MKJoshA Posted February 20, 2017 See the previous tales: Wyndor's Saga: Chapter 1 -What Has Past- Chapter 2 -What Has Past- Chapter 3 The Green Dragon Inn Bustle at Treacleheim At the Gates of Budd-apest Dragon-Forged Blade in Treacleheim Charlemagne's Residence Dragon Taming Defense of the North Charlemagne was missing! And with the war looming on the horizon, the Sultan of Budd-apest knew he would need Charlemagne's help. So he sent a rider north to Dalig Ulv to warn Wyndor of the coming battle and of Charlemagne's disappearance. (Better pictures coming in the next day or two!) They're in! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henjin_Quilones Posted February 20, 2017 I like your plant life and the tar pits (or oil pits?), as they create an interesting landscape, though maybe not the upside-down bushes. Also, there are a few too many angular pieces on the ground that are a bit jarring to me. I think I would prefer something to smooth out some of those edges and make them seem more organic and natural. All told, though, the landscape is nice and brings to life a side of Kaliphlin that I had not seen before. Well done! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zoth33 Posted February 20, 2017 I love this. Great combination of colors. The dark red plays nicely off of the different tans. The use of the whip as a plant is brilliant. The tar pits are great too and give the build nice texture. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Leonardo da Bricki Posted February 20, 2017 I like the idea of a tar swamp, like the La Brea Tar Pits in California. However, using some more rounded edges on the pits would look more natural. The foliage is great, the colors work quite well together. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LittleJohn Posted February 20, 2017 Excellent build MKJ, I especially like the red tentacle plants The tar pits are well executed too, with the occasional 2x2 round dish to break up the flatness. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slegengr Posted February 20, 2017 Nice build, MKJ! I like your representation of the Kali oil fields with the slick black surface and the bubbles! I agree with others that smoother contours on the landscaping would be better, but the wedge plates work as well. Your different types of plants seem characteristic of Kaliphlin as well, and I like the 'ice cream cone' mushrooms! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Umbra-Manis Posted February 20, 2017 Awesome environment MKJ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrcp6d Posted February 21, 2017 I've been to the La Brea tar pits in CA, quite the site in the middle of Los Angeles! I quite like this MOC Josh, good color choices to my eyes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TitusV Posted February 21, 2017 Very cool MOC, I really like the landscaping and vegetation, though I'm no big fan of the upside down bushes. But that's a detail Nice job Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soccerkid6 Posted February 21, 2017 Really cool representation of the tar pits in Kaliphlin Nice use of the medium dark flesh blades Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MKJoshA Posted February 22, 2017 Thank you everyone! They are indeed meant to be tar pits. After hearing the recommendations for rounded edges instead of angled ones, I think I agree with you all. Thanks for the feedback and I'll keep it in mind for future builds! Also, I've updated the photos with ones with better lighting. Enjoy! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blufiji Posted February 22, 2017 Outside of the red spiked plants, i like this build. Good addition with the tar pits. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Muakhah Posted February 23, 2017 I like this as a semi magical area that was forced to adapt to the presence of the oil pits. The vegetation is strange but I think it works. I really like the rider. Is that torso from Chima? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gideon Posted February 23, 2017 Creepy plants! Others have already commented on the build but I'd like to give one piece of photography advice, and that would be to step back and zoom in instead for the overview shots. Try the 55 mm end of your lens next time and see the difference in perspective It could also be an idea to step it down a bit to maybe say f/9-f/11 for the overview shots to increase the depth of field, at least if you can put the camera on a support like a tripod to compensate for the slower shutter speed needed then. The last picture with the closeup is on the contrary great, with focus on the minifig and nice shallow depth of field which suits that kind of shot. Not surprisingly that was taken towards the longer end of your zoom range Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MKJoshA Posted February 24, 2017 21 hours ago, Muakhah said: I like this as a semi magical area that was forced to adapt to the presence of the oil pits. The vegetation is strange but I think it works. I really like the rider. Is that torso from Chima? Thanks! The torso is actually from Lord of the Rings. It's Eomer's. 19 hours ago, Gideon said: Creepy plants! Others have already commented on the build but I'd like to give one piece of photography advice, and that would be to step back and zoom in instead for the overview shots. Try the 55 mm end of your lens next time and see the difference in perspective It could also be an idea to step it down a bit to maybe say f/9-f/11 for the overview shots to increase the depth of field, at least if you can put the camera on a support like a tripod to compensate for the slower shutter speed needed then. The last picture with the closeup is on the contrary great, with focus on the minifig and nice shallow depth of field which suits that kind of shot. Not surprisingly that was taken towards the longer end of your zoom range Thank you for the advice! I have a relatively new DSLR and I'm still learning the ins and outs of the various settings. I've used SLRs many times in the past, but never for Lego photography so I feel like I'm still in the learning curve. I'll give your suggestions a try. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
