Ayrlego

Hey in case anyone hasn't seen, there are some great new parts available at the LEGO build your own minifig section of the LEGO store. ofc there are the new red falcons/white eagle castle faction (which as a huge black falcons fan is very exciting!!!), but more relevant for us here is the new medium nougat tricorne with dark red hair and a piratish torso! Here is one I prepared earlier!

Opps, I always miss that column! Fixed now, thanks

Mar-Apr 2022 account sheet released. Any issues, as usual please let me know. Also a number of accouts are in debt - if you guys want to submit Transaction Forms to correct this, any forms received by the end of the weekend (have a date before 16 May in the master sheet) I'll add to the Mar-Apr sheet instead of waiting for the May-Jun sheet.

Flower of the Lotus - Mini Challenge - Results Category One - Fig Barf! Category one had a lot of really great and creative minifigs and the competition was quick close between some of the entries. Overall, Oleon came out in the lead with not only the most entries (by one!) but also in total score. Well done Oleon! As the reward, Oleon receives one extra experience point to be applied to a single selected commander when fighting against the Lotii or their allies on El Oleonda. Entries which note a special mention in Category A include: Perise Mercenary Troupe @Jeff of Clubs , Yellow Banner Troops @merc , The Blue Banner answers the call @Khorne , The Happy Bunch @Captain Braunsfeld , Heavy troops of the Lotus @Bregir , Spectres and Soldiers @Spud The Viking Category Two - War Junk! Despite Lotus warship @Bodi being the only entry, it didn't just win by default. An elegant and beautiful vessel, this entry was superb in all ways! As winner, Bodi will be rewarded with a license for a class 4 un-MOC'ed ship. This un-MOC'd ship may be used for the tMRCA but can not be sister-shipped if lost. Please let me know any feedback you have for this mini-challenge (apart from we want the results quicker! that was totally my fault!) - do we want more fig-barfs? Any ideas for a new mini-challenge etc.

Not intentional, but now that you mention it I can see what you mean!

Great logging camp - it was one of the first things I wanted to do for Queenston - great minds!!! Hopefully I'll get a build and story out this weekend with Allcock in Queenston so that you can properly progress Scarver's story. PS That's an impressive collection of tomahawks (I think I have one !!)

A detachment of troops passes a small private residence in Port Woohouse.

A new Corrie regiment arrives in Port Woodhouse. They are dressed with the latest uniform styles from Halos, but who knows how long this will last in the new world? Here the more old fashioned tricorne is more popular than the stylish shako due to the protection it provides from the sun. Not much story with this one - mainly I wanted to feature the new torsos from United Bricks. I don't think we need to raise anymore troops this turn, but if we do I guess I could use as a troop raising build! Here are some of the other torsos I got for future builds - let me know any suggestions for how you think we can use them in the game. Left-Right; Austrian (maybe Carno?), British (Corrie duh!), Russian (GAS?), Swede (??? Some type of Oleander?), Spanish (Varcoast?) Hessians (Altonia?)

Good question... I found some white ones in a mixed Lego box I got a few years ago - they were from an Ice Planet set. The blue ones I got from BL, but I believe they came in 6190 Shark's Crystal Cave. Also it took me ages to find them on BL - they weren't under wedge or slope or anything you might expect - rather they can be found in Brick, Modified - Part number 2463!

I like the almost keyhole shape of the archway - I don't think I've seen that before. Like Roadmonkey commented, NPU with the road base.

Great idea for a stud farm with the new foal! I'd forgotten all about it - I have one somewhere... Also I love that you used the rear end of the centaur as the mother that's very clever!

As most Madricians know, the Mokolei Empire is a huge and diverse Empire that spans the continent of Halos. Tradionally Imperial power has been highly de-centralised with the Grand Sultan using a system of satrapies, however it is becoming more common these days to see Imperial troops at outposts throughout the different satraps. Here is one such outpost, manned by Imperial Janissaries. Some WIP Shots for those interested in the build process: The build started as a long held ambition to build something for the Middle Kingdoms, or Pyrite Heptarchy. As you can see from the title of this MOC, that was a fail! But never fear... the Middle Kingdoms will have their day soon! The tower was originally based around the blue wedge piece that I haven't really seen used much before. Like a lot of my towers, the build started at the top and worked down. After some feedback from @Khorne I decided it was too ornate for the more Byzantine look that I wanted for the Middle Kingdoms - it seemed much more 'Mokolei'! So I decided to completely redesign the tower... but why waste a perfectly good Mokolei tower?!? OK, I kept the dome but went for a more straight tower with less ornate details... but now both the Mokolei and Pyrite towers have blue highlights and the Mokolei tower needs a dome... I decided to dip my toe very gently into the world of brick built domes.... Also why not try an outrageous new colour as a highlight? Dark turquoise anyone?!? Also had to raid my daughter's Frozen castle for the arched windows on top... she hasn't noticed... yet! Hopefully the Middle Kingdom tower will soon follow, followed in turn by a planned (but not started) Great Alliance States tower to complete a trio of middle Halos builds.

When you first mentioned micro-figs, I have to admit to being sceptical... but these turned out brilliantly! The whole scene is superbly well done from the colour scheme to the clever use of parts (the headgear and green shutters as a roof rate a special mention). Great half circle base as well!

Palm Island Outpost, Corrington - medium commerce

Before departing for Terraversa last year, Colonial Governor Colonel Sir Dirk Allcock approved a new series of infrastructure projects around the approaches to Port Woodhouse and Jameston. The first of these projects are now being completed such as a dual purpose customs outpost and military battery in the Garma Strait. Constructed on a small outcrop of rock and sand which has been expanded, the outpost consists of a platform for a battery of two cannon, a small barracks and customs office and a watchtower for spotting and recording shipping. The builders were careful to preserve as many of the palms as possible on the island, to provide shade for the garrison. The outpost is currently staffed by a mixture of standard redcoats and green-jacketed riflemen from the Port Woodhouse garrison. I felt like some classic style imperials so here is (another) watchtower! It may not look like it, but the 'island' is built on a big Duplo Base. Also there are a total of 9 'classic' style palms - which may be a record for me. With all the minifig customisation going on I decided to try the BrickWarriors shakos on my redcoats and green jackets. I like them, but I'm not sure about them for my Port Woodhouse style builds.... Will probably license as a customs post (commerce) for the settlement.

It was a total accident! I put some trans-light blue in the bottom of the trough to simulate water, but when I rendered it the whole trough glowed blue. On investigation I found that Stud.io has two types of trans colours - normal and 'Glowing neon - render only'. I'd selected the blue glowing neon by mistake. I fixed the water (which probably explains why when rendering the water in this MOC my computer kept crashing - I bet I had glowing on...) and decided to try the effect for the lamp and forge. Works well for fire, not so well for water!

Thanks NOD! Thanks, Evan really should get the credit, I just jumped on his bandwagon!!! Thank you! Thanks, it is light nougat. I managed to get a whole stack of 1x2 plates from the online pick-a-brick earlier this year, much cheaper than Bricklink at the time.

Tinker's Forge, a medium artisan in Brickford Landing.

The settlement of Brickford Landing is slowing expanding. Recently a blacksmith and his wife arrived and have set up a small forge in the settlement. Now residents of Brickford Landing can have metalwork repaired and smaller pieces commissioned as the craftsman plies his trade. A quick digital build I completed while overseas recently. Will be licensed as a medium artisan in Brickford Landing.

Great battle scene! Some really good dynamic battle poses for our heroic marines! (nice Lotii as well). I really love the colour in your scenes and the diversity of the flesh coloured faces on the redcoats. Pretty sure my next redcoat scene will be fleshies! Great work.

Isolated deep in the desert of the South Western frontier, a gang of tough outlaws have established themselves in an abandoned tower. The height of the tower allows them a commanding view of all approaches. This MOC started life as the second of two 'test' builds for my South West Frontier build. I wasn't sure if I wanted to build the Mexican style in tan or white, so I made two top sections of tower in both colours to see which I thought looked better. I chose white for the South West Frontier build but was left with the two test sections on my desk. I expanded the tan test build into this Foreign Legion inspired MOC and now I've expanded the white test build into the scene above.

Front page updated. Congratulations to @Wellesley and @Justsomebrix for completing the Oaken Shield Task! Enemies of the Royal Navy should beware! Long Live the Queen!

She certainly does look very sleek! I really like the way you have managed to get a curved look with the brick built sails. Also I'm not sure how you managed to render such a huge amount of trans-blue tiles for the ocean without Stud.io crashing! Well done!

I'll echo Maxim, it's a nicely executed interior scene. The use of the ingots in the walls gives an interesting texture (note to self for future use!). Great backstory and I hope we see more of Frederick in future stories!

Great rock work! Your intrepid prospectors have found a profitable source of Mercury.