BEAVeR

8007 - C-3P0 - Theme: Star Wars (Technic) LXF File - LDD 4.3.8 Errors: - Flex tubes and rubber bands not flexible. Placed next to the model where I couldn't apply them. - Ribbed hoses not available in the right lengths in LDD. Replaced with a series of tiny ones. - Parts 32165 and x209 not available in LDD. Replaced with 32475. - Part 32174 not available in LDD. Replaced with 60176. Well, since tomorrow is the famous birthday, and since tomorrow I'll be on holiday, let me post some gold now (although we're nowhere near a golden jubilee). Introducing - in my never-ending quest for Technic Star Wars - C3P0. It wasn't a hard one, and I actually appreciate the simplicity of the mechanism. There were some tricky connections though (but nothing the LDD tricks couldn't handle), unflexible flex hoses and the usual stuff too. And when looking at it without the stickers, for once I recommend the use of the DSS. That's all folkes! Have a nice birthday party for this wonderful topic and it's wonderful lords!

With the fourth episode in full progress, I thought it would be a good time to get our thinking caps back on and have a critical look at our beloved SoNE. A lot of new recruits have been joining lately, and both factions have around 40 builders each now! Not bad at all. I don't think getting new people into this is the problem. It's giving them somehting to work for when they're in it. So how do we keep the game compelling? Firstly, there are the episodes on themselves. Each and everyone has offered it's own challenge. What I particulary like about this new team-approach, is that we really get to share our WIP's and get suggestions from on another. That's really valuable, and part of the reaso most join here, I presume. So that was a great idea! So the process is good, but what about the goal? I mean, apart from getting the victory for your faction. What's there on a more personal level? Well, we've got the XP-system and the ranks, which is great by its own right, but it doesn't offer an immense deal of satisfaction when you got promoted. In fact, building just goes on. Maybe some extra benefits for higher ranks could work, although I have no idea what benefits that could be. Maybe restrictions, posing an extra challenge for the experienced would really draw them out, and level the gaps in the XP table. Restrictions in size for instance, or in scale, or in amount of parts, or even something completely crazy like only building with Technic parts and Znap! On the other side, something new wouldn't be off. How about achievements? You know, those things gamers go crazy for and are actually the reason they keep on playing the game? Just what we need, methinks. There could be achievements based on the amount of XP, the number of builds, ranks in episodes, an achievement for building a lot of vegetation, weapons, vehicles, bases... achievements for helping other players, achievements for the size of you builds... The possibilities are endless! Even each episode could come with an optional achievement (like "use this specific part"?) . That sounds nice and all, but wouldn't that be a great deal of work for the organisors? They'll have to monitor everything every one is doing, and see if they get an achievement. Doesn't sound like a great job... Agreed, but we don't have to do it that way. Inspired by what's going on in GoH now, people could claim certain achievements in their posts (or even in a seperate topic). The organisors (or whoever is in charge of the achievements) just need to check that, thus reducing the amount of time gone. Those achievements could be placed in the player index, or in a seperate achievement-thread ("The hall of fame"?). That would really put people in the spotlight on a more personal level, increasing the involvement in the game. There could even be a trooper/pilot of the month! Who knows what's possible. I think this could motivate people to keep going on very motivated. It could even help to encourage free-builds. The main reason for this idea is actually that right now, there isn't a single recompensation for individual excellence. I'm fine with the fact there's nothing material to win, but now that even the place in the blog banner has vanished, I think there is a need for a new measure of motivating people. I do hope this helps. Let me know if you do as well!

This is going to be even better then your previous endeavour! I do hope you finish it in something even more beautiful, although I wouldn't see what else there's left to add. The detailing, the shapes, the roof, the lights... everything is awesome. Except from the ceiling maybe. It's really apparent in the fourth picture that it are just some ugly stud-bottoms. Some kind of fancy decoration would be nice here, although it would only be visible from specific angles... Keep surprising us with you ingenuity and dedication!

So... will there still be an overall winner this time? Not that my super-lame, 5-year-old, flick-fire-overloaded and SNOT-oblivious build even makes a chance to win, but I don't know if it's really compelling for people to put their best leg forth. You can already see that, since there are so few builds being posted... But seriously, are the blog-banners full? As a veteran, I know the true glory comes from fighting for you faction (well, in case of that faction being the Empire at least), but for the new recruits something to look forward too could really motivate them, although it's pretty late already...

The system gets activated automatically. But if you haven't hear a word form us in a couple of days, you should kindly ask Brickdoctor (well, its Big Bad Doctor nowadays) to add you to the conversation. Then everything should be okay.

Welcome aboard, trooper! To be able to use PM, you'll first need ten (good) posts. Once that's done, you'll be contacted allright.

This is a great representation of how an 8-bit Jabba would look like. Pretty acurate, yet cutified. Just perfect. I'm not a big fan of the throne though. Maybe some more details and dimmer colors would be better. And for everyone dreaming of 8-bit Star Wars goodness: check out the Tiny Death Star game!

Incredible! The textures are the first things to draw my eyes. Man, those are good and they capture the Kalliphin-feel perfectly. Then you begin to see all the beautiful curves and slopes, really contrastign to that worn down wall, adding a lot of glory and refinement to the build. I would be very happy with such a creation, but you went further, way further. That bit of crumbled wall, that corner that's broken off. The details like the stairs, the roofs, the little gate inside the building, the death holes... adding life to the gatehouse. And then that unique feel of history, with the layer on layer of bricks and that closed off door. Amazing. Keep it up

Wow! This is probably the best rendition of a real building i've ever seen on this scale. Fallingwater is a piece of art by its own right, and you've captured with all the elegance you can get with Lego. It's incredible how you could convey the feeling the building and the environment are one. Those rocks flowing into the bricks of the house are pure art. All the angled sections, as far as the leaves. The tastefully exposed studs and the well divided green. The cross-section of the rock, even the splash of the waterfall (maybe Chima cristals would be nice there as well)... everything is awesome. The noly thing that could be a little bit better, is the picture. Maybe some kind of green background would convey the forest feeling some more. And then the house itself. You make that SNOT building look really easy, but I don't want to know what pain it took. Anyway, the result is stunning with the layerd structure conveyed perfectly. It's amazing what you can achieve with what are only some pretty basic blocks. You don't need any fancy parts usage to make your models look good. You've done an amzing job, beaten TLG and are proving yourself to be someone worthy of a win there. I wish you the best of luck!

Incredible! I don't know what to say first, because there are soo many great elements in this MOC. There's of course those roofs with the great charriot wheels, the buildings, the wheathering of the walls, the ivy, the texture of the ground (well thought out!), the ivy, the rocks, the trees, the details on the house and the church, the layout (with height difference and angles)... wait, is there an element of the MOC I didn't find amazing? So I have nothing more to add, else than that house looks terribly small to live in and that although the shape of the trees is really right, the direction of the foliage isn't quite... but there's not much to do about that. Keep surprising us with you trip around the world!

Ow, I see you've finished that mech off nicely! The body was already great, and now I'm beginning to see some of the great details like the hands and the neck (and the waist articulation!). And the legs came out really well! I love how you dared to go very thin in some places, and those holes on the side of the curve/slope bricks only add to the detail. And you've even taken the time to work on the back of the legs. And to top it off, you posed it masterfully. Those are some really convincing shots! Maybe it's just because there's no close-up of it, but I think the cannon is a little bit odd. It's a bit too bulky, and compared to the skinnyness of the mech, it almos seems like it would topple over... But anyway, congratulations, I'm glad you made this MOC all the way to the end! I hope you make more nice ones in the future!

Really nice! Someone has been watching the Lego Movie lately, I suppose This is a very well built and realistic interpretation of how the fire brigade might look like next century. The legs look very functional, very robust and good for rough terrain with debries. Those toes are a nice touch. I also like the grey tank incorporated in the middle of the body, containing all the water, and the hoses going everywhere. It's great to see the thought in this creation, and that no nozzles go without hoses etc. I only wonder how you tank. Maybe a hose 'tail' that can be lowered in a pool? Or some kind of future smoke-to-water converter or something like that? Also, some communication equipment would come in handy in remote areas. But those are only details. Well done!

Jippie, more micro's! You've nailed those two PT vehicles. Especially the ATTE is very well done. It's very recognizable, and I'm surprised how much articulation there is. It's both fun to play with and nice to look at with all those details. My only remarks would be that you lost the verticallness of the cockpit with that horizontal grill tile, and that the legs could be a little longer. But it's definetly an improvement over the Brickmaster model. I'm less a fan of the LAATs, because it looks very bulky, almost like a bumblebee unable to fly. You've detailed it as good as can be, but still I find it a bit lacking. Maybe making it a size bigger would help here. Nonetheless, it's already quite good. Keep'm coming! You've prove yourself to be quite masterfull in these.

Great! We'll let you know how you can help. If you want to communicate personally here on Eurobricks, you'll first need 10 posts (not that hard with so many great creations around), and then you'll get access to the Personal Messenger (PM) system.

That's odd! I did build those alright, but somehow never posted them here! Probzbly because of the sheer amount of models involved. glad you noticed it though, and completing the index!

Glad to have you on board! I really like your alternate builds, and TIE pilots are the best anyway. Will you be participating in the current episode?

This is probably the most realistic scene your brother has built to date! It's in the details, like the tree that sits at an angle, the red leaves on the ground since autumn is coming, the tree stump, that bush with the brown spiky branch running through it, the rocks and brown (leaves? little roots?) sprinkled across the landscape, the pallisade bricks for extra texture, the barely seen black plates in the fire, the fact Kendrick's cape is drying in the tree... This scene works because almost every detail is right. It tells a story: they had to make a fire, so they needed wood. That's why they chopped down that tree, leaving but a stump behind. Even the bucket of water is there for when they get thirsty or something goes wrong with the fire. It's unusual to see such an amount of detail, especially for his age. Since the overall scene is already great (nothing to say about that beautiful tree), I'll just give some suggestions for details. A tan plate instead of a brown one on top of the trunk would be more realistic, giving the chopped-down feel more. Also, maybe cut down a bit on the use of 1x1 round plates. Theyy can work as pebbles or so, but this scene is getting a bit cluttered, especially since those plates represents both pebbles as leaves... Also, that construction for roasting the meat looks very artificial. The sticks are just planted in the ground, and the soil looks quite rocky, so I don't guess it would be very stable. Maybe some supporting sticks or pieces of rock would solve this. Finally, it would be nice to give a more humid feel to the ground surrounding the cape and Basil, but that won't be very easy with a dark tan soil. If it were normal tan, dark tan would be believable humid. You see, I'm running thin on suggestions. Maybe it's almost time I can accept suggestion from your brother! I'm very glad Basil made it though. Who knows what's next!

Tracking down some more Star Wars Technic sets! This one was easy in comparison to the others I've build before, because there were no complicated mechanics and such. The colors gave me a headache however, and so did the unflexible flextubes Anyway 8012 - Super Battle Droid - Star Wars (Technic) LXF file (LDD 4.3.8) Errors: - Rubber band could not be placed. - 4 Flextubes could not be places. The others are only connected at one side - Some flextubes don't have the correct length, because they aren't available in LDD. - Part 41680 not available in LDD. Replaced with brick built solution. - Part 41679 not available in LDD. Replaced with brick built solution. - Part 41681 not available in LDD. Replaced with brick built solution. - Part 32551 not available in LDD. Replaced with brick built solution. - Part 41663 not available in LDD. Replaced with brick built solution. - Part 32578 not available in LDD. Replaced with brick built solution. Due to this, it's only attached to one side. - Due to a part replacement, two black Technic bushes could not be placed entirely correctly in the lower legs. !!! All parts in the Metal Blue color are replaced with Sand Blue. It's not very nice when all those pieces are missing, but at least you get to know some whacky parts that are lost in time.

Very nice! There are a lot of really good elements in this build. First of all, you've got that ship. It's an original and good looking ship that really fits the scene and the Rebellion. Mabye some more details would help though, especially because it's mini-scale. Something like grills and protruding tiles. The plateau it's sitting on is not to shabby as well. There, you got the feeling of detail, functionality and general SW-feel just right. Probably the best part of your build. But the hangar is also quite nice. I love what you've done with those sideways slopes for walls of the hangar. Also nice to see that assymetric door. I'm not too fond of the assymetric details surrounding it, because there is no reason for them to be that way. Also, I think there might be a little bit too much white in the scene, which is not very handy to clean on a volcanic planet ;) Finally, that little crane is kinda quite, and the SNOT works wel there. Nice addition! It's a good thing you didn't only make a good ship this time, but a nice setting as well. It really adds to the quality of the build. You're definetly progressing. Now just a bit more elaborated story, and you're ready to betray those Rebels

Congratulations to everyone for making some great entries for a great concept. Nice to see the teamwork resulted in some very nice creations. Entry 1 - 3 points Entry 6 - 2 points Entry 4 - 1 point

Sorry to bug you with such a minor issue, but I do believe it's "Building Techniques", but I'm not an expert in English myself. But I do agree it's rather confusing for once they follow French spelling... Also, I see there is no category for SHIPs, or do all of them fall under the "Capital Ships" category?

Well well... it seems like you took the concept of a "hoover" to a new level It's nice to see some angles between all those curves that are your trademark. The two elements complement each other well, and the way you've incorporated those circles into the ship is rather clever. They also make for the sleek and utilitarian look you're probably aiming for. I love your attention to details. That central spine is a great invention, and the subtle assymetry in the hover-circles is a nice touch. All the fins, vents (love those grill bricks in the front ), underside details and all the other goodies (those technic pins make some nice greebles!) add to the incredibility of this model. All that makes it elegant, yet not frail. A worthy house suppliance. The time is long past I can give you any usefull suggestions. But I do have one question. What's it for? Your ship does look nice and all, but doesn't have any notable features except for its stealth. No big guns, no radars (or is that what that spine is for?), no transport compartments... It looks good for espionnage, but to control the suburban areas, maybe it needs a bit more power. You've proven yourself once again to be a master builder with this magnificent ship. Do I sense a new line of missile-spitting vacuums, troop-mowers and hyperdrive garbage cans coming?

Eeeek! Mousedroid? Where? ... o, it's just a picture. Awesome creation, Lobot! Your LEDs always do the trick, and you always integrate them seamlessly in a wonderful build: I can't spot any wires. About that wonderful build: you're right about those rocks, that they look really good. Maybe some SNOT would make it even better, or some color variation (we're on a volcanic planet after all, so some black rocks wouldn't look off). I also like the contrast with the tiled floor, and your decision to go for a studded top isn't bad at all. That communications tower is well executed as well, with jus the right amount of detail. I love how you've extended it into the lower level as well. The details there are very good by the way. For a communication center, i do have the feeling there are too few consoles and screens there, but that isn't your main focus of course. Your mouse droid is. Glamorous! Now I know why those Rebels never have any mouse droids on board and count on crancky stromechs and useless protocol droids... Yup, mousedroids, the glory of the Empire. They deserve this kind of spotlight. Someone give that droid a medal. You've made the Empire proud, trooper, and It's good to have you back for this episode. Let's conquer this sector with your awesome build!

Wow! This is a great first MOC. You've used a lot of effective SNOT-techniques (and even SNOT within SNOT for those grill-tiles. That's very impressive!), and didn't refrain from the studs. That results in a nice play of textures that I've rarely seen. Also, the details are just right, and I like those vertical pillars with vents as a bridge between technology and classical architectural elements. It's great to see you also thought about the textures on the sides, like the alternating LBG and DBG stripes at the side and the studs vs studless at the top. Just great! Even those studs at the bottom look alright as some technical foundation or so. You could even explore that even more with adding some details like grill-tiles there. So you've captured the Imperial feel in a very elegant MOC. Everything is there, yet it doesn't look to crowded. Only that control panel looks a little bit lame compared to the rest... And if you want a real Imperial look, you should make those hints of the blastdoors diagonal instead of vertical. Then maybe a mouse droid, and your done! This truely is already one of the best small SW vignettes I've seen in a long time! Keep it up! PS: you may feel a bit overwhelmed with all these request to join SoNE, but you deserve the attention. Those guys may seem a bit overenthousiastic now, but there great once you get to know them. Well, at least the Imperials are

Noooo! Basil can't die! You have to save him, because I'm not sure I would cope well with the loss of that hero... Luckily, in this time of distress, there's this wonderful MOC. That rockwork seems really professional, with all the SNOT, the use even of curved pieces and the clever use of olive green. That stream too is a nice piece of building. The cheese slopes create the turbulent feeling, and the clear tiles breack it up even more. Well done! Not sure if I would perform as well... So the chance is small I can still give some usefull advise. I will try my best though, because I really like these builds and enjoy seeing them grow. Anyway: the nice variety of the rocks gets lost beyond the shores in the really flat grassland there. The rocks just sem to stop at once, and I'm missing some relief in the grass. Solving these two problems at once, you could make some small pieces of rock peeking through the grass here and there, and make the edge of rocks less abrupt. The height difference between some pieces of rack and the grass is a bit too much for me. You (or your brother, depending on who's reading this) could also add some of those earth green plates for relief. Well, at this rate, soon I will only be able to post pure admiration without any suggestions whatsoever. Slowly, I'm beginning to think it's normal 12 year olds are such incredible builders, but then I remember how extraordinary this really is... as long as Basil lives ;)