BEAVeR

I fully agree with goatman461. We need to get our quality up. I try helping by writing rather long feedback, but only on the finished build. Maybe it could have a bigger impact if it were still a WIP and all possibilities were still open. It would be nice if we could help each other to become better builders, and I imagine that was one of the reasons most of us joined. I don't think a PM would be a good idea, as it would become very cluttered and everyone would get loads and loads of notifications. I think that a Flickr group could be better, even though not everyone has an account. It's what we used on the Alternate models challenge, and it worked beautifully. It's easy to share and comment on pictures, and we can have some threads with general discussions (e.g. a photography thread, a picture editing thread, building techniques etc...). It can be just as secretive as a PM, because when you mark pictures as private, no one can see them. But if you post them in the group, all members can view and comment on it. So, who's with goatman? I know I am.

We need more men! But a big congratulations for the Rebels. It was great to see you all come back and be just as awesome as before. We really had a tough fight this time, but that has only resulted in some excellent builds from both sides. And Ninja Nin: congratulations. You truly had some marvelous builds (with some, I guess I mean 5) in this episode, redefining what can be done in a 16x16 vignette. Well deserved win! Also, it's great to see that every single episode had a different winner! It's good to see this game isn't dominated by anyone. And fellow Imperials: don't let your heads down, but double your efforts! You too had some amazing entries, but together we can work to make them even better, and with some supporting troops, we'll crush the Rebellion! I'm sorry I didn't comment on every single entry in this episode, but it was just too much. I hope I can set things right in the next episode. As for that, thank you for your concern. But the inability to win prizes will not stop me from doing the best I can to give you my story with the best builds possible. Delivery, deliverance was a conclusion, but only of this episode's story. I still have bigger plans...But thanks a lot for your support! PS: it's really sad to see markus1984 without Boba tag, having built such nice things, just missing a prize and having a Fett avatar. No exceptions?

Thanks for your response, LucasLaughing: very entertaining and very informative! With "building out of your comfort zone", I try to say that no matter how diverse your individual stories are, they almost always have the same tone and theme. You've mastered it very well to do these purely business-like military stories, with a lot of suspense, humorous lines between the men... Great! But never there is some real personal involvement (exception: SoNE Ep. II, which probably is one of my favorite SoNE stories ever), so that it feels like you're trying to tell the story of the Empire rather than the way you relate to it. So it might become more personal. What if one of your men died because of what you did? What if you see one of your men slowly becoming a traitor ? What if you killed innocent civilians? Then you would stay with the military tone, but you would get some more depth to it. I'm very concious that these actually sound like ideas for my kind of stories, and I certainly don't want to make you a clone of me... that would be a terrible waste. It's probably about personal preference from my side, but maybe you find this feedback useful. That was actually on the deeper levels of your stories. There are some less heavy things that you could do too: I imagine that you have a leave from time to time in the Empire. And don't you have a family that you could visit? Or maybe we get to know you even better because it turns out you have some kind of hobby? There could even be an occasion for you to go to some kind of memorial of a fallen friend (e.g. died in the DS). And you could get hurt and end up in the hospital... There are a lot of interesting situations that would be quite a challenge for your character. I'm very curious to see how you'd deal with it. It would make us care for your character even more. Maybe the best way to do something different, is to do something where you're completely alone, without any colleagues or friends (maybe you got captured by the Rebels?), and you could get very personal for a moment, so that we get to see a second you. Once again, don't feel obliged to anything. In fact I hope some of these things can get your thoughts going and lead you to some incredible stories and builds. As long as you stay yourself, I'm sure nothing can go wrong!

Thanks a lot for the warm welcome and the encouraging (well, in most cases) words guys, really appreciated! And yes, I might have trouble shooting an Ewok, but naughty members and messy or outdated post are something entirely different . I'm completely with the dark side now, apparently, so beware: being a nice member leads to appreciation. Appreciation leads to blogging. Blogging leads to regulating. And regulating... leads to the Dark Side! So don't be a nice member... Oww, maybe that delivered the wrong message... (So where is the regulating button for this post?) It's right here: labeled, 'Edit' — don't listen to him, loyal citizens of the Empire; the Dark Side is the only path to true power and order. -Doc But don't let those foolish jokes fool you: I'm taking this very seriously, and hope to give all of you guys the best experience possible in our little forum. I'm very glad that I can do something back for the wonderful time I have here!

Another stunning creation and story, LucasLaughing! Not only on its own, but also in connection to everything you've done so far. But let's stick to this one first. That building is awesome. It's so clean, with all kinds of subtle detailing like those slits. It's amazing to see how much thought you put into that scheme of smooth surfaces and strong lines. This is illustrated by your choice for vertical lines here, and by the care you take not to create accidental lines. Seeing that you used panels on the front instead of tan bricks, really blew my mind. Same with all of the different lines on the ground: two kinds of tiling inside, and a fancy pattern outside. I don't think there's anyone that thinks like you, paying attention to all of those details. My one point of critique on the building, is that it might be a bit too clean. Somehow, my eye glides from it, there's not much to catch it. That doesn't mean it isn't beautiful, but that it could use something 'more'. Now it is hard to believe people are living there. Anyway, that black horizontal line is a careful solution. But more color certainly wouldn't do it bad to stand out from your other buildings: some plants on the balcony wouldn't be out of place, and you could even go for some small control panels (that would explain how people get on and off the balcony). In your previous build, you used the generator thingy to introduce orange, so something similar could be done here: use your limitless creativity! All in all, things don't look bad. They just look a bit too structured for my taste. The rather uniform buildings, the neatly arranged plants (which are all good in their own right, but are a bit monotonous when looked at together)... very neat but also a bit boring. But maybe I just don't like the Bothawuian style, as even the best can't totally convince me, no matter how awesome your build! Still, you totally rule in making it look everyday. With the border in the sidewalk, the neatly arranged stuff, the details at the interior (with the nice electricity closet!) and even pedestrian crossing zones... When I look at it like that, this really is a top notch recreation of every day life in the Star Wars universe! And what's best maybe, is that this very ordinary looking scene is the backdrop for such action. Yes, you remain the master in telling those military stories, and this setting in the middle of a way to quiet city really is menacing and just like in those movies I never watch. You translated it perfectly to SW. The mission, everything is quiet, the bickering, the sudden intrusion of the enemy, the casualties... You portray it masterfully both in story as in build. You really are the guru of minifig posing, with such a wide range of catapulted, glancing and dead (that one dead Reb is possibly the best part of the build, because of the exquisite pose and because: dead Rebel!) figures. And the laser beams whizzing around are the elements that disturb the quiet scene, leaving holes in their wake. They make those action shots really full of action. The tank is ominous as well, quietly hovering (great not to just put in on the ground), and with the devastating but beautiful explosion at the end. Really, no one can teach you a thing about story telling, because you are the master! Except for this one thing maybe... I don't buy it. Unless they've been running in circles, or are moving very slowly, because that building at the corner is the very same building they landed on . But really, I actually like such references to previous builds. The fact that it forms one big story is great, and also rather unique in this type of military stories. I can't believe how you plan all of this. I know I would just improvise, but reading things in your previous builds like blow my mind once again. I want to read all of it again, just to appreciate your mastery, not only of individual stories, but of the big links as well. And it makes me wonder: do you have a really big story going on, or do you just take every mission as it is. Anyway, I like how you're very slowly evolving through these missions and learning, becoming part of the team. Your story isn't one that needs big turns, but that won't take my amazement and enjoyment away when they do come... I don't want to take you from any of your brilliant plans, but maybe it would be nice if one day, you would do a story that is a bit out of your comfort zone... who knows what brilliant things might come then. And even more if everything is watched as a whole. You really are a unique person here, LucasLaughing. A great builder and a master storyteller, not hopping form one thing to the next to get as many 'awesome' comments as possible, but trying to give us a real, unique epic. I hope you have as much fun creating it as I have enjoying it. Never stop being awesome!

Nice micro building, Manx! You captured the feel of Bothawui pretty well. The shapes are very general though, not showing a lot of details, so that this is more an abstract than a figurative build. The hill, for example, is just a slope without a lot of texture. It was good of you to add some color variation, but some physical texture would be nice as well. Making a more uneven terrain will make it more interesting. You could offset some slopes to achieve this, but that would result in a lot of hard edges, and it wouldn't mesh with the ground texture very well. Try to have some consistency in models, unless you want to stress contrast of course. So here, you could have made the slope by angling some plates, so that you have the studs again, that serve you both in texture as in possibilities to add more details. And about that consistency versus contrast thing, I think it would have been better if you got rid of the studs on the top of the buildings, as they now strangely match the ground. There could be some tiles, slopes or panels (so that you would have a more interesting architecture) to make it more sleek than the natural environment. A very good point on this build, is the color usage though. You played with brightness and saturation to create distinction between all of the natural and artificial elements, so in that way, you already have a nice structure. So it would be nice if you could continue that with the actual, physical texture. It's very hard to achieve in micro building, but use some unusual pieces, and have a lot of patience experimenting, and your micro MOCs will keep getting better and better, until they're just as good as your ships!

I'm beginning to think that all of this thinking isn't doing me any good.It seems that, by thinking about the reality all of the time, it's slowly slipping away. It's good this mission is over, so I finally had time to relax. But it was itching, and I couldn't keep my thought to myself. So I decided to go to the psychiatrist. In fact, I recognized him as one of our troopers. But that made the fact that he listened to me just more amazing. It was good to talk. And although he didn't say much himself, I really got the impression he listened... and thought. I felt relieved that I'm not the only one with questions. And although he may have had different answers to them, I felt some understanding. And I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful that, by hearing encouraging me to say it all out loud, I realized that there isn't a lot that really matters in my thoughts, and is more than open to debate. But it made it clear to me that there are some more profound things in them as well, things that are so clear, that it amazes me people don't just do them. But what those exact 'things' are, isn't clear to me yet. That might just take another trip to the psychiatrist... ____ OoC: So you finally did it! I never suspected I'd play such a role in it too, but I'm glad you appreciate that I'm somewhat of a 'special case'. I don't take your different view as an offence. On the contrary, I take it as a compliment and an invitation. An incentive to keep up the debate, keep asking the questions everyone forgets, and hopefully discussing those matters with all of you. I understand your point of view perfectly, so I'm not hopelessly going to try to point out 'mistakes' in them, as there can't be mistakes in such matters. Your way of thinking simply is different. It's something of your character, but not of mine. But that diversity is only nourishing to understand the real problems. All philosophical debate aside, let's talk about the build, as this is a LEGO forum after all (of course, it can be more than that!). The build is quite simple and sterile, and that is just good for the situation you're sketching. The black/white contrast really works, although it could have been used a bit more symbolically to tell your story (e.g. one of us white, the other black, possibly with the one inside the other, like yin and yang, to symbolize that we have different views with common roots, and maybe a grey chamber, to symbolize how those two can merge through conversation. Just an idea). While keeping it clean, you could still have made it a little bit more interesting to look at. There could be an angle in the back wall for instance, so that the angled chairs (nice touch!) fit better in the room. And there could be some unobtrusive pieces of equipment (a small writing table, for instance), just to give the scene more depth. This might also have been a good opportunity to go for an in-universe style, where you take the picture just like in real life, without any borders showing another background. That could have sucked us a bit more into your world of thoughts. Anyway, nice build (awesome hat rack!), and thank you once again for sharing your thoughts. I'm really glad that, while having fun with LEGO, SoNE enables us to learn from each other as well, as humans. Good luck breaking your head! PS: Without trying to start the discussion all over again, I'm very surprised to see you in flesh! Is it only to match my character, or are there deeper thoughts?

3 : 10 10 : 6 9 : 4 7 : 3 2 : 2 4 : 1

Every once and again, there are those MOCs that define how you view a theme. This is one of those. I've never seen a Star Wars diorama like this. Sure, we have seen some huge things, but this is different. Just the dedication that every brick speaks of. The thought that someone put all of those bricks together. The realization that someone had to decide how to make that rockface look amazing, and that lava even more stunning. With all of the variety in shapes and colors, it still feels like one cohesive model, detailed and chaotic just like nature. And the layout maximizes the effect, with the sprawling lava plane, the steep face of rock, and the two merging together by means of islands in the lava and a lavafall in the rocks. It all feels so right. The artificial elements are great as well. The way those segmented parts come across is phenomenal. You captured the utilitarian and sophisticated look like no one else could have done it. And then the presentation: glorious. You already have a great MOC, and then you take the trouble to present is as good as possible, going further than any one has ever gone before. Those really make for awesome posters, and they seal the incredible atmosphere of the creation. Some say you can do everything if you only have enough bricks, but here you show that it takes a whole lot of talent, dedication and creativity as well. I'm in total awe. Keep making these incredible dioramas! Keep reinventing yourself! Never loose the joy and determination of building! And never cease to inspire us. Please. Finally some questions: where do you keep finding the inspiration and reference pictures (sure, you showed us some, but how do you translate those into the bricks, in e.g. rock and lava textures) to build such MOCs? Where do you keep getting your drive to keep building on these exhausting projects? And this isn't just a backdrop for a mini Imperial Shuttle for the microfighter competition on LUGPol, is it?

Eurobricks and Rebrickable were challenged by LEGO to make alternate models for current year city sets. The builds had to only use the pieces in available in the official LEGO model, be made in LDD, digitized, tested in real brick and be a model a 7-10 year old could build!! I received set 60033 "Arctic Ice Crawler". It's a cute, nostalgia-inducing, but sadly smallish truck. With only 113 parts, some of them only connecting in one way, making alternate models out of this one really was a challenge. Luckily there were a good deal of brackets and functional elements available, so building nice playsets still was possible and fun. I hope you enjoy them and maybe rediscover how fun it is to build alternate models! Here are my two alternate models: "Bulldozer" [MOC] Bulldozer - 60033 alternate model by Bert.VR, on Flickr You can find the LDD model and building instructions there on Rebrickable. "Snowplow" [MOC] Snowplow - 60033 alternate model by Bert.VR, on Flickr [MOC] Snowplow - 60033 alternate model by Bert.VR, on Flickr LDD model and building instructions are available on Rebrickable as well I hope you like it, and stay creative with those lovely chunks of plastic!

Great job! I really like it when someone dares to do something different, and it turns out really nice as well. Here we have some real creativity. First, let's talk about the speeder a bit. The design is very elegant an definitely evokes the watery feel. It's not too obvious as well, with rather straight curves and an original color that reminds me of the bottom of the sea. The grills introduce the Star Wars element, so it really comes together as a nice craft. The thing is that it lacks a bit of volume. It's very flat, you see. At the back, you have the curves that give you some relief, and in the front there are some slopes, but this is all very careful. This results in a flat and a bit simple-looking vehicle, where it is hard to understand how it works. So suggestions would be to introduce more angles in it, e.g. by tilting the entire front section. You could also show a bit of beef underneath that section. And the 'tentacles' don't have to be in the same plane. In fact, spreading them more out in the third dimension will give you something even more interesting and organic. You could also do it with small details, like some small nozzles showing at the underside. So you see, that there are a lot of possibilities to make your model pop by adding a third dimension. I really love the water technique you used here. The idea is great, and the overall impression is pretty good, bu it could be refined some more. It would be nice to see the studs only, and hide the anti studs because they don't come over as realistic... I've never seen a sea with holes in it. More smaller bricks would also be nice (if you have any, that is), because they would introduce even more angles and make it more complex and realistic, avoiding big uniform planes. So you see that having such a technique is great. But it would be worth even more if you thought a bit more about the details of it. Experiment a bit: should I throw the bricks in randomly, or should I only expose studs? Should I only use blues (nice color variation by the way), or should I add some white foam in it? Never take your idea for granted, and keep looking at it in different ways. you might not find better ways to do it, but if you do, then your creations will only become that much better. I hope this is some advice you can use apart from this single entry (as it is too late anyway now, and I'm sorry for that...). Because I'm quite excited to see all of the nice things you can still come up with, inspired by a lack of parts or out of plain creativity, and hopefully full of new angles. Your MOCs are getting better and better (you should be really proud that you made such an interesting scene that is basically a speeder and some water!), so my hopes are high! Keep it up!

Glad you all like my little project. As I said, I tried to make everything as big as possible (believe me, sometimes I got clusters of tiny pictures, so I had to rearrange everything), but sadly the biggest image the program generates corresponds to about an A4 at my screen resolution. the picture in its original size can be found here: https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2944/15185008369_d315f55cda_o.jpg

Wow, that really are a lot of entries! I promised to come up with something to maintain the overview, and here it is. I figured some people might be a bit jealous of that awesome turtle poster, so here is our very first SoNE poster! I think all of the entries are on there, and I tried my best to make each picture as big, but that's really hard when everything still has to fit together. I didn't do it by hand, by the way, but used the awesome online tool Collage.com. I hope you all like it, and if you do, I might make more for the future episodes (luckily, those posters won't be as crowded...). And now, feast your eyes! SoNE Episode VI posterized by Bert.VR, on Flickr

Hey, a non-bloody entry from you! And not just any entry too: I quite like it. That has probably to do with all of the thought you put into this build. Reading the description, then seeing the build, I really get the impression of a high security personal villa, which is surprisingly suitable for the bounty hunter. There are a lot of small details that tell you this isn't an ordinary building, and that gives it something menacing. Still, with all of the colors and a slight architectural aesthetic, it feels like a villa and not like a prison. But despite all of these qualities, I think there are some areas left that could be improved. Overall, I find it hard to get a good overview of your builds. They don't always feel that unified, and as a result of that, it isn't easy to get a lasting impression at a quick glance. This might be due to the fact that there are too many details. Sometimes it works, but here there is such an array of small (and often a bit basic) components that don't blend in extremely well with the building. I like them, but they don't really fit with the building. Maybe because the building itself is quite flat in certain areas. So there are two things you can do to integrate everything better. Firstly, you could cut back on details and encapsulate them more in the building, with the same aesthetic. The thing is that you would end up with something simple looking. So the second option should be better: to give more detail to the building itself. No functional details, like the ones you have, and no overly ornamental elements, but think more in function of textures. Grills are great, log bricks are good, a regular pattern of pipes can do the trick. You can work with SNOTted tiles, with offsets, with angled sections. And you can work with different colors, but only if they are also different in another way. So you could keep those darker slopes on the 'roof', but you could e.g. make them recess a bit to create more depth to the building. And try to stick with a certain theme, and don't just mix angled and round elements through each other. Now you have those curves in the tower, but slopes as well, and they don't combine so good. So my advice would be to limit yourself. Pick a certain theme, e.g. slopes, and see what you can do with those, see how you can vary and combine them, use offsets etc. If you have enough inspiration, your building will be just as detailed (or even more) as it now is, but it will look more like one consistent building and less like a mashup of styles. I hope you don't take this comment as an insult of your building, because that really isn't how it's meant. I try to point out the areas that could use improvement, I'm not saying they're bad. In fact, I like a lot about this build. The "BF" is a very cute detail by the way. But if you like something, you want to have more, you want to see it grow. And I hope this piece of advice can help you with that. Because, when we already have such a nice MOC now, your future MOCs will be better and better, way beyond great!

It really doesn't matter, MstrOfPppts, if you don't post the maximum amount of entries. Because they are just so good. And this certainly is not an exception, quite on the contrary. The rockwork is of course perfect, with just the right transition between the cliff face and the ground, with just the right texture of the ocean floor and just the right implementation of the cave. Maybe a ledge or some pieces that are angled could have given it an even more natural look, but it already is near perfection. The best thing, however, is how smoothly you managed to incorporate the architectural elements in this convincingly natural setting. The gateway fits in nicely, and the platform doesn't look like it is slapped on as well. I love the way how your architectural take on Mon Calamari is very reminiscent of impressions of Atlantis, with the marble and the arches. Then it would have been nice if the platform would have been a bit more coherent with this. It doesn't have to be white, but some round shapes here and there, some echoed hollow studs would have unified the architectural bit a bit more. The downwards pillars are a very nice touch though (although I think I would have preferred round shafts to the blocky ones). It's good that you did effort to make it look Sci Fi, with those technical looking decoration on the door. I think you could have made a better compromise between the sea-aesthetic and the technology however. This looks a bit out of place (especially the colors look... off), and some more organic, rounded shapes could have looked equally Sci Fi and closer related to the Mon Calamari (and the designs of their ships). These points are overshadowed, however, by the incredibly convincing atmosphere of being underwater you put up. You didn't achieve it by the obvious blue tints, not even in the lighting, but by actually taking into account how water differs from the world we normally live in. The way you captured all of the floating is impressive, with the superb posing of the minifigs in perfect weightlessness, and the vegetation that could never exist out of the water (and that is very nicely incorporated into the base!). It's great to see people think like this to make everything extra convincing, without falling into cliches. And if all of that makes for such a beautiful build as yours, one can only marvel at such brilliance.

Awesome build, LegoFjotten! You really created a sense of space on a 14x14. Impressive! Still, I find your creation a bit simple. Not in a bad way, like "not over-complicated". It's not super crazy, but still has some kind of appeal. That must be due your amazing building skills, as only the best can create something that is beautiful, and not just because of its simplicity. Maybe it's the great design that's in here. All of the straight lines make for a rather subtle recurring architectural theme. The vertical lines in between the windows seem part of the building, as those lines come back in the grill bricks, the railing, even the vents. The flat floor of the sea is rather new to me, but fits perfectly in the overall aesthetic, making it look like an underwater scene without the slightest trace of blue. You clearly don't build with prejudices, but with a mind that thinks further. I'm really impressed! I'm not going to say that there should be anything added to this creation for once. The only remarks I have, have to do with presentation. The gaps in particular are something that can easily be fixed. A small second wall behind the back would solve the light shining through (and if you don't have the room, SNOTted plates could do as well). And to make the division between the inside and outside clearer, the gaps in between the windows where you can see inside should be eliminated. Some kind of recessing roof could work as well to enhance the feeling of a secluded town at the bottom of the ocean, and would add yet another level of realism to this build. I'm also not too sure about the way the hallway ends, and maybe it would have been better to just have it open, but I don't see any obvious improvement for this small thingy. And maybe making the foliage more diverse (i.e. brick built), could give us more the feeling the plants are unlike regular surface plants, and that they are not held back by gravity. At the irrelevance of my suggestions, you can see that I really have almost nothing to add to this beautiful and (not correlative) simple build. Well done, and thanks for this inspiring entry!

I like this vignette a lot, markus1984. It shows that you don't need a lot of pieces to accomplish awesome things. The colors are indeed very nice here, with the contrast between the brown and the green. The small touches of dark brown add a lot of life, without making it look fragmented, as often happens when colors are mixed. The junk is nice as well, just the right size to be junk: big enough to be part of a ship, small enough to prevent everything from cluttering. There aren't really any creative parts usages in there, but it still gets the feeling across with a lot of clever tricks like the tilted crate or those pieces that are a bit suspended in the air. My only complaint would still be about the wreckage, though. They don't really look like they're parts that were left behind because they have no use. They still look useful. so it would have been nice to see some more larger panels, wrecky pieces of metal that are too beaten up to be of any use. And the other parts would have to look like they're broken more. Ways you can accomplish this, are to group certain parts, and make them look like they belong together. The trick then is to separate them somehow. An example will be clearer: say you have a piece of transmission equipment, with antennas. You can group some similar bars together for that. So you can have the two bars that once were a same antenna somewhat together, but still separated, at different angles, so that it really looks like it broke. Or there could be nasty toxic waste in the bins, so that they can't be used as well. These are just some ideas to make junk look more like junk. If you're building something, you don't only have to think how it got there. Sometimes, you also have to consider why it is still there. Building a ruin in a city, for example, can only be done if it looks very ancient, and therefor has a different architectural style. I'm not sure if people will think it is better on first sight, but they will appreciate it when they take a closer look, and your builds will be more realistic in any way. But of course, your builds already are so good and realistic. Just some small nuances are the only thing to be changed... Great job on making this another flawless build, and thanks again for joining the Empire!