WesternOutlaw

I voted Wild West for the following reasons: - Wild West was a short-lived theme with a small collection of sets (making them more unique). - I liked a number of new and existing pieces used in the Wild West theme including but not limited to the tan baseplates (printed and standard), the large amount of barrels, the green door and window in Gold City Junction, the printed Keep Out sign and WW stickers, the black fence pieces + many others. - The theme introduced the first Gold Mine (among my favorite of the collection). - Outstanding figs (although not enough and too many cloned throughout the theme (my biggest complaint)). - Wagon wheels (although mostly black) - The return of the Cowboy Hat, but none in black. - The large number of "boobie-traps" used in the theme. - And most importantly, if the WW theme had not been built, Grave Stone would still be just an idea. ;-) Definately WW all the way!

Orcs - from my D&D experiences, they just seem more Orc-like. I always pictured goblins much shorter and trolls much taller and thinner.

I had not noticed the chicken leg. Definately a nice touch, but a Skeleton bone would have worked as well. Perhaps Lego plans to partner with KFC and offer new impulse Castle set in their "Chicken for Kiddie Meals". :-D

I was just in my local Target yesterday and the end caps are full of them. They're definately gearing up for the Christmas rush. But I'm sure what's left over will go on sale after the holiday. Target always runs an after-Christmas sale on most of their toys. I love the set though and think it's worth buying at full price. (If ony it had more Wild West pieces ;-) ).

I just think the Viking Dragons look too mechanical/robotic. They're intricate and detailed, but I just don't like like the look of them next to minifigs. I like the new ones.

I'd like to see some sort of magic workshop (similar to Majisto's from the 80s) and a tall wizard's castle. Playmobil had a Baron's Tower a number of years ago that I was always fond of. Something along this line would make a great Wizard's Tower Fortress:

Ah yes, I do recall seeing the first scene with the knight and dragon. Very nice. Doctor Sinister is definately a master of the lighting effects. Yes, on the top, level one, and the bottom floor. My intent was to stagger them a bit. I do have enough track from the Dwarf Mine set. Thank you Sinner. I appreciate your comments most of all. My style is pretty simple- perhaps from early building experiences with Lego. I truly have trouble with SNOT and other fancy techniques with Lego - although I do admire those that build this way. I do enjoy the story aspects to a great degree. Thank you for pointing that out, and acknowledging my building style. I suppose I'm a better story-teller than builder.

I don't believe I know Dr. S?

Good question Phes, but Batbrick seems to know my style of story-telling. The Phantom Rider and Grave Stone very much hides in shadows. Never are the stories nor the characters seen in the clear light of day. Clues can also be found among other MOC stories. I would point you in the direction of Putrid Creek Mill to shed some light. ;-) ------------------------------------------------- EDIT EDIT EDIT ------------------------------------------------- I was able to get my old 4.5 V battery box working and have added two lights to the mine (behind the torches). I think it looks awesome! Take a look:

Great idea. I was thinking about this as well as I was toying with my old Lego power box. I couldn't get the thing working though. I really wanted to do lights. A motor would have been neat as well. As it stands, the elevator is a lot of fun. Thanks for the constructive feedback. Yes, I suppose the caverns could benefit from a rougher, more rock-like look as you've depicted. Seems most of you agree in this regard. I esp. like the idea of adding some slopes. Slopes would be great for the mining cars (fun!) . I thought about this early in the construction as well but didn't try it. I mentioned the use of the black plates (I did not have enough grey to work with), but larger grey base plates would have looked great. Originally, the black wall behind the web was a sliding brown door. When opened, there was a small ledge on the side of the mountain. It seemed a little awkward, so I closed it up and added the skeleton and web. I suppose you can call me a "tidy builder". I'm going to snap a few more shots. I don't think the images I shared do the MOC justice. In any case, thank you all for the comments/reviews. As you are all excellent builders, I value your constructive suggestions for improvement. I also had an idea for a very different Western MOC in the near future.

The Haunted Mine Hidden within the Shadow Mountains, only assessable by either Putrid Creek or the treacherous Hidden Pass, ghost drums within the Haunted Mine echo in the moon lit night . Four greedy miners have come to the mine to extract its treasures. Unfortunately, they did not heed the warnings of the reluctant towns people within Grave Stone. Legend says that the mine is haunted by the spirit of a great Indian warrior and that within the depths of the mine, his ancient weapons are still burried, cursed for those who desecrate the chamber. But the curse has not stopped miners from digging within the dark caverns, some still burried under cave-ins within the deeper levels. What ancient curse will the miners unlock? Pushing a mining cart along the rusty tracks on the ground level, one miner will make his way into a still functioning wooden elevator: On the first level, there appears to be another cavern that has been boarded up with a "Keep Out" sign. Spider webs cling to Skinny Jim, the last unfortunate miner who died from putrid air that came up when the third level was dug. Better not go that way! A large cave spider spins her web: Further along level one, another miner has discovered a silver vein. He's getting ready to blast with a few pieces of dynamite: Getting deeper within the mine, level two has some track and a mining cart: Another miner is furiously picking at some silver. A small ladder leads deeper into the mine: Level three is the deepest section of the mine. The cavern walls are much rougher and the light and air not as good as higher levels. The last miner is walking along the tracks noticing a large gold vein. Gold fever has begun! A small lantern illuminates the cavern as a bat rests on a large rock: Deeper within level three, at the end of the tracks, an open grotto will soon be discovered. Within the chamber are some ancient Indian artifacts. A small crevice within the side of the cavern wall leaks a small pool of water. The sound of drums can be heard in the distance... A shot of the three lower levels: And the entire mine: Summary: I've been wanting to design a multi-level mine for a long time now and have attempted to do so a few times in the past. None of them were worth sharing until now. The elevator does work and is a rather neat part of the design. The only thing that I wanted to do was include a lighting kit, but for some reason, my old battery case and two Lego lights are not working. I'm not sure if its the wires or the lights? - but I'll have to settle for no lights at this time. In regard to the black baseplates: I know that grey would have looked better, but I didn't have enough grey to make it work. Hope you enjoy the Haunted Mine. Definately a bit different than previous Grave Stone MOCs. Comments welcome.

At last, something to respect you for. :-D Great contest!

007 for most scariest. I love it! Phred's ship for best built. And Overall - without hesitation, 007. Not only do I love the Legend of Sleepy Hollow story, the MOC was excellent! Although it isn't really a pirate MOC, it truly is an outstanding build that captures the mood and feel of Washington Irvine's story. Great job to all the participants. I wish I had entered. Excellent contest! *y*

Reminds me of a visit to Germany. Very nice city/town with a real European design. Excellent job.

RebelRock: welcome to EB and what a wonderful MOC to share as an introduction to your suberb building skills. I absolutely love the overall design of this scene - definately a winner in any building contest. I love the bridge and the details like the man in the small boat and the other with the small wagon of carrots. Top notch! One day I hope to build something as majestic and well crafted as this. Superb!

You're absolutely correct. I think there was some overalap in the stores in the early 80s. I remember seeing blue track sets and sets like 7818 on the shelf thinking it was part of the blue line (at least to my recollection). 7818 really stood out for me because of the new flexible minifigs. But since grey track started in the 80s, the sets I pictured must be part of the grey era. Good catch Sne.

I like both. It really depends on the quality of the MOC. I am partial to the old DB trains though - simply because they were Lego's first. It's a Classic Train thing - not because they're European (or American). We discussed this before a year or two ago. let me see... Here's the thread: American vs. European

Feedback from Phes... I'm honored. It's not very often that you visit the Wild West threads Phes. Glad to see you still keeping up with the opther themes. I like the tan baseplates and I'll be keeping them - even for new MOCs. It just wouldn't be WW without tan. In regard to changing the backgrounds: these are all part of the Grave Stone collection of images and they do vary. Perhaps it's time for me to change them a bit or get some new images.

Thanks Apache. Appreciate the feedback. In regard to the baseplate, I could use a grey plate, but have always gone with the tan because they are used throughout the WW theme. I never thought they looked bad with the B&W images which I've used for all my Grave Stone MOCs.

Term used to describe the early train theme with blue track. As a child, I remember visiting a toy store and seeing single train car/engine sets. They were great! Sets like this from the early 80s: There were a lot of single train cars available then. I didn't see this really return until the MOT era.

Has anyone seen these imitation 9V trains before? I found these searching Brickshelf today. The sets are actually quite nice and would be a great way to keep the 9V Hobby Train theme going. This is really what I was hoping for when I first read about the Hobby Train line. Reminds me of the early Blue Train era. Link: Imitation 9V Trains on Brickshelf

If you mean: "Oh, and BTW: for those of you look'n for some other undead to put in your disintegrat'n machines and flame throwers, don't even think about it!" I was referring to my signature/avatar fig of the Phantom Rider. I'd hate to end up in one of your killing machines. It's all about keeping it simple. Thanks.

A man can tinker for years on a fancy disintegrat'n machine, or other "high-tech" mouse trap to kill a skeleton, but the most effective way around these parts is to simply throw a rope up over a tree and hang'em. Doesn't even waste a bullet! Oh, and BTW: for those of you look'n for some other undead to put in your disintegrat'n machines and flame throwers, don't even think about it!

I really liked the orange, esp. for Halloween. I'm surprised that you don't like the color. Good idea. Yes, always tough to do. A few holes in the wall may add to the delapidating state. Perhaps I'll try a few things. I still have this one constructed. Thanks for the feedback.