Shadows

Thanks for the measurements Hinck! If you don't try Zelda, I will. Um. If you can't handle it, er, don't make her, no, that isn't it. I'd really like a crack at that one, no, dammit. You know what I mean, and you couldn't get drunk enough anyway. Hello Elfgirls! Now that's my idea of source material!

I generally follow this buying order: Limited editions Old sets New sets That only changes when I find something on sale. Sales almost always win.

I had to also vote 'no', not to support Bionicle, but the company. They make big money, they stay in business, we keep getting the lines I do like.

She's pretty, which is no surprise, you do manage to create pretty girls. WHITE. Winner! Any chance you could tell me the exact printing measurements for such a skirt, so I can make a template for said piece? I've been wanting to add one to a couple of things I've made, and I just don't trust my measuring skills. Perhaps I should buy a ruler? As I say, pretty! But ... Here we go again, back to the boobies... If I had to make an honest observation about the torso itself, I think it's just too busy. There is so much nice detail to observe that you lose the total experience. One of the things that works so well in official torsos is simplicity. She's complicated. You could sit and stare for several minutes, soaking in all the fine lines and curves. As a result, you miss the overall gut feeling, the glancing impression. Does that makes sense, or am I rambling? Seriously though, don't touch that skirt. I it in white so much more than the dark red! It works perfectly. It'd work with an almost solid white top consisting of litte more than flowing white fabric and a plunging neckline with a clasp/pendant centrally located.

Speaking of which, I am looking for anyone who would like to contribute an article for that newsletter, so if anyone has any ideas or offerings, please let me know here or by PM. Another fine way to contribute is to simply participate. Read and comment on reviews, vote in polls, share your Pirate experiences and news, suggest the forum to your fellow Pirate loving friends, and join in on contests, of course! I might also add that anything that shows support for Pirate LEGO in general, helps us and you by sending a message to TLG that we want the theme to return, so scroll down and check out some auctions. I've noticed some real bargains, especially from UK sellers. Thanks, and congrats again on the promotions, guys!

Aw, thanks! I guess the outline should be based on the most likely torso colour for maximum effect. Something I'll have to consider when making new ones. I think I may have to go back through my entire decal library now and rework some of them anyway. Apply some standardization to the system. Good tips, thanks!

Congrats guys, you definitely deserve it!

12 minutes, give or take a few. Just about everything I build is intended for temporary use at this point, so none of it stays long after the pictures are taken. On the other hand, official sets sometimes stay together forever and my pirate Impulse set from Sinner's contest is still together. Of course, it's only a guy in a rowboat, and I reused him in an interview as well.

Aluvar says that his eyesight isn't what it once was and his memory is worse, so he's not entirely sure about that crest. I think he knows exactly what it is and isn't saying.

I'm heading from I-20 toward Crown Castle in an unmarked royal carriage, should anyone notice a robed man, a wizard and 4 talking birds passing by. Note that I did not specify just which royal crest the driver was concealing. Should any of you be planning a meeting somewhere with a representative of the Crown faction (or if you are that representative), you just might find me tagging along. I see many of our paths crossing shortly.

I-20 We've been travelling for days, shouldn't we have found that town by now? Am I the only one that noticed that the sun is setting in the east? Wait. That means something. Yes, I know it does. Aluvar begins digging furiously through his books. It could mean we've been going north this whole time. No no, that isn't it. A carriage approaches, the driver looks down at the scene. I say there, old man, are you quite alright? What? Oh, yes, fine lad. Could you, perchance, tell me where we are? Why, you're nearly on the border of Crown lands, just beyond that valley to the north. We really have been going north this whole time. I told you so. Ahem... yes, well thank you lad, we should be continuing on then. Would you care for a ride? I'm going to the capital to pick up a very important person for transport to a very important meeting that I shouldn't be discussing. That sounds interesting, what with all you shouldn't say and such. Perhaps we can talk on the way? The driver introduces himself as Grandoth. To Aluvar's surprise, he notices a sword sticking out from under Grandoth's long robe, and catches a glimpse of a royal crest on his sleeve as he helps place the chest atop the carriage. The birds assume comfortable perches. Very interesting indeed. What was that? Oh, nothing lad, nothing at all. Ut oh... I-I-I... did that bird just say, "ut oh"? Oh, don't mind him, he worries a lot. Right then, let's get going. WAIT! You have a talking bird??? Four, actually. Why? Hello! Hello! Hello! Hi! Wha-wha-what are you, some kind of evil wizard? No, no, nothing like that. Well, not evil at least, don't let the clothes fool you. Clothing can conceal many things, and is often used to misdirect people into thinking what you wish for them to think. Oh. Yes, I see your point. Well, it's getting late, we should go. These woods are full of danger. So I've heard, so I've heard ... As the sun sets behind the trees, and in the west now that we're a bit more certain of our direction, the carriage heads off toward the capital of Crown territory, though honestly, much like Aluvar, I'm not entirely sure where that is. Good thing this driver came along. A very good thing, indeed.

Yeah, I can see that, but I can't seem to cut with borders without either leaving a bit or going too far in trying not to leave any. It's a fine line, no pun intended. I especially appreciate your opinions since I know you've tried a lot of different methods and experimented with both. That's coming out deliciously wrong... *look* As an expert printer, if you're ever bored and have some time to kill (yeah, right), tell me how you think these would print. I'd love to see them since they're my own creations, just to give me an idea of how effective they are. Which, despite TLG's best attempts at convincing us they wore tan, actually belongs on white with white arms. or General Veers, which belongs on a dark grey torso, of course.

Love the birds and their stand. I must admit, I know the murder brings in the audience, but not me. I come to your shows for the scenery, the murders are almost distracting. Perhaps you could put together a big room of your scenery stuff sometime? Things like those birds and the plant stand in the Princess Murder. That's where I think the real creativity lies, and where I want to steal ideas. *blush* Scenery On! *thumbup*

A is bordered + filled B is bordered + unfilled C is unbordered + filled D is unbordered + unfilled I figured it would cover the previous questions indirectly. People usually respond best to images.

Almost word for word exactly what I thought. *laugh*

Time for a poll! To determine my direction for future decals, I need some input from people who have used decals, even if they aren't mine. I have made a Star Wars Imperial AT-ST Driver decal to serve as an example (boring decal, but illustrates well). Question 1. Which do you prefer, bordered or unbordered decals? Bordered Unbordered Question 2. Which do you use more, paper or waterslide decals? Question 3. To confirm your earlier answers, which of these 4 decals would you use, if you wanted to use one? A B C D Doesn't mean I'll listen to you completely, but at least it will give me an indication of what things I need to make an extra effort to include. Thanks for voting, and please be sure to add any additional input here, as needed.

Recently I've noticed that customizers use a variety of resolutions and measurements in creating their custom decals. I suppose it all gets averaged out in the end, assuming someone prints the decal properly, but that's a large assumption and relies on their paint program and it's ability to resize, which always results in a poorer quality decal. Getting the measurement right in the first place is vital to a clear decal. That said, I went over to a well known site that offers templates and after being redirected 3 times to their active site, which basically contains none of the content needed, I became a bit annoyed and left. I did, however, pick up their minifig part measurements with the intent of making my own templates. Using those measurements, I made templates and then found myself in an interesting position. Taking the torso outline and placing it directly on a real scanned torso of the same exact resolution, it was wrong. Repeating the process over 6 other torsos, the difference varied, with some just making it within the allotted outline, and some expanding out by as much as .15cm in width. The heights weren't as far off, but enough that for a torso with a neckline and belt, something will get cut off. I have, for example, printed a few of my decals as a test without resizing, just load and print, and they come out the correct size. I've also seen a few of them printed by others, with the same result. Comparing them to these measurements, they're too wide in most cases. Applying the same standards to other decals available on the net, including some by well known customizers, most are wrong. Makes creating reliable templates a bit complicated. The one thing that I've concluded is that perhaps they're measuring a bit arbitrarily based on the flattest point of the torso surface, without any allowance for the additional width as it curves to the sides. TLG does allow the print to extend that far sometimes, and that would be enough to make up for most of the variation. All of that in mind, here is a basic set of torso, belt and leg templates at 600dpi. Don't be surprised if your decal doesn't fit it exactly yet looks fine when printed. This just isn't an exacting enough science, it would seem. That said, if you are creating a custom decal, or even a recreation of an official one, you may end up going past the arbitrary limits set by these templates, and those used on other sites, and still be fine. Trial and error... trial and error. Use them freely, tell me how they work for you. I really like 600dpi because most printers can do it and yet it's small enough to allow a lot of fine detail without having to smooth your image. Crisp and clean, easy to modify. At least that's my opinion.

I'm not surprised to see the crossbow in this, I picked up 50 from the Pick-a-Brick in Downtown Disney. I was, however, disappointed to end up with nothing but left doors (and 1 right, oddly). Never did find the bin for the rights and wasn't going to dig to the bottom to get rid of the lefts. Great as it would be to see helmets or other knight elements, I doubt the metallic silvers will appear. I'd settle for bley, dark bley, and black, honestly. Actually, it wouldn't be settling, I'd be thrilled to reoutfit some of my classic knights, but I don't think it's very likely. As someone said before, back to bricklink mostly. Once you fill a cup with something and pay pennies per piece, it's hard to fork over the extra price for the online version. Still, it's good to see an expansion of available parts. So, TLG, if you're listening... put something on there that isn't in a set. Black fedora, for example. Do you realise the kind of money you could make with a few runs of current molds in new colours? Just Imagine™ *wink*

Just wanted to commend the entries so far, they're looking good (doesn't mean that you aren't breaking a rule somewhere, I'm not looking that closely yet ). Keep up the good work, lads!

Says the guy standing in the bushes doing who-knows-what with himself... *wacko* That'll get you arrested 'round these parts. *laugh*

Really? Heh. I've said it in like 5 threads and no one else caught it. I wonder how many more it would have taken... Thanks for saving me from myself!

Not if we're going to keep our EB-PG rating. *tongue* *laugh* *laugh* *laugh* You know what really does the trick. The corset? Corset is. One does what one can. It's always easier with good material to work with. Or Staudie. I knew I kept him around for some reason. *wink*

Let's just hope you're not late ... *oh* Plus I'm not. I'm exactly on time. Matter of fact, days ago at the launch of Castle Month, I said that the next interview would appear on Thursday. The reason it's thursdays now is because I was late last week, but that is so not the point! *angry*

Here's to hoping it isn't just reddish brown and deceptive in the instructions... It's about the only positive to the set, for me. I just don't like it except for parts, and that would be a nice one to get. Grievous Dismemberment On! *thumbup*

Just about as close as it gets to perfect. Sure, it'd be nice to get some better figures, I'd settle for just about anything over more of the same, but the plane and little vehicles make up for it, and maybe I'll be able to skip one of the smaller sets if they overlap that much. I probably won't, but still, it's a reasonably nice deal. I hope TRU stocks them well and we don't see another Hoth disaster with people screaming and ordering phantom copies that disappear from their orders on LEGO.com...