Darkblane

Just posted my entries for Category A and Category B. I actually built these a few weeks ago, just after the contests were announced, but it's taken a few weeks to get them photographed and uploaded to Flickr. I'd actually planned to enter Category C, but just never got around to coming up with four original ideas. There were some really good entries in Category C, but I can see why TLG might not have approved. In case anyone was wondering, my Category A entry is supposed to be the cross section of an aeroplane, above a forced perspective ground. It was inspired by the Douglas Dakota where the rear door is situated behind the wings, but before the tail, and I'd have liked to have done it in dark green, had the right parts in the right colours been available. Unfortunately I think it's one of those vignettes which looks better in reality than photographed. I also found Category B quite challenging as it was hard to come up with a logical, yet original, combination of minifigs which worked well together, so instead I opted for a slightly random combination and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Also, this is the first time I've looked at the other entries since the contests were initially announced and I've got to congratulate everyone on some seriously impressive entries again.

Do Cyborgs Dream of Electric Sheep? This is for the Cyborg (Series 3) interacting with the Surfer (Series 2) and the Nurse (Series 1). Project Electric Sheep Log Author Nurse Hauer Date Stamp 2158.02.28 14:44 FPT On behalf of Dr Xavier Storm, I am conducing a series of experiments to determine whether or not cyborgs dream of electric sheep. He feels that this is an important area of research which has so far been neglected by his fellow researchers here at the Institute. Unfortunately, past results have proven inconclusive. With previous test sequences, the combined dream analyser and holographic projector has failed to produce any kind of coherent response. In addition, I fear that some of our test subjects may have been irreparably damaged by the process. However, I have now commenced test sequence 453-Gamma-3 using test subject Cyborg XF218 and the results appear to be positive. Based upon the output of the holographic projector, it appears that we can conclusively state that our test subject dreams of becoming a surfer. Whilst this was not the result we were looking for, today's success is a clear indication that we have made some progress towards resolving one of our generation's greatest unsolved questions. One day, I am confident that we will be able to locate the elusive electric sheep. Research continues ... The Cyborg minifig stands on the two studs at the bottom of the "dentist's chair". Check out the complete set on Flickr if you are interested in seeing the vignette from another couple of angles and with the Cyborg included: Electric Dream on Flickr Also, the dream in this vignette can be removed and replaced with any other standard 8x8 vignette. For example, this is the vignette with the surfing dream replaced with another one of my vignettes.

Parachute This is for the Pilot. The pilot took one last look around the interior of his plane and then looked out at the ground below. It didn't look anything like it did on his map and it was certainly a lot closer than he would have liked, but with the fuel tank shot to pieces he was never going to make it back to base. Oh well ... let's just hope this parachute works! The Pilot minifig stands facing outwards on the two studs in the doorway. Check out the complete set on Flickr if you are interested in seeing the vignette from another couple of angles as well as with the Pilot included: Parachute on Flickr

I see I'm not the only one to go down the golf route ... Four! "Three?" "Seven?" "No ... Four!" And yes, I do know it's supposed to be Fore, but that doesn't mean this golfer does.

I think this is because the series 3 minifigs are not necessarily easily available in all countries yet, so allowing the use of their parts would potentially give an unfair advantage to those who had access to them over those who did not. I'm guessing this is also the reason why the series 3 minifigs are not allowed in their own vignettes.

Awesome, I really enjoyed the other two contests, so I'm looking forward to this one as well. Already got my idea for Category A, though I'll need to have a think about Categories B and C ... Just to clarify, with Category B, is it an interaction between a Series 3 minifigure and one other figure i.e. Series 3 and Series 1 or Series 3 and Series 2 or is it an interaction between a Series 3 minifigure and two other figures, one from Series 1 and one from Series 2? I've read the rules a few times and the wording seems a little ambiguous, so the more I read it, the more confused I get as to exactly how many figures need to be in Category B.

Hi everyone, I don't usually do Star Wars themed MOCs, but I've got a few Star Wars sets and this idea popped straight into my head the moment I read about the contest. It's relatively simple, but I thought I'd give it a go, especially with the snow outside, which is actually quite uncommon at this time of year in the UK. "These aren't the trees you're looking for."

R66Y - 3 NovaStar - 2

Turkey Gunship This spaceship was created for the Build a Turkey contest currently being run in the LEGO group on Flickr. I thought I'd share it here as well, just in case you didn't keep an eye on that group. I wanted to build something a little bit different for the contest and was inspired by Brickfrenzy's Turkey Mech to create a turkey shaped spaceship. It was built over about 10 nights, using only the bricks I had spare, as there wasn't time to order any parts from BrickLink without missing the contest's deadline. By the 47th Century, turkeys had been genetically modified to intersteller proportions. Unfortunately with increased size came increased aggression and turkey farmers had to resort to increasingly sophisticated technological solutions in order to continue farming them. The turkey gunship was designed to immitate these intersteller turkeys in order to allow the turkey farmers to get close enough to dispatch them without serious injury, using the two quad cannons mounted on the underside of the gunship. Many turkey farmers still remember a time before the turkey gunship was developed and the tragic losses they suffered during the great turkey wars of '43 and '58. Whilst each turkey gunship can be piloted by a single turkey farmer, due to stability issues, an onboard artifical intelligence, hardwired into the heart of the ship, is required to micromanage the flight control. There are more photos in the set on Flickr: Turkey Gunship @ Flickr

Cheers for the comments everyone. The gunship doesn't have a flight position as such, it simply flies in the same fixed position as shown. The legs don't have any repositioning functionality, as I'd conceived them to be more like landing struts / stanchions. It hovers with the aid of its anti-gravity generators (the circular protrusions behind the legs) and there are thrusters mounted on the rear of the ship for propulsion. As I'd said in the back story, the gunship suffers from stability issues in flight as it isn't exactly aerodynamic, especially with two fixed legs, and that is why the artificial intelligence is needed ... I think it's funnier to imagine this ship as being quite clumsy and ungainly instead of sleak and smooth, especially considering its unusual shape. In reality, I'm actually surprised at how balanced the model turned out to be, considering its overall shape and the weight the legs have to support. During the build, the center of gravity tended to be too far forward and the weight of the head forced it to lean forwards, but it only took a few extra parts on the rear to resolve this.

Thanks Brickthing for running an excellent series of competitions and thanks to everyone who voted for me. Also congratulations to the other winners, especially The Lanterne Rouge. I really enjoyed having a go at these competitions as it's not an area I usually build in. And it was great to find a use for all those random Bionicle bits I've got!

Hi everyone, I've never created a custom minifig before, but thought this contest was a good reason to give it a go. I've not got any experience with creating transfers, so opted to use green stuff and acrylic paints as I've used these before for wargaming. Unfortunately I had a few problems with the paint, as it didn't stick as well as I would have liked and is a little too easy to scratch off. I'm assuming that I should have sanded the LEGO parts slightly before painting. I attempted to use some varnish to seal the paint to the parts and also to give them a gloss finish as the paint was matt, but the varnish didn't spread very well and left quite a few visible brush strokes. I've got some different varnish to try next time. Regardless of these issues, here is my entry. Theme: World of Warcraft Character: Level 60 Tauren Druid Cost of LEGO parts: Approximately £3 (the majority of parts are from the witch collectable minifig, plus a head, cape and lightsaber handle) Cost of custom material: Approximately £3 (some green stuff, acrylic paint and a small amount of plastic for the weapon blades) Welcome to the Blizzcon Costume contest and our first contestant: Level 60 Tauren Druid. He's wearing the Wildheart Rainment and wielding the Tower of the Mouldering Corpse. Unfortunately the judges will be quick to identify that the Tower of the Mouldering Corpse is a Level 80 weapon and will be sure to mark the contestant down for this anacronism. There'll probably also be some debate as to whether or not the contestant's glasses are appropriate for a Tauren ... Vignette Front Back Right Side Left Side Additional photos can be found on Flickr: Level 60 Tauren Druid @ Flickr Additional Notes For anyone not familiar with World of Warcraft, I thought I'd include a small amount of additional information: Blizzcon is a genuine convention, annual held by Blizzard Entertainment to celebrate their major franchises: Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo. As part of this, there is an actual costume contest, as well as a dance contest and in previous years, a soundalike contest. Within World of Warcraft, Tauren a race of are huge nomadic creatures who live on the grassy, open plains of Mulgore in central Kalimdor. Tauren are large, muscular humanoids and bovine in appearance, complete with hooves and horns. They stand anywhere from six and a half to nine feet tall and weigh anywhere from 400 to 700 pounds. Their immense bodies are covered with fine, short fur that ranges in color from black to gray to white to red to brown to tan. So as you can see, apart from the horns which my cosplay character has attached directly to his helmet, he doesn't exactly meet the requirements of a Tauren, and definitely doesn't look bovine in appearance, especially with his glasses on (which he can't see without as he is extremely short sighted). And yes, I do play a Tauren Druid in World of Warcraft, and I chose to recreate the Wildheart Rainment as it is my favourite set of druid armour. The Tower of the Mouldering Corpse is the weapon my in game character is currently wielding, and I thought it was a nice design to try and replicate.

I just thought I'd post and say thanks for all the comments. I get a lot of enjoyment from building with LEGO, but it's also really nice to have what I build appreciated by other people. It's one of the reasons I like to enter LEGO contests, though I also like the challenge of trying to build models to fulfill predefined specifications. So now that the voting has started, if you like my entry, please don't forget to vote for me.

This is my entry for the Vehicles category of the Villain Factory contest, with additional photos. Rad Bike The Rad Bike was originally developed by Magma as his personal rapid assault vehicle. Constructed from volcanic debris, the bike was originally called the Volcan Bike and came equipped with Volcanic Blasters, identical to those carried by Magma himself. Unfortunately, the Volcan Bike was "borrowed" by Corroder and subsequently returned in a significantly more corrosive and radioactive condition. Luckily, Magma is unaffected by the radiation emanating from the bike and after a quick modification to the Volcanic Blasters to convert them to fire Uranium and a simple rename, Magma now rides the Rad Bike into battle against his enemies. Magma The rider is Magma, my entry for the Villains category of the Villain Factory contest. Rad Bike and Magma @ Flickr

Wow, thanks everyone, I'm really pleased to have done so well in both categories. And as lisqr said, congratulations to the other winners. I'm also glad to see you did very well lisqr, as I really liked both of your entries. I've also got to mention that squiz's first place was very well deserved. Such an fantastic concept and very well executed. I love the technique used to produce the wave. I really like the fact that these competitions show how well these figures can work in almost any setting. For example, whilst mine and lisqr's entries were both designed for the same figures, they are worlds apart from each other. So again, a big thank you to WhiteFang for organising these competitions and I look forward to the Series 3 ones ... Finally, to everyone who didn't place high enough for a prize, I didn't do very well with my first entry in the Series 1 competition, so I know what it's like. As WhiteFang / BertFang said don't feel disheartened, just keep practicing and there's always the chance that you'll do better in the next competition.

Rad Bike The Rad Bike was originally developed by Magma as his personal rapid assault vehicle. Constructed from volcanic debris, the bike was originally called the Volcan Bike and came equipped with Volcanic Blasters, identical to those carried by Magma himself. Unfortunately, the Volcan Bike was "borrowed" by Corroder and subsequently returned in a significantly more corrosive and radioactive condition. Luckily, Magma is unaffected by the radiation emanating from the bike and after a quick modification to the Volcanic Blasters to convert them to fire Uranium and a simple rename, Magma now rides the Rad Bike into battle against his enemies. This isn't an area of Lego I usually build in, but I've accumulated a few random Bionicle parts and I've got quite a bit of Technic, so thought I'd give something a go. I used most of my Bionicle parts on my villain entry, so I've had to use more Technic on this than Bionicle, but even so, I'm really pleased with the result. Topic with Additional Photos

Magma Many of Von Nebula's henchmen have made the mistake of underestimating Magma. He may appear cool on the outside, but underneath he has a red hot temper. This temper is not just restricted to his enemies and many of his servants have been reduced to slag for incompetance. In addition to this inner rage, Magma is equipped with Volcanic Blasters and forearm mounted Lava Blades. For now Magma is content to serve under Von Nebula, but his volatile nature indicates that he may erupt at any moment and strike out on his own ... Suspect is considered extremely dangerous! If you see this person, do not try to apprehend. Call Hero Factory immediately, and a Hero will be dispatched to capture the suspect. This isn't an area of Lego I usually build in, but I've accumulated a few random Bionicle parts and I've got quite a bit of Technic, so thought I'd give something a go. As you can see, I've had to improvise in certain areas as I just didn't have the right Bionicle parts for these areas, but even so, I'm really pleased with the result.

Well, I'm assuming this is the right thread for the actual contest entries, even though I've yet to see any other entries posted here ... Salvage Salvage was contructed by Magma to assist him with his villainous schemes. In order to survive the heat of the areas in which he must work, as well as Magma's own red hot temper, Salvage was contructed from a heat resistent alloy. His primary role is to collect volcanic debris and scrap metal, as well as salvageable parts from Magma's defeated enemies. I built this using the last few Bionicle parts I had left over from building both my villain and vehicle entries for the main villain contest.

Thanks again to WhiteFang for running another excellent contest. My three points go to: 1 Point - 4) Lifeguard Entry (Build by Dan Church) 1 Point - 15) Traffic Cop Entry (Build by Profound Whatever) 1 Point - 21) Witch Entry (Build by CorneliusMurdock) If I'd have had 1 more vote, it would have been for lisqr, as the technique used for the stars is very cool.

Thanks again to WhiteFang for running another excellent contest. My three points go to: 1 Point - 12) Diver & Surfer Entry (Build by squiz) 1 Point - 3) Spaceman & Pharaoh Entry (Build by Optimus) 1 Point - 2) Robot & Weightlifter Entry (Build by Dan Church) I'd have liked to have voted for lisqr's entry, but I thought that modifying the Series 1 figure was against the rules (as discussed here) and one of the Robot's arms has been replaced by a laser. If WhiteFang hadn't have explicitly stated that the Series 1 figure had to be in the original state, then I'd have replaced the Robot's arm on my entry, as I think the Robot looks so much better with two robotic arms instead of one robotic and one normal ... I also really liked legowill1's entry. Just a shame the photos weren't a bit clearer.

Time Storm This is for the Explorer interacting with the Robot. Project Time Storm Log Author Dr Xavier Storm Date Stamp 2157.09.18 23:27 FPT The Time Storm project is finally operational. For the past three years I have worked with my trusted assistant Robot XF137 to develop a functioning time portal capable of accessing the distant past. At 0700 hours the power capacitors were charged and the portal activated. I left my assistant to program the time coordinates whilst I changed into something more appropriate. Unfortunately upon passing through the portal, not only did I discover that I had not arrived in the jungle as intended, I also discovered that the original occupant of the tomb that I had in fact arrived in was not best pleased to see me. After spending precisely 3.45 seconds in the past, I leapt back through the portal and crash landed into my assistant who was about to follow me through the portal. Tomorrow I think I’d better program the time coordinates myself … The Explorer minifig fits into the space in the portal facing the Robot minifig. For stability, the Explorer minifig also holds onto the binoculars. These are the only three photos I've taken without the Explorer, as required by the rules of the contest. However, you can check out the complete set on Flickr if you are interested in seeing the vignette with the Explorer included: Time Storm on Flickr

Blood Drain This is for the Vampire. The nurse wondered when the vampires found out about the blood bank as they were becoming a real drain on the system. The Vampire sits on the hospital bed and the bat sits on the stud on top of the refrigerator. These are the only three photos I've taken without the Vampire , as required by the rules of the contest. However, you can check out the complete set on Flickr if you are interested in seeing the vignette with the Vampire included: Blood Drain on Flickr Also, WhiteFang, I know the rules state that some reasonable overhang is ok. I hope you don't mind that I've made the base fractionally larger by adding the tiled border (I had to find a way to hide the technic bricks that the base is made from), as the actual vignette is still 8 x 8. If this is a major problem I can remove it, but I can't see that it is any different than having an overhang within the actual vignette.

The series 1 minifig should be ok as the rules state: for both categories. I hope so anyway, as my entry for category A (which I've yet to post) also uses a series 1 minifig.

ARC-002 - The Arclight The Arclight was built in a few hours whilst taking a break from working on the ARC-001 (The Arctana). It is an agile, short range spaceship capable of atmospheric entry. Designed with speed in mind, engine capacity takes precedence over armour. In addition to the ship itself, I also created a scenic base in order to display it. The ARC-002 has a tendency to surprise the natives whenever it's taken on an excursion to one of those planets where they've yet to develop space flight. One of these days, someone's going to fit an ARC-002 with cloaking technology, or at least find a way to stop their pilots from flying so low. More photos can be found on Flickr: The ARC-002 on Flickr and The ARC-002 with Scenic Base on Flickr Hope you like it.

Hi everyone, I created this vignette for the Build-A-Fruit raffle over in the Other Themes forum. It turned out better than I originally expected it would so thought it deserved a proper thread to itself since I'm not sure how many people would see it otherwise. Plus the raffle thread only allowed one image ... "Nobody Move! This Is A Slip Up!" "Nobody Move! This Is A Slip Up!" on Flickr