Grover

This thing is ridiculous! I love your color palette, with all the dark colors. I love the swamp and the clean stream juxtaposition, too. I think the fact that they don't join is just fine. You mention in the video how you don't use a lot of advanced techniques (well, not any really new ones anyway), but it really looks great. The towers and stonework is an advanced technique, even if it's not new, and the round towers are really fantastic. I love seeing Lord Anfauglir in the video! You can just see him, but it's great. I hope you are able to realize your dream and build the complete castle one day! Long live Historica!

Oooh! I'm excited to see it!

Very nice build! I like how this build matches the style of the other build of the same keep. The photos are really well done, especially the low angle ones at the level of the figures. You've done a great job with the snow on the roofs, especially with the tooth pieces that lay flat. The ground looks great, too--a beaten down packed earth that still has some texture to it. Love the interior with the cat on the railing! I like that you thought about the stores for winter and showed those. The story is progressing and I'm interested to see where it goes. I like the snow on the red leaves--makes me think that the snow fell early, before all the leaves had a chance to fall, suggesting a cold area with early winters, such as Mitgardia! One potential suggestion, that is more of a question or curiosity on my part: what would it look like if you replaced the white 1x2 plates underhanging the eaves on the tallest roof with 1x2 clear trans plates? I ask because even in cold climates, sunlight melts snow, and you can get a melt and refreeze, with ice forming at the lower ares. It could be interesting to trim some of the low areas in trans clear to simulate ice. Might give it some more depth and realistic look. It could also look like crap on this scale, so who knows? In any case, an excellent job! Keep up the good work!

That's a good point. If you have a lot of parts, or a lot of small parts (think 1 x 1 plates), then vacuuming with a shield can be better than compressed air, for all the reasons mentioned above. Low pressure air at an oblique angle outdoors is OK for some things, but has its issues. For large batches I have used high pressure air directly onto the parts when contained in a burlap-style bag (i.e., porous), outdoors. Not everyone has that kind of a setup, though.

I will echo what others have said: muddy/dirt caked -- wash it Dusty: compressed air first, then wash For my washing, I try to use warm water (water over 104°F/40°C is not recommended by TLG to avoid bringing the bricks out of tolerance) with soap, and, if I bought the bricks second hand, a little hydrogen peroxide as a disinfectant. Then I strain them, rinse with distilled water to avoid hard water stains, and air dry. I have heard some using salad spinners for initial drying, which is a great idea, but I don't have one of those. I can typically get 12L of bricks washed, dried, sorted, and put away in 3-4 days using this method, but air-drying will depend on what your climate is (if you live in a very humid area, expect this to take longer).

OK, I can understand that argument better, however grey a line it is between fiction and modern. I am still curious how they will address issues such as the IP rights when licenses have expired, however. And I very seriously doubt they will allow the smoking materials and alcohol to be sold on BL, even with a Lego logo!

It's not about guns, per se, as flintlock muskets and such have been used over the years by TLG in pirate sets etc., and certainly SW etc. use 'guns', but are considered non-modern warfare. But if you don't think that the Thompson submachinegun was used in modern warfare, you are sorely mistaken. The Thompson was used by the US military from 1938-1971! No kidding, people carried these things in Korea and Vietnam. These weapons are still produced, sold, and in use by some groups even today. The first production models were 1921 (so the actual weapon, despite having ~40 working prototypes by 1918, is less than 100 years old, and, by most definitions is 'modern' since it uses a centerfire smokeless cartridge), and the round drum magazine was made iconic by the ultra-violent gangsters of the 20s and 30s in the US, which has been glamorized into what we see in the Lego production today. So to say that TLG does not use 'modern' weapons is not true (which you can see by their inclusion in the Indiana Jones sets that are set in the 20s and 30s). They do make some exceptions for licensed themes, however much anyone wants to argue to the contrary. In general, however, I would agree that TLG does try to avoid modern weaponry. I don't really care one way or the other about modern weapons such as BrickArms since I don't build in the WWI/WWII era, but there still remains the question of the limitations of what TLG wants to have as its image for sale on BL, but also the question of what restrictions are placed on TLG, and by extension, sellers on BL. For instance, will TLG be held to its contracts of only current license agreements to be sold? Since it's an old license, such as some of the NBA things that someone else mentioned on here, will TLG allow it to be sold? It's perfectly legal for a private person to sell such things, but will TLG be held to some contractual wording with their original agreement with the NBA? Amazon allows for these things to be sold by sellers, but then again, Amazon didn't produce licensed merchandise in the same manner TLG did. If TLG's lawyers are smart, the will address these issues before they become a problem. It does not inspire confidence when they say that they 'will not change anything' in the same breath as 'we will no longer allow third party products, such as BrickArms'. Remember, they're not just banning modern arms, but also the swords, etc. that BrickArms sells as well. I am by no means saying this is the end of BL or anything, but asking questions that I have relating to IP and other unusual aspects of a non-affiliated aftermarket coming under the control (and both the benefits and legal restrictions) of an associated corporation.

Or, uh.... this? https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=x1608&idColor=11#T=S&C=11&O={"color":11,"iconly":0}

The 1x2 dark red bricks with the brick pattern are part of a Christmas build here in the US and are at many of the stores on the wall now. I would check with your store and see what they have available.

More than just licensed prints, which may be marked up for royalties (because asking someone to pay double fees happens all the time and is very realistic), or being disallowed at all, this brings up the question: where do custom printers source their minis? If you want a really cool superhero figure (e.g.) that TLG doesn't make, you can get it from a custom printer. However, if TLG disallows them to buy from B&P, then they have to go to BL. If BL is part of TLG, then the sourcing of these torsos, etc. can become very difficult. I am less concerned the details of fees, etc., and more concerned with some of the farther reaching implications of involving a company bound by legal agreements for licensing and corporate image for how their product is used after it passes from their control (and thus trying to control that use as much as possible).

My other question is what's going to happen to licensed parts on the secondary market? TLG tries not to sell licensed parts on B&P now. If they own BL and have an agreement with the IP company to avoid selling their licensed parts, could this mean the end of SW and other licensed parts (printed or not) on BL? It could be that these parts are banned in this manner.

I don't have access to a LUG or a Lego store easily either, which is frustrating to me. I don't know why they quit accepting new LUGs, but the fact that they are not does not speak well to customer relations with AFOLs. As for selling customer data, @Ankoku, companies and organizations do it all the time, even personal data. If a company has any ethics, they might scrub personal data, but I would bet that a small company like BrickLink would be happy to sell sales statistics (# of pieces sold in what color, etc.) to TLG, as it would benefit both of them. That would be relatively cheap compared to the sale of the entire company. Maybe all this will be for the best, but large corporations buying up companies like this, especially when they have the market share on after-market sales... it definitely does not look good and I am very suspicious.

I was hoping this was a joke, but apparently it is not. If TLG wanted to tap into the AFOL community, they could spend more time on LUGs and buy sales data from BrickLink. Since they're not accepting applications for new LUGs and they purchased all of BL, I doubt these are the case. I cannot believe that the AFOL community revenue would justify the purchase of BL, even if you include the Stud.io etc. On the other hand, if TLG wanted to try and control the secondary market, this would be a good way to go: They can cut off BL sellers from purchasing from B&P and PAB, restrict anyone making custom prints from buying these items, and get rid of the BL sellers who sell guns, etc. that they don't want out there that they feel reflects poorly on the brand. I think this is a real shame, as there are a lot of opportunities out there that are great for AFOLs, even if TLG doesn't support them. My worry is that they will blacklist people to buy Lego because they have build adult-themed MOCs and such. Linking multiple accounts now that they have control of BL could be easier for them. Of course, I bet BrickOwl and Ebay are very happy about this. Anyone with some decent coding skills should be gearing up to create a sellers marketplace as well. This bodes well for sellers leaving BL and migrating to another platform. It will be interesting to see what that platform is.

Ah ha! I couldn't figure it out from the pics, but that make sense now. Neat little pattern!

Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed it. I think the council room took the longest to build, believe it or not. Those angles with meshed tiles on the walls behind the columns and trying to get the shelves filled took what seemed like forever. The tavern came together in two nights, and the cavern room took a lot of time, but was a fairly straightforward build, maybe 4 nights. The funny thing is I built it first in its original, pristine form, then took all of it apart bit by bit and added bits to make it look like it was falling apart. The photography on the cavern, however, definitely took the longest. Repositioning all the minis and making sure I had all the shots I needed before redoing the scene again and again was painstaking. I am glad you like it, as I think it's probably my best photography so far. Thanks to your tips, as I used several of them to good effect on the wide angle shots! The Mitgardian charge was supposed to be a surprise, so I'm glad it was! No way to have the Mitgardians miss out on a fight! Ha! Bear cavalry does seem to be the password for this thread! I don't know about you, but if I saw bear cavalry coming at me, I'd flee. Heck, one bear and I'd run, and that's without an armed rider. I figured it was a risk for a full story to make it TL;DR, but that's OK. I am here to have fun writing stories for my builds to provide them continuity, get feedback on my builds so I can improve, and help further the storyline of the guild (in the case for the queen), so I'm quite happy if people don't read everything. Hopefully they were able to look at the pictures and enjoy them. I'm glad that you enjoyed the story, though! That's high praise coming from you. I've been reading Exetrius' story, part by part, which is excellent, and I am enjoying that as well. I'm also glad that you didn't think that the story was too set in stone. I tried to walk the fine line of making the story concrete enough that it made sense (because sometimes stories are so nebulous and open-ended that one doesn't even really understand what's going on), while leaving the descriptions subtle enough that people could interpret things the way they wished. For instance, your interpretation of the elves setting multiple chaotic plans in motion and standing back to see what was happening over the centuries is also the way I interpret the story. However, others could believe that the elves had absolute control over all their plans if they wished. The elves could have started their plans that included helping Revolword, or maybe they started things after his defeat... who knows? Glad you enjoyed the lectern! I can't even tell you how long I spent on that, but I was determined! There has to be a better design out there, but in the end I was satisfied that it was OK and moved on to the next part of the build. I'm also happy that you noticed the tables in the tavern. They weren't the most difficult things to make, but were parts intensive and I spent a decent amount of time on them. They definitely looked better than the standard brown plate tables that I had originally used as a stand-in. The cavern was fun to build (amusingly, I built it while listening to standup comedy on YouTube), but I wasn't sure how well the shots would turn out until I looked at the pictures on my computer. Getting the lighting right was kind of a hassle, but I'm glad that I took the time now. The cavern is 50 x 100 studs, the tavern on a 32 x 32 baseplate, and the council room on a 32 x 32 with a 16 x 16 extension for the stairwell. I had to tear up the floor of the council room to finish all the tiles on the floor of the cavern! Thank you again for your comments and praise. I am happy to be part of the community here and to contribute to the guilds. I hope that I can continue to add to the legacy of the guilds!

Great lighting! Natural lighting is the best. I love the ambush picture!

I would suggest that we compile a botanical index for all the guilds over on the wiki. Of course, with all your work, the Mitgardian section will have the most entries.....

I must have been brain dead this September to have missed this. What a great build! The composition is great, with the two small snowy areas connected by a small line of snow, excellent use of the Friends bunny, and great color choices for winter. I love the angles you managed to achieve on the tree! It really looks like the snow is weighing down the branches and bending them toward the ground. Very nice work!

Thank you! I was wondering if anyone was going to spot the food being eaten! It was a lot of work, and I'm glad people think that it turned out well! Thanks! I tried to think of what would be more terrifying than a heavy cavalry charge. I think that bear cavalry qualifies. Everything took a lot of time to pose, and since we have dogs, there are going to be pics with hairs. I try to remove as many as I can, but some of them get through! The Jar-Jar head on the wall of the tavern is supposed to be mounted like a deer head. I can only assume someone likes to go hunting for gungans. I hear you on the story. I had to add a few things, like the truth potion, etc., so that there was less ambiguity. In modern times, there would be photographs and video, but in the medieval times, there would just be someone's word. If no one trust the queen initially, why would they trust the spy she hired? Thus, the truth potion. The enspelled bottle of water may have been avoided, but I wanted for there to be some ambiguity with regards to the Rego. After all, the most likely way for the Enlightened to have known about the secret attack is betrayal, and I didn't want to paint the Rego in a bad light. There is already some question based on the fact that surface Varlyrians didn't show up (again, trying not to put words into the mouths of the Varlyrian politics since that's such a large par of the guild). In any case, I agree, I had to use a couple of tropes, but the story was already so long with so many characters, I had to tie off a few ends or I risked it becoming nebulous. I already question how many people actually read the whole thing. Thank you! I did put a lot of effort into the build and the story, and am glad that it was enjoyable!

Thanks! I kind of enjoy these quick joke builds sometimes after long challenge builds. I think there's a lot of humor in thinking about the behind the scenes work that goes on! Ha ha! I purposely created category C and was wondering if anyone would notice. lol. Thanks! Thank you! I figured I should get some mileage out of my huge build before I got rid of it. Glad you liked it!

The saga of Bob the unemployed Avalonian plumber continues.... "I've gotta get out of these one-off contract jobs," Bob thought to himself as he worked on the broken water feature in the subterranean cavern. The smell of the bear poop was overpowering, and, mixed with the dead bodies that were being carted off, was enough to make him wish he hadn't hit the bottle so hard the previous night. "I'll quit drinking tomorrow," he muttered to himself as he continued work.

Very cool! I like the snotted rockwork, and the doors look great. I appreciate how you paid attention to detail on the path, where people have trodden the snow away, yet left patches of ice where it has been compacted, melted by the sun, and refrozen. Great details! Still enjoying the progression of the story too! @soccerkid6 held the title of Mitgardia's Moccing machine, but I think you may be starting to give him a run for his money! Nice work!

I am really enjoying these little vigs that tell the story. There's a lot of humor and detail packed into each one. The cluttered look, with things haphazardly thrown everywhere is great. I really enjoy the floor, too! What technique did you use to make that? I can't quite tell what the pieces are from the picture. Does it use the plates with the rails on them? Great job!

@Exetrius, I guess I was not very clear. When I think of Avalonia, I think of castles and forests. When I think of Mitgardia, it's mountains and snow. Kaliphlin, deserts and middle eastern architecture. Nocturnus? Black buildings, orange snow, purple trees, dark blue rocks.... it seems anything goes. I am not trying to say that you cannot build with these sorts of things in the other guilds--the builders you mentioned, and I'm sure more, have some really excellent builds that use these colors. I guess my thought of Nocturnus is that there doesn't seem to be a particular real-world style that is mimicked or stereotyped as a style. Maybe people feel that there is some real-world place that Nocturnus was modeled after, but I am unaware of it. Hopefully this makes more sense, as I agree, there are some incredible builds using some really fantastic colors, and there is definitely a fantasy element to all of the guilds.

I know that Nocturnus is unavailable to build this book, but could we start a Book III Nocturnus thread that's a sticky just to keep it updated, even if we put a disclaimer that says people aren't allowed to build in Nocturnus for points this book? I would like to see all the guilds represented in the sticky threads.