Blackicep8ntball

I'm actually rather surprised by how popular the UCS version is. I honestly think the newer set is the better of the two, more accurate to the shape of the true Tantive. Also, it has some fun minifigs and features the UCS doesn't have, and it honestly looks fantastic on display. I say save some cash and go with the new one. Another huge plus for me is that the new one has no stickers (sorry - I'm an oldtimer and my sticker-hate is well known ) But either one is nice. Go with whichever you think will make your day .

My votes go, one vote each, to: 12) Diver & Surfer Entry (Build by squiz) 3) Spaceman & Pharaoh Entry (Build by Optimus) 23)Caveman and Traffic Cop by Osakana Again, so many fantastic entries, hard to pick three. But these are the ones it must be

My votes go to: Explorer Entry by Etzel, (1 vote) DJ Entry (Build by absolutelylez) (1 vote) and 22) Vampire Entry (Build by lisqr) (1 vote) Fantastic entries, everyone. This one was not easy to chose!

KimT, I got the prize today. Thanks! And thanks again for your efforts in the contest as well. :thumbup:

A fair question . To be honest, part of it is just being an oldtimer. When I was a kid, sets typically didn't have stickers, and when they did, they were typically cheap, paper stickers. We grew fond of having printed parts, and cringed when a hated sticker sheet fell out of the box. Stickers tended to wear off over time, pick up dirt and dust, and generally looked cheaper than printed parts. We also hated the stickers that spanned multiple parts, making the piece either useless for other builds or useless for building the original set again. Stickers were (and still are) just a pain to put on well. Now, I will say that recently, the stickers are much higher quality; moreover, I haven't seen the "multiple parts" stickers in a while. However, even the new stickers present a lot of the old problems: they're no fun to put on, pick up dust and peel after time, are difficult to take off and re-apply if you don't get it right the first time, and they just make the sets look cheaper than printed parts (I've even had non-Lego fans comment on the cheap look of stickers). Printed parts are just far more desireable in my opinion. You're right that the Star Wars sets tend to have the most difficult stickers to put on (i.e. the cockpit stickers on the Arc-170), but I've yet to experience any sticker that was super easy. I do acknowledge one benefit that stickers have over printed parts: if you want the part without the decoration, you can just take the sticker off. There are a few parts where this is convenient; however, IMO the other downsides just outweigh this advantage. I recognize that this is just one view out of many. Perhaps it makes more sense if you think about disappointed you'd be if you found out that minifig torsos would no longer be printed, they were going to stickers. I think that's the feeling I have towards stickers generally. Anyway, hope this didn't hijack your topic too much!

A fine review indeed, Clone-o-Patra, although I must say I miss that you decided against a photo of the parts spread... that's one element of a review that I depend on most in deciding to buy a set . I agree with the others that the minifigures here are fantastic, and I particularly like the Bellatrix figure. While I'm not a HP fan (don't have a single set), this round of sets may change that. We'll see. Huge downside, as always seems to be the case in newer sets, is the sticker sheet. TLG didn't even make the stove piece printed. For all the quality we've seen in the figures, they keep getting cheaper on the printed part front.

I've been a Lego fan since... holy cow, 1989 or so I suppose. My brothers and I always wanted Lego Star Wars, and we definitely built our own versions before the official licensed sets were released in 1999. I remember the day we saw the first hint at Lego Star Wars - a Lego Naboo fighter on one of the little "magazinettes" that used to come with the big sets. Between my brothers and I, we collected nearly all the SW sets from '99, and I've been collecting ever since.

Dude, it's just good to see well-done MODs . You're definitely not doing too many. :thumbup: Some of my favorite Lego works are mods and re-builds of sets (like this Eldorado Fortress redux). I've been thinking about doing some myself.

Wow that's pretty crazy. Still, with all the parts TLG sends out, there are bound to be flukes somewhere. TLG has a customer service line for replacing stuff like that though (here's the link). While it's bound to be a rare occurrence, it's still another reason TLG should stick to printed parts .

I like your radioactive goat, Baylego . He'se even a pretty clever build to boot. The alien is humorous too - he looks like an alien monk to me.

Haha! Amazing build!! Very creatively put together.

Lars, buddy, I gotta admit I wasn't wild about this ship when I first saw it, but after I spent some time studying it, it became one of my two favorites in the contest, (if not my very favorite). Your build is so perfectly and cleanly executed. All of the features, from the bounty chamber to the landing gear, are seamlessly implemented. And I LOVE the retro WWII feel . I think it fits into the SW universe well too, given the somewhat similar retro looks we saw in the more recent movie additions, especially the Naboo fighter. I was very sorry to see your set eliminated in the Elite 8 round, but I'm thrilled we at least got to see this build as a result of the contest.

Haha wow Polo, with all this feedback my comment is only going to be cumulative, but with a build like this you deserve every bit of the recognition. One day I'd love to build a ship of this scale with even half the skill you have. Particularly love the brickbuilt insignias on either side. Just... wow.

I've always wondered what a Skipray Blastboat looked like; I distinctly remember reading about them and liking the name . While your other builds are solid too (and take lots of skill to build in this scale), tbe Blastboat is my favorite, as it's the most unique build and seems to have required the most innovation to build. Cool to see you worked out the rotating wing sections too. Keep em coming, Legostein.

A solid build, 501st. You've implemented some great techniques. I particularly like the arch with the flex tube running through it - that's something I need to start using on my builds. The rubble is well done too, as others have mentioned. You've got some solid snot work too with that wall design and the ruined floor. Forgive my ignorance, but what does the lever base with rubber band around the clone trooper's helmet represent? Nice MOC, and I'd love to see you take it to the next level with a larger diorama!

Hey KielDaMan, Dude, this is a GORGEOUS mod. Not only does the new color scheme look great, but your mods to the build, particularly with the front of the air intakes and the nose of the ship are fantastic upgrades. The work you put into those custom decals really paid off too. Wow man - I'm blown away. You're the master of mods.

Haha very ingenious idea - I love how it "bumps" along in the video. Fantastic build, Cyan

Oh wow - I was not expecting to see this up already today . Thank you KimT, for your efforts in judging this, and for MosEisley for giving us such an amazing entry to extol . Congratulations, MosEisley for your overall vote winning - it's well deserved. Congratulations to the vote winners too - ThatGuy, JediJoe, and Jim Butcher, you guys had quite the impressive votes and explanations. I'm honored to be among you all.

Wow, I appreciate your gracious response KimT. You have my sincere thanks for all the time you put into your hobby; you guys are way under-appreciated on here, no doubt about that. Looking forward to the results, but if you don’t get them tonight because your spending time with the wife and daughter, I think I speak for all of us when I say we won’t blame you. Thanks again man.

I'm frustrated that things like this keep happening. Earlier this year, as similar issue appeared with a contest and subsequent delay over at Classic-Space.com, and a contestant got nasty with the contest admin and he got nasty back. I'm not interested in repeating that here. As I suggested over at Classic-Space when things got nasty, I'm simply suggesting a compromise between the parties here. I don't think anyone's asking you to post the results of the contest tomorrow; they're just asking that you take a second and post an update: "Hey guys, there's been a delay, but I'm working on the contest and haven't forgotten". I think that would fit into your hectic schedule. People shouldn't have to ask you first, especially not after you said you planned to have the results up the week of Aug. 24th. Common courtesy, bro, that when you don't meet your own deadline, you just post a note for posterity. You post a note, no one has to feel like they're pestering you, and everyone's happy. Hardly a controversial or insulting suggestion.

I think after nearly two months, thatguywiththebricks has been sufficiently patient to deserve an inquiry. . I've been very curious too. Contests are somewhat unique in that they initially draw a lot of high intensity interest, but after a while, people move on to other things. When results are long delayed without updates, they tend to lose relevance somewhat. I know people are busy, and delays happen. When delays happen, it's a matter of professional courtesy to send out a note letting people know what's going on, before people have to start wondering if they've been forgotten about. Busy or not, it just takes a second to let people know. Just a thought. That all said, I do appreciate all the work people put into judging these contests! I know they're not easy to host and people have lots of other things on their plates.

Hmm still nothing on the crowd favorite yet eh?

Hey Rubik, This is a nice looking fighter - you've got some nice design elements for a smaller MOC. The oval holes with the wheel well parts creates a nice stylistic effect, the coloring is effective, simple, and clean, and your snot technique is very solid. If there was one thing I might change, it would probably be the gun design coming off those wheel well parts - I'm not sure that the square 1x brick for the barrel is the most effective part usage; but that's a very minor thing. Hope you build some more of these fig scale ships before a year passes again!

Haha I love all these whimsical builds we've been seeing lately . Clever build, Flare, and I echo the compliments others have given you on Prof. Weevil - he's pretty cool. Nice fix for getting a lens on the alien head - can't get a whole helmet on there, but just the lens appears to work well.