mikey

The Advanced Building Thread has some essential links, but I do not think the techniques need to be categorized in any manner. The point of a technique is to play with it and use it, the applications do not need to indexed, as most of the techniques have multiple applications. I would love to see that thread become more active (maybe pinned? -so people who do not know it is there encounter it?), I would love to see people making tutorials that can be added to it. As for some kind of 'Academy', I do not think it is necessary. Most of topics which have WIP seem to me to get a fair amount of attention, and generally finished MOC topics get replies, although maybe positive comments outweigh critical comments. I know I am not particularly active, but when I do comment on a MOC I generally have a question or a slight criticism for the builder, and I when I post a MOC I value the replies which question or criticize, because they give a different perspective which I often take on board to use in the future. I never change my MOC (usually they are sorted as soon as I make pictures, for the next shiny thing syndrome), but I do think about different things when I move on to pastures new. Also as Big Cam says, nobody wants to see (or build!) a "standard style" - as approved by the Academy! Design by Committee! I think Eurobricks is a friendly place, and I think the majority of members would be happen to explain a certain aspect of their MOC if asked in a thread in which they are publicizing their creation. I don't mean "Instructions Please", but a certain relevant question about a particular part. And I would even go as far as to say, if they don't want to answer relevant and intelligent questions about their MOC, why did they bother to post it here? In a general sense, and this is just my perspective, I think we have great resources available to improve our MOC as it is now. A wealth of image sharing sites constantly 'up the game', browsing Flickr will not only give inspiration, but gives new techniques, new ideas. Many people post explanation shots, and for what I am interested in reverse engineering from photos generally gives me the essentials of most ideas I wish to plagiarize.

I think that "alien cockpit" picture looks like parts from Tundra Tracker. Based on the Sand Blue Windscreen 8 x 4 x 2, being in only two sets.

This is very sad to read, my thoughts are with his family.

I found your post very interesting, and was actually surprised to see the results. I would have assumed that female characters would have been requested more than they actually have. I personally love to get a new female minifig because they can create a more realistic MOC world when I need them, and get the sense generally that most AFOL would like to have a nice balance of male and female characters to use. Of course it could be argued that this data is skewed, but for a general sense it does raise a good issue. One way of reading this data could be to say we are all ten year old boys at heart! But seriously it would be interesting to see if the roles people had allocated to male could easily be switched to female. I totally agree with your point about creating an 'awareness' of this issue, and this is not a discussion about misogyny. To look at this from a different angle, we could say that sex is biologically determined, whilst gender (and by definition, gender role) is a social construct. So maybe roles have been allocated to male, when a female fig could fulfill them, which might be related to a learnt sense of the perceived 'correct' gender for that particular character request.

I to would love to see short legs that could bend, but I presume they are just to little to fit the mechanism in. As for the original question, its so subjective. One person's 'too much detail' will always be another's 'perfect representation'. To be honest I am just accepting flesh tone, and have come to quite like it (but never as much as classic yellow!), I was not overly impressed with the Prince of Persia heads, and am horrified by the Clone War heads. I am really in the 'MiniFig are just a representation of a human' camp, so I don't really expect perfect similarities. They have their own unique proportions, and like has been said they are a stylised image. I really like the balance Lego have struck in their design recently in the classic themes. Double sided heads can be useful, but I would prefer them to be used in moderation, as I can not have faces sticking out the back on my figs! I would hate to see any change to their design, either sculpted heads or female bodies (printed Lego cleavage is enough for me!). And talking of female figs, of course I want to see more females (with nicely printed cleavage!) in sets.

I to like to have my MOC nicely connected, even if I don't play that much once I've finished it, I still want to know that it has the potential to be playable! This really sums up my feelings about using this technique, what really matters at the end of the day is your enjoyment and satisfaction from building. If you need to use SNOT to achieve a certain shape, then that is your only option, if you don't need it then you don't have to use it! For me the enjoyment is finishing something I'm happy with. Also, but this is not really related to building a MOC (more just playing with tablescrap), it can be fun to figure different SNOT technique out, just as a little diversion. So instead of properly building you are playing with a 3D puzzle, trying to get everything to line up and connect.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but, Bricklink does take a little time to fully engage with the interface. It is worth the initial problems because once you get comfortable with the system it is an intense resource, not only for buying parts, but for investigating sets, finding new elements etc. Firstly if you have created a Wanted List, does it have the amount of parts you need? As this method will only work if you have filled in the 'Minimum Quantity' box. If so this will show you the shop that has the most number of lots (in the quantity you need) on your list: Click on 'Wanted' tab, scroll down and you will see 'My Wanted List By Shop' link, this will display shops which have the items on your list, with the shop that has the most items at the top. Once you click that link the page will load and the drop down boxes should read 'In: ---All My Wanted Lists---' (or however you named your list), and 'Sort By: Lots (Total)'.

This is an excellent looking MOC, you have put some great details throughout. I really like the door design, and how that tile can slide to reveal the peep hole in it. The car is looking nice, seems very nicely proportioned. Excellent work !

In Dark Blue these sets, and in Dark Red these sets.

Sorry to reiterate BigCam's post, but with a name like 'Super Blox' did you really expect them to be super?

For the parts you need I think the only way is Bricklink, especially if you are on a budget. The parts you have listed are essentially the 'good' parts for the AFOL, and whilst some buying sets would yield a reasonable amount you will be spending a fair bit, and also be left with parts that you don't really need. Especially with tiles to cover a floor, you will need lots! Also look at the Pick a Brick on the Lego site, you might well find some good pieces to use for furniture. Another good source of inspiration and ideas are the groups on Flickr.

This is looking really nice, in fact the dark orange roof looks good enough to eat! I like how you put a door facing the front on the second floor to allow goods to enter through, although maybe the pigs should have stayed on the first floor? All in all this is a great looking MOC , and using the Islander hair piece for the top of that lantern looks perfect.

This is definitely an interesting subject for a little MOC, and you have built in a nice tidy style, the transparent plates go nicely for the flooded field. This is just my opinion, but I do think that tiles for the grass and mud make it too smooth though, having the grass represented by studs might have made a nice contrast to the smooth (and wet) mud.

I really like Zblj's suggestion, as this could be a 'community' project as opposed to a 'relay' project. I understand that whoever was running the build would need a powerful PC to put together the final piece, but I can imagine a really nice creation springing from this approach. Obviously it would need planning, but I do think that it might be a good option to consider in the future.

I really like the colours you chose for the roof, the mix really looks nice in that setting. I do agree with IScreamClone that the lower floor looks a little short, but I think as you have created a 'cartoon' like fantasy piece which is full of action it does blend in and suits the style.

Thanks for the positive comments from you all. I had done a little research on the subject and found myself getting quite interested in some of the concepts of the architecture, a key characteristic being a simple and minimalistic approach. I did not follow the principles completely (the back wall should be closed really), but went for a general sense of this type of structure. Once I got started everything came together nicely, so it was definitely a satisfying build. Cheers! I did initially try to build a fire for the roof, but I was not happy with what I could come up with. Using 1x1 or 2x2 round bricks just did not look right, and anything bigger than 2x2 overpowered the gold dome! So I took some artistic license and conveniently forgot to add those in! I agree a Light Brick would have really looked nice in this, but I do not have one. I had been thinking about this MOC for a while and when I started to build, it came together quickly, and I did not want to wait for one to arrive!

The 1x3 Tan arch was not really intentional, because the wall is at an angle held by hinge plates it needed to be 7 studs long, so placing the 1x3 arch was really the only thing I could do. But I really do like how it turned out. As for the unhappy lady, she is always moody!

Fire Temples first began to appear in Persia during the 6th century BCE, and had become common by the 3rd century BCE. They were used to house a sacred fire in honour of the prophet Zoroaster. During the height of the Persian Empire the state religion of Zoroastrianism was likely to have been the worlds largest religion. My inspiration was the Atashgah site: Now on to the MOC: Front view. The priest. Overhead view. Back view. The interior with sacred fire burning.

They had 3368 Space Center for £49.99, and 3366 Satellite Launch Pad for £13.99, on the shelves.

I picked up the City Space Moon Buggy Impulse set today, it was priced at £3.99, from Smyths Toys. The set does not yet have a BrickLink page, so I can't really say how many parts you get or link the inventory! First the picture of the box: More importantly is what is inside the box: Nothing spectacular here, although I do find those wheels quite useful. I am sure the Battle Droid Body in dark bley will be a good piece, and I did not have the 5L Bar with handle before. Instructions are not really necessary for a set this size, but here they are! Of course what influenced my impulse decision was this piece: I am not really a space person, but I still wanted an Astronaut! The Minifig has a run of the mill head, but makes up for this with a very nice torso printed front and back. Of course this being a tiny set, its all about the MiniFig. And I am very happy with him. This is about half way through the build: It turns out you get a reasonable little Moon Buggy: Of course its very simple, but I was quite impressed with the mechanical arm on the back. A nice range of movement, I can see myself using this idea in the future. All in all I think this is a nice little set. You get an astronaut, the recoloured helmet with a gold visor, and a handful of parts including good wheels and useful mechanical arm pieces. I think these size sets were around £3.49 last year? Although this could be Smyths pricing (I had never been there before). But even for £4 it's a good little buy.

Thanks for all the positive comments from you all, they are all appreciated . I deliberately choose a minimal approach to furniture in the attempt to create a sense of space and grandeur to the scene, and also this guy has no need for a table, everything is delivered for him! Cheers. I did not realise you could get 1x3 Tile in Dark Red (essential to keep the bed together), I should have checked BrickLink first! I was not impressed with Lime Green for the bed either, and would have preferred a richer colour, but because I needed that tile I thought it was the best option.

I am totally assuming now that you are TFOL. Now if it turns out you decide not to bother with Lego for a few years then you may be entering your Dark Age, but I would not be worried about it, just do the stuff that interests you at the moment. Before you know whats happened you will be in your twenties and working, your youth snatched away by the cruel hands of time, then you might decide to that you want to play with Lego again! As long as you keep your collection, it will always be their waiting for you to return. This is by no means judgmental on any older TFOL, but, when I was going on 18 I had a lot more on my mind than playing with Lego. And those years go so quick, so enjoy them while you can!

Do you think you have left the research for your project a little bit late?

Some fun building with the Prince of Persia theme, but not really related to the film...

This is a nice looking MOC, I laughed when the basement with the robber digging his way in was revealed!