MetroiD

We still have yellow trams in Sofia... quite a few of them aren't a particular sight to behold, but there are some really nice models that I'm glad I can still see running. Besides, they run a "special" tram from the turn of the past century during the holiday season which looks (and rides) absolutely smashing. So I guess I can't complain, seeing as I'm not a huge fan of modern trams anyway. As to Duq's work - it's brilliant. I'm a tram enthusiast myself and have been wanting to build one for some time now... I really love all the features you've managed to include into this one in order to make it look 1:1 compared to the original. The pantograph is very ingenious and brilliant indeed, but to me the best feature here are the sloped sides... Just goes to show what a difference such details make. Good luck in the contest Duq!

Hmmm, in that case perhaps you should leave it as it is (after the inclusion of candles, that is ), in order to avoid having to deal with new software... Otherwise, I would recommend Corel PhotoPaint or Adobe PhotoShop for photo editing - you COULD however use a bunch of other photo management programs, such as for example ACDSee, that also offer the option to add basic effects to your photos. In any case, this one looks very nice already :)

What a nice, solid-looking train Ashi!!! Welcome to EB, that's a great way to introduce yourself This one sure looks "great" & sturdy :) Good job! How many 9V motors do you use to motorize it?

A wonderful improvement there, Ron! The chandelier is a brilliant idea - my only suggestion is that you could try and add something reminiscent of candles to it, so that it looks more like a 16th century chandelier - after all, they didn't have electricity back then and gas lamps were used mostly outside the houses... So adding a couple of round trans-yellow cones (Peeron's having troubles again :/) could help give it a more authentic look. Which brings me to another idea regarding your lovely MOC - why don't your tamper with the lighting a bit in order to give it a darker, gloomier look? If you do put candles on that chandelier, you could afterwards use some simple photo editing tool to "add" lighting effects to those and then leave the rest of the room a bit darker - that might give this one an even stronger feel.

Tony, I've stared at each one of your locs for hours, marvelling at their beauty... Seeing them lined up side by side like this however adds a whole new dimension to your train MOCs... That's just top-notch mate.

OK, this one is officialy my favourite entry in the Medium category so far! I absolutely LOVE the HMS Wasted, by the way... And I would definitely enjoy a drink with the Captain and his parrot... As far as Creative Criticizing goes, I can't see anything wrong about this. On the contrary - its details are absolutely impressive so I don't see a reason why you should worry about tiling over the water for example. Perhaps just some hint of a wave along the hull of the majestic HMS Wasted there? I can see a ripple, but I thought adding a bit to that (so that the Wasted is actually positioned a bit sideways) would make the new "ship" look even more hilarious. The overall concept is brilliant... Great job, Rack Blabbit It will take something HUGE to beat this entry and I don't think anyone could come close to implementing their idea so nicely within 16x16 studs...

I actually like this one quite a bit! It did take me quite a while to grasp that there is no "inside" or "outside" the building here and it's just a simple tower along the beach... I was really quite confused at first - perhaps you could try and make this one a bit more realistic, so that it doesn't actually look like a swimming pool in a building? I would suggest adding some more distance between the gates and the water itself - no one would want their building constructed right on the shore so that it gets flooded every night ;) A few good overall shots of this MOC, as other EBbers have already suggested, should also go a long way to improving viewers' understanding of the perspective... So I'd be really grateful if you could try and take some more pics of this one - with or without your finger As to specific recommendations - I must say that I couldn't quite understand what the black rod inside the brown box is actually supposed to represent... The beach / pool is a great idea but you could try and add some more details to the water - or the sand - so that the distinction is clearer. I guess that the pirate cap'n likes islander girls, which is understandable, but how about a good close-up shot of him? After all, it's his pool and this whole MOC is supposed to be revolving around him, right? From what I can make out of these pics, he seems to be planning on walking on water, which should be fun

That's the good thing about input Ron I never said you copied it or anything, I just think that your idea is original enough for you to add your very own and instantly recognizable unique twist to it As to uploading - you can just edit your first post when you're done with updating the vignette! Have fun and let those creative energies flow :) Oh, and I just had a notion - the East India Company had quite a reputation for bribing government officials back in the day... You could draw some creative inspiration from the stories about them! Good luck mate :)

Ron, I don't want to sound negative, but this entry is perhaps a tad bit too reminiscent of Vladimir Leonov's Peace Treaty, don't you think? In order to enhance the originality of this one, I would suggest a different setting for your otherwise cool idea. If it is a member of the parliament that is being bribed, then why don't you have the minifigs situated in a parliament house for example, as opposed to a fort? That way, you could also make use of specific items which we would probably only see in your MOC - a great way to make it stand out! Furthermore, even though your idea is nice, I believe it needs something to be added to it in order to really fullfil its potential. The way I see things now, you could as well be having that minifig paying the other one off for some meat and a random map... Politics would hardly come to mind by the looks of the scene. I would suggest following Cap'n Blackmoor's idea and using a treasure chest with actual coins as the bribe - it would look much more lucrative and by combining it with the proper expression/face on the bribing minifig's face, it could have a great effect. As to what precisely the bribe is about - you could retain the map since those were quite important back in the days of piracy, just try to build on that a little bit, so that its value is really comprehended. Last but not least, you could try improving the quality of your photos since for the most part they are rather blurry. If your camera has an option for close-up shots, you might want to use that - otherwise, you could just try to take the picture from a bit further off, so that the details come out a bit clearer. Using proper lighting could also greatly enhance the visibility of the lower floor - even though it is not too covered up or dark. Good luck in the contest :)

After giving it much consderation, I voted for cooper's Cab Forward. The ingenious design and the marvellous idea itself is what makes this one a top-notch entry for me.

One word: top-notch. I must admit, just like most of the other guys around here, I wasn't even aware that similar engines actually existed. Absolutely brilliant - both the idea, and the MOC itself.

Such a lovely MOC, so few comments! This is one of my favourites in this contest, what a smashing locomotive! I would absolutely love to see a video of it running...

To me, all of these entries are smashing! I am however torn between three of them: jayhurst's Union Pacific 9000 Class (I ADORE the engine itself and the representation is marvellous), Cooper's Souther Pacific Cab Forward (one of the most original entries in this contest) and 74louloute's French Wagon RER A (one of the most _vivid_ train MOCs I've seen lately)... I will give it some more thought these days and then vote. Very tough choice though

Mata Nui, perhaps you SHOULD have read the thread before going "someone said, so I say..." Back on topic - Pirates taking a "break" (as long as that is) can't be all too bad guys, come on, lighten up! Yes, there MIGHT be a POTC line for a year or two or even three, but that will soon come to an end and the regular Pirates will be back again, revigorated by the power of new items / colours / combinations created while drawing inspiration from something else. I personally would rather have one GOOD line of Pirates every five years than a bunch of useless sets every six months - even though, I must admit that I don't buy half as many sets as you guys do. Oh, and talking about Pirates of the Caribbean - I really feel you are being too harsh guys. The movies are witty and really fun to watch, at least to me, so why do you have to bash them as well?

That's a great entry, Iz :) Seeing as my project for the Contest is something along those lines, I guess I'd better refrain from critically criticizing too much To be honest however, I must say I love how full of life this one is. I really feel that the "guilds" idea is a very good one - you could try and differentiate between the separate activities even more. Oh, and how about adding a "walking the plank in style" course for young governor's daughters?

Ah, that's so much better now!! A tiny change which goes a long way to refining this one, I really like the addition of the post! Have you considered adding an actual cart or would it get too cluttered?

For some weird reason, this one reminds of Grumpy Old Men - dunno if you've actually seen the movie. All good friends need to hassle sometimes, what matters is that in the end they still know they're there for each other. Sounds downright WRONG with the "friends" being the pirate and the armada leaders - and that's precisely why this one is such a great entry. I'm starting to get the feeling that we'll see the best ideas in this year's Contest in the Small division. A very effective design to complement your lovely idea - and the suggestions by Paul cantu were spot on! Seeing as you don't have any brown bricks/plates, I guess there's not much left to improve on this one. Since I'm a stranger to fishing I can't help but ask... excuse my stupid question, but what is that Indigo hairpiece used for there?

Ah, the perfect MOC bearing in mind the character of this year's contest. Good job Vladimir :) While I'm not convinced that this one needs _too_ many new details added to it, I would suggest having the pirate and the admiral shake hands. I believe that should help convey this entry's idea. Looking forward to seeing your progress on this one, it does look extremely promising! Have fun P.S.: Another suggestion: try and think of more symbols that could be related to peace in general. Somehow I feel that the guard on sentry up there does not quite fit in here. Some custom-built white doves in the hands of a few dirty and salty seadogs perhaps?

I can't believe I still haven't commented on this one... Great concept PixelDude! However, I do feel that you need to follow the advice of fellow EB members and downsize this one, entering it into the Small Category so that viewers can concetrate on your simple yet wonderful idea. The way it is now, there is too much room which is left unused and I think you're trying to fill it up by adding things that are not necessarily related to your wonderful idea - in this case, a crocodile. Unless that pirate figures out a way to get his knitting threads out of that poor ol croc, I say lose the green animal I'm not saying filling up space is a bad idea, I just think you don't need to expand this one - on the contrary, concentrating on just this one idea you've come up with would make for a much more hilarious entry. One more thing I would suggest is replacing the rock that this pirate sits on with a custom-built chair. I believe it would add a very funny look to an abandoned small island in the middle of the sea - especially when combined with this guy's relaxed hobby!

I also agree that there is one thing that could make this wonderful little vig look much more piratey - changing their faces. The lead singer could really use an eyepatch or a wooden leg for credibility... And the stage floor is also a bit too full- have you tried to make this look as if it was taking place on a ship? That's the notion I get from the railing in the background, but still I feel that you could improve on this. Overall, I love the concept - AND the way you've made all those details work, from the goblet to the hat. And the sepia hue is a nice touch too. However... that MUST be one stinkin' rock band, what with all those dead fish around

While I really enjoy this little vig and all the wonderful improvements you've made to it, I somehow don't understand how these two happy (?) souls' stories intertwine... It's a very enjoyable little street scene, but I was looking for some detail that would relate them to each other - and there was none. The flowers besides the cart stop totally threw me off - what were they doing there anyway!? At first, I thought that the pirate was off to ask that ol' fella for his daughter's hand (hence the sad look on his face), but now upon reading that they've got absolutely in common, I'm quite baffled. I love your idea about that cart stop, but if you could have somehow added some small detail as to remind viewers of its purpose, I think it would have turned out even better. Yeah, I know that bus... oops, cart stops don't have glowing neon signs that say "Cart be stopping here", but still...

I see that you've followed my idea about double / multiple layers and that notion of "this treasure or that treasure". Glad I could help :) Even though this one is obviously well-thought out, I do feel that the first edition had a much simpler (and more effective) way of conveying its idea. Here's a hint: try looking at the pictures and forgetting that you created this MOC. If you're getting the main idea, then you're on the right track. That's just what was spot on with the first edition -- here however, I couldn't for the love of me figure out what was going on before I read your info. I somehow can't seem to grasp how it is that the daughter is being held down there below and just a few studs above her head, lush green grass and flowers grow... The treasure pit does look great, but somehow it fails to impress with all that's going on around it. I'm not sure I like that mast-looking tree either... Too much criticism, I know. It may sound harsh, but I'm being perfectly honest with you here - I _loved_ your initial idea. I think you've overplayed it a bit with this update. My suggestions would be to lose the tree in favour of more flowers and/or some sort of connection to the layers underneath. If you still want to keep the daughter, try to somehow genuinely "connect" her to the whole concept. If those are the sewers, give them a dirtier look and yes, you could do without one or two pirates there in order to enhance visibility. Finally, I think you might want to consider using a different face for the Captain in order to convey his emotions in a more plausible way. Good luck my friend! And have fun ;)

Curse you LEGO! If I rob a bank, you'll be the ones to sue! Oh well. Might as well keep working my a$$ off, as long as it pays the LEGO bills... But please, no crisis talk anyone!!! By the way, is it just me or are LEGO sort of shooting themselves in the foot here... From what I've seen, there are huge amounts of BB that remain unsold - could the price go even lower with this one coming up and BB cancelled in just three months' time? I've planning on getting the Bounty for a long time now and can absolutely see it getting reduced in December... Must snatch!!! And then hope there'll be tons of work in January

Wow. That is what I would have tried to build if I had bought the City Farm set - since LEGO actually made quite a mess out of it... For what it's worth, I love this one's looks to bits. The big & sturdy building and the tall silos look perfect and those details are really well thought out. Congratulations

This one is a wonderfully-styled little CC MOC, Etzel, and I'm sure it will fit in perfectly with the other buildings in your street! Besides, there's not much detail that you can squeeze inside a building this small (as in staircases and such)... Well, now that I think of it, perhaps there might just be a way to add a staircase to this - have you considered using the Beach House idea of having stairs integrated into the wall? Just a notion... As to the furniture, I'd suggest adding some flowers and/or food/drinks on the first floor - that should go a long way to livening it up even more. And how about cupboards in the same style as the stairs (i.e. integrated into the wall? Seeing as you don't have too much space available for counters etc., I think that might be a viable solution. That is, of course, in case you're actually interested in furnishing this - although I really think the view from that big first floor window would be nice :) I wouldn't necessarily agree with BlueBard (even though I have utmost respect for his MOCs and style ) about that roof - the front of it looks quite OK to me and the backside is supposed to be a bit more plain anyway - that window fits in just right. However, I was thinking that you might want to add some facade elements to the second floor... A balcony wouldn't look quite right there, but perhaps some minor offsets in the width of the walls, such as having them come out a bit, might look nice? For example, you could try and have the windows come out 1 stud ahead - that should go nicely with the black arches above them... Oh, the first floor's facade is lovely btw! Very clean yet rather impressive - good job! Oh and - welcome on board. Let the modular madness begin...