BEAVeR

Glad you liked it and took the trouble to let that know, everyone! Really appreciated. You're absolutely right, MstrOfCmmnts, it does look a bit empty. Truth is, I put so much effort in the bucket conveyor and the hill (and amazingly much in the platforms), that I though I might get in trouble for my other builds. So I will do those first, and then I might come back to this build. I did try to make some kind of sample taking droid, but cramming something into that corner seems a little bit weird, and it clutters the view with the platforms, and it somewhat destroys the sense of vastness I wanted to create on a 16x16. I think some kind of superstructure that connects to the conveyor could be the best option, and I'll see how I can work that out. I hope you have some patience though . Glad you like the color (working with rare colors is nice, but difficult: I had no disposal of 1x1 plates, so I had a hard time to make the texture look realistic. I'm very pleased that you like the story as well! This one has some actual kind of political implications, but I'm still thinking my other stories weren't irrelevant. They were on a more personal level. But I'm going a bit in the direction of war-encompassing stories that highlight some 'hidden' sides of it. I hope it makes you think about the real worlds as well, and you liking the story is the first step! I wouldn't get worried about the indoctrination of the TIE pilots, MstrOfHmr. I worked great... for some time (for now, that was not really shown in my builds, since that's not very interesting to me!). And there are still some 'right' (in your opinion, I guess) pilots, like Goatman. Anyway, I think the problem is not the indoctrination, but the recruits! There are so few Imperial pilots, that you just have to do with what you've got, even if it isn't the best of material! Glad you like the build, that bucket conveyor was what really started it. Often, I'm stuck on beginning a MOC, and it's just a simple idea for a parts usage that kicks it all of. So if you're stuck, have a good look at your assortment of parts, and you'll feel the inspiration coming (only today, I was stuck with my next entry, but luckily a review of Cragger's command ship brought a certain part to my attention that started it all (spoilers! oops...) And about my officer: I don't like him, but I still like him more than that businessman. It's just an illusion... Maybe you can have a build later as an enlisted specialist working in the laundry room, with a certain officer complaining about all the sand that got inexplicably in his clothes . Thanks a lot for the great feedback, MstrOfStories! I do like to have some content in my builds. There's more to life than Lego, but we can use Lego to explore those sides of life. And a fictional universe can learn us a lot about our own. These stories allow myself to think about all kinds of problems I don't face on a day to day basis (unlike SNOT-problems ), and it's great when other people are encouraged to think as well. That's what I'm really trying to achieve (besides giving you a great build), and I'm glad I can achieve to contribute to the content on the internet. Thanks for giving me the opportunities through keeping SoNE up, running and improving! Thanks a lot, MstrOfMOCs! It's really encouraging that you like it. Building with LDD is different than with analog bricks, both in a positive as in a negative sense (+. I have acces to almost all bricks ever produced! -. Building complex shapes like that hill really is a pain), but I try my best to make it as real as possible, through both ways (e.g. not using too much of those rarer bricks and trying to build complex shapes like that hill), to keep it as fair as possible. And I'm glad people can put away their prejudices and like digital builds! And to be honest, I often marvel more at the 'real' MOCs. Where you find all of the bricks, how you find certain ones (and what to do when you run out of them!), what you do when you misplaced a part, the effort it takes to build parts multiple times (instead of copy-pasting them), and the sheer will to go on with sore fingers of building! After all, building with LDD seems like the easy way... Glad you still like it!

Really, markus, there is simply no MOC of yours that isn't amazing! This is not an exception. The sheer UCS size and details are amazing, and I appreciate how you gave a new interpretation to the source material, as your last two entries were beautiful, but a bit unoriginal. But this one would be your best Steampunk MOC yet! I'm also very fond of the textures. The use of the palissade bricks is very interesting. and the nets really add to the feeling of an 18th century pirate/war ship (a ship of the sea, not of space, that is). Other texture elements like the grill tiles and the chains are also amazing. Another great thing about this MOC is how decorative and shaping elements flow into one. Those guns in the head are both nice details as an element in making the shape of the head. Same goes for the tires in the smokestacks or those whips. The interior is also incredible, with the nice chains and the storing place for the coal. It is really nice to have such a 'realistic' feature included. So this is truly one of your masterpieces, with nice ideas, nice textures and especially details on each an every spot. What a dedication to put details in areas that are barely visible, like on the bottom, especially considering the tight time frame. I have really but a few remarks. All of the realistic details are amazing, like the walkway to the head, the store for the coals etc... You even made the connection from the furnace to the legs, so this really looks like a working machine. The only thing is that I would like to see more of these incredible elements! One thing you can always ask yourself is how people access the vehicle. You have no ladder (or mini-helicopter if you want to be a bit more original) and no hatchway, so I guess they have to jump. And what if the vessel is attacked from the back? There is no defense there, and the vehicle isn't very agile, so that really is a weak spot. Considering the important equipment you have there, there should be some protection. But as I said, those are just things to add alongside all of the amazing elements you already have. Same goes for the originality. I pointed the resemblance with a war ship out, so there could be more of this. A mast for example, where someone could spot enemy steamspeeders. Or some fins at the back that could bear a resemblance to the steering rudders, or even better an entire captain's hut in the back! That's asking for much in a single week, but now you see that there are a lot of opportunities to take your creativity with the source material a step further to make your MOC even more unique. I said there is none of your MOCs that isn't amazing. That also means that it's hard not to blog them. So here you go:

Amazing and inspired build! I always like when Steampunkifying a vehicle goes beyond adding details and results in an entirely new vehicle. And if that has beautiful details, well, that won't hurt! The legs and the interior are really nice. I like the way the mechanics are still subtly visible in the right places. And the use of inverted plates as decoration is genius: it gives the impression of being a structural element, and yet it has a decorating quality, especially if you apply those... fancy thingies. I'm not sure if I enjoy the big amount of studs showing through. I kind of associate it with damage and deterioration, which isn't quite suitable for such a classy vehicle. But let's blame that on the tight schedule . Yes, the attention paid to details is amazing. The fact that you made removable sides is that as well. There are just some details missing. Maybe it would be nice for the driver to have the opportunity to get out of that cockpit... And it would be interesting to have the amount of stars displayed, as a sort of promotion. So there are some things that could be added, but you already took care of the majority. I always appreciate if a MOC makes sense, and that seems a bit lacking with some Steampunk creations. But here, I get the picture (things like the ladder for access are really nice, although not overly luxorious ), so good job. Keep it up in the next two rounds!

Amazing work, Disco86! Seeing all of the vignettes together really makes apparent how varied they are. Still, they all have the same amazing Disco86-quality. I will comment on the separate MOCs in their own threads, but I already want to say they are all really, really good. And the fun thing is, that while they're so diverse, they all belong together. The idea of using a consistent base (reused in markus1984's entries, I see!) was great to tie it together, and I like the symbolism of the 'two blasters', intentional or not, that really indicates that this is a story of two persns. The story is also great, with some scenes with little text, but a lot of power, especially comically. But great job at building industry, wreckage, vegetation, water and desert! And even more amazing if you consider the tight time frame you're in with the Iron Builder. It's great to see you still took time for SoNE. And I'm glad you did, because the result is amazing (it's a pitty you didn't succeed in getting the seed part in more of the vignettes, that would have really helped you and would have given us something to search for). My only general remark about the builds is that your minifig posing tends to be a bit stiff. The torsos, for instance, are almost always upright. And a lot of the time, minifigs are standing on one leg, while the other one is hovering in the air. A simple tile would solve this small reality-issue. But still, I'm thoroughly impressed by these creations. Glad to see you are so enthusiastic about SoNE. And I'm enthusiastic about your building:

That certainly looks like a place that isn't nice to get around! The barbed wire doesn't look very SW though. You could use that to make this place look really uncomfortable, but only if you place it in the proper context. You could have more science fiction elements, and then that barbed wire. that contrast would come out, to give the barbed wire more effect and to make the scene look less like a war front here on earth. You could also ask yourself why there could be barbed wire. Was it to keep people out, or to keep animals out, or was it just left there as part of the junk? Once you've found your reason, you can show it to us, and your build will have more character and sense. The structure in the back evokes a ruin easily. But it looks like an earthly ruin, especially with that statue. So make it look more like Star Wars, with visible tubes etc. And if you want to make it a ruined ruin, make sure to place some pieces at angles, as if they've sunk in the ground for a bit. So in general, think about what you're depicting. the barbed wire and the ruin are connected. Why and how? Could there be more elements to help to tell this story (preferably sci fi elements)? There are already some good elements, like the barbed wire, the statue and the nice little sci-fi fence thing. But they don't tell a coherent story, and get easily lost in earthly interpretations. So tie everything together in a new, sci fi context, and your build might look a whole lot better! And I would definitely like to see that, because then it would have even more of that wonderful dangerous, outdated, mysterious atmosphere, like your present build already has. Find your strengths and use them, and this build my grow from a nice one to an incredible one. And then the Empire will even be prouder with your return.

That's a very nice depiction of Felucia! It's nice to see the different ways in which people depict it, and this one really does a great job! I do agree, however, with the fact that the vegetation looks a bit too earthlike. There are already some great elements like the ice cream plants, the tubes and the strangely textured stems with wheels. Creative parts usage all around! There is still too much green, though. You will see that that color is practically absent in Felucia. Instead, look for all of your browns and blues. That will make it look more exotic. Don't be afraid to use parts that aren't normally used for vegetation (you've already done that on multiple occasions, so way to go!). In fact, you could avoid those parts altogether, as there is no real foliage on Felucia. Think more of stems with flowers and weir membranes. You have to make a shift in thinking about vegetation, and than you let your imagination run free. Who knows what amazing plants you can come up with then! Vegetation is also about variety, but not alone in the obvious way. Try to play with more extreme height differences of plants, that will make your MOC pop out more (I hope...). And why not have some stems that branch into smaller ones, instead of all those single-stemmed plants? Anything that looks natural is good! A small note on the cave: this way, it actually looks more like an artificial building. The relative symmetry might be responsible for that, so experiment with more extravagant shapes. Also, the cave has no real rock roof, which definitely makes it look like some improvised tent. So your cave should be more encapsulated in rocks, all the way around. And with building nature, you should always consider how it was formed. So this cave could reside in a big rock face, and was carved out by some sort of river (possibly with purple water!), so maybe it would be a nice idea to depict that in some way. And again, as long as it looks natural your ideas can be as crazy as you want! Still, you already have a great looking creation with some unique foliage and a very nice story. I like it!

The Fondorian at the reception told us his employer was inspecting his mine. The officer I accompany just had to lower his eyebrows a bit to convey he was in a hurry. One of the mine’s hover platforms was assigned to us promptly. Your average platform. Average enough for me to pilot it. I was brought to make sure we didn’t need any unwanted guests. That would only complicate things. So now I’m flying this primitive platform around on this primitive facility. This place where they never end scraping the skin of the planet, to dump it in great piles, in search of whatever preciousness they may find. Because war’s hunger for construction materials is never satisfied. So they dig, dump and search. No need for fancy, clean equipment. The planet doesn’t charge tax for keeping it clean anyway… Between this chain of dusty mountains, inhabited by dirty excavators and with conveyors for trees, a bold white figure stands out. This vision of neatness in all of this toxic chaos. The officer has no doubt is the boss of this mine, inspecting the premises. We’re about in hearing range. [soNE Ep. VI] 2 - Worse than war by Bert.VR, on Flickr “The bounty hunter Boba Fett frequents this place” It wasn’t even a question. “Tell us what you know of him” “No one knows him. How could I help my friends of the Empire?” “Tell us everything, or we’ll make this official” The Fondorian seems the kind of businessman to understand what this implies. “Well, I don’t know him. Not beyond the point of his business. I can’t really say he works for me, but let me say I give him… inspiration. From time to time, when my sales aren’t increasing, I give him ideas what to do. War is great for business, you know. Because war brings fear, and fear brings the want for protection. And for that, you need materials. But war seems such a far-off thing for some people. The fear disappears. The money disappears. So we need to get war back to those people” “And that’s what you need the bounty hunter for” “He eliminates certain well-chosen targets. He destroyers certain facilities. But that’s something every bounty hunter can do. But to make the people believe it were the Rebels, you need the best. You need the best to frighten people with their own illusions, to make them feel unsafe, to make them long for protection, to make them buy, whether they really need it or not. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of terror. On the contrary. It’s good for commerce. And it keeps people awake, always on the lookout for the enemy. And it keeps people asleep, not complaining – this world is perfect, as long as they keep those Rebels outside. That’s why you Imperials let me do this off the books. You’ve known this for ages. But why this sudden interest?” “The bounty hunter was here recently. For a job of you” “People in the junkyards of Ord Mantell seem to think they have nothing to lose. They think everything there has been destroyed already. It was time to make them see that differently. And the loss of a concurrent won’t hurt business” These last words can only faintly be heard from the platform I’m steering back to our ship. But that doesn’t stop me of feeling a deep disgust. Of this man in whose mind resonates only the vocabulary of commerce. It’s not about the planet he is poisoning, it’s about the resources. It’s not about the fear people experience, it’s about what makes them hunger for those resources. Using war as a lucrative selling strategy. Using terror as marketing. There are no casualties, only losses of clients. I thought war was the worst thing imaginable. But people fighting a war are no villains. They want to end the war as soon as possible, in their favour. They are no villains compared to these… They don’t want the war to end. They want it to go on, to be everywhere, to destruct everything as long as it is profitable. This is not a human. This is not even a machine. But these villains could be stopped. If there was no cause, if there were no means to accomplish their goals. War gives them the ideas. And scum like bounty hunters, like Boba Fett, give them the opportunity. He doesn’t question what he’s doing. He can say he’s just the blaster in another’s hand. And he is right. The blaster never questions the actions of that hand. The killing is not his responsibility. But the blaster gave every one the opportunity to murder without having the need of the courage to look into the victims eyes. The blaster invites the user to use it, to kill. And so it is with the bounty hunter. The killer doesn’t even have to see his victim, he never has to touch a weapon. Boba Fett can say he hasn’t killed a soul in his life. But he offers the possibility. And should he who offers the opportunity be a bit less despicable than he who takes it? I never liked the bounty hunter, but now I’m utterly disgusted by him. _____________ LDD File to be found here. I really wanted to go for a different side of Fondor for this one, vast and dirty. I had a lot of fun with the bucket conveyor and the platforms, but the heap of dirt proved to be very difficult, both due to the shape and to the limited amount of bricks in dark orange. I hope you like the way it turned out (with a lot of studs!). It was quite impossible to contain it to the 16x16 base, so I hope the judges are okay with a one stud overhang of some plates. I also had to make the decorations for the torsos of the officer and the pilot. They can be found in this album, if anyone would want to use them for their renders. I hope you like this installment! Comments are always welcome!

I'll try to show it to you. Go to this page (it is a simulator of 4-bar linkages, so no worries), make the red bar shorter by adjusting the value in the 'Crank' box, and see what happens. Hopefully, you'll see that while the red bar makes a complete revolution, the green one only changes its angle a bit. This is valid for any angle, so if you rotate the smaller lever a small bit, the bigger lever will rotate even less. You can use this effect in LDD. Recreate the four bar linkage with Technic beams. Attach your creation to the bigger beam. Rotate the smaller beam, and your creation will rotate in even smaller increments. I hope this makes things a bit clearer to you.

I would suggest to make the connection that is hardest to make first, manually. In this case, I would say that you connect the red plates to the green brick first, and then use the hinge align tool get the two click hinges to snap. If you want to turn something a really tiny amount, you could always use a lever contruction. Take a big and a small lever. Connect both ends. If you rotate the small lever, the big one will rotate in a far smaller amount, so in this way you can get a higher accuracy. I hope this helps!

It is a mystery to me. How can you build so many, so amazing MOCs in such a short time? How much time does it actually take you to make one build, because I'm beginning to think I am a really slow builder... And then I don't even get those awesome results you do. This is another incredible build. And the fact that there are two distinct pieces makes it even more impressive. You could have easily split this in two freebuilds and get double points. But of course, that would mean we would get less builds, so thank you! But let us enjoy this build first. The blast door is amazing. I don't think I've ever seen such a door built already, and i doubt someone will still want to try after you built such a nice one, the definite version so to say (except for the step that might be a bit too high for a minifig)! The two layers of which the door consists add some nice depth to an otherwise flat wall. And the seams of the bricks that are visible because of the lighting actually give more detail. A very small remark: the top and bottom two doors are a bit different in construction (you used a 1x6 brick in the top ones and two 1x1s and a 1x4 in the bottom ones) and this breaks the symmetry a bit. But of course, these comments are far from important. For the rest, I really like the play of symmetry and asymmetry going on in the wall. There are elements that are common, and other parts jump out as different. Nice technique! The little greebles are probably the best you can make at that scale, but I am not too sure about that protruding lever, as it can only seem to be a lever, and it isn't easily accessible for operation. As a general rule, greebles are rather flat, or whole parts stick out, unless they make functionally sense. But I guess you are more of a greeble expert than I am... It is by the way very interesting to see that this is a sponsored build, with the logo of Flickr appearing above the door. Or is there some other reason for this ? To end this section with a possible useful tip after all of that madness: since you want this build to 'pop out' with the characters coming directly towards the camera, you can enforce that a bit more in you build by working with lines that go in the distance. There could be a pair of white parallel white lines going straight from the front to the back of the build. Their coming nearer to each other will make it easier for the viewer to estimate the depth. The bridge is possibly even more impressive. The shape of the windows and the window panes are just perfect, and it is a part of what sets this build apart from all other ISD bridges. The consoles below the windows are another element in this. Creating gaps as a decorative feature was a very smart move to make the gaps that aren't intended less noticeable. Very clever! Still, there are some apparent gaps with the slanted window panes. The only way to fix these would be to have some grey tiles behind them (or some white tiles, if the shadow makes it too dark), so that the gaps have about the same color as the rest, so they jump less into the eye. But all of those little details are forgotten when you get to see the extraordinary greebles on the ceiling. This element is what really makes your ISD bridge unique. It is amazing how much work you spend on a section that is only barely visible, but it is great that you do so. There is a nice variety, and the few elements protruding from the ceiling give a really nice effect. The only thing with the greebles is that the lamps get lost a bit. My advice would be to separate them more, creating ares with lamps and areas with greebles, with a clean band running in between them. That would bring some order in the chaos of the greebles. Still, amazing job, and the two tubes at the side already bring some order (being bigger elements), so that is a great start. I could go on with saying how amazing the other details, like the 'pits' and the nice detailing on the floor are, but then this page would get hard to load with so much text ), so I'll leave you with two last tips about the presentation. Firstly, I think the bottom section of the picture of the bridge is a bit redundant. There's nothing really there, and that is really apparent next to e.g. the greebles. Cropping it away from the picture, you won't loose anything, and your picture would look more cinematic. So you could experiment a bit with the format of your pictures. Secondly, there's still a small mistake in the overview of all of your builds. Part IV isn't 'Recruitment', but 'Foreign Systems' (both the title and the link are 'wrong'). And there's a small typo in the title of part II as well (recruitmant should be recruitment). So again, no big issues, but we don't want people to miss any part of the wonderful story of you guys! So I really, really enjoyed this build, and I think you get better and better with each build, no matter how impossible that sounds on your high level of building. So thank you for giving us all of these great MOCs, and I hope you appreciate that it got...

I can't express my gratitude towards you. Thank you guys! For liking the (somewhat fishy ) build and the story! I'm glad that you begin to like my builds, you with your keen eye. It's strange that the fewer pieces I use, the more you seem to like it . I'm glad I succeeded in pleasing you. And the therapist isn't as needed as in last episode. Not yet... And about the judging. The episode host didn't mention anythin, so I think we're okay (and you're right, we have to be careful with the return of N.N.). Besides, if it is not okay, let's say the city is part of the photoshopped background, and only the cockpit (that fits on a 16x16 in the 'regular way') needs to be judged. We'll leave it to the judges, but I think we're somewhat okay.So no need for a therapist, and no need for a lawyer here (no offense to all of the therapists and lawyers reading this, your help is welcomed!). Well, I don't know a thing about 'actual' photography, but here is my idea of how to get black builds to show up nicely. You will probably know that we perceive details on monochrome surfaces by the slight color changes. Mostly, shadows are responsible for this. But on a dark build, these shadows aren't easily visible (black on black), and thus it is way harder to see what's actually there (BTW, this is why they say wearing black makes you look skinnier: you can't see the shadows, so you can't judge how... protruding someone's belly is. With white clothes, on the contrary, everything is easily visible). So we can't use shadows to make things clearer. The only option I see is then to think the other way round. Let the highlights do the talking. Point a strong light towards the build, and all of the surfaces directly facing the light will have a distinct color from the rest. The more reflective your pieces are, the stronger the effect. So cleaning your pieces and possibly making them a bit wet with water would make things more easily visible. And if these tips don't help enough, there's always the possibility to go to a photo-editing program and play with the contrast and brightness of the image. I hope these little tips can help everyone to make better darkness. I for one had a lot of fun (and work) thinking how to make it look good, and it's a great compliment to me that you envy the result . I couldn't possibly pass on the forced perspective, as it seems like I did it in every odd episode! I really like doing it, and if it takes nasty tricks to get it, that won't stop me. Glad you like it. And glad that you also like what's actually built. Most of the inspiration indeed came from Kamino, and from the pictures I found when I used the search term 'Dac Star Wars' on Google. that will take you far enough. Yes, I did. You can find the LDD file at the bottom of the post. Thanks for the huge compliment, though! I spend a lot of time making things look as realistic as possible, and getting comments like this is very rewarding. I'm glad people can enjoy digital builds as well as (not completely, but close enough) the actual stuff. Otherwise, I could only give you big stories with pictures of a minifig on a plate... It's a bit strange some of you think that the buildings are white. It might be the lighting, but the buildings are actually light grey. The helmets are supposed to be metallic, but that didn't render very nicely. But I assure you, I only use pieces in colors that are available in real life! No cheating from me on that part. I'm glad enough I'm allowed to enter LDD builds (thanks for that ), and I'm not going to abuse that privilege. But glad you like the parts usage, it was a bit hard to get the detail in there, and I think these pieces make the micro part more interesting, so glad you noticed it. And of course, I'm really honored that you, the master story teller, enjoy my little essay on the popularity of Boba Fett. It's a thing that puzzles me in real life as well, and it's good to know I'm not the only one. Thanks for the compliment! I really tried to pay attention to the details, building such a small vignette. And about the conflict. I think I will resolve it... In fact, I have it completely planned out, but unfortunately I couldn't really fit it into the story of this episode, so I guess you have to wait a little bit longer, and listen to me and my everlasting conflict a bit longer. I hope you don't mind. All of you, thanks for your nice input! This conversation is what makes SoNE such fun, so thank you for giving all of us a great time!

It's a bit funny that a lot of builds depicting SoNE have the bars as subject... Oh well, at least it got us this wonderful building. I really like what you did with the shapes. Combining round and angled sections isn't evident, and you came up with the most wonderful combination of both in that incredible inverted-cone-like shape. Amazing! The arc in the doorway and the round elements at the top complement this nicely. However... The sharp corners don't really match this. I'm referring to all of the squareness on the roof. Those pointy tiles (and the quite bar corners of that same arc brick) 'stick out' too much for my taste, and ruin the aesthetic of the building a bit for me. Of course, a bar doesn't have to be an architectural masterpiece, but still, this one can be the exception. So my advice would be to cover up the arc brick with cheese slopes (maybe you would make a construction with jumper plates to make some kind of fronton, but I'm not too sure about that). And the tiles at the top could be replaced by some kind of SNOT construction (possibly showing of more of that grated cheese), emphasizing the use of angles in your build a bit more. That would also tie the top and the bottom part of the building together better, since now we have that beautiful and complicated bottom, and then that rather (relative, of course) simple top with other architectural clues. Your good ideas will come out better when you are more consistent in your building. I like the general shape of the bar, somewhat resembling an African hut (almost wrote an extra 't' there ). If you could bring the building a bit more forward (literally), by placing that side wall back by a stud (or two), then the round shape would totally dominate the scene, and it has right to. Talking about that wall. I don't really like it, not next to the nice bar. It lacks... industrial elegance. I would suggest to move the greebles that are barely visible at the side of the building here, in a narrow strip of vertical details. It could possibly fulfill a function. It could e.g. be a public phone boot hologram communication unit (I'm not making this up!), or a credit-withdrawal machine to go to the casino's (I might be making that one up). Just to give that wall more purpose, both to us as viewers, and to you as builder, because it is often hard to find inspiration for something as plain as a wall. A note on color. I know Fondor is supposed to be a bit colorless, but there is a much clearer way to insert color than those (I'm sorry to say) kind of pointless lights in the building. A sign. Why not have a (possibly modest) sign to advertise for the bar. The top is a perfect place for this, or just above that arc. It would be a nice way for more color and more angles. Who knows what you can come up with! A kind of jokey sign sounds just like you! So time to get creative! My compliments, by the way, on the lamppost. The combination of the two translucent pieces gives some nice colors. The shape could be a bit more refined. Why not use one of those minifig cups (6269 e.g.), or a bottle or one of those chemistry-bottles. These would allow for a bit more refined shape, more like a lava lamp (imagine lava streetlamps!) You could also make use of the bottom part, maybe for advertisements or a small electricity cabin, or you could elevate the foot of the post a plate to make it a bit more interesting. Overall, you have a very nice build. That round building is especially nice, and I appreciate little touches like that grill tile that is a bit slanted (now don't tell me that wasn't on purpose ). I think there are more opportunities for you to shine though, both as a good builder with that angle-thing, and as the humorous person you are! So I am eagerly awaiting that update. I hope I got your inspiration running free!

I'm not familiar with Bothawui at all, but I really like what you've done with it! It definitely has its own nice look. I especially like the concept here: you're in a crowded city, but you've found Boba in a corner. this is nicely shown with that black border separating the sidewalk from the road. Nice touch! You could go even further in this. If you want a more secluded and secret feel, maybe a corner could be a better idea, and you could photograph it with more shadows. Or you could place Boba in the doorway, half in the dark. And there could be a trooper on the lookout. Possibly some civilians walking across the other end of the scene. Then you could make the contrast between the hustle and bustle of the city on one side and the small, dark meeting alongside it. Just some ideas to make the story you're telling a bit more dramatic. As a general advice, think what atmosphere you want to depict, and then think how to make it as intense as possible. The building is nice, with a nice shape that differentiates it from Tatooine architecture: well though out! The slopes towards the base give it a really solid look, and the contrast with the curves at the top is nice. The gap makes for a nice transition. However, if you really want to make it an architectural element (instead of have it looking like a 'mistake'), you can go for repetition. Add more of those gaps, as bands crossing the entire building. That would also give more texture and depth to the facade, that might be a bit lacking in detail, even for what is a 'simple' architectural style. Repeating the same patterns creates detail, while not overloading it. Of course, there could also be some small details, like a small panel to open up the door. Those elements (like the door you built) remind us that this is Star Wars we're dealing with. As with your previous build, you don't use all of the space available, and that for such a small creation. Of course, you don't have to overload it, but here can be some subtle details. there could be a bit of litter in the streets, or a hatch going for the sewers, or a lamppost. That would make the urban feel still stronger, and would intensify the contrast with Tatooine. It would also be a nice opportunity to get a bit more color in the scene in a natural way (e.g., there could be a little bush). There are plenty of options to fill in the space a bit more, so that we get more details to like, and you get more opportunities to show off! I think your MOCs would go well with those details, since such a good base topped with extra details, that would take your build to a next level. So keep improving, and keep being good!

4 - Devid (1 p.) 64 - Bob De Quatre (1 p.) 109 - Yatkuu (1 p.) 110 - Tazmaniac (1 p.) 136 - SpacySmoke (1 p.) 176 - viracocha (1 p.) 225 - Niloc (1 p.) 235 - Cara (1 p.) 252 - Minoton (1 p.)

I don't think I've seen a lot of Felucia MOCs, but I can already say this one is quite nice. All of the different kinds of vegetation are a delight to look at, and it sure does look psychedelic! Still, there could be more to this build (not to the story, because that's just genius with just a few words!). Maybe just in quantity: more builds and more variation! And not only more plants. Why not go for some kind of translucent animal as well? I would really like to see how you'd make one of those . Yes, that advice is basically me wanting more nice translucent stuff (it must have been a pain to render, though... wait ). But I still have some serious advice left. Instead of getting more variation between plants, you could also go for more variation within the plants. Back here on earth, there is also a great difference between the stem and the flower, or the trunk and the foliage. So why don't you make your plants a bit more elaborate. There could be multiple stems growing close to each other, or there could be side-stems on the plant. There could be a big difference between what's on top (e.g. beautiful) and what's on the bottom (e.g. mean plant trying to eat you). There could be roots on the ground. There could be plants that don't grow up, but sideways. There could be big, umbrella-like plants. Just some ideas... While there are some great NPU's in your build, it would be better to incorporate them into builds, making it not only about that one NPU, but about the nice build. This could give your plants the sophistication that is so characteristic for Felucia Foliage . On to the ground. There are already some plate to bring relief, but those don't quite do it. Go more dramatic. It's a jungle planet, so the ground should be torn apart by all the roots looking for food. And there could be even more mushrooms, clustered together e.g., to give everything a nice overgrown look. Because now it looks a bit like a desert with plants in it, rather than a plant planet. And there's already a lot of color in the plants, so why can't there be color in the ground? Some dark orange wouldn't look bad. Some nice blue tints could be present in a small (inconspicuous looking) river. Loads of opportunities, as long as you see that a plant planet isn't only about the plants, but also about the planet (the ground). And it's about the atmosphere, so you could experiment a bit more with the lighting. That's especially fit for your 'sunrise'-subject, and for Felucia. And UV-lights would definitely look nice indeed. Yes, I know... it are fewer words than usual, but there are so many builds to comment on! But look at it this way: I like the MOC so much that there isn't much advice to give left... I hope you like the advice that I did left here, as much as I like your build. See you on the next planet!

What an interesting build! I like the combination of technology, architecture and nature you have there with the Slave I, the walkway and the sea. Good job. With a bit of work, each of those elements could become something better (that's the thing with building, it can always improve!). The Slave I, for example. You already did a great job in capturing the essence with those bricks. That's a good beginning for a micro model: first you have to search for the defining features of the model, look into the proportions, and translate those into the brick. You mastered that. But there is a second step: refining your model with nice details. You used already some good things in the wings. Now try to focus on other details, like the smooth shapes. You might not have a lot of curved bricks, but that's not a problem. Try SNOTting those cheese slopes, and you could already get some pretty nice results. Just keep in mind to stick to the proportions. The walkway is pretty basic, but it does a good job. There could be more to it, though. You could easily make it bigger. And why not elevate it a bit more above the see, because with the slightest wave it is going to overflow now. Or there could be some kind of force-field barriers to keep the water out. That would also offer a nice opportunity to add some more technical details. Maybe what that area lacks most, is relief. There are only two levels in your MOC: sea-level and the level of the Slave I (slave-level?). You could differentiate more on your lower level, for instance by putting some benches there. There could be a small antenna protruding from the sea. There could be some stairs. In the sky, you could even have some clouds with some building magic. Try making your MOC a composition of layers, rather than letting one (or two) do all the talking. Think about your composition. You already did this, and it's really apparent in the shot looking up . But it doesn't look great from all angles. Maybe placing that Slave I at an angle would also be a nice touch to make things interesting. Also, it's a bit weird when your figures aren't looking at the ship... Finally, the see. You could think it is just one big bunch of water drops, and it doesn't really matter how you depict it. But think a bit more about the sea. First of all, most seas aren't translucent. Most seas aren't even blue, but rather something grayish. And there are waves in the see. And if those waves break (when approaching land), there is white foam. It's great to see you already thought of that, but unfortunately it isn't very apparent. So good job there, and try expanding those ideas. These considerations could help you making a more realistic sea. But we're in a sci-fi universe, of course, so you still have some freedom. But think a bit further, and you can use those different elements present in 'actual' seas to bring more detail in your MOC. I hope these are some useful suggestions, and that you keep growing to become one of the Empire's finest cadets! Good luck on the way, and that many good builds may follow this one!

What an absurd mission we’re on. Giving a “thank you” card to Boba Fett. Has the Empire really lost its mind? But I won’t complain. For once, we’re on a peaceful mission with a positive vibe to it. For once, no killing, voluntary or involuntary, on purpose or by accident, significant or insignificant. Just crossing the galaxy to say thank you. It’s a pity that such a nice act comes forth from a whim of insanity. But a lot of beautiful things are born in disease… “We’re approaching the surface. Landing gear stand-by” The Sentinel-class landing craft I’m piloting has one of the few cities at the surface of Mon Cal as destination. This planet is probably the easiest one to find the bounty hunter, since I don’t see that craft of him going under water. So only a troopers were needed per city. [soNE Ep. VI] 1 - When did the killer become the hero? by Bert.VR, on Flickr They’re in the back now, talking. They seem quite excited. Not only to be practically on leave. Not only to visiting a nice peaceful planet (and way better than looking for droids in the desert). No, most of them seem to be excited to meet him. “Have you heard he has tamed a Wampa to be his pet? Really. Or that all of his pillows are made from Ewoks? Really. Or that he once killed a Gorax with nothing but a mouse droid? Really. And o, that mouse droid! Did you know he stole it right from under Vader’s nose? Really. Really, that man can do anything. I wouldn’t be surprised if he survived getting eaten by a Sarlacc…” “Yes, he can do anything…” (that one wasn’t much of a talker) “But he’s quite frightening too. Who knows what his next target will be. Maybe my head will be the next trophy on his shelves, in between the pink of the ambassador of Alderaan and a tooth from as space slug (that he killed because he helped captain Solo escape)… Maybe I don’t want to meet him after all.” “Are you mad? You’re might meet the most feared person in the galaxy – after Lord Vader of course (you never know who’s listening) – and you want to run away in fear. You don’t make sense.” “Yes, imagine meeting the man who did all of those great deeds. I think I will faint.” It just keeps going on. They seem Fett’s personal groupies. And for what? What has that foul bounty hunter ever done to become such a hero? Sure, that Wampa, Gorax and space slug stuff… But since when did a killer become the hero? Is murder the new cool? He might be skilled in what he does, but so is a trash collecting droid. He’s just a diva. I hope the others will see that when they meet him, but I’m asking too much of them. Let them adore him. What harm will it do? Let them adore the killer instead of becoming him. Let us all enjoy war instead of making it. It are our deeds that define us. I feel lacking. What are my deeds? I have only done things I regret. Do I regret myself? I wish those deeds never took place. Should I stop to exist? Isn’t there more to me than my deeds? And what more can there be to that bounty hunter? He has done enough deeds. But does that make him superior to me? “Stand by for landing” Let’s just give him the card and let’s go. _____ LXF File here. The whole thing actually fits on a 16x16 plate. It is build in such a way as to stand upright, and there's no limitation on height [soNE Ep. VI] 1 - The proof! by Bert.VR, on Flickr And I know, it looks bigger on the inside. And it looks ugly on the outside...

You can see from the build it is a quick one, but it's quite remarkable how much you've managed with so few pieces . The tent is quite nice. That piece of cloth was indeed a very good choice. One small problem is that the cloth is only attached at two points, so it won't be of much use when the first bit of wind comes around. So, evidently, adding another pole would be an easy and nice way to improve. You could also go with a less conventional shelter, and attach a side of the cloth directly to the ground. That would even make it more of a quickly erected shelter for the meeting. Maybe a crate that contained the pieces or tools needed to make the tent could also make for a nice addition. It would make the space look a bit less empty.A small table could do the trick as well. I hope you see this way that some small additions can already make your build look more interesting, since they help to tell the story. On to the natural part of the build. I hope you forgive me if I say that it is quite bare. Of course, when you go for that kind of landscape, that's the effect you want to achieve. But that doesn't mean you can't build anything. Take those pebbles. They don't look quite natural, and I think a small assembly of cheese slopes would make for a more convincing piece of stone. I think a small rock protruding the sand makes more sense than some random pebbles in that wasteland. There could even be a small piece of wreckage peeking through the sand. That would be a bit hard to do, but it would definitely give your scene more character. It would make it stand out, and that's what we're trying to achieve. There aren't a lot of pieces in this build, so it leaves more to be wanted than to be loved. But still, you managed to make it look realistic (in a simplified form) with a minimum of pieces. So well done on seeing the big picture already. Now you can start working on the details. We're glad to have you on the Empire (also with your rather nice writing, again a good sketched story with a small amount of words!). Hope you have a great time!

First of all, congratulations MKJoshA on your promotion! I just hope you'll keep the amazing building up. Well, you've already given us an amazing episode (why are the even episodes always the most interesting?). I like the fact that there will be a lot of small builds, although I will have a hard time commenting on them all. Must... write...fewer...words . And wait, there are actual prizes in this one (not that I hope to win one, because we have some unbeatable members here)? And it is interesting that now we have an episode where everyone will post their builds as soon as possible, instead of in episode IV. The only drawback of this episode is that the potential to tell stories is a bit less than in the previous ones. But I'll write myself a way out, I guess. One final question. To me it seems there's a slight inconsistency in the rules. Point 6 in the "Rules" section states that only the best build of a player will be scored, so the maximum amount of attainable points in this episode will be 10 XP. Point 3 in the "Prizes" section mentions that the top two entries of each participant will be awarded as XP, so for a maximum of 20 XP. I'd prefer the last to be true, to keep this episode in line with the previous ones. Anyway, I'm looking forward to a nice episode. I hope the size limit will draw in a lot of new members!

You don't need to use tiles to get a smooth floor. With basic bricks, you can get quite far! Just take some long briks (1xn or 2xn), Build a wall of them, and then just lay that wall flat on the floor. This way, you can add a lot of details with plates as markings. This is a simple technique to create a smooth floor with basic bricks, so I hope it can help you .

Awesome, MstrOfPppts (or rather, MstrOfMnfgs ) ! I won't go into the details of the build, this time, although it is itching to say something about the beautiful hangar or the lack of fluffy cream on the cake. But I'm standing right next to the Emperor, so I think I'll stay quiet for a while... But really, it's very nice to see everyone next to each other. There are quite a lot of us, aren't there (although I don't recognize that woman you brought with you)? And wow, Brickdoctor definitely had a lot of worries with this game, judging the rapid increase of wrinkles on his face. Seeing it like this, it surprises me how few of us pilots there actually are... so future members, you know what to do: join the Empire as a pilot! And finally, seeing us all together in relative peace is also quite nice. Although there might be a quarrel about the cake... At least the question of who has the better cake is solved now, hallelujah! So who has the better cookies? O, and to celebrate our first birthday...

4094 - Motion Movers (A Model) - Theme: Creator LXF File (LDD 4.3.8) Errors: Battery box (2847c01) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Electric wire (5306bc162) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Electric motor (47154c01) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Gearbox with worm gear (46220) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Curled monkey tail (42090) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Does not attach to 2x2 red brick Red rope not included 4094 - Motion Movers (B Model) - Theme: Creator LXF File (LDD 4.3.8) Errors: Battery box (2847c01) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Electric wire (5306bc162) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Electric motor (47154c01) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Gearbox with worm gear (46220) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. 4094 - Motion Movers (C Model) - Theme: Creator LXF File (LDD 4.3.8) Errors: Battery box (2847c01) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Electric wire (5306bc162) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Electric motor (47154c01) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Gearbox with worm gear (46220) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Rubber band not attached. Red rope not included. 4094 - Motion Movers (D Model) - Theme: Creator LXF File (LDD 4.3.8) Errors: Battery box (2847c01) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Electric wire (5306bc162) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Only attached at one side Electric motor (47154c01) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Gearbox with bevel gears (46217c01) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. 4094 - Motion Movers (E Model) - Theme: Creator LXF File (LDD 4.3.8) Errors: Battery box (2847c01) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Electric wire (5306bc162) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Electric motor (47154c01) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Gearbox with bevel gears (46217c01) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Red rope not included. 4094 - Motion Movers (F Model) - Theme: Creator LXF File (LDD 4.3.8) Errors: Battery box (2847c01) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Electric wire (5306bc162) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Electric motor (47154c01) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Gearbox with bevel gears (46217c01) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Curled monkey tail (42090) not in LDD, replaced with custom built solution. Does not attach to 2x2 red brick. Red 2x2 brick does not attach to Technic half beams. ________________ Not another Technic Star Wars set this time, but a Creator one from my childhood. I had a lot of fun playing with motors and discovering what they could do, but only now I see how limited this set actually was compared to all the Technic goodness that was about to follow. Still, there are some quite fun and educational models in there, both with instructions and as ideas (a pitty I can't tackle those for the index). These were not so hard to recreate, except for the high amount of custom solutions that was needed (you'll find a brick built battery in the battery box by the way), and with getting the electric wire to sit right. After that, I hadn't the slightest ambition to create a custom rope...

Wiltur Wright, the flying turtle When people see Wiltur for the first time, they don't really see him. They see the rocket. But Wiltur is not about the rocket. When they do get to him, it's always the same question. Why the rocket? Has he some need for speed? But Wiltur is not about the speed, not entirely. Or does he crave to fly? But Wiltur is not about the flying, not entirely. Then he has to long for freedom! But Wiltur is not about the freedom, not entirely. At that stage, people look puzzled, and fearing for an answer they can't comprehend, go on to talk about the rocket. How did he get it? How did he attach it? How did he control it? Those are but trivial questions. People seem to avoid the answer that is most worth knowing. The answer that can't be captured in a question. The answer to the question what Wiltur is all about. I don't think he ever got that question. Not as a real question in actually. Not as a question from someone that doesn't understand and is willing to show that. So I'm afraid I can't give you that answer that is most worth knowing. Maybe his biggest wish was to be a pioneer, discovering what is possible. Maybe he wanted to destroy prejudice. Maybe... he was all against those pretender questions, and never even asked himself why he did what he did. Maybe he enjoyed not knowing, but embracing it at the same time. In any case, Wiltur Wright was happy. When he flew and when he died. Why? Because he wasn't waiting for any more answers. In the end, Wiltur Wright, the flying turtle, wasn't all about the rocket, or the flying, or the speed, or the freedom. He wasn't all about. Wiltur Wright by Bert.VR, on Flickr ____ Just to clarify, Wiltur does fit in an 8x8xn box, if you place him with his head vertical. Just thought to clear that up.

Happy birthday, SoNE !!! Yes, this thread exists for one year already. In that year, we had 5 episodes and loads of entries and freebuilds (of the latter, we have been reminded today...). I think a lot of participants have grown over the last year, both as builders and as storytellers. It's great to see everything up and running, and wi the recent indexations and judgings, we can continue happily. This is another great opportunity to thank every one who keeps making this possible, both organisors and participants (and those who combine both aspects). Thanks for the opportunities you gave us, organisors. thanks for the never ending support, fellow participants. It's really nice to be part of this group. To celebrate the very first birthday, I would like to suggest something (since I didn't have time to make a small SoNE cake MOC today.., someone?). Why don't we all answer the following question: Why did you join SoNE? What was it in the concept that appealed to you? Or did you get inspired by someone? Share your experiences! I will allow myself to give the first answer: I joined SoNE because it seemed like a great motivatir to keep MOCcing regularly. I have to admit it worked, because with going to university, I didn't have as much time as I liked, but SoNE always offered me such great possibilities, I just had to have a go. It was also the great occasion to write stories. And perhaps the most appealing thing was that SoNE is about the group. There are the people who always comment (thank you for that). There are the people that keep building and telling, offering you opportunities to watch closely, comment, learn, and enjoy of course (thank you for that). There is the never ending kind rivaley between the Empire and Rebellion, that -no matter how weird that sounds- binds us all together. I joined SoNE, because it's about the great things in life: creativity, learning and friendship. Thanks to everyone for making every single moment in SoNE a delight! I hope you're having a great time as well. Tell it here!

Amazing vignette! Not being overly big, it's rather remarkable there are 800 pieces involved. That probably has everything to do with the insane amount of detail you went for with the well, the elaborate base and the angled walls in the back. That bit of forced perspective is really nice, and it is quite effective in that bird's eye view. All of those arms on the side are probably my favorite detail, although they don't quite hide the structure behind it. It's a bit of a pity we loose the feeling of immensity of the building, but what can we expect from such a tiny vig (except if you would do it with microfigs )? Maybe instead of creating half a circle of the well, a smaller portion with a smaller degree of curvature would help. That would easily insinuate the well being way bigger, and you would also have some more room for the minifigs. But that's really the only thing that has a small chance of improving this creation. It is already amazing. From the posing of the figs (and the little tricks you used there), over the incredible SNOT work, to the incredible smoothness of not showing any seems around the well. Well done (pun intended)! Maybe one last piece of advice would concern the photography. Most of the pictures are very good, but your main picture sadly is not that great, with the hard shadows. You could also experiment a bit with the color of the lights to emulate the feeling of the big hall better. Maybe it would also make it look a bit bigger. But all in all, this vignette is good enough to overcome those problems. It's simply amazing! Keep building these gems, both small (because they combine your awesome Architecture-expertise with the incredible SW-aesthetic) and big (because, who doesn't like big ?), and good luck in the contest!