MKJoshA

Would you mind explaining what you mean by the "5 plates high/2 studs long" formula? I'm still trying to learn some the more well known secrets to SNOT building and other techniques besides brick-on-brick.

Wish I had picked up one of these while they were still available in stores. Ah, so many regrets!

My favorite part is your snot work on the parapets. Incredible! I also like the staircase and the black thorns on the vine. Curved staircases are tricky for me, but your technique is absolutely flawless!

Ah, what a great set. So many click hinges and 2x6 plates! And so believable as a real attack machine! (catching my sarcasm?) In all actuality I bought two of these after they came out but ended up selling both of them to help pay my wife's school bills.

Can I be the one who gets your "gift" copy? I thought it was confirmed that there was a seagull in the set?

Go the the GoH thread and choose a guild. Post your character's story and picture on the thread of the Guild your want to join and you're in! I recommend reading through the introduction to all the guilds before deciding and maybe posting a question or two in the thread before choosing. We are a diverse bunch and you're guarenteed to fit in somewhere, but it's good to know who you'll be working with before you join. For example, I'm in Mitgardia and it's a wonderful guild, but it might not be the place you fit in best. For Mitgardia go Here, For Avalonia go Here. For Kaliphlin go Here. For Nocturnus go Here.

That's it! Bricklink! I need more jumper plates!

I agree!

I'm the kind of guy that would do that if the need arose. Though I would take it a step further and not only be covered in pockets stuffed with Legos but would also have the largest backpack available filled to the brim with them. Thankfully, a Lego store and PAB wall is within 15 minutes walking of where I live. When is Brickworld this year? I may just have to go to meet all these GoH master-builders...

My lips are chapped... Maybe I should have joined this guild instead of Mitgardia Sorry, I just couldn't resist. I'm really not trying to make fun of anyone's problems. It sounds like you all have more than your fair share of major life issues. Sorry to hear that. Hope to see more amazing builds coming out of this guild. I'm a big fan of desert builds so I love to see the participation here. I lack a wide assortment of tan pieces so it's hard to make any myself. Keep up the great work everyone!

Gatehouse Phase II: Here

Hooray for surprises like that!

This is so different from your normal builds it really stands out! I like the color scheme a lot.

I can't tell if those are grates or a ladder on the ground but it is a really nice effect! You might want to experiment with different shading techniques when you are rendering the picture though. Right now it's pretty flat.

To see Part 1 of Wyndor's saga, go HERE. When Wyndor woke up he couldn’t remember what had happened. His first thoughts were “Why am I under a tree?” And then: “I am in great need of food.” As he looked around he didn’t recognize any of his surroundings. Then the incident with the ice dragon and the elemental monster came back to him all of a sudden. “I must have been thrown here and lost consciousness.” He thought. Judging by how loudly his stomach was complaining he figured he must have been unconscious for about three days. He slowly got to his feet and looked down on the water he was next to. He judged that he must be somewhere along the Bay of Storms. He sat down on a tree root and tried to decide what he could do next. A moment later he heard the strains of a boating song: “To the Sea, to the Sea! The white gulls are crying, The wind is blowing, and the white foam is flying.” A barge came into view as the sailors finished singing “foam is flying.” The song continued as two sailors moved back and forth across the ship wielding armed boat poles. This particular style of boat pole was very popular among Mitgardians for it allowed them to move their boat as well as defend themselves if the need arouse. The barge was on its way from Pikesteel Mountain loaded with ore and gems from the Dwarf mines. Judging by how low the barge sank in the water it had good need of defense from would-be pirates. “Ho there!” Wyndor called catching the attention of the boat captain. The captain maneuvered the boat as close to the cliff as he dared and tossed a rope to Wyndor. As he climbed aboard the two steersmen barred his way with their boat poles. “Thank you kindly for your assistance good sirs. As you can see I am without defense and you need not worry about my trying to steal your wealth.” Wyndor said. “We don’t often get hailed by travelers from the shore line unless they be pirates.” The captain replied. “Forgive our mistrust but one can never be without caution, especially these days.” “What do you mean by that?” “Haven’t you heard or been affected by the elementals?” “Mishaps, though you should tell me everything you know.” The steersmen continued to pole the barge down the bay as Wyndor and the captain exchanged tales. Pjeter, one of the steersmen from the barge, escorted Wyndor to the city gates of Northridge after they landed and unloaded the cargo. Wyndor had helped them unload as thanks for transporting him from his stranded location. “I cannot thank you enough for your help Pjeter. Now that I’m here I can make it on my own. I’ll stop by the Notary’s Office first and retrieve some gold from my family’s bank. Then I must needs find some armor and maybe a weapon. If I can ever help you or any of your crew it would be my honor to do so." "That is very kind of you laddie. I wish you safety in the dangerous days ahead of us." With that, Pjeter bid Wyndor farewell. As Wyndor went about his tasks he heard of many people suffering from the onslaught of the elemental monsters. These various tales included a few involving an ice dragon from the north and a group of five travelers. Each time he heard of this story, Wyndor explained his situation and asked for as many details as the person could recall. It seemed that the village elder was the only person besides Wyndor who had been found after the attack. He had made his way back to his village fearing the worst for the four brothers. Wyndor also heard more details that made his heart ache. After a couple of hours Wyndor had written a letter to his father saying thus: "Father, I regret to have to tell you this in writing instead of in person. Neither I nor any or your sons will be returning home to you any time soon. By the time this letter reaches you, you will have at least heard of (though I hope not been affected by) the elemental monsters plaguing our land. Myself, Natolyth, and Chalin were with Tagaler during his final right-of-passage when we were beset by one of these monsters. I will have to tell you my experience in this in more detail later, but what is important is that we all ended up separated. Here is where the tragedy begins for our family. It is told me that Tagaler's body was found not far from where his right-of-passage took place. I was not there so i cannot confirm this story, but I have no reason to doubt it either. I also do not know where Natolyth or Chalin have ended up. I have heard a rumor that slave traders and other nefarious creatures have been seen in this area recently and I feel compelled to follow up on one rumor in particular that may lead me to one of them. I hope to find both of them soon and that we will be able to return home to you. Then we can all mourn Tagaler together. Take heart Father, I will not fail to return your other sons to you." To Be Continued...

I'll be more discreet about it next time

Bob, you've echoed my suggestions almost perfectly so I'd like to just re-use them as my own. I also would like to add that it'd be nice to have mini-contests for Titles or Tags that would spark more builds besides just the contests and freebuilds.

The back story for this build is actually part of a Saga I've started with my character, Wyndor. I'll be posting more pictures and the story in another when I have time to get all the story parts together. For now, here is my Phase II Gatehouse:

A "Freebuild" is an entry for the SoNE on-going contest for personal XP. It isn't an official contest entry, just an additional build you want judged for SoNE.

Is it wrong of me to post on my own build just so it'll go back to the top of the page so people will see it so I can garner some more feedback?

Wow. Just wow. I have lots of those trans-plates so I guess I need to get some more clips so I can use this! Great technique!

Well this should be fun!

I want to say that I was really excited by this contest because it was so different from most of the contests I've seen on eurobricks. It also took me back to my childhood where I would take 2 sets I got for Christmas and try to build something out of just the pieces from those sets before putting them back together or parting them out. I did it many times over the years and this contest was a great trip down memory lane. I also think it challenges us as builders to make use of a small amount of bricks when we might not otherwise do so. I also have a question though. On both contests I've gotten a score of 6. I'm not complaining about the score at all, but I was wondering what's causing my builds to rank so low? I'm really looking for positive critique here. I think we are all very careful about what we say about each others builds out of respect for each other and I think that's great. However, if there are never any constructive comments given how do we know how to improve as builders? I'm really appreciative of everyone who has taken time to post about my builds, don't get me wrong. I just would like some input on how I can improve more than I would like to hear "Great build!" For example, I may not agree with every critique MstrOfPppts has about all the SoNE builds (mine especially!) but I've learned the most about how to improve from his constructive criticism. I'm in this contest for two reasons. 1) To have fun building with Legos! and 2) To improve my building techniques. Thank you to everyone for making my first goal a reality! Now, can you help me with my 2nd goal and tell me why my builds aren't the best and how to make them better? Be patient young padawan, the judges have real lives outside of SoNE too.

Did anyone else notice the "Darth Vader" bar tender? Nice cameo! Oh, and great build too! The bar area is definitely my favorite.

I love the use of burnt orange. Is it just me or did I miss when Lego started using different shades of orange? All-in-all this is a great build! Your base especially stands out as stellar!