MetroiD

He'll be a great floater alright - especially with that wooden leg. Can't say that about swimming though - you know it's not a particularly good idea to go swimmin after you've been drinking, right Brickgrin? Oh well, the correspondence must have useful insights on that too, so I guess I really shouldn't worry :)

Tereglith, is that a Wall-E kind of robot they've dug up there? Because it sure as hell looks like one Obviously, I'm not too certain about what I'm seeing there, so here's my tip for you - try using the "macro" function of your camera for close-up shots. Or you could just put the camera a few inches away so that your pics don't turn out so blurry. That would really be helpful for the viewers! I'll refrain from any additional comments since you've presumably already made an updated version which I'm eager to see!

Commodore Hornbricker's idea about having a bit of the treasure spill out is very nice indeed and would add a lot to this small entry. I must however ask - what is that gold plate he's carrying in his left hand anyway!? Is it a part of his treasure? If so - where did he get his hands on a gold dinnerware set and why did he ever keep it?! I agree with everything that's been said about the sign and the flowers. I myself am a fan of big flowers, but on such a small scale they just don't feel right. As to the minifig - unlike the other guys, I feel it fits in perfectly - especially the facial expression. Perhaps adding a more classic soldier's torso would work just fine there, instead of changing the entire minifig. However, at the end of the day it's your call. Whatever you do, just don't change that sloped little cobblestone path!

The water here looks just fine to me, especially for such a small MOC. Besides, in good weather, you can hardly notice any ripples along the coastline. The palm tree being bald on one side is also pretty believable and actually rather realistic, if not particularly attractive - adding a few more leaves might please viewers a lot more, especially with that wonderful technique! And to add insult to injury... I'd suggest displaying the pirate captain (who's obviously not Brickbeard, as others have pointed out, since he's not missing a leg) in his undergarments... He's left with a ragged shirt, so I don't see a reason why his crew would let him keep his pants either... If you keep the sand-coloured leg base and use regular yellow minifig legs, the result would be absolutely humiliating for the poor ol' captain - if that's what you're going for.

Brickgrin for the win! (sorry, I just had to say that!) I like the moral of this story... even if some of our school-attending friends won't really appreciate it. Can't wait to see what you've got cooking for the Large Division! Now then, on to the entry itself... Looking at this one, it's pretty obvious that the tips and advices you were given did work out nicely! I love the tilted treasure chest best of all - great idea, saberwing! I would however suggest working on the palm tree's trunk - the parrot on top may like being literally on top of things, but the "base of things" just doesn't feel right to me - it is indeed a very believable thin palm structure, but having it so perfectly lined up isn't really believable. Trying to tilt those 1x1 bricks a bit might just do the trick there ;) And I have a question I was meaning to ask when I first saw the pics... Why is Brickgrin heading for the water with that coveted letter in his hand? Has he had enough knowledge for one lifetime or his head just not working right (the latter would seem more believable, considering his grin). Please, Brickgrin, don't drown! Or at least put that letter in a bottle, so that others could revere its wisdom too!

- Matchstick pyramid shaking before its demise - Great idea, the use of the minifig hand there is brilliant. I do feel you could make it a bit more intricate though. - Tunnel beneath captain's house - Almost perfect. You could make the upper end a bit rounder, no freshly-dug tunnel would look like this. Instead of sloped bricks, try inverted slope bricks and arches! - Sadist pirate - Priceless expression. I'm not sure about the stick he's using to cause the "mini-earthquake" there, perhaps there could be some tool with a bit more raw power in his hands... - Pirate captain - Poor kind matchstick-building soul, I totally feel for him. His face might look a bit childish as martinsuper said, but the expression is quite appropriate there. - Cap'n s house - Could use just a hint of furnishing. I really dig the colour scheme though. And my biggest advice to you - add another element which would show the "earthquake" that is sort of going on there. A tilted chandelier, a vase tipping over the edge of a cupboard, a glass falling off the table... There's a plethora of details that could add to the sense of "action" and boost the feeling of movement here. Enough bullets / dashes for now. In simple words: this is a huge improvement and definitely SO much more believable. Some of the more noticable elements of your style are still present, which is really nice. With just a few simple additions, this one could really become a lovely entry. Now, if you're going for the first place, I'd suggest expanding and adding another floor on top. That would allow you to add more movement and expand the storyline even further (pirate captain's wife coming down to check out what that fuss is all about, for example).

The first thing that caught my eye with this one was the slight angle at which the "skull" top of the island is tilted - a subtle, yet brilliant touch. Now, like most of the other guys have already said, SNOTting might be a great idea here - to me personally, studs are a "no-no" in microscale, because they just feel... well... too huge. As to that 40-inch padlock treasure chest, I must agree with Tereglith and at the same time request your and your cannon's mercy... But it just doesn't feel right (at least to me it doesn't). The spiders could just about fit in there, given the wonderful storyline, but the green background colour of the tiles is somewhat distracting. I'd suggest removing those spiders which are on the sand and leaving only the ones on the rocks - since they sorta blend in and look much more natural. As to the ships, I have absolutely no problems with their scale - as a matter of fact, I feel it's a really ingenious design and having three instead of just one makes the whole MOC look a bit more epic. You know - man-eating spiders, skull-headed island... having an entire pirate armada head for the buried & guarded treasure does fit just right in there :)

I'm sorry for making you feel confused there... I was just pointing out how much I enjoyed your creation as it were and that I didn't feel it needed additional elements which would probably ruin its feeling. Looking at the stone stairs (thank you so much for providing a photo for comparison!), I really feel I was right - at least for myself. I definitely prefer the ship-made ladder version of the bar. It just looks more... fun. I understand that to some people the stone stairs version might look catchier and, in a way, more "complete" - and I respect their opinion. However, Black Rabbit, at the end of the day I feel that it would be best if you'd go for what you feel works best for this MOC and the element you enjoy most. It is a top-notch entry anyway, so if I were you I'd just go for what I prefer - this one WILL be a strong contender whichever version you choose.

Aaa-ha!!! :pir-sweet: I'm so glad you followed my suggestion and actually implemented your initial idea! That soldier on top fits the whole scene so much better than the little boy and the kitten - especially with his grin. Now if you'd only add some details /furniture (i.e. a cupboard, carpet, a wall motif, etc.) to the upper floor, this one would be perfect! You could even use the space left by the sloped roof bricks and "insert" some smaller furniture items in there, that would look absolutely fabulous, especially from the angle your first picture is taken.

Congratulations, this is a really BIG improvement over your first edition, way to go! I really enjoy the sense of business "Men hard at work"-style that this one recreates. Besides, I feel that most details are spot on this time around. Perhaps you could however lose one or two minerals or hide them a bit, so that they don't seem so easy to get. I'm also curious what that fire piece is used for in the background of the cave. The mining cart and the lifting mechanism are absolutely marvellous ideas, the only tips I have for the improvement of those are : 1) The way which the barrier faces (yes, once again ). If you put the brown 1x6 tile facing the other way round, it would make much more sense; and 2)The lifting mechanism looks a bit weakish... Perhaps "strengthening it up" with a few more details might work and give it a more solid feel? The sandwich / suitcase idea is really funny, but unfortunately I don't think it's very believable... You could probably switch the suitcase for either one of these two backpacks. Overall, I really feel you're going in the right direction with this one and are very close to perfecting it. Keep up the good work!

Aaah... a relaxing 5 minutes walk away from home... or what used to be home I sorta miss Berlin in a nostalgic way which is weird... but it makes me love this one even more. Fantastic job Stone man!:)

Ah, another great design by Duq! I really dig this one's curvy look, I think you've done brilliantly in capturing the train's exact form!

Welcome Tereglith! Good to have you here ;] Can't wait to see those MOCs - and by the way, if videos are all that your Sony provides, why not go with videos then? You can then simply upload them to Youtube - provided that picture quality is good enough, that should most definitely be fun!

I would very much like to provide a little bit of criticism to fellow "Creative Critic"'s - guys, it's awesome that all of you are doing your best in order to give constructive feedback. I do however believe that it would be best to actually read what other people have commented on before sharing your views regarding MOCs. That way critics can become even more helpful to all entrants, instead of just going around in circles. Thanks!

Simple. Yet brilliant. This entry did put a smile on my face (I guess that's because I too have been craving for a few rounds of rum these last few days), and that's precisely what any MOC should do. Way to go Joose, seeing as this is your first MOC, you're obviously a talented tale-teller! Now on to the MOC itself - I'd totally give you a 9.5/10 for using all those perfect expressions. The only thing I would have done differently is the pirate lady's head - I'd use a different ladies' minifig head in order to give her some extra... appeal Talking about that - you might however use the Indigo Islanders' leg assembly as well for that special hula-hula feel :) Enough about the lady... Even though all eyes seem to be here in this MOC! What I would suggest about the structure of the pub would be to add a few more layers of sloped bricks (or some other kind of more elaborate roof design, which should give the whole entry an even better look). That way you could make use of the additional space and perhaps add some lighting, decoration, perhaps even wooden roof trusses!? I really feel that this would add a new dimension to this wonderful entry. Other than that - Admiral Ron's advice about changing that fire piece at the top of the chimney and instead creating some custom smoke is a great suggestion. Oh, and I really love how you've used the kegs and the paddle in order to set up that Limbo stick. Sweet!!! All in all, a refreshing entry... Now then, where's my rum

While I'm not quite sure what you meant by that "eroder" concept and it does look weird to me, I must admit that somehow this impossible-looking structure makes the island stand out a bit. Combining that with a steampunk look (thanks to the propeller, mostly) gives this entry a totally different twist compared to the other ones. And originality is a thing that to me as a voter always comes first. So, in that sense, as someone who could vote for this one on the above grounds, I'd suggest adding some more elements in order to expand this entry and its originality. You've clearly gone for a steampunkish look, which combined with the Pirates theme is a winner to me. You should however try and work some more elaborate details into the MOC as you find fitting. If I were you, I'd lose some of the more useless stuff that looks a bit piled on top of that island and replace it with creations which the pirate has made himself - naturally, "creations" in the steampunk sense of the word. Turning that propeller into a windmill for example would be a good start, because I too feel that you should definitely keep it. Combining such unique elements one would never expect to see associated with Pirates with your impossible/zany structure of the island will potentially give this one an extremely distinct vibe. Regarding the structure itself - for some reason, one of my first associations was the floating island from Gorillaz' "Feel Good" single. I'd suggest checking that out if you haven't - just to draw some inspiration. Can't wait to see your update(s)!!

While I generally enjoy the idea behind this one, I think the realisation of the concept could use some ironing out. What bugs me the most is that in order for the saboteur to actually get where he is and start "mining" shafts (before removing them? Anyway...), he'd have to teleport below the beach - sand castles are built on beaches and you know that you can't dig too deep there... It may sound a bit too punctilious, but that's just how I see things. And I must agree with The Alchemyst about that parrot! Poor bird must be a fossil, I guess. Another thing I'm not too keen on is the bolero hat that the captain is donning... I just don't think it suits the Pirate theme OR the beach setting. This may sound like a bit too much criticism, but I feel that you could still improve this MOC and turn it into a truly competitive entry. Oh, and by the way - you might want to edit your first post in order to remove that "small division" mention there. I know that it's officially posted a Medium Division entry, but it might still confuse some potential voters.

Actually, it's not the lady that I'm scared about... It's the one at the door who could soon be turning into an innocent (?) victim... Nate, please don't get me wrong, this MOC is anything BUT disappointing. In fact, the more I look at it, the more I appreciate it.

The kid & kitten on top are a nice addition, BUT not the best one for this specific MOC. Since you've gone in that direction, I strongly suggest adding something that brings another aspect of "Politics" into the frame. You already have bribing taking place on level 1, why not include some "tapping" on level 2? They didn't have phones back then, but you could try and mock-up some Armada brave soldier who's trying to "do the right thing" by overhearing what's going on... How about having him lie down on the floor with a cup against his hear in a desperate attempt to gather more info on the happenings downstairs? Just a notion.

To be perfectly honest, I must say that I don't think I'll enjoy this MOC as much if it had actual "stone" stairs. It's somehow the idea behind it - using the ship to mould the rocks into a great pub - what I like most about this entry. I feel adding stairs to it, while increasing its complexity, might kill off some of its "pirate hand-made" charm.

The Mail Van was cancelled some time ago, macoco... unfortunately . I though it was a wonderful little set - should have bought another one when I had the chance. As to the Service Station - I believe it's still available in Europe / the UK, but sales of that stopped in the USA as early as January this year... Guess they're slowly phasing it out in favour of the new Garage (7642), since they are pretty similar anyway.

I have absolutely no idea why I still haven't commented on this... This one is a wonderful MOC, one of my top favourites in this contest! As Tony has already mentioned, the proportions of the train are spot-on, but it's other details that really make it stand out -- and, of course, the wonderful yellow motives and livery round it all off in a perfect manner... I do hope to see more of your brilliant train MOCs, jmsenigma! Thanks for this brilliant entry!

Another very strong contender for the first place in this category! That's a wonderful entry, congratulations! The splashing effects around the marlin's body are awesome, but I would also suggest using some more trans-clear bricks in order to achieve a more natural feel. Other than that, I really enjoy how you've managed to "curve" that fishing rod - nicely done!

Signed. I totally missed out on Western sets actually... which is a crying shame

Which is just a City subtheme and as such could have been expected to be phased out sooner or later. And yes, while that it is interesting news, we don't necessarily need a thread specifically for Coast guard, whereas a common thread discussing the availability of all City sets as proposed by Svelte makes much MUCH more sense.