Capt Wolf Posted March 31, 2017 Maurice of Greene, Prince of Brickwall, cousin to King Fernando Augusto VII, comes from a long line of military leaders of Eslandola, dating back two and a half centuries to Eslandola’s original break from Mardier. Although the signing of the Magna Charta by the king was looked upon with shock and horror by many in the Eslandolan nobility, it did not diminish Maurice’s love of country, and he answered the call when the most recent disagreement with Mardier boiled over into an actual shooting war. Maurice had followed in his forefathers’ footsteps, studying strategy and tactics at the Terreli Military Academy. While Eslandola had not truly seen war in more than a century, and as such the opportunity for military experience greatly limited, Maurice was viewed as one of Eslandola’s greatest military minds. It was Maurice that King Fernando Augusto turned to when planning his invasion of Oleon. The politics had been disastrous for the king, but those that had seen the military plans believed the invasion would have succeeded; Maurice’s plan was brilliant, but the world would never get to see that brilliance. And so, when Eslandola was forced to respond militarily to Mardier, it turned to the Prince of Brickwall. On March 31, 617, Maurice led more than a thousand men, including the prince’s own cavalry regiment, in a beach assault against La Puebloto, Mardier’s settlement at the mouth of the Lintili River on Isla de Victoria, a.k.a. Skaford Heights. The fighting was intense, and losses mounted on both sides as Eslandola’s forces failed to break the Mardierian line. In an effort to end the standoff, Maurice led his cavalry in a charge along the beach to out-flank the defenders. Mardierian musketeers and pikemen hurriedly extended their line to the sea and opened fire. The Prince’s regiment closed with the defenders quickly, and it was mayhem as shots were fired and horses fell. Maurice continued to lead the charge into the thin Mardierian defense. The Mardierian commander could see that his line would not be enough against the cavalry regiment… …but his men held their ground and took the charge… …and one musketeer found his mark, firing a shot through Maurice’s chest, mortally wounding the prince. But the cavalry charge was successful. They broke through the line and rolled up the Mardierian rear defenses. The Eslandolan infantry then broke through Mardier’s unsupported center, and the battle was won. Maurice’s death is a terrible loss to Eslandola, but his quick thinking and valour on the field of battle were the turning point in Eslandola’s victory over Mardier that day. The Prince of Brickwall is a shining example to all Eslandolan commanders, today and in the future. Close-up of Maurice receiving the fatal shot: Additional shots: Spoiler A lone musketeer: Charging cavalry: Another view of Maurice receiving the fatal shot: The empty battlefield: Composition was inspired by a painting of a Thirty Years War battle. The fallen horse and launched rider was fun to pose, and I was happy with how the ice cream pieces worked for smoke from the muskets. The blood spray exiting the hero's back worked out ok, but not quite what I hoped. The color gradation of the water looks off, but I was going for a painting effect where the edges are feathered out. I'm happy with the marshy look of the beach. As always, all C&C welcome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Garmadon Posted March 31, 2017 Very nice build and excellent troops, Capt Wolf! Those Mardierian soldiers are great - those feathers work perfectly - and the cavalry charge was a very good idea as well! Sorry to see yet another Brickwall go down, though (especially such a brilliant one! ) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Professor Thaum Posted March 31, 2017 Nice display of fig... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gedren_y Posted March 31, 2017 Many of the Triuri faithful in Eslandola's armed forces mourn Prince Maurice's passing, and celebrate his life this day. There is a story about how every October 13th he calls for a moment of silence in remembrance of the Day of Blood. It is said that it was his ancestor that first lined up his non-Truachesh soldiers to pay honor to the fallen Consort that day. An officer formerly under his command this passed October relates that the Prince was pleased to learn that one of his other royal cousins was able to be in Stedor for the Day of Blood Ceremony. --------------------------------------------- This is a fine example of how fig posing can enhance a story. The restraint with the landscape is very appropriate, and keeps the scene from feeling too cluttered. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stig Posted March 31, 2017 Great story, posing and composition! My favorite build in this category. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kolonialbeamter Posted April 1, 2017 Greeeeat diorama and fighting scene(s), CW Those troops look splendid, especially the Marderians, and their diagonal line-up on the battle field/beach adds to the overall epic look of the whole build. Aaand another Brickwall bites the dust... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ayrlego Posted April 1, 2017 I really love the 17th century look of your soldiers with the mixed formations of pikemen and musketeers. Almost enough to make me want to abandon my later style troops and go back a century! I've had that SW torso on my BL wanted list for a while now, but have yet to acquire any! The Mardierian line is excellent, everything from the standard, to the weapons and alignment is perfect. The Eslandolan charge to is extremely well done! All over the minifigs make this build something really special! Anyway, fantastic entry (as always) Capt Wolf, although there are many great entries, this would easily be one of my favourites for the win! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tezclatipoca Posted April 2, 2017 Great cavalry charge ! A realistic representation of what could be a Renaissance cavalry assault ! Just to be nitpicking, I am missing the tripods for the muskets. But that's not important. A great entry ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Wolf Posted April 3, 2017 On 3/31/2017 at 2:06 PM, Garmadon said: Very nice build and excellent troops, Capt Wolf! Those Mardierian soldiers are great - those feathers work perfectly - and the cavalry charge was a very good idea as well! Sorry to see yet another Brickwall go down, though (especially such a brilliant one! ) Thank you! I decided the way to go with the uniform dilemma was to use a period before the standard uniforms of the 18th century. Glad you like it. And a cavalry charge seemed to me like the most dramatic way for a hero to die. On 3/31/2017 at 5:01 PM, gedren_y said: This is a fine example of how fig posing can enhance a story. The restraint with the landscape is very appropriate, and keeps the scene from feeling too cluttered. Thanks. It seemed to me the category demanded a focus on the figs. I experimented with more landscape and more troops, but both created a scene so cluttered as to obscure the details. On 3/31/2017 at 5:14 PM, Sir Stig said: Great story, posing and composition! My favorite build in this category. Thank you! I took a lot of preliminary set-up photos to make sure the composition worked, and it went through a few revisions as a result. On 4/1/2017 at 6:08 AM, Kolonialbeamter said: Greeeeat diorama and fighting scene(s), CW Those troops look splendid, especially the Marderians, and their diagonal line-up on the battle field/beach adds to the overall epic look of the whole build. Aaand another Brickwall bites the dust... Thanks! I'm glad you like the uniforms, and that diagonal line was critical to making the scene work. And it is amazing what bad luck the whole Brickwall family seems to have. It's kind of like Lt. Dan's family in Forrest Gump, descended from a long line of men who died in battle. On 4/1/2017 at 6:46 PM, Ayrlego said: I really love the 17th century look of your soldiers with the mixed formations of pikemen and musketeers. Almost enough to make me want to abandon my later style troops and go back a century! I've had that SW torso on my BL wanted list for a while now, but have yet to acquire any! The Mardierian line is excellent, everything from the standard, to the weapons and alignment is perfect. The Eslandolan charge to is extremely well done! All over the minifigs make this build something really special! Anyway, fantastic entry (as always) Capt Wolf, although there are many great entries, this would easily be one of my favourites for the win! Thank you. I really enjoyed finally getting to create a proper battle scene for an earlier century than the normal Lego armies. And do keep watch for those torsos on BL; I'd love to see what you could do with them! 16 hours ago, Faladrin said: Great cavalry charge ! A realistic representation of what could be a Renaissance cavalry assault ! Just to be nitpicking, I am missing the tripods for the muskets. But that's not important. A great entry ! Thank you. The new horses with the flexible rear legs allow for much better posing for a cavalry assault. There were obviously some compromises I had to make with the musketeers. I just wish I had some flex tubes that I could have used to replace arms and get both hands on the muskets. If I get a chance to do another scene of musketeers or arquebusiers in the future, with a standing line, I will certainly try to include the support stand they used. With them kneeling in this scene, I thought it wouldn't quite work. Thanks to everyone for the comments and feedback! Much appreciated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kai NRG Posted April 3, 2017 Excellent entry Captain Wolf, I really like the accurate, real-battle feel you've achieved here! Great posing and some really nice shots! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Braunsfeld Posted April 3, 2017 Fantastic battle scene! Those modified StarWars torsos really work out well here. Minifig posing also great overall! .... and another "Brickwall" down ... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bodi Posted April 4, 2017 Nice build. It's exciting to see a representation of cavalry charge in lego, I like the lines of pikemen too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Wolf Posted April 10, 2017 On 4/3/2017 at 8:38 AM, Kai NRG said: Excellent entry Captain Wolf, I really like the accurate, real-battle feel you've achieved here! Great posing and some really nice shots! Thanks! I really wanted to try for a realistic feel, albeit idealized as in a painting. On 4/3/2017 at 1:26 PM, Captain Braunsfeld said: Fantastic battle scene! Those modified StarWars torsos really work out well here. Minifig posing also great overall! .... and another "Brickwall" down ... Thanks. Yes, those torsos really work for the 17th century look. And I spent a lot of time on the fig posing, so I'm glad it appears to have paid off. On 4/4/2017 at 6:06 AM, Bodi said: Nice build. It's exciting to see a representation of cavalry charge in lego, I like the lines of pikemen too. Thanks. The cavalry charge was the main focus when I started, but I really wanted to get that combined line of pikemen and musketeers looking right. I originally had a double line of pikemen, but the scene was too crowded. And FYI, those pikes are from BrickWarriors. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bregir Posted May 3, 2017 Nice landscaping and GREAT action poses. The background story is good too, and I like how we follow the development of the battle. I really feel like this could be the scene of a glorious painting of some famous battle (Charge of the light brigade-ish). I particularly like the pikemen and the horses falling over. Minifigs are generally great. Where are the pikemen torsoes from? Well done, sir! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt Wolf Posted May 4, 2017 On 5/3/2017 at 3:32 AM, Bregir said: Nice landscaping and GREAT action poses. The background story is good too, and I like how we follow the development of the battle. I really feel like this could be the scene of a glorious painting of some famous battle (Charge of the light brigade-ish). I particularly like the pikemen and the horses falling over. Minifigs are generally great. Where are the pikemen torsoes from? Thanks! Working on the action poses was a lot of fun. And the torso comes from the Knights Kingdom I phase of the Castle line. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keymonus Posted May 4, 2017 (edited) Wonderful battle scene! It's quite sad to see a brave Eslandolan commander killed by Marderian rabble, but their battle line and the charge are both great, not to mention the minifigures you chose... Great job Capt Wolf!!! Edited May 4, 2017 by Keymonus Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
