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Captain Dee

Eurobricks Dukes
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Everything posted by Captain Dee

  1. Captain Dee
    Superb intro, Gideon! The whole arrangement is simply beautiful and the tutorial is nice. You have some very smartly designed characters, but then navy blue has that certain effect! The forced perspective is an excellent idea for an intro and the stone walls are beautiful. I look forward to seeing your creations. On a side note, can I approve this to award you some extra DBs? No? Well, bummer... Happy building!
  2. Captain Dee
    This is another fine vessel - though I must say the decor on the sides and the railings in particular look really modern for what would otherwise be an older type of ship. It's a smooth tidy design and the details like the capstans, hatches, and stern layout are nice. I also think a jib or two would improve the look, and at least a couple of dedicated swivel guns per side. But overall this is still a nice vessel. Good work.
  3. Captain Dee
    This is one of the more unique Lego sailing ships I've ever seen. The colors go well with your apple story and the overall look also reminds me of the Sea Cow. The shape is pretty good although the upper bow and stern could be smoothed over to lessen some of the angles. Some of the hull detailing looks busy, but then some of the old gilded vessels were so it's not a big deal. You have included some really good details and this is a pretty good first attempt. Regarding the cannons, I also think smaller custom guns would look better on a vessel this size, but it will do little to address the cramped look Gideon pointed out. Those shot weights provided by Bregir are definitely British and therefore I don't think everyone should be held strictly to them. Good work. I approve.
  4. Captain Dee
    Beautiful beach. The varying texture of the tan plates is to my eyes the best sand yet, and the dark tan for wet sand is nice. The wave technique is lovely - I don't always like it but the wide and shallow depth of view looks great in this scene. And the plants atop the dune remind me of something like the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Good work!
  5. Captain Dee
    Lovely layout! The dock and fort look like they were seamlessly built into the landscape. The boat looks perfect sitting low in the water, although adding yet more cargo may not be such a good idea. The trees are really nice but the lone piece atop the tower looks out of place. I especially like the minifigs; not one looks out of place. Good work.
  6. Captain Dee
    Wha...? No sooner than I comment and you've changed it! But seriously, I think it looks better in red and black... it seems more piratey that way!
  7. Captain Dee
    Beautiful plantation. The revised cotton plants look much better but the overall composition is really good regardless. I like the exposed, tilled ground and the tidy rows are neat. The shed looks great too, although perhaps a bit small - I assume they store tools there? Showing the workers harvesting the cotton is an excellent idea, as well as the overseer on horseback. Good work.
  8. Captain Dee
    This is a good beach landing scene. I like the angle of the shore and the trans-clear bits are realistic for the surf. But it seems odd for the sailor to still be rowing, unless the others jumped out first and waded in. The right side tree is great and the others are okay, but more of them (or more undergrowth) would give a better jungle look. The statue is unique and the driftwood is a good idea. Good work.
  9. Captain Dee
    That's a very nice rocky outcrop and the arch is wonderful. Covering it with plants gives it a colorful look - I suppose it gets a lot of rain to grow so well there. The upward slope gives it a commanding presence, so it's no wonder she chose to plant the flag there. Good work.
  10. Captain Dee
    This is a nice setting and I really like the big stone head - it looks a lot like the Easter Island statues. The rest of the scene is pretty good although the sandy foreground area is a little plain. The minifig posing is excellent, but after reading your story and all the comments I'm a little confused. It looks like a land-based fight, and that's what all the comments are fussing over, but the story gives no indication of returned fire until after the Oleanders were back aboard their ship being chased by the natives - and the natives were the belligerents anyway! That's hardly what I call Oleon being prone to violent actions; in fact it seems very sensible to me. I dare say the other factions' members would have behaved the same way unless they somehow knew how to communicate with the natives. I just wonder which is the official version - written or built? Perhaps the build really is what happened and the (bloodthirsty?) Oleanders wrote up an "enhanced" version of what happened to appease everyone...
  11. Captain Dee
    That's a very nice workshop, and I can live with the colorful roof. It adds a little flair which would be expected in any "respectable" pirate settlement. The interior is beautiful with all the sail-making details, the big chandelier, and the steeply-raked rafters. The boat at the dock is really nice too. I'm guessing that they'll stay busy considering their profession - and if not, well, one wonders what might go on inside when the ladies are around considering the furnishings... Do I spy one of the inkwell pieces atop the torch? Interesting build. Good work.
  12. Captain Dee
    That's a fine canoe and with a sail that big it should really move. The rake of the mast is nice but the red cones are distracting - I assume you didn't have them in brown. The crab is a neat touch. Too bad the size limit force the overhang because it would look better sitting firmly on the base all the way around. Good work.
  13. Captain Dee
    I waited to comment, and I must say the additional photos are much better - but I do like the lighting in the very first one. This is a nice warehouse and the overall shape is really good. I like all the arches and columns but then I always do. The interior is really neat and has some good details. Keep it up. I approve.
  14. Captain Dee
    True, true. And we'd probably fight a lot less wars and have fewer societal ills overall. But this is the king's. And kings weren't always humanitarians!
  15. Captain Dee
    Thanks for the comment. Unusual builds like this don't exactly tickle everyone's fancy, but that's fine - I enjoyed building it! :) To answer your questions: for sure the only visible connection to 2013 Castle is the minifigs; I used multiple copies of the king's body for the princes and the princesses just have different hair colors. Several of the chests and their contents came in the sets but make no mistake - I built this from my collection. I actually have a lot more chests than this, but the ones in the pics came from different sources. The same is true for the treasure. The final version was actually bigger than this but it was extremely difficult to photograph without losing the minifigs, so I decided to show this instead.
  16. Captain Dee
    Dzoni90 - Thanks. I'm glad you like it. If the layout looks suspiciously familiar it's because I got the idea from your multi-floor Pillage the Village contest entry. I like your smooth building style a lot and I wanted to keep this simple despite the flashy colors.
  17. Captain Dee
    I like the hull design - well, what we can see of it anyway - but I seriously encourage you to use full custom sails. The purist route may be noble and all but it is extremely restrictive of what you can build. The jibs don't look very good to my eyes just because that arrangement isn't very realistic; likewise the mainsail could be better. As ship sizes grow in the game it will be increasingly difficult to build using official sails (or copies, which isn't truly purist anyway!) Besides, the sails have always been unique parts - not bricks, not even ABS - and virtually all of the really good ship models have custom rigging. You've made a good start but I would like to see a few more pics if you have them, preferably with a little depth to the background! EDIT: I failed to mention the guns. Smaller custom pieces like these are much better than the standard cannon for smaller vessels such as this. But I agree with the thought that they look too low and probably wouldn't need to be fired from gunports anyway. The Swedes had the Vasa and the English had the big Mary Rose - which capsized from flooded lower ports. Otherwise the armament is very sensible. Keep it up.
  18. Captain Dee
    Nice landing scene. There's a lot going on here and you've included a good variety of minifigs. I like the fact that you've included multiple boats and supplies; perhaps we can assume that whatever they used to haul in the cannon has already left. I think a good overview shot would help a lot - as shown the canopy of two of the big trees isn't visible, which is a shame. I like those clumps of bananas but the plants in the background could look a little better. The ceremony is interesting, but I suppose that's just part of life in Oleon. Keep it up.
  19. Captain Dee
    Very nice intro, and it's good to see the Sea Rats/Pirates being represented. The last pic in particular is absolutely superb. After reading through the comments, I promise to post this reply without once mentioning the word "shipyard." Oops!!
  20. Captain Dee
    Very good intro. It has a warm homely feel, as it should. The furniture is nice and I for one really like the floor; it looks well-kept. As already mentioned, the two things I would change would be tiling the top of the wall and removing the dark tan tile from the border; perhaps the cylinders in the wall could be replaced with a brick with a stud on the side or something. The personalized painting on the wall is a neat idea. Good work.
  21. Captain Dee
    That's a nice little shop and a good assortment of supplies. The smooth and angled roof is very good. Perhaps the fish should go in the big barrel though... I understand it's sitting on the base for photographic purposes, but I like the idea of a little shop where you could moor your boat, do some shopping, and row away.
  22. Captain Dee
    This is a fine vessel indeed. I like those colors, especially the white and gold, and the slopes are pretty good without being too blocky. Good job with the cargo holds and rigging, but the armament seems a bit much on something this size! Of course, Lego has always used those cannons, and I can't condemn their use for that reason. But as for not arming all 6 ports - simple, it's a big flaw in the official set designs dating back to 1989 and the limited width of the prefab hulls is the most likely reason for why the sets weren't typically armed on both sides. To load an official cannon requires pulling it back until the cascabel is almost touching the opposite side of the ship, which to me is just a ridiculous way of designing sets. Sure, it kept them smaller and therefore kept the prices lower, but I always have and always will view it as a company design flaw for which serious shipbuilders should not be criticized. Any armed ship model should have room for both broadsides, period. Lego has never truly allowed for this - the only way to fit them is with both sides deployed, unless the standard hull pieces are widened dramatically with slopes, jumpers etc. The "standard Lego cannons are too big" debate must consider that the minifigs' bodily proportions are like those of a small child, not an adult, and that the prefab hulls realistically represent very small vessels when built strictly to minifig scale - vessels that typically did not carry guns that large. Again, that is Lego's design problem. Building custom guns does little to address the overall issue, because the good designs are still long enough to make things cramped. Listen to me. Have I bored everyone to sleep? Hello? Anyway, this is a pretty good cutter with ambitious armament. I approve.
  23. Captain Dee
    Lovely fort/stockade. The layout is nice and I really like the wooden tower. The terrain is pretty simple though, and more exposed water would be nice. But you have plenty details and all the activity going on is great. A few modifications to a scene like this, specifically elevating everything above the water with a rocky shore or big dunes, would make it so much more convincing. Good job overall.
  24. Captain Dee
    I also think it looks kind of cold and uninviting, especially when you consider the wind coming in off the sea. Perhaps that explains the lack of windows. The rocks are nice and I really like the way the dock angles up to meet land, although it would be hazardous with a coating of ice or snow. There's no place like home, eh?
  25. Captain Dee
    Interesting use of a strange piece and good job on the cavern exterior although a little more texture and/or vegetation would be nice. I must confess the names are a bit much for me though! Anyway, it looks like the islander minifigs are in their element. Nice work.
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