welcome. (Building up the church much higher isn't really an option due to brick limitations.

[Teddy]

Dear Duke,

that looks very impressive.

I like the weathered look of the church.

The outlaws are a nice touch.

I enjoyed the fireplace in the middle.

Are there any plans to rebuild the ruins into a church again?

Kind regards,

Teddy

[Eilif]

Great MOC you have there. If that's your ruined church, I think an intact church by you would be spectacular.

One suggestion For improvement. Even though most fallen bricks would be taken by locals for building their own homes, there would probably be more rubble around. The interior floor looks fairly uniform. Perhaps some more 1x1 plates scattered about, and some more rubble on the outside of the church as well.

Edited August 26, 2008 by Eilif

[Skinny Boy]

Thats one great MOC. One of the best uses of Forestmen I've seen. Maybe, this could be used for some kind of post apoc thing aswell?

[JopieK]

looks really cool!

[JimBee]

Great job, Duke! I like how you've incorporated some dirtier white bricks with bley, grey, and clean white to give it a weathered look. I also like the crumbling ceiling and falling pillars. The fire is nice as well.

[Fatespuppet]

That's a great MOC. I've been tossing around the idea of adding a church to my sleepy little town project and this is good inspiration. I drive by a large church going to work and often get stuck at the stoplight. I look at the entrace and think "I can make that in Lego". It has the set back arches like your windows and how you did this is exactly what I was thinking. I'm glad to see it not only works but looks great.

I do think you need more rubble though. As an idea, how about some regular 2x2 grey tiles on the floor at random spots to show what the floor might've once looked like.

[Batbrick]

Brilliant job! I love the ruined look of it with the grey and bley mixing, as well as those lion head pieces. The forestmen inside are a cool touch. Great work!

Batbrick Away!

[WhiteFang]

Very nice creation. I love the ruins kind of feeling, where the forestmen and outlaws are taking refuge in here. I wonder what is the church's orignial structure. The small fire place certainly adds some nice touch. Thanks for sharing. This is a fine piece of MOC.

[Minifig Lecturer]

I love this. So who ransacked it in the first place?

[I Scream Clone]

Very cool design there! I love the ambience, you can really see the ruin that has come over the years. Those forestmen always get jipped when it comes to places to stay

The arches look really cool, and the mix of bricks works really well.

Keep up the good work.

[fenrir]

Very nice,

I like castles... I love ruines

[Duke]

Thanks for the great comments everyone. It seems the general consensus is that you'd like to see the church built up completely or have more rubble placed around. I'd very much like to make a complete church and that was my intention when I started this project but I quickly realised I didn't have enough bricks if I wanted to make it to a satisfactory standard. (These are all of the big arches that I have unfortunately).

The rubble is something i'm more willing to try, though I didn't place much around because I thought it would be difficult to make the rubble look convincing and not just piles of bricks. Does anyone have any examples of effectively created rubble?

[JimBee]

The rubble is something i'm more willing to try, though I didn't place much around because I thought it would be difficult to make the rubble look convincing and not just piles of bricks. Does anyone have any examples of effectively created rubble?

That's basically what rubble is- a pile of crumbled bricks.

Edited August 27, 2008 by JimButcher

[iamded]

This is very cool, Duke. I really love the arches you've got on the completed wall, and the other ruined wall is also cool. The fireplace and Forestmen hiding out are a nice addition to give the building a little action. I may have to steal some of those arch designs from you for future MOCs.

~Peace

[Asuka]

That´s a nice and original work.

It looks like a very fine and atmospherical scenery for an interesting story too!

[Errorist]

Very nice MOC you've got there Duke.

A lot of nice details such as the weathered look, the campfire, the fallen column, etc.

If you are going to add some rubble I would suggest not overdoing it though.

Otherwise it might look to crowded. But that's just my opinion.

Anyway great stuff.

Keep up the good work

Greetings,

Errorist

[SuvieD]

I am loving the concept of this.

If you are looking for rubble just try using plates, which are the approximate size of our real life bricks, and try laying those out in small pile or haphazardly. 1x1 square and round plates would look good and maybe add a few red, green, or sand green ones on top to simulate moss.

I think that a scorch mark and some ash under your fire would be a nice touch. I would also like to see a forest or graveyard just outside the church. Something more of the surroundings to help fill out the MOC.

[Brickadier General]

I'm really enjoying this. It's very pleasing to the eye and the amount of detail you've packed into it really makes this looked like the ruins of a church. If your open for ideas, I think it would be cool to work on the windows on the bottom floor, adding some transparent colored plates/cheese wedges to the windows as well as some "fragments" on the ground to give them a shattered look. That'd be pretty cool to see.

[Adam]

A foraging party leaves to gather produce.

That's one handsome Forestmen!

Explaination:

(My sigfig )

Funnily enough, my new sigfig is a forestmen with that head, but my camera just ran out of battery, and I didn't get a chance to take a picture of it.

Anyway, great MOC, as usual! You're one fine MOCer, and this creation is by far your most intricate. Great job! You've really come a long way, and I think this is one of the best MOCs I've seen lately.

[Duke]

Thanks for the further comments everyone, really it's very flattering to see a MOC of mine get this much attention! Also thanks for the great ideas in terms of improving and adapting the model with rubble and glass fragments amongst other ideas. I'll certainly take these on board for future ruined creations though i'm afraid i've chosen not to adapt this further as it has in fact been already partially dismantled to aid in other projects ;)

Regarding the head of your sig-fig that you mention in the latest post Adam, I have to apologise for the poor quality of that photo in that the front is blurred. I hadn't actually been aware of the face you highlighted, though the one I used looks very much the same but without the stubble.. and strangely with a black eyebrow.

Here it is from Peeron. It came from an Aqua-Something set a number of years ago.

Can I ask where your head came from?

Anyway thanks again everyone, this encourages me to make more things

[Klaus-Dieter]

That's an absolutely amazing MOC, Duke!

I really it because it looks so realistic! And I like the many details and the lovely forestmen ( )!

That's really a great idea what TLG could release for a new Castle subtheme - forestmen/bandits with ruins and big trees - that would be awesome!

Very well done!

Klaus-Dieter

[kill will]

I love it! The broken pillars, weeds growing on the crummbling walls, it just adds to the ruined feel.

[Adam]

Traitor! You do not have the sacred head! My handsome features will not be displayed on a bandit's torso! TRAITOR!

Can I ask where your head came from?

It's from the Alien Mothership set (Mars Mission). I find it's a little smoother, more refined than that one. Great job, anyway .

P.S. I was joking 'bout the whole traitor thing.

[Lego12]

Great MOC. Really detailed. I like the dark grey, light gray type colors. Nice idea and design!