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Captain Dee

Eurobricks Dukes
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Everything posted by Captain Dee

  1. Captain Dee
    Extraordinary!!! This is fantastic. You obviously did your homework on this one. The shape of the furnace is just perfect, and the wooden tower and walkway used for "charging the stack" are equally accurate for blast furnaces during the days of firing with charcoal - basically from the time period you mentioned until the 18th century. The shed for casting the pig iron looks great and the waterwheel-powered bellows is another really good feature. This is without question the most accurate iron-smelting creation I've ever seen built from Lego bricks. The rest of the scene - the water, vegetation, minifig posing, etc are all very good. This is just about exactly what the Powhatan attacks on the Falling Creek Ironworks near the English settlement of Jamestown in the Virginia colony would have looked like, circa 1620 - angry natives wiping out the settlers and destroying the first blast furnace built in North America. This is one of my favorite Lego creations. Excellent work!! Edit: PLEASE share some more photos!!
  2. Captain Dee
    BrickOn, your entry looks intriguing despite being so blurry and the boat design is pretty good. Mr. Phredit, your buildings are coming along nicely; I especially like the fort. Keep it up.
  3. Captain Dee
    You're not the only ones. But I opened them all and parted 'em out.
  4. Captain Dee
    Thank you Phred and Mister Phes. That's just what I was looking for. I was aware of the contributions of most of them from browsing the archives; I'm also well aware of Zorro's efforts, and it's a good idea to share that link for other newer members. I suspect it will be rather difficult to list every Pirates staff member but this is nice. Now it's time for me to get busy. Thanks again.
  5. Captain Dee
    I concur with respect to the first several years of the theme, and everything else just adds to it. TLG can call it what it wants, but reimagining a small number of the same types of things every 5-7 years indicates to me that Pirates isn't terribly important to them. Not totally unimportant, but not very important either.
  6. Captain Dee
    Captain Braunsfeld, thanks for the reply. Regarding Mr. Phes, I'm mostly curious about his correct torso. I couldn't find a picture of him except your scene, although one probably exists elsewhere. Also, I'm aware that there are only the five of you staffers currently, but I'm trying to figure out who else has served in the past. For example, wasn't Bonaparte onboard for a while or am I dreaming? Anyway, I'll see what/who I can come up with. Oh, and about this "Captain Dee" fellow - if I see him, I'll tell him to get busy...
  7. Captain Dee
    Besides being funny, this is a well-built scene from the decorated border to the different brick wall patterns to the wooden walkway. Is the broken bottle modified Lego or third-party? At any rate, it's surprising that those miserable swabs could shoot a bird... but not a big target tied up in front of them. Maybe they all just got pressed into service... or perhaps they're all closely related to Barney Fife. Good work.
  8. Captain Dee
    There's nothing "wrong" with the Star Wars forum ("thread?"). The comments were critical enough to trigger a response - some positive, several negative - and I was suggesting that's what would happen if I went into the SW forum and started griping about, say, how Lego puts so much emphasis on the theme or something like that. The topics themselves aren't leaning toward each other in any way; it was an example of how being overly critical would spark the same type of reaction, nothing more. I see how it could be confusing.
  9. Captain Dee
    Make no mistake - the current one-year wave of sets is NOT a "Golden Age" of any type; rather, I use the term to describe the availability and variety of the entire life of the theme, including the new stuff. The 2015 sets are certainly basic, and the minifigs are probably the best part. The variety of the older sets was nice, but I likewise don't think we'll see that again from one-and-done waves in the future. The current sets are okay, but at least they make decent parts packs...
  10. Captain Dee
    My greatest concern is that it's not some of that (gasp) pirated music...
  11. Captain Dee
    Hmm... after reading the last several posts, I'm ready to proclaim this the "Golden Age of (Lego) Piracy." At the very least we have the greatest total volume and variety of sets, parts and minifigs we've ever had - even if some of the sets have been underwhelming. Yarr!! Brick on, me hearties!
  12. Captain Dee
    These models are all really nice, and the scale is great for keeping costs down and playability. Is it just me, or does this thread have most of the really famous German warship names from that time? Bismarck, Graf Spee, Prinz Eugen - brings back memories of reading those old stories. And of course HMS Hood would be cool; wasn't Prince of Wales involved in the chase of one of the Germans or am I imagining things? Nice work.
  13. Captain Dee
    I wouldn't worry too much about size in the large category. Bigger isn't automatically better; besides, the rules plainly state that the level of violence/mayhem will deternine whether a design makes the cut for the final voting round. If your design meets the criteria it would handily beat out a 100x100+ that shows little of the "out for blood" or doesn't really inspire with good building techniques, photos, etc. I say go for it - but perhaps Phred or the other staff can share their thoughts too.
  14. Captain Dee
    Whoa. And here I thought all along that the ol' Joust was a really neat set. Guess I was wrong, huh? No, seriously, I can't see anything majorly wrong with it. It could have been a little bigger, perhaps, but otherwise it's a unique set with really good minifigs. Lame? Uh, well, everyone has a different opinion. To me, the definition of the word "lame" is Star Wars - but that's just my opinion, and lots of paying customers feel differently. I bet I could spark a REAL war if I spoke my opinion in the Star Wars forum... which is why I don't go there. Ever. Perhaps this thread is leaning that way too.
  15. Captain Dee
    For the record, I actually liked the 2013 castle sets, even if they weren't as creative and imaginative as some of what came before. And I definitely did my part to boost sales. Regarding Nexo Knights, I'll share a quote I left elsewhere on EB, before I even knew this discussion existed. I think it fits: "Sadly, this is what much of Lego has become: just another action/fantasy/sci-fi hodgepodge." It looks like the themes are gradually going that direction, to the point that a lot of it runs together or overlaps in some way. That's the type of stuff that sells, because young children (boys at least) seem to be more enthused by it. I don't get it at all... but then I'm an adult, and my preferences are different. But I wonder how unique Lego can really remain among toys if or when the majority of the stuff looks like this. City, Friends, Technic, etc. probably won't get this treatment, which is part of what makes them so appealing to me. But I won't proclaim this to be a bunch of "stupid crap" the way I refer to one very popular theme; it's a new twist on an old theme, and I'm okay with seeking out older castle sets to fill the void. I prefer building historically correct material, so no one lineup within the historic themes really stands out to me and it doesn't really matter. I suspect Nexo Knights will be popular... but there's not a snowball's chance in Hades of me buying any of it. Over and out.
  16. Captain Dee
    Well, I broke down and bought the silly-nilly zombie pirate captain - it was the last of 4 remaining of that series at the local TRU. The torso ain't bad even with spots, and I like that shovel-blade beard, and being a pirate I just had to have at least one. But unfortunately for him I have some rather heinous plans up my sleeve... if I can get it done on time...
  17. Captain Dee
    "Simple and plain looking" is an understatement for the official set. More like "missing half its parts" or "who stole the decks?" The biggest problem with the Brick Bounty (besides its pathetic name) is the lack of good building bricks. TLG wasted a big chunk of the piece count on unnecessary frills, like the decor on the sides of the hull. What we really need is more ordinary parts to build it up into something respectable. Buying multiple copies gives you lots of hull pieces, masts, sails, shrouds, windows, red slopes and... not much else. It's enough to make a good start and not much more than that. Good luck!
  18. Captain Dee
    This is a beautiful creation. I'm not familiar with the specific locations along the wall but you've captured the look perfectly - it really doesn't need a title! The terrain and vegetation are lovely and the wall looks just like the photos I've seen (never been there). This should make it to the frontpage because that's where it belongs. Excellent work! As a side note, I think your avatar is really clever. I'm guessing most people don't "get" it...
  19. Captain Dee
    This was a really good commercial that was perhaps the best at promoting the theme. But the lack of certain useful elements, like the newer spyglass, really gives it an aged feel. Still, these are the classics, and they've aged well!
  20. Captain Dee
    This is a lovely composition. The unusual shape of the buildings actually looks pretty good and both the colors and textures are nice. The rockwork of the market square is great and I like the elevated structure. And of course the action and various minifigs are nice. Excellent work.
  21. Captain Dee
    I understand the use of others' sigfigs as it pertains to contests (like ToR in particular) but I'm talking about simply using them in MOCS - respectfully, of course, unless I have permission to make fun of them (and myself, naturally). I know how to make all the staff's sigfigs save Mr. Phes; I just checked his profile and he was last active Aug. 21 - just over a month ago. Captain Braunsfeld, if you're reading this, could you shed some light on the subject? You included Mr. Phes in your latest Captain Cookie MOC, and I'm just wondering if that is his official sigfig or if you took creative license when putting him together. (Is it just me, or is his head photoshopped? That eye patch looks like a digital alteration to me.) I've been searching through old material and haven't found anything yet. I'd like to ask again if anyone knows of a complete Pirates forum staff list - I want to dedicate something to you/them and I don't want to leave anyone out. I apologize for being so difficult to accomodate...
  22. Captain Dee
    This is another fine entry. The three-level design looks fantastic and really makes use of that 256-stud base well. The cellar looks great and even has the right atmosphere. The design and colors of the main floor are really nice and has just enough action for the available space. The upstairs is cool and features my favorite parts: the monkey swinging from the chandelier and the man leaning back over the broken bannister. And the head of the new patrol is just perfect. Nice work as always!
  23. Captain Dee
    YES!! YAHAHA!! Oh, uh, ahem. Sorry 'bout that. It's just that I'm very happy to see we now have a place to contact the forum staff because I've been wanting to do that very thing. Here's the deal: I want to include all 5 of you in a series of builds (largely unrelated) but I thought I ought to get everyone's permission first. Could we have pics of each of your complete sigfigs added to this thread, along with an ID of the individual parts? I'd also like to see a complete list of all the Pirates staff in the history of EB. If someone could put that together I'd be delighted. Again, photos would be helpful but I suppose I could look them up... if I just knew who they were! Thanks in advanvce.
  24. Captain Dee
    This is a fantastic tavern, and the name is great - although I must confess it took me a moment to get the pun, at which point I had a good laugh. The wall textures are excellent and I don't think I've ever seen that particular style of rockwork before. I like the roof as it is. Sometimes builders just get carried away trying to create crumbling, delapidated, sagging roofs - but considering why it's there, I prefer mine to look solid and well-maintained, and this one certainly looks the part. The amount of detail, the number and variety of minifigs, and the level of activity are all impressive and your humor is fine too. There's so much to observe - the weathervane, the windows, the kitchen, the 2 highwaymen holding each other up, the pirates upstairs, the upended fellow out front, the spy, the various liquids being poured. Considering their importance it's somewhat surprising we don't see more good taverns. Excellent work.
  25. Captain Dee
    With the Victory being perhaps the most famous sailing ship in the world, this is a fantastic design that I'd love to see built. There's simply no mistaking those lines and colors. The complex curves of the hull look splendid to my eyes. Excellent design of an icon!
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