Derfel Cadarn

Hmmm.. so far im not sure about these sets, they look a bit on the basic side to me, but then again I suppose most lines are like that. I will still probably buy them or a few of a certain set depending on the parts. It all comes down to parts for me, as I never use lego sets as they are as the've already been designed by someone else and I like to build my own. These arn't the finished articals however, so I wont judge yet, I just hope the bigger sets in this theme have some nice new parts that will really add something to pirate mocing! And...I really hope lego bring back the original pirate stern piece in dark brown!!!! The new bow/stern piece just isn't as good. Enough moaning, im just happy we are still getting pirates in one shape or form!

I think that Mill Raid set could be my most wanted set of the year, unless a new modular town building is unvieled. I'm still hoping for a adult castle like the big colectors starwars sets, or even a civilian battle pack would be a great idea, as they always do knight battle packs but one with five peasants and some pitchforks would suit me down to the ground!

Well I was quite lucky as they had both light bley and dark bley in my local Lego shop's PAB wall. Here in the UK it's £11 for a large pot, so I bought 3 large pots of each colour. It was a huge saving as you can fit well over 1000 in a large pot so it worked out cheaper then buying them from bricklink. But that's the only time I've seen them in the shop, so I buy them now from S@H, as it's the only place where I can buy 1000 of each colour a month. Although I havnt bought any for a while. I was also lucky with brown tiles at a Lego store too, as the amount I crammed into a pot would cost nearly double if I bought them online. I naturally always regularly check my local shop now!

I have found that the moduler town sets were a great source of parts. I know they arnt cheap but you do get a good amount of standard bricks as the backs of the models are all made up of a solid colour. The firestatipn was good for light bley, the green grocer was good for sand green, the emporium is great for tan and cafe corner had a lot of brown and tan. Other then that I would agree that the MMV and bricklink are good. You can always check set inventories online and see what sets have a lot of pieces you are after.

Yes you are correct. Mostly all the UK sets had different names to other countrys, and not just the pirate theme but virtually every theme. I still have every catalog for every year dating back to 1980. For example: Black Falcons Fortress - Castle Draco Dragon Masters Castle - Castle Carreg The Imperial Shipo was called the 'The Sea Lion' There was 'Port Jamaica', 'The Black Skull', 'The Sea Vulture' etc. If anyone is interested in the names changes I could write out a whole list. I sometimes think we in the UK got better names

Thankyou all! I dont mean that the're bad, its just that I could have made them a lot nicer if I had more time, which is why I say they are probably my worst entrys out of the 6 I have made for this comp. Yes they do give a good tree effect as you can bend them to any position. They are held together by an elastic band at the bottom which I conceal with cheese wedges and folidge. Wishing you and your family a good Xmas too mate

These are my final two entrys for the CCC. Unfortunatly due to a busy work schedule and the usual rushing and stress of Xmas, I only had one evening to build these both in, so the mocs have kind of suffered in that respect - deffinitly not my best work. But, thats life and they will have to do. First up is Troll Baiting. The age old tradition of pitting knights against a ragging troll in one on one combat is an execellent way to get the knights battle instincts sharp and ready for the upcoming war. Plus it is also great fun for the spectators! Next is Ramble On! Probably the most basic moc ive ever made and only took just under a hour! A simple scene showing a farmer tending his stock, the corn being harvested, a fruit seller on his way to market and a young man who has packed all his belongings and decided to hit the road and just ramble on! Well thats it for me this year, and I shall be taking a break from castle for a while till I can come up with some new techniques to make them more realistic. Should be back in the new year with some Town and Pirate mocs. Merry Xmas everybody DC

Preety damn awesome! Love the whole look and feel of the build! Great colour use and techniques and the torso for Gipeto is spot on!

Life Had been hard. The morale of Robin's outlaws was low. Years of living rough in the forrest had taken its toll. So when they discovered the horde of gold at the mill, Robin decided to use the money to by a small Inn on the edge of the forrest. Now he and his men could carry on their good deeds knowing they had a warm bed to return to after a quest. Not just that however, they also had an endless supply of wines, beers and ale. His men soon cheered up and from that day onward, they became know as 'Robin Hood and his MERRY men! Only one pic as thats all I took. All these buildings have been a good chance for me to practice and get better at building for a very large project I hope to start next year. Ive come to the conclusion that dark brown,dark green and white is the best colourscheme for what I have planned. Even though there are only a few hints of dark green on this building it really stands out when you see it in real life and I will deffinitly be using it for shutters on the windows. I still think I can get these more realistic though. Just 2 more entries left!!!! Then no more castle for a long while!

A great entry sir! Nice design and great little details really make this a strong entry in this catogory. Not sure if i'll be entering that one;) Nice work and good luck in the comp.

You couldnt be more right! I did use to take them apart and seperate them by colour but that was hell. So now I just bung them all in a big box so I can grab what I need. I dont think I could ever go back to just plain grey bricks for castle as it just looks odd and plain to me. But, I do want to get back to using some good old normal bricks which I why im gonna tackle a few Town mocs next year.

This is a great entry The waterfall is done very nicely and that bridge looks excellent! I must admit there are many great entrys in this catogory and this is one of the best

Aye, ye be doing a grand job matey! Congrats

Actually, looking at that picture of the QAR, it kind of reminds me of the shape of the Skulls Eye Schooner. So I wouldn't be surprised if we get a set similar to that, and it better have some nice gold parts for the stern as its pretty expensive!

Nice entry! Great torso and sheild I suggest maybe brown for the gloves, kind of like a leather look. Thats what I usually go for if the greys dont look right. Nice work!

Great work Skalldyr Thats a great bit of landscaping and you've really captured the feel of a storm with those trees and the other details. Nice one!

Thats a great idea and build! The castle itself is nice but the fact its an advent calender as well makes it one very well designed moc indeed

Thanks for your comments. The waterwheel is an improved design of what I used on my Mary Jane moc. I do have a few other pics of it which i will post on flickr when I get time.

Cheers ISC, after I put up this post I went back on flickr and resized the pics which is what messed up the links I think. Thanks for sorting that out mate.

For the past few years a small group of renegade Falcons have taken over the local mill and its occupants. After hearing of the affair, Robin and his men swiftly bring the Falcons to justice, but they also discover a hoard of gold hidden within the mill that the Falcons had gathered. Do they give it to the poor and continue to live in the cold forest in poverty, or do they buy a mansion and live the high life? A bit of a lame scene I know. I could of gone for a really heroic idea, but im just rushing these out now as ive only got 2 weeks till I go away for Xmas, so need to get them done. I wish I had more time to make this look as good as the Old Forge, but still, Im quite pleased with how it turned out and both mocs look great connected together. Anyway, heres part 1 of the Outlaw catogory. I know the pics are all pretty similar, but 3 pics are all you can submit, so I havn't really been bothered to take any more.

Hi there, my 3rd entry for CCC. A horde of Trolls are swarming the watchtower! The tower guards the falcon's the main route towards the Falcon's kingdom and the Trolls will stop at nothing to capture it. No remorse for the helpless! The tower itself is actually one of 8 similar designs I am building which will form part of the outer walls of my upcoming castle. Its a large project though, and will be quite a while untill its complete. Plus I must admit im struggling now, as im getting a bit bored of castle but ive still got another 3 entrys to build At least I can give castle a long break after the contest and focus on Pirates and Town! Enjoy There are larger pics on my flickr

Great work A nice backstory and 3 great scenes from different time periods. A good entry sir. Good luck in the contest

Thats what I thought, a very good effort at creating the old brown lego colour. I look forward to seeing this complete

Nice work matey! The totem pole looks really cool and the whole scene looks lush and full of detail. This sounds like a great project and I look forward to seeing the other sets in your goblin theme.(Great idea on creating your own theme line with different mocs, will we get another wave after this first line? )

Yes, dont get me wrong, Im sure we will get some nice new pieces or existing pieces in newer colours, but im not getting my hopes up for some of the parts people are mentioning as that would be too good to be true! Still, the design of the sets themselves dont interest me, its the parts that Im after. They could make a beautiful version of the Black pearl and i'd still rip it apart and plunder the pieces As long as theres lots of pieces in dark brown then I'll be happy(dark brown 1x1 and 1x3 tiles would be awesome).