MKJoshA

[O5 - Junction - CS] Investigation in the Sand

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Previously

Mick's Team's next step was to head to Junction and see what they could find out about Gradalla.

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They went to one of the trading outposts removed from the Imperial Remnant's reach.

Junction Outpost

Here in the sands people were willing to talk, for the right price.

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Sweet diorama, Josh! You've hidden some true gems in a big mess, and I mean that fully as a compliment!

Maybe let's start with some less obvious details I really enjoy. That stack of two orange flower pots head to head for example, evoking perhaps some kind of gourd which is perfectly at home in such an environment. Then there's the domed roof that really just seems thrown on top of those skeletal girders with its crazy angle. Next, I give you credit for introducing me to that bottle part with ID 4429 - not a part you see every day, which therefore looks like a real treasure in such a landscape. It's a big contrast with all of those mundane objects lying around, but even there you put some nice details like the mismatching lids on some containers that show the "if it sits, it fits" mentality. And finally there's your use of those truncated cone parts introduced as the head of BB-9E. I never realised they'd blend so nicely with the tube parts and the other 2x2 truncated cone parts... They bring some nice variation to all the tubing present! But of course we have to talk about that gorgeous door you created! I love the emphasis on the grooves in the pentagonal tiles, accentuated even more by the protruding lip of the 1x2 bracket plates next to them. Maybe a grill tile in the place where now those brown studs are peaking through would add to the effect even more. It would really accentuate the grooved look of the door, which is both very Star Wars and a natural design element in a desert landscape to me. I imagine people's faces riddled with grooves because of the exposure to the elements, and what they build to reflect that feature...

As I said, those gems are hidden in a big mess. In such an enviroment, it's not worthwhile to build exquisite architecture when a piece of junk does the job just fine. Anything new will be reduced to junk anyway in record time by the elements. You emphasize that feeling by using parts that sometimes look like the real junk of someone's collection. These stange plastic sheets and clunky big domes, circle sector and cement mixer parts are hard to incorporate into any detailed MOC, except maybe for a one-off gimmick, but never as a main element. They often end up as the leftovers of a collection. What an analogy for the junk that would be used in an outpost like the one you depict! I can't help but feeling that these really are the best parts those minifigs could get their hands on in their circumstances.

Finally, a word about the landscaping. It's always difficult with a limited collection of parts, but you've managed not to neglect any part and give it an interesting overall shape. Especially the bows are a nice feature. Maybe they're not distributed randomly enough for my taste with many starting and ending on the same lines which looks a bit unnatural and creates a stark contrast between the studded sections and the smooth section (but again, I imagine this has a lot to do with the limitations in available parts. Maybe strategically placing minifigs and structures to hide parts in other colors is a solution?), but the overall directionality they put in the landscape it great. They create strong lines in the landscape, giving us a feel for what we can't see: the wind. Some of those wedge plates you placed also enforce that effect, but I have the feeling it would be stronger still if you'd rotate some parts 90 degrees, like the ones towards the front feet of the dewback. And maybe it would be even stronger if we some sand collecting in crevices perpendicular to the direction of the wind, and the inhabitant adapting their architecture to it (or maybe even the pylons of that domed tent tilting in the direction of the wind!). And while directionality in the natural elements is a good thing here, I feel like the artificial elements should be less aligned with each other. How to even achieve perfect alignment while building in the desert with little fixed reference points? Some randomness in the rotation of some of those tubes emerging from the sand would probably sell the haphazard look of the outpost more where you don't want to bother with alignment because you don't like being outside for too long. So maybe this is one of those cases where there should be more structure in the landscape than in the artificial elements, which you already show with the direction of the wind versus the random orientation of the dome and the curved wall.

Wow, this creation ended up inspiring me way more than I had anticipated! That can only be due to the many great touches you put in. So more MOCs please, much more :classic:

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@BEAVeR Your comments are always a treat. Thank you for spending so much time looking at my MOC and even more writing about it! I may just have to update it based on some of your very keen (and accurate!) criticism. Now go tell @goatman461 to give me a higher score! :wink:

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Awesome scene @MKJoshA - I really like the open space - something I have a hard time mastering. I always feel I have to exploit every inch of a moc. :) Also the doorway reminds me a lot of the new Mandalorian trailer - in fact the hole build gives of that vibe! Good job... ;)

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16 hours ago, MKJoshA said:

@BEAVeR Your comments are always a treat. Thank you for spending so much time looking at my MOC and even more writing about it! I may just have to update it based on some of your very keen (and accurate!) criticism. Now go tell @goatman461 to give me a higher score! :wink:

There are some nice details, the door especially, but I struggle to see past the sand. I also like the roller coaster parts, but I don't care for the domes and the way you included the rounded plates. The wall is nice, but the Encounter-on-Jakku tarp doesn't seem to fit. I think if there wasn't so much contrast between studs and smooth parts it would help these elements blend in more and not be so jarring.

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