Exetrius

Look who crawled out of his coffin! Angeli, welcome back to the land of the living! Short recap: in the Nocturnus Civil War (in Book II), Lord Raavage of the Black Spire took over a large part of Nocturnus, but was ultimately defeated at the hands the Resistance (consisting of Lord Vladivus of Shadowmere, Gal Turok of The Reach, Osric Isentooth of Skavenport, and Exetrius of Zotharith, among others). In real life, Nocty participation during the civil war was minimal and most of official guild lore for it was finished by non-Nocties (thanks again @Henjin_Quilones, @TitusV!), so the guild was forced to close. I'm working to get Nocturnus back on the rails, there are still a lot of odds and ends to tie up before it could be a functioning guild again, but like you I believe there are enough builders out there who would love to build dark castles and have evil mages summon monsters with forbidden magic!

Thanks, Eoin!

I don't care much for the saddle, but what I would like to see is a more universal sword holder for the back or hips of minifigs, because now most blades are too broad, too thick, or both, to fit. Summarizing what we got this year so far: Heaps of traditional Chinese printed pieces and recoloured pumpkins (Chinese New Year) Hieroglyphs (Haunted House) New pirate designs and an inn banner (Barracuda Bay) Lightning bolt and leaf recolours (Trolls World Tour) New smaller Polynesian kayak sail, new owl, printed decorated 2x2 jumper, medieval Chinese and European chibi-minidolls (Disney Princess, Storybook Adventures) Recoloured leaves and ghost tails, new ghoul add-onn part pack (Hidden Side, winter wave) New 'full-fantasy' ghoul solders, new ghoul master with new ghost tail piece, recoloured candle flames in trans light blue (Hidden Side, summer wave) New 45-degree stud on a bar piece, new energy piece, and recoloured chains and and sorcerer lightning (DC Superheroes CMF) All-new knight, pirate and viking figs with new broadsword, printed shields and decorated helmet, new tortoise, recoloured sombrero (CMF series 20) Printed 2x2 with Chinese dragon design, new small moulded fire dragon head and large body piece, new long beard and male ponytail (Ninjago winter wave) New shoulder armour, printed shields and new swords, new evil sorcerer, new troll, goblin and elemental minifigs, recoloured shoulder armour, conical hats skeletons, bones, transparent rock boulder and flame pieces (Ninjago summer wave) New capes (Mandalorian battle pack) New and recoloured plant pieces (Minions) New dinosaurs (Jurassic World) All-new centaurs! , transparent animals, giant, owl with spread wings, recoloured large flame pieces (Harry Potter) Recoloured golden helmet and spider web parts pack (Marvel Superheroes) All-new valkyrie-ish minifig, cheetah and white bat anthropomorphs (DC Superheroes) New sorceress and Monkey King figures, a load of shiny golden parts (Monkie Kid) All things considered, this is pretty good! Monkey Kid is much less useful than expected, but the Ninjago summer wave is surprisingly 'neutral' fantasy. The centaur is a top-tier addition to LEGO fantasy as a whole, and I personally think the recoloured blue and green torch and candle flame pieces are in the same class, because they can contribute enormously to a fantasy atmosphere. A few years ago I posted a lengthy wishlist in this thread (not entirely sure), with both the flames and centaurs on there. I should really dig it up because I know there are a couple more things that have been introduced since posting it.

That's pretty insane!

Thank you! Initially I wanted to show all steps of the process in one shot, but decide that would become too crowded, so I went with multiple scenes instead. I'm glad to hear that, thanks! Look forward to more Nocty stuff!

@essel Lucky!! Maybe a little too soon to celebrate, indeed... Definitly keep us updated! I've been avoiding keeping up with this thread, to minimize the itch to hunt for cool parts while I am unable to do so right now. (Can't be the only one, right?) Very much looking forward to the reopening of the service!

Thank you! The rock work gave me headaches, haha! Not around the curve of the stairs, that actually went surprisingly smooth, the real struggle was the 'upper' rock work: above the entrance, pillars, walls, etc. Now I am sufficiently happy with it though, but it took some tries. Thanks, mate! Thank you! Sand green is one of my favorite colours, so you'll be seeing it from time to time . And yes, very efficient! Maybe I should have titled this "Skeleton Assembly Line" instead? Thanks, Stad! I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of architecture, with its recurring motifs. And yes, I've come to appreciate interactivity! Especially once a build has been sitting in the display cabinet for months, I can start to feel distanciated from its design. Then, the joy of popping off a roof, or swinging open a door, is a reminder that I am in fact the one and only creator, the owner of that build; that I created every bit of it and that I can do whatever I want with it. Am I still making sense? Perhaps admitting that I like playing with LEGO would just be easier... Cheers! Yes, those are indeed supposed to be runes. :) Actually I'm glad you mention the technic pins, since they bother me too (and no one else seemed to be), and I think the build would be better off without them. I would have like to used this part: , but I don't have it in sufficient quantity, though it also has the problem of not having friction. Making a railing as you say could be a solution, but for some reason it doesn't rhyme with the dwarven style in my mind. I was very curious about Gideon, as I didn't know he had builds outside of Kali, so I did a little search. This must be what you meant: Infiltrating through the Necropolis by Jonas Wide Seeing sunder's build is from 2016, he may well have been inspired by that build indeed. But there's more to Rockwail, you'll see in an upcoming build... Thanks! Good to see the crates got some love! I have actually spent a whole build session on them, because I was determined to have them fit through the entrance. And so they do, and the supply logistics make sense. I suppose it's things like these that make you a nerd...

Rockwail's Catacombs: Rise of the Undead[Nocturnus Civil War] Ambush in the Rakath[Nocturnus Civil War] Onwards, to the Moruth Highlands![Nocturnus Civil War] Turmoil in Camp Carakath [Nocturnus Civil War] Zotharians in the UnderworldWhat enabled Lord Raavage to take over Nocturnus so quickly? That is a question Nocturnian lords, leaders, and strategists alike would kill to get the answer of. Figuratively speaking, of course. Though the truth might never be fully uncovered, one clue is to be found in the city of Rockwail. One would be forgiven for not having heard of that place, because it is in fact one of Nocturnus' better kept secrets. Rockwail is an ancient stronghold city in the middle of the Moruth Swamplands, located not too far from the Capital, Abyssian. It is a place even most lords haven't heard of. Of course there are folklore tales, and songs of old, but any more concrete evidence of its existence would take serious determination to find. Raavage, with his insatiable lust for knowledge and boundless determination, managed to find it. When he learned about the extensive catacombs and dungeons underneath this secret city, a plan began to form. One that would grab Nocturnus to by the throat... From the mausoleum at the centre of Rockwail, a staircase spirals down into the deep, the spill in a network of layers upon layers of tombs. The catacombs were carved out by dwarves in ancient times, but are still used to bury the dead to this day. They are said to contain the remains of thousands of dead, of all shapes, sizes and races, but the full extent of what lies buried is a matter of pure speculation. In one of the tombs, the workers and crates with equipment have arrived, and the first skeletons are being taken out of their eternal resting places. Now they just need to wait for one of Raavage's necromancers to kick off the revival process. Orc supervisor "Ah, there you are! I was wondering if we'd be waiting here all day!" Necromancer "Keep your voice down! Don't you have any respect for the dead?" Orc supervisor "Like you're the one to talk..." Necromancer "What was that? I'd shut that mouth of yours, if you don't want to be exorcised. Now, show me to the skeletons." Orc supervisor "Aye sir." And so the necromancer performed one forced soul embodiment after the other, and the workers put on boots, chest plates and helmets, before sending the recruits to the surface. An army was rising in Rockwail, and the world outside didn't suspect a thing! --- Additional pics: The latest installment in my Nocturnus Civil War series. I'm jumping back and forth a in time a lot with the depiction of these scenes. Apologies if it's getting confusing, I'll probably arrange them in chronological order once I've built some more scenes. Anyway, credit to @-Sunder- (now inactive, like most of the Nocty gang) for thinking up the City of Rockwail. His vision and incredible writing made me want to build in Rockwail too. I used his build of the catacombs for reference: If you want an inspiring read, I highly recommend you check out his story builds. They are all linked in the Nocty Settlement Index, under "Rockwail". Thanks for reading!

That's a strategy only a select few people have, and it's not going to tip the scales. If you can convince masses of people to be less picky, then be my guest. Things get shared because people like them. The fact that Sokoda's set got promoted so much by others was because it was really darn good. After a similar search, I can confirm what @Lord Insanity pointed out: distinct, quality entries are few and far between, though I have to acknowledge the good ones. These are pretty much all the needles in the hay stack, imho: Beware of the cheerleader effect: try to look at them individually. There's a lot of info here to draw conclusions on. I think, it's often the things that interact with the ship that are the most interesting, not the ship itself (even though it has to look good). Of particular interest: the Galactic Explorer and Galaxy Explorer, in the upper row. At a glance, the ships are practically identical, however their presentation and popularity of their creators differ considerably. The difference in support count is enormous! Anyway, "what more can we do?" is really a good question. I may have to think about that one for a little longer, but @mrfang2 suggestion is quite a good one. Maybe we should be less picky what sets we buy! (now the circle of the post is round, isn't that satisfying? )

I strongly disagree. Bionicle is making a return in the public mind, both inside and outside the LEGO community. First through memes, but now also fan initiatives are gaining more momentum. Just look at the trailer of Bionicle: Quest for Mata Nui with 210,000 views, released only two weeks ago. Additionally, Bionicle never got a lore-oriented, play-and-display build, while the demand for such is high, and project creator Sokoda completely nailed the design and visual presentation. No, this is not about 'promoting it a lot', there's definitely much more to it. I think a big problem is that as is the case with castles, there are tons that all look kind of the same, with some of them that really stand out. It really needs to be extraordinarily good, but possibly even more than that. For example the Old Fishing Store wasn't just a store, as it also had kind of a pier, a bit of a beach and something akin to a lighthouse. Classic Space is essentially just a colour scheme and a logo, and because it has been so thoroughly explored through MOCs, I think only something that both looks unearthly cool (see what I did there? ) and is a unique take on the genre has a chance of reaching 10K. It's different for spacecraft that have already gained fame. IIRC, the Exo Suit was already a well-known creation through some (semi-) official LEGO books it appeared in, on top of meeting the aforementioned conditions for original (Classic Space) works. I think we just need to have patience until something arrives that blows us away, I am quite an optimistic person. I'm surprised the rover isn't explicitly celebrated in this thread, to be honest. I mean, take a look: The rover looks great, and the alternate builds also look good! It's literally a Vic Viper up there! And there's a space base, not so much unlike Captain Mutants space base, in concept. Icing on the cake: a new CS inspired space figure! Though I agree that this would look better in the CS colour scheme, I think this set deserves more love!

Hello, welcome to Eurobricks! This is the piece you are looking for: https://brickset.com/parts/design-92259, I think!

$150 for the Monkey King Warrior Mech... this is going to hurt a little. But holy smokes, it looks amazing! The Bull King mech is also pretty cool, and that sorcerer fig will surely be great! Also, Mei gets a white NK robohorse, nice easter egg!

Ooh, nice blue hair! I know a character that I can now make with it

This surge variant looks good to me, I think it's nice that they have strawhats this time. In general I feel the designs are getting more detailed again, as was the case before the movie came out, which I like! Now if they'd fix their printing quality, that'd be nice...

Identity crisis or not, thus far I like the figs, especially sentai girl!

I'm all for the idea! I have a similar experience, through the chitchat I get more eager to build something. Agreed that the actual builds and storytelling should remain on EB, always, but I can see a Discord group being the oil that keeps the gears run smoothly. It works a bit like Skype, in the sense that you could indeed talk to each other in a voice call, but by default the communication is typed messages (like Whatsapp). Unlike aforementioned apps, it's possible in Discord to create multiple discussion threads (called 'channels') for the same group, which is handy. Plus there are other (optional) tricks that I'm less familiar with, like giving people ranks or scores when completing certain actions.

Because of this glorious CMF draft: https://amp.reddit.com/r/Ninjago/comments/fexzcv/the_full_ninjago_legacy_minifigure_series_noah_r/. I don't think TLNM made a real dent in the popularity of Ninjago, looking at the continuation of the Legacy sub-series. And CMF is still going strong, too, so I don't see why a Ninjago series can't happen soon.

@Beleg the Ranger Pics or it didn't happen!

Thanks, Sander! I was happy to put those trans pieces to use, but in particular the trans pink.

Besherazakiel, God of Vanity and Ambition I don't really have any additional story beyond the title, sorry! This build was made for the "Style it up" contest, hosted by Innovalug. The contest has one challenge/category per week, and four in total. This (2nd) week's challenge was to make a 100% symmetrical build. I have built elaborate deity-like minifigs before (see below), but I have to say this is on whole new level. The wings came together quite quickly, I think I've actually spent more time aligning the parts to keep the symmetry, haha! For comparison, some figs I made a few years ago: And that's it, I hope you like it! C&C appreciated!

Thank you!! And sure, no problem! Asteroid space base?

Supported. Could you give my idea a support as well?

It's not only about what people like and the quality, but also about the coverage the projects receive, the person who's producing it, perhaps timing as well... so many factors that the whole is unpredictable. I mean, look at the Tesla Cybertruck, the real thing. Why did that atrocity become so popular? "Atrocity" is only subjective, but I dare claim it is what the majority of people who like cars think of it. Well, Elon Musk has a huge cult following, so that sure helps. Still, how did the LEGO Ideas submission of the Cybertruck made it to 10K; which kind of people voted for it? It's something I cannot understand, to each their own I guess. We're getting off topic, aren't we?

Not a fan either. IMO it looks less good, and furthermore I really don't see the point of not showing the contents clearly. Imagine kids, parents, or even retailer staff having to turn around all the boxes in the LEGO aisle just to find out which sets feature cars, ships, helicopters, houses, etc...

Thanks, David! Yes indeed, the closing was premature, and the shock that that sent through the fanbase was monumental. I've tried to steer away form the drama that followed the shut-down as much as possible in my project description, as I want earn the support of the fanbase trough their love for LU. There's still a lot of frustration, but there's no way that the hardcore fans will refuse to buy an official LEGO Universe set. The question is if the LEGO company is willing to expose a little scar of the past in exchange for good karma from the fans that now feel neglected. General remark: I have stopped considering what the chances of a project are of getting approved. No one except LEGO (and licencors) decides what passes, all we can do is vote. It never hurts to help some extra projects to 10K, better supported one project too many than one too little. Glad you supported, despite your doubts!