Brick Miner

hey brickster, you should return soon,... i miss you in the history forum !!! but i understand about those batman sets... the minifigs are really nice ;-) - BM

well, i took a look at the three again on BrickLink... it looks to me like the red (non-captain) armada fig would have to be the "soldier" if there is one. the other two figs have ruffles and jewelry... not really the sign of a soldier :-D !!! yet, even the red (non-captain) armada fig looks to "prim and proper" to be a soldier... just something about him ??? - BM

i keep track very carefully, since im trying out a BrickLink store. i happen to know my total exactly !!! here is what my numbers look like from the past 12 months... total store inventory investments - total store sales + personal collection costs = 994.66 USD. 8-

well, i would have given this set a 1... as i think the colors, sails (decoration and configuration), and cannon set-up are just awful !!! i do like the net though !!! however, i always felt LEGO did an excellent job in creating 3 very different ships for the "imperial" sub-theme... and this one looks very different from the other two. i feel like this is a very notable quality, especially when you consider their enemies, the pirates... the differences between the BSB and SES seem considerably less prominent. i don't care for the minifigs... i would much rather have a red coat squad. i never felt like the "spanish" imperials had an infantry soldier. to me all three of them seem like a unique fig. as if i could never have more than one in a battle field. i guess i am looking for the more generic look of the other two soldiers (red and blue) to build an army. i have always felt, since we never saw an "armada base", lego never saw the need to make the generic looking soldier for them. this is a huge hinderance for the "spanish" sub-theme. consiquntly, i gave the armada flagship a 2. - BrickMiner

ok, by request... ive decided i'll show off some artwork... to be honest i wanted to keep hobby and career separate. but i walk around with a lego key chain at trade shows anyway... so hear you go... its a very urban/animated look.

im currently watching the item in my ebay tracker... i'll report a final sale price. im guessing less than what a regular version would go for... in fact, the only thing i can see being worth value here is the minifigs !!! at least for a western fan, who is will be finding this auction, through the ebay search engine. im guessing 30 to 45 USD. far from the asking price !!! but we'll see... - BrickMiner

well, thanks for your HALF suggestion ;-) !!! it seems, that once you mentioned the 1x4x5 window, we both started thinking the SAME thing !!!-------------------------------------------------- i scanned box art from sets 5978 (yes, adventurers !!!), 6755, 6761, and 6799. but out of those, i can't tell you which piece came from where. ok, well since your question, i did some pirate research on brickset. i wanted to see what the backgrounds looked like, and if it would be easier to "recreate" or "scan-clone-smudge."what i found is that pirates will be HARD either way !!! the reason is a lot of the imagery on the pirate boxes are actually physical pieces of clay, or rocks or whatever they use ??? im sure some kind of "miniatures" terminology would come in here... but im a digital artist, not a 3D sculpture. also, there is an obvious difference in technique between the pirate backgrounds and wild west AND adventurers backgrounds. pirates look physically painted to me... where as WW and ADs look digital... i would have no problem recreating the later two themes in photoshop. but pirates would be tricky. :'-( there are a lot of examples of this, but 6266 is a good one. if you look, the closest mound is physically there... and the other two mounds, sky, and water are painted. if it was me, i would probably recreate the background digitally... i didn't see any images on brickset that would be suitable for the "scan-clone-smudge" method... plus that would take entirely too long, and the results would be inferior to recreating... at least from my experience. that could take a few paragraphs to explain :-/ ... i would be willing to work up a tutorial (complete with step-by-step images)... do you think that would be worth my time ??? i would want to tackle it from a beginners point of view, using photoshop. i would try to keep it open to all themes... but obviously i would favor WW-adventurers-pirate-castle. only because i actually show personal interest there !!! *sweet*-------------------------------------------------- thanks so much for adding that X-D ... i had a lot of fun writing them. and surprisingly came to me pretty easy !!!

i get the same feeling. plus, he/she thinks so highly of it, a daring 300 USD price tag appears on it !!! that is the most ridiculous part to me !!!i do note one respectable quality... the main image (one i have supplied in this thread) is almost exactly the same image from the standard FL (fort legoredo) box art... even the angle and perspective of the image is remarkably close.... obviously the minifigs and accessories are fashioned similar. anyone who has digital camera/lego experience knows this would be semi-difficult. needless to say, im impressed by that quality. - BrickMiner

surprisingly they both come from the same set... THE BATCAVE 7783 see bricksters review here (which is where i grabbed the photos from, thanks B. hope that was ok)... http://eurobricks.hosting.ipsyn.com/eurofo...?showtopic=5034 they are so fitting, in fact... that i want to include both the torsos in my GUNSLIGNERS SALOON 6758 (replacing the other two gambler torsos) !!!

check this out !!! its an interesting ebay find... but i would imagine it wont go for nearly 300 USD (the buy-it-now price) !!! ebay link (with lots of photos and extensive description): http://cgi.ebay.com/Lego-WESTERN-6762-6769...1QQcmdZViewItem

well, this poll is deceiving, cause my favorite set is not the best bridge... by far, i have to say forestman's river crossing is my favorite set, cause of the forest woman and the unique baseplate... just classics. however, i think it is a weak bridge. as there is no need for a structural crossing for (what appears to be) a stream !!! my favorite bridge would have to be the ninja crossing. oh, and i have to agree with you athos, about the forest woman... she is just gorgeous !!! - BM

i'll check it out !!! by the way, do you have any thoughts on my polls questions ??? good or bad ??? i ask you because you are the polls master !!! oh, and i've never put one together. - BrickMiner

i agree with all of this.

HA !!! did they get a settlement ??? i think that is the same boat from the adventurers line, right ??? if so, i'd like to see it !!! i almost bought one for the same reasons when i was MOCing pirates, just to try it out...however, i got into WW MOCing before i bought one... - BrickMiner

i just found two more torsos that will work PERFECTLY with the WW theme... don't be discouraged by the lack of minifigs in the WW because the MOCing possiblities are big !!! and LEGO has proven (with harry potter, and NOW batman) that the possibilites are still growing !!! im excited !!! -------------------------------------------------- now, i have a question, i went to look up these minifigs on bricklink for purchase... alfred is around 8 USD, and penguin is around 15 USD. im not familar with new legos and how the price/demand/availability works... if i wait to buy them, will the price go down eventually ??? or will these figs become harder to find ??? i know im looking for a lando calrissian head (from cloud city, not jabbas barge) and he is really expensive, like 20 USD... i don't want to wait and have the same thing happen to alfred or the penguin !!!

i think this is my favorite poll i've seen on EB. i really like it because it causes you to look outside your set "favorite theme." for example, fort legoredo seems to be my obvious choice, right ??? cause WW if my fav theme, well... fort legoredo isn't my favorite set from that theme. so, i have to look outside my theme, to see if there is possibly another choice i like better. its kinda like, i didn't know the answer to this question, until it was asked... its more interesting in that way. where as, most other polls, i know the answer to before the question is asked... like what is my fav theme ??? what is my fav set from that theme ??? fav minifig ??? and so forth... i already have thought about those questions before... well, brickster... thanks for making me think outside my theme !!! it was a little brain challenge. but all-in-all (out of the forts/fortresses) LEGOREDO still wins !!! ------------------------------------------------- i have to say, this is the first thread that has inspired me to publish a poll here. maybe something like, "favorite largest set from system theme" and the choices would be one set from each theme. and that set would be the largest in their theme. maybe i would confined it to only the history/adventers themes, so that we could keep it in this forum. or another idea for a poll... of the themes represented in the history/adventures forum "which theme has the best minifigs" followed by another poll, "which theme has the best building/structures" and then a third poll, "which theme has the best transportation." and maybe i could included pirates, just to make the polls more interesting, especially for the transportation one. i like the idea of thinking outside your "set favorit theme" (again, inspired by this poll) and finding that themes other than your favorite could hold your favorite somthing else... make sense ??? - BrickMiner

i happen to not agree with this... the iconography of the red and white sails is FAR TOO STRONG. i mean, the BSB is a legend (and i don't just mean that its been re-released). its a true GEM in the lego system universe. when i see the red and white sails... like jipay, i immediately think PIRATE !!! especially when they are represented in the general configuration of the BSB.i do, however, like that third custom sail !!! great job on being inventive with damaged LEGO pieces !!! - brickminer

hmmm.... i figure i should follow up on my comments here... well... mast, mast rigging, and overall shape of the sails configuration reminds me all too much of the BSB... the ship hull and colors too. certainly, there must be another color combination that works well with the red and white striped pattern sails. when i look at this ship i see a pirate ship, BLACK SEAS BARRACUDE, not an imperial ship. and though there are obvious differences, overall shape and color override them. i loved your "valour" though X-D - BrickMiner

sounds like fireworks is much more similar to Adobe Illustrator, being able to handle both raster and vector images with effects.however, i admit to not knowing to much about macromedia software... im a straight adobe man !!! im just too used to the controls of adobe... its kinda like when you learn one of their programs you learn them all. and that makes it easy to go from photoshop to illustrator and back to photoshop without chaninging any quick keys, or general placement of controls... i do admit, you do have to have a couple programs instaled when using adobe products... that is, if you want all features of image creation/editing. but thats no hinderance to me !!! tell that to LEGO !!! as that is a pretty standard sail set up for them. more over, i think phes is going for a lego-esque building style here... if any item on this MOC hits that on the mark, its the pirate boat (as it is taken right from 6278) !!! and that is not to be taken negative phes... i would defintely use that sail set up on my pirate rowboat, if an MOC called for it.i think it is fitting here. - BM

ahhhh, i didn't know about the metal pin. thanks !!!

i would like to know this also. i have a keychain. im worried that it will fall part one day while im out shopping for groceries !!! in my case, i hope they are glued... im mostly concerned with the head to the hat/hair. it seems to weak a connection if not glued. the hands and arms aren't guled, cause they move freely, and the legs and hips move too... so really the only thing in question is the torso to hips, and the head to the hat. oh, and the head to torso too. - brickminer

great suggestion !!! i have to admit that the airiness is keeping this set from blending with GOLD CITY JUNCTION and SHERIFF'S LOCK-UP. and i think LEGO would have used the 1x4x5 windows with stickers... as they used this technique with both the fore mentioned sets. as i mentioned before though, i needed the fence consistency to make the over all design flow. but your suggestion has got me thinking, what if i made stickers for the 1x4x5 windows with the fence pattern on them. along with other designs (like broken shot-through glass pattern, or wanted posters in the windows, maybe a dead-flower trough) would conceal the building and add to the solution of the "airiness."i just have to get some clear label printer sheets now (oh, and get to designing) !!! thanks Norro, for the inspiration !!! nice argument. however, i still believe LEGO would have done the hinged roof... and i have suggestive evidence. FORT LEGOREDO, it has a hinged roof for a similar table/chair feature. because they used it in that case, i feel strongly in my decision.it is true that an 8-12 year old's hands are smaller than an adult, but their motor skills aren't as developed. i have learned this through my profession, that i have much more acute hand skills now than i did when i was 12 !!! i am curious, a 2x? plate. where would you position it ??? and what purpose would it fill ???-------------------------------------------------- i want to go back to the brickster comment now... i have tried, and tried to come up with some solution to saloon style doors, but i can't get anything to work !!! the window shutters you mention are only 2 studs wide. when you put two of them side-by-side (attached at the ends from each wall, which takes up one stud each) you only cover a total area of 2 studs... i feel 4 studs is necessary for a door walkway (all doors for minifigs are a minimum of 4 studs in system releases). all attempts have failed at using the window shutters, do you have any reference of an MOC that applied them successfully ???the only piece i have found that will work for a 4 stud wide walkway is the hinged train gate. im currently working a new design to include them. -------------------------------------------------- ok, great discussion so far. and i thank everyone for their input. i have read it all, and taken it into seriously consideration. it is all much appreciated. keep it coming if you have it !!! -------------------------------------------------- ok, we have had great talk about the structure itself, and about the table/chair/magnet system... now, i wanted to share more of the minifigs. i don't feel i represented them fully in my initial post. and of course, discussion is encouraged !!! -------------------------------------------------- THE SALOON OWNER. an obvious (and first) choice for inclusion in this set. i almost needed to create a fifth classification of mini-figs in the western theme for this set. LEGO gave us 1) CALVERY, 2) COWBOYS, 3) BANDITS, and 4) NATIVE AMERICANS. because they never really expanded the gambling theme, they never had to create the fifth classification, GAMBLER. this is where the saloon owner fits in. ABOUT HIM: he's not quite a cowboy, not quite a bandit... he is a gambler who cheats "safely" (only when he knows he can get away with it) !!! he keeps his cool, and appears very confident. see, he has to... as he runs the most dangerous joint in all of LEGOREDO !!! as much as he hates to admit it, he needs the SHERIFF of LEGOREDO. otherwise, order would be lost in his saloon. -------------------------------------------------- THE ENTERTAINER. or as brickster called her "scarlet." LEGO never gave us any female westerners, and a saloon girl is a must have for this set... so, i tried the castle maiden torsos (both the blue and the green one) and also the female pirate torso, but none blended seamlessly enough. i ended up making custom decals for the torso and the dress. i did a lot of research for the design (went to the library, searched google) but ended up using a saloon girl halloween costume pattern for the design !!! i had a lot of fun making this one, and is probably my favorite minifig in the set. ABOUT HER: a very neutral (but dangerous) character in LEGOREDO, playing for no team except her own. to put this in perspective, she has been known to have close relations with SHERIFF DUKE, and with the infamous trio, the FLATFOOT THOMPSON GANG. don't turn your back on her, for she has a deadly dagger tipped parasol !!! -------------------------------------------------- THE BANDIT. this officially released mini fig was the inspiration behind the entire MOC. so his inclusion was a no-brainer !!! my goal was to blend seamlessly, by including this minifig and MOCed minifigs together, i came one step closer. ABOUT HIM: one member of the FLAT FOOT THOMPSON GANG. infamous gambler and card shark. known through out LEGOREDO to have an ace up each sleeve, and a bullet in each chamber !!! -------------------------------------------------- THE SHERIFF. again, by including the sheriff, i keep this MOC grounded, by not being too much "my own thing." keeps the official LEGO wild west feel around. i figured the sheriff would be a good choice, to balance out the good guys/bad guys ratio. and every LEGO set needs a hero, right ??? ABOUT HIM: SHERIFF DUKE is the law-of-the-land. and though the GUNSLINGERS SALOON gets rough, he always gets rougher !!! personal alliances help him keep in touch with the LEGOREDO underground. though, most don't speak a word, as FLATFOOT THOMPSON is a feared name !!! -------------------------------------------------- THE GAMBLER. i felt i needed one more gambler to portray the "rowdiness" of the saloon. though this fig is my lease fav of the MOC, i just had to use that minifig head !!! it was just too perfect for the wild west theme !!! ABOUT HIM: a railroad tycoon and gambler, LEGOREDO is just one small stop for him on this way to riches. but don't trust a word he says !!!

hello, here is a mini-fig i have made custom decals for... i think my decals have come out pretty nicely lately... so, maybe i could add some tips for you... THE DIFFERENCE IS LAMINATION OVER THE DECAL !!! first of all, i used opaque ink-jet lable (aka sticker) printer paper (i use AVERY brand, very cheap)... and printed the stickers right from a home printer. even a really inexpensive ink-jet can do wonders, mine cost about 30 USD (and look at the details i get) !!! after printing, i applied a laminination sheet over the sticker paper where the decals had printed. then i cut very carfully with an EXACTO knife. the result is very effective... and it blends seamlessly with lego bricks once applied... the clear laminiation sheet is what makes the difference !!! makes paper blend seamlessly with plastic, in that light reflects in very similar ways because of the gloss !!! also, more to the point of your thread, the lamination sheet makes your decal very sturdy. so if you applied crooked, you can always peel off, and try again. its pretty easy to tell if your decal is going to be straight from the first corner you put down. so, once you have that first corner in place... peel away if it doesn't look right. on the above mini fig, i maybe tried 6-8 times before getting it just right (what you see in the photo above). however, with all of that said... most importantly, the design is what will make-or-break your custom decal. see my thread here, if you scroll down you'll see production photos of my MOC. you'll find photos of the stickers before they were cut, and if you look carefully, you'll see the laminiation over the decals. that might give you a good idea of what im describing above. hope that helps !!! if not i can always provide more info !!! - BrickMiner

HA !!! it won't go any further than what has been mentioned in this thread ;-)

I am not lolol. So that makes 50% of the founders non star wars fanatic lol ! Glad you introduced yourself ! You do a cool job ! Lucky you ! oh, i guess i was looking through the "staff" page (linked from the home page) and saw quite a few mentions of starwars there... i suppose i ment "staff" not "founders." i appologize for mis-speaking jipay !!!actually, i think the starwars LEGOs are pretty well done (aside from episode 3). but just like the LEGOs, the movies let me down with that last instalement !!! consiquntly, i no longer support starwars... I WAS REALLY LET DOWN !!! check back.- BrickMiner