Book II, Challenge V, Category B: Barqan Fire Wagon

[Gideon]

Kaliphlin is known for its abundance of oil, and in Barqa the alchemists and craftsmen joined forces long ago to make this into the fearsome weapon known as "Barqan Fire". It is most commonly used on board warships, but smaller horse-drawn war machines have also started to be made for use in land combat. Unfortunately they are not very reliable yet and are not without reason feared almost as much among the Kaliphlinites themselves as by their foes.

In this siege workshop in Barqa, a completed fire wagon is ready for transport to support the war against the Spire. The soldier doing the final adjustments to the pumping mechanism has however unknowingly built up way too much pressure in the cylinder...

Siege workshop in Barqa

Accidental release of the Barqan Fire...

Accidental release of the Barqan Fire...

Closeup of a Barqan Fire Wagon

Closeup of the fire pumping mechanisms ready to be mounted on new wagons

Siege workshop in Barqa

Fire! (Photographed with only the blacklight)

It was a challenge to get the lighting good for this build, getting enough blacklight to give a good fluorescent glow but not too much so that the rest of the build turned all blue...
Here is the photo setup, where the speedlight was fired at maximum power and mix of light was regulated by how long the exposure time was after the flash. Typically I used 10-30 s.

 

[Kai NRG]

Well done Gideon, beautiful roof and wall texture.  The fire wagon looks great also!   And of course, the explosion effect is splendid!

[The Maestro]

Amazing work Gideon, the texturing is spot on  Great detail and I am in love with that fire wagon 

[TitusV]

Oh man, this is gorgeous  The Barqan fire is great, especially the pumping mechanisms  

The real star of this buid is the architecture though. I just absolutely love the building on the left!  All the arches, the colourscheme and the roof remind me of holidays in Southern Italy when I was younger.

[Tezclatipoca]

Wow ! Gideon is back with another excellent build !

Congrats on that one !

The fire effect is superb with that black light !

And your weapon factory/forge is excellent too. I really like the roofing technique even if you used it in the past. I find it elegant and very effective.

Excellent entry ! Good job ! (Did I said I find this build Excellent... )

[Muakhah]

Such a beautiful workshop. The roof tiling, colors and arches scream of the Mediterranean. The war machine is compact and makes sense and the soldiers reactions to the mishap are great.

[en_zoo]

awesome build! great colours and wall texture; I'm totally in love with that roof - the idea is simple enough but I had never thought about it, it looks fantastic! 

as for the Barqan Fire, really good idea and realisation. Chapeau for the photography 

[wout1988]

Amazing

 

[narbilu]

another amazing build Gideon!

[Henjin_Quilones]

The arches and roof of this building make it look splendid, Gideon! The cobblestone courtyard, too, adds to the excellent appearance. I like the way you irregularly ended the woodwork, implying that the building continues over a bit further. The blacklight effect is impressive, allowing the fire to actually glow, and the machinery is simple, yet realistic-looking. And your photography, as usual, is par excellence. A great entry from you!

[soccerkid6]

Stunning build! Instantly recognizable as a Gideon creation The gallery layout, roofs, and cobblestone are all magnificent

Great work showing the in construction fire wagons as well, the different pallets of parts along with the clever crane convey that idea perfectly. Add an epic explosion, and you really have something special

[Leonardo da Bricki]

Beautiful build! The roof and cobblestone courtyard (And huge glowing explosion ) are excellent. And your photos are wonderful.

[Grover]

There are too many things that I love about this to list.  The roof color and texture, the overall color pallette, the doors, the stone floor... all awesome.  My favorite part of the build is the dark and light contrasting areas of the wall near the door that incorporates plates.  It really looks like the plaster has fallen off the wall.  I am going to try and incorporate that design into some of my builds.

The photography is also killer, especially with the blacklight.  This whole build is phenomenal.  Excellent work!  Keep it up!

[Garmadon]

Excellent build, Gideon!  It's great to see more of the Barqan fire machines, and these are definitely as superb as ever!  The helmets on the front of the wagons are great, and the architecture and colors here are splendid as usual too!   The crane and parts of more wagons in construction are a great way to show the war-machine building, and that explosion is the icing on the cake!  Overall a top-notch entry!

 

[halixon]

Woah Gideon... this is Awesome! Reminds me of some desert castles in Mount & Blade: Warband.

[Captain Braunsfeld]

This is sooo fantastic!

 

[Legofin2012]

A wonderful build, so much to love about it  The colours are lovely, instantly recognisable as Kaliphlin, but it's the black light shot which steals the show! Fantastic work! 

[Gunman]

Amazing work mate.... Great scene with great colors... And your photography.....  

[LittleJohn]

Wonderful work as always, Gideon The colors are perfect, especially the medium dark flesh and dark orange roof and sand green fences
The fire wagon itself is very well deigned, I like the use of those helmets on the front. Stunning photography as well.

[mrcp6d]

Amazing architecture here Gideon, the roof is awesome and all the arches work perfectly as always for Kaliphlin.

And, of course, the fire and explosion is perfectly rendered with both the LEGO and the photography.