Jareth

So I have posted Scruffy (the Grey One) before. He was a prototype, the other three are more refined. From Left to right we have Pajara, Scruffy, Thor and Mr Guinea. Aside from Scruffy the other three are based on actual guinea pigs I owned. I am also doing this as a test run to make sure that pictures from my phone upload well.

Hi there, It is my plan to build a ship for shiptember. No pics yet, but hopefully I will have something to show off soon.

Ok, I have no idea what's going on. I can see them even when I'm not logged in. Sorry Guys.

Sorry Guys, I don't know why the pics aren't working for you. They work even when I am not logged in.

hmm...its working fine for me. Anyone else?

Sorry about the wait on pics. I forgot I wouldn't have access to a computer over the three day weekend. Here are some of the parts I plan on Using Ooh, this pic came out nice. This shows how I attached the bow and stern to the hull, Here are the sides. And here are the sides. I've really gotta find my digital camera for the final pics.

Plus the way the fantasy "trolls" look just like D&D and WH orcs makes thing confusing. In my mind, there is one race of monsterous humans with a lot of variation on size and coloration, and they divide themselves into varous tribes that are named Orc, trolls, goblins Etc. So if someone has a fig and says its an orc and someone else calls it a troll....it's all ok

Hey there, I've got the new Heroica games and I feel that the rules need a little tweaking, but that's the best thing about Lego Games is that the sets encourage home rules. So I'll post a couple of ideas I had. #1 To make the game more cooperative, have the Druid be able to heal any adjacent character on a shield roll, but take away the ability of heroes to heal themselves if they loose all 4 hit points. You could also have characters be able to pool gold together and give potions to each other, between missions. #2 For some reason the weapons and the hero powers are very much alike, so there is no point in buying an axe for a barbarian or a wand for a wizard, but what if a character WITH the matching weapon was able to use the power on a Shield or a 3 roll instead of just on the shield roll. I just don't think the special powers are used often enough. #3 Perhaps when you roll a Shield and can't use it, you can skip a turn and save it for later on in the game. #4 Give monsters hit points equal to their power. When a hero hits one they loose 1 hit point. So it takes 3 hits to destroy the goblin king. As a monster takes hits you can put red 1x1 round plates on their heads, to keep track of damage. #4.1 when monsters hit heroes they do damage equal to the total hit points left. (So if a goblin king takes 1 hit and has 2 hit points left and then does damage to the hero, the hero takes 2 points of damage, not 3) #4.2 But what about when a hero and monster hit each other at the same time? Use the monster power/HP from the START of the turn. #4.3 I suppose heroes could have the same effect, so the less damaged a hero is the more damage he does.

so.....know we know what happens when Bennie designs a space theme..... Anyway, I have a very odd problem with this. I agree with a lot of you about the disapointing sets and how this will set back decent castle sets, but for me, I am very concerned about the colors. Lego has usually had a "golden ratio" of colors, especially in the space sets. A primary color, a secondary color and a highlight. My problem is that the good guys have red, white and blue (Or is the white gray?) in equal amounts more or less, If the Ratio was more 90% blue or gray, 9% blue or gray 1% trans something I would like it a lot better Plus red on both good and bad guys doesn't work for me.

DANG! I've been so buisy I didn't even realize there WAS a challenge III

Nope, It's part of a Train and Toys display at a local botanical garden.

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=493305 Here are more pictures

@blufiji: The windmill cranks the crane too. The folder is public! http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=550775

Here is My rendition of Giant Man. I took inspiration from both regular and ultimate marvel universes as well as what bricks were available to me. As you can see he can carry his fellow avengers around with ease. Does this look like the face of someone who created an abomination of science bent on human extinction? Does it? Perhaps Dr Pym's greatest super invention is pockets. For capturing super villains and minions. Here are some more pics http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=550776

Sorry for my continues absence. Here is one of the things I've been working on. I hope to bring these two towers to brickworld. I'll give a link to my bricklink page when it goes public and a more complete posting when I can get it into better photography conditions

So My LUG had a small building challenge. It had to include these two pieces http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=4744px3 http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=4744px7 And people were encouraged to have a dark sense of humor Here are the results, but please feel free to add your own kinderbot Pictures do not do the last one justice. The arm extends when the wheel on the back is turned.

Number: 30187 Name: Fast Car Theme: Creator Subtheme: Basic Model/Traffic Year: 2014 Minifigs: Zero Pieces: 56 (I count 61) Price: $3.29 Parts: If you like red and black then this is the set for you! I really have no complaints here. I guess the clear bricks could be something a little more modern and I don't need any wheels, but really, I usually find one piece that seems to have been included just beacuse the factory amde too many of them, but I can't see what that would be here. Here are the extra parts. No real surprises. I ilke having the extra grille tile, because I don't have a lot of them in red. I mean I used to not have a lot of them. I bought four of these sets. People: There aren't any. Design: Dang.....that is a solid mass of plates. I could probably huck it against a wall and not damage it. The compete model may loose the spoiler or exhaust pipes, but really, really solid design. I also appreciate that it could have been made with less parts, but more were added for both asthetic and durability. For example, it could really get away without the bottom 2x6 plate in light bley, but adding it sandwitches the wheel holder plates in place AND lines up with the bottom of the brackets on front and rear. As a side note, despite it's soild plate on plate construction, it was very easy to take apart. No brick seperator needed This car has a great retro feel to anyone old enough to remember when minifigs were introduced. Vroom Vroom! MVP: (most valuable Piece) It's the mudguard! For me the decision was easy. It's taken me a long time to war up to the new mudguards, so the retro feel and usefull color made this the best piece for me. The red grille tile and red grille slope were also great, but for me, it's all about the mudguards. Conclusion: Parts: 9/10 Minifig: NA Build: 10/10 Playability: 6/10 Price: 10/10 Overall: 9/10

I got this in my christmas stocking in 2013, but some recent troubles with my car, camera and library computer have delayed me from reviewing it till now. As cool as it would have been to review a 2014 set in 2013, I still think this will be a usefull review. Number: 30222 Name: Police Helicopter Theme: Town Subtheme: Police Year: 2014 Minifgs: one Pieces: 33 (I counted 36) Price: $4.99 (I Assume) Parts: As you can see, the pallette is more hit than miss. I like the color scheme as it is really great to have dark blue in basic plates and one brick. They greys and whites are also welcome additions. I'm not a big fan of the rotors or windscreen, but it wouldn't be much of a helicopter without them. I don't like the large bracket, but it probably cuts down on the parts count and makes it more stable. Extra parts. Not much to say, except that my older control sticks are starting to shrink. So I'm glad to have an extra replacement. People: The dark blue looks nice. From the front, a pilot's shirt with badge, and from the back like a bulletproof vest. Very nice detailing. The printed legs are nice, but I have no idea what the square on his left leg is supposed to be. Also the uniform color scheme matches the helicopters. Design: It's a fairly basic design. I've seen better landing skids, but I've also seen much worse. Elevating the body off the skids would improve the appearance, as would a reverse slope in place of the 2x2 brick. And here's the final build. I think the build suffers because of the limited pallette, but in the end I'm using this set for pieces, not a display piece. MVP: (Most valued piece) It's the Brick 1x1 with one side stud! The MVP was hoty contested as the dark blue pieces and the white tail are all worthy of the award, but In the end I decided that these pieces were the ones most usefull in any collection, and the piece most likelly to make me fill a cup at a BAP wall. Conclusion: Parts: 8/10 Minifigs: 7/10 (A better head or helmet would make this stand out) Build: 5/10 Playability: 8/10 Price: 7.2 (Based on $5, this could jump to 9 if priced at $4) Overall: 7/10 Would I get more of these? If the price was right, but then mainly as a parts builder and to see if I could come up with a better use for the windshield. If you would like to see more photos, please visit my gallery. http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=541869

Thanks! I was hoping someone would know.

Number: 30270 Name: Kraang's Laser Turret (AKA Kraang's Turtle Target Practice Theme: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Year: 2013 Minifigs: One Pieces: 36 ( I count 45) Price: $3.99 Parts: The parts themselves are okay. I personally would prefer the octagonal ring and arms to be in grey instead of flat silver. I feel that they would be more usefull, and I don't care for using both light grey and flat silver in the same metalic contraption. I also don't care for the magenta and pink, but it's probably important to differentiate it from the turtles colors. For all I know this is what Kraang's blasts look like in the new cartoon. Holy moley! Look at all those extra parts! And one of them is a round tile! People: Oops, I forgot to take a picture of Kraang, so here is the Brickset pic of him. Gah! with so much pink and blue, he looks like a friends creation. Ok, the pink color is unavoidable, but the blue...as near as I can tell the exosuit is metalic or grey, but is often lit by a blue light, so this is what we get. In 2014 this design will be grey, but the blue color makes this a pretty useless minifig. Design: Pretty straightforward. I like getting polybags without wheels, because I get more useable parts. The design is playability genius. This is actually a use of flick fire missiles I approve of. MVP: Most valuable Piece It's the 2x2 round brick with grille! I know this isn't exactly a rare part, but lets be clear. This is one of the least expensive ways of getting it. The other parts are great as well, but just the thought of making columns of these in light bley was enough for me. Of course now that I've said that they are going to start appearing on PAB walls. Conclusion: Parts: 9/10 Minifigs: 2/10 Build: 8/10 Playability: 10/10 Price: 9/10 Overall 7.6/10

I know this isn't a recent set, but it is still available in the US Number: 30250 Name: Ewar's Acro Fighter Theme: Chima Subtheme: Eagles Year: 2013 Minifigs: One Pieces: 33 (I count 35) Price: $3.99 Parts: Pretty good overall. I wish the colors were a little bit more unified. Ideally the blues would be one shade and the tan 2x6 would be white, but that's just getting picky. Extra parts. I'm glad to have the yellow plate. My tree fort has decimated my yellow plate supply. People: I mainly took this shot to show how silly the eagle head looks with goggles under the headpiece. The back. The front to show the great overall printing, and better face. By the way, I like this beak better than the chima raven I have. The back printing and silly goggles print. Ewar appears in four sets. Three of them with gold armor. This is the cheapest way to get him. (her?) Design: I think this design would look a lot better if the figure was more simple. The figure looks so good it sort of overshadows the mini plane. I also don't know why someone with wings would need a plane anyway. Anyway, its a good design that makes good use of limited parts to make a plane that looks like a bird. I don't really care for the skis (Perhaps they should have called it a jetski) and I really don't like the way the handlebars are attached with a 1x1 tile with clip. This connection is way too difficult to detatch. MVP: Most valuable Piece It's the wings! This was easy because I don't have any of the wings yet. Yeah, if I could have any of these pieces in bulk, it would be the wings. Conclusion: Parts: 9/10 Minifigs: 10/10 Build: 8/10 Playability: 8/10 Price: 9/10 Overall: 8.8/10

Number: 30254 Name: Razcal's Double Crosser Theme: Chima Subtheme: Ravens Year: 2013 Minifigs: one Pieces: 36 (I count 37) Price: $4? I traded to get this, so I assume it was the $4 range Parts: I don't need more wheels, but a flying creature doesn't need a plane, so I'll deal with it. I love black, so I really like this pallette. The only color is splash of dark red, and that's a new color I accept. If there was a mix of red and dark red, I'd be unhappy, but now I'm just looking for problems. \ Extra parts. No surprises here. People: Huh, I didn't take a picture of razcal with the armor and heapdiece on. Well, we can use the exra parts pic for the fron and just look at him without armor and heapiece. I really like the printing here. The torso would look great on an assasin, and those legs are definetally going on a blackfalcon knight. I prefer the head printing with the squinted eyes, but I still don't like the beak. It's a poor 2d representarion on a 3d object. Also, why do chima figs have full prints on both sides of the head? It makes it so they must have the headpiece to cover up the 2nd face, and the headpiece covers up everything but the eyes. Oh well, at least you can give them two different expressions. Razcal is available in 5 sets, 4 of them have normal armor like this, one has heavy armor. Design: Nice parts use: especially leaving some of the bracket uncovered for a scrapyard feel. Building the whole thing on a tilt is great, and helps avoid the "parts on a plate" feel, even though, in the end, this IS parts on a plate. The final build. I also like the way the handlebars are connected with a 1x1 plate and clip instead of a 1x1 TILE and clip. This makes disasembly much easier. MVP: Most valuable Piece It's the wings! Since I don't have any of these, this was an easy decision to make. The only peices I didn't like were the wheels, and onlybecause I have a ton of them allready. Conclusion: Parts: 10/10 Minfigs: 10/10 Build: 10/10 Playabuility: 8/10 Price: 9/10 Overall: 9.4/10

Due to some travel conditions, I had to have a friend fill up my holliday box for me. He did pretty well... 31 transred 1x1 plates 29 transred gems 4 brown 2x2 round plate with handles 11 dark green 1x1 brick 55 dark grey 1x1 brick 1 light grey bar ladder with clips 31 dark grey 1x1 tile with clip 10 light grey 1x1 tile with clip 42 light grey hinge control stick w/ black handle 18 clear 1x1 slope 195 olive green 1x1 slope 105 pearl gold 1x2 grille tile 3 red 4x6 plate 1 black 4x4 plate 4 1x3 brown plate 47 clear 1x2 brick 5 midblue 1x2 brick 1 tan 2x4 brick 9 darkgrey 2x4 brick 17 light grey 2x4 brick 12 light grey 1x3 brick 10 black 1x4 brick 1 lime 1x1 brick 10 1x2x5 brick 7 white 1x2 grille brick 13 white 1x2 brick with handle 4 white picket fence 26 white 1x2 panel I'm sure gald he filled it up when he did. When I was able to go on the 2nd, I was only able to find a few things I liked....but I got a lot of them! 10 White 1x2 brick 24 Tan 1x2 plates 59 Dark grey wheel wells 799 Yellow jumper plates so that's what almost 800 jumper plates looks like.

My group WISLUG recently showed off our space creations at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center in Monona Wisconsin. Here are teh Highlight Photos, but more can be seen in my brickshelf folder http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=540502

Book II Challenge 1 category C for Nocturnus The battle neded as all battles do. Not with a definete end, but with a slow lessening of screams. A slowing of a quickened heartbeat, and the dread anticipation of another wave leaching away as adreniline turns to sickness. The Patriarch of the El Bunil clan, Carlos, turned to the motley reinforcements at his gate. The uninvited ones. The unwelcome ones. The ones who had certainly saved his home, and his entire family, from certain destruction. The dwarves were intermingled with his own sons, nephews and cousins. Scouring the fields for the wounded. But their largest warrior was close by, while some Bufon in a wizard hat waved a red and gold flag around. "Well, Vecino, it seems that I am in your.....debt." He forced out. The warrior tunred to look at him, but beneath the mask, Carlos could read no emotion. "My family, you know, came here to avoid all this, and yet it follows us like a cordero, no?" Again the warrior said nothing. "My familia, we came from what we called the Tierras de la Marea. The lands near the borders of Avalonia y Kaliphlin. Every generacion or so, an army would tell us that the border had changed beneath us. Many families suffered, but we were afortunado for a long time si." The warrior turned his mask to gaze at the impressive stone walls of the keep. "Ah, yes our walls were part of it, but our cabezas were even more important, si? When the caballeros de Avalonia rode forth, we greeted them with bandera verde and hailed them as heroes and dug up buried statues of Santas de Avaonia. When Kaliphlin came back north we flew the bandera azul y roja and buried the statues." The giant scanned from the walls to the terrain around them, where the dead nocturnus plants seened to be larger than before the battle started. "Si, now we are here, eventually the trick did not work so well, and the walls were not enough. Mi padre y abuelo died defending those walls, while I was working the quarry. I became the youngest patriach of the El Bunil familia ever. I said 'enough of this, we go to a new land' so we hired ships and packed as much of the marble in the holds as lastre, you would say ballast as we could. These walls are made from marble and local granite. I was hoping they would keep us safe forever." The gigante looked at a massive crack in the wall, then back at Carlos. "Yes....at first it was good, but then....," Carlos shrugged and turned to the doorway, "Come, Vecino, come inside for a rest and some wine, yes?" Inside the warriors were already mingling and exchanging stories. Carlos looked around disoriented by the sight. "It is like when we first came here. So many people, the likes of which we had never seen. We built this Aldea, not just as a house, but as a badge of our skill and as a promise to the land. If only those days had lasted, my wife was taken by raiders of some sort. But we were like the stone. We wept in here, and then smiled to the outside. But our smiles got a little colder and our skin a little paler in the northern sun. The drow colapsed one of our quarries. Our smiles got colder and our skin paler. Our herds became....tainted....and our skin became whiter and our smiles became mas frio. The windblade came and cracked our walls. But we welcomed our homeless neighbors in, even the ones who refused to help us. But our skin became blanco and our sonrisas became colder. Now this place is not what it was meant to be. Our walls are cracked and poorly remandar, our rooves fallen, and our rooms made of wood. This land has changed us Vecino, it has. For once the silent warrior took action. He tapped the join where white marble touched grey noctunian granite. Carlos looked at the spot, then at the passive mask of the warrior again. "Yes, I see. You are a good one. You let me talk, because I am used to being listened to. But you are right. The walls might keep us safe, but only if we can tell friend from enemy, bueno from mal. We forgot that, and tried to keep everyone out, but no more." Carlos strode to the middle of the plaza and raised his voice, not to a shout, but to a voice that demended attention and echoed throughout the keep. "Escuchame! Family and guest alike. Our family thought to hide behind these walls and pretend that these time would sweep by us like the river around a stone. But No! The wall is only as good as the mason that stands on it, and we must be better! We must help our Patron SSilyrrlith as best we can. We must use our hammers to build walls and our swords to defend them. Let every loyal Castillo in the land be stronger from the work of El Bunil. Let our enemies know that an arm that can cut stone can also break armor. All we need now is a flag!" "I'm on it!" declared the jester, "just get me a ladder!" More pictures are available here http://www.brickshel...ry.cgi?f=538540