Grover

So, what are the rules on posting topics in GoH? I apparently just screwed up and didn't know. Are the forums for only MOCs and all other discussions go in here? I'm very confused.

Is this forum only for builds? If so, can one of the moderators please delete this? I thought we could put threads in here other than MOCs, but if not, my apologies. I would have asked this in the larger forums, but it's really the answers from the GoH folks that I am interested in.

I am curious how everyone builds and what you do with your models, so I thought I'd ask a few questions. 1. Do you write out directions, draw sketches, or plan your builds before you start, or just jump in and see what comes out? Maybe some combination? 2. Do you keep your builds together once you're done or take them apart? If you take them apart, how long do you let them stay together before you take them apart? As for myself: 1. I usually gather an idea together in my head, sometimes writing down the larger points, and then build. I have, however, actually sketched out entire footprints on graph paper before when I am working on a really large piece. 2. If I'm building for a contest, I'll tear the build apart as soon as I have pictures I'm happy with and the build is in. If it's something that I want for later stories, such as a vehicle or building, I tend to keep it together. If it's part of a larger theme, or a huge project I've been working on, I may leave the pieces in there for good. If it really is a MOC that I want to keep, I try to build it out of pieces that are not part of other sets that I would like to build again.

It doesn't say so, but I'm just checking: Category A has no height restriction, correct? I already saw the answer for Category B.

I agree very much about the excitement and ideas that a storyline can provide. I think that Tolkien's elven language would not have survived had it not been for the incredible story and world he created that uses it. For the same reasons, I think that the storyline here helps perpetuate the builds of Historica. I am still a member at Classic Castle, but it does not have the same traffic and number of builds as here; I think that the storyline here has a lot to do with that. In any case, I am excited to see the story unfold and be inspired by the collective imagination of everyone.

I was talking about Book I, but you have answered my question. I was not sure that the Story and Challenge Index (starting about the 2nd or 3rd post as you say) had all the history written there--it seemed like we were missing 1 or 2 from the beginning. Thanks for your help!

On an unrelated note, I have been unable to find the full history of Historica. The Story thread has a lot of the old stuff, but, despite having links to Challenge I, only goes back to Challenge III. Is there a place where the oldest history is kept? If someone has a link, that would be awesome.

I really like the rickety feel to the buildings and yet the solidness of the stone. The whole scene is set up well and really looks good. Awesome!

But you have the issue of "an historic event", where the H is pronounced. Go figure. I before E except after C? What a weird society. :-D Please understand that ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I shall not put.

This is awesome! I like everything about it, a few parts particularly: the various colors of the trees for one, the waterfalls, and the walls. I really like the walls. I have never been that fond of the multi-colored walls that incorporate sand green, light tan, light bley, dark bley, all in one. The combination of light bley and dark tan is excellent, however, and the random texture of the rectangular tiles I think looks fantastic. I had not seen this technique before. Congrats on a MOC well done!

I would respectfully disagree as well--the colors are great. The old castles were built with whatever stone was common to the region, so maybe that region had darker stone--or it weathered more. In any case, I like the way that the lighter grey pops out from the dark grey--I have thought about trying to do this with a castle of my own at some point, but I don't have enough of the dark grey to do so. Again, though, awesome job!

Is there a way to get the picture bigger or zoom in? I want to see more detail but it is difficult to see. I like the small vignette. I wish I had more skills with LDD, but there is a steep learning curve and I only have so much time for learning new software. The lighting looks really good on the render, and I had to look twice to see if it was an actual model or not. As for suggestions, the devil is in the details. I could suggest that you add a few things, such as gold pearl 1x1 round plates or the gold rings (from LotR) to the dresser drawers to serve as handles. It seems from the tapestries that you're aiming for more of a lordly estate, and in the previous posts, you have mentioned that Lord Stark did not want for money. If you were going for a more spartan appearance, I wouldn't change anything, but a more noble domicile should have more fancy and detailed furniture and items. A canopied bed might help with this as well. Of course, if the spartan approach of Lord Stark denying himself luxuries to keep himself lean and ready for battle fits what you have perfectly. I like to consider all the things that one could take away from a model, either obviously or subconsciously, which can color the character of your sigfig. You mention Lord Stark writing, so I could suggest a white feather in one of those new ink well type clear pieces (the 1x1 tile with the jumper in it that's in a few of the new Elves sets) to add a bit of detail. Perhaps toss a dog with a bone and dish in as well? A lot of medieval houses had dogs and cats to keep down on rodents and other pests. It's easy to nitpick others' work, however. It is a good design with a lot of possibilities to read into or not, as you want it to be!

Thanks! The dark orange is kind of a weird and interesting color and I am glad it worked out here. I was wondering what I was going to do with those oddly colored blue parts and thought they looked like sails. Glad you did, too! (Although there is a logic fault here... why is the ship cruising forward creating a wake if the sails are furled and no one is rowing...? I joke that the ship is going downhill! lol) I have been reading up on taking pictures on the forums here. It seems there are some tricks that can be done relatively inexpensively, so I will probably play with that. I notice with some of the contests that it's usually the models that have the best pics that win. Definitely something that needs work. And yes, this is kind of a prequel. I had introduced Gwenllian with a sigfig pic and claimed some territory earlier, but wanted to throw this out there to start the storyline of her arriving in Avalonia and then establishing her lands later. I haven't figured out exactly where the story is going to go from here, but I want to show some progression of her starting off and building up if I can. Thanks a bunch! I'lll try and keep it interesting for everyone. I'm looking forward to getting organized as well, although the holidays are going to knock me back a bit as I'm visiting family until after the new year, but look for more after that!

I would like to be able to see a closer up picture and at least one flank of the first task picture. It's a little hard to make out in the LDD drawing. Other than that, I like the idea of having various troops for various tasks in the military. I think it works well. I especially like the green hoods.

The interior is awesome! I am a huge fan of building models that aren't just for display but also have real playability, and those that are facades without interiors may look nice, but are not as awesome as what you just built. I really like the way it opens up. The plaster and lathe looks awesome on the cheese wedges too. I hadn't considered doing it that way before, but it looks great. I really like your color scheme and the way you did the brickwork as well. Keep up the great work!

As the others said, I'd try not to sweat it; I've been trying to catch up on my phone, which is kind of a poor substitute for a computer for typing long messages. I am driving home for the holidays now and probably won't have much time between now and after the new year to get back to folks. I have been trying to drop in to a few threads here and there where I can and leave comments, but I have a page of stuff that I'd still like to comment on. As for the pictures, I find that it's harder to see things on LDD, so it might be useful to include 1-2 more angles of the same builds so you can see more. For the smaller minifig shot, it looks fine, but for the one with all the troops, they're packed together and it's a little hard to see the figures in any detail without seeing them from the sides.

Do you have a link to the album or something? I'd love to see larger versions of these pics. I really love the stone work--it's not too overdone but has enough detail to really pop. Awesome!

You really captured the elven feel in this build. The sweeping, elegant staircases and the slightly rounded nature to everything is not easy to do in Lego, and I think you really hit it. Awesome!

I think the footprints are my favorite. Kind of hilarious to think about what a Lego mini footprint is like. Well done!

This is one of my favorite builds I've seen in a long time. It is a real masterpiece in my opinion. The color palette, the placement of everything, the awesome brickwork (I really, really like this) and the birds are all first class. Awesome job!

The whole build is great! I really like the uneven roof on the second and third pics. The rickety fence in the last pic is really cool, too. Great job!

Thanks! I liked the whitecaps on the waves, but the 1 1/3 brick tall dark blue waves underneath got washed out in the picture I think. It's more obvious in person. I really need to learn how to photograph better.

The Cedar Serpent | Grover | Avalonia Early Spring in Prenmôr | Grover | Avalonia

Lady Gwenllian of Albers did not know what to expect from Avalonia, other than from stories she had heard of a land filled with chivalrous knights. Her homeland Albers was a matriarchal society, where only the women could hold property and pass down lands, but very diverse, with elves, dwarves, hobbits, and humans all living peacefully. Lady Gwenllian was trained as a knight, even dabbling in the art of magic, but she cherished her time in the forests of her homeland, where she learned the ways of the woods and the stealth inherent to them. Lady Gwenllian served as a knight in the military of Albers for her conscripted time. It was during this time that the evil emperor Lantz staged a coup d’état and claimed rule of the nation to himself, shredding the laws of matriarchal succession and throwing much of the country into chaos. Without a clear plan in mind, Albers had plunged into chaos and civil war. Lady Gwenllian returned home as quickly as she could, only to find her parents assassinated by the cronies of the new emperor. The emperor had spies everywhere, and some of those in her own had household betrayed Lady Gwenllian's parents, who fought against the usurper. Her household fought amongst themselves, distrustful of one another. Her family gone, and knowing not who to trust, Lady Gwenllian vowed to escape and rebuild her family legacy and power with the hope to one day return to her homeland and right the wrongs there. She quietly gathered her most trusted servants and boarded her ship, the Cedar Serpent, to sail to a new life in Avalonia. Her companions on her voyage included: Myellan, the elven archer originally from Avalonia; Seren, her lady at arms and master of the household; Chwyd, one of her men at arms (although he is not particularly sea-worthy); Alis, daughter of Seren and the lookout for the ship; Castwyr, the wily and somewhat vulgar bard; Sven, the oldest member of Lady Gwenllian's servants, who captains the ship; and Floro, the faun, an adventurous and free-spirited companion. The Cedar Serpent Myellan and Seren near the prow. Seren, Chwyd, Floro, and Castwyr on the deck. The seasick Castwyr blowing chunks. (I think this is probably my favorite Lego face). Alis peering for land through her spyglass from the mast and rigging. Lady Gwenllian watching over her crew with Sven in the background steering the ship. ****** Now for the caveat: I know this build is kind of crappy. I have recently moved, haven't unpacked all my bricks, and can't find all of them right now. I did find a large supply of dark orange, which had a lot of pieces but only a few types: 1x2, 2x2, and 2x4 plates, and some 33 and 45° slopes, so I wanted to try and build a ship with it. I had only two of the bricks with the side studs that I used for the serpent's eyes, akin to the old 90s Battle Dragon, which I always liked. The dark blue waves didn't show as well on the pictures as I planned. I wanted to do some gold studs as accents, but couldn't find them, so went with the silver stud tiles instead. I mostly wanted to get something posted for Gwenllian to start to move the story along for her. I've also never really been good at building ships, so was actually kind of happy with how this attempt at a cog, although I know it's sub-par for around here. Kind of funny, I've actually been building since the 80s, but only recently gotten back into it, so the bulk of my bricks are from the old color palette that is much more basic. I have been trying to buy up some of the more interesting shades of colors (the dark shades, new foliage, etc.), although it's going slowly. Some of the new building techniques are awesome and I am here to have fun and learn from everyone else, so I welcome the criticism and comments, although bear in mind I have a long way to go and probably don't have the same colors available as everyone else yet.

That sounds cool. I'll PM you to discuss possible details. Is there a pic of your sigfig somewhere on the forums?