Kaitan Posted January 10, 2014 UPDATED : 11/1/13 - New set of (hopefully) better pictures! ________________________________________________ Operation : Cold Storage Mission Debrief - Trooper Kaitan Personnel - Commander Toryn Farr Lieutenant Keevar Dromas -Second in Command Trooper Davic Hoste Trooper Kodan Bree Trooper Kaitan Droid R-3PO Droid R5-B3 Our main mission was to destroy the servers the Alliance had left behind from our time on Hoth. When the Empire attacked, the self destruct on the servers failed. The information was well encoded, but it wouldn’t take forever for a talented slicer to break the encryption. Secondary mission was to search the base for any salvageable equipment the Imperials might have missed, as well as a ’special’ mission for the Princess herself…. We landed our ship a well outside the base perimeter and took snow speeders low under the sensors to avoid detection. When we arrived at Echo Base, we discovered a surprisingly tiny Imperial force present, consisting of just a few Snowtroopers and four technical personnel. After a brief firefight we overcame the troopers and locked the survivors in the storage lockers on level 1 with food and blankets. They would be rescued when their relief arrived in a day or twos time… Command1 by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr Commander Farr and R-3PO headed to the command centre - Given their previous experience working there during our occupation, it seemed the best place for them to monitor the systems and to reset the self destruct on the servers. The command centre seemed to have taken the brunt of the damage during the Empire's attack. Command2 by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr We even found a fallen comrade amongst the wreckage. Corridor1 by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr Commander Farr sent Lieutenant Dromas and R5 down to the actual servers on the lower level to reset the explosive charges and set a few more. The Lieutenant didn’t seem too happy to be working with a droid… Wampa1 by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr Suddenly Trooper Hoste’s shaky voice came over the comm… “Erm…Commander Farr?” Wampa2 by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr “Yes Hoste, what is it? You’re supposed to be searching for salvageable equipment!” Wampa3 by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr “Y..yes Commander… Let’s just say, we’ve got a few unexpected guests, and I suggest no-one goes near the west entrance Tauntaun pens!” Quarters1 by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr As the relatively new member of the squad, I got what Commander Farr called “Wardrobe Duty”. When I got to Princess Leia’s quarters I discovered half the room had melted! Quarter2 by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr When the Imps restored power, the heater must’ve turned itself on somehow. Most of the Princess’ clothes were ruined, but I managed to salvage one long white dress. I’ve seen the Princess in it loads of times, and I’m sure white is her favourite colour…. she’ll be happy with that! Quarter3 by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr Her bed was a bit of a surprise, considering the tiny bunks that most of the rest of us slept in during our time on Hoth, but then, she IS a Princess… finishing1 by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr “Trooper Bree, where are you?” finishing2 by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr “Oh just leaving a little something for the Imps, Commander!” Command3 by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr “Commander Farr, long range sensors indicate a small Imperial force on its way, they’ll arrive at Echo Base within the hour” Command4 by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr “Dammit, one of those tech must’ve activated and alarm or something! Okay Squad, time to move out and blow the servers, everyone back to the speeders! Self destruct on the servers is set and counting down!” Behind the Scenes :- Out top in by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr Top View - Without the removable roof, obvs :) out top by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr The oh-so-attractive roof :) I was going to make it a snow scene, but then I realise I would have to build in all the lights, and I don’t have enough to light every room at once. So the snow got cancelled :)) Out side2 by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr Out side by Kaitan Tylerguy, on Flickr Two more ‘isomertric’ views Hope you enjoy it, and don’t mind the small touches of humour (and blood!) Comments and constructive criticism always welcome! Kaitan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rook Posted January 10, 2014 Tauntaun down! Love it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pihlbrick Posted January 11, 2014 It looks really great. The more I look at the more details I see. The blood on the floor is great and the princess room is well made. I really Line the way you have made the corridors and removable roof! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brickadeer Posted January 11, 2014 I like the build, especially the facial expressions, the "gestures" of the rebel droids, and of course the lightning effects. As for criticsm, my only points are that the pictures look a little bit grainy, and that the floor could be made as to look less "studdy". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kaitan Posted January 11, 2014 As for criticsm, my only points are that the pictures look a little bit grainy, and that the floor could be made as to look less "studdy". Yep, both valid points. Not really sure why the pictures came out that way. I've had a long break from lego, and it's been quite a while since I took any photos, maybe I need to re-learn my photographic techniques! I did start to tile the floor, but it ended up looking more like Bespin than Hoth :) I tried partial tiling too, but that didn't look right either, so I gave in to the studdy look. :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BEAVeR Posted January 11, 2014 Oh no! That poor, poor Tauntaun . What kind of people are you to let them just starve and freeze to death? Unfortunately, that Wampa arrived too late. It could/would have saved it... the only thing he can do know is to eat it according to the traditions, to give that Tauntaun one last goodbye... As for the build! I really liked it! Build-wise it's really strong. I don't consider the studs an issue in this one. And most walls are well garnished with slopes and tubes (the only exception being the one in the first picture to the left)(the one that stands out however, is the one in the Princess' bedroom). Several details like the destroyed panels, the wreckage, and the crates that are sinking into the floor are really well executed. All those doors are well made. And that blood of the Tauntaun is pretty believable for being made in Lego. It's amazing you could maintain this level throughout your whole build I also like the way you present this MOC. I like the kind of modular layout, and it looks really great from the top view. You've taken some really nice pictures as well. I like the picture of the woman at the panel, with the light coming from it. The picture of the trooper and the droid in the corridor is especially appealing. With such great pictures, the graininess doesn't bother me. You present some worthy competetion, and it's good to see you back! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lobot Posted January 11, 2014 Not really sure why the pictures came out that way. I've had a long break from lego, and it's been quite a while since I took any photos, maybe I need to re-learn my photographic techniques! Hi Kaitan, are you using a DSLR or similar? If so, I'd recommend lowering the ISO setting and then increasing the exposure legnth to compensate, which should improve the image quality. Also use a tripod and/or the in-built timer as this will help minimise any movement or blurring. I'd also try experimenting with a few trans-blue elements infront of the LEDs, as they can sometimes create a better overall colour. It's a very nice entry; the 'story' works well and I particularly like the movie-accurate trapped K-3PO! I'm not too sure about the volume of Tauntaun blood though....it's cold on Hoth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LegoFjotten Posted January 11, 2014 Very nice build, my favourite section is the hallway, looks great! I wish I had some of those white hoses, they are perfect for Hoth. Control room is great too, nice to see another entry with good old K-3PO, mine will be up in a day or two. Pictures are great (except for the graininess), good scenes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MKJoshA Posted January 11, 2014 Good to have you on our team! My favorite parts are the "frozen" protical droid and the sinking crates. Overall this is an amazing build! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kaitan Posted January 11, 2014 I've redone the photos, hopefully these ones are better! Some are more or less the same shots, others slightly different as I felt the previous pictures didn't show the build off to best effect Let me know what you think! K Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lobot Posted January 11, 2014 Definite improvement, the glow from the heater is especially good Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MstrOfPppts Posted January 11, 2014 Very nice build. The lights add a lot to the images and the heater shot is very cool for the red light and the whole scene idea. One thing I am not too fond of are the gaps above the doors for using arches with slopes. Maybe that could be hidden by snoting some tiles onto the walls? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
