PaddyBricksplitter

This is my first time posting an MOC here so I hope I've done it right. This is inspired by space marine Terminator armor from Warhammer 40K and The Ice Cream Machine from The Lego Movie.

Thanks for the advice regarding bending plastic. And the tips on storage.

Hi all After building Vader's Tie Fighter yesterday I noticed that my two 6x10 plates I used for the wings had warped. The horror! I have been collecting for over a year and this is the first time it's happened. I store my plates loose in a zip lock plastic bag and I am careful not to place it anywhere near a heat source. Are there any tips from experienced builders on how to unbend plates? If I store plates stacked on each other would that help? Or is that bad? I really don't want anything to damage my precious ABS bricks. All help appreciated.

If its made by Lego and passed through their obviously stringent QA process then I consider it a "legal" part. If you start modifying things where does it end? Cutting, melting, biting, using woven materials, metal, animal bones, choke...glue :O I hear the large display models are glued. Obvious Heresy.

@ pinioncorp, amen brother. A visual presentation of exactly what's been on my mind. Seems like in the 21st century the lines are becoming so blurred that what the "real" is and why it's important anymore is fading. How strange. And interesting. Like this guys work. Bruceywan on Flikr. There's something relating to this theme present there. He reproduces real world objects. (Sorry on tablet, no link option). @ CallMePie, that sounds like a cat poster.

@pinioncorp, I agree LDD has it's use as a design tool. That's where it should end. @Dr Spock, that's charming. It's true that having a few basic photography skills is necessary for a good MOC presentation. @Gnac, thanks I enjoyed reading that post a lot. It's good to hear why people do things. That's what I was wondering about. Here's my further two cents. Digital tools should serve the medium and not become the medium. I use Photoshop and a digital camera to record an MOC for upload. I don't radically alter the original image. I remove the background and blend the shadows if they are messy. That's it. I stop there. I could go further. But then I would be creating a digital artwork and not an Lego artwork. I think if you are beginning to concentrate on the digital side of things too much ask yourself "What am I actually doing here? What am I trying to produce?" Using rendering software etc is really moving away from the original medium. It's about the bricks. Not your skill and knowledge at using a digital tool set. The "Don't constrain my creativity man." argument is not valid for me as creativity always about working within a set of constraints. Be that painting, learning how the actual paint responds and changes during the process of painting, 3D modelling, having a polygon budget and texture size. And of course an actual monetary budget. Builders tend to turn there noses up at renders because the central and most important concerns of the hobby has been missed. The bricks and the process of building an actual Lego object. You wouldn't turn up to a cake making contest and wonder why no one likes your fibreglass cake you spent 2 weeks making.

Yes usually you can see the ploys on the curved areas and the quality of light and the shadows give it away. Well for the time being, eventually it will get harder to spot. That's the nature of computer generated imagery. Which I happen to love, don't get me wrong. I have spent many hours producing myself. I'm not against it. I feel in relation to producing any art the medium is one of the most important components. Here it's Lego, plastic bricks. Getting rid of the bricks from the equation for me undermines the medium. I don't think that's a good thing. Lego after all is a medium used (mainly) for representation (and playing, phew phew!) to recreate objects, communicate messages, or illustrate scenes in plastic bricks. That's the creative or clever bit, that you can do these things with plastic bricks. I think CGI's place in the Lego world is a means to an end and not an end product. Hmmm, maybe I have been thinking about Lego too much today. It's just so darn cool though..

Hi. If I sculpt a model of a classical Greek statue in Z Brush (a 3D modelling program with can simulate cray etc.) the medium is not clay or wax, it's pixels and polygons. The end product is not a real 3d statue. I can't put it in my garden. The same is true for any 3D program, including the Lego ones. So I would argue that the medium is not Lego when using a 3D program. Personal I feel that the best way to make model from Lego is to use actual Lego. I would also be very disappointed to find a render of a Lego AT-AT under the Christmas tree. It's just not the same.

Hi all. I've been browsing MOCs for a few months now and always feel disappointed when I discover on closer inspection that what I thought was a real Lego model is actually a render (a computer generated image). I don't mean it's a big issue here on Eurobricks. This is the place for general Lego discussion so I thought I'd post my issues with and questions regarding virtual Lego renders here. On a lot of MOCs it's not stated by the builder that it's a render. I feel that Lego is a physical medium and I am puzzled by small virtual models. I often think what's the point? If you want to build a German Panzer in a 3D program why not just model it in 3DS Max, Lightwave or something? I mean I can understand the need to design something first and then build it with real Lego. Or the desire to see what something would look like if built from 100 000 bricks and you are a kid and don't have the funds available to purchase the bricks required. Why the little models though? I don't get it. I could paint an oil panting of a wonderful MOC but that's just a good painting, not a good MOC. Why is a render any different? Maybe this is an old debate but it has me curious as to what other people think about Lego renders.

Santa's Elves?

Hmmmm. Test cards. That suggests, TV or a movie. I hope it's actually new Lego sets and not a media project.

Hi I'm Paddy and I've been wasting my time not playing with Lego for about 26 years. I'm glad that's over.

Hello world https://www.flickr.com/photos/125619484@N02/15145865711/in/set-72157647249485651 Testing Batwing by paddybricksplitter, on Flickr Testing

I haven't done it. I think a work around or a rethink should be your first port of call during the build process. All construction systems are about working within a set of constraints. From 3D modelling, engineering to Lego. The challenge of understanding and surpassing problems is part of the appeal for me. If the mod is a short cut or easy answer then no. If it's something like cutting a hose or axel then that's ok. Though I still would only do it as a last resort.

I was an artist, a 3d modeller. I worked in video games. 3 years ago I got an infection that lead to a brain injury. I can't work now. My whole life changed. I often have headaches and get very tired when I need to think on my feet. On the first Christmas I was recovering I thought I want a Lego X-Wing! Why the heck not? It helped at a very difficult time. It could occupy my mind and be company for when I was alone and afraid. Lego just made me smile again. Those little mini figs just made me laugh. Pure fun with no other agenda. A tonic for the soul and no mistake. Even though people often don't get why an adult is "playing" with Lego I know it's value. 3 years later I have started doing mocs and posting them online. I can build and create again and use the skills cultivated over a life time in a way that makes me feel good about me again. I have realised I still have my talents and for the first time since I was very young I am creating things not for a paycheque or social or intellectual status but for the pure fun of it. A little bit of fun can go a long way in helping people with difficult circumstances cope with the demands of just getting through a day. If anything does happen to me in future at least a little part of me will live on in some corner of the internet and will hopefully bring a smile to someone's face. The little moments of joy. They make life worth living :)

I sort when I'm tired of building. It's kind of relaxing. Bringing order to chaos.

Hi. Just stared collecting a few months ago. I didn't know much about Lego in the 21st century. Was not familiar with the huge number of new curved slopes, friction joints etc. I found that buying new sets sold without mini figs on eBay as a good cost effective way of getting a wide variety of new bricks. You can check the set inventory on sites like Brick Owl. It has pictures of all the set parts. So you can browse the contents and see what looks interesting. You can see what the parts are called, what other colours etc. are available . It also lists what sets the parts ship in and how many. You can also refer to the back of the instructions on new sets, there's an inventory of the parts and their numbers.

Hi. You want to photograph the moc against a white background, you can use paper or a light box as the background. In Photoshop you cut out the moc image from the white background. This is then a separate layer. Like a cell in an animation. You put that over another layer that you fill with white or whatever colour you want. White usually works best. If you are wondering what tool to select to cut the moc from the background in the first place, use the Magic wand tool. If you right click on the same icon you can select other useful sub tools for marking the areas you want to remove. Best bet is to search for a video tutorial on the magic wand tool to clarify.