SteamSewnEmpire

I like this even more. Great work. At this scale, Lego often simply doesn't give us the parts to do what we need.

It's very nice. I sure wish that Lego would come up with a better way for the 6w people to do boilers, though. That's not a criticism of the model - it's that the 6w crowd has lived under the yoke of those stupid round pieces and the infuriating little notches they leave for far too long.

Love the barracks.

Neat. Really like the external framing.

Why do threads on the Eurobricks forums invariably devolve into this sort of thing? Nobody can ever say anything without a set of toes somewhere being trod on, overall wrongness being implied subtly or not-so-subtly, people losing it over minor criticisms of models, etc. When you deign to tell someone IRL "well ACK-TCHYUALLY...", do they just walk away from you?

I don't really view the world of Azeroth as medieval. They ride around on motorcycles, travel through space on giant crystal ships, have a pretty firm grasp of the geography of their entire world and much of the galaxy - hell, they even know for a fact that there's an afterlife (and are about to spend 18-24 months there). Frankly, I think the denizens of World of Warcraft would probably find our own world almost byzantine.

Nice. Gigantic, too. Gas-powered rail vehicles like this were actually pretty common on U.S. narrow gauge railroads:

Very classic.

Except that something being medieval is basically predicated on a lack of widespread innovation. IE, knights are using swords, not because they prefer them over firearms, but because firearms haven't been invented yet (and there is no industrial base available to produce them on a large scale). This is the major reason why steampunk and dieselpunk are logical - because we're simply imagining very technology-driven eras evolving in different (but parallel) ways. The foundational notion - that these societies were making every effort (and possessed every chance) to claw forward scientifically - is unchanged. The problem with doing this in a medieval setting is that it runs directly counter to what people want out of a medieval period in the first place: a (fairly) backwards set of cultures with often mystical or even magical beliefs and ideas (utilized to explain a world they do not understand) laboring for victory with exceedingly limited knowledge of medicine, explosives, metallurgy, navigation, etc., and in a pristine settings with enormous portions of the landscape remaining unexplored and incredibly wild. The moment you start injecting the 'punk' and the associated broadening of worldviews, the charm of being medieval fades. It's almost impossible to rationalize the same knights riding around on mechano-horses and wielding steam-powered laser swords still believing that the Earth is the center of the universe, or that the neighbor's little girl is a witch, or that there's an evil sorcerer living in a cave up on the nearest mountaintop. Moreover, it's similarly a struggle to see traditional medieval threats (being attacked by a pack of wolves; suffering from an infected wound; getting lost because your map is completely wrong) as being any kind of a challenge to the same group of people who can build a flying castle (or whatever). Honestly, I believe this is actually a big part of the reason why Nexo Knights (in a way itself kind of a 'medieval punk') never caught on - because when people want to be transported to an age of templars and maidens and peasant armies, the last thing they want is the intrusion of inexplicable and distracting technology.

Just the axles connected to some socket wrenches + curved lightsaber handles.

I did this as a proof-of-concept to see if the whole piston system would work. At some point I'll probably do a standard gauge version that's actually powered.

That's a far superior station.

And yet... even if this friend exists, it still wouldn't have been 'your take,' now would it? But, let's be honest here: there is no friend. Fool me once...

Oh this is freaking awesome. Is there an interior?

I'm really digging these smaller, 'set-possible' castles that people seem to have been gravitating towards, lately. It gives me some hope that eventually one will clear the final hurdle and become an Ideas set.

Oh good lord. This guy is the gift that keeps on giving.

What other windows could he use?

Wow, this is epic. I have no idea why someone would need such a thing, but it's extremely well done.

I'd go 8. While locomotives are often a bit wider than rolling stock, the difference is pretty insubstantial in the modern era. Most railroads have a fairly set-in-stone loading gauge, and build to that standard across the board. Plus, this is a small engine, and you want it to look little. The best way to accomplish that is to have big cars.

Love it.

This is the double-whammy of no-nos, and you managed to do it all in just 7 words.

Couple of decent closeups: Not sure if China blocks imgur, of course... You might also want to use these on the sides: It has that sort of distinct triangular shape there. Other parts might achieve it better. Like I said, though, this is already really great.

The angling on that is more severe, though, isn't it?

Okay, my one criticism of this otherwise superb build is that I think you need a ton more piping/detailing on the sides of the boiler. Just start attaching clips and throw whatever sticks up there - lug wrenches, screw drivers, lightsaber handles, binoculars, etc., etc... basically the entire bag of tricks. Because, for a European locomotive, it's very obvious at first glance that the hallmark (other than the camel hump) of this class of engines is some very American-like nonchalance with regards to exposed parts, and you need more of 'em. I also agree with @monai's suggestion to heighten the tender by about a brick - hopefully this won't be too difficult for you. I also would have made an effort to use bigger driving wheels, but this is less of a critique than a different opinion (I think people run their Lego railroads to varied standards, and drivers are one of those 'soft' stats that can be fudged either way). Overall, though, I love it. The hump is excellent, and the smoke deflectors and cab angling are tops. I confess, though, that my favorite part is actually the bogies on the tender - I like it when people aren't afraid to 'go big' on their trucks to get more detail, and you went big, and it paid off. *Edit* Oh, and if it doesn't offend your sensibilities, please buy custom rods. They're just a big visual improvement (provided that using custom pieces doesn't violate your own building code).

I have no complaints about the cab roof. Everything in Lego is a tradeoff. The price for the very prototypical contour is a few studs. No big.