CHALLENGE I : Mophet town hall - the rise of a city

[adde51]

After the war, vast parts of Kaliphlin had been left in ruin. Not only as a result of the fighting itself, but equally significant were the diminished incomes from trade. Located along the oil road, Mophet had an ideal position between two of the largest cities in the region. Tabib D'Odo, one of the more prominent leaders of Mophet, tried to view the devastation as a chance to better the lives of the people around him. As the fighting had ceased, it was apparent that people still needed to transport goods along the oil road, and thus through Mophet. This in turn meant opportunity! 

Located about 1 days ride south of the Arkbri river, getting supplies to Mophet was easier compared to a lot of the other settlements along the oil road. And given his fairly good relationships with the tribes that populated the badlands, Tabib D'Odo was able to ensure safe passage for those bringing supplies and material, something which was not to be taken lightly. Something the people of Mophet never shied away from, was hard work. The climate and environment had bred a hard people, but also a stern belief that fortune favours those who are willing to work for it. 

To make sure the world knew that Mophet was now a place where the future looked brighter than it had in a long time, it was decided that a town hall was to be constructed. It would symbolize the spirit of the people, and act as a beacon of hope for things to come. 

Masons, carpenters and stonecutters from not only Mophet, but from all over Kaliphlin, all came to lend their services. Work of this nature had been hard to come by during the war, and many  were thankful for the opportunity to do an honest days work, without the fear of death hanging over them. Within only a couple of months of the first groundwork being layed, the town hall of Mophet began to near it's completion. 

Tabib D'Odo stood on the steps of the building, the jade-coloured door to his back, and found himself at peace for the first time since the fighting had began. As one of the domes was carefully being lifted in to place, he looked across the yard - which at this point more resembled the desert than any grand beginning of any sort - and thought to himself "this is the time and the place which will mark the rise of Mophet, this will give us hope!"

Ear´aba the wainwright

Al-quirsan supervisin the lift

Qu'ba putting the finishing touches on the dome

Not all jobs are fun in the blistering desert sun...

Sah'alia-rider on site

So a long story, which I hope at least a few of you found some joy in. This is my entry to Challenge I over on Guilds of Historica (the theme being rebuild). I have a lot of other Mophet MOCs on the way but they are a ways away from being posted at this point. But like in the story, this is only the beginning ;) So stay tuned. 

Finally I'd like to thank all the other swedish AFOLs including @Gideon @Zilmrud @dalle @Wineyard and Peter S (couldn't find your tag, sorry) for feedback during this build 

Edited October 24, 2018 by adde51
added text to the pictures

[Zilmrud]

Awesome man! Really awesome! That word is a bit used now.... but it's an awesome word 

[Gideon]

Great to see Mophet rise out of the dust in such a prominent way!
Particular favorites of mine are the various arches (although maybe a tad too many different styles in one single building?) and the oil lamps on the pillars

The presentation is top notch as usual, and I really like the closeup shot of your sigfig through the arches

17 minutes ago, adde51 said:

Finally I'd like to thank all the other swedish AFOLs including @Gideon @Zilmrud @dalle @Wineyard and Peter S (couldn't find your tag, sorry) for feedback during this build  

It's been fun to see how the build has grown to this point, looking forward to more fast WIP-feedback (and trashtalking!)
I think the tag should be @Peter S.

[Kai NRG]

I love the use of dark red!  Makes for a great combination with the dark flesh and the tan.  Nice to see so much minifigure activity too!  

[zoth33]

The building is really nice.  I like the touches of gold you put in.  The photography is great.  The jade-colored door is a nice touch.  The minifig posing is great too.  

[halixon]

Love this! The crane is nice. I also like your take on Kaliplhin architecture! 

[Gabe]

Lovely! Your building has very pleasing shape to it, with the many levels, balconies and walkways. The recessed windows on the towers and the main doorway with it's sand green door are especially nice, and the dark red and dark orange bands on the towers are very striking. I also like the brickbuilt winch lifting the dome, and all the bustle in the courtyard. I'm not so sure that the archways on the central balcony are as successful though - the shapes don't seem to match up so well, either between the inner and outer layers, or with the surrounding windows and archways. I'm also a little curious about how the workers on the lower side balconies are going to get down!

Looks like Mophet is coming along very nicely indeed!

[Henjin_Quilones]

A lovely and imposing structure to be sure! I will echo some earlier comments and say that the arches on the central balcony don't work very well, due to their difference from the rest. It seems odd for most of the building to have a certain style and then a particular part to be different. I don't know that it is a bad style per se, but it should be used in a building on its own, rather than trying to mesh with different styles. I love the arch over the door, though, and the double-arched windows in the towers also look great. The action conveyed here is nice, with the crane lifting up the dome, and the builders all about their work. At first I did not like the flat and studded terrain, but then I read the description that it was unfinished, implying that the courtyard had yet to be paved; that should have been obvious, but I guess I am just special. And of course they would want the site to be flat to build a building on it, so it makes perfect sense the way you did it. On the top of all the walls you have cheese slopes, but some are all facing the same direction and others are placed like teeth; it bothers me slightly that they are different, even from the crane tower to the two domed towers that have the same decorative striping. Did you try it with them matching, and choose this because it looked better? I wonder how it would improve the unity of the building to adjust the arches and the cheese crenelations (I'd try it with all teeth, personally). Anyways, just some thoughts. I really do like how it looks and am super excited to see more of Mophet when you finish those builds. 

[Basiliscus]

Really nice architecture here, suits the Kaliphlin style very well. I like the colour palette used for the building and the sense of action from the scene.

I appreciate the building is supposed to be unfinished, but the very flat and bland courtyard floor looks a bit unnatural. I think this could have had some small variations in height and colour, the distinct line between the dark tan and medium flesh sections stands out too much.

Anyway, its a great structure and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Mophet!

[adde51]

On 9/17/2018 at 10:04 PM, Zilmrud said:

Awesome man! Really awesome! That word is a bit used now.... but it's an awesome word 

Haha, thanks buddy! 

23 hours ago, Gideon said:

Great to see Mophet rise out of the dust in such a prominent way!
Particular favorites of mine are the various arches (although maybe a tad too many different styles in one single building?) and the oil lamps on the pillars

The presentation is top notch as usual, and I really like the closeup shot of your sigfig through the arches

It's been fun to see how the build has grown to this point, looking forward to more fast WIP-feedback (and trashtalking!)
I think the tag should be @Peter S.

Thanks a lot man, appreciate the feedback (through the whole build)! More WIPs and trashtalk will sure follow, haha! 

21 hours ago, Kai NRG said:

I love the use of dark red!  Makes for a great combination with the dark flesh and the tan.  Nice to see so much minifigure activity too!  

Cheers! Glad you liked the red, thought it gave it a little more structure instead of it being just one tan build. I’ve kept that as a reocurring theme for my other builds as well. 

18 hours ago, zoth33 said:

The building is really nice.  I like the touches of gold you put in.  The photography is great.  The jade-colored door is a nice touch.  The minifig posing is great too.  

Much appreciated! Fun to actually make a bit of an ”action-scene” and think about what people (figs) would be doing IRL. 

15 hours ago, Windusky said:

Love this! The crane is nice. I also like your take on Kaliplhin architecture! 

Thank you! I’ve peeked a bit at @Gideons Barqa to get a feel for the architecture, but also tried to create a ”look” for Mophet so I’m glad you liked it! 

7 hours ago, Gabe said:

Lovely! Your building has very pleasing shape to it, with the many levels, balconies and walkways. The recessed windows on the towers and the main doorway with it's sand green door are especially nice, and the dark red and dark orange bands on the towers are very striking. I also like the brickbuilt winch lifting the dome, and all the bustle in the courtyard. I'm not so sure that the archways on the central balcony are as successful though - the shapes don't seem to match up so well, either between the inner and outer layers, or with the surrounding windows and archways. I'm also a little curious about how the workers on the lower side balconies are going to get down!

Looks like Mophet is coming along very nicely indeed!

Thank you very much, appreciate all the feedback. I see your point about the balcony-arches as they are a bit different. Tried to tie it together with the upper most part a bit but maybe should have gone with a more consistent look all around. The workers on the lower side balconies are fine...probably...haha! 

29 minutes ago, Henjin_Quilones said:

A lovely and imposing structure to be sure! I will echo some earlier comments and say that the arches on the central balcony don't work very well, due to their difference from the rest. It seems odd for most of the building to have a certain style and then a particular part to be different. I don't know that it is a bad style per se, but it should be used in a building on its own, rather than trying to mesh with different styles. I love the arch over the door, though, and the double-arched windows in the towers also look great. The action conveyed here is nice, with the crane lifting up the dome, and the builders all about their work. At first I did not like the flat and studded terrain, but then I read the description that it was unfinished, implying that the courtyard had yet to be paved; that should have been obvious, but I guess I am just special. And of course they would want the site to be flat to build a building on it, so it makes perfect sense the way you did it. On the top of all the walls you have cheese slopes, but some are all facing the same direction and others are placed like teeth; it bothers me slightly that they are different, even from the crane tower to the two domed towers that have the same decorative striping. Did you try it with them matching, and choose this because it looked better? I wonder how it would improve the unity of the building to adjust the arches and the cheese crenelations (I'd try it with all teeth, personally). Anyways, just some thoughts. I really do like how it looks and am super excited to see more of Mophet when you finish those builds. 

Thank you for taking the time to offer your opinions, much appreciated! I see your (and others) point about the arches, I guess it was a bit of a mix between choosing a little different look for the central part as well as an unfortunate lack of the other arch-pieces, haha! The ground was a bit of a dilemma as I also thought it would look better with a little more effort put into it, but at the same time I figured a work-site would actually look more along these lines than completely finished as the building is still in progress. I do have plans to tile the whole thing and take a ”final” pic of the finished thing later on. As for the cheese slopes it was just an ”artistic choice” to give the center of the build a slightly different look. Thanks again man, and I assure you that Mophet is a city (that’s what I’m aiming for at least) on the rise, haha! 

31 minutes ago, Basiliscus said:

Really nice architecture here, suits the Kaliphlin style very well. I like the colour palette used for the building and the sense of action from the scene.

I appreciate the building is supposed to be unfinished, but the very flat and bland courtyard floor looks a bit unnatural. I think this could have had some small variations in height and colour, the distinct line between the dark tan and medium flesh sections stands out too much.

Anyway, its a great structure and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Mophet!

Thanks a lot! And as stated above I totally get the feedback about the ground. 

 

Thanks for all your comments guys! 

[The Last of Nergoue]

really nice moc i enjoy how clean it is.

[TheLordOfBricks]

Ahhh, nice! Great work here, loving the simple look to it, using the texturing by colors. Definitely resembles Gideon's Barqa! Keep it up! :)

[TitusV]

Very nice!

IMHO, the ground could use a bit more details, but as the build is more focused upwards, that's no big problem. I really love to see all those building materials hoisted up, and that dome is just lovely  Great minifig posing as well

[W Navarre]

Very neat job!  Makes me wish I could hurry up with me own building process!  I like the sand green door, great touch  .

[adde51]

21 hours ago, The Last of Nergoue said:

really nice moc i enjoy how clean it is.

Thanks man, they just built it so it should be clean   

21 hours ago, TheLordOfBricks said:

Ahhh, nice! Great work here, loving the simple look to it, using the texturing by colors. Definitely resembles Gideon's Barqa! Keep it up! :)

Thank you very much! 

9 hours ago, TitusV said:

Very nice!

IMHO, the ground could use a bit more details, but as the build is more focused upwards, that's no big problem. I really love to see all those building materials hoisted up, and that dome is just lovely  Great minifig posing as well

Cheers man, glad you liked the posing as well! As I said previously, I get the feedback about the ground, thanks! 

6 hours ago, W Navarre said:

Very neat job!  Makes me wish I could hurry up with me own building process!  I like the sand green door, great touch  .

Thanks dude, I’m sure you’ll get things done   Glad you liked the door too! 

[de Gothia]

Great work!! I get a Gideoon feeling to it! Lovely details with the crane and dome!

 

It  feels like the building got all the love and the ground is quite rectangular and plain. A very clean working place without pebbles, stones or other things that could have been added to push it to the next level!

 

But overall, lovely moc!! Keep it up!

[mccoyed]

Great build. Really dig the architecture and the centering of the action in the "middle" of the structure.

[Grover]

Gorgeous!  I love the use of the red/dark orange stripes at the top, juxtaposed with the turquoise door.  The idea is great, too--building up a town hall.  The details of ornamentation without going overboard look great, and I like the clean lines.  One suggestion, perhaps, is to clutter up the ground a bit with rubble; construction sites are rarely as clean as the site you show, and I find that boards, rocks, tools, etc. strewn about look rather realistic when looking at a construction site.  Really nice job, keep up the good work!

[adde51]

On 9/19/2018 at 9:34 PM, de Gothia said:

Great work!! I get a Gideoon feeling to it! Lovely details with the crane and dome!

 

It  feels like the building got all the love and the ground is quite rectangular and plain. A very clean working place without pebbles, stones or other things that could have been added to push it to the next level!

 

But overall, lovely moc!! Keep it up!

Thank you very much! Appreciate the feedback and will probably give the ground a little more love next time, haha! 

21 hours ago, mccoyed said:

Great build. Really dig the architecture and the centering of the action in the "middle" of the structure.

Glad you liked it! Thanks 

14 hours ago, Grover said:

Gorgeous!  I love the use of the red/dark orange stripes at the top, juxtaposed with the turquoise door.  The idea is great, too--building up a town hall.  The details of ornamentation without going overboard look great, and I like the clean lines.  One suggestion, perhaps, is to clutter up the ground a bit with rubble; construction sites are rarely as clean as the site you show, and I find that boards, rocks, tools, etc. strewn about look rather realistic when looking at a construction site.  Really nice job, keep up the good work!

Glad you liked the colourscheme! I understand the thoughts (quite a few of) you have about the ground   Thanks! 

[soccerkid6]

Those stripes are lovely They give a beautiful Kaliphlin touch to the walls, and keep them from being boring in their new, flawlessly constructed state.

Excellent use of scroll bricks in various spots throughout the town hall The dome being listed into position is a fun touch, especially as it's easy to see where it goes with its twin already in place

[Ayrlego]

Not much to say that hasn't already been said! I do like the clean walls - very appropriate for a new building and the indents of the arches and columns give just enough texture to avoid the whole thing being too 'clean'. The construction cranes and work is well presented and the MDF ground is a really nice touch. Great entry!

[adde51]

On 9/25/2018 at 2:13 PM, soccerkid6 said:

Those stripes are lovely They give a beautiful Kaliphlin touch to the walls, and keep them from being boring in their new, flawlessly constructed state.

Excellent use of scroll bricks in various spots throughout the town hall The dome being listed into position is a fun touch, especially as it's easy to see where it goes with its twin already in place

Thank you very much man, trying to use the stripes (or atleast versions of it) as a sort of hallmark for Mophet. Very glad you liked it! 

13 hours ago, Ayrlego said:

Not much to say that hasn't already been said! I do like the clean walls - very appropriate for a new building and the indents of the arches and columns give just enough texture to avoid the whole thing being too 'clean'. The construction cranes and work is well presented and the MDF ground is a really nice touch. Great entry!

Thanks a lot! Hard to find a balance between texture and keeping with the story. Wanted it to be pretty clean, given that it’s new, so I’m glad you liked that! 

[Rogue Angel]

I really like this build!  Very Kaliphlin, but some nice techniques, and sparing use of color as accent instead of constant.  I like the use of the tiles and cheese slopes as tools, and the construction action taking place.  The story is well done also.  Great work!

[adde51]

On 10/18/2018 at 4:20 AM, Rogue Angel said:

I really like this build!  Very Kaliphlin, but some nice techniques, and sparing use of color as accent instead of constant.  I like the use of the tiles and cheese slopes as tools, and the construction action taking place.  The story is well done also.  Great work!

Thank you man, great to get into the whole world of Kaliphlin and looking forward to continuing to expand . Glad you liked it!