MetroiD

With McLaren supposedly getting ready to launch another road-going supercar, I guess Mercedes decided they too should start sticking their noses directly in McLaren's business...

Who doesn't like a bit of Word Play to brighten your day :) Wonderful idea Selander - and the custom-made decals to complement that are really top-notch! I also like the way you've done those pies, good job on that! The subtle touch with the pirate having his sword at hand is also very nice, especially in conjunction with the background story. And the slight difference in height level between the street and the kiosk makes the regular minifig here (the one buying a pie) look like he's a kid, which is something rarely seen :) I have a few recommendations that I think could enhance this MOC. First off, don't touch the base of the pie-stall, it looks perfect! However, I think that it could use an awning of sorts, seeing as that would enhance the "street stall" look. That way you could also add something interesting on top of the awning - if you wish, of course! My second piece of advice would be to reconsider those flowers... The one in the background is fine I guess, but I must admit I'm not too sure about the one in the front. And it's not because it's lacking a petal, it just somehow doesn't fit in there for me. Then again, if you feel those should stay, who am I to tell you to get rid of them :) Perhaps if you want those to still be featured in your MOC, you could add a few more at both sides of the stall? And the last suggestion I have is in regards to the cobblestone - which is a huge favourite of C-P fans and I'd suggest you work some more on that in order to cover the entire "street" section with 1x1 round plates for that proper cobblestone look and feel. Also, make sure those are randomly positioned, unless you want C-P EBbers telling you how unrealistic those cobblestones look All in all, a simple yet brilliant entry :] Best of luck in the competition!

Hands down THE best part of the MOC, really made me LOL Depressed pirates in need of urgent psychological help organising shootout tournaments, while you're busy trying to get away (!) from a bunch of ladies. Something just doesn't feel quite right there... As to the entry in its entirety... I must admit with Bart to some degree. On the upside, this MOC bears your significant style (and features C-P members involved in all kinds of weird situations, which is always fun!). The idea behind it is very original, as is the post-war syndrom idea (original yet still rather realistic). On the downside however, there's a distinct lack of clarity, at least in my point of view, from the way you've put this together. The viewer needs to look at the pics, then read through your entire post, then look at them some more before they actually start making sense. The thing is, this event looks like a large mix-up of piraty characters with no actual plot uniting them... I got the betting thing going on at that table, that was nicely done. Your character running away from all those ladies was also pretty obvious - albeit totally unrelated to the whole scene / idea of the MOC... The beggar stealing food is also quite obvious yet feels out of place to me. The same applies to the Indigo Islander - he's up to something, but what is he trying to achieve anyway?! I also presumed that the soldier in the foreground (2. pic) was getting ready to take a shot at the apple - upon closer inspection though, I am now confused - his rifle is pointing the other way round, he is looking in the other direction, and besides, the apple is placed right in front of the generals. Do I sense potential friendly fire there -- or was this your idea? So, to sum it all up - I think you're trying to have too much happening in your MOC, which is not always a good solution. "Less is more" is a very wise thought and I'd recommend that you aim at improving the viewer's understanding of the Skeet Contest going on there, which is the primary thing. Once you're done with that, you can always add subplots related to the main one in order to have more depth to your entry. Unfortunately, right now, I think it looks the other way round. Construction-wise I must say I don't quite get what the point of that shack is... If it's only there to hold a plate containing food for the generals, then it might as well be gone. I'd suggest thinking of something else to be housed in there. Betting booth perhaps? As to the roof - it's a smart design, but I'd suggest removing the brown plates you've placed in between the 1x1 round bricks. That would give the roof a much more natural look. The generals' stands also look a bit flimsy to me... I think you could probably rework those by getting rid of the roof and instead concentrating on giving the structure a real "tribune" feel. Oh, and as to portraying Big Cam as a sweeper - I can't wait to see his reaction

Now THIS is a true combination of Classic Town and Modular Style! Well done - I think this MOC comes closest to combining as many elements as possible of those two and the end result is simply fantastic :) Keep building mate!

Wow... :cry_sad: I'm so so sorry to hear that you need to auction this beauty off, Aaron :( I'll do the best I can and share the eBay link and information with my contacts, I do sincerely hope you'll manage to find her a great new home where people can enjoy her... I hope you manage to overcome the financial problems... And once you do, I really hope you'll build an even bigger and better Cruise boat. Don't give up hope mate!

Hello and welcome to EB, GingeBreadKid! Why not head over to the Hello section of the forum and introduce yourself :) As to this specific set, I personally find its price more than justified, especially bearing in mind that it is such a wonderful exclusive. In fact, it's one of the best sets in terms of value-for-money I've bought in recent years. Could you please try to be more specific in your future posts? Thanks

You bet I am... As to feeling attached -- I was at the brink of crying when poor ol Glottis was dying! Who needs Titanic anyway, only Grim Fandango can do for us tough guys (apparently)... I'd played Full Throttle a few years before GF and was convinced that no game would ever be able to top that (with me being such a bike enthusiast and all...) Tim Schafer proved me wrong. I can't decide if I hate him & LucasArts for intentionally killing off an entire genre with so much promise or whether I actually prefer things to end that way instead of being milked, as is the case with current RPGs for example. But I digress. Grim Fandango will always be more like a piece of art to me than a mere game. That MOC and its dedication are lovely throwbacks for me personally... Thank you so much for that. Besides, this has been more than inspiring to me... I'll definitely think of a Grim Fandango project soon - especially now that I know there's someone who'd appreciate it :]

Yes they do, especially if they take a plunge in the Sea of Lament every year!

Thanks for clearing that up Joe :] Once again, sorry for the seeming endless rant, I would have organised that into separate points myself if I'd realised I was being so long-winded... Need to work on that, I guess! 1. & 4. - Sounds awesome and I was actually hoping that this would be the case, I would have loved to see this MOC as a part of a larger diorama 2. & 3. - Glad you've taken that into consideration, looking forward to seeing what you'll come up with! Btw, if you decide to keep that pillow, I'd suggest changing its place with the book and using a white tile (this printed tile would be a perfect solution) to represent it... Just a thought :)

It shone, pale as bone As I stood there alone And I thought to myself how the moon, That night, cast its light On my heart's true delight, And the reef where he body was strewn. Together this time! :skull:

Wow, what a nice entry Joe! For a first MOC, this is quite impressive and I love how you've utilized a number of well-known smart techniques in order to give this one a more complete look. The blue/white/tan combination of water hitting the rocks and the colour nuances in the rocks both work very nicely here, although I'm not really sure why there's just one portion of the building which looks lighter than the other part of it. But then again, not everything requires a solid explanation and as long as it looks good - which in this case it does, at least to me - it's a more than welcome addition! Before I continue with the MOC itself, I have to say that I think you need to tamper with some of those pics a bit in order to enhance their lighting and contrast. There's a quite prominent presence of shadows in the interior shots which in the case with the sleeping sentry works nicely, but in the captain's room it's just a bit too much and is making it hard for the viewer to recognise what it is they're looking at. While the angle is perfect, I feel that some additional lighting wouldn't go amiss there. Back to the MOC -- and speaking about the captain's room, I really like it, it looks well aranged and thought out. The coathanger, the bed - everything in there looks just right. As to that issue with the wine pouring out of glass, I realize it can't have been the easiest of tasks balancing those pieces. Then again, I'm not really sure whether you needed to go to such great lengths for that, especially seeing as there's nothing that's causing the glass to be falling over in that very instant - not unless that black tile came off the Captain's bed when he was brutally awoken by the sight of the UFO. So I'd suggest simply removing the black tile, letting the glass fall down on the floor and placing the plume alongside it (lying down instead of standing upright), so that it "leads" to the puddle of wine which has been created overnight (brilliant use of the red flower petal piece, by the way! Absolutely loving it!). That way you'd please the viewers who really want a realistic-looking scene. Of course, if you want to keep the glass as it is, I'd suggest using a rat that's just coming from underneath the bed as the main culprit there - otherwise I really don't see why it would end up falling in the first place. Enough about the red red wine (yeah, I am going to a UB40 gig soon :) ). I also wanted to mention the wise selection of colours that make up the building's second floor - green and black complement each other very nicely, especially on top of those rocks. The roof technique also works great here, giving the front facade a gloomy look and feel, which is quite appropriate and desired, given the headache this here Captain must be suffering. What I'm not so sure about is the flag on the left-hand side of the building. And it's not the colours that bother me, it's its presence which I'm actually not that fond of. While I understand why it's there (after all, those are the captain's quarters), I just don't think it adds anything to the MOC. Instead, I think it just stands in the way when viewed from certain angles and doesn't quite let the viewer concentrate on that intricate machinery. Perhaps having a bit more solid chimney would look even nicer there - that way the viewers could also notice the smart use of white plumes as smoke... And bearing in mind that the machine is almost as big as the house itself, it should be the focal point of this MOC. Which leads me to the next question - why did they ever have such a lifting mechanism on top of that house anyway? It's not a criticism in any way - I love it - I just thought you could add something in the story to explain its presence there. The UFO is - quite obviously - brilliant and while I'm not sure whether pirates had ever pondered the existence of extra-terrestrial life forms, I must say this whole idea makes for a really hilarious entry :) The sentry sleeping on his job, Jack holding his bandana so that he doesn't laugh out too loud and Peter being a boy instead of an actual pirate (given his short legs, that's the assumption, right?) are all very nice touches as well - all of those show that you've really thought this out. Which is why I'm adding this MOC to my list of favourites in this category and bookmarking it for future reference. Best of luck in the competition and keep MOCcing, you're a great builder! P.S.: Whoa, I just noticed the length of my post... Sorry for the rant mate... :/

I'm pretty sure that you and Bart are the only ones who actually got that... But thanks for the clarification :)

Ah, a very good point there - I must admit I'd overlooked that... I'm sure you'll find a solution though :)

Yeah, Button's conduct is not what I'd expected from him... I guess it's only fair that everyone should try and earn as much as they possibly can at any given time, but still... As to Brawn GP - they'll cope with it, even if Button were to leave. Which I don't think he will - I have the feeling that he's just trying to play mind games, which is despicable bearing in mind he's doing that to the team which put him where he is now.

Those are absolutely adorable My favourite there is Goofy - looks just as weird as the actual Goofy!

Wow, you're on fire General! Another great entry :) I'd love a nice sip of punch myself... Although I'm not quite sure how that would taste combined with bits of gunpowder You've built another great MOC with a wonderful idea there :] I especially like the fact that there are so many minifigs standing together on this very limited space and yet it doesn't look like the MOC is too cramped or having too much going on. Well done! I'd recommend using some trans-orange round plates and brown plates or tiles to add what would look like burning wood or embers beneath the cannon... The fire piece looks just right in those glasses, but I don't really think it's the right solution as a representation for the burning fire there. Another thing you might consider is adding some stairs for that soldier to get up to where he is right now. That wouldn't require much space or bricks, but if done right, I think it would open up this MOC even more and look great. Perhaps you could try the Market Street-style staircase with tiled and slightly rotated plates representing each step? Once again - best of luck in the competition! Looking forward to your "Large" entry... I guess we'll be seeing that as well sooner or later, right?

Thanks a lot! I've already done that, but it's good to have confirmation that this actually works. If this does indeed work out, I guess there's no need to contact anyone (other than via the website, that is), which was my initial wish. In any case, I will post once again as soon as I get the requested replacement brick (or after that 3-weeks period).

Thanks for the heads up mate, I actually did that already. I guess I'll just wait and see if they'll send the brick or not, the issue here was simply the fact there was no one to speak to in person. Otherwise, once again - I didn't mean my words to come out as a negative rant. A missing brick takes away some of the pleasure, but that doesn't compare in any way to the joy I personally get out of owning such wonderful sets.

When B is not an option, threads such as this one turn out to be the only thing one can do. I don't see what's wrong about the section it belongs to though?

Hello dear Ambassadors, I was wondering if you could please help me solve a problem. I recently bought the Cafe Corner from the UK and had it delivered to Bulgaria via a friend (the local LEGO distributor company doesn't import exclusives). Unfortunately, the set was missing a brick (in tan colour) and instead had an extra 4x2 grey plate included which I think was never supposed to be an extra piece. Seeing as I can't contact the local LEGO distributors and ask for a replacement, I was wondering whether you could give me some information as to whether there is something I can do about that missing / misplaced piece? I'm a big fan of LEGO Exclusives and am planning on purchasing even more of those next year, but there's been some concering information from fellow LEGO AFOLs which suggests that missing pieces are something common to the Exclusives given the amount of bricks those include. That said, while elsewhere you could call your local LEGO customer service and have the brick replaced, that is simply not possible in Bulgaria, which has lead to this question. I would be very grateful for any information you could give me in regards to that. Thanks in advance!

You know, I was just going to start a thread about this a few days ago!!! Good to know I'm not the only one, but that said, it's even more unpleasant when thinking about TLG's quality control... In all these years I'd never had a missing piece in any set - as a matter of fact, I never thought there was a possibility of that happening. Not with the "weight control" system which TLG so vigorously maintained as being "perfect". Well, apparently it isn't... I bought one of the last Cafe Corners and had it delivered from the UK... you can imagine how happy I was that I was finally going to have the original three modulars side-by-side. When we finally sat down with my girlfriend and started building it, I was in for a nice surprise - no slightly different colours or colour accents in any bricks, uniform brown and tan bricks all over - that was a relief, given the concerning statements of LEGO fans who'd bought the Cafe Corner last year. We were almost finished with the set when we noticed a missing part in the tower... now, if it were in black or white, it would have been no problem. Tan, however, is a problem, since I don't own any of those corner bricks in tan. I could hardly believe my eyes, but the small gap in the wall was staring me right in the face - yes, LEGO had forgotten to add that specific brick - and instead, they'd added an extra grey 4x2 plate. I'm pretty sure those don't come as spares ever, so I guess that must have been the misleading factor which helped that super weight control machine overlook the missing brick in my set. The problem is - what do I do? I'd be more than willing to take back that spare 4x2 plate and receive my tan brick 2x2 corner instead - but that's simply not possible, not here in Bulgaria. For starters, LEGO's official distributors for Bulgaria (LEGO don't have an official store here) don't import any of the exclusives and if I'd call them with this problem, they'd just slam the phone - their customer service is absolutely appaling. Besides, I bought the set from the UK, so there's no way I can do anything about it. I admit, it's not the rarest brick in the set, but it's still rather annoying. If it were a tiny 1x1 plate or tile, I guess I could have easily replaced it and I'd probably forget all about it, but I just can't accept a missing 2x2 corner brick as something normal. So I totally understand what you mean there Wargammer, and I think TLG need to do something about that -- especially seeing as those missing bricks are most probably going to occur most often in the exclusive sets, given the size of those. I really don't like moaning, but since I'm paying those prices (let's face it, exclusives aren't cheap), I would really like to receive the entire set and not have to place additional BL orders so that I can have a complete Exclusive...

Wow, I hadn't seen that Steam Boat of yours Brickster - great job! Now you only need to build a Union steamer (those did look a bit heavier) and you could reenact the Battle of Fort Hindman

Looking good NewRight! I noticed that you're in need of yellow arches and had a notion - have you considered using these in yellow? They really do stand out and I guess they'd look nice in the streets of such a town... Or is it just the buildings and not the pathways that you need the arches for? Anyway - what's that treasure doing there unattended? You'd better take care of that!!!

Another hilarious entry there :) Well done General!! Green on! ;] I fully support your idea and can't wait to see a shark- or dolphin-powered Imperial Flagship Seriously though - I wouldn't have expected those scallywags to come up with such a brilliant idea! I must say I'm impressed... What I think this MOC could use as an improvement is a small selection of tiles and other blue/ trans-clear pieces underneath the boat - that way it would look more "out of control" - perhaps if you'd put some tiles & plates under one side only, it would look more realistic (especially given the shark's massive power output ). Of course, you could always try and make the boat look as if it were jumping around behind the shark - but that might end up being a bit misleading in the sense of pirates jumping the shark. Which is also a bit ironic, bearing in mind the distinct possibility that our beloved Pirates line might be turned into a POTC licensed series... But I digress. Back to that boat again - if you have enough bricks to do that, I'd highly suggest trying to "hide" portions of that boat so that it really looks as if it's in motion. That way you could have the boat sit sideways or semi-upright, which would add tons of realism to this. Those two sloped pieces at the front are a nice attempt at that, but I think that SlyOwl is the MOCcer with most experience regarding such techniques - just take a look at his Tortuga or Port Royal MOCs... the first one features a wonderfully offset boat and the second one portrays a desperate sailor in a half-sunk-yet-still-floating crate ;) If only he knew then that sharks could be harnessed! As to the bird sitting (?) on that pole, I have to agree with badboytje88... The way the parrot is positioned right now really looks a bit too concerning for its own health! I personally would suggest placing it either on the pole which the "captain" is holding (using the minifig hand technique), or slightly loose on top of a barrel (perhaps adding a couple of trans-clear round plates below it) - so that it looks like the poor animal is either going to fall off or get seasick soon ;) Other than that (with "that" being mere suggestions rather than actual criticism), I don't really think there's anything wrong with this entry. As far as building style goes, I really enjoy the use of blue grills and flags around the shark and story-wise, it's quite clever and really stands out from the rest ;) Good luck in the competition mate!

Awesome MOCs! I was thinking of attempting a Beetle in 4-wide and if I do, I'll most definitely draw inspirations from these wonderful models of yours! They're quite innovative, yet true to the actual car...