Captain Dee

That's a lovely colorful setting. The topography and upside-down tower are really good. Though simple, the waterwheel is pretty good too. This is a nice evocative microscale scene.

Escher!! The sphere is a very good Lego version of the original, but I must confess my favorite is "Relativity" at the top of the page.

I for one won't complain with a "Ship-a-year" concept provided most of the parts work in a typical pirate setting, but long-term that's asking a bit much. I got the Spongebob ship on a whim and actually kinda like it - with some modifications it fits the theme reasonably well, as a merchatman for example. I also got the LotR ship for the parts and some of the minifigs, and again, it can be made to fit the theme with significant mods, so I think anything can work if most of the parts aren't too specialized. I'm curious as to how well the Brick Bounty sells given it's very basic design and somewhat elevated price. Something a little better and smaller should certainly do well, like the old CC or first IFS. But of course the new Ninjago stuff stands in the way for now, and I'm not seeing a very good mixing of major components with the normal pirate stuff... but we'll see.

I'm not sure something this small is worth five bucks - but it does have a few big pieces, like the shark and palm leaves. It's a neat little set, and would have been an OK impulse set if it was available. It's too bad Lego didn't offer something small like this as a parts pack of sorts. Most of the previous waves got something... Anyway, this is about as good of a review as you can do for something this size.

All this talk about tags and titles has me wondering if this is still the Pirates forum or if it's been taken over by some crummy used car lot with salesmen dressed out of the '70s. You wouldn't sell me a lemon, right, Phred?

I concur. You can never have too many vessels of any type, especially in the Historic themes. They played a big role, but we don't see enough of them. I think the hull shaping is excellent and overall it has a nice balanced look. The custom sail also looks good. Excellent work.

"Now you see me, now you don't First you do, and then you won't Watch me vanish right before your eyes. ... Now you see me, now you don't." - Lee Ann Womack

This is a very good vessel and the custom hull is impressive. The armament looks fierce but I'm counting more than 10 cannons - unless you were referring to the broadside. I think a flush aftcastle would generally look better but even so, this cabin design is very good and it would fit right in with the official sets. Good work and a fine addition to the pirate fleet.

For the record, my own snarky comments were posted in good humor. I don't expect people to value my opinion, and don't care either. I think it's unreasonable to expect everyone to be strictly on-topic 100% of the time. Complex issues can easily wander a little and still pertain to the matter at hand. If someone posts something on-topic that includes a statement that goes slightly off-topic (common occurrence, right?) but pertains to their basic ideas, other people probably should be allowed to respond within reason. I don't think anyone has a problem with that.

I'd better roll up my pants, because it's getting deep again. Deep and smelly. If I dig deep enough maybe I can find that future set discussion... I can agree with just about all these basic points in some way. I do think kids are still creative, and I also think it's possible to stifle it, but I don't see that happening too much in the Lego world. TV and other passive forms of "entertainment" (if you can call it that) stifle creativity, but I question whether Lego shows really have a negative impact, even though I see the shows as a waste of the company's resources (but that's just my heavily biased opinion, and no, I'm not interested in hearing any stats - lets move on). I don't think any sane individual would question the existence of sensory overload; it's too heavily studied and documented in its various forms but again, I'm not sure how it applies to Lego. Other static battery-powered toys are prime examples: so many times I've watched young kids push the same button over and over again, just to hear that absurd noise, and then they're done - it's boring, try another one. But that's not really a Lego problem either. So, to recap - I think Lego is still a creative medium, even though I put action themes in general in the category of "sleeping aids" and often wonder why they don't attract flies and vultures. I'm not sure that one approach to Castle is any more or less creative than another, even though I obviously can't stand a particular approach. But I suspect something more akin to the classics will resurface eventually. Phred, that new title you gave me just might fit this conversation.

It definitely looks more accurately scaled this way, and the different colors are more realistic too. The mod is a simple concept but it really changes the look substantially. Good idea.

I must confess I never liked the boxy look of those old Esprits, but you absolutely mastered the design in that scale and now I have an urge to build some copycat models myself. They look amazing and the submarine version especially says "Bond. James Bond." The Aston is beautiful too, especially the grille. Excellent work.

Discussing the "best" CMFs is simply elevating personal opinions, and I see the outcome as a big argument. I have a few panda suit CMFs, which I now regret, but otherwise I have no suited characters and I doubt I'll buy the shark suit guy either. I felt several hot dog suits while going through a box and put them all back. The best "theme" is whatever you like; just because I don't like them doesn't mean they're bad (and no, I don't care about collectability or making money reselling) and just because lots of other people buy them doesn't make me foolish. "Best" should not be confused with "most popular." I buy what I can use with few exceptions, which is why I like the queen in this upcoming series. Rating them according to what commands the highest price is simply a nod to their collectability and doesn't automatically make them "top figures."

Semaphore towers are quite rare in the Lego world (I can only think of one more here on EB) and this one is lovely. The structure is nice with the brown over grey and the basic architecture is good. In my opinion you can't go wrong with bridges beside waterfalls, and the rest of the scene looks naturally placed as well. The tree design is a little more basic, and due to it's size I think it detracts from the tower a little, but that's strictly up to you. I really like the drawbridge and overall this is very nice. Good work.

When I was young I did a lot of reading and B&W drawing; I gradually stopped drawing and don't read nearly as much anymore. I do a little hiking and I've done quite a bit of landscape photography in my area, especially the Blue Ridge Mountains (Cahas Mountain in particular because it's so close), and I enjoy the occasional game of basketball. And that's about all I have time for! Unless eating counts...

Most of the accessories are oversized while still looking decent - apples as big as heads, bananas as long as arms, etc - but I have hated that scimitar from the first time I saw it due to its size and sheer ugliness. I like the various beards - they may not be perfect but they do provide some variety. As much as I liked the Abe Lincoln CMF, I agree that the hat/hair combo is otherwise just about useless. Other hat/hair combos are better if they can be reused somehow. I can't stand the short legs - those minifigs look like the unfortunate victims of bad workplace accidents, or got in a fight with a chain saw and lost. I also don't like the silly skirts, but I like the printed dress slopes even though the torsos come off too easy and they're taller than standard legs; I think the design works well enough for different time periods as a generic dress. The musket is so-so; the pistol is ugly but I like it for nostalgic reasons. But a redesign would be better. Hate the stud-shooters. Waste of parts. I could probably think of a few more but I think that covers the felonies...

The original post said to put everything in one place so they could organize it easier, but it appears that was abandoned, so here's Number 2 for me: "Mopping up blood, guts and brains." Given by the Phreditor-in-Chief again (I think) after I mentioned I'd need a mop to clean up after the "Pillage the Village" contest; he basically just turned part of my statement into a title. I laughed when I saw it but now I'm a bit mortified... I'm almost afraid to show my face in the forums, what with all the flies buzzing around me and the vultures circling overhead...

Oops! I did it again!

Shiver me timbers! Ugh. I got a new title...

Those are some really cool parts, and should definitely spice up the Pirates theme a little. The tricorne is the most interesting to me. Could we see it from a different angle - like partially overhead - or even beside the standard Lego piece? Nice work.

Both calendars are really good, and the concept is cool too. The different Jeeps look great, especially the Willys, and the landscapes are awesome. The shots of the purple Jeep under that tiny arch and the one climbing the stairstep formation are my favorites but they're all nice. I assume you live in or near Utah? I've been there once and visited several of the parks, and I must say Balanced Rock and Delicate Arch from Arches NP definitely make some great cover material. Good work!

There should be plenty room for pirate rebels. But if a certain "Prinz" comes sailing in I'm striking my colors. Glad to see interest in the heavyweights from the old guard.

Z, your Miles is one lucky kid. Not many people master the castle universe, yawn, and whip out such a fine collection of heavy machines. What you have here is great. Scrapers (drawn behind big ag tractors or self-propelled) are often used to help level big commercial lots, plus they see heavy use in road construction. Road graders are common machines too. And who doesn't like a good articulating front-end loader? Those are 3 more common examples that would add to the collection. The skid-steer looks good, but I agree the track model looks better. A real challenge would be making it vertical-lift vs the fixed radial swing as shown. It would be tricky at that scale. I can't help but notice the hinges at the bottom of the front of the cab - it makes it look like it would tilt, just like the real thing! Good work.

A reasonable (ie, big) harbor set would be really cool. So far there has been next to nothing of the sort in the Castle theme. I like the faire idea, and also something like a market plaza - similar, sure, but with a bigger emphasis on food. A good tavern as a midsize set would be nice too. Beyond the typical castle concepts the possibilities are endless. It would be tricky making civilian sets appealing to young children, but I'm sure it could be done. There is one thing I don't want anytime soon: another blacksmith. There was more to the medieval world than that.

The waterfall is beautiful and the whole scene looks great. I'm impressed with the rockwork and the layers in the soil help break up all the grey while looking pretty realistic. The bridge is nice and detailed, but taken as a whole, this just shows why Lego needs to produce more than just light and dark variations of grey! The vegetation looks fine except where it suddenly turns to bare dirt; I'm sure you had some reason for this but I think it would look better if it extended to the edge. My favorite parts are the dark grey "wet" rocks and the thin stream falling to the right of the main falls. This is one of the best waterfalls I've seen in Lego form, and the detailed building style you've shown in this, the big ship, iron furnace, etc is extraordinary. Excellent work! I've been toying with the idea of building a huge historic bridge along a waterfall - immediately downstream, actually - and this is a good reference. Keep it up.