[Challenge 1] Terrial Major [M - D03]

[Big Sal]

Excerpt from the logs of Captain Carter:

Date: 19 Junali 3815

Time: 0906 hours

Location: En route to Terrial Major

Comments: The pilots tell me we'll arrive at Terrial Major in approximately 2 hours. Our mission is to map the surface since no one has been here since the first Gate explorers. As usual, their description of the planet is brief: "A massive, freezing planet. The entire planet is basically a ball of frozen pure water. Vicious local wildlife."

---

Time: 1138 hours

Location: Skies of Terrial Major

Comments: Well, the description was accurate, save for the fact that there doesn't seem to be any wildlife at all, let alone anything dangerous. There's just vast, almost entirely featureless snow, as far as the eye can see. The tedious landscape is doing nothing to distract me from the stomach troubles that have been plaguing me all week.

---

Time: 1443 hours

Location: Skies of Terrial Major

Comments: Just as I was about to order to crew out of the atmosphere, having seen nothing but snow for hours, we spotted a small patch of tan on the horizon along with a thin line of blue. At last, something that wasn't white! As we approached the tan resolved itself into a small forest of sickly looking trees, around 10 metres tall. The blue line was in fact a crevasse with liquid water at the bottom! I suspect the presence of the trees near liquid water is no coincidence, though how they can gain any benefit from it is beyond me - the crevasse must be at least 30 metres deep.

On even closer approach we finally spotted the wildlife. Camouflaged in white, two titanic reptilian creatures engaged in a territorial battle! The early explorers were right to call them vicious, but I'm amazed they didn't mention the sheer size of the creatures - they tower over the nearby trees! These creatures definitely warrant further study, and could make a valuable asset for the glory of MANTIS!

Excerpt ends.

I have to congratulate the judges for this competition - it was a great stimulus for me to build outside of my comfort zone. Comments and criticism of the result welcome!

More pics in the spoiler:

Edited June 19, 2015 by Big Sal

[EpsilonEta]

Really like the “tiny” creatures.

How those trees get any water is beyond me too. They don't seem to have any rots at all, basically just standing on the snow

[Kodan Black]

Albino Godzilla! I like the build, reminds me of parts of Alaska. You did a good job with the striation of the snow/ice on the bottom part.

[Kai NRG]

Those "little" critters are so cute! The ice cliff is very effective too!

[aeralure]

Those creatures are awesome. Fantastic use of a few little parts. My favorite thing in the build though is the striation of ice underneath the snow. It really makes the build for me and establishes that we are seeing a planet of ice moreso than it would have simply showing the snow on top. Very nice!

[LittleJohn]

Fantastic work, Big Sal! The trees look great and I like how you angled some of the bottom sections of ice

[pombe]

/hatsoff

/bowdown

/favoritedonflickrsoicancomebackandstealyourideas

[Graham Gidman]

Whoa, this is awesome!

[Mike S]

Awesome micro! If you ever build this in minifig scale are you going to use the new Indominus Rex mold for the reptilian creatures?

[mrcp6d]

Awesome micro landscape! The tiny T-Rexes are fantastic and the snow is well done.

You switched colors for the cliff face, is that aqua?

[mccoyed]

Amazing micro. Really sells the glacial cliff and those little critters are inspired.

[rodiziorobs]

The aqua and trans-blue cliff face is brilliant! Also I love the micro monsters, very nice.

[Zepher]

That cliff face is very, very cool. Love the little critters too.

[soccerkid6]

Incredible combination of ice and snow Great touch with the micro monsters as well

[shmails]

The glacier is so amazing!!! I love the idea so much, great work.

[Dannylonglegs]

The micro monsters are really wonderful, but the glacier colour combo really steals the scene! Great job on that!

~Insectoid Aristocrat

[Lord Tyrus]

Great use of a simple colour scheme!

[Big Sal]

Thanks all for the kind comments

Awesome micro! If you ever build this in minifig scale are you going to use the new Indominus Rex mold for the reptilian creatures?

I hadn't thought of that! Although it would be a little small on the scale I've described here... could work for an infant though!

You switched colors for the cliff face, is that aqua?

Yeah, it's aqua. I wanted to differentiate between the snow on top and the compacted ice underneath - I tried lots of combinations of blues before settling on these two!

[Andromedas Gates]

The judges awarded you 8 points.