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I do believe that some of the creative critics are beginning to get slightly carried away with that violence rule. Martin, it was stated pretty clearly what was allowed and what was forbidden and SlyOwl did supply an image to show just where the limits would have to be in this year's contest. I don't actually think we've seen an entry which goes beyong those limits - so I don't think that mentioning violence every time there is a hint of it, weak or strong, is suitable here. Of course, the judges will have the ultimate call on that, but at the end of the day these still are pirates we're talking about here. Even though portraying them in some awkwardly peaceful situations for this contest has proven to be absolutely hilarious, at the end of the day let's not forget that fighting and brawling is like second nature to them, which has also been taken into consideration when laying out the violence restrictions. Sorry for the slight off-topic, I just felt I had to clarify my position on the whole violence issue at hand.

That's good news, thanks Svelte! I guess I'll just wait for the Beetle to get a discount then In the meantime - this 10211 Store is obviously going to be another 32x32 structure, so do you guys think there'll be another Modular Factory set released later on next year? I'd be ecstatic if LEGO were to release another Modular or Train Factory set, although I'm pretty sure the latter won't be happening anytime soon...

As long as there's no blood, it's still more or less harmless in my books Besides, you never know - they could be just practicing their theatric performance scheduled for later that evening, who knows :))) We're waiting for Lego_Warlord_8 here to actually tell us what has brought on this brawl. Lego_Warlord - once again, you might want to use the [.img] [./img] tags to show the actual pics here in the thread.

I personally think that's one of the few weapons that could have held off a pirate onslaught. That... and the minigun

Can't wait! I was planning on getting the Medieval Market and the Emerald Night and then the Fire Brigade by summer 2010, which I thought would leave me just about enough time to save up for this one... Once again, TLC are planning to release a killer set before anybody had expected it (ot at least I didn't). With that AND the Imperial Flagship hitting the shelves next year, it will definitely be a bad year for my wallet too... Does anybody know whether the 10187 Volkswagen Beetle or the 10193 Medieval Market are about to be stopped anytime soon? I have to get these, but with this vast amount of new exclusives I want to buy, I don't know whether I will be able to...

If your other thread is going to be deleted, I guess I can save the mods some work and post that "c&c" I had in the other thread here then. Hope that won't be a problem... To start off, the MOC is far from being peaceful - but that's what alcohol would do to you I must say I really do enjoy the scene. However, I feel that adding a background story would help a lot here, since I am at a bit of a loss as to what precisely is happening... Did someone spill someone else's pint - because that's usually what would lead to a fight? Or was it all that rat behind the counter's fault (and I don't mean the poor bartender :) )? Anyway, as to the details - I really like the cask, I do feel though that you should replace the 2x2 plate and tile at the end of the barrel with brown pieces in order to match the overall colour and make it look more genuine. The shelves behind the bartender also look nice , I wonder how they'd look if you'd add a wall behind them - I have the feeling that would round off the MOC while presenting you with a nice chance to add more details. As to the decoration on top - it looks catchy, but once again I have absolutely no idea what it should represent... Overall, even though this is by far not the most peace-loving entry in this contest, a bar brawl is a definite must-have in any self-respecting pirate's day :) I'm really glad that we also have one such entry for the Contest! My primary suggestion to you here would be to add a bit of a background story - things should slowly start coming into place then!

Hi there Warlord, you've used A-href and img src standard HTML tags to display the pics of your MOC, but they don't work here... you should instead try using the and tags or the buttons that have been provided especially for that. As to the MOC itself - to start off, it isn't too peaceful - but that's what alcohol would do to you I must say I really do enjoy the scene. However, I feel that adding a background story would help a lot here, since I must admit I'm at a bit of a loss as to what precisely is happening... Did someone spill someone else's pint - because that's usually what would lead to a fight? Or was it all that rat behind the counter's fault (and I don't mean the poor bartender :) )? Anyway, as to the details - I really like the cask, I do feel though that you should replace the 2x2 plate and tile at the end of the barrel with brown pieces in order to match the overall colour and make it look more genuine. The shelves behind the bartender also look nice , I wonder how they'd look if you'd add a wall behind them - I have the feeling that would round off the MOC while presenting you with a nice chance to add more details. As to the decoration on top - it looks catchy, but once again I have absolutely no idea what it should represent... Overall, even though this is by far not the most peace-loving entry in this contest, a bar brawl is a definite must-have in any self-respecting pirate's day :) I'm really glad that we also have one such entry for the Contest! My primary suggestion to you here would be to add a bit of a background story - thing should slowly start coming into place then!

Why? Derfel's stuff is quite simply top-notch... idea pitching won't work with him, because he does come up with the coolest of concepts in his head all the time :]

This is the perfect example of how to build an attractive modular building without making it look gaudy. That simple fence + flower combination is an absolute winner and I feel it totally changes the way the houses' exterior looks. Just another example of how well you know exactly what to put where. The interior is top-notch, but then again we all know how well you manage to cram little features where there's hardly any free space available. Like the rest of the guys, I'd love to see a town scene featuring your buildings and your awesome vehicles... to be honest, I'd also love to see more modular buildings from you - they're really inspiring!

Cale, that's absolutely brilliant, and thank you for that wonderful informative story too! Your building style, as mentioned by TheBrickster, is absolutely awesome, tons of respect for that.

I'm sure those people are cooking something really cool... Those people must really want to surprise us!

Guys, I really do think that the real fun starts once you're done building those sets, so don't worry, it's not just an expensive 4 or 5-hour build As to smaller kits - off the top of my head, I'd recommend the BBQ Stand as a small but nice addition - even though I personally don't own it or plan on buying it. As far as vehicles are concerned, I feel the Recycling Truck looks really realistic alongside the Modular sets. Next year's Repair Truck should also make a nice addition.

Argh, I would have read the entire Mirror if I had to, just to get my paws on that. Hands down one of the best impulse sets I've seen in recent years, I would definitely buy it if it was sold freely. Thanks for the review, SlyOwl - now I know just what I'm missing by not reading papers

Brilliant! I love how the white train just stands out among all those black elements. As to the technical brainstorming that has gone into this - kudos for that, it must have been a lot of work but the end result is really... shocking

*sigh* I should have snatched that when I had the chance a few years back. Anyway, THIS is absolutely inspiring! I love the fact that you've gone for the original "no-doors" look for the engine - and the passenger car is also very nice. I was going to say I wonder why there are no passengers, but I just realised how stupid that would sound with the whole Halloween theme going on... When are you going to upload new pics of the train hauling more spooky cargo? Oh, and by the way... how about adding a 'Ghost Train Shed' to your creations for this month? That would really put the icing on the cake!

Spookacious and well-thought out! The chains holding down the Bricktober Brick are an awesome touch! Brickster mate, your spooky stuff actually has quite a viral influence - so much that I'm considering whether I can come up with a spooky train myself!

Wow, what a spooky train!!! For a first train MOC, this one sure looks nice - and I too agree that the snakehead is a very cool detail ;]

Both vehicles look wonderful and seem to really match the minifig scale properly, which makes them all the more awesome to me The Scania is absolutely sweet, great job on that! Btw, are those black stickers at the front of the 3x1 dkred bricks? I don't have anything against those, just asking :) P.S.: If you could just please downsize those pics to 800x600, they'd be perfect :)

At first glance, this one is pretty reminiscent of some other entries in this year's PTV II Small Division. I would recommend choosing an element to really work on and help the whole MOC stand out - whether that be the barrel or the apples, it's your call. That would also help make the concept a bit more believable - because while it is sort of funny, I feel you could/ should add something more to it. The minifig-in-barrel idea is always fun (especially if you know who needs to win in order to come out ), but here it just looks too obvious. You could have used a lid on that cask and had the Captain peak out of it, instead of being covered by the ever-so-apparent pirate hat. In order to improve this MOC, I also feel you should focus on the (currently non-existent) pathway through the garden and the vegetation. Since you're doing a small MOC, I'd suggest trying to create a believable scenery, even if you decide against creating a pathway - having good-looking plants would go a long way to livening this up. The way it looks now, with those two plates in different green, it's just not very realistic - or comic-like either. As to the apples themselves - you could have the governor have a change of heart and turn green apples into his favourites. That way you'd be able to use actual apples instead of the red 1x1 round plates - which I never would have thought represent apples if I hadn't read your description. Adding an apple tree would also vastly improve the scenery there, while providing the Captain with a nice spot in the shadows where he could lurk inside his barrel (while trying not to pee in his pants ) Now, my biggest criticism - the "well, I'm sure I won't win" line. I've heard people say that way too often and I won't go into just how I feel about it, but let me tell you this my friend - if you've decided to participate, then you might as well enjoy it and give it your best shot! Bashing your own MOC won't get you far, and I feel that anybody has the creative potential within them to come up with something perfect. This one is not a bad entry and it could yet get better, so don't belittle your work. Besides, this is LEGO and having fun is what it's all about - you've obviously had fun thinking of the concept and that turns it into a winner straight away

Erm... OK... Thanks for all the clarifications. Regarding the 20th Century Limited, yes I have heard of it, but no, I haven't had the opportunity to use its services. Or the Super Chief's services, for that matter. Since they were used for marginally different lines (same applies to a comparison between the Super Chief and the Broadway Limited as well), I guess we can never have a viable platform to compare just how luxurious either one was on a scale of 1 to 10. That said, it does take a certain amount of luxuriousness in order to be chosen to haul movie stars to and from Hollywood, which is what I was referring to when I said that the Super Chief's quality was "unrivalled". As to the GP-38, yes it is/was frequently used for shunting / switching duties. Thank you for the detailed info on that. Have you actually driven one? On a sidenote / back to the topic - I never professed to be a train pro, I was just pointing out that the GP-38 never actually required any "carriages" in order to look realistic in the LEGO world, whereas the Super Chief most definitely did, seeing as how inadequate passenger cars from the 90s looked behind it.

I could imagine that, Big Cam! My uncle has just flown home to Minnesota and I guess he's going to have to prepare his Gold Wing for a long cold winter... Good thing is, we've planned a motorcycle trip of the North States for the summer of next year. Hopefully, I'll really be able to give him a visit ;] Btw, do you guys know where one could rent a Triumph in Minnesota or Wisconsin?

I can totally imagine it being something like this -> It's a crying shame that LEGO never did actually make such a minifig expression! Nate, the vine definitely looks nice, adding more just would have added a more "cottage" look of the house. That's not to say that it doesn't look perfectly nice as it is though!

Wow, giving your bricks a bath sure worked out nicely! Bet they're also quite grateful :) Regarding the MOC itself - following martinsuper's idea and getting rid of some minifigs and "action scenes" has actually helped a lot here. Same goes for the new photos, they' re showcasing the MOC's good angles in a much clearer and more focused way than the old ones. I was a bit concerned last time that someone would for some reason disapprove of the vegetation for being too lush and you'd feel the need to change that -- but it's good to see that Martin pointed how spot on all the palms (and algae too!) are, I feel exactly the same way. Now, the one thing I don't really like in this update is the white line a few studs off the beach which represents waves and marks where "the shallows deepen", as you put it... Seeing as it adds an unnatural height which doesn't really look like a wave, I just find it out of place. To be perfectly honest, I think you should either get rid of it or build on that and turn it into an actual nice rolling wave. I believe the latter would be the best option for your MOC - and I can remember pointing another entrant to a couple of older MOCs that depicted waves in a great way - you could refer to those for inspiration. You don't have to create a large wave as the one in the first MOC I linked to - actually, I feel you should refrain from doing so, since a gentle small wave would look much better here. And you don't need to cover the entire baseplate with cheese slopes as Erdbeeris did either - just combine those two to create your own water image, that would surely make this entry stand out even more! Besides, if you add an actual wave, you could also create a splash effect where the wave meets the rock - which would look absolutely gorgeous. Oh, and regarding that rock - while I love the idea just as much as everybody else, I believe that the rock itself could have been a bit lower. In reality, a rock this high would hardly ever be seen just coming out of the water like that - on most occasions, the foundations of the same rock structure would be visible on the beach as well, especially if it's in the immediate vicinity of the tip of the rock, as it the case here. I know this borders on nit-picking, but I just thought I'd let you know how I feel about it. I really believe that addressing the height of that rock would add realism to it. Another thing I feel you could address is the beach - to me, those two blue flowers blossoming right at the shore look out of place, and the right part of the beach is still a bit too cluttered. I'd recommend taking off those 2x2 gray round plates and just letting sand be sand. You could always add a seashell or a clam if you want something particularly "special" to catch viewers' attention there, but the way it looks right now just doesn't feel right to me. Obviously, you've chosen not to expand the dock and looking at your MOC now, I must admit no longer think that's necessary. The wooden structure there does look very nicely built and is a wonderful addition to the whole MOC; having something much bigger than that would perhaps not look right. Now, seeing as you obviously like having things listed in a clear, systematic way, I'll just follow in Martin's footsteps here and supply you with a very short list of things which I feel you could address in order to make this one an EVEN better MOC: 1) The "string of white breakers". Turn that into an actual wave (not too big, of course) and you'll also be able to add some water splashing against the rock. That should definitely turn this entry into an even greater eye-catcher! 2) Lower the rock just a bit - but leave the "seaweed" on :) 3) A little clean-up of the beach and replacing some of those 1x1 and 2x2 plates should go a long way to "opening it up" and letting it actually look and feel like a beach.

It's a fine approach I guess, especially if one has no other options. The real problem with it though is that nerves of steel are required to line up all those 2x2 tiles, especially if you use more full wall layers such as the first and the last three layers of bricks in the MOC that der seb posted above. That said though, I had already decided on utilising this technique in either one of our future modular designs or in the upcoming remake of our Flower Shop... Wish me luck

*thomas* - first off, about those carriages. The Santa Fe Super Chief was extremely popular as a train, not just an engine. The luxury that the train itself provided was unrivalled back in those times, and so it was only natural that LEGO would produce additional carriages to be sold beside the engine itself. The observation that the Santa Fe doesn't look good with any of the older waggons is spot on - but then again, of course it wouldn't!!! Would the Orient Express look good pulling logging cars? Didn't think so! :P Now, as to the carriages of the BNSF GP-38 - that is a cargo train. Almost no cargo train has a specific set of wagons it hauls. On quite a few occasions, GP-38s have even been used as shunters! So I feel that the wagons available from the My Own Train selection would all make a perfect addition to the GP-38. As to the Emerald Night - even though I don't yet own it, I must say that you're not being fair to the set here. What it brought along was not only bricks in new colours, but also a new era for LEGO Trains in general. Still, comparing that to MOCs built by train experts such as SavaTheAggie or BMW just won't do it justice - don't forget that TLG are very strict about they are willing to release as a set and I believe that the Emerald borders on the complexity that they would want to feature in official sets. AFOL MOCcers, on the other hand, have no restrictions and can build the biggest and greatest trains, as demonstrated time and time again. Back on topic though - I really think that one can only truly appreciate both of those sets if one sees them in person... which is pretty much the case with most LEGO Exclusives. Even though my own vote here went to the Santa Fe because I'd just bought that one back then, my significant other Otter's favourite out of those two is the GP-38 - and I must it is indeed a very close call.