2maxwell

Thanks for the input guys!

I didn't see this in the indexed pages, so I figured I'd ask. What are some good torsos for sailors from the late 18th and early 19th centuries? I dont mean pirate torsos, but sailors in navies. Thanks in advance.

I really like this because it seems exactly like a border outpost should be: simple, utilitarian, and just a little bit bleak. And the rock work is great, of course.

I really like the cabin. Looks very cannon blasted. I'm not too huge a fan of the water technique though. I can't really say why, but its fairly distracting. I think some light blue plates surrounding the island would be less ambitious, but ultimately more aesthetically pleasing.

I really like this. It looks a lot like the rock formations out in the Midwest.

This is a really nice MOC. I like the use of the fountain piece on the floor. One thing that could be improved, the Dey's wife would almost certainly not be that scantily clad in public. I mean, I can't say for sure what this particular Dey did with his household, but it would be extremely uncouth.

Yeah, you clearly don't get which group of kids you're talking about. The 'N Sync and Digimon craze was my group of kids. Early 90s kids. Kids in college and grad school right now. PT/CW kids are still in high school. Oh, and please, don't pretend that your generation was somehow culturally superior. Yes, there is a generational gap, but that doesnt mean that kids today have lower standards than in the past. Kids from all generations liked stupid things. God knows what kids liked back then, but it was probably stupid.

I dont really want to get into the whole discussion of which direction the UCS sets will take. However, I do think something needs to be noted. I grew up watching and loving the original trilogy. I was an early 90s kid. I was a fan of Star Wars before the Phantom Menace came out. As such, I loved the X-wing, Millenium Falcon, and the lot. Everyone I knew enjoyed the PT, but still recognized that it was worse than the OT, and we all preferred the OT ships. The people you are referring to, these Gen Y kids, are like me, but older. You might not realize this, but the only people who grew up on the PT are kids who are still in high school. They dont exactly have expendable income. That being said, my friends and I all really loved the Jedi starfighters. I was a big fan of the Delta 7 and 7b, while some of my friends preferred the Eta 2. These ships had really nice design. I mean, look at the Delta 7; so sleek, so sexy. Damn. And I would suspect that that is why they made Delta 7 UCS set. Because it is a really good looking ship.

Looks good! The bagpipe is pretty impressive. I would suggest using the new redcoat torso for him though. If you look at plates, highlanders typically wore the same coat as the line infantry, though possibly with different regimental facings. The new redcoat torso does a good job approximating this. Also, why the cape? I've never seen something like that on a highlander before. Is it something reserved for bagpipers?

I like the persian one the most. First one is closest to the real ones I've seen. I mean, if that's important at all.

Agreed. I do like the back of the it though. The offical lego JSFs have "tails" which are too long. This version is a bit more appropriate I think.

So, the moc itself is wonderful. It looks great. It looks more wild west than civil war though.

I saw some promos for it here, iirc. It looked pretty legit, and slightly disappointing. I'll try to link it if I find it. Or are you asking about the timeframe? Because I cant help there, sorry.

The technique and overall quality here is phenomenal. I'm still just really impressed with how you built the ship's frame. Like you're building a real ship or something.

I think this is going really well, and I cant wait to see what the finished product will look like. I'm especially interested in seeing how the benches pan out. Seeing as you're going from a fictional perspective, its difficult to comment on the design of it. However, I see that the unloading doors are in the front of the ship. This would preclude the inclusion on a ram, which I think is quite vital to any ancient galley. It was the main method of naval war in that period. Personally, I happen to think that the fronts of biremes and triremes are also the most visually appealing part. Still, its your call. Maybe its just a transport ship?

I like this. That being said, I feel like this hat (or a pith hemet for an earlier era) would have been more suited to it. Also, I disagree that the minifig needs decals or custom parts. I think that if a realistic mountie can be made with fewer, official parts, its not only better, but also captures the spirit of Lego better.

The matter of shields is very complicated because you are drawing an arbitrary line between spearmen and other infantry. Consider germanic and celtic peoples. Among them, the round shield was more common, regardless of weapon. It is true that among them, larger oval shields were used by spearmen, but the round shield is by no means only for warriors wielding close combat weapons. Similarly, early crusaders and Norman knights used the kite shield the vast majority of the time. They carried a spear and sword. Vikings used round shields almost exclusively, despite using numerous different weapons. Heater shields were adopted throughout Europe around the 13th century and became the mainstay for both infantry and cavalry. As everyone else has said, medieval armies were never uniform in their equipment, and Legos are toys. This is a sweeping generalization. European shields may have been constructed this way, but its worth noting that they dont account for all "real" shields.