Slegengr

Another excellent build, SK! I really like the simply realistic stone and roof techniques! Those gables are very clean in appearance with some great architectural embellishment! The color scheme is just beautiful for this build. The half-timber portion adds a lot to the appearance, as do the windows on both levels. The inclusion of the metallic round 1x1 tiles works well to add texture and color variation to the stonework! The pavement and moss around the build give a nice texturing for the ground. I still have not done much with building borders around builds, but this clean border does look really nice.

Yeah, I believe that is correct. I was pretty sure this group would be a landslide, though, and I am not disappointed with the one in the lead.

@Borex @BrickHat I do feel bad for the Space theme. It seems to have had some bad pairings in the first round. I personally prefer historical figures, but I also like Space and would definitely have voted for some Space figures had they not been paired against other favorites of mine. There does seem to be a greater preference on Eurobricks for Historic over Space which is probably discouraging to avid Space fans, but just remember that all but one top figure will be eliminated by the end of the game, so all themes but one will ultimately have discouraged fans in the end. I like the classic alien and the space miner, but they were paired against the scarecrow (which I personally like much better). I also like the clockwork robot much better than the Yeti that won in group 10, but I apparently was not in the majority here on Eurobricks...

I just mean that I like the game the way it is and the end result of all rounds will be one CMF at the very top of the list. I do agree that I dislike the random selection, as some groups had my personal favorites against each other while other rounds had none that I was interested in, but I know that not everyone will agree completely with me. This means that some of my favorites get eliminated earlier and all of my favorites (except one, if others are in agreement with me) will be eliminated by the end of the game. What might be interesting to see is a list of every Eurobricks member's ranking of every single CMF ever made when compared against each other. This would truly show which CMFs Eurobricks prefers as a whole, but this would be a very daunting task for each member to rank ALL CMFs ever made. I do not have a strong preference whether or not to allow runners-up to be included in round 2. I also note that there seems to be a preference among voters for historical figures rather than for the space figures which can be discouraging to those who like the space theme best, but, in the end, there will be only one CMF left which may not be a historical or space figure at all. The most significant note I take from this game is that I can still chose my own personal favorites for whatever reason I want, regardless of the game results.

I voted to keep the runners-up since some of my favorites barely lost the round they were in, but I actually think now that I would change my vote. The purpose of this game is to eliminate all CMFs other than Eurobricks voters' top favorite. This means that every single CMF other than that top favorite will be eliminated, including everyone's personal favorite that might already have been eliminated. It seems to me the only reason to keep runners-up would be to establish a ranking from favorite to least favorite of all CMFs, which was not the intent of this game.

Do you mean in the same group of round 2? Both king and queen won their group in round 1 already.

Of course, one must also realize that elimination in this first round does not mean that the figures are not liked, just not the favorite from the random matching. The eliminations depend a lot upon which figures they are matched against. Some groups have had 3-4 of my most favorite CMFs, while other groups (current group 51, for example) have only figures for which I personally have little to no interest. In the end, there will only be one very favorite CMF of all Eurobricks' voters. This will not mean that all other CMFs are no good, just that the top pick was the favorite of those that voted. I have seen some of my most favorite figures just barely lose in their group. This shows that others also liked my favorites, but more others liked a different figure. As such, the loss of some space figures does not represent a dislike of the Space theme, just that more voters seem to prefer Historic themes. This game is based on subjectivity to opinion. I am still waiting to see which single figure comes out on top!

I believe it should work using Brasso, which is a metal polishing compound. I have never tried a head, but I have used this to remove the print from torsos before. Nail polish remover is usually acetone-based, and acetone will destroy plastic structure if it comes in contact with surfaces. Just apply Brasso to the face you want to remove, allow it to sit for about a minute, then rub vigorously with a towel or paper towel. Be careful to keep the Brasso off the face you want to keep, though.

I must say that this is exactly the thought I had when I saw this WIP. I have some builds in the works in which I plan to use fairly basic techniques that might be considered "old school" in terms of LEGO building, but they match the reference images I am using. Bricks sometimes actually looked like bricks, whether made of clay or stone. The "fantasy" style is interesting, but buildings were not always old and run-down! Avoiding "gray wall syndrome" is still a feat, as actual bricks had mortar lines and slight color variations. I think you have done a nice job with just enough texture variation to avoid this problem.

Here is the pine tree tutorial, added under the historic forum. @Henjin_Quilones

Pine Tree Technique Have you ever wanted to make LEGO pine trees that are a little more realistic than the molded ones that TLG produces? Here is a tutorial for just such a technique. You may notice that this technique is not for the faint of heart or weak of pieces, though! The techniques are fairly basic, but this is one of the SHIP-est tree techniques I have seen. Try it at your wallet’s risk! First, a Bill of Materials needed for one tree: Now for the tutorial: First comes the trunk. This is quite basic. The start of the needles is next. Notice the direction of the bend on the droid arms. Alternation is critical to the proper appearance. Now fill out the foliage a bit more. Add an internal trunk support. Next is the trickiest part of this technique: the first ring of thick needles. Pay attention to the direction of bend on droid arms. This helps to fill out the needles with fewer gaps. Note that the droid arms are sometimes spread a bit on the bars. Not each connection can be snugged completely against the earlier connections. For ease of tutorial and some final color variation, I alternated droid arm colors every layer. …finally add the ring around the trunk support. It should rest neatly on the black octagonal bar plate used earlier. Now repeat the process for the next needle ring, only this ring is smaller. …and add the second needle ring on top of the first needle ring. Wiggle and rotate the second ring a bit during assembly. It should interconnect and seat slightly into the first ring to lock the position and keep the needles densely layered. Another trunk support is needed to hold the second needle ring in place and provide support for the rest of the tree. One more needle ring is needed to finish out the tree at this size. This needle ring is much smaller to allow for the conical shape on the final tree. …and add the third needle ring on top of the second. Of course, pine cones are a nice addition. Some can be added along with additional needle sections to make the needles denser. If more pine cones are desired, simply make more pine cones from the three flower plates and add them to the tips of any spiked vine piece. The additional needle sections do allow for the pine cones to be settled into the needles to give a more realistic appearance than having pine cones on the ends of the earlier branches. To attach the additional needle sections, just nestle them over earlier needle sections and allow the other branches to cover over and lock in the droid arm. This might take a little practice and determination to get the right appearance. Before finishing the top, more needle sections should be added to make the needles denser and provide a better mesh with the top section. Note the different direction of bend on the droid arms. This allows some sections to be placed nearer the trunk to give varying degrees of thickness and conical shaping to the tree. After assembling the needle sections, hang them around the third needle ring and allow the spiked vines to fall into the spiked vines from the third needle ring. Play around with the rotation of the vines in the droid arm clips to get the best fit and tree shape. Finally, we are nearing the top! A critical note for this top section is to use a black octagonal bar plate of the earlier version with thinner tabs attaching the bar to the plate. TLG later thickened the tabs to reinforce the piece. The increased tab thickness decreases the bar width by enough to not allow for proper connection and spacing of two droid arms on each bar section. While building the top section, pay attention to the direction the droid arms are attached to the black octagonal bar plate. Also note that the vines are not parallel along the length of the droid arm. By rotating the vines slightly, a better mesh is achieved between the upper and lower layers of this top section. Now, slide the top section on the trunk support until it is against the stop-ring on the top 6-long bar. Add the round brick and cone to top the trunk, insert 4 spiked vines to finish the top needles, and press in the upper droid arms on the top section to close them around the top needles. …and we are finally finished! Note that different colors can be used for the droid arms to allow for slight variations on the internal portions of the tree. These pieces show through at different spots, so the colors do have an effect on the finished tree. Varying the number of needle rings, number of bars in a needle ring, and height of the support trunk allow for many different variations on the tree height and shape. Some evergreens have denser needles while some have more visible branches and more separation between branches. Keep this in mind when considering how many needles to add. Let me know what you think of this design with comments and constructive criticisms! I am always looking for improvements to the design, so I look forward to seeing how you can use and expand upon this technique! Thanks for looking, Slegengr

Thanks, Garmadon! That over-studded base is the result of spending way too long on the top of the build and just wanting to get it done. I had some ideas other than this to deal with the difficulty of a raised terrain, but I decided to take the simple route for this border so I could move on to other builds before this one collects too much dust. Thanks, Henjin! Pieces were not too sparse, but my interest in finding techniques for this build might have been at that point, as the brown border was the last section built. I will have to remember on future builds to complete the understructure before building the fun bits and adding minifigures . I had intended for the path to be a plain and well-worn path, but I see what you mean with some color variation and texture changes. I will try to get some tutorial pictures of the trees this weekend. Thanks, Titus! I have been wanting to use sand green grass base ever since I bought the sand green 1x2 plates in bulk. Thanks, Muakhah! The bridge and the stream and reeds were definitely the focal points of this build for me, though I did enjoy designing the cart as well. Thanks Maestro! I do love building landscapes and foliage. Thanks, Kai! This scene is just the preparations for the festivities. Hopefully I will find the time someday to build the actual market scene! Thanks, Umbra-Manis!

Such beautiful architecture and colors, LJ! The mosaics and tile patterns on the floor and the walls really add some nice detail to the scene! The pool is the perfect splash of contrast color and is neatly built. Your figs are perfectly Kaliphlin-esque and fit marvelously with your architecture style!

Consider me sufficiently teased... The stream and jumping salmon are great! I am looking forward to the finished project.

Lovely story and build, Garmadon! The round room technique is quite nice! I also like the astromech leg mouldings! The windows and curtains are beautifully built for this small scale. Nice use of the rubber band for the hair. The only thing I note for criticism is that this scene seems rather scant of litter and equipment for an alchemist's shop (or at least ones based on stereotypes)! I do understand not wanting to clutter a small scene, though, and I like the items you did include.

This is a very nice "ordinary" build, indeed, Maestro! The stonework is beautiful here with the different textures and all that SNOT work! The roof and half-timber are nicely done, and I particularly like the moss on the roof. The splashes of foliage on the ground and the climbing vine add a very nice touch to a build this size. The balcony (with an access door!) is a perfect inclusion on this build. The cannon chimney is pretty cool! (or, rather, probably hot ) I am looking forward to more builds, so keep them coming!

Bridge to the Market - AoM: Store Phase I

After much time in building and long inactivity, I have finally finished my next installment for Age of Mitgardia: Bridge to the Market - AoM: Store Phase I

Spring is finally here after the long winter battles with the Algus. Stian and Frode pack the extra weapons into the market wagon to take to Falkidalr’s market. Market day is always extra special in spring, as the chills of the winter are shaken off as a cloak and people from many locations bring wares of all types. Merchants and farmers bring their goods to offer the people of Falkidalr what they need while turning a profit to produce more goods. Entertainers are always a welcome presence at the market, and this day proves to have no lack of performers. As Stian and Frode are crossing the bridge to Falkidalr’s main path, two jesters start their performance early for the market-goers at the bridge. Doing somersaults and cavorting around, the jesters thrill with an element of danger as they cross the bridge around the smithy wagon by acrobatic feats on the bridge border wall. Hopefully nobody falls off! Oh, look! The goatherds seem to be having some trouble keeping the goats out of the fresh flowers along the path! Even with the help of a trusty farm dog, goats are difficult to control. There seems to be traffic congestion at the path intersection! The Vitrs are crossing the bridge right when a band of travelling minstrels is passing on the main path. Always ones to please, they play music as they travel. Their music meshes beautifully with the jesters’ antics, much to everyone’s enjoyment. The pig farmer should probably pay more attention to his pigs than the performers, though. He might have been overzealous in thinking he could lead three hogs at once on leashes! Even the old chicken farmer finds his steps lightened by the music and performance. The Falkidalr Leidvordr patrol is also excited by market day and the new sights it brings, though their task of guarding the path becomes more difficult with all of the travelers and precious cargo. Additional Pictures: The market wagon: …And the characters posing for pictures on the bridge: Without figures: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This build took far longer to complete than I thought it would, mostly due to the elevation on the sides needed to allow for the bridge and stream bank and how to close in the edges. The inspiring technique for this build was the bridge arches simply made of an arch of bricks not fully engaged. I have also wanted to make a stream bank with reeds ever since the medium-flesh spike was introduced to the LEGO world. Comments and constructive criticism much appreciated! Thanks for looking, Slegengr Pine tree tutorial is added under the historic forum.

@Robert8 That is an interesting figure and a nice start to the reveal of the next series. I just noticed on this figure, though, that the hands seem to be upside down? I always assumed the curve of the hand should be the bottom to represent the shorter pinkie finger and the lack of a thumb on the bottom. Looking back at your earlier figures, the others seem to have the hands in the upside down position. Maybe this is just my personal preference? I am not totally sure, but they still seem upside down to me. I am looking forward to the next series as you keep producing excellent minifigures!

Great work on remakes of the Adventurers theme! That layout is really beginning to take shape. I like how you updated the jeeps and cars. The houses and shacks will be great additions to the layout. The updated Island Hopper is absolutely stunning! I really like the look that the pearl curved slopes give to the shaping!

@MiloNelsiano I am not sure I understand what you are asking. What extra features are you wondering about? I have limited photography experience and have yet to discover all the uses of the features of my camera, so I might not be able to help with explaining additional features. The larger pixel count of the KS-2 could be a nice benefit, especially if the sensor is larger than the one in the K-50 camera. The swivel display could be useful to some (especially for video), though I would probably find it more bothersome than helpful to me. I use the camera almost entirely for pictures rather than videos. I have been able to take nice photographs of both LEGO builds and nature scenes with the K-50. The weather resistance is a nice benefit for outdoor shooting. I also like the built-in stabilizer that seems to reduce shake blur on the photos. I generally still use a tripod and remote for the most stable pictures, but I have taken some shots with the camera in my hands, and these still have come out pretty nice. It does seem like the prism for live view works pretty well in showing what the picture will look like, unlike my previous cheap point-and-shoot camera that always seemed to have different coloration and lighting between the live view and the captured picture. If you have any specific questions, I will try to answer them, but I am very much an amateur photographer as well as being pretty new to Pentax cameras.

@Henjin_Quilones I am looking forward to your improved photography (and your Cat. C builds)!

As a design engineer, I can completely relate to this. My job is to produce designs for my company. When I get paid, the company is buying my design. The one thing I will note is that I do get credit for what I have done: every time my design is not perfect, I will hear about it. Designers are the origination of every design, so there is no one else to blame for a problem in the design. The return from this is that I am compelled to fix my mistakes and consider how to avoid them in the future. This brings positive effects in the future, which should increase my value as an employee, which also will likely increase my pay as my designs improve. This is what it is probably like for every designer for LEGO (or for every design company, for that matter). When someone steals a design, the designer should be somewhat flattered since the design was good enough to be stolen, but the effect is more negative when the profitability of the designer's company falls due to competition with the stolen design. As @Robianco noted, if a competitor's quality of bricks is good enough, then they should hire designers and purchase IP's to allow for fair and legal competition to LEGO. This is how the free market should work. I just do not understand how anyone can support a company that steals a design and just tries to duplicate it at a much lower price point due to lack of design costs and IP's. Taking someone else's idea and improving upon it, as LEGO did with Kiddicraft, is not the same as stealing (not to mention that Kiddicraft made bricks, which have existed for thousands of years). Kiddicraft made a new innovation with the brick, making it from plastic and adding a method of interlocking the bricks together to produce a toy. LEGO used the simple concept of interlocking bricks for beginning, but really became who they are today because of the stud-and-tube coupling system that was developed within their own company. This innovation is what opened up the complex possibilities that allowed them to be a competitive toy manufacturer. Now that patents have long-since run out on the brick with stud-and-tube coupling, any company is allowed to produce the same bricks, even with the same dimensions. They should not be allowed to steal the unique designs made with those bricks. This is truly how every design works, as no modern product is made without copying some form of previous innovation, but it is stealing if there is no new or unique improvement made using other innovations. The car would not exist today if the wheel had never been made. How does the wheel work? It is a simple concept of physics, which really cannot be owned by anyone. The perfect world would see all designers, scientists, mathematicians, engineers, etc. working together and sharing what they learn so that others can use the knowledge for new innovations and improvements rather than people stealing other's designs to make money off someone else. If IP is not respected, all businesses would struggle to survive, as the input required would set each business behind the competition when the resulting product would become open to anyone to produce. The company that produces the design would lose out as the invested money to produce the design will return no profit if the design is just stolen and produced by some other company that only invested in the manufacturing equipment. I personally have a high respect for any company that attempts to compete with LEGO by creating similar designs under their own IP's and with their own designs. To be able to produce a similar product takes great skill, and to be able to achieve competent quality is quite an achievement. This competition is necessary to keep the quality of a product on a continual cycle of improvement. Competition is what compels LEGO to maintain and improve quality of product and design rather than allowing them to let quality slip. LEGO does not have a monopoly on construction toys, as there are other competitors that look nothing like LEGO with their own unique construction methods (such as K'Nex and Erector). This adds to legal competition that benefits the consumer. MegaBlocks has added to the competition with their own unique innovations as well as taking advantage of popular IP's with which LEGO is not willing to become associated (such as Halo or World of Warcraft). I still prefer the LEGO products and have little to do with the competing companies, but that is a matter of personal preference. I hope this stealing of MOCs does not harm the LEGO MOC community. Sharing of design and techniques is how all of us learn to improve our own skills utilizing aspects and techniques from other builders. As Isaac Newton said, "If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." The importance here is in using what others can teach us so we can innovate improvements to our benefit and the benefit of others.

@Henjin_Quilones About a year ago, I bought a Pentax K50 camera. I am also an amateur photographer, so I had to research cameras to make a decision. The main reason I went with this camera was the increased definition for moving objects (such as people and animals) and better instant screen view (Pentax uses a prism instead of mirrors to generate this view) for capturing landscape scenes (my additional photography interests). These features seem unnecessary for shooting LEGO builds, though. My Pentax K50 came with a telephoto lens that I wanted for nature photography, but you would not need this for LEGO photography. That Canon Rebel T6 looks like a good pick. I also might suggest considering the Nikon 3300, which seems to have a comparable cost and similar capabilities with a higher megapixel count (though C-MOS sensor size combined with megapixel count are more important than megapixel count alone, as a camera with a smaller sensor will produce a grainier image if using more megapixels, the exact case I found with my first cheap point-and-shoot digital camera that boasted 26MP but produced very grainy images). This site seems to recommend the Nikon 3300 and 3400 slightly higher than the Canon Rebel T6, though it is hard to say. It should still be a good read for you with your current camera considerations. I hope someone that knows a lot more about photography (like @Gideon) might input information to help you in your decision. I am pretty confident that you will be happy with the ones you are considering if you cannot find any information or advice that points you in a different direction. I do know my Pentax K50 has kept me happy, both for LEGO photography and for nature photography. ...And so you know that I am not specifically recommending the Pentax K50 for LEGO photography, the other reason I chose that one was the weather resistance (which should hopefully not be a concern for your LEGO photo shoots!). To get the equivalent "bundle" from Pentax was more expensive for me than with the Canon and Nikon bundles you are considering.