Horation

Well, I'd say it was more than just reflective, it looked like if someone took the original baseplate and bit by bit build it with modern parts, and it allows for a "fortress" feel from the whole build. But I do have to agree with Math Wizard now that I look at it, the ramp has too many studs, I'd replace a few of those plates with jumper plates, as it would keep spots for figures to stand on, but all the while reducing the total number of studs on top.

What a way to start posting on here! I quite like the whole build, it really looks like something imperial, with all the books and papers expected from the bureaucracy. But I do have 2 teeny improvements to recommend. First, add a little bit of prose to explain what is happening, since when people see a nice entry but no text, it's a little disappointing to say the least. Doesn't have to be much, just enough to tell us what he's doing there. Second, maybe add an imperial officer or soldier to make it clear who Steve is striking a deal with, since that could add a lot of story-telling value to this entry. I'll have to agree with Math Wizard here, but I'm understanding if you can't add tiles due to either the parts limitations of 200 parts or any real-life limitations you might have. Good luck, and enjoy these forums!

I have to say it is rare that I see a build that fits two themes so well, but this is one of them! Glad to know that the skeleton critique has been noted.

I don't know if there are enough parts left in the budget for full tiling, so we'll ask the master behind the entry : tell me @YellowFrog, do you have enough parts left to tile the floor?

After Steve left his desert abode He took a boat, and he flowed with the waves of the Mediterranean and beyond, and then met a Polynesian Of the name of Kahuka, and his tribe Where he worked for a time as scribe Until he had earned enough to repair his boat, and leave not a tear. Book of Steve, p.41 paragraph 3 of 5 I was inspired by @SevenDeadlyStreamers and chose to remake another pirate all-time favourite. I had to create a few stickers ; for the statue and the "minifigs" as well as a few recolours. The bridge is made using a really fancy technique I saw online (link : https://www.pinterest.com/pin/6278-enchanted-island-micro--428616089534804619/) Here it is with the microfigures, you can see Steve is about to meet Kahuka while the Islanders watch, and think of their next move. I'll try to make a better background for it at some point, but I wanted to get some feedback on the build first.

Thanks for the comment! I based the cobblestone on 10320's, and then modified it to taste (and using desert colours). I just now noticed the off-centerness of the poster (it bothers me equally much), I used an online template, so I'll redo as soon as possible. As for the flag, I'm working on it, and the issue shall be resolved. @NOD, thank you for the comment, I'm glad you liked the humour in it. @SevenDeadlyStreamers, I've checked, and there's unfortunately no way to add a sticker to any wavy flag (and I feel like creating a custom cloth flag would be too many customs, considering the number of recolours...).

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I just saw on the main reddit forum for counterfeiters (r/Lepin) that their factories got hit hard (2 of them closed down and now everyone there is in a panic...)

A fine entry, hopefully not the last! A clever build, and it's rather vast. Excellent mix of colours and sizes For the foliage and rocks, but prizes? Perhaps, but that statue's red mouth is quite goofy, for the folk of the south to use in such a manner. So I'd either make a sticker, or a nose, as to avoid a large lake of red, at such a point, but other than that, this diorama should do well in the combat that is the voting thread, best of luck! May you win more than one buck.

To be honest, that's not unreasonable, I've seen custom sets that had twice the price per piece... Will the instructions be released? (I'm sure someone would be willing to build it)

@MyFirstMOC-Hun, my first comment might have been a little hard to understand, so here's one that's easier : I quite like the idea behind this set (and those custom "sails" are quite a solid addition to the whole build). I feel like the small details are captured, but just like in a previous build by elephant knight, I feel like there are too many tiles for the water so it looks a little too clean for my taste, I would replace a few of those pieces with cheese slopes to make it feel a little more like it is in motion

Can you tell who is making this set? Is it going to be made with Lego bricks or some competitor brand?

I think you can download Studio's part designs, or at least import them on software like blender, but other than that I have no clue what you could do.

Yes 3 of each, you must limit yourself to, leaving you with two, One small, one large, hopefully, it shall be something you brew with as much care as this fine build : a good story, a nice palm tree a good beach, but I have a critique, to avoid making this comment free ; make the water less flat, with plates and not tiles, lest it look out of place, so that you may fill with gold thy bankbook.

Using the scale feature, on some software, One must follow rules, and dangers beware, Not to make it too large, lest it fail and sink But this one floats! No, it flies above the rink! Where competitors below fight for scraps While you take well deserved naps For your fine vessel, which few can rival. Some ideas I'll steal for myself, like the clip and tube, for uses non-naval and the hull shape, in ways alike. Yet I have one question, elephant knight Where does Steve sleep at night? In which kitchen does the cook fuel a demanding captain far too cruel for our unfortunate Steve to stand? So I request for your camera to land on the ship, and for it to take a picture, or a couple, of this lovely depicture of a merchant ship, that might still win you a prize, and prevent any chagrin.

This is a fine build of it's own, the fact that you made while trying to emulate an actual set from a different theme is all the more impressive! I generally dislike that roof technique, but it is rather appropriate here, gut gemacht!

Story : A fitting ending to our hero's journey! The island does look lush and perfectly livable for anyone. But where is Steve? I'd use a microfig or a few studs piled on top of one another to achieve the desired effect. Build and presentation : The statue looks brilliant, and the horn pieces are a great way to show waves, and that roofed building is a valuable addition, but the lack of a beach is disappointing (simply fixed with a few tan pieces instead of lime green ones). I like this addition to the "miniature-scale builds" in the contest.

I'm not worried much for Steve if he's in such skillful hands as yours! The water and the the tree both use a similar gradient technique effectively, so I have to praise that, and that character from the 4+ range is cleverly threaded into the story and build. My one critique is the fact that the whole build looks surgically clean (almost no studs at all), I'd maybe add tension by removing a part of the pier to make it seem like it is on the brink of collapsing, but all in all, me thinks this is good, I'd give it maybe 4+ out of 5

Lovely stuff from you as always! This should frankly go in a category of its own (HUGE), because that's how massive it is, I hope my review is long enough to cover it fully. The story : Great way to weave together two sets and rectify an element of "lore" that was always simply unexplained. The whole thing is quite logical and the minifigs amplify this, with a clear sense of a chaotic engagement ongoing (how did you make that bluecoat's shako look like it is flying? Glue?). And as such his discreet escape makes sense. There is however an abandoned canon barrel which looks a little out of place, I'd either place it in the crane basket (to make it look like it is being carried) or put a gun carriage underneath, to make it seem less like a leftover and more like a temporarily ignored project due to the battle. I will also criticise the lack of ice cream pieces to represent gun shots, as it feels like they would add to the feeling of motion being captured. The build : Honestly, there's so much good (the buildings, the waves, the rockwork, the pavement, even the trees, all is done in ever cleverer manners) that I'll mostly focus on the not so good ( to keep this concise). Two things annoy me here. First, some of the rocks use a sideways building technique which is all the rage nowadays, but it creates these awkward gaps where we see the studs underneath, I would take that technique you use elsewhere with tiles and a sideways part to fix the issue (there's a part of the build with dark grey round tiles if you didn't get what I was referring to). Second, the crane is angled, which is nice, but so is the structure that holds, which is arguably necessary due to the building method, but it does look worse as a result, If possible, maybe use a hinge to angle the crane part without moving its supporting structure. But to be clear : this is a great entry and I am cherry-picking excessively. I just didn't wanna write a 500 word essay from a panegyrist, so I hope these help you a little.

I agree, I'll see If there's any way to make a sticker on the tattered flag piece (the one used on castles), and if I can pull it off I will.

I have gone ahead and remade my entry pictures a little, hopefully it is at least a little better, I'm not much of an online builder, but nearly all of my physical parts are under use for MOCs...

I missed that photo on mobile. Fair enough, well done!

Thanks for moving the post. Yes, he will face corsairs next, but let's put it like this, they shall be in much more distant waters for his liking...

Good thing to see an overarching, multiple part series for the contest instead of just a bunch of disparate builds. On top of that, there's a lot to like : a nice usage of parts for the sail, colourful merchandise, and an original colour scheme (black and red is fairly rare around these parts) all work in your favour. However, I think the ship, as a contraband vessel, is a little lacking in hiding spots, maybe just a treasure chest could work to explain how he hid all his merchandise? Because I am not currently convinced...

Here's what Steve was up to when he was young : A pirate! Wait, is that an apple he's holding?, and what kind of a boat is that? Ah, now it makes sense. He stole the apple from that unlucky merchant, here he is seen smiling at an unseen observer. In the sietch of the proud fremen (the residents of the sea of sand we would call a desert), water is precious, and fruit even more so. This kind of crime is bound to increase the bounty on his head to such an extent that he will have to flee these lands. Where will he go next? What shall he see next? It remains to be seen... As you can see, he shall have to pay quite the price if he is caught... @Math Wizard, I've updated it, what do ya think

Well time is the one thing I've got a lot of, so if there's anything I can do...