Kaliphlin at Work - Day 14: Wahah Oasis

[LittleJohn]

My fourth build for the Kaliphlin at Work collab, as well as the first part of my entry into the “From Field to Goblet” category of the Colossal Castle Contest. I’ve had this waterfall sitting around for a while now, and this build provided a good excuse to finally put it to use. I tried to base the oasis off of some real-life pictures I found, with the medium dark flesh and green, but I’m not sure how well it translated to LEGO. I would love to hear your opinions!

Wahall is a goat farmer, and one of his most important tasks is making sure his goats get enough water. He can frequently be found visiting the nearby oasis, both to water the goats and to fill up barrels of water to take back to the farm.

More pictures on Brickbuilt.
Comments and constructive criticism very welcome!

[Muakhah]

Goats! I love any scene with goats I think they are so fitting for Kaliphlin farmers.

the medium dark flesh on the waterfall looks good but the green seems strange. Maybe if there were more of the cliffs shown either side of the waterfall it would give a better impression.  I like the really tall palm trees and the way the vegetation gets drier and dustier further from the water.

the minifig posing is good too. I would like to rest by a waterfall for a while.

[Kai NRG]

The oasis you built here looks very refreshing, the second picture especially looks inviting!  I think I like the green for the cliff, but I'm not so sure about the rather flat and dark waterfall... I always have thought (especially after building a few  ) that narrow cliffs that exist merely for the purpose of building a waterfall were a little strange.  Is the waterfall curving?  If so that's a really great idea, but I wish we didn't have the unsightly gaps.  But the tall palms are beautiful and I really like the little tree (shrub by the side of the palms!) on top of the cliff, both the roots hanging in the water and the use of double feathers make it look really suitable to the surroundings!

[Basiliscus]

A really nice MOC in the series that keeps on giving!

Nice transitions between the oasis and the desert, good use of foliage pieces covering up the gaps and so on. Lovely fig posing too.

The waterfall itself looks quite narrow and a little unnatural, but the water itself is nice as is the transition from foam to water.

Great work!

[adde51]

I really like the lower part of the build, works great and the addition of the tan quarter round tiles (is that what they are called..?) shows great attention to detail. The waterfall looks a little lonely but I know it's hard to make it look great without building a whole mountain around it. The water is probably where I think a little improvement could be made, it does look a little too smooth given that it's falling straigth down. Having the studs facing up instead of out might have helped give it a little more natural look (here's my example, although at a larger scale which makes it easier). The roots hanging down at the top looks great though! Overall a very nice little scene  

[Grover]

You've definitely got some great things going on here.  I like the light blue water, the animals, the men relaxing around the pool, and the dark tan near the water.  I also like that you put together a waterfall out of clear bricks instead of light blue trans or dark blue trans, which I see a lot.  I think the trans clear is much more realistic.  There is something about the build that seems out of place to me, and it just struck me that it is likely that a waterfall of that size is from a river, so there's usually more than just the oasis.  On the other hand, there are the rare places around like Havasu Falls that are actual oases in the middle of a desert along the river, so it could be a place like that.  Overall a very nice build!

[Henjin_Quilones]

The trees and landscape are really nice, but that waterfall is way too square and even to look natural. Also, for falls that large, I would expect, I think, a larger pool at the base. Less water coming down might improve the look. I like the goats and the posing, and as Grover said, the trans-clear is nice to see in the waterfall, but I keep coming back to the shape, since the waterfall is the central focus of the build. adde51's example is a great suggestion for improving it in the future. 

[soccerkid6]

Unfortunately I don't think our pictures do the waterfall justice, as it looked wonderful in real life. The slight curve you achieved, along with the depth change by having various tiles at different stacked atop each other just isn't apparent in this low flat angle shot. This image is what I imagine this sort of waterfall would look like in real life.
"
Very clever plants using the green long cattle horn in leaves

[W Navarre]

Nice, I do like that tree up there!  And the use of curved parts in the sand makes it look real good. Is it realistic to have a barrel on top of the hump of the camel though? 

Edited November 26, 2018 by W Navarre

[Exetrius]

I have to agree with the critiques above: the waterfall is not very convincing to be honest, due to missing context. I think it would look better if the cliff extended to the lower left and upper right corner to form more of a broad and curved rock wall. Your water foam below is well executed, but definitely too small for the the size of your waterfall; with that height and broadness, I feel the water must have more power than portrayed. The small tree on the edge of the waterfall is really neat, though, and so is the rest of the oasis. 

[LegoModularFan]

Nice vignette, I just love the foliage around the waterfall, especially the tree on the top and the sand looks great with all the curved parts and tiles used! I agree with what has been said about the waterfall. Anyway, keep it up! 

[Gideon]

Great overall landscaping, I love the use of the tan quarter-tiles on the ground
As previously mentioned however, I'm not too fond of the standalone nature of the waterfall.