Ralph_S

I think we spend more time selecting the wheels than we did on planning the flames, to be frank, although the bonnet gave us a little trouble. Cheers, Ralph

Perhaps I am biased because of my job (university researcher), where plagiarism is the closest thing to a mortal sin imaginable, but I can't quite drop this topic completely. In my opinion this really is a problem. I am so fed up with the behaviour of some people on MOCpages and with the generally diminishing quality of the models on there, that I've removed most of my stuff from MOCpages and have decided to stick to flickr. Most people on flickr seem to take their building a bit more seriously that MOCpages' TFOLs and on flickr I have some degree of control over who sees my pictures and over who downloads them. I haven't removed everything though, because this way I will still be represented on MOCpages, making it harder for somebody else to pretend that they are me. The MOCs that I've kept are my greatest hits, so to speak. With one exception they've either been blogged on the brothers brick/ gizmodo or have been in brickjournal, so they are recognisably mine. There is really nothing to stop anybody from opening an account on MOCpages pretending to be somebody else. You may think that I am getting paranoid. I don't think so. Mutley777 isn't the only one to whom this has happened. In fact, one of these guys who copy other people's pictures has a review on his page supposedly written by Eric Harshbarger, telling everybody that 'Eric' has given permission for him to post a picture of 'Eric's' Golden Gate bridge. It is obviously bogus, attached to a bogus account under the same name but with an empty front page. I have to hand it to Sean Kenney. He does respond to complaints. Every time that I notified him that somebody was copying MOCs the copies have either been deleted or the accounts shut down, although it sometimes did take quite a while. There's actually so much of this going on that he's probably inundated with e-mails about it. Mutley 777's account seems to have been deleted, BTW. Trouble is, there's really nothing to prevent whoever is doing this sort of nonsense from opening a new account and starting the whole thing all over again, as 'the man of death' shows. He's actually left me a review, informing me that his account has already been deleted seven or eight times. The OTB thing is somebody who reads that forum decided to get in on the action and -having seen that people get twitchy about this sort of thing- decided to rile them further by copying their creations and by adding a few silly insults on his MOCpage. He has been reported and it is a matter of time before his account is deleted. All these people seem to crave attention most of all. I realise that continuing this discussion may actually be feeding that to some extent, but I do feel that people should be aware of this sort of behaviour and should take some precautions of their own. I don't mean that they should leave MOCpages, but everybody who uses MOCpages (and brickshelf) should keep an eye out for this sort of thing. They should also make sure they've got a damn good password, because some of these teenagers are wily enough to hack people's accounts and cause havoc that way. I've seen it happen to a friend of mine. It only takes a few people who seem to not be willing or able to follow even basic rules of common decency to cause all kinds of trouble and to really undermine something which we could really enjoy otherwise. Cheers, Ralph Edit: om an entirely different note, I just noticed 'MOC expert!' under my name. I am flattered of course, but who do I have to thank for that?

I'm don't think I am flaming anybody. I don't even know these people. Of course I can report them. I've reported 'the man of death' twice already, his account has been deleted twice (that I know of) and yet he's back again. I did get a little riled when somebody here suggested that what they're doing really isn't so bad or that if I don't want this to happen, I shouldn't share my creations. Cheers, Ralph Edit: I'll drop this topic. I've reported both of these guys to Sean Kenney and their accounts will likely be deleted. That probably doesn't stop them from doing it again, but I think my point was clear.

Thanks. I have been a member for three years actually, but I've been lurking. Yesterday the Eurobricks hot rod contest drew me out. Coincidentally yesterday as well, my friend Dr. S. contacted me telling me that there was a thread here on somebody copying my pictures (among others'), so I decided to pitch in here as well. Cheers, Ralph

'The man of death' is the same guy who stole my CH-46 two times already and has had his account deleted twice already. Now he's back. 'Ste Jenkins' does specifically target members of 'outside the brick' forums. @landlubber. You write: "It's the Internet. If you don't want stuff copied or stolen then don't put it up." Let's take that to the extreme, shall we? Byebye brickshelf, MOCPages and Eurobricks. How would you like that? Copying an idea is fine. We all look at other people's work and pick up ideas. However, copying a picture and claiming it as your own is theft. Plain and simple. A community can only work if people follow certain rules. I don't know their circumstances and I don't care. They know that what they're doing is wrong and they're doing it regardless. In fact, both of them are obviously doing it to annoy people. I have very little understanding for that sort of behavior. Their problems shouldn't be mine. Cheers, Ralph

Yes it matters. This is theft. Frankly, I don't think that stealing is really in the EB spirit either. This is the third time this has happened to one of my MOCs in the same week. Sure, this guy doesn't actually claim it's his. Instead he tells people that he's bought it in Legoland. Right. I don't need people's credit and admiration, but I am not going to accept it if somebody pretends that something I built and that I spend time on is his own. Mind you, I don't mind it at all if somebody looks at one of my MOcs and tries to build something similar. That's actually somewhat flattering, but that's not what's going on here. These guys actually just copy the picture. Earlier this week, somebody else copied my CH-46E and left a review on my page accusing me of stealing his model. As for contacting any of these twerps: First of all, you can't contact people via MOCpages other than via a review, unless they happen to have left you a review with a valid e-mail address. The e-mail address in the review of my CH-46 was bogus, BTW. Second of all, don't tell me that people like this don't know that what they're doing is wrong. I feel very little desire to have an e-mail conversation with a bratty teenager telling him that what he's doing is wrong, knowing full well that he already knows it is. What's next is that I may decide not to share my creations on MOCpages anymore. Cheers, Ralph

Thank Dr. S. He hasn't got permission (surprise surprise). It wouldn't make sense. In fact, I know pretty much all of the builders whose creations he has copied and as far as I know none of them have given permission. This is just some little idiot craving for attention. It's actually the third time in a week that this has happened. I'm too bloody popular ;) I'll notify Sean Kenney, again. Cheers, Ralph

LUGNuts is how I found out about the contest, because frankly, I don't read Eurobricks that often (there are only so many forums one can be active in). I'm surprised my account still works after three years! I have built many cars, but I have never built a hot rod before. An interesting challenge. Now watching all those episodes of 'American Hotrod' will hopefully pay off. I've gone for a traditional look: based on a '32 5-window coupe. I have already submitted it for the contest, but here it is on flickr. Comments are, of course, welcome. Cheers, Ralph

V-LV-25B Biff's 32 coupe This is Biff. Biff is overweight and has no dress sense whatsoever. He should also get himself some smaller glasses. Biff does know a thing or two about cars though. His ride: a '32 five-window coupe hot rod. Sometimes his wheels get Biff in trouble. "Honestly officer, I didn't realize I was going this fast. The speedo isn't connected, you see?" Biff's trouble is not just with the law. His wife complains that he spends more time with the car than he does with here. She's right! You can see more pictures on Flickr . (edit: Biff does fit inside, but since his legs aren't articulated, it does involve removing those.) (edit: I decided to change one of the pictures, actually adding Biff's wife) Cheers, Ralph

I am glad you like my aircraft. That somebody with an Air Force background appreciates them means a lot to me. I'm also very happy that you like my Los Angeles Fire Department paramedic unit/ ambulance. I am not from the US myself. Though I have seen ambulances like this when visiting the US and in pictures on the 'net, I had to guess at the vehicle's contents, which are hidden behind closed doors. Thanks, Ralph

Thanks. Glad to be here. I didn't know this forum was so active. It's great to be able to get feedback on my MOCs, especially nice feedback :-D Ralph

Thanks for the idea. I'm new at Eurobricks and hadn't updated my profile/ signature yet. Ralph

Yes, I did the decals myself. They are good old fashioned handwork involving pen, paper, and lots of transparent tape. I'm glad you like them. I have never built either the SR-71 or a B-1, though the SR-71 is certainly on my list. I'm still collecting sufficient black plates to build it and don't want to have to destroy my F-14D to do it. I don't have any more aircraft to show you. The ones on brickshelf are my complete collection. I didn't realise that the folders containing my cars already were public, but I am glad to see that they are. I have quite a few more cars than currently on brickshelf, and I will see whether I can add those in the next few days. Regards, Ralph

I thought that many of you StarWars builders might appreciate some real aircraft as well. Please check out my U.S. Navy fighters on brickshelf http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?m=RalphS I hope you like them and I look forward to your comments. Regards, Ralph_S