Cameron_Talley

Too clarify my comment: I didn't necessarily mean that the action was too cluttered or hectic--rather than the whole piece seems to lack a sort of cohesiveness. I think those tiles are really what makes me feel this way; I know they were added for detail, but if the whole thing isn't smooth, it just seems--I don't know, perhaps "unfinished" is the word I'm looking for. I hope that makes my comment make a little more sense.

Next time you are trying to identify a set, you might try browsing www.brickset.com. I've found it to be great for finding things that I have vague memories of.

Nice start on this entry. Lots going on here and lots of cruelty and action. I like the use of the red spaceman arm to represent the "skinned" arm, and that's a great blood effect on the guy that's getting gored. My suggestions: Overall I think the scene is a little too cluttered. I think what really bugs me is the smooth tiles. Either make the entire base smooth, or remove those tiles. All they really do now is to clutter up the scene. The "flying bomb" on the clear piece doesn't seem to have a purpose, and it isn't readily apparent what it is supposed to be. I suggest removing it altogether. Maybe you could replace it with a streetlight or some other structure that would make the location more evident. Which brings me to the main problem with this entry: You say it is a town square, but where is the square? You could add some walls to suggest shops or maybe a shanty roof over the fruit stand. Overall, it's a nice start but with some improvements, it could be much better.

Currently, 79,99 Euro is ~$109.00 I expect it to be a $99.99 set. Edit: This site has a currency converter: http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi

Oh no, In fact the finished model was proudly on display in the den during their visit...but the reason I had to get it cleaned up is that they were going to be sleeping there on air mattresses (Don't have a spare bed). And it's not fun to wake up in the middle of the night and step on a Lego piece! RE: cheapness: Yeah, I have a friend who's wife works for PFS Web, who handles Lego's online store (or at least some aspect of it). So I have them to thank for alerting me to the charity auction! Maybe next year I can score a Falcon for $100! :D

Swooshing. :) Yeah, the whole second part was done in one long stretch. It was about 11pm when I finished. Over 4 and half hours. I would rather have given it another day, but I couldn't wait because I had company coming the next day. So I was pretty wiped out!

Nice review. I had this set as a child and it was one of my favorites. I love the hinged baseplate design (Why does Lego never include baseplates anymore?) and the swinging boulder/hinged side roof. In fact, I liked it so much that I used a similar idea in a Pirate MOC of mine (Forgive the terrible picture...I need to take better pictures of this..) MOC

I'm still kicking myself for not buying multiples of this and other Studio sets when I found them in a discount store for around $1.99

LOL, well that was spread over 5 days. But the last night was about 4.5 hours. I had to get it done because I had company coming...not fun!

I recently acquired the UCS Star Destroyer (a STEAL at $100...for a charity auction) and decided to do a time lapse video of it. 11 Hours total!

I would love to see a new monorail, preferably one compatible with the previous system. I understand the molds for the track have been destroyed or something like that, but surely it can't be that difficult to reverse-engineer it...

I like nice clean design of this entry. Great use of tiles for the base, and I love the SNOT smooth rounded tile cobblestones. That's a nice palm tree, too--not made of the standard palm tree pieces. Is that a technice tube inside holding it together? The obviously ignorant guards add some humor to this scene, which is always good, in my opinion. Other people have said that it's not gruesome or violent enough, but I disagree. Too many people have focused on the violent aspect of this contest rather than simple pillaging. If I was a pirate, my goal would be to get in, get the loot, and get out, with as little violence as possible. Because violence leads to injuries, which leads to death. Not to mention it's such a hassle to have to impale someone when you'd be perfectly happy to just take their money and run! There's only one thing that I would change on this MOC, and that's the position of the soilder with the sword behind the door. From the first picture, you can't tell he's there. Seems like there's a mystery dagger floating in midair. I would put him more in the doorway, so we can see him better. Nice entry overall!

Nice little entry. Love Mary's facial expression! Perfect face for this... I also like the SNOT water base, that's a nice touch. I echo the sentiment that the mast could have more details. Right now, it kind of looks like a pole, and it's difficult to tell that it is supposed to be a mast of a ship. I also don't like the Shark Fin--that is, I like the concept, just not the execution. It's the wrong kind of triangle. You might try this piece instead: http://peeron.com/inv/parts/43722 Or something similar, anyway. In any case, great start! Looking forward to seeing any improvements...

I think we can just end the contest now. This entry deserves to be a winner! So many great things about this MOC..the crumbling wall effect is nice, as is the blue tile sea. But what really makes this work is the attention to detail in the poses of the minifigs and their reactions to their environment. No minifig is just placed randomly; everyone seems to have their purpose. So while there is a lot of action going on here, it doesn't overwhelm. And I love the cake in the boat on the right! The little brick-built skiff on the left is nice, too...does it have bottom or is it built into the base? And the large brick-built cannon, complete with fire, is great, too. There is one thing I'm not clear about...is the sea in the middle that appears to be rising up hitting a wall? Or a rock? It is not clear and (to me) seems to disjoint the scene a little bit. It just sort of erupts out of nowhere. Other than that, I can't find any other faults. This is a great MOC and is in the prize pool for sure!

I like this little vignette. The uneven dock planks look great, and as others have said the toucan is really inspired. I like the use of the elastic band to hold the parrot and sword. Things I would change: As others have mentioned, the blue tiles on the part of the dock that hangs out need to go. It just looks odd. Also, I'm not sure if that gangway plank is legal hanging out from the MOC like that...Ask an admin. Finally, while it's a nice little scene and a nice idea, it doesn't seem to fit the spirit of the contest, which to me is more about showing the cruelty of pirates. You might want to consider a different idea...

I like the modifications you made...still not too happy about the shark but it looks better than simply floating in midair! The Guy standing on the left is perfect now; makes the whole thing all the more chaotic...I still don't like that red brick on the left...but maybe you just didn't want to take the whole thing apart to fix one errant color. :) Anyway, great improvements!

I have a friend that works for PFS Web in Dallas, TX, who handles shop.lego.com (or at least some aspect of it). She tells me that in the LEGO Warehouse they have, if an item is damaged (like the box got torn up or something), it goes into a "take-home" bin that employees are allowed to pick and choose over and take home stuff for free. That's right, rather than sending back to the factory, they can just take it home. I would imagine some of them end up selling on Ebay... (Unfortunately my friend doesn't work for the LEGO division....yet.. :) ).

This is a great little entry, and your improvements really make it almost perfect. I love the cage design with the chains and wagon wheels--had not seen that before. The SNOT for the deck of the gallows platform and staggering of the brown tiles is perfect. The addition of the executioner really makes the scene--fabulous use of the Ninja headpiece, too (is there a subtle Ninjas vs. Pirates thing here?). The only thing you might considering adding, as others have mentioned, is some detail beneath the gallows. Maybe some horns, or perhaps just a few random piles of bones to suggest victims of hangings gone by... Other than that, I'd say this entry is finished!

While I like this MOC a lot, as has been said before, I don't think it fits the theme of the contest very well. The easiest thing to do to improve it would be to replace the Pirate's coconut with a knife, implying that he's going to kill the rat for food. However, overall I don't think this abides by the terms of the contest. You might try integrating this scene into a larger work; it might provide some comic relief in a violent scene.

I think this may be the best entry that I've seen so far. Wonderfully violent scene packed with details, but not too cluttered. The cannonball and crumbling wall is what makes this entry for me. It gives the viewer a real sense of violence and action. The blood in this scene is very well done, particularly the red tiles from the guy on the right. Three things which you can improve: The standing soldier on the left of the wall (on the stairs) seems completely unaffected by the cannonball hitting the wall next to him. I think you should re-pose him to make him look as if he is flying away (or at least cowering in fear). Perhaps a different head would fit the mood better, too. Secondly, the Red brick in the wall on the left hand side of the structure is rather jarring and looks completely out of place. Replace it with a grey/bley or dark grey one so as to make the scene more cohesive. Finally, perhaps my biggest disappointment with the MOC is the way the shark appears to simply be floating in mid-air. Perhaps you can modify the water-base and sink the tail end of the shark into the water, so it would appear to be charging out of the water to chomp on its victim (a la JAWS). Overall, I think this is a great MOC that can be make even better with just a few slight modifications

This is a great entry! I disagree with those who don't like the humor here, I think part of what makes contests like these interesting is seeing different interpretations of a theme. To me, the implied past violence is what makes this entry interesting to me. I love the "cutaway" look of the house. Is the use of slopes and inverted slopes on the rear wall of the first floor supposed to provide perspective and look like a stairway leading to the upper level? That is what it seems to me--very creative use of these pieces. The open treasure chest with the few lingering pieces of gold--clearly lost in the struggle a few weeks ago--is a nice touch, as is the skeleton hanging from the roof. A few suggestions: The busted-in door is not altogether obvious as a door at first glance. Do you have any tiles with a wood-print design (there is such a thing, I think)? Also, you might consider propping the door up (maybe with a subtle hinge?) so as to give the scene more action. Propping the door up at an angle would give the appearance that it is in the process of flying inwards after being kicked, and it would certainly make it seem more like a door. The only other thing I would change is the chimney. It's much to blocky for my tastes. I think a smaller, rounder chimney would be more effective and look more suitable to the time period and the structure you have built. As others have suggested, you might take some more detailed photos, but since the model depends on forced-perspective, honestly I think the one photo stands for itself. Overall I think this is a great entry and I look forward to see what improvements and modifications you will make.

I will have a go. If anything, it encourages more participation on the forums!

Regarding the hair: I have read that in the original game she was supposed to be blond..blond is a rare colour among the japanese, and thus exotic. However, Blond is pretty common in the west, so they changed it to green.

This was one of my first sets; I remember playing with it in the bathtub quite frequently. I also had the little motor that attaches to the bottom of the hull! Sadly, I am missing many of the pieces from this boat and am no longer able to put it together...hmm..Time for a bricklink order perhaps? thanks for the great review!

Great review; I thought about buying and using this set around the tree last year but opted for the Futuron Monorail instead. As Tony said, Steam Engines can use a variety of fuel. The car behind the engine (what you call the "Wood Stock" car) is called the Tender. The tender is what hauls the locomotive's fuel--both stuff to burn (usually coal, but earlier times used wood, and later ones used oil) and often extra water (you can't make steam without water! I think the set was indeed available together with a "Starter Kit" that included track and a speed regulator...