BEAVeR

Glad to see the contest picking up speed. We're still discussing if a group PM is feasible. In the meantime, here's another idea: what if we would set up a Google document for each faction, that you can only access through a link? That way we only would have to distribute that link once, and you'd be certain of the secrecy of what you're saying. No encryption needed. Also, you don't need an account to access it. What do you guys think? The betting happens throughout the episode. The ranking can change at any time given the builds that are posted. We restrict humans from podracing to stay in canon mostly, and the main idea of this episode is to influence the race in other ways. The podrace is just the backdrop. Of course, being a "mechanic" is no problem whatsoever. So get creative! If you really have no other option, I'd say you can, as it doesn't appear in the build. However, this is a LEGO site, so try looking for an alternative, or consider if you have to include that certain feature. We don't want this to derail in creations loaded with non-LEGO elements, I hope you understand that. 1. The bets are placed by the faction as a whole. So you can discuss your individual opinions internally and post the ranking that seems the best compromise, or you organize a voting... so not every person can make his individual predictions in the betting thread. 2. Correct! Correct, it's just one entry per person. The last few episodes had you building enough already, so take your time to make something great. And you don't necessarily have to actively infiltrate in the Black Sun. you can also help a superior do it, by carrying out actions he thinks will affect the race in his favor...

Very nice modifications! I'm especially fond of those covered undersides of the wings. Does it really need that many finger hinges? There is also another couple of parts that can do the same thing, and may be easier to come by. I'm talking about 4315 and 4213. To post images from imgur here on Eurobricks, this is what you do: 1) Go to the individual image you want to show (I could only view images in albums, so what you can do is right click on the image, copy the image URL, paste it in your adress bar and delete the .jpg or any other file extension. This leads you to the page of that specific image) 2) In the bottom right of the page, go to "get embed codes". You'll see a window with some codes 3) At the bottom of that window, select the image size. "Large thumbnail" should be alright. 4) Then copy the code under "BBCode" or "Linked BBCode" (if you want your images to link to imgur), and paste it here on Eurobricks right into the post (so you don't have to use the image button here). Then your pictures should appear in your final post. Keep improving those models!

Thanks for your feedback and questions, guys! We are aware of the lack of privacy of both camps. Creating a hidden subforum isn't in our powers however (I think only root admins are able to do that). But we'd really like to help, so who knows, maybe in the future (don't quote me on that though) ? And please don't think we're ignoring the feedback thread. You see we already adopted some ideas from it. So please keep giving us feedback! About keeping your tactics secret. A PM could be set up for each faction here players could communicate. However, there is a maximum on the amount of people that can participate in one and we dont want to spam people's mail boxes, so I would discourage that idea. However, maybe a good option would be to encrypt every message you post in the faction's thread. There are some sites on the internet that allow you to enter text and encrypt/decrypt it using a password. It could be possible to send a password to every member of a team, via PM. I looked around a bit, and I think this website can offer a simple solution. Try decrypting this message with the password "example": If the factions are interested in this, please let us know and we'll distribute the passwords. It's not really a perfect solution, but I think it might still be feasible, until we can arrange those separate forums, if that will ever happen. You're right about the goal of this episode. And about including players that didn't participate in the episode, I quote from Watto's betting booth: This means that you can add as many players as you want to the ranking. the ones that didn't participate in the end won't count for the points. Also be aware that not every single player will enter his ranking, but there will only be one collective ranking for every faction, that should be discussed in the Avenger/Redemption. Thanks for spotting that typo in the rule, goatman461. It should have been that the secondary character should be within the same faction. So if you're an Imperial player, both of your characters have to be Imperials. Just to keep the scoring simple. You can however change "job", so your primary character could be a pilot while your secondary one is a pilot. I hope this clears it up. I changed the section that you quoted to state it more clearly. I'm not a walking Star Wars encyclopedia, but what I found doesn't seem to indicate Rodians were frequent pod racers (also considering they have rather slow reflexes. Han shot first, you know), instead they were very famous pod race mechanics. But I'll give you the advantage of the doubt, if you really want to pilot a pod racer, you can. Not however that the impact of a non-professional racer on the control of the race might not be very big. Please keep your builds located on Tatooine. I don't really see "foreign" racers being the best in a sport that is so typical for Tatooine. You are not restricted in your freebuilds however, so do what you want in those. I hope that sheds some light on the rules. Have fun!

"This is it, boys. Go to those pod races, find a way to get in the betting circuit, and gamble well. If you don't, make sure the race still follows your bets. Recruit your own racers, sabotage others. Those criminals have a nose for trickery, so cheat well, and you will be noticed. Be secretive and manipulative, and they'll want you to join their ranks. And give them some good betting tips along the way, and you'll make quick progress. So get changed and get tricky!" "Understood, sir!" "And boys, please don't waste our money... Good luck" “Lord Vader has given the operation green light. Our men can prepare to board. And make it clear to them, General, we leave nothing to the odds” “Understood, Captain. I'll make it clear that if we don't succeed in infiltrating the Black Sun and tracking down those Rebels, no amount of luck can save us from Lord Vader” “Keep an eye on them. I don't want them to loose focus and enjoy those races! I, on the other hand will personally go there to oversee the progress of the race. Strictly professional, of course.” Mysterious person: I've always said: "Never tell me the odds". I'll shape them myself. Betting on the outcome: In parallel with the regular building competition, there will be a betting competition. During the entire episode, both factions will try to predict the outcome of the episode by maintaining a ranking (one ranking per faction). Both rankings will contain all Rebel and Imperial players that participated in this episode, and may contain players that did not. When the judges publish their scores of the builds when the episode has ended, each faction gets bonus points according to how well they predicted the outcome. When the players of a faction have agreed on their ranking, bets can be placed in the separate betting thread. A bet has to be in the form "Put <insert player name here> on place <insert place number here>". A ranking will be updated when two individual players of the faction have placed the same bet in name of their faction (in order to prevent abuse from individuals). The betting competition ends at the same time as the building competition. As long as the involved builder hasn't posted his build in the forum yet, the factions are allowed to add him to their ranking or change his position in it. But from the moment he has published his build, that player's name is fixed in the ranking. It can't be added to a ranking if it wasn't in it. Also, its position relative to other fixed names can't be changed. Player names that are still free (belonging to players that haven't posted already) are still free to be moved anywhere. Here are some examples to show what is possible and what's not in the ranking: In the end, each faction will get points based two factors: 1) the quality and quantity of the entries by players of the faction, and 2) the accuracy of the faction's bets. The points for the builds will be awarded as in previous episodes: two points for every builder added to the average number of points per builder. The betting points will be calculated as follows: a faction gets 1 betting point for each "player A > player B" situation they got right. The total betting score will be divided by the best possible score (if the eventual ranking would have been flawlessly predicted). This fraction will be multiplied by 25 (so that the betting points won't outweigh the regular points too much). The resulting betting score is added to the building score. The faction with the highest total wins. The Prizes: All the players on the winning team will receive this tag to commemorate their victory. You can only have one of these tags or one of the Community Build tags at a time, but a log will be kept of all the tags you've earned in your profile in the Characters topic. The player who receives the most total individual points, regardless of team, is guaranteed a spot among the next set of the blog's Showcased MOCs. (This member must still be able to provide a picture big enough and of suitable quality to be used in the Showcased banner.) You will receive XP equal to the number of points you are awarded from the judges. This amount of XP is independent of your betting weight or your ranking in the faction's predictions. Other prizes to be determined The Rules: All rules in the Core Rules topic apply unless otherwise stated in this explanation. Attention: There has been a change in those rules: all players with 100 XP or more are now allowed to have a secondary character, so their main character doesn't have to feature in their build. We hope this encourages further development of character stories. The Empire's goal and the Alliance's goal is to depict their character trying to infiltrate the Black Sun's ranks by recruiting a racer / sabotaging a pod / helping to build a pod / move in the illegal betting circuit / hire Tusken raiders ... However, keep in mind that humans cannot pilot pod racers! There are no restrictions on the size/form/content of the builds, as long as they follow the above described goals. The story should take place on Tatooine. All rules described above and in the betting thread apply to the betting competition. The Episode will run from March 6th to April 17th May 3rd. As long as it is still May 3rd somewhere in the world, you can still enter. Entries posted after the deadline will be disqualified from the episode and will not be eligible to receive points or XP. Entries will be judged according to the Core Rules: Your build will be scored in two stages, to make it easier on the judges by lessening the number of builds that must be scored in greater detail: In the first stage, the judges will award a score from 1-10, with a '1' being "Minifig on a Plate", a '5' being "Your Average MOC" and a '10' being "Flawless Concept and Execution". In the second stage, the top five builds of each faction (so ten in total) from the first stage will be scored based on basic predetermined criteria: up to 10 points for the concept and appropriateness to the objective, up to 25 points for your execution of the build, and up to 5 points for your presentation of the entry. For builders who make it to the second stage, their second stage total is added to their first stage points, and that total is divided by two and a half. You can earn a maximum of 20 points in each episode. [*]The amount of points you earn is also the amount of XP your character earns. [*]This episode/contest is open to all players of Shadows of Nar Eurbrikka, even if they joined EB or signed up for the game after the episode has begun, with the exception of the Star Wars staff, who are not eligible to win XP or prizes; the EB admins and moderators, who are not eligible to win prizes but may earn XP; and the episode host, who is not eligible to win prizes but may earn XP. The SoNE staff can't partake in the betting. [*]All entries must be new creations, not posted anywhere else prior to being entered in the episode. You may be asked by a staff member to change your entry if it is too similar to an earlier creation. [*]All entries must be built from real LEGO or with Lego Digital Designer. No clone brands, no third-party custom parts. [*]All entries must be posted as a new topic in the Watto's Junkyard subforum, the title prefixed by, "[soNE Ep. VIII]". (For example, "[soNE Ep. VIII] Sabotage".) [*]Post pictures no larger than 1000x720, as specified in the EB Member Guidelines. [*]You may do a 'full-blown photo edit' with all the text, effects, background compositing, support erasing, and other effects onone picture. All your other pictures may have no editing other than color adjustment or background removal for a solid-color background. For obvious reasons, any photo editing that changes the shape, functionality, or color (not tint or adjustment, but actual color) of a LEGO piece is prohibited. [*]All entries are considered WIPs (Works In Progress) until the deadline passes. Until the deadline has passed, you are allowed to change and improve your MOC. However, if you make drastic changes to your build (determined by the judges), The enemy faction will have the opportunity to add you to or move your position in their ranking.

"Welcome, welcome! Place your bets here! Hey you... I see you're not from around here. Want to earn some money with these podraces huh? Come closer, let old Watto show you how it's done..." The Goal: During this contest, each faction maintains a prediction of the outcome of the building contest in this thread. This prediction has the form of a ranking of players, in the order the faction thinks they will end. Each faction tries to make its prediction as accurate as possible. How the betting works: As soon as a faction has agreed on its predictions, their bets can be placed. These bets can involve players that haven't submitted a creation for the contest yet, and even players that eventually won't have participated. New players can be added at any time to the ranking, and the place of people that are already in the ranking can be changed. However, as soon as a player has submitted his creation in this forum, his position in each ranking becomes fixed. This means that he can't be added to or moved inside the ranking. It is possible that this player still gains or looses some places in the ranks due to the including or moving of other free players. But once a player is fixed, his position relative to other fixed players can't be changed. So place your bets timely and wisely. Below are some examples of what's possible and impossible according to these rules: Submitting a bet:Both rankings will be kept track of in this post. When internal discussion in each faction has lead to a prediction, two individual players of that faction have to post those prediction in this thread. This is to prevent abuse from single players, acting without permission of the faction. Bets have to be placed in the following form: "Put <insert player name here> on place <insert place number here>" . This form applies to both adding new players to the ranking and changing the position of a player in the ranking. Scoring of the bets:When the episode is finished, all players that participated are fixed, and players that didn't participate will be removed form the rankings. No changes can be made to the rankings. When the scores of the judges are published, this implies the actual ranking. Each faction will then get 1 betting point for every "player A > player B" situation they predicted correctly. The total betting score will be divided by the best possible score (if the eventual ranking would have been flawlessly predicted). This fraction will be multiplied by 25 (so that the betting points won't outweigh the regular points too much). This number will be added to the score for the builds in order to determine which faction has won. Questions and Answers: Q: Will the betting in any way affect the score I get? A: No, the betting will only be used to help to determine which faction wins this round. Your position in the predictions will have no effect on the number of XP you get. That is equal to the number of XP the judges give you, and not directly related to your position in the final ranking. Q: Are we allowed to have individual rankings? A: No, there is one predictive ranking for each faction, and that will be managed by discussion with the entire faction in the corresponding threads of the Avenger and the Redemption​. Q: How do we post multiple predictions at once? A: Two persons of the faction just have to enter a list containing the "Put <insert player name here> on place <insert place number here>" statements mentioned above. One post can contain as many bets as you like, as long as someone else of your faction posts the same bets. The Galactic Empire's predictions: markus1984 Disco86 Bob De Quatre WickNole Ninja Nin LegoFjotten MstrOfPppts goatman461 LucasLaughing Jacob Nion TWP Covi Wat Tambor Donnie Bricko Rook Lord Vladivus MKJoshA Jakorin Swiftsword Graham Gidman Pointblank BEAVeR Lord Tyrus Mr Greeble Commander Beltar Lobot Artizan Jannik Kaitan Masked Builder Andrew Spader Nom Carver Lego Spy Kodan Black rogueang GallardoLU floed pihlbrick narbilu TaseTJ KuatDriveYards Flare Wedge09 VK-318 Commander Smith Aland1916 MontyPython Tariq j Mr Breden Behemoth (Goliath) Dapper-D2 Fleet Legofin2012 Mr Man Manx KevFett2011 OHarra Bkrosell James Wellington LegoFan117 Captain Settle Dragonfire korpen4444 theman4090 Scorch93 The Rebel Alliance's predictions: Monty Python goatman461 MstrOfPppts Ninja Nin BEAVeR WickNole LucasLaughing Disco86 markus1984 MKJoshA Flare Sebeus I Pointblank LegoFjotten Donnie Bricko Artizan Wat Tambor Lord Tyrus Manx Wedge09 VK-318 Lego Spy Oharra Commander Beltar Bob De Quatre Dapper-D2 Fleet Mr Greeble Kodan Black Legofin2012 James Wellington Jannik LordVladivus GallardoLU KevFett2011 Kaitan Rook Aland1916 TWP Tariq j philbrick Covi Lobot Nom Carver Masked Builder rogueang Mr Man Behemoth (Goliath) Kuat Drive Yards Dragonfire narbilu theman4090 Bkrosell Mr Breden Captain Settle LegoFan117 korpen4444 Pyrovisionary JaseTJ Ritz Brick BobThePom SlimShady hench ​ Players who've already entered: Graham Gidman, Jakorin Swiftsword, goatman461, Kodan Black, Lord Tyrus, MontyPython, Commander Beltar, Dragonfire, Jannik, Tariq j, MstrOfPppts, Donnie Bricko, Jacob Nion, LucasLaughing, WickNole (last updated 3 May 2015)

I'm sorry, sometimes I forget that even perfect builders have to make choices. but I really like the ones you took . My suggestions are just things you can consider next time, in a different situation, maybe including them from the beginning. To talk about the notorious corridor some more, I understand you don't have a lot of room or possibilities. Still, you have the opportunity to be creative. The exposed antistuds, for example, could be covered by inverted tiles or those pieces from the hinges with the very flat top part. There could be the suggestion of a maintenance hatch in the floor, and maybe some status lights on the wall. Just to give you an idea that you can still to something there. I always wonder if you never get tired of working on a certain build (I know I do...), because there is so much to see and so little areas that seem a little neglected. You must have a serious condition to keep building! And that was indeed the kind of engine I was talking about. Maybe more segments could bring more smoothness. And you could experiment with different shades of those studs. Or just use tiles...

Is that a challenge? You know I really like your ships. They're big, they're curvy, they're detailed, they're impossible. And this one is probably the jewel of your collection. To begin with, I keep finding it incredible where you keep getting your inspiration for your ships. Do you start with a specific shape in your head, or a ship you want to base yourself on (I'm getting some republic frigate vibes from this one...), or do you just play with parts until you have an interesting shape at your fingertips? No matter how you do it, the results are stunning. Your ship oozes originality, but stays very much inside the Star Wars universe (it looks a bit like a Republic Frigate, but feels more like a Millennium Falcon. Beautiful combination!). The exposed greebles, and details like the radar dish at one side, asymmetrical engines, those sideways oriented radar dishes (pods?), they really scream Star Wars to me, and it's amazing how you get those details everyone forgets exactly right. And then the shapes. You keep surprising us with the seemingly impossible shapes you realize. The cockpit is absolutely beautiful on this one. The combination of different canopy pieces give it a unique and sophisticated shape. I love these original combinations, and I think they're an improvement over how you centered some of your previous models around a single piece, although in an original position. I'm very curious to see what new cockpits you will keep inventing. Maybe you could make a more 'hidden' cockpit at some point, like with the Sith Infiltrator (if you are indeed making a counterpart for this ship ), just to give you a new challenge. Apart from the cockpit itself, I totally dig how the cockpit emerges from the ship, with multiple lobs of curves. I would have liked to see it continue across the entire back of the ship (maybe explicitly branching towards the two engines!). Another possible improvement would be to continue that white stripe that runs across the side of the cockpit, to the front, to have some more continuity. It's also great how you made a rather acute angle work in your ship, by giving it a bit of a curve and placing the thin section connecting it to the cockpit. Again, I'd like to ask for more continuity in your shapes, by having the red stripe rimming those front mandibles coming from the belly of the ship, in between those dark grey stripes on the side, because it is a bit weird how you have those two parallel red stripes there, that end abruptly, and then one a heavy red stripe along those mandibles. I feel like that could have been handled cleaner. The top of the detailed has just the right amount of details to keep it interesting, but not to clutter it. I love those radar dishes with the cannons. The angled sections are nice, I hope that you will use more of those deliberate gaps and offsets in your next builds, although it will be difficult to make them work together with curves. The exposed plates feela bit out of place though. That section looks a bit simple compared to the rest of the ship. And you don't have a lot of white in your ship, so it might be better only to use it for stripes in the direction of the length of the ship. If feel that some stripes parallel to each other with an offset between them, just like at the back of the ship, could be better. Finally, the engine block. I really adored your earlier versions of these, but I have the impression they are a bit overloaded in the final model. I would have kept it simpler. And instead of the round dishes, that disrupt the beautiful wrapping shape of the engine block, I would have use a big curve of panels just to accentuate those pretty shapes, much like at the back of the Falcon. I do dig how the engines aren't identical though, and those flaps are terribly effective. The underside of the back, where the entrance is, has some beautiful shapes as well, although practically maybe it isn't perfectly sound. You see, the entrance is close to the engines. So when they're running, it could be dangerous to approach the ship. Therefore, you can't do quick pickup situations: the engines should be turned off first. Beginners mistake! (Do I sound authoritative when I pretend to know everything about spaceship architecture?) finally, the landing gear is beautifully detailed, and I love how the ship doesn't sit entirely level. gives it something dynamic in its resting position! O, there is an interior as well? Then prepare for some more text. Because it is amazing. I love the Falcon vibe it has, with those tan rimmings of the corridors. Concerning corridors though, it's strange how you seem to have neglected the corridor leading to the cockpit. those walls aren't very pretty, and maybe a door would have been nice to keep the cockpit separated. It would be great to have a suggestion of maintenance hatches here and there in the floor as well, because know all the technology seems quite inaccessible (although I like to imagine there are some gloriously technical rooms hidden from view in the back of the ship. I love the speederbike in the back, and how you didn't forget to add stairs so that the crew can still get on and off the ship easily. Overall, it's a great interior, but I still don't get the wow like I do with exterior details, so I recommend playing with some furniture some more. O and finally, something that occured to me was that the ship has no visible escape pods or docking bays, making it a rather solitary ship. Or maybe... that's all part of the reason why this beauty is called the Pilgrim... You genius! Yes, truly a stunning ship. you keep getting better and better, and I really enjoy taking it all in and (hopefully) presenting you with some useful feedback. Now I was just wondering if you will be keeping it to yourself or if you will be exhibiting it somewhere. That would be great. O, and we have LEGO exhibitions here in Belgium as well. Please? Being excited about what you will do next almost seem ungrateful. So I'll be more than satisfied with this ship for a while longer. And although it's a week to late, I hope you still enjoy this in the meantime My sincere congratulations with yet another masterpiece.

You know I already incredibly liked the digital model, but seeing the physical one makes it even better. It's interesting to read the structural wizardry you had to apply. And it resulted in a beautiful model. It recreates the intricate shape perfectly, and looking at all of your pictures on Flickr, I'm amazed by the fact that the model looks incredible from every single angle. Good job! I especially like the dead-on shot. I'm absolutely flabbergasted at how you managed to build such a great shape and keep room for an interior and play features. So some insight in what keeps it all together would be nice. Apart from the shape, I like all of the details you included. The spine is the absolute highlight for me, with all of those grills and ridges, and the nice cannon. It's incredible how you managed to add little details and colors (a brave thing to do!) to the surface of the tank to make it look very interesting and varied. I think there might be some improvements possible though. A single little detail would be the 'pocket' at the side (towards the backside of the model), that you portrayed with three 4x1 bows. To give a more accurate depiction, maybe you could do something with 1x3 Technic (half)beams and rubber bands, or with minifig backpacks. To give a more varied texture to your model, you could also try to depict some of the 'flaps' on it (like the ones at the side near the Republican logo). A piece like this one might be good there, although I'm not too sure whether the contrast between the studs and a smooth surface will work well. And maybe you could use black Hero Factory fists to mimic the ridges at the side of the main cannon. And to get rid of the stickers, you could try replacing them with a construction of tilted dark red 1xn tiles. You could leave out the transparent pieces if they're in your way. More on the cockpit, it would be nice to have those details where the cockpit meats the hull of the vehicle at the side. There are some interesting ridges there, maybe you could achieve them with flex tubes or bricks with grooves. It might be difficult because the cockpit is built upright. Maybe you could try to build the cockpit as a whole at an angle, but you might loose some of its play value then. Of course I still love this model. It just gets me inspired to suggest some more details. So keep building incredible stuff! O, I'm not sure if a MOC ever made it twice, but once again, your awesome creation got

I hope it's never too late to say how awesome a MOC is, because that's exactly what I'm going to do. To start off, I think it's pretty amazing what you did with the parts at your disposal. It's a pity that you can so clearly see how beaten up they are, but it is very satisfying to see some of the creative parts usages you came up with. In the present scene, for instance, I like how you used those bricks with a 45° angle to evoke what would be a stand for shampoo in our galaxy. And I think I haven't seen a Technic pin look better than here as a tap. Apart from the little details, the present scene as a whole is good as well. I like how you didn't aim too high and made something small but worthwhile. One could argue that duplicating elements makes for a waste of space in such a challenge, but I think it adds just the right atmosphere of some quarters on a ship. It's a pity though that we never get a good look at the build as a whole. I appreciate your efforts to take 'in universe' pictures, as if we were viewing things from the standpoint of a minifig. If you'd shoot a bit lower and make sure we don't see the studs on the roof (or just make those walls a bit higher), that effect will only be increased, so that we can take in the build better. Also, you haven't made it easy for yourself to photograph the creation, with very tight corridors and only small gaps to the outside world. So don't be afraid to take bits apart that are standing in your way. And maybe you could use a small mirror to shoot angles where your camera can't fit. The studs on the floor also distract a bit from the in universe thought, but until you have some more parts, maybe a SNOTted floor is the only solution I see. Another small thing is that the water is very blue. Having just the white floor could have been better. And maybe you have some trans clear (or trans light blue) 1x1 bricks/plates/round bricks/crystals lying around, that could evoke the water falling down from the shower. It's also a bit strange that there is nowhere a place to leave clothes/the uniform while taking a shower, while there is a tap that seem less useful. Maybe you could have used the extra 2 studs room that you had on the side to make some nice lockers. That would also have been a good opportunity to give the build more of a scifi feel. Right now, it feels very much like what we know. It's recognizable, but doesn't feature anything 'new'. Those lights and speakers (?) are a step in the right direction, but I think there could be some more additions that would fit in better. Those lockers could have some control panels for instance, or instead of a regular tab there could be more advanced controls (if they have lightsabers, I imagine they have waterproof electronics as well!), or there could be a cleaning droid (maybe just like a mouse droid but with some mops etc.) waiting in some corner, or there could be a giant blower, making towels obsolete (maybe some trans red bars and lamps in that corridor?). It's great to see your 'everyday life in the Empire' style, but have fun building the future (or rather, a very distant past) as well: let your imagination run free. Some of those tips can be applied to the past build as well. You could have shot it so that you don't see the end of the street, an din some shots you could even have omitted the studs on the floor and the awkwardly fallen gentleman. I do like how you played with nighttime shadows and depth of field in your pictures. Maybe you could have given it some extra puch by shining a blacklight (if you have something similar) on that transparent cockpit piece, because trans pieces get some nice effects then, very suitable for a pub, I imagine. About the build itself, there are many little details I like, like that space parrot sign with creative parts usage, that little sewer grill/vent hidden in a little corner, antenna and even the use of those big 45° angled pieces so that we see no gaps there. But sadly, all of those nice details don't work together very well to make a great scene as a whole. It's already very good that you kept the design of the two buildings apart, with a lot of greebles on one and the sign central on the other. The angled column separating the two is great as well. Maybe it's the fact that both buildings have about the same color scheme, undecided if they want to be grey or blue. Maybe it's because the building on the right doesn't have a visible entrance or purpose. I have to admit I don't really know what makes me feel like those buildings aren't finished as one beautiful scene, despite their amazing details. I think the build could use some more depth though. The two facades (or at least, their respective floors) are on the same depth, and there is nothing in front of the buildings, not even some details like streetlights, sidewalks, garbage cans... So it all stays 'behind the screen'. Or you could try to introduce more angles, like an overhanging balcony, or more angles like on the far right. Just to make the architecture more interesting and existing more in 3d space. Or you could raise the entrance to one of the buildings, creating steps and even more levels. It does me a great pleasure, however, to see that you already implemented small parts of what I suggested above. There are small angles, there is some depth... I only want to encourage you to experiment some more with different elements. Try something more extreme, something distinctive, without overdoing it. And while doing all that, don't loose aesthetics out of sight. Don't let your builds become a clutter of half finished techniques and elements, but have a clear vision of what you want to build to please our eyes. And to be honest, when looking at what you've presented us since this build, things are only getting better. So I hope you now have some extra inspiration! Finally a small word on the story. I absolutely love it. It isn't anything spectacular, Hollywood sized... but it feels real. Even though I'm generally against the kind of military people you are portraying, I can honestly say I'm beginning to sympathize with your character, even after just those few (well, according to my measures at least) lines. I love your very personal take on Star Wars, and know that I eagerly read and watch what you come up with, even though I don't have the time to write something about it. It's great to have you here!

Hi, Commander Smith! Freebuilds should be posted in the general Star Wars forum. "Watto's Junkyard" is only for entries for the actual contest (meaning: the episode entries). Don't worry though, I moved your topic for you. Welcome to SoNE!

If I'm honest, I can see that it was quite a rushed entry at the build on its own. The speeder could use some more detail, that border could go all the way around, there could be a full base in the past scene... Just little things, but they give your entry a bit an unfinished look. So next time, if you're schedule isn't as tight, you might want to finish it off nicely, as presentation is quite an important factor. So those are the little things that fall a bit out of place, but there are several little things that are really great as well! That custom-made blaster, for instance, is something I haven't seen before. and the little radar at the top of your past scene is getting the most out of that grill tile. It's great to see all of these little smart things, and they make this creation a succeeded build. As for the vehicles, I really like the proportions of that speeder. It is a bit blocky though, with a lot of straight angles. So try making it more complex and cohesive by introducing a more interesting geometry, just like that nice bow on the bottom. Actually, the bottom has more details that the top, so it would be great to have some extra controls, just to make the vehicle look more practical. It's already great that you added the hinge plate rather than a normal one to have some more texture! In the first picture, the contrast is a bit too high though, making the design of the speeder clash a bit. You see, contrast is great, but only if you group it properly. One well placed and well shaped color accent will have way more effect than several blobs all over the place for example. So try to do the color design in nice regions. This could make your already quite excellent design pop more. The walker is pretty nice, too, with its nicely angled legs it looks very Star Wars like. It does remind me a lot of a chicken's body though... So maybe it's still a bit too organic. Maybe putting the extra pneumatic cylinder here and there, or replacing curvy sections with more angular geometry might help that. It's good to have some biomimicry in your designs though! So you did a fine job given the timeframe. You brought some nice details, interesting vehicles and great textures. I think the key is to make technical things more angular and intricate, and natural things more organic (referring to the very blocky color of the soil). And let's not forget the dramatic story! So I'm eagerly awaiting what you will build when you have more time.

Thanks for the great episode, Bob, and great entries from everyone! I'm beginning to miss the Rebels though... I thought I only killed twelve of them? And well done, Empire, and special congratulations for my good friend goatman461! Getting shot, and still winning the episode. You make the Empire proud. Also, this means that after seven episodes, each episode has had a different winner so far (I - LegoFjotten, II - Rook/MstrOfPppts, III - BEAVeR, IV - Bob De Quatre, V - markus1984, VI - Ninja Nin, VII - goatman461), making this a contest for everyone! Wait, Star Wars episode VIII will have the Death Star in it? Someone frontpage this right now! ... unless it is some kind of Rebel trick

I feel like I'm being watched... Just be patient. I will get there... eventually. And I'm not the only one writing constructive feedback here. I can honestly say I'm very pleased by how everyone is getting lots of high quality feedback here. Good job guys! A little longer, and everyone will want to join SoNE just to get your awesome feedback.

Great work, Pointblank! Apart from creating two separate builds, I really like how you connected them. It makes your story quite solid. The present scene is really neat. At first I too thought it was a bit sparse, but I'm growing rather fond of the look. It has a very clean and rather spartan look to it. Also, the color palette is refreshing for the Empire and very suitable for both the theme of the shadowtroopers as your Mandalorian heritage. The big arches do that as well, and make for some stunning photography: good way to differentiate your 'room'! As for the furniture, the bed is well done, although it gives me the impression your character has to do a lot of effort to get in it, and he'd better not fall out! Perhaps you could have made it a bit more intricate by making the floor thicker and hiding a part of the bed in a burrow. The shelf is a very cool addition, and the other equipment certainly makes the scene more interesting. But still, the room looks a bit plain. You can counter that without compromising the size or the cleanliness though: you could have some closed closet doors embedded in the walls, for instance. Offsetting them in/out the wall would make it even more interesting. So, next time, when you think about detailing of your scenes, don't forget to think about textures in walls and floors as well, alongside the 'regular' objects. It will give yet more realism and depth to your scenes. Still, you already did a terrific job with that red stripe. It seems like a new kind of Death Star stripe thingy to me! Your arena is great as well, and again you did it justice with the awesome photography (note: if you want to avoid a lot of reflections, you could mount your camera so that it has a fixed angle, take a picture of your build with and without minifigs/furniture... without moving the rest, and editing them back together. It's quite a lot of editing labor, but it gives you the control to do with the reflections what you want. If you're a real pro, I think you could pull it off with just one picture as well, by reducing the contrast in the reflective areas). You succeeded in directing the viewer's attention perfectly to the insignia, with that amazing centered color contrast. I have the feeling that you could have made it more threatening though, especially if you could have angled the eyes, narrow the brow and prolong the underside, as it still looks a bit 'friendly', and that is a bit unfortunate in such a violent scene. The blood red it great though, and I like your subtlety of adding curved edges to it, to really give it that more 'liquid' feel. It stands out against the very geometric nature of the rest of your build. When doing such a 'artistic' build, you don't need to be afraid to make abstraction of certain elements. The rocks for example: you added some color variation to it to break things up a bit, but that just pulls the attention away a bit. The different shape of the rocks is already enough to make it varied. Maybe you could even have gotten away with completely black rocks too. If you keep your color palette limited and well composed, you can often achieve a much more striking and just as interesting scene, then when you combine the black, red, grey, tan, yellow, brown and blue. Especially with your proven photography skills, you can make and portray some amazing and unique scenes then. The tribune is pretty basic, but I'm really fond of those columns in the hallway and of the nice torches. All of the tubing going on distracts a bit from the cleanliness however. And when you make it tall, it seems that you want to emphasize that that arena is really monumental. This might have been better if you raised the other walls as well, to really give the 'fighting in a cage' feeling and a really intense atmosphere. If you organize everything really well like that, then you can make the contrast of young Pointblank looking away from it all even more striking, and your build would say as much as your story. So I think planning is key. Set realistic goals, decide on general colors and architectural features, and plan where you will diverge to attract attention, and how you can make that as dramatic as possible. I firmly believe that all of your awesome story, building and photography capacities will result in something very beautiful then. It has to be, with this already as a terrific indicator of things to come. So keep it up!