SteampunkDoc

1) Cowgirl Entry (Build by Yatkuu) - 1 Point 14) Conquistador Entry (Build by vecchiasignoraceppo) - 1 Point 17) Vampire Bat Entry (Build by badgogo) - 1 Point

Thanks! This actually combines some of my favorite techniques and parts to get that effect. The "Brick" bricks, the dark tan plates used as bricks, the 2X2 round bricks, and the cool landscaping. Cool, what a coincidence! I'm glad you like the lighting, although I feel that it could have been much better. And I'd love to see e'm. It would make a great MOC series. Well, if Lego would send me a free eagle speedor then I sure would. This came out of the free set that I was sent, and it's the only Chima thing I own, so the only other tribe I could do right now would be the wolves. I'm glad ya'll like it! That encourages me a lot, and may indirectly result in more vignettes down the road.

Mini Long sword does. As does the Mini Short sword, the Pirate sword, the Ninja sword and every other sword that I tried with the exceptions of 48495 and 88288. (And the obvious ones like the troll sword.) Even the Broadswords/Battleswords worked with a teeny-tiny bit of wiggling. (Although that will probably rub off the chrome after a little while.) And yes, I just tested all of them for you.

Longtooth has a secret retreat. A hidden place where he builds and upgrades his speedor. It is deep in a maze of ruins and passageways, and only he knows the way in. (LoC) Longtooth's retreat by SteampunkDoc, on Flickr Racing and fighting is hard on speedorz, so this is the place where Longtooth keeps his ready for action. He also keeps a variety of weapons and tools on hand, should the need to use them arise. (LoC) Longtooth's retreat by SteampunkDoc, on Flickr (LoC) Longtooth's retreat by SteampunkDoc, on Flickr This is my first vignette, and I'm sorry about the poor photography. Seems that I forgot to turn on one of my lamps. Hope you enjoy it, and I hope I didn't butcher the Chima story line too much with this. And as always, there are a lot more pictures in my photostream. Comments and critiques are welcome and appreciated! SteampunkDoc

Blingwraiths by SteampunkDoc, on Flickr And apparently I never did get around to posting it, so here's the one from the BF&CA lesson just in case ya'll missed it. Smauglock 3 (Final version) by SteampunkDoc, on Flickr

Looks pretty sweet. A lot better than that thirty-second one we got earlier. May have to take a look at this once it starts airing. Wasp may be in the Ant-Man movie, or at least she'd better be in it.

Good job Fithboy! This seems like a darker interpretation overall, as the floor is trans-black and not clear, it's lacking any of the green glowing things, and the console is black as opposed to gold. The Battledroid arms are an interesting take on the supports, and your scanner looks great. The floor looks good, but it seems you ran out of dishes when it came to the upper wall. But it's still a pretty good MOC! Eleven's TARDIS has a unique design that's nearly impossible to mimic in Lego, and I'd say this is one of the closest ones that I've seen. DraikNove, This is the only other picture,and I too wish for a few more highlighting the details.

Thanks everyone! I'm surprised the "Tin Dog" has somewhat stolen the show, as I only built him as an afterthought. The detailing was fun to work out, so I'm glad ya'll think it matches well with the real thing. Oh, and LightningTiger, you mean a "Sonic Screwdriver" right? 'Cuz I've never heard of an "Ultrasonic Screwdriver."

Nightmare in Sliver I truly have no idea what to say about this one. It felt a bit all over the place, and didn't ever settle down into one story/style/tone. It's certainly better than Closing Time, but it it just doesn't quite work. The new Cybermen aren't as scary as they were hyped up to be, and while some of the new features work (Head turning around, The Cybermites.) others are either over-powered or unnessecary. ("Upgrade in progress", detachable hand/head, super-speed.) I liked the creepy "Pick off the defenders one by one using stealth" idea, but the inclusion of extra gimmicks wasn't always that great. The Super-speed was a one-off power that either should have been ditched, or used later. If they have such a weapon, why not use it more? I never saw what was so wrong about the Cybusmen's slow and stomping ways. It gave a sweet "You can run, but we're still coming and there's nothing you can do about it" feel. While it's a neat looking re-design, no mention of Mondas was made, and they really weren't the main antagonist. Matt Smith was amazing in this episode. Great acting, great flip-flopping between personalities, and I love all of the references to his past. As another reviewer pointed out, the Cyber-Doctor was far from a emotion-less Cyberman like personality but the performance was so good I never even thought about that in the episode. It was nice to see Clara take charge, and the confidence The Doctor showed in her has certainly developed over the series. Porridge was great, and while the twist at the end was unexpected, it was a bit too fast and out of the blue for me. And his proposal was equally so. The kids were not needed, and didn't even add the "Child-like wonder and excitement" that they should have. The girl just complained about everything, and the boy wasn't hardly featured at all. The Captain was just a jerk, and I was glad to see her go, and the rest were left undeveloped. While it was a mildly clever episode, it just doesn't stand out. It was all over the place, and the Cybermen were once again not really the main focus. And really, they haven't been since Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel. We need another good CYBERMEN story, not just another story that happens to have the Cybermen. Sadly no more hints at Clara's mystery, and it seems like this could fit just about anywhere in the timeline of Series 7b. At least the next episode looks fantastic!

Here is the Fourth Doctor's TARDIS interior. Complete with K-9 and a bag of Jelly Babies. The design stayed fairly the same throughout the 70's and 80's, and only went through minor modifications until it was replaced in the TV Movie of 1996. The mix of old and new grays is due to lack of parts in the same color, and sadly couldn't be avoided. The console itself was fun to design, and went through several versions before I settled on this one. The angled walls were also 'fun', but in a slightly different way. Still, the final look was worth the effort. The walls are made with 1X4 arches and 2X2 Inverted disks. And they do in fact have a tendency to fall out as the space isn't that tight. As always, more pictures can be found via the links to my photostream. Fourth Doctor's TARDIS by SteampunkDoc, on Flickr Fourth Doctor's TARDIS by SteampunkDoc, on Flickr Fourth Doctor's TARDIS by SteampunkDoc, on Flickr Comments/Critiques/Questions are more than welcome!

I think the right term would be "Shrunk" not "Shrinked," but the only thing that really matters here are those great MOCs. I thought the Exo-Force theme was a bit odd, but got a mech or two anyway and loved 'em. These are undoubtedly fantastic models on their own, and doubly amazing for getting all those recognizable features packed down into a smaller size. The smaller ones have a more chunky cute look to them, and Ha-Ya-To's Flyer is probably my favorite. Stealth Hunter is the best big one, but that's a hotly contested place, as they're all great models. You asked for any requests, so I'd like to see 8102 Blade Titan done in mini-scale. If it's not too much trouble of course.

OK, I'm assuming that this is the right place to ask this. I was looking at the "LEGO Batman: The Movie - DC Super Heroes Unite" and noticed something odd. The DVD version has one disk, while the Blu-Ray has three. Sure, one Blu-Ray, one DVD, but what's on the other one? No bonus features are listed (Even though I believe the five winning entries from the Tongal contest will be included.) So, does anybody know if the Tongal videos are even on it, and if so, are they on that third disk and not in the DVD only set, or what? And if not, what could be on said third disk? UltraViolet is a download, and not another physical format, so it can't be that. Thanks!

Now that is pretty cool! Great job thinking this up, it looks good, and is a neat DIY project.

Yeah, except it's not on the PC version... I'm hoping that it's an oversight that will soon be fixed, but if not, I won't be pre-ordering. May not even get the game then....Not that I'm complaining or anything.

Put the '/' at the front of the last spoiler tag. Then you've got it.

Welcome back! Now comes the longest, and arguably most difficult, portion of making a brick flick. Production. Required Equipment: While you can squeak by in pre-production with nothing more than a pencil and some paper, there are no shortcuts in production. Here is a list of the required equipment. (Mostly taken from the last lesson.) Patience/Time-These are both needed in abundance. Especially at this stage. Computer-Just powerful enough to run the frame-capture software and some basic video/audio programs. But doesn't have to be anything fancy. Camera-Either a webcam advanced enough to enable manual controls, or a fancy digital camera/DSLR. (DarkDragon has done a tutorial on Choosing a Camera, and you really should check it out.) Software- Frame capture programs are highly recommended, but only come free for webcams. They aren't needed with digital cameras, but lacking this step makes things a lot more difficult. A Good Shooting Setup- You want a dark, closed-off room if possible. Plus a few lamps, an open desk, a wall, and a bunch of Lego. It’s pretty much the same as a normal MOC photography setup, but without an open door or windows letting any light in. A tiny bit of stray light is ok, but too much will cause flickering. So, with all of that in hand, it’s time to start… LESSON #2: PRODUCTION SETTING-UP So, to animate, you need a studio. Preferable one with a nice, open desk that is backed up to a wall. You’ll need just enough room for a few baseplates, your camera, and some lights, but the space doesn't have to be huge. It's necessary to be able to control the lighting in the room, so thick/dark curtains and closed doors are recommended. Here’s a picture of one desk/setup, and as a word of warning, don’t let your desk get this messy! Sets/Props/Characters, Depending on the scale of your film, it may contain anywhere from one, to a hundred different characters. Each person needs a unique look, voice, and attitude, or they will be confused. Every film needs something different in terms of character design, so the only real tip I can give you is to not just throw a lot of random parts together. Make sure the look matches, is recognizable, and fits the character as well as the film. This is also the stage where you face the dreaded question of "Yellow Vs. Fleshie," as animators on both sides of the debate agree that mixing skin tones generally doesn't match well at all. Taxmaniac has a basic set-building lesson that you really should check out, but there are also some other points you should keep in mind. Sets are most similar to dioramas, in that they need to be fairly complete, and are generally viewed from several angles. But sets are different as they are missing key segments. For indoor scenes, they leave out at least one wall so the camera can see into a room, and generally leave out the roof. And for outdoor scenes they generally end in a blue or white wall. The most important thing to keep in mind is what the camera will be seeing. Building extra not only consumes more bricks, but also wastes time and effort better spent elsewhere. And as to the size of your sets, viewers really notice the small details, so it’s better to make a small, but detailed and complex set, than a large basic one. On the other hand, if you have the bricks, build big. There’s nothing quite like a panoramic shot of a huge set. When you are designing your sets, you want to avoid using a lot of the brighter, harsher colors like red and yellow. These are good for what I like calling "Trim work", but tend to overwhelm the viewers when over used. More neutral colors like the grays, black, tan and white are more pleasing to the eye, and also help keep attention on the main focus. (Which is usually the minifigures on-screen.) You also want to avoid the "Random colored wall with holes" syndrome. This is a sure sign of a newbie, and will turn viewers off early on. That being said, your set aesthetic, and film tone should be the main factors in picking how much and how many colors you use. Obviously Fun-houses and Circuses need more bright and shiny bricks than caves or Victorian slums, but just remember what feelings you want the set to give off, and go from there. Camera, Again, DarkDragon has a great guide for picking a nice camera. And here’s where things start to split off in between Webcams and traditional cameras. Webcams- You need to make sure it has manual settings, and can take pictures in at least 640X480. You will also need a way to attach it near the set, and something to keep it from bouncing around. For that, you need a webcam cradle. The design will need to change slightly depending on the exact model you own, but here’s the basic part. The camera needs to be held in there somewhat firmly, as a loose cam can cause havoc later on. It also should be on a plate that is connected to the main set. That way, if one gets bumped, they move together and the image won't appear to move. Here’s an example of a good set-up: DSLRs- With these, set-up is slightly more difficult. These cameras are much too big and heavy for a Lego cradle, and are too unwieldy to place directly on the animation table, so a tripod is necessary. You’ll just need to get your set closer to the edge of the table, and get the tripod as close as possible. The downside to this is if something gets bumped, it’s easily noticeable. Now, once you have all of that ready, consult your storyboards and see where the camera needs to go. And don’t worry if you can’t get things exactly, storyboards are meant as a guide, not as an exact rule. Most beginners tend to elevate the camera above the characters. This causes the viewers to “Look down” on the world, and destroys the illusion of being in the world. Keep things about face-high on the figures. Again, depending on the storyboards and angle choices, you may want to/need to elevate the camera, and that’s fine. But as a general rule, keep things about face-level. Lighting, Lighting plays a huge part in setting the mood and atmosphere in films. It’s also one of the easiest ways to tell beginners from long-time pros. To start out with, you’ll want a three light setup. With at least one on each side of the set, and then another for the background, or for getting the outer edge of the set. I usually have mine positioned like so: #1, slighting behind the set, #2, on the other side of the set and about at the same level as the set, #3, a foot or two out, and about centered at the set. This gives a fairly even lighting spread, and helps eliminate highly-exposed spots. People position their lights differently, and as long as one is in front of the set, and there is at least one on each side, it’s not that big of a deal. But there are some things you want to avoid: 1. Make sure the lighting is fairly even, you don’t want to have one corner of the room glowing, and the other pitch black. One way to do this is to either ‘bounce’ the lighting off of a white surface onto the set, or wrap white paper over the lamps to help diffuse the lighting. 2. Control the lighting sources, because unwanted lighting is the #1 cause of light-flicker. That means covering any windows, shutting any doors, turning off the overhead light, turn your computer monitors away from the set, and wearing a dark t-shirt. (Seriously, as light can reflect off of the white fabric back onto the set.) 3. Return to about the same spot each time when you take a frame. Especially if the computer is near to the set. Even if there’s a tiny bit of stray light, it can be affected by your moving around in between each frame. 4. And I’m just going to say it now, turn EVERYTHING to manual in your camera settings. Special lighting Going beyond just your normal white lights, you can also create great effects with colored lighting, or special lighting. Now, special lighting pretty much means anything out of the ordinary. You can have the light come from one direction, just through some side windows, have colored light, or include products such as Lifelites into your set. Here are some examples of dramatic lighting: Left to right Top Row: Pritchard Studios-"Batman:Plastic Justice", Repelling Spider-"Don't Blink", NickDurron-"Abduction 5." Bottom Row: Dual Digital-"The Button", AnnoyingNoisesInc-"Sharks and Clowns", MightyWanderer1-"Star Wars Uncut-The Empire Strikes Back: Scene 416" Getting special lighting effects is actually quite easy. Anything from a flashlight, Christmas lights, or even the screen of your phone/tablet/computer will work. Sticking a light source behind some clear bricks really adds a lot to the atmosphere of a set. And if you want colored lighting, it's as easy as getting a picture onto your device of choice that's all one color, and then blowing it up to full screen. Don't forget, colored/Dramatic lighting can really add to a film, but it's not good for everything, and can be over-used. Software, This is one of those points were you can either go the free route, the cheap route, or the pay-out-of-your-nose route. Webcams are a lot better off at this stage, but DSLR users can still animate for free. Camera control software: Webcams-Assuming you got a Logitech webcam, you’ll have the have the handy-dandy “Logitech Webcam Software.” This includes the webcam controller that you’ll be using to adjust all of your settings. Be sure to go into the “Advanced settings” tab, and turn off all those pesky automatic settings. Other brands should have something equivalent. DSLRs- These should all have a manual setting. As well as piece of software from the manufacturer. Depending on what software choices you make, you may not need this one. Capture software: Note-You don’t need a capture software program, as the respective camera software can do a bit of the job, but it’s very highly recommended to get something else…At least for webcam users. Webcams-There are a number of free, relatively bug-free programs available, with Monkey Jam and Helium Frog being the most popular. While Helium Frog has an arguably more professional look, and has Onion-skinning, it’s a bit more buggy and unreliable. DSLRs-Well, there aren’t any free options besides ditching the animation software. (Which quite a few have done with success.) StopMotionPro and AnimatorHD are two mid-level pieces of software, but there’s also the popular (And very expensive) Dragonframe. So, you've got everything set-up, turned-on, downloaded, installed and ready to go. Now it’s time to animate. ANIMATION I’m sure you've seen the letters “FPS” before, and in the video/media world they mean “Frames Per Second”. Real live-action movies are typically in 24 FPS, and some brick flick creators do so also, but 15 FPS is more common for several reasons. It’s high enough to achieve smooth motions, but low enough to keep production form taking a long time, it doesn't take up as much memory on your computer, and renders faster. Anything lower, (Say, 10FPS) yields a choppy image, and ruins the "Moving picture" aspect, replacing it with a fast moving slide show effect. While all of the examples below will be 15FPS, but the basic principles can be applied to any frame-rate. Capturing the frames, With a capture program, you'll just need to look for an obviously named big handy button. Click that, and you'll "Capture" or take the frame. If you're not using a frame-capture program, but instead using the camera's software with a live feed, again, just click the capture button. if you're using a DSLR, and don't have live feed to a computer, you'll have to compare the frames on the tiny screen, as well as capture using either the button on top, or a remote. Clicking the button will move the camera ever so slightly, and that will result in major camera shaking later on, so a remote is highly recommended. Basic walk cycle, Walking is one of, if not the most used actions in brick flicks. And therefore getting a good walk cycle will help launch your film to the next level. Here is a collage showing the figures position for each frame: Click for larger image. There are three really big things that are usually forgotten in early attempts at walking. First, Arm Movement. People rarely walk with their arms straight down in real life, and that detail needs to be in the animated world. Second, the “In-between Frame.” A frame where the figure is balanced between the studs. This helps the transition from stud-to-stud greatly, and is necessary for a smooth walk. Third, Keeping the torso/head at the same level and angle. If the head moves around and the body changes angles, you’ll get a jittery effect that is distracting and unrealistic. Easing in/out, This is perhaps the biggest and most important aspect of animation. The amount of “Easing” determines both how smooth, and how realistic the motions are. (And there is a difference between the two.) SuburbAnimStudios’ is probably the most realistic animation I've ever seen, but it’s 24FPs, and he also used some post-production techniques to pull that off. AnnoyingNoisesInc’s has very smooth animation, but it’s not quite as realistic. (The video is also sadly plagued by light and focus flicker, things I’ll talk more about later.)To get your animation looking good, you’ll use the technique called “Easing-in/Easing-out.” That pretty much means that you 'ease' into the motions, and the 'ease' out of them. For example, here is a collage showing a smooth arm movement: Click for larger image. As you can see, the amount the arm moves varies in each frame. The arm starts out with tiny movements, and then speeds up as it goes along. The movements then begin to get smaller and smaller and the arm stops and ends the movement. And that, is 'easing'. A common mistake newer animators make is to either neglect easing altogether, or use it improperly. To put it simply, you want to ease into and out of EVERY motion. Regardless of who or what is moving. It takes a lot of practice, but once this skill is mastered, your animation quality will skyrocket. A good starting rule is to ease "halfway". Meaning for each frame you are easing in, you want to double the length the object moves each frame, and for easing out, you want to half the movement in each frame. Talking Tips Talking animation, while commonly used, is at the same time one of the easiest things to do, and one of the hardest to master. Many animators to a poor job of balancing the amount of gesturing with still talking. And by "Gestures" I mean something like an arm raise, a hand twist, slight tilting of the body, or some combination of those. Most err to the side of relying on several seconds with of still frames, making the scene boring. While others gesture for nearly every word and make the characters look like hyper-active. A good balance is two to three gestures per sentence, but a character's personally and attitude should also be reflected in the number and types of gestures used. Camera Movements, These follow many of the same principles of easing as do normal movements, but come with different difficulties and benefits. Camera movements add considerably to a film, and greatly increase the cinematic aspect, but add yet another challenging layer to remember while animating. When panning or zooming a webcam, it's best to build a track for it to slide along, since matching each frame by hand prolongs the process and leaves more room for error. This can be as simple as a few tiles laid in between a few bricks, but any number of rigs can work depending on the movement that it needs to follow. DSLR's require either much larger rigs, or the "Pick up the tripod and move it a tiny bit" method. A common issue with these is the sheer speed of the movement, the choppy-ness of the shot, or the inconsistencies of the camera's location between frames. Practice makes perfect, and as with all aspects of animation, don't be discouraged if your first few attempts aren't quite perfect. Effects Shots, Ah yes, special effects. I'm not going to go into much detail here, and will only cover the very basics. This will teach you how to set up for effects shots, but we'll be doing most of the work on them later in post. Masking/Rotoscoping, This is the erasing of part of a frame, while leaving the rest. It's used when you want something to fly/jump, or want to take out supports, or that annoying dog hair, or just about anything you don't want in the frame. There are two ways of doing this, and both need a "Clean shot" other-wise known as a frame or two with nothing on the set. Or at least nothing that moves in the shot. Let's assume you need a mini-figure to jump. You'll want at least one frame of the blank set, this will be your background plate. You then animate the shot normally using bricks or a special rig to hold up the figure. Later, in post-production I'll show you how to erase the rig using the background plate. Shots with masking AND a moving camera are possible, but you'll need a background plate for each frame. The lighting needs to be as close as possible in the plate as the real shot, or the effect will be noticeable. Green-Screen/Chroma Keying, Assuming for some reason you can't or don't want to mask a shot, or it's something that just won't work with a mask, you can use a green-screen. This effect is also useful for set expansion/extension and windows if the outside view can't be done in-camera. You take a shot of the object in front of a green background, (Or any color background, just as long as said color isn't in the figure.) then in post you'll remove the green and put the figure onto a different background. The green part (Be it paper, cloth, or a wall) should be as far back from the foreground element as possible, as that will prevent "Spill" or the element reflecting the green and either getting erased later, or easily noticed. The green-screen needs to be evenly lite, and free from wrinkles/or slight color variations. If you're trying to decide between masking and green-screen, remember this tip. If you want to erase a little, and keep a lot, go with masking. If you want to only keep a little bit, and loose the rest, go with green-screening. Lasers/Guns/Explosions/Other fun stuff, I know, ya'll all want to know how to make the lightsabers glow, well, for filming you'll just film with the usual transparent rod, and we'll add the glow in post. Moving on, for guns, have the character react to the gun's kick like normal, and use a flashlight to simulate the gun's flash. The flash only needs to be in a few frames, but that will drastically increase the realism of the shot once the muzzle flare/laser added later. And if the flashlight's light splashes off onto the set, that's even better. The same principles apply for explosions, just add a flashlight in the appropriate frames the it becomes all that much more real. Advanced Shots, This is stuff like crowd shots, long cuts with many camera movements, a wide shot with lots of action, a complex effect shot, or simply something that's really hard to do. Beginners should avoid these until they have a basic understanding of the pillars of animation, and are ready for a harder challenge. With more difficult shots like these, you may very well have to do several takes to get something usable. But don't worry, the extra time and effort are always worth it to get a quality short. RENDER AND REVIEW Rendering, Assuming you've been using a frame-capture program, the final step is to render the completed clip. A common format used is uncompressed .Avi. It's a bit big, but has great quality, and will be compressed later on. With MonkeyJam, it's as easy as clicking the render button and making sure the settings are all good before saving the file. With Helium Frog, you'll need to get the setting all set and saved before you begin animation, but once they're saved once, you'll not have to mess with them again. Other programs are similar, but you'll just have to check all the settings and preferences and set them correctly. While you're welcome to use whatever naming scheme works for you, I use one based on numbers. For example: "5.9" would mean it's the ninth clip for Scene 5. That way i can keep things in chronological order, and it helps to keep them organized. Converting pictures to video, If you're using a DSLR, or simply not using a frame-capture program, you'll be saving each individual picture, and not saving it as a video file. Thankfully, pictures can easily be strung together. One way is to simply import the pictures into Monkeyjam, then, not only can you preview the video, but you can render it easily into the format and resolution of choice. VirtualDubis another program that can very easily string picture together, but it's a bit old and doesn't always work with newer file formats. Critical review, As has been stated, if your first take just doesn't look right, or there's a major flaw, don't feel bad. just do it again. It's easy to spot film where the creator obviously went with the first thing that came through the camera, and they suffer for that. While you may never reach perfection, if you can do better, there's no reason that you shouldn't. Thankfully, capture programs have a handy preview feature that you can use to check for any mistakes before rendering. ASSIGNMENT: You remember that script you wrote last time? Well, now you get to animate it. But I’d also like to see behind the scenes pictures of your studio. So the assignment is this: Animate the script that you had written using techniques and tips learned here. Provide several behind-the-scenes pictures of the set-up, and list the equipment and software that you used. You will need to put the film on YouTube for me to see it, (Well, any video sharing website will work.) but I don’t want it to have any sound, music, or fancy titles. Just the animation, and if you want, a bit of titles at the end. What I’m judging is the animation, lighting, and any aspect of the raw footage that could be improved. KielDaMan did a basic Windows Movie Maker tutorial that you can reference to get your animation clips together and online. Judging will be on animation, set and lighting quality, and mastery over containing/eliminating light flicker and other common problems.

Whoa, maybe I should give it a look. I was under the impression that it was an very insider type deal as well, so never bothered to check. My biggest problem is that I just don't have the bricks to compete. Not only are my building skills leagues below these, but the space and bricks needed are just out of my reach. Even those challenge one MOCs outclass me, so there's not any reason to get involved. This sounds bad, but I don't want to enter if I'm loosing every time. Plus, I'm not creative enough to come up with a cool story.

What's this? Doctor Who mid-season, gearing up for the finale, and the last post was a whole month ago? Here, these reviews should create some nice discussion, if nothing else. Cold War: I do really see the similarities to “Dalek”, but it’s still different enough to not feel recycled. Problem is, not all the differences/changes are good. The captain seems to bounce between trusting and not trusting the Doctor, but then practically became his best friend by the end. And um, where was that Barbie in the last episode? Clara seems to have taken to this adventuring thing too quickly, and doesn’t exhibit the wonder and amazement that she should. There has got to be a better way to deal with the TARDIS , and really, it didn’t need to be inaccessible. The threat to all of humanity should have been enough to keep The Doctor from leaving. The CGI creature is worse than usual, but at least it’s covered by smoke. The creature’s arms look interesting, but it’s a shame we never see the whole thing. It’s also bad since the suit is so great, to see the rest fail like that. Didn’t see that ending twist coming, but truthfully the Martians didn’t do anything but solve all the problems just in time. Deus ex machina big time. While we see Mr. Icee’s hands all over people’s faces, we never actually see him take out a foe, which would have added greatly to making him feel more threatening. (And is precisely the reason the Dalek was scary.) It was a nice episode, but as one other reviewer pointed out, Clara doesn’t do much, and it’s got a fair number of filler scenes, and Skaldak seems won over to the side of peace too easily. I didn’t feel much tension/suspense while watching it, and while it’ll be a good one to come back and watch again, it just doesn’t stand out from the crowd. Hide: Two minutes in, and it’s already scary. It’s off to a great start, and trust me, things do really continue that way. I like how It just jumps right into the story, and doesn’t bother with how they got there and why they came. It gives the story more time to develop, and that stuff is explained later once things settle down. The candle is a brilliant idea, and gives off a nice scary feel. I like the returning spacesuit, and the umbrella, and really, just about all the stuff referencing old Doctors/episodes. The pocket universe stuff is a great concept, as is the time travelling montage. "It isn’t a ghost story, it’s a love story." –Interesting quote, interesting twist. I really like the episode. It’s got scares, it’s got action, it’s got timey-wimey stuff, what’s there not to like? The twist at the end with the girl and the psychic being related was great, but the romance was just a bit heavy-handed, and the ending felt cut off. The “Crooked Man” was a great monster, and while the one in the mansion is not explained at all, the tension created by the quick glimpses was a great way to do things. Also, hurrah for prosthetics! No flaws stood out to me in this one, which is a great relief. I was able to just sit back and enjoy the amazingness of Doctor Who without worrying about some silly detail. The Crimson Horror- I wasn’t sure what to think going into this, as I’m not a fan of the Gang. I like Strax, being a nice and violent companion. But the other two aren’t special, and even if they do get a spin-off, I probably wouldn’t watch it, and will be glad when they leave the main show. They all seem like one-trick ponies, and there’s just not enough depth to them to do much. They were great in Series 6, the Christmas special was stretching things, and this was lessened IMHO by their presence. Stupid fainting guy, you have lost any respect I may have had for you. And that wasn't even funny the first time. Doctor? Ok, that was a bit odd. Kinda hate seeing him that way, but at least he got healed up quickly. I don’t care for the grainy flashback format, but at least it ended soon enough. And 'Tom-Tom,' I love it! “Sontar-ha!” Strax was an entertaining part off the episode, but the humor didn't fit in well, and it's his only memorable trait. It seems like The Doctor hardly did anything this episode, and that Jenny, Vastra and Strax could have done everything themselves. The Doctor was conveniently captured, changed, and changed back just to fit the plot, and Clara came to no harm at all. The treatment, for being so horrible, was too easily solved, and to tell the truth I felt that the last few scenes in Yorkshire weren’t that great. The real ending in the modern day however, was greatly entertaining, and touches on something that few others have. The ability to track time traveler’s movements around in history books. Also, Clara's surprise should lead to The Doctor being asked some awkward questions. Can't wait to see that finally happen. The Gang did most of the work, but to tell the truth, it seemed like the main role was split up so much that only Jenny did much of significance. Strax was shoved out of the way and only returned for comic relief, and Vastra just stood around a lot. This is probably my least favorite episode of this series, as it felt all over the place, and just didn’t work for me. The evil plot was shut down quite easily, the blind girl had a predicable secret, the monster was just a cute spiky red thing, and the villain didn’t seem capable of pulling it all off by herself. Ada was the main bright spot, but her character isn’t worth the rest of the show. Also, The Doctor does everthing possible to save a deadly Ice Warrior, but doesn’t really care about a slug. Not even an annoyed “No, Ada….Don’t…Noooo….” Doctor-lite episodes have a tendency to not do well, (Other than Blink) and this one follows the pattern. Well, this one really isn’t either side of the coin. It’s more like a Spin-off pilot than anything, which brings me to my last point….Just get the Paternoster Gang out of Who, I don’t care if they’re dropped, or giving a spin-off, or what, just get them out. After reading some other reviews, one last thing arose. The episode took itself too seriously. Had it been made with a camp-y tone, some of the issues would have been less severe. As is, the horror/gore just clashed a lot with the more absurd moments.

Bahahaha! Thanks '1974', that post is great! Can't wait to see what happens when the rants get to brown Lando, or *Gasp* Fleshies. I've been coming here for laughs, and that post was the best one yet. But I'd love to see somebody try to top it.

76007 Iron Man™: Malibu Mansion Attack 79004 Barrel Escape 76009 Superman™: Black Zero Escape And then it added: LEGO® Star Wars™ May the 4th Be With You Poster LEGO® Star Wars™ Han Solo™ (Hoth™) Even though I didn't order anything Star Wars-y. Not that I'm complaining. Looking at my order history, the last time I did one from Lego.com was nearly a year ago. Shows how much I like Amazon.com I guess.

Well, saw Iron Man 3, and for all of Lego's flaws in adapting it, the sets actually make sense in one aspect. Of course, they got the Speedboat and Showdown sets all wrong, but hey, could be worse. Sadly, I'm not really drawn to the sets (Post-viewing) like I thought I would be. Usually after watching a movie I really wanna get whatever sets are out for it, but not this time. And on another subject, does anybody know if the PC version of the Marvel game comes with IP? I heard only "Console" versions do, and I'm not sure what category the PC falls into. Sure, That armor never did anything productive ...but it's still a really cool design that I'd like to own.

IRON MAN MARATHON Iron Man- Great, as ever. Sadly this Ten Rings organization seems to have little to do with the one in IM3. I've seen it several times, so there weren't any surprises, but it was my first time watching it in a theater, so that was nice. Iron Man 2- Good, this one seconds the sentiment directly above, but it was still quite enjoyable. Ending's still a bit quick, but whatever. Avengers- This is like a love-letter to geeks, and is still fantastic after so many viewings. The 3D seemed better than last time I watched it, and it's a bit low in the plot department, but hey, it's the Avengers, who cares? Probably my favorite of this bunch, but that may be due to the other heroes, a more developed ending, and no major plot complaints. Iron Man 3- Beware of major spoilers! If I can sum it up in one sentence, it's this: "Think Dark Knight Rises, minus the plot holes, but adding more plot developments that I don't like." I can't say I was really let down, as that wouldn't be the truth. It's a fine movie and all....But it's not that re-watchable IMHO. (Similar scenario to TDKR.) So, there you go. Can't say I hated it, or really loved it either. It was good, but had some really annoying stuff. I'd probably not watch it again for a while, and would need a good reason to do so. It's a great one timer, and any Marvel/MCU/Superhero fan should watch it once, but unlike all the other MCU films, there's no need to take it for a second go. Which is really sad to tell the truth, as I was really hyped for this, and it just didn't deliver. And it also created a LOT of problems for the rest of the coming films. I don't want to dis-like this film, so feel free to try and persuade me other-wise. I would love to really adore this film, but I just can't. Sorry guys. And I can really see just how horrible of a job Lego did at picking scenes to make sets out of. Malibu is fine, but the others....

IP being a Wal-mart exclusive is not that bad, just imagine if he were a Comic-con exclusive. And just to throw out an observation, but the CGI render is a bit odd. Usually Lego has either real pictures, or photo-realistic renders, but all it takes is one glance to tell that it's CGI. It's strange that TLG is breaking the trend with these last two ploy-bags, as Jor-El's lacks the character in the top-right, and IP is an obvious render. Anybody got any theories why that's so? IP has sealed my pre-ordering the game, but it's strange that they're doing two different physical bonuses this time around. But as a word of review, the figure looks gorgeous, and I can't wait to get my hands on him.

Well, I'm not a comic guy, and just barely passed a lesson on that, but here are some things that stand out: (Now, I'm looking at the copy in the first post which still has the numbers, so some of these issues may have already been addressed.) The Title: The first frame is fine, but the story quickly de-rails off onto other things. And swiftly causes the title to become misleading. The Text: Yeah, there's a LOT of story for each frame. And while the text is witty and entertaining, it doesn't seem very comic-y, but leans more "Story-with-pictures." Which is fine, but probably not the best choice when trying to pass a comic-making lesson. The Mixed Cases-IMHO looks nice. The speech is the normal 'Caps-lock on', with the story text not. This way, the story elements are not only set apart and look visually different than the text, but it also helps to de-emphasize that text and bring attention back to the picture. The Background- It adds a nice, playful/cheery feel to things, but there's an obvious seem that isn't covered by anything. The Speech Bubbles-I think the "popping out of frame" design look neat. Sometimes they aren't pointed exactly at somebody's mouth, but that's just something that I like, and isn't a hard and fast rule. And there you go!

So, here's the list of clues: Real: New torso, face, leg AND bag printing. Plus Brickset -Very complex and complicated for a fake. And Brickset is a great authority. Fake: Lacking top character graphic, last year's package design, leg pose doesn't look right-Lego doesn't just leave that blank, why use the old banner, and why the odd pose? Neutral: Never heard of before, white outline around figure.-TLG is capable of surprising us, and the outline doesn't make sense, but is possible. I'm leaning towards it being real, but I've been wrong before.