Shadows

It's really easy to accidentally overlap someone else. Now I wouldn't know about this personally, but I heard that some dork decided that his wizards would have a Council of Five, despite dragonator clearly having claimed the name much earlier in a part of the story that the dork probably didn't even read. Speaking of which, if you ever need to use the Council of Five for something, so far we've only named 4 of the members, so that last one is up for discussion.

Did you drop this note?

You're definitely improving, good job! Your next step is colour selection. If you refer to this chart, you'll see what colours are officially used by LEGO. You'll have your best results using them, since they match the natural minifig part colours that you would be applying the decals to. Plus they just look more natural. Keep up the good work!

When she wasn't singing, she was actually a pretty tolerable character. Well, sometimes. Let's just get on with the show. Here is a screen shot from the LEGO Indiana Jones video game, and then a couple of full length samples of my work. And here are thumbnails of the decals to be printed. They are all 600dpi. The hips and legs are a new experience for me, so I can't really say much about them except good luck. I based the templates off data from a well respected customization site, so let's hope they know what they're doing. I think the legs look a little short, even accounting for the fact that the decals stop before the feet, but that would be an easy fix anyway. I do know that the width is right, and I made the skirt template from real measurements, so it's right. Blah blah, show the pics. Oh, and if one of you comes along saying you made her... pics or it didn't happen!

Uh huh. Well it's a funny thing you should mention that, Lord Slappypants, because Calvin apparently does have a night job investigating people for Lord TinyPiesRUs Ash and he thinks I'm one of the least suspicious people here! So stick that in your noteholder and hold it, notingly. Kumquat breath! Speaking of trying to divert blame, I think we all see what you did there, Lord Who-has-more-to-gain-from-this-then-most-of-the-rest-of-us. Talking to notes now? Bad note, is it? Ok... Now I see why your father used to say you were a little queer. HA!

I see that in the other thread. It looks good!

An employer, eh? Well, you keep fishing around for clues (haha... damn, dragonator is catching), though I have to ask just how much you think you can trust this employer. It would be a good opportunity to catch the traitors, or to cast false doubts on people. I wonder if that goes back to the fallen armour? Maybe a struggle in the halls that neither party wants to reveal because it might seem suspicious? We are a bit jumpy right now, I could see being concerned about appearances. Nah, or I would have already accused Lord Salisbury Steak and his ghastly ghostly imagination by now.

I thought you were just a thief when I found you in my room. I might have been a bit drunk overcome with the holy spirits. When I smelled that foul smell, the smell that dragonator seems to have alluded to in titling this day, I thought it was some kind of foul poison, but now I know it's just you. Can we dunk you in the river or something? I mean, you stink. No one is going to give their life willingly, so don't bother with the fake nobility. We all want to survive this as much as the next one, and some of us want to see the guilty brought to justice. You're right about one thing. Yes, I had a desire for power, you can't do my job without it, but you mistake that for something more. I had no ambitions for more power, I had it. I ran this kingdom well in the name of the King, he had no doubt about my loyalty or intent, or he could have had me killed personally. I only wish I had listened to his concerns more closely. I should say no more on the subject. Now, my only desire is to deal with the traitors who cost all of us, so much. We will avenge his death, and the death of Lord Martin. I voted for Lord Martin after everyone else was convinced, long after the pack, and I even said so at the time. I actually wanted answers from the doctor, chef, and cellar keeper at the time but they weren't really cooperating. So far, I'm only marginally satisfied with the cellar keeper and still suspicious of the others. A fair point, though he's such an easy scapegoat. Oddly enough, I received a note, as I suspect many of us did, saying that Mike had been seen lurking suspiciously the night of the King's death. I don't know how much importance to place on that. Your perspective may have clouded your understanding of me, and perhaps mine (and the Friar's noble spirits) did the same to you. For now... UNVOTE: Calvin the fisherman/Atoll Dweller Tell us, did you have an opportunity to discover anything else last night, or was it all wasted rose bush diving? You know, those are some nasty scrapes. Maybe the doctor should check them out. If we can find him. OOC: Consider it confirmed, Dovchenko is sdpirate. No need to wait for him to say so. Inconvenient time for a name change, I must say.

You admit to being a thief to avoid being known for your true self, a murderer. Nice try, but there are some problems with that. Claims of ambition? Don't make me laugh. You see, you may have guessed my name, but you are clearly unaware of my true position. I am the King's Advisor, the most powerful position in the kingdom! Or at least I was, before the traitors killed him. What you fail to understand is that I already had all the power in the kingdom before he died. The king was old, but wise. He knew who he could trust and who he couldn't. I held his most trusted position, and as such, I was able to wield as much power as I wanted, in his name. We discussed matters, but he knew he was old and beginning to slip into madness, so he relied on me to guide him. Look around you! Do you think this kingdom runs itself? Do you think his spoiled brats of children did the work? No, they just wanted his power. But you know that, since you helped at least one of them kill him. You stole everything I had worked so hard to build, and you killed a good man. I can rebuild my power, but no one can bring back the King... I am a hard worker and a good administrator regulator advisor. You, sir, are simply scum that creeps about in the night. You're probably the same one who attacked our loyal executioner and scared the willies out of Lord Hincklepants Sylvain. You may have helped kill Lord Martin, but you will not take me down unchallenged! VOTE: Calvin, Fisherman by day and assassin by night!

Hmmm... I don't know enough of the daily routine around here to confirm that, but it sounds reasonable. Yes, caution is our new watchword. Oh, and Lady Dolores is a megablocker.

It's an old commercial program I've had for ages. Now, I haven't used it personally, but I've heard good things about a program called Paint.net. You might want to look into it. Free and easy they say. You're welcome!

Always glad to have another in the ranks, thanks for the kind words. I really like the overall look of these, they're a very good first effort. That said, there are basically two problems that I can see. They're just too small. They're almost the size they print at, which means they won't smooth out. It's hard to explain, but the bigger you can work (within reason), the better for smooth details. I make mine at 366x300 (600dpi) which produces decals that are exactly the right size, if printed properly, and allows for lots of space to work in. Do you have larger copies? The other is much simpler: You have just experienced jpeg artifacting. Any time you save an image as a jpeg (jpg), your paint program will attempt to 'optimize' the image to make the resulting file as small as possible. It's a complicated process that causes colours to be changed and details lost for the sake of compression. To prevent this, you need to save as png (portable network graphics). You end up with a larger filesize, but no damage to the original image. I'm sure paint can handle that, though it's been a long time. Good luck and welcome to the exciting world of Minifig Customization!

By unanimous decision, the esteemed panel of 5 has selected the new Pirate King who will replace the retiring Benk. The winner and new is ... oo7 Congratulations! If, for any reason, the current Pirate King is unable to fulfill his duties, Miss America will fill in until the end of the term. And now, after what seems like a year, "A Pirate's Life!" has truly ended.

This is the second wave of Classic Town torsos I've finished. This time we have a few regular citizens as well as the usual workers and a few torsos that were only offered in sticker form. It's a good chance to restore some very old figures who have probably seen better days. The first 3 were originally stickers, from the days before printed torsos. Optimized for printing at 600dpi (1.551cm x 1.227cm). (thumbnails link to full size decals) Enjoy!

??? Druth Castle Grand Hall That's all I know! Look, Yodarth, you were never one of the brightest staff members around here, but that doesn't explain what happened. Why did you suddenly start abusing the others? They were plotting against us! Against who? US! He's not making any sense, darling. Not now, Elmyra, this is serious business. I'm serious too. Oh, I know it. So what do we do with him? We should lock him in the dungeon like he did us! Who are you? I'm Strantor. I am the head of the alchemy department here. Well, that's fine, but clearly he's gone mad. We need to figure out why, not just have revenge. Yes... I suppose so. That's a good lad. Maybe you could have a look around his chamber to see if you can find an alchemical cause, while I examine him personally. I could! That's a good idea. Strantor leaves. Elmyra looks at Aluvar. What is it? I was just thinking. I can tell. No no, seriously. He wasn't like this before the trip. What trip? Before Mirindalast died, he became a little odd himself. At one point, he was assigning some of the senior professors to new positions and sending them on excursions to the wilderness. What? Why? No idea, but most of the powerful wizards were gone before Yodarth went mad. Adrick? He's been gone for a long time. He said he had things to take care of. You know, he's almost as cute as you. Elmyra... Back to Mirindalast. One day, at dinner, he told me that he was afraid of it. It? It. I don't know what it is. IT! Well, that rang a bell, apparently. Yodarth... what is IT? The single largest evil ever! Yodarth coughs. That isn't good. No, he should take some medicine. Not that. This isn't the first I've heard of a massive evil. The energy your son spoke of? YOUR SON! What? PART OF ...... Yodarth dies with a sputter. He's dead. It's almost like he gave up fighting. Fighting what? It...

AND the cellar keeper, commanderbly42. Would fit, but why? How many killers can there possibly be? Maybe he was trying to investigate? I don't think he's the one who attacked me, I didn't hit them in the head, and the scratches on the fisherman fit much better with landing in rose bushes. Clearly, the one that attacked me was a traitor, and if we're to believe that note, one of the Lords is one as well. Add either the chef, doctor, or cellar keeper, and you've got quite a nasty little plot going. By the way, Lady Dolores is a damn liar. It isn't a corset, it's just extra support for my back when I lift things. Old war wound. Stupid megablocker.

If that is the case, he has proven he can climb a stone wall and enter a room without alerting the guards, which should be no simple task I assure you. Would make one wonder if he did the same thing to our King! You have nearly convinced me that the fisherman is truly a part of this.

I've just started, but already it's looking like another brilliant episode of everyone's favourite TV-MA rated Fabuland based television drama. You really went for a niche audience, huh? Best line so far: No one else ever talks to me that way… (sigh) I love her... Hey hey hey, some of us are still reading here! For loyal viewers, a new episode is an opportunity to sit back, relax, and savour the experience. So keep it down there Mr. DarthVaderIsLuke'sFather. You know, now that I mention it, they really screwed that one up with the prequels, huh? Please don't do prequels, Hinck.

You people are all crazy. I wish the Friar would show up with his lovely bottle of holy spirits. Now, just because you haven't seen my balls doesn't mean I don't have them Lord 'HinckleFinckle' Savril. But, as much as I hate to admit it, he's probably right about the traitor being a Lord, and I have to wonder why he would suggest that unless he's innocent and can prove it. Perhaps it's time we tracked down Lord Gary and Lord Ash and had a little talk with them? They would, as male heirs, be in line to assume the throne. That's the best motive anyone here could have. Worst case, when we finish off all of them, we'll kill Lord 'premature accusation' Savril and know we've done the job. Perhaps one of them is friends with a certain fisherman?

I don't recall the Queen being mentioned previously. VOTE: Hinckley/Drama Queen Geez, give the Friar some coins and take a drink, you need to calm down! If we're to assume that it was written using proper English, that means that you AND another Lord are traitors. Want to explain that one? Well, we do have confirmation of that, but it could have been YOU who knocked over the armour, we don't have any way to know better. Still, someone stinky tried to kill me as well. There could be some truth to your story. Now I know you're overacting. Seems a little quick to be condemning someone already, doesn't it? Let's not have a repeat of the Lord Martin incident, rest his soul. UNVOTE: Hinckley/Drama Queen for now. *eyes Hinck suspiciously*

That's the way it looks, but it's a pretty tricky system, which I've had a little bit of a glimpse into. I had a case where requested a part, received the wrone one, explained it again, received the wrong one, explained it again and finally a US employee emailed me to apologize and make sure they got it right. At least in the US, when you order a part, someone here does the paperwork (electronic, I'm sure) and the request goes to Billund where an employee hand picks the part from a massive series of drawers and bins. As a result, if a number goes wrong, or a word doesn't translate clearly, or someone just misses by one drawer, you get the wrong part. It's perfectly understandable, and they seem very willing to make it right, as long as it's possible. It's got to be tough with all of the old and discontinued parts out there. It seems like a cool job, in a way, but a headache at the same time.

That's pretty much what I mean. I think kids grow up to be more creative when they make up their own stories, and that's easier if you don't pre-define who is good and who is bad. The low point of that was we had all those specific knights in crazy coloured armour showing up in set after set. The current line is definitely an improvement on that, I just wish it was possible to represent 2 factions that aren't so clearly defined. It's a minor rant, and certainly shouldn't detract from the improvements of the current line, which I am thrilled with. I still love that set. I really need to rebuild it after all these years.

To be fair, after reviewing Day 1, I see that I wasn't at all convinced that Lord Martin was a traitor, it was the fact that he had 8 votes against him already that made me think there must be something to it. I see now that the crowd can be misleading and will have to be wary. It was an unsettling night. It seems that the traitors may have been trying to kill several of us as we slept. I see your point! I hope he can offer some explanation for those scratches, and maybe tell us why a simple fisherman is in the castle at all, involved in all of this! I did notice a bad smell... I wondered if it was some kind of poison, brought to kill me, but maybe it was just the person themselves. You know... whoever it was shouldn't have even been able to get in my room, there are guards in the halls. Unless one of them is involved. No, I can't imagine that. They must have climbed in through the window. Anyone capable of that could have just as easily snuck into the king's room and killed him. Maybe we've been wrong to suspect Mike the servant. Is it a coincidence that this fisherman also tried to pin this on him? Oh, and yes, Majicko, you slept like a log. Like a log being cut up by a chainsaw (whatever a chainsaw is ). The poor Friar and I could hardly enjoy a quiet drink for all the racket you were making. That's not much of a way to be respectful in church, interrupting our medicinal drinking and all! Bows his head in remembrance of Lord Martin. We can't allow that to happen again...

You know, I'm wrong about 6086. When I edit the reviews, I don't always look at the pictures, so I kept thinking of 6074 from 1986: Black Falcon's Fortress, the third castle I ever owned, and one of my favourites because it was black. I never had 6086, it came during my dark ages. I don't have any excuse for Shadows either. I ran "A Pirate's Life!" like a game show. I plan a game show chapter of the EBRP eventually, right when it's least expected. Aluvar has done his fair share of hosting things as well, though it isn't commonly known. Shadows comes by it honestly. Well, I'm not sure about that, but ...

In modern terms, these are roughly equivalent to the current large castle and skeleton tower sets, though I'll admit that those are a bad comparison. At the time, it seemed only natural to have at least two factions with a full castle each. LEGO insinuated that the Black Falcons were the bad guys by giving them the smaller castle and the black colour scheme, but it was still a nice castle and left up to you to decide who was on which side. Then the forestmen popped up and again, they didn't really force them to be good or bad. Heck, I always had them attack both sides in daring night raids. Why don't they do this now? For one thing, they are avoiding human vs human conflict in castle. For another, they seem to feel that children need more guidance now, so they tell them "these are the good guys, these are the bad guys, these new guys have the same colours as the good guys so they're good, these new bad guys attack the new good guys" and so it goes. The current line is a drastic improvement over anything else this decade, but they still need to loosen it up a bit before they get back to the old days completely. Still, I'm happy with dwarves and trolls and such, and I'll be even more happy if we really do see some elves added.