Henjin_Quilones
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Everything posted by Henjin_Quilones
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Nocturnus Minichallenge III: Pie Contest!
Henjin_Quilones replied to ZCerberus's topic in Guilds of Historica
Wishing I had a pie piece now... Ah well, I'll just have to be creative about it. Sounds like fun! Can someone post a current picture of His Lordship Raavage for those of us too lazy to go through back threads? -
Book II - Mitgardia: Guild sign-up and Discussion
Henjin_Quilones replied to Ecclesiastes's topic in Guilds of Historica
Looks fantastic already! I cannot wait to see this one completed. -
Nocturnus Minichallenge II: Paying Tribute
Henjin_Quilones replied to MassEditor's topic in Guilds of Historica
Prizes, you say? For the sake of prizes and glory, I might muster something... -
Nocturnus Minichallenge I: Foreign Aid
Henjin_Quilones replied to MassEditor's topic in Guilds of Historica
Sounds like a good time! I'll see what I can do. As a side-note, what are the banner colors of each side of the civil war? -
The Exetrius Saga (10): Festival of the Ranks (part 2)
Henjin_Quilones replied to Exetrius's topic in Guilds of Historica
Another well-told and well-photographed episode! Is that first guy an earthbender? Crazy stuff. Great posing and use of camera angles! I look forward to seeing some more of the story, too! -
I think the trees are the most interesting part of this build, and I quite enjoy how they look. My only quibble with them is that they lean a bit backwards; if they were a light bit more vertical, I think they would look even better. The angle of the leaves does not upset me in the slightest, as I think the piece is versatile enough to be used in many configurations. The rest of the vegetation, on the other hand, does seem a bit too cluttered to me. It does a great job of conveying lushness and the feeling of tall grass, but it is just so much green; a path to a small dock, or something to break up the mass of green, would improve things aesthetically, in my opinion. After all, an Avalonian soldier in retirement would probably want to spend some time fishing, or at least standing by the shore, and a path to get there would be an improvement on wading through tall grass every time. The cottage, though, is nicely done, and there are many good things to like here. Good job!
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Well done! This looks great, Titus! The stonework looks good, though I will echo what others have said that the 1x2 grill bricks do seem a bit out of place texturally here. Sometimes less is more when it comes to texture. And those arrow slits definitely need to be flipped, for the safety of the soldiers within... I like what you have done architecturally here, as the central tower with the wooden additions looks very nice, and very Avalonian, too. I'm not sold, however, on the little statue at the top of the battlements, as it seems out of place being so high above the rest of the crenelations, but I do like the ones built into the wall a bit lower down. The interior space is nice, if a bit sparsely furnished (it is a frontier fortress, after all), and the stained glass looks very good there over the entrance. I do not love the thatching for the roof, but as thatching it does look pretty good; I would rather see something more shingle-y on a castle roof, as thatch is just a bit too flammable for my liking. I agree with Garmadon again in saying that the vegetation seems a bit jumbled; more variation in leaf color, maybe, and more order in the arrangement would help. The vines and the little tree, as well as the growth on the roof, look good (though if I were living there, I would try to get those plants off the building, since the vines are tearing apart the masonry and the roof must be rotting, and probably leaking, if there are plants growing in it...). My favorite part, though, is the staircase coming up to the door. It is elegant and yet also slightly banged up, a testament to the efficacy of the fortress in repelling invaders and its utility in the wars. A good looking build, overall, and a great presentation!
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Very nice! This works very well. As SK said, it is great that it is on several plates, as that allows you to make it seem larger than your part supply can actually support. The foliage around the keep is well done, even though I personally do not really like the flower stems being used as grass (others favor them, but my own preference trends against them). When I first saw the build, I thought to myself that it looked rather Mitgardian with those roof gables, and lo and behold! it was deliberate. Well done! The stonework on the tower looks very nice, especially the sand green sections, and I like that you have some 1x2 tiles scattered in there too. I like the battlements at the top, in particular the little statues in the corners; it is an attractive little detail. And the interiors are great, too. The only thing I think could be a bit better is the terrain, as your land is rather flat, and there should be, at very least, a path going up to the door of the tower and coming away from the stables, either of brown dirt from where the grass has been worn away, or stone from a paved path (or a combo of the two). The land looks appropriately lush, however, and I really had to think hard to come up with something for improvement at all. Great work, especially for a first posted MOC!
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Wow, that is a spectacular build! I am not sure I have ever seen a small cottage so well done. The curved roof, the stones in the walls, the terrain, the supplies outside, the clothesline, the fence, even the bushes look great. Just wow. So vibrant, and yet so peaceful. You have a great sense of aesthetic, my friend!
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Builds for the Ye Old Merry Battleground Display
Henjin_Quilones replied to soccerkid6's topic in LEGO Historic Themes
These are great! I've seen the ones that you have posted over on GoH already, and I guess actually I've looked at all of them on the InnovaLUG site, but it is great to see all of your work together in one place. If I were to list all of what I like about these it would take all day, but the purple tree in the falconer's cottage in particular caught my eye. Are the leaves held on by being draped over the 3-stalk flower stems? That is a new way of attaching foliage, and one that I might have to copy. -
Guilds of Historica New Member Guide
Henjin_Quilones replied to SkaForHire's topic in Guilds of Historica
I am looking for a bit of advice here. I am a teacher, and one of my fellow teachers recently retired, leaving behind a bunch of old student projects on the shelves. One of those projects was a temple built out of Lego bricks, and I was able to 'save' it before it was thrown away with the rest, netting myself nearly 1500 pieces for free, including some great 2x2x11 columns in tan, some of those lion-head pediments common around Kaliphlin parts, and a whole slew of 8x16 bricks. So far, so good. The problem is that the temple was sitting assembled in a window of the old teacher's classroom for a while, and some of the bricks suffered some discoloration as a result. Now, I am not one to look a gift brick in the mouth, and they will be used either way, but it would be nice if they were not sun-stained. Does anyone know if that is permanent, or is there a way to reverse it? Thanks! -
Book II - Avalonia: Guild sign-up and Discussion
Henjin_Quilones replied to Rogue Angel's topic in Guilds of Historica
In my opinion, the tower stonework looks too chaotic and not unified enough to look like a single entity. There are just too many textures and colors for my liking. I get that you are going for the look of ruins, but it also looks far too solid to be ruins and instead just looks visually busy (again, too many textures and colors). A collapsed tower should be a pile of rocks, or at least a mostly-disassembled mass of stone, not a fully-assembled rectangular prism with a few holes. The landscaping looks good, though, especially the little river. I like the sand left behind on the banks. -
Book II - Avalonia: Guild sign-up and Discussion
Henjin_Quilones replied to Rogue Angel's topic in Guilds of Historica
With the exception of Deep Gardens, just claimed a post above you by Kahir, I believe this map to be updated and complete: And welcome to Avalonia! -
That's a fearsome band of mercenaries! I am glad I did not see anybody who looked skilled with a ship, so I am unlikely to see them in the Enchanted Forest region any time soon... This is a great introduction to your forces, and a good presentation of them. It was clearly well-thought out. I find your siege weapon and the wolf-head standard borne by that last group to be the most impressive elements of what you have just shown, but all of it looks good!
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The Exetrius Saga (9): Festival of the Ranks (part 1)
Henjin_Quilones replied to Exetrius's topic in Guilds of Historica
Great action shots! You have done an excellent job of capturing a magical duel in the midst of it happening, complete with beams of some sort of arcane energy flying out. I especially love the picture of him deflecting the beam away. The story ended too soon, leaving me hanging and wanting more... As for the build itself, as others have said, it is a nice use of those door pieces to create an arena. It performs admirably as the backdrop of your chapter. Allow me to echo SK, however, in wishing for an overview of the whole build to get a feel for it that way. But I really like what I see. -
That's a nice looking farm! I like the rows of crops, but especially that pumpkin patch. They will be set when Halloween comes! I also like that you made the hut in the back at an angle on the base, keeping everything from being on square, and the pig enclosure looks great. The gate is well done. My main suggestion for improvement is greater texturing of the ground; it is a bit too flat for my liking. Building it up more to create a more varied terrain would improve the feel considerably, in particular around the pig pen. Since pigs are always digging around in it I would expect it to be sunk beneath the surrounding land a bit, rather than the mud being higher than the grass as it is now. The straight line between the shed and pig pen is rather unnatural looking, too, which would also be improved by building up the base and adding more terrain texture. It takes more pieces, but I think it is worth it visually in the end. Some 1x1 round tiles and plates on the path would liven that up quite a bit too. Despite that, it is a very lively and fruitful farm, and I think it is your best build that I have seen yet. Keep up the good work!
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I love the ice! I grew up somewhere where they built an ice castle for a winter festival each year, and this definitely reminds me of that. I particularly enjoy the sideways white bricks on the corners.The battlements, too, look like upside down icicles, which is a great feature, and the tooth pieces over the doorway is an inspired touch. Elsa from Frozen could not have done better! I also enjoy the minifigs in this build, especially the crossbowman, as the hat makes him look like a Russian or Siberian bear-man.
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Guilds of Historica New Member Guide
Henjin_Quilones replied to SkaForHire's topic in Guilds of Historica
No killing of other builders' characters is allowed... In Avalonia, find the most current version of the map and pick a free space on it. In other guilds they do not claim land as their own. Last I recall I updated the map unofficially about a month ago, so it should be in the Avalonian thread around that time. And yes, you are correct about posting. Just create your new thread/topic, with the appropriate title. Most people post a link to it in their guild for others to see it, too. -
Book II - Avalonia: Guild sign-up and Discussion
Henjin_Quilones replied to Rogue Angel's topic in Guilds of Historica
Welcome, Conrad! You have chosen a guild wisely. -
Guilds of Historica New Member Guide
Henjin_Quilones replied to SkaForHire's topic in Guilds of Historica
True. My sigfig doesn't rule the land I claimed; he is a Human wanderer in an Elvish land. So I would take a bit of land, declare that there is a forest there, and have your character do whatever you want him/her to do, since you make the rules in your land (within reasonable limits, of course). Or, alternatively, you can join a different guild and come to Avalonia on a visit, but I wouldn't recommend that, being Avalonian... Welcome to the Guilds! I would not let the color of the flag be the sole deciding factor. Ask instead where you would feel most comfortable building, or where you would derive the most pleasure from building, or where you would confront and meet and overcome the greatest challenges building. I do not have any sand green flags myself (but I do have a bunch of the dark green ones from LotR sets). I do have red and blue, and red and gold, and yellow and green, however, yet I still chose Avalonia as my guild. As for the army, they do not have to match Avalonia's colors to be from Avalonia, since your personal fiefdom's heraldic colors can be whatever you want; just make sure that they answer the call when the high king summons them to war! -
Guilds of Historica New Member Guide
Henjin_Quilones replied to SkaForHire's topic in Guilds of Historica
Fair enough. It may not be officially "expected" (or rather required), but I think that most of us "expect" it to happen nonetheless. -
Guilds of Historica New Member Guide
Henjin_Quilones replied to SkaForHire's topic in Guilds of Historica
I know some Avalonians have foregone claiming land and have essentially "pledged fealty" to another builder's little fiefdom, but they are the exception that proves the rule. Avalonians are expected to build in a certain area that is theirs in some way, whether it be a land claimed as their own or a small settlement in someone else's lands. So you do not necessarily have to claim lands on the map, but you do in some way have to build up a certain, and relatively exclusive to you, area. At least that is my take on it. Being from Avalonia, I know we have the best forests and are particularly known for both the quantity and the quality of our trees. However, I know that all four guilds have forests in some way or another. Mitgardia has nearly endless pine forests wherever there are not mountains, glaciers, or the far-north frozen tundra; Kaliphlin (in the north) is much like southern Avalonia and has some nice hardwood forests, and the mountains in the east certainly have trees too; and Nocturnus has as many different types of forests as there are builders present there, some sentient and evil, others relatively benign and "standard" trees. I hope that helps. And even if you choose one guild, there is nothing preventing you from building somewhere else or having your sigfig visit other places for extended periods of time; in fact, such things are actually encouraged, especially now with all of the factionalism and inter-guild alliances due to the civil wars. -
The technic wheel as a sort of rose window on the tower looks great, as Titus pointed out, but my favorite part is the bakery sign with the croissant placed on a 2x2 plate with one stud. Excellent design, and I may copy that for shops of my own in the future, as I always struggle to find ways of making shop signs that actually look good. Like Titus, I also thought that it was tan and dark blue, but from reading your description and a taking a closer look I realized that it was dark bley, instead. Either way it looks great! Impressive work as usual.
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Great work, as usual, LJ. I have come to expect nothing but the best from you and your brother. I like the built up bedrock foundation upon which the castle is built, as your rockwork is always enjoyable to see. The style is distinctly Kaliphlinian, which confused me for a moment before I remembered that, despite your epic contributions to Nordheim, you are in fact in Kaliphlin. I love the minaret, especially, as the white contrasts very well against the tan and grey. The only detail I do not particularly care for is the white, brick-built dome in the front right corner. It seems too jagged, to me. Other than a planet half from that Star Wars series, though, I am not sure what would work to create a better dome of that size. It does not detract significantly from the build, however, and I still very much enjoy what you have done here. My favorite element of the whole thing is the use of the white spinner bases as window decoration; that works especially well to create a Moorish or Arab feel. Great job!
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I second The Maestro in saying that the collapsing wall is a brilliant little detail; the beast is poised, captured in brick form a split second before all havoc breaks loose. I love the lava flows and the ruins themselves. Obviously the ruins are built to withstand the heat of the lava, as it is seen flowing over a little bridge on its way to the beast, which makes me wonder what kind of people built them. The minifig posing is great, but I am particularly fond of the claws of the monster poking through the cracks; I saw that and said,"Wow, that is awesome!" to myself. The use of chains and bones to create some ambiance works well, too. Great work. In your story, are Börzerk Baël and his warriors lava-born creatures? You describe them as making their way to the surface of Nocturnus, and I see one of them up to his waist in lava, so I assume so. I ask because I am planning to develop a volcano-dwelling people who arise from the magma chamber using the Nexo-bad guys myself, and am interested in seeing what others are doing with them. This looks great!