Ben S

I would go with Option 1, but I am voting for Option 2. As I see it: Option 1: LEGO is my hobby and I am not interested in other brands. So I would choose this, but I understand that other members might be interested in them. Option 2: Creating a new forum sounds the cleanest solution. It keeps the main forum the same doesn't do any harm. Option 3: I don't know how much interest there could be in these. It seems like more noise and work. Option 4: This sounds weird to me lol. Like a discussion on 'New 2026 Castle Sets' in the historic forum mixing different brands... Or contests (there will still be contests just for the joy of building, even LEGO has cut the prizes, right?) mixing parts from different brands... Too much chaos for me

I agree with the rest, I prefer the old ones. These are also cool, though. Could be an addition. Cool Python project! I'm fine with the shape and gradients. Some of them look a little weird. Maybe making the emojis a little smaller and centering them on their heads would make them look better?

Loved the riding waves reference! Will we witness a royal wedding soon?

I think that extending deadlines and aligning them with the holiday break is a good idea. As to the challenges, I really like the technique requirement, this way I am forced to apply new techniques I otherwise probably wouldn't use. It's a good way to learn. Also, it constrains the build, which helps because with very wide topics, I sometimes find it difficult to come up with a concrete idea. Looking forward to the next technique!

Glad you liked it @Garmadon! I would love to see it if you tried! You could even play mixing arches with different inclinations...

This is by far the best ISD I have ever seen! Congratulations I tend to take apart my SW sets, but I might consider building this one... It could be a great way to stash so many grey bricks lol Need to find the space first, seems like a pretty big model

I missed commenting on this one. First of all congrats! I really like the build. As others have mentioned, it is full of details, and just as @T-86(swebrickLUG), my favourite detail is the chalkboard. A really clever technique. The forest outside the window is also pretty cool.

This is truly an awesome build! You created a whole atmosphere here. The amount of detail is also impressive, even in the background. I really like the house back there.

Thanks @Grover, means a lot! Glad you liked it. I always enjoy your detailed feedback! I'm such an overthinker that I try to make small but detailed builds. If I start planning bigger ones, I tend to lose steam... I have been tinkering with a 16x20 freebuild for two or three years, believe it or not. It doesn't help that I always find a way to be extremely busy. As to the story, that's what I wanted, a little bit of drama here, a little bit of humour there, and keeping it open to be compatible with others' stories.

Congrats to the category A winners! Mine was a lucky win, lol Let's see if we get more free time and higher participation in August!

It's very lively with the elves, flora, fauna and small details! I love the tower; as others have pointed out, it looks great. Those arches from the WIP look great too

After seeing your latest progress, I must say wow! That is definitely ambitious! It looks amazing so far, and I hope to see it finished!

Looks great! Even if the base build hasn't changed a lot since the WIP, all the details you have added give it a lot of life. You have done a great job achieving that construction site feeling.

@Kai NRG @SimWies Glad you liked it! Thank you! It would have been fun to have more people in this category lol. Next time!

Thanks Grover, I can't wait to receive the feedback! I didn't expect to be the only entry lol

Glad you liked it!

I love the top of the tower, and the curves as well! Impressive tower!

Thanks Grover, glad you liked it!

Thanks!

@Henjin_Quilones thanks for clarifying it! Unfortunately, an Algus stole the only copy we had in our small Mitgardian town, so I never got to read it during my student days... Jokes aside, wow! Thank you so much, I really enjoyed your answer! As @The Stad says, Tolkienian is a perfect word to describe it!

Here is my entry for Category B

"I come from a very distant land, a place with no hope, no opportunities, full of war and desolation. So I decided to leave in search of a better future. I left behind my friends and family, and sold all my belongings to buy a passage on a ship which promised to carry us to Historica — a land which had struggled with war in the past but was now enjoying peace, full of opportunities and hope. I was not the only one who made this choice; the ship was dangerously crowded. A few days into the journey, a fierce storm struck and the ship was wrecked. It was pure chaos. Screams and crashing waves filled the darkness. Lit only by the occasional flash of lightning, I could see people drowning, desperately trying to stay afloat. The sea was so violent that I couldn't help anyone; it took all my strength just to keep from drowning myself. All I could do was cling to a piece of broken wood and try to stay on the surface. I remained adrift for a long time. I don't know if it was days or weeks. The only reason I survived was that piece of wood. I was starving and thirsty, and I had almost no strength left to hold on. Then, another huge storm hit, and I truly thought it was the end; I could not survive another one. It was pitch black again and I couldn't see a thing as the waves tossed me around. But then, I saw something on the horizon. I saw land. The promised land of Historica. I was so filled with joy that I found a sudden burst of strength and swam to the shore. I will always remember the happiness I felt when I finally touched Historican soil. I never saw any of the boat passengers again. I don't know whether they survived. But I know how fortunate I am to have made it here. I try to honor my homeland and maintain our values; it makes me feel closer to the home I left behind. That is why I offered you a meal when I saw you were hungry and in need. Once in a while, when my travels as a merchant bring me back to the Avalonian beaches where I first landed, I like to dive into the waves with a wooden board to remember how I arrived that day. Seeing me do this, the locals grew curious, and I have discovered that they have begun to practise the activity themselves. They call it surfing." — Zîrân, the mysterious merchant, speaking to Queen Ylspeth. More insight into the techniques: By the way, @Grover, is it Zîrân or Zîrâd? I noticed that in the prelude he's named Zîrân, but in the challenge text it says Zîrâd.

Really impressive build! It’s hard to pull off at microscale, but you’ve really captured a great sense of atmosphere. It reminds me of the elven architecture in Rivendell or The Witcher.

Thanks! I’d like to at least build the tower. I’ve been working on it for more than two years... Development is slow and it's starting to feel like torture, lol.

Frostwatch Keep | Ben S | Mitgardia