Math Wizard

Ahoy Matey! They call me Captain Crit in these parts and I heard that polly wants a sandwich (They’re fed up with crackers apparently) - a criticism sandwich that is! (For you landlubbers, that’s 3 seas [Cs]- Compliment, Constructive Criticism, and another Compliment). Ye did a great job buildin’ this depiction of the poem/song. It is a super creative idea and you were so faithful to all the different parts, from the painted ship to the albatross. I can really feel the story come to life through yer build! This build looks quite good so it was hard to come up with a critique. It might make it a wee bit better if ye could somehow hide the anti studs on the inside of the ship walls, at least on the white part. It makes them look a wee bit unfinished as is, though it might be a bit of a pain to try and fix. Me favorite part o’ this build is the ship’s angle and the water poring out from beneath. This was super well done- the water has a realistic flow and the ship looks as if it s sinking. I also love how you cross-sectioned the boat, even showing the details of what was down below. Fair Winds Matey!

Ahoy Matey! They call me Captain Crit in these parts and I heard that polly wants a sandwich (They’re fed up with crackers apparently) - a criticism sandwich that is! (For you landlubbers, that’s 3 seas [Cs]- Compliment, Constructive Criticism, and another Compliment). Ye did a great job buildin’ this and creat’n a story to go along with it! The warm atmosphere from the lighting and immersive scene in the first photo is a nice touch. Makes me wish wish my name were Steve so I could hang out in this cozy meeting room! This build looks quite good so it was hard to come up with a critique. It might make it a wee bit better if ye took first image was from a slightly different angle. Right now you can see the white space beyond the wall on the left, though it isn’t very noticale. Me favorite part o’ this build is the flying bottle o’ grog. I love the way the bottle is attached is disguised as grog spilling out as it flies through the air. I also like the way ye added redbird, and the posing of characters as they throw him out. Fair Winds Matey!

Can you clarify what "double posting" is when going for the 1st to 25 competition? Does it mean 2 consecutive posts don't count, or only 1 post per entry counts?

Ah- I see! I didn't even realize this was referring to an older set- please don't make me walk the plank! But since you were upgrading the set it may have looked good to mix the yellow a bit more, instead of in a single block, but I can see why you used yellow.

Honestly, I was same way. A majority of me builds are full o' studs, simply because I don't have the tiles. But the winds are changing, and I've recently started to use more tiles, as it makes builds look a bit more polished and sleek. Hopefully you'll find these seas someday yerself matey!

Ahoy Matey! They call me Captain Crit in these parts and I heard that polly wants a sandwich (They’re fed up with crackers apparently) - a criticism sandwich that is! (For you landlubbers, that’s 3 seas [Cs]- Compliment, Constructive Criticism, and another Compliment). Ye did a great job buildin’ this! I love how Steve looks just like his ol’ dad. The presentation too is excellent- the rolling waves and rocky beach make a perfect backdrop for the build. This build looks quite good from my perspective as someone who doesn’t build boats much. The only thing I can think of that may make this build a wee bit better is perhaps using tiles for the railings instead of plates. I think this would make the ship a little sleeker and smoother overall. Me favorite part o’ this build is the excellent custom rigging, as well as the detail of getting all the vital parts of the ship- poop deck, mast, and sails, decorative bow and stern, cannons and covers, all the lanterns… very well thought out! Fair Winds Matey!

Ahoy Matey! They call me Captain Crit in these parts and I heard that polly wants a sandwich (They’re fed up with crackers apparently) - a criticism sandwich that is! (For you landlubbers, that’s 3 seas [Cs]- Compliment, Constructive Criticism, and another Compliment). Ye did a great job buildin’ this, and creatin’ a story to go along with it. I really like the presentation on the photo, and the retro feel you created, making it seem like the Steve from older sets. This build was a tough’n to critique, but I think me biggest nitpick is the yellow wall. I’m not sure what the purpose was behind this, but it seems a little odd. If it was intended to represent wear or age, I might use a shade of tan or something not quite so vibrant, and not use quite as large of a block of it. I think smaller sections of discoloration would look better. Me favorite part o’ this build is the covering over the cannon- great use of that piece! I also enjoyed how full the build is of details, from the stockpiled food to the scattered vegetation and hidden gold bar. Fair Winds Matey!

Quick question about the first to 25-- how is that counted? I thought I read somewhere that only posts made after there are 5 entries are counted and we had to keep track ourselves, but I can't find it now. If so, do those 5 need to be by different members? May I ask why the 5 entrant restriction exists in the first place? It seems rather contrary to tell people to comment, but then impose a limit that it doesn't count until a certain point.

Ahoy again me Matey! You’ve sure been busy in these parts! I heard that polly wants another sandwich from Captain Crit, so here we go! This build is simple yet effective at showing off Steve and advertising for BotBS! It is a very clean render, with a good background as well! I’m having a tough time critiquing these great builds, but I managed to think up a thing or two that could improve this scene. The first would be to eliminate some of the visible studs, both on the sideways barrels and on the top of the vignette. I would use tiles in both these cases if I were you, to keep the model nice and clean. A second thing you might look at is how to render realistic lights. I don’t know much aything about digital building, but the candle flames look pretty fake. I don’t know if there is a better way to do that or not. Overall though, this is an excellent build. Ye did a great job, especially with the shelf o’ bottles- the parts usage for the supports is a superb idea! I love how much you were able to cram into this small space to make it feel really inhabited. I hope you continue to have fair winds Matey!

Ahoy Matey! They call me Captain Crit in these parts and I heard that polly wants a sandwich (They’re fed up with crackers apparently) - a criticism sandwich that is! (For you landlubbers, that’s 3 seas [Cs]- Compliment, Constructive Criticism, and another Compliment). Ye did a great job buildin’ this, and creatin’ a story to go along with it. I like how you showed a story as Steve continues to explore, rather than just one angle. One thing that could have made this a wee bit better is the photos. There are a few where I can see objects in the background, which really detracts from the photo. I might sugggest getting a posterboard or a sheet (something larger) to use as a backdrop so other stuff doesn’t make it into the photo. Me favorite part o’ this build is idol head and alligator cave. These really added to the build and gave it character. I also enjoyed the little mystery at the end…something tells me a pirate did it, but I don’t want ter betray who done it! Fair Winds Matey!

I usually do it by a window, since then I can set up posterboard behind it and plug in a desk lamp to help hit some of the shadows, but outdoors would work fine too!

Ahoy Matey! They call me Captain Crit in these parts and I heard that polly wants a sandwich (They’re fed up with crackers apparently) - a criticism sandwich that is! (For you landlubbers, that’s 3 seas [Cs]- Compliment, Constructive Criticism, and another Compliment). The backstory on this one was great! I especially liked the part about Steve’s stories varying based on rum intake- it made me smile like I’d had a good barrel o’ grog meself. The idea is very well thought out and executed. It was hard to come up with criticism for this build, ye did an excellent job. The only thing that mayhaps could be improved a wee bit is the texture on the wall. Maybe ye could add a few more types of pieces, like plates, round 1x1 and 2x2 plates, and the occasional completely normal 1x2 brick, or maybe some brackets or bricks with side studs to connect tiles or ingots. Me favorite part o’ this build is the atmosphere created by the lighting, but I’m also likin’ the part usage for the bars and and chair. Ye did a great job, especially using a limited number of pieces. Fair Winds Matey!

Those wee pirate and imperials be lookin' real good matey! Not at all what I had in mind, but works great! I was thinking of simple stacks of plates but you went above and beyond!

When I be-a-lightin' me builds I like to try and use natural light, and then supplement it with a desk lamp and a flashlight focused on the darker areas. I usually put it on a sheet (stretched to avoid wrinkles) or a piece of posterboard to give it a clean background. There are other ways out there, like using a lightbox, but this can be done with just things found around the house.

Ahoy Matey! They call me Captain Crit in these parts and I heard that polly wants a sandwich (They’re fed up with crackers apparently) - a criticism sandwich that is! (For you landlubbers, that’s 3 seas [Cs]- Compliment, Constructive Criticism, and another Compliment). I really enjoyed the backstory of this build, it was well written and the aside about putting sons in the company name made me smile like pirate with a heap o’ booty and some grog! Me biggest issue wasn’t with the build itself, but with the photography. It was a little dark in places. and the forst photo cut off some of the build. While usually you want a plain background, I think the textured wall fit fairly well, but a slightly different angle and a desk lamp could have helped out a wee bit. Me favorite part o’ this build is the way yer usin’ the sail for a canopy, and the minifig head that makes a perfect coconut. The grass skirt was a clever idea too- it adds something to the build that people will remember. Fair Winds Matey!

Ahoy Matey! They call me Captain Crit and I heard that polly wants a sandwich (They’re fed up with crackers apparently) - a criticism sandwich that is! (For you landlubbers, that’s 3 seas [Cs]- Compliment, Constructive Criticism, and another Compliment). I really enjoyed the backstory of this build, from Steve’s start as a merchant to where he got his logo. Ye were real creative with this part, and it really helped explain the scene. The build does look a wee bit busy, with a booty of green and gray, making it a bit hard to focus on one thing, but each piece adds to the look of a crowded jungle. Mayhaps ye could’ve added a few more bits of color- perhaps a tattered banner or some colorful flowers and plants. Me favorite part o’ this one’s gotta be either the clever jungle trees or the realistic cocking of the abandoned gate. I’m liking the way ye sprinkled extra bases around the main build with more trees and ferns, particulllarly the one with the fallen tower. Fair Winds Matey!

Ahoy Mateys! They call me Captain Crit around these parts and I heard that polly wants a sandwich (they're fed up with crackers apparently) - a criticism sandwich that is! (For you landlubbers, that’s 3 seas [Cs]- Compliment, Constructive Criticism, and another Compliment). I think ye did a great job on building this microscale, especially for a 13 year old! I enjoy doing microscale models of sets too and this could easily have been built by me and I’m a *few* years older than 13. Me only nitpicks with the build are the gap in the base behind the cannon at the top of the ramp, which may be able to be filled by a sideways tile on some sort of SNOT brick, and the lack of Steve. Since the contest is all about Steve I would've loved to see a wee Steve included. Some o' me favorite parts of the build include the beautiful renditions of both the ships and the faithfully added crane and cargo. I love all the great uses of parts, from the shoulder armor down to the Gryffindor tile and the assorted clips. Fair winds to ye as ye continue in yer LEGO journeys, for I think you’ll go far lassie!

9. Garmadon 8. Kristel 6. BardDandelion

Beleriand Beach Beleriand Beach by Grant Decker, on Flickr Legolas and Gimli are spending their summer on the beaches along the Bay of Balar in the northwest part of Middle-Earth known as Beleriand. It seems like Gimli is one of those people who like to dig huge holes when they go to the beach (of course!), and Legolas is out surfing the waves (this must be where he learned that shield trick at Helm's Deep!). I built it on a 10x10 base, and the wave overhangs out the back 1.5 studs, which when added to the 0.5 studs added to the front due to the bone and coin, makes the whole thing fit within a 12x12 area. I had a lot of fun building this, as it is somewhat different than my usual style. I experimented with texture and resolved to have as few studs as possible showing. When building the cross section of a beach, I had lots of opportunities to hide bits and pieces of things buried over the years, and in building the wave I was able to experiment with some water techniques using the tiles I added onto my last LEGO purchase to get it up to free shipping. And the small size of it all means that I actually finished it before the deadline! I had to compress the image a lot in order to upload here (0.1MB is rally small!) so it is a bit grainy, but You can also see the build on Flickr here Thanks for checking it out, Math Wizard

Not sure if I'll have time to build anything, but I can definitely take some time to creatively critique y'all. Can't wait to see the entries!-- I may find time to do a small one...we'll see. Anyway, about me: My name is Grant and I am an architecture student and particularly like medieval building, though the pirate theme is probably one of the runner-ups on my list of favorite themes. At start of First to 25 Challenges:

Sounds good! I'll probably have at least 10 posts by the end of creatively critiquing , so does that mean I'll be eligible to vote by then, or do I need those posts by the start of the contest?

What was the stipulation about having to have made 10 posts on eurobricks? ... I read it on one of these pages but I'm not sure where. I'm new to the platform and a little busy right now, but I may try to take a stab at Creative Critic

Am I able to submit a 2nd entry behalf of someone else who does not have an account?

Cat A The Motley Crew of the Ironclad Gunner by Sympatik Brick On Trojan 037-vi by nu_montag Space Pirates and Space Armada by the Inventor Cat B Renegade's R.A.F.T. by Oky Solderators Outpost by Captain Flint Renegade Voidrunner by The Librarian Cat C Kahuka-1 by Yatkuu The Rustbucket by JimBaggins Space Station 41c -piratified! by jansued

Hello, I decided to remake my sole pirate set, the recent GWP Scary Pirate Island (40597) into the space pirate theme. I tried to stay as true as possible to the original set. I changed the island's resemblance from a simple shark to the lesser-known cyber shark, with laser teeth and tusks, as well as glowing red eyes, a truly scary sight! Inside this monster's maw lies a heavy crate full of space booty. Atop its head I placed an abandoned space base, with door hung askew and structure partially melted. The light still glows green and the sign still shows a pixelated skull, but it is clearly abandoned. This whole scene sits atop a lone astroid in space, like the island in the original set. The pirate from the island has configured his raft into a spaceship, breaking it in half and adding a cockpit, and using the sail as a tail. Here it is: Thanks for checking it out, Math Wizard