Kai NRG

Thanks Silent Wolf! That staircase managed to use those weird bar pieces which I've found precious few uses for so far!

Fantastic build Gideon, lovely facade with all those dk red profile bricks! Some clever piece uses too if you look closely... and I love the vine out front! And that last picture... showoff... Your photography is splendid as always!

Wow! Fantastic lighting! The waterfalls look really good in particular!

Fantastic idea! Well built too. This must be Historica's first mailbox! Well, maybe not quite - I actually remember having seen one or two before.

Thanks! The painting is actually supposed to be more of a tapistry but it didn't turn out quite as I had envisioned... I was kind of running out of time by the time I got around to it, actually! Yes, that's a harp! Oh, I'll have to find a way to keep Uncle around! Thanks gedren! Thanks Capt Wolf! Here are a couple of behind the scenes shots where you can see how big it is. Thanks Captain!

Humorous concept! Great work on the plant too!

Fantastic hawk! Great job on the wings especially!

Eslandola Hall. Previously the favorite walk of Eslandola’s unfortunate ex-monarch, this arched gallery was opened to the public shortly after his de facto removal from power. It’s a great place for a friendly discussion, a leisurely date, artistic meditation, or, if you’re an eccentric Sea Captain, for a good-humored clash or two. “Good day, nephew.” Guy had asked his Uncle if they couldn’t have a quiet talk at the Hall this afternoon. “Hello, Uncle. I have some news for you.” “Ah.” “I’m resigning my position as Secretary of State, and also as leader of MCTC.” Uncle merely nodded. Guy was quite astounded at his lack of surprise. “Well, Uncle! Don’t you want to know why?” “If you want to tell me, I’ve no objection to listening.” “But… but… aren’t you surprised?” “Maybe.” Guy shook his head in a bit of exasperation, half feigned. “Well, then, Uncle, the fact is… well, I mean… you see… I’m thinking about marrying.” Now, indeed, Uncle did look surprised. He let out a long whistle. “What a whopper!” he muttered under his breath, but not loud enough to be heard. Then, seeing that Guy obviously expected him to say something, he asked, “And who is the most unfortunate young lady upon whom you have cast your eyes? I pity her from my heart.” Guy laughed a little, then said, almost with a blush, “Well, you see, I haven’t really decided yet, you know.” “Oh! Yes, it makes sense now,” Uncle muttered soto voce. Guy heard it, and asked, “What makes sense, Uncle?” “Oh, never mind. Was that all you had to say?” “Ye-es… I suppose so, if you have no further curiosity as to my motives, or my successor, or where I’m going, or – anything else?” “Well, in fact, I don’t see why you can’t be MCTC leader and have a wife, at the same time.” Guy looked as though he had been expecting this question and had prepared his answer long beforehand. “Yes, but you see, Uncle,” he began grandly, “after much mature deliberation I decided that a husband really ought to spend time with his wife, you know, and really, you’ve no notion how heavy of a press of business accompanies leadership in the MCTC!” “Haven’t I? I do it all myself.” Guy colored slightly. “True, true, Uncle, you are a tremendous help, but, for all that,” (with a pitiful sigh) “I’m incredibly overworked!” Uncle looked at him quizzically. “Am I to understand that you are giving up your very prestigious and very easy position as Secretary of State and head of the MCTC so that you may have more time with a wife that you don’t even know exists?” “Well, Uncle, if you put it that way… and, of course, I may have other, secondary reasons… you know…” “Yes, such as going on a hunt to find what is rumored to be the greatest treasure of the New World?” “Uncle!” Guy’s face was a complete blaze of astonishment. “How on earth did you know?!?” “Maybe by dropping the map in front of your face?” Guy looked also a little crestfallen seeing the march that had been stolen upon him. Then suddenly a new thought intruded itself and he jumped up as he exclaimed, “Uncle! Was it you?!? – you that added those lines, that made me retire?!?! Oh! I’m sure it was! Uncle! Why ever did you do that?!?” “Well,” he drawled, “I didn’t want the press of business to have an ill effect on your health.” “Pshaw! Uncle, you know well enough that… well… umph!” “Oh, you’ll forgive me. Treasure hunting is a full time job, and I do think you’d have too much to do if you were leader of MCTC on top of that. Besides,” with a twinkle in his eye, “now, you know, you might have a bit of time to devote to that wife you’re so eager to find…” “But is that map really authentic?” “Oh, it’s authentic all right.” “Wherever did you get it?” “That is my secret.” “Why aren’t you following it yourself?” “Bah! These treasure maps are all humbug. Probably the old Captain was woozy. Buried an old neck cloth and now the world’s been on a wild goose chase for sixty years. – Go get yourself lost.” Later that night, Uncle was sitting with his wife Elaine, listening to his youngest daughter’s efforts on the piano. “How did your time with Guy go, dear?” “Pretty well. He wants to get married.” Elaine looked at him in complete astonishment. “Get married?! Your nephew? The one with the crazy hair? I can’t believe it.” “He said it.” “To whom?” “He doesn’t know yet.” “Oh!” Elaine laughed. Then she added more gravely, “But was he serious?” “It wasn’t spoken in jest, if that’s what you mean. I dare say he’s not in a hurry, however.” He gave his wife a sidelong glance. “But I wouldn’t advise you to meddle!” “No, no… of course not…” she replied absently. Here are a few more pictures of the hall! C&C welcome!

Thanks Captain! Working on the next part now! Yep, I plan on getting some fun out of this! As for the coincidence of the map...

Thank you! Thanks Garmadon! The bridge was fun!

Hmm... that's interesting. Maybe the European set is a print and the US one isn't? Just a thought. I really don't know.

Very nice work, I especially love your signature black + irregular base! The little bridge looks great too!

Great build ME, the colors really make this stand out. There's something a little gloomy about it though... I wonder how many people have been stabbed there...

Very nice build, great texture one the wall and the balcony is really cool too!

Want to put a bounty on the head of the notorious Captain Benjamin Morgan? He'll design the posters himself for a consideration of 300 DBs and a safe pass to the drop-off port!

Thank you!

Review: 70316 Jestro’s Evil Mobile Introduction I wonder when the last time you caught sight of a siege tower with flaming wheels and a jester's hat rolling towards you... that's right, it must have been in your nightmares after a late night over a LEGO catalogue! Jestro's Evil Mobile is aptly named - a fearsome vehicle that screams things like, "bad guy!" and "RUN!" First of all, here's an "official" picture of the set... Jestro’s Evil Mobile Set Number: 70316 Theme: Nexo Knights Minifigures: 2, plus one large monster and one book with a big mouth Piece Count: 658 Price: USD $59.99 Box & Instructions The Nexo Knight color scheme of blue, silver, and orange has translated over to the box art for this set, giving it quite a high-tech appearance, in fact. At the same time, the rolling green hills with a castle and skyline in the background are reminiscent of previous, more traditional Castle themes. The back of the box illustrates a few of the play possibilities the set offers, and it also dedicates a corner to the Nexo Knights game. Next step is to despoil the box of its lovely contents… five bags numbered one through four (there are two threes), two instruction booklets, a sticker sheet, and a couple of wheels. The instruction booklets follow the box’s design on the front. There are nine stickers printed on a white background, all of them pretty essential for the final design and none too hard to apply. And now! On to… The Minifigures The set includes two standard minifigures: Lance and Jestro. Both have excellently detailed torsos and legs, and Lance’s chrome arms are great. So is his mask, and Jestro’s cape is really nice too. Jestro and Lance both have double sided heads… and they both have cheesy grins, too… Speaking of cheesy grins, the Book of Monsters has got a monster-sized one for you. If books had ears, its face would be split right across. Looks to me like the cover is a pre-applied sticker, but the inside tile is printed. Lastly, we have the large monster in charge of hauling the mobile – we’ll have more to say about him later on but for now, he has a minifigure scaled head with one gargantum eye, and quite an interesting horned helmet perched on top. He also has a pair of wings… which I guess put him in the category of flightless birds… I could totally see this dude in the zoo across from the ostriches, couldn’t you? Construction Process We jump right into the building with the first bag! This builds Lance’s “horse” and the monster. Bag two starts out on the Mobile. It provides the groundwork for the chomping mechanism of the bottom teeth. Bag three is actually two bags. Jestro is evidently a bit fragile physically as well as emotionally… at any rate, he’s been handled with care and is all wrapped up. Lastly comes bag four, and along with it we’ll use the flame orange wheels. And the Mobile is complete! As always, there are a handful of extra pieces… including one that I somehow missed during the building process. Whoopsie. The time spent building was enjoyable – or would have been if it hadn’t been blowing a gale (practically). The grand outdoors is my photo studio, so that complicates matters a bit. There were a few “aha!” moments as things came together, and I especially admired the tires around those flame orange wheels! The Final Set The final set is of a satisfying size, and there are quite a few neat functions packed in there. First of all, let’s take a look at Lance’s horse speeder. The shape of the head has really been nailed here, and the vehicle is instantly recognizable. And I just can’t get over the ingenuity of using a motorcycle covering backwards! Moving on to the Mobile and the monster, the attachment points there are pretty clever. The monster clips on with a clip hinge, and then two chains stretch from the Mobile to his arms. The end result is easy to pull around. The Mobile has a fearsome face, with the narrowest slits of eyes. Speaking of eyes, I’ve noticed that good guy Nexo Knight vehicles use the more neon color of trans-orange, while the villains use the less glaring shade – something I was glad of in this instance, as I far prefer the villains’ color. The bottom teeth grind up and down as the Mobile is wheeled back and forth. At the back of the mobile, the back flap opens to reveal something of a dungeon inside. The skeleton head is a nice touch. On top, there’s also a treasure chest with a few 1x1 round tiles in warm gold. Jestro’s chair has another intriguing function – it can be moved back and forth for a concealed or exposed position. The concealed position just matches the slit in the large black piece facing forwards. What evil vehicle would be complete without catapults? Not this one, that’s for sure. Dual flanking catapults are more than ready to launch flame balls at any decent minifigure who dares show his face! I said that we would talk a bit more about the large monster, and so we shall. He’s chockfull of black jumpers and the new spiky 1x1 slopes in trans-orange, which is fantastic. He also comes with an interesting printed breastplate piece. Conclusion Before Jestro rolls off in his flashy new mobile to show those Nexo Knights a thing or two, let's share a few concluding thoughts on this set. It's fun, whimsical, and has plenty of functions. The alternating red and black color scheme is visually striking and the bulk of the final machine is satisfying and definitely leaves you with the impression that there isn't much this monster can't roll over. And let's not forget Lance's clever futuristic horse - an instantly recognizable design and lots of fun! Playability: 9/10 – What more could you ask for than an opening ramp out back, a detachable monster, chomping teeth, catapults and a movable seat? In a nutshell: this set just begs to be played with! Design: 5/10 – The playable part of the design is spot on, but the overall impression is a confusing one. The large mouth and tiny eyes make the head hard to really understand, and the extra colors such as gold and orange and grey are a little distracting. Also, the vehicle is wide and short for a siege engine, which seems to have been the inspiration. With such massive wheels, it really deserved a second story. Minifigures: 8/10 – There are only two actual minifigures, which for a set this size isn't many, but they're both wonderfully printed and look fantastic. And then there's also the monster, which is very posable and makes use of a great combination of minifigure sized pieces and larger parts. Lastly there's the Book of Monsters, with a great new book mold and a very unique printed tile. Price: 7/10 – This would unquestionably make a great set for any youngster interested in big bad machines. It's much more of a play set than a display piece, which is to be expected. On the other hand, it has some great pieces - lots of 1x1 round plates with holes, for instance! Overall: 7.25/10 – I could certainly recommend this set for children - my siblings had a blast pulling it around for an hour or so (not to say pulling it to pieces...). For me, it's value lies more in the parts - and there's plenty to like there. But if you're looking for a set to display, honestly, this isn't it. The colors and shapes make it too confusing visually, as you have probably noticed in the above pictures (allow me to take the time to assure that it was not the orange background that messed with your eyes... the set really is like that!). So to sum it up: a great set to play with, a fair parts pack, but in my opinion not something that would look good on a shelf. Questions and comments welcome!

Yeah... I kind of went with what I had as far as backdrops large enough to photograph something this size, but another color would likely have made it stand out more. Thank you though! Thanks! Japanese Architecture is really neat - it has such an awesome and distinct look to it! Thank you UM! He probably wouldn't get very far anyways. It was actually intentional, as I thought it looked even sillier (if that's possible!) the other way. Thank you! Thanks! That style of angled roof with 2x1 tiles is a pretty useful one and I was glad to see that it worked well with Asian architecture... getting it to look okay from the back was more of a challenge, but in the end, all I really needed were a few angling pieces.

Epic build blufiji! The round tower tops are just amazing, and splendid work with the windows and other bits of distinctly elven architecture! The vegetation looks great too!

Thanks! I've discovered that tiles are a great way to achieve a smooth snowy look! Thank you!

Amazing collection of builds Gideon, you've been one of the inspirational builders of GoH and it's amazing to be able to scroll through it all like this! Keep up the great work!

Very nice semi-connected technique for the water! Looks great! Good idea with the sieve too.

All I can say is, if the RNTC has been investing in Marderian Treasury Bonds: DIE. Dumbest Investment Ever.

What a stunningly fantastic build ME, the overflowing base is perfectly executed and wonderful countryside scene. Despite the vegetation however there seems to be something Mitgardian about it... I think it's the gables (? or whatever they're called) curling up at the roof ends. Great work, looks like it would be a really nice place to live!

Thank you! The opportunity for that type of stonework was what drew me to this set in the first place! Thanks Littleworlds! Thanks! Thank you! Keeping the build recognizable was a big goal for me, and I'm glad you think I've achieved that! Thanks! Actually, I think if you tried it you'd find that the rockwork isn't as tough as it cracks up to be... It's just a matter of figuring out the basic rules of headlight bricks vs. 1x1 bricks with studs and knowing when to use which one! Thanks! Clutter is so much fun to build...