Horation
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Everything posted by Horation
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An interesting review, the set has a weird colour scheme I didn't really like, with somewhat random bits of yellow, green and blue, the barracuda had a more unified colour scheme, but 6280 does have excellent minifigs, so overall I'd say it's a little below average for me (but I get why it's so popular). Also, @Inconspicuous the correct sum is 54/60 (6+9+9=24. 24+3*10=54).
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The sails are a great addition to the ship and will make it menacing (a lot like the black pearl, which most seem to really enjoy around here). Your explanation for the crew is acceptable so good job!
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[ENTRY] SIN ISLAND: Keg & Cutlass Inn + Comic book
Horation replied to Marooned Marin's topic in Pirate MOCs
A pirate saloon-nice but overcrowded Theme The play features are great ; a hidden treasure, animals aplenty and some wonderfully detailed figs (are they custom @Marooned Marin? Because they look like it!) contribute to a brilliant design feeling, and there's a lot of room and activities to be done on the island, albeit the canon does appear hard to shoot with, the inside also looks excellent and adds even further play opportunities while being easily accessed. While I do appreciate the comic and excellent pictures, this entry does have flaws : Madam brothel, for one, is obviously a no-no, change that backstory a little. Also, the whole thing is as crowded as a MOC, and I understand the desire to ''have the whole gang'', but few soldiers=less playability. I'd say add a boat to reduce crowding and/or remove a pirate or two. Build The details on the rockwork are solid, and the variations on the brown colour scheme just work really well. The beds, the harmonica and the attention to detail throughout (like that hanged soldier or that hidden treasure). But I'd like if the rocks were more uniform (or split in two clear colours-ex: DBG on bottom and LBG on top) and if the sand had as much care taken as the main build did... And that's my review, I like it more as a MOC than an entry, but I like it quite a bit as an entry! Good luck and entertain yourself! -
Honestly, the printing doesn't bother me but I do agree that there could be room for improvement (and I understand other's concerns), and I kind of wish some billionaire were to copy the design and start making quality counterfeits (would be more productive than buying twitter... and a lot less expensive!).
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An unusual choice Theme 2/5 There's a lot of alcohol-enough for a pub, a lot of gold, a parrot, a hidden treasure map and... that's it. There's a single sword for 4 pirates, no guns, no canons and no imperials to fight with, these aren't hippies but fearsome warriors, and kids would be left wanting for more than a meeting of the Caribbean Pacifists' Association (CPA). This is further compounded by the needlessly modern minifigs (the two middle ones have a jacket and what appear to be jeans and modern-style coloured hair). Luckily, this is easily fixed, simply purchase 2-3 pirates, a bluecoat/redcoat, a canon and a few muskets/pistols, or use similar such parts in your collection! This could be much more piratey but leaves me wanting for more... Build 4/5 This is a great build...for the 1990s (which is a good thing, BTW). The simple colours (the contrast between brown and grey is particularly solid) and well placed foliage, as well as the nicely made barrel racks would make a fine addition to any vintage collection, and since I know little of that era, I have few recommendations for it. Good luck, and have fun!
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From next week onwards I'll be available and I could do some of the smaller sets-but I admit I have little knowledge on how to share files.
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It is building-the contest rules explicitly allow for this and it is just as much of a build as a physical version-just because you want to gatekeep on a hyper-technical definition doesn't mean we also should. Also, would you really say you didn't ''write'' your comment simply because you typed it on a computer?
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Theme Good thinking for that extra pirate and raft ; it adds much needed playability to the set. The extra play features make this stand out from the competition which often refuses to do more than a nice looking facade with nothing to play with. Literally all of my list of requirements is covered : variety of figs, animal life, hidden treasure, a working canon, two water vessels and an escape feature in that jail cell. Build The build captures the essence of 1990s sets quite well, and I like the windows, but it could use some extra details, like some dark red on the walls and some ornate details under and on the ramparts would give you a fighting chance against those with hyper-detailed builds.
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I really like the ship you've built-I'd love to see a version that uses a brick-built hull! The exterior is excellent-the front and back are superbly detailed and the middle looks sharp with it's simple colour scheme. The interior is teeming with life-and the little scenes you set up add to this charming result. The one thing that bothers me is the cabin bit closest to the center-it's too black and could use some extra details (but it's one speck of an otherwise brilliant build, and I understand you are part limited). Finally, the floors curve a little toward the end-this is likely due to each deck being one piece, right now it doesn't matter but in a year when you'll take it apart and you'll have to use hot water to straighten the pieces you'll wish that you had split the decks in a few smaller segments instead of single, large ones...
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Thanks for supporting my proposal! On the second point, I'd quite like to see that as well! It would even be helpful for some hard-to-get parts from other themes...
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Theme This is better than most ; a canon, a load of cargo, some gold and a decent amount of space,I especially appreciate the large docks. But there is one flaw in your design. You see, the original sabre island had 2 soldiers and an officer, your build has nearly twice as many minifigs, but no added play value for kids, adding a small merchantman's ship or a small pirate vessel equiped would do wonders for playability. I will also criticise the lack of a single animal, not even a monkey or a frog! Build Now this is where you spent most of your time, and it shows ; the rockwork is excellent, with its studs on side construction helping quite a bit. The docks are detailed, and the use of dark tan avoids the boredom I associate (having seen 20+ entries) with black and brown ; most of the voters will surely feel the same! The use of a rounded tower shape is really clever (again, avoids repetition with other builds), as are the stairs , the railings and the weather-battered doors. There are some problems with your build : you sometimes cover the gaps created by vertical pieces of the rocks with tiles, and sometimes you don't, do it everywhere and it'll look much better. Also, as 2-3 other folks have said, the sword pole is silly and unstable, as well as unlikely for a well-maintained fort, the canon is too small and doesn't shoot.
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Before it looked good, now it's excellent, and don't worry too much about the sails ; most people have no clue how they're supposed to go, so I'd personally remove the jib since the weird colour differences (even with your good explanation) look a little strange.
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One thing I will make a suggestion for is to require builders to choose at most 2-3 of their builds per category, because maybe half the entries have been made by 3-4 super active builders, and while their creations are great, it does mean less variety, since they often build in the same style and this can become repetitive (or even worse ; they get a lot of praise and their build styles are then copied in other entries).
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Theme The whole build is one of your best in that regard ; lots and lots, and lots of rooms with a lot of room inside of 'em, several hidden passageways and spaces inside the rocks, treasure, soldiers (I actually like this style of troops, were there any reasons for it @MyFirstMOC-Hun?, food, etc...) There are however 3 issues for me ; the lack of a fireplace on the inside or a campfire on the outside (it would fit the skull's fiery eyes well), the lack of a crane to carry the small boat up top (or alternatively, a lookout tower on top of the rock formation), don't worry about it looking silly ; a giant skull on a rock already looks silly enough, and finally, the most critical omission is the lack of any visible frog on that build (correct me if I'm wrong). Build The rocks look brilliant (especially the use of plates on the side), the sand is really nice and looks natural (especially the dark tan at bottom, light tan on top technique). The stalactites on the cave and the small foliage look great, but I'd add a few stalagmites/stalactites to the cave behind the skull ; it would be much more menacing! Overall an above average creation from an above average creator!
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Wait, there's a ladder hidden inside @BrickCommander9? I'd love to see how you did it, since even I wouldn't be sure where I'd hide a ladder on the inside. And while I'm at it, since you appear to have missed my first post, I will actually give you a different recommendation-make the sandy island around the tower bigger ; it would not only allow for a more interesting design, but it would also have the additional effect of expanding the play area.
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@Medel, I'd love to see this as an ideas project, a simple way to get the parts count down is to use DUPLO parts on the inside of the build as supports (they work with regular parts), since you'll need a lot fewer to get the same area covered. Also, and while I really like your water build, I'd recommend making an ideas-only version which has just a few plates for the water instead of this excellent and hyper-detailed water which uses 500+ parts. I'm only saying this because It would be really cool as an ideas project-it would almost certainly get 10k.
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The whole build is perfect-good storytelling (I really like such update builds, it's a good idea and adds to the story). The rockwork is great (and unusual-most don't build it that way) the gondola-like raft is really good, too (and avoids monotony from every brown raft ever), I will however say I prefer tiled water or baseplates instead of 1x1s, as it makes it easier to add details on the water, but to each their own, I guess (and it does look very nice). I hope you'll do something for the contest, since it would give everyone else a run for their money!
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Overall, a solid remake of a frequently remade set. Theme The build serves a clear purpose well, with some excellent building techniques which make it feel like a recent (but not too recent) fort for the local colonial empire. but it could really use a few imperial soldiers, I'd personally add a cannon with a pirate on that rowboat. To make it stand out from the bunch, I'd add a bit of food or a small campfire for the men on the beach would add credibility to the design. Build That tower is brilliant, I've got no bad things to say about it. The sideways white cheese slopes with black behind look good, the use of bricks is very lego-y, and then the foliage and rockwork are both excellent (as is the dock-finally someone who doesn't use so much brown). even the lack of ladders is completely forgiven due to the scale. There's even a hidden ladder! I will (like others have) encourage a few sideways cheese slopes on top of those yellow headlights. I will however heavily criticise the sand ; it looks weirdly artificial, and a few wedges would convey a much more realistic shape.
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This update looks much better, with the texture looking a lot nicer, the figure selection being more effective and the added play features, and I understand your decision on the water (it would be hypocritical for me to complain too much about it, since I love the old baseplates with sand and water printed on them, and this is a much improved version of those). I will however ask you, @BrickCommander9, if possible,to press down some of the plates that make up the sand ; it is obvious that some of them could be connected more solidly, since they currently create ugly and pointless mini gaps in the build. And please consider just a few slope and the likes to improve the island's shpae.
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A good ship-but a little boring for a set Theme This is a remake of an existing set, so it should have play features ; other than the cannons, I see none. There has to be an interior, some storage space, a few imperials to fight, and a shark to kill the unlucky prisoners! Almost all of these points are true for MOCs, too. So the lack of any of these is disappointing, especially for such a large and original vessel, one which has space aplenty compared to most similar entries, just add some action to break the monotony (and figures) once the entry is physically built. Build The hull is the best in the contest, as are the sides of the ship. Now the lack of colour is easily fixed ; replace some of the black with dark red and add a bright colour (red, blue, green, yellow, etc...) to the boat's scheme to make it pop, and don't forget that a detailed, colourful interior will make this less noticeable (as would a small soldiers boat accompanying the design, like @Eggyslav's harbour sentry remake), the detailing is superb, and the boat isn't unbelievably large (actually quite fitting for an Icons or Ideas set). Good luck and have fun with these minor modifications; it'll show if you put some heart into it (as you clearly have on the ship's details)!
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[MOC] Arrival in the New World, Central America 1500s
Horation replied to A_Goodman's topic in Pirate MOCs
Well even that looks quite good, might I recommend trying something smaller as a test? Sometimes a good idea can be abandoned because of it's size and a small build is therefore more satisfying initially. -
I was thinking of larger ones (like in 10305, for instance), but this is more era accurate, I'll concede that point.
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Nice ship! Are you planning an interior? How many parts does it have? It looks really large and detailed.
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@A_Goodman, your initial post is unavailable to me, I don't know if this is a technical issue on my side or if you somehow accidentally removed the picture (it merely reads ''unavailable'') and it'd be a shame if others couldn't see your excellent piece. And also, have you considered a ghost pirate? It would be quite a nice addition and would really fit the ''death'' that's associated with the build
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The cabin exterior looks much better! I like the added touches on the front bow (but it's still too blue to my taste...)