Str0ngbad Posted July 4, 2013 Posted July 4, 2013 (edited) This is by far my largest build yet. I have been working on it for a couple of months now and I'm really happy with how it turned out even though there are quite a few things i would do differently were I starting over. Sadly, my pictures stink. I really want to get pics I can be proud of before I deconstruct this thing so hopefully I'll get to update the pictures eventually. There are quite a few more pics of some of the details on my Flickr. As always C&C welcome! Khor found the queen of the snow elves surprisingly eager to throw her people's lot in with the dwarves'. In Mitgardia they had made a home they did not wish to leave behind but still in their art and songs it was clear the loss of their forsaken kingdom was keenly felt even by those whose time began long after its passing. He was invited to stay as the queen's guest for a few days while she sent word to friends in the west that might also be willing to take part. Of the five kingdoms approached, two sent a detachment back to offer their support and help plan the group's next step. Khor immediately instructed a messenger to make haste to Bâra-Kìr with instructions to prepare to welcome the elves in two days. This news was not well received but the king knew they would soon need allies and was determined not to let his people's stubborn predisposition jeopardize their best chance to stop the Drow threat. The following day was a flurry of activity as the dwarves prepared to welcome the unlikely guests into their ancient halls. Edited July 4, 2013 by Str0ngbad Quote
kabel Posted July 4, 2013 Posted July 4, 2013 Wow, what a massive structure! But the size is totally fitting the dwarfes. I've been trying to build some habitation for my dwarves for quite a while now, but it never looks right. Cool stuff, and it's good to observe another great Mitgardian builder in the making! Quote
soccerkid6 Posted July 4, 2013 Posted July 4, 2013 (edited) Wow Even from the WIP pics I wasn't expecting something of this size/quality Your use of the double slopes in the road looks very dwarven and elaborate Great entrance and tower (love the windows and pointy details on that) too: the black stands out nicely and you incorporated Mitgardian colors well The rockwork looks a little rough, but that works well for the mountain effect in my opinion (I'm just too used to seeing slope built rocks ). I like the technique you decided on for the waterfall, though it doesn't stand out too much from the bley rockwork in these pics, if you can get better ones as you hope that would probably help. The trees are excellent, I like that you made a nice variety and the fruit looks delicious Nice plant designs too, the lever bases work well for flowers (I've done that before myself) and I like the color they add The little foot-bridge angled across the stream (which I also think turned out well) is a great detail. It's obvious to see that you put a lot of time and effort into this and the final result is one to be proud of Edited July 4, 2013 by soccerkid6 Quote
Kai NRG Posted July 4, 2013 Posted July 4, 2013 (edited) Great work! This is way bigger than I expected! In particular I like all the dwarves working scenes, and the road is very nice! So is the waterfall, though I agree with SK that the rockwork seems a little rough, but still very nice! My only question is, is that a door that the dwarves are guarding? It doesn't quite look like one from here but if not how do they get in? Edited July 4, 2013 by Kai NRG Quote
TheLegoDr Posted July 4, 2013 Posted July 4, 2013 Great build! Very tall mountain indeed. I love the concept of the mountain, but I absolutely love the doors on the bottom built into the mountain. The guards and coloring work well together here. I like seeing a large group of Elves in one place. Keep up the great work! Quote
Mike S Posted July 4, 2013 Posted July 4, 2013 This is impressive! Love all the colors and details you put in. The road, bridge and foliage all are well done and even the mountain while using a technique that is out of fashion, I think came out great! Keep it up! Quote
Infernum Posted July 4, 2013 Posted July 4, 2013 Wow! I love the ground detailing and path! Nice stream too! Very nice scale! Love the trees and gate! I don't like the waterfall that much though. Nice work! Quote
Str0ngbad Posted July 4, 2013 Author Posted July 4, 2013 (edited) Wow, that's very big, and a lot of elves! Cool! like the elves and the details! Thank you both! Wow, what a massive structure! But the size is totally fitting the dwarfes. I've been trying to build some habitation for my dwarves for quite a while now, but it never looks right. Cool stuff, and it's good to observe another great Mitgardian builder in the making! I still have to imagine its just a slice off the front of the mountain. The scale that I imagine is simply not possible without having a dedicated room... with vaulted ceilings. Thank you very much Kabel. I'm really looking forward to seeing more from you; especially dwarven stuff! Wow Even from the WIP pics I wasn't expecting something of this size/quality Your use of the double slopes in the road looks very dwarven and elaborate Great entrance and tower (love the windows and pointy details on that) too: the black stands out nicely and you incorporated Mitgardian colors well The rockwork looks a little rough, but that works well for the mountain effect in my opinion (I'm just too used to seeing slope built rocks ). I like the technique you decided on for the waterfall, though it doesn't stand out too much from the bley rockwork in these pics, if you can get better ones as you hope that would probably help. The trees are excellent, I like that you made a nice variety and the fruit looks delicious Nice plant designs too, the lever bases work well for flowers (I've done that before myself) and I like the color they add The little foot-bridge angled across the stream (which I also think turned out well) is a great detail. It's obvious to see that you put a lot of time and effort into this and the final result is one to be proud of Thanks for such detailed C&C SK! The rough rockwork was by necessity more than choice; I used pretty well all of my light bley. Who knows when I would have had enough slopes to work on something of this scale and I wasn't willing to scrap the idea over it. I'm really glad you think it works well enough though; I was really conscious of how much less clean it looked than most of the rockwork I see posted here. The waterfall totally disappeared/ looks awful in the pictures. I made the entry splash out of stacks of 1x1 round plates but then I added the bridge so you can't see it anyway. It would definitely have worked much better to build the fall as I built the mountain rather then as an afterthought but I'm still glad I added it. The trees! Some of them (I'm looking at you cherry tree!) almost made me cry in frustration. I love the lever base technique. I first saw it on here; either in Goh or the general Historic Themes forum. I do a little landscaping in real life and I can't bear for a flower bed to have one shape for all its flowers. I really need to get some of those nice new ones that robuko used so beautifully in that Inside Kaliphlin build. Great work! This is way bigger than I expected! In particular I like all the dwarves working scenes, and the road is very nice! So is the waterfall, though I agree with SK that the rockwork seems a little rough, but still very nice! My only question is, is that a door that the dwarves are guarding? It doesn't quite look like one from here but if not how do they get in? Thanks Kai! I had a lot of fun adding the dwarves to the scene. Wish I had a pig for the truffle hunting though. Maybe I'll get hold of one before I retake the pictures. It is indeed a door! It slides back into the mountain like so. Great build! Very tall mountain indeed. I love the concept of the mountain, but I absolutely love the doors on the bottom built into the mountain. The guards and coloring work well together here. I like seeing a large group of Elves in one place. Keep up the great work! Thank you! The doors were the beginning of the whole project and still probably the part I am most proud of. This is impressive! Love all the colors and details you put in. The road, bridge and foliage all are well done and even the mountain while using a technique that is out of fashion, I think came out great! Keep it up! Thanks Masa! Wow! I love the ground detailing and path! Nice stream too! Very nice scale! Love the trees and gate! I don't like the waterfall that much though. Nice work! Thank you Sir Infernum! Edited July 4, 2013 by Str0ngbad Quote
Garmadon Posted July 4, 2013 Posted July 4, 2013 Very nice mountain, St0ngbad! Personally, I think that the waterfall turned out very well, and great doors The road and border, the dwarf posing, the bridge, and the plants are excellent as well. My main criticism, like others, would be that the mountain could use a lot more sloping pieces, however, seeing you don't have them, it turnout good anyways. Keep it up . Quote
Nightstalker Posted July 4, 2013 Posted July 4, 2013 How exactly do you do the floor design? I've seen it in so many creations; is there a guide I could look at because it just looks awesome!!! Quote
Gideon Posted July 4, 2013 Posted July 4, 2013 Wonderful build, I really like the landscaping in front of the mountain. Your vegetation looks awesome, and the road is great (if maybe a tad to repetitive in my taste). I'm not at all bothered by the "bricky" nature of the rockwork, maybe because you've used just enough sloping pieces as well. It's actually really nice to see mostly light bley rockwork for a change! Quote
Sigolf Brimabane Posted July 5, 2013 Posted July 5, 2013 (edited) I am generally not too fond of the dwarrows, but this I love :D The road is beautiful Does the fell (mountain) have an open backside? The scene reminds me of some of the great songs of the Austrian LotR-themed atmospheric black metal band Summoning... Edited July 5, 2013 by Sigolf Brimabane Quote
SkaForHire Posted July 5, 2013 Posted July 5, 2013 Wow! The rock work is fine in my opinion, where it is close to your focus objects up front, it is jagged and smooth enough. The top of the mountain can be more rough, as it isn't a focal point. The whole foreground is well manicured and looks great. The trees are very nice. I love the lever base flowers and was glad when you shared that technique with me... I was very tempted, but I specifically cut them out of my 1K builds because I knew you were coming up with a major presentation here, and did not want to steal the idea. You do them so well though. This is some of the best gardening work I have ever seen. Keep up the great work! Quote
Esurient Posted July 5, 2013 Posted July 5, 2013 Great work Str0ngbad! Loved the mountain build, the road build and the lovely colourful garden at the front! Quote
timmyc1983 Posted July 5, 2013 Posted July 5, 2013 Wow, this is a spectacular build! The sheer size itself is fantastic but i think my favourite bit is the detail in the garden. So many different types of plants and flowers and fruits and that waterfall But the mountain is amazing too, again very detailed and the building coming out of it is wonderful touch! Great work, I look forward to more soon and happy building Quote
Spider-Man Posted July 5, 2013 Posted July 5, 2013 (edited) Wow this is amazing! I really like all the details you put in like the apple trees, the stone entrance, and one of my favorite parts is actually the waterfall coming down the rock into the little stream, those lily pads and frog look awesome in there. The contrast of black and gray where the tower comes out of the rock is really nice as well! Great job and I look forward to your next build! Edited July 5, 2013 by Spider-Man Quote
Str0ngbad Posted July 5, 2013 Author Posted July 5, 2013 (edited) Very nice mountain, St0ngbad! Personally, I think that the waterfall turned out very well, and great doors The road and border, the dwarf posing, the bridge, and the plants are excellent as well. My main criticism, like others, would be that the mountain could use a lot more sloping pieces, however, seeing you don't have them, it turnout good anyways. Keep it up . Thank you! If I ever find light bley slopes on a PAB wall... How exactly do you do the floor design? I've seen it in so many creations; is there a guide I could look at because it just looks awesome!!! I'm glad you like it! I haven't seen it anywhere else but it's simple enough it wouldn't surprise me at all. It uses a lot of this piece (I bought over 90% of the light bley ones on Bricklink ) Two squares of four triangles each will fit snugly into a space two bricks high and five studs wide like this. Where possible, I attach the bottom triangles (in this build, the two on either side of the doors and the ones on the border) to studs to keep everything from shifting on me and put a 1x1 tile in between them. Maybe I'll make a short how-to topic since someone is interested. Wonderful build, I really like the landscaping in front of the mountain. Your vegetation looks awesome, and the road is great (if maybe a tad to repetitive in my taste). I'm not at all bothered by the "bricky" nature of the rockwork, maybe because you've used just enough sloping pieces as well. It's actually really nice to see mostly light bley rockwork for a change! Thank you! I'd like to try a more ornamental road using those pieces at some point if I can get more of the different colors. For this MOC, I wanted it to lead the eye to the door more than be a focal point itself. I almost didn't even put that dark blue diamond in. I am generally not too fond of the dwarrows, but this I love :D The road is beautiful Does the fell (mountain) have an open backside? The scene reminds me of some of the great songs of the Austrian LotR-themed atmospheric black metal band Summoning... The fell doesn't have an open backside. I used all of my extra green, tan, yellow, red, etc to build the back to keep it sturdy. It's rather heavy. I do plan on building the hall that the doors lead into though and I did make a floor for dwarves to walk behind the murder holes. (Did anyone notice those half hidden in there? ) I'm glad it catches your fancy and though I'm not generally a metal guy I'll have to check out this band. Wow! The rock work is fine in my opinion, where it is close to your focus objects up front, it is jagged and smooth enough. The top of the mountain can be more rough, as it isn't a focal point. The whole foreground is well manicured and looks great. The trees are very nice. I love the lever base flowers and was glad when you shared that technique with me... I was very tempted, but I specifically cut them out of my 1K builds because I knew you were coming up with a major presentation here, and did not want to steal the idea. You do them so well though. This is some of the best gardening work I have ever seen. Keep up the great work! Thank you Ska. I was terrified as I approached the top when it started being almost impossible to find a slope brick anymore. SO much of that mountain is built with bags of light bley from that table. That was incredibly considerate of you to avoid using the flower technique for me but I wouldn't have minded in the least as it wasn't mine to begin with. I look forward to seeing it incorporated into something of yours later. I'm really happy you liked the garden so much! Great work Str0ngbad! Loved the mountain build, the road build and the lovely colourful garden at the front! Thanks! Wow, this is a spectacular build! The sheer size itself is fantastic but i think my favourite bit is the detail in the garden. So many different types of plants and flowers and fruits and that waterfall But the mountain is amazing too, again very detailed and the building coming out of it is wonderful touch! Great work, I look forward to more soon and happy building Thank you! Wow this is amazing! I really like all the details you put in like the apple trees, the stone entrance, and one of my favorite parts is actually the waterfall coming down the rock into the little stream, those lily pads and frog look awesome in there. The contrast of black and gray where the tower comes out of the rock is really nice as well! Great job and I look forward to your next build! Thanks you Spidey. The waterfall had me stumped for a long time. Now that I have the pieces, I'm going to have to incorporate them into more builds to practice. The lily pads are one of my favorite little touches too. Edited July 5, 2013 by Str0ngbad Quote
Garmadon Posted July 5, 2013 Posted July 5, 2013 Thank you! If I ever find light bley slopes on a PAB wall... ...The fell doesn't have an open backside. I used all of my extra green, tan, yellow, red, etc to build the back to keep it sturdy. It's rather heavy... Actually, on bricklink they don't seem very expensive, 1 x 2 slopes are about 2 or 3 cents each. About the backside, ha, ha, my challenge VI build was very heavy, actually it was almost solid inside! (and it certainly wasn't all one color ) Quote
LegoDrake Posted July 6, 2013 Posted July 6, 2013 WOW! What an amazing mountain.Even on such a mamouth build I really enjoy the little details like the dwarves (dwarfs?) in the orchard and the water fall. Quote
Wedge09 Posted July 8, 2013 Posted July 8, 2013 Impressive work :thumbup: I like in particularly the dwarfs working and the elven delegation Quote
Maxim I Posted July 10, 2013 Posted July 10, 2013 Wow, you really surprised me with this!!!! So many great details, such a nice and huge size!! Congratz St0ngbad! Quote
I Scream Clone Posted July 10, 2013 Posted July 10, 2013 A most enjoyable build Strongbad. Really liking the cheese paths and pillars as well as angling the bridge. Quote
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