Niloc

Someone sneaked a micro-observatory into the LEGO Creator homepage... Pure coincidence, funny easter egg or premonition to the Ideas Observatory? That shark is pretty cool by the way

LEGO and geometry, mix both and you create awesome techniques! Or not... I expected that by using a couple of the new ''A-shape 45 degrees wedge plates'', it would create a pretty nice wheel on which I could stack bricks and plates. So, as I excitingly started to build with so many ideas in mind (towers, tanks, tank towers... ), I ran into a problem. It just doesn't work...! I thought that the space between 2 opposite sides of the central octagon would be 5 studs. Odd number? No problemo. But to my surprise and dissapointment, it's 5 studs and 1 millimeter! 1 millimeter. As you can barely see here, the right side of the green plate overlaps the A-wedge by 1-2 millimeter, so it becomes impossible to use simple techniques to build on the wheel... The offset is ''uncompatible'' with the basic-even LEGO system: I tried to downsize the circle for fun. The offset becomes 4 mm. Still unsolvable: I'm sure there's a lot of precision and thoughts of ''system compatibility'' that go into the design of every new piece at LEGO. So I thought it was (kinda) interesting that the design of this piece doesn't allow to make a nice working circle. It's so close! Do you think there's a simple solution to that problem? Did the designers of the A-shape wedge made a mistake or was it all part of the plan? Do you know any other technique that comes so close to working? Brick on! (and feel free to steal that ''failed'' technique, if you can find any use to it)

You're not alone! Always happens... choosing between 2 sets and standing in the aisle, just looking back and forth, choosing one, then leaving it. Then choosing the other... What a pain! I was so tired of that that I developped some techniques/rules to make a quick decision: 1- Compare the overall good and bad between sets, price and number of pieces (±2 minutes) 2- Think about which set(s) I will be most happy to have in a month's time. (±30 seconds) 3- Remember that it's not a life decision, just a really small decision and that whatever the choice, there is no reason to regret it. 4- Set a price limit (±30 seconds) 5- Make an ultimate decision within the next 30 seconds It works for me most of the time and now I don't waste time anymore! @ dr_spock I had no idea that condition actually existed. I thought you were joking at first, but then I looked further and read about it, and it does explain that situation perfectly.

Incredible build Mike S! That dome geometry is really impresive. Great use of the ball joints!

Really nice idea and execution! I'm always pro arena robot fights! The robot turned MANTIS is reallt cute, and those plants are very original!

That crashing! It's amazing! Must have been a pain to set... The truck is great and I love that green vacuum cleaner.

---------- ID // Virtual Space -- C09 x 1000bpis -- Acess required // // Access granted -- Log K1 required // // Secure channel -- KG property -- Enter pswrd A70 // / *****-**/ // Access granted // // Open stream // ---------- SCIENTIFIC OUTPOST Location: Orinshi, Area 6 Status: Active Welcome new member, We are happy to add you to our dear family of the Kawashita Group, where excellence is rewarded, pride and honor, celebrated. You chose well and we promise you a bright future. May Kawashita bring fortune to you and your close ones. Oops, I forgot to introduce myself. I am ISEE-4, automotivated AI based on Orinshi. I will guide you through our science installation of Area 6. As you know, science has always been at the heart of Kawashita, from the very first creations of our great leader Osamu Kawashita to the extraordinary discoveries we are making today. The Andromeda System is full of new paths to explore. It is our duty to lead the way and understand what we are surrounded by. Everyday, scientific outposts across the Pearl of Jade (C09 Orinshi) help us get closer to these goals by analyzing the thousands of samples sent by our courageous explorers across the galaxy. The Area 6 installation is specialized in biotechnologies and robotics. There, you will help our best scientists understand Orinshi's ecosystem to push the boundaries of science with our understanding of artificial intelligence. (...) You can easily and quickly reach the outpost with our elegant monorail system, which now covers up to a quarter of Orinshi! Enjoy the view and don't miss the famous Gincolx flyers and gigantic Eden trees. Or you can hitch a ride in our impressive "Bat" B57-model Carrier. It's usually crowded with laboratory packages, but the crew should let you slip in a crack with no problem (as long as you don't sing!). If you need fresh air, you can always borrow a land vehicle from our hangar bay and go safely explore the endless jungle. But don't forget to bring back samples! Before you leave, don't forget to say hello to our physicists and engineers! They're always working hard to bring you the latest data in the impressive TWIN complex. Who knows, if you get them on your side they may let you in on well-guarded secrets, or even grant you access to the Radar Tower! Thank you for reading this log, read the annex for more details. I hope you will enjoy your stay at Area 6 Scientific Outpost. May your journey be safe and exciting in the KG family, To Honor and Glory, ISEE-4 // End log // ---------- P.s: I have a problem. Since the image size limit on Eurobricks is 800x... (something like that ), I upload images on Imgur of the same size (originaly 4000 pixels reduced to 800 pixels) so they fit in the limit. However, there's no link to any gallery, so it's not really possible to see bigger images. In this case, details get lost, as you can't zoom in without losing quality and getting blurry zoom-ins. Say I want to get a fine look at the build, is it possible to deeplink a big image (2000 pixels) but make it small (800 pixels) in the post, then click on it and it opens in another screen with the original size? Or do you have to use Flickr so that people can go to your gallery and enlarge the picture? Sorry if it's not clear. It's just bothering me.

---------- Log 4 - Miracle of Life On the eve of his crucial and secret mission, Marcus receives an unexpected transmission from one of many probes he launched in the first days of colonization. The sentinel’s discovery might very well be the key to robotics’ next step… ---------- Night had fallen on Guinevere as I left Garden Gold with a new objective. But to lead our mission, me and special agent Nova had to get back to the front line. Well, far over the front line to be precise. Hundreds and hundreds of kilometer through the endless desert, our stealth hovercraft slithered between volcanoes and MANTIS patrollers, closing on a rally point our spies had secured. Nights are long on Guinevere. Don't know if it's due to the scorching heat or the fact I can never close my eyes. Must be the latter, since Nova fell asleep in a matter of minutes, lying in the craft's corridor with his usual pose. Heck, I've been with him less than a day and I already know his usual pose, hands over knees, black katana hanging near, head tilted to the front, not so much as to give the impression he's awake. Like he could strike at any time. Why can't I sleep? Is it danger I fear? New surroundings? Or is it only my friggin legs that hurt as always? Anyway, I don't waste my time doing nothin' while standing around like an idiot. I guess some would find me pretty stupid anyway, as I read instead. Yup, read. Manuals, logs and other guys reports that I can find on the virtual board... INCOMING REPORT, INCOMING REPORT. ATTENTION. "What the heck!", I say surprised as I bump my head on a crate. The report sound beeps continuously from my helmet. The flickering red light blinds me in the darkness. What the...? Who would send a report at that time? I stretch my arm to reach the helmet, I put it on and I listen... On Sorn... Encrypted transmission from ISEE-3, location on Sorn. I repeat, encrypted transmission from... Alright, alright, this is N.K Marcus on Guinevere, I hear you. ISEE-3, is that really you?.. Can't be! Identify yourself and your request. Sir Marcus, it's a pleasure to hear from you. It is I, ISEE-3 Sentinel Unit 5 speaking. I am currently probing on Sorn as you have requested. I have come across a very, very interesting specimen. I think it will peak your interest as much as mine. I have run and rerun the scanners, sending you the data as we speak. (...) ISEE-3. He's part of a couple of drones I've programmed when I was still on Orinshi, waiting for my cybernetic legs, I was running strategic scans for Leadership council and that's when I met him. Well... "met" is a big word. You can't really meet a program, can ya? Anyway, he was coordinating the medical bay all by himself, which was pretty impressive. I thought he had potential for exploration, so I copied his program and re-wrote its code, which was indeed perfectly fit for data retranscription. Anyway, anyone would be bored if I got into more details, but I asked the 1st Colonial Fleet if they could take a bunch of ISEE-3's probes and connect its data to the main center, so that I could follow their every move. I lost every single signal after day 1. Never thought I would hear of him again... Are you sure this data is correct ISEE-3? Seems pretty impossible to me, honestly. What you're basically saying is that you're looking at growing metal. Not very believable if ya ask me. It is correct, sir. Unbelievable, indeed, but I see it with my own 200 eyes. Turn in Manual Mode, ISEE-3. I'm lucky we're on adjacent planets, maybe I can take control without too much interference. As you wish, sir. And in a second, I could see through the probe's eyes, control his movements. So I got closer to that whatever "living metal", and I saw... A green plant, glowing. But it wasn't a normal plant. It was hypnotizing, as hard as rock and as shiny as silver. I scanned it. Once. Twice... I couldn't believe it. It was checking the properties of a living organism, while showing the shape of metal... Manual mode off, back to automatic ISEE-3. What we've got here is like a miracle. Send an emergency signal to the closest crew, ASAP. Tell em' the reports. Take samples for the labs. They're gonna enjoy it like it's paradise. Good job, ISEE. Protect the plant at all cost. Don't let it fall in the bad hands... See ya ISEE, soon enough I guess. Good luck. ENDING TRANSMISSION. If there was no mistake, we had found our first biomechanical species in the history of Terra. Heck, I couldn't believe it. Everything it could represent... A new horizon could open. Who knows? I guess I had to give it to our scientists and see... Back to the mission. No way I would sleep now. For Glory and Honor ---------- -- DATABASE -- Another view of the ISEE-3 Sentinel #5 - Flight mode: Those probes are versatile, solid and very intelligent, as per Kawashita requirements. What's also great about ISEE-3 sentinels is that they know how to... "clean up the trash"... [WARNING - Security clearance - May not be suitable for the faints of heart] Yup, last-minute-fast-&-bad-lightened build. That's my type!

Haha, I had a particularly good laugh with this one! You're a master storyteller Big Sal is good to improvise in difficult situations, really, he's... surprising. "Isn't the Nobel prize a medal?" Best one yet! Who knows, it could have changed a lot through the years, right... But I mean, those Kawashita guys sure are naive! Huh... Wait... Hey! And that chubby drill is nice too! Your first SNOT rock is nice. The rock feels very natural.

In this week report, an ISEE-3 drone found a biomechanical vegetal species on Sorn, which could be very interesting to develop new technologies: The sample will be sent to Area 6's Scientifc Outpost for further analysis. To thanks Leadership Council for its hard work, I'd like to transfer 210 credits to our CEO Narbilu-sama. May it help Kawashita go forward!

Thanks a lot everyone! Every new day is a landmark for Kawashita! Thanks! So I'm not crazy! This is where the idea to call it a ISEE-3 sentinel came from. Must be the multiple eyes. Thanks!

Another huge fantastic build! The spinner-mushrooms are really clever, as are the big ones... Great and busy landscape, worthy of an epic battle. That mushroom forest will be hard to top in the mushroom category! That MANTIS battlesuit has style I could go on...

Holy Kawa!! That's gigantic... So many blue 1x1... So many details... I just don't know what to say... The boat, the plants, the bridges. Woah. Awesome. Will have to take a closer look.

Also seen Inside Out. Twice... It was AMAZING! The short "Lava" before the movie was also really good. First time I go to the movies two times in a week to see the same movie!.. Pixar conquered my heart long ago, but I have to say this one ranks high in my animation hall of fame. Did see some confused kids, but ones who also liked it. Lot of tears in the theater! My experience through the movie was something like that: The End.

---------- Log 3 - New Worlds Await Clash! The roguish Mantis Corp has started skirmishes on Guinevere. As peace between corporations is debated, Marcus is summoned to a remote facility on Guinevere to discuss the fate of his now uncertain journey… ---------- The class-2 mission on Lesser Direstan was a success. While Ash was a pain in the neck at times, he carefully followed (most of) my orders. With advanced equipment, we ended up mining 50K of Awesomnium in half a day, which is pretty good if you ask me. Or so I thought… Not so long after my return on the vessel orbiting Lesser Direstan, I was summoned by Mr. Nagashi of Leadership, who was the one to assign me the class-2 trial in the first place. This time he requested my presence on Guinevere. Heck, can ya believe that! Another interstellar travel, as if 2 times a month wasn’t enough! Though I was getting tired of long distance travels, I remained curious about one thing: he wanted to meet me far from the active territories, in the Garden Gold facility, a Leadership meeting center, exclusive to its members. Not a place for a pilot, let’s say. Weird things after another these days… I arrived in a private KG hovercraft to the Garden Gold domain, a red dot in a sea of sand, rocks and volcanoes. Elite troops were awaiting on the landing platform to guide me through the clean, vast corridors of the palace. They left me before two gates with golden ornaments, which led to a wide, open room with carved walls and a complex window. There, Mr. Nagashi was standing still, awaiting with a stranger sitting on the floor next to him, who honestly looked like a dead samurai. Dang. Mr. Nagashi didn't wait to tell me the reason of this meeting. (..) Mr. Nagashi : Welcome, Marcus, nice to see you again. Marcus: The pleasure's the same, Nagashi-sama. That's a beautiful place we got there... I'm glad you've granted me the access...But what do you request of me? Mr. Nagashi: Marcus, Leadership knows you have a lot of potential. We saw something very promising in you that others don't have. Unfortunately, your talent was put... on a time out... when you arrived in the system. Be sure we are aware of this. In this line of thought, I hope your legs are not bothering you anymore... However, we assigned you a class-2 mission as soon as you were out, anticipating your success, knowing you would prove yourself to Kawashita-sama as you have in the past. We had high hopes and were ready to promote you to class-3 when protocol would allow it, but the results we received were unexpected. Leadership wanted you exiled from the order, but I convinced them. I told them you were not used to your legs, that your senses were blinded by the beauty of Andromeda. That you would soon rise from that deep sleep and become the man you are destined to be. Thus, they gave your destiny to my personal care. There is a world out there, Marcus. Beyond that window, it awaits to be discovered. Mysteries and treasures beyond belief. That is what drives us to be excellent. To reach the unknown, to understand it, make it our own. Tell yourself: "what do I want the most?". Going back on Terra, feed the war and hope for a better tomorrow? Or explore... this, he told me as he opened his arms in the infinite. Marcus: I wish to stay and prove myself, Nagashi-sama. Mr. Nagashi: We can give you that chance, one last time. Mr Nagashi: The other corporations have been very active lately… It’s only a matter of time before our interests really… clash. Octan is still far, but we’re watching their every moves as we speak. As for Mantis, they are on this very planet, stealing our very gold. They’re barbarians, without tact, without honor. They don’t see further than the end of their noses, but these brutes got here before us. Do you see my point, Marcus? They are an imminent thread. Marcus: Aren’t we signing a deal with the Mantis Corp? Mr. Nagashi: Narbilu-Sama and the executives are saving us time. Soon enough, we’ll be fighting for a piece of gold and a pen and paper won’t be enough. Though, it gives us an opportunity… An opening in the shadow. That’s where you come in, that’s where you get your second chance. Marcus: And that guy’s got the word? Right? Nova: … Mr. Nagashi: Nova, a special force who has proved worthy more than once. He never failed. He never missed. You and him will work together as a team for this new mission. He is the key to your absolution. Understood? Marcus: Yes, Nagashi-sama. Mr.Nagashi: Then, we shall begin. There is much to settle on Guinevere… Honor. Glory. Kawashita. ---------- KG Art Database (Delta-2 Access): Full view of the structure: That was a fun build! I tried to put details here and there... The wall sculptures are inspired by Chris Mcveigh's Brick sketches. Those are fantastic!

Great and elegant! Dynamic and colorful!

Beautiful! Surprising how red and light gray fit so well together. That should be our color scheme! The curved wall is a really nice piece, but the trike and Kawashita symbol on the floor are also very good. And Akito Kawashita is quite the man... Why does it seem the top executives are so harsh on us? The KG code of honor is really tough on the mind...

Thanks everyone! The starting idea for this build was really the flex tubing to make trees, so it's nice to know you find them weird and creative. That was my goal. I try to create new techniques for landscape, since a lot of the same techniques are always coming back.

---------- Prologue: Eden Trees Before the Kawashita Group arrived in the remote system of Andromeda, the planet Orinshi had already been inhabited by civilizations older than time. As much as humans would do, these civilizations worshiped Orinshi’s miracle: the Eden tree… ---------- “Trees are the veins of our soul, guardians of life.” - San Tze Tzui the 9th (AD 3554 – 3710) Orinshi, which will later be renowned as the “pearl of jade”, holds the most extraordinary wildlife one could imagine. In the endless verdant plains and luxuriant rainforests, one could dedicate his life to study a fauna and flora of such unimaginable complexity, he could never reach the bottom… Amongst the miracles Orinshi shelters, one literary and figuratively stands above all: the EDEN TREE. Taller than any tree recorded in Earth’s history, this herculean tree can reach an astounding height of 200 meters and spreads its roots on a 10 km radius. In the first years of its life, the Eden tree’s growth spurt alone is strong enough to pull apart and lift the surrounding ground: it’s not uncommon to find rocks and minerals mixed with the dark-tinted bark. Nest to a vast number of flying and climbing species, the unique Eden tree is for many reasons a cornerstone of its ecosystem and a majestic monument of the Orinshi jungles. ---------- A hoard of Datrinubes getting closer to the mighty river. These gigantic beasts can measure up to 10 meters long! They usually travel in pack of 2 or 3, a male, a female and their offspring. They are a common species of Orinshi and are often found around Eden trees, as they mostly feed of their roots: Sleeping underground, an ancient and mysterious vessel carved by the ages...: ---------- Not a main picture worthy of these herculean trees... Though they were still nice to make! I tried a strange new technique (to me, anyway) to make these trees and think it ended up pretty well. It does show gaps, but in my opinion, it mimics nicely the "curvature" that can be found in some trees. The foliage is pretty basic and blocky, but it's a style I guess! And hey! It's my first rock work ever! Hurray! May Kawashita bring fortune.

Thanks a lot everyone! I try to improve presentation (photo, story, etc.) a bit every week, so I'm glad the perspective seemed to have worked more this time than in my first entry. Very encouraging Yup, these little fellas are bonsai trees! Thanks! Misunderstanding! Really, what Mr. Nagashi was trying to say is that the treaty will just delay an inevitable war between Kawa and Mantis. Everything is cool now... or is it?

I was requested on Guinevere to lead a mission that represents my last hope: New Worlds Await. Apparently my stay on the planet will be very, very long... In other news, our scientists have published a documentary on Orinshi's Eden Trees. A very impressive specimen. I could see them from far away while I was there. They seemed so tiny! I guess I was really far away...

Amazing! Great pose, nest and background! NPU on the droid parts. It's surprising how there are almost no studs showing, too.

Nice build and great edit Mark of Falworth! Love the 4 colours in the rock At first I thought the front rock was part of a gigantic canyon, but then the minifigs considerably reduced the scale! It would make a nice continuation to your storyline if you don't have time to change it to "challenge mode".

Love the action scene where MANTIS troops fall in a lava pit. And that explosion at the end! Good job taking care of 'em. The security clearance is also a nice idea.