Nuju Metru

Aha, that's what I thought... Thanks everybody for the verification. Well, if white is what works, anybody have recommendations for the best type of white paper to use?

But doesn't a printer, when given an off-white color to put on white paper, add only a small amount of light grey or some other color to turn the white color of the paper off-white? So if the printer is assigned to print an off-white color, but transparent stickers are fed in, won't that mean the same thing happens - a mostly-transparent grey that will then use whatever color the decal is applied to as its base color?

Hey, everyone. I've got a big MOCs/minifigs project in the works, which requires a huge amount of custom-printed torsos. I've brasso'd down the torsos which will be getting decals, and have already started designing some torso prints. The areas which would be the color of the torso below, I left white or clear in my decal designs, knowing that when the decals were printed, anything white on the page would become transparent when the decal was peeled away, seeing as I intend to use waterslide decals. But, as I was designing, I realized that because of this, torso designs where I needed the actual color of white laid over something else (such as a black torso) is seemingly impossible. But I'm not sure if there's a way around this - is there any way to get a printer to print white? Or some other way to circumnavigate this snag that I'm missing? Thanks, everyone!

Well, I have three self-made factions in my Fantasy Realm: The Great Protectorate (made up of humans), the Confederation of Ustokal Princes (the ustokal being a troll-type species), and Scallow's army (Scallow is a necromancer; his army is undead). All three have their own characters, siege engines, fortresses, and dragons.

This is certainly exciting! I hope we see some sets from Chris Nolan's Batman movies... including the past ones.

Maybe I'm not picky enough, but I actually like the Pearl. The movie version of the ship was practically all black anyway, after all. And those minifigures are golden, especially Davy Jones. While I agree that the QAR is maybe a more interesting ship (colors, motifs etc.), the BP is both cheaper and, to me, a more desirable ship to have.

Hey y'all, These are just a few quick mechs I made about a week ago. I've called them "ApocaLEGO" in the title, but they could almost as easily be considered steampunk with some minor alterations. But that's irrelevant. Onto the pictures... (Here's the Flickr Set if you want to see them all) Thanks for viewing! Commentary is appreciated.

Thank you! The link to the Minifigure Gallery has been added (at last) to the first post, if anyone is interested. Found within are closer looks and descriptions of the characters in the series.

Yeah, the story/universe has been a half-focused work in progress for a long time... I'm glad that the extended, minimal thinking I've done about it showed here. Thanks for the praise! Well, with compliments like these, I can't help but feel proud.

Well, if it had been too big, then it wouldn't have really been a plausible set. Also, I didn't really have enough parts to have made it any larger without sacrificing the architecture's solidity. Hm, I see your point. Well, what I tried to do was take the normal color scheme for the undead (black, brown, dark grey, bone) and then plop a tower of those colors onto a different environment. I guess the rock colors didn't help to unify that color scheme. However, I disagree about the white - too much white is boring, and then all the nice bony details wouldn't have showed. Plus, again with the parts, white isn't a color I have plentiful castle parts in. Indeed I am!

Update: Siege of the Portal has been added - and, with that, the theme is fully uploaded! I'm currently in the process of uploading more detailed minifigure pictures, which will be accompanied by in-depth character descriptions, for those interested.

Update: New set, Tower Raid, has been added to the first post. The next set after this one is the last, and the largest! Well, skellies are in such abundant supply in my collection - and undead make such bad guys - that I practically had to use them, unoriginal or not. I'm happy though that the other figures come off more desirably. Thanks! The dragons' wings are cut from old Halloween costume fabric I found in the closet - it's a polyester-type material which is nice and stretchy.

Update: New sets added - Wyvern Nest and Sky Strike! They're a bit further down the line, because I'm going from smallest to largest. It's nice to hear that somebody remembered my first stuff. Well, sand green is prominent once more! Glad to hear you liked the creatures. They're some of my favorite parts. Indeed. I think I must have remembered your words!

Update: Topic updated with the immense Protectorate Warship! Thanks! Glad to know I fulfilled my objective! Well, the stuff that the Skeletons have in the way of siege engines and fortresses (to be photographed and added in the near future!) are much more distinctive to their faction than what is present so far. The trademark colors-per-faction are humans having sand green, light bley, and gold; the skeletons have black and "bone" (it's a recurring motif in their stuff - you'll see), and the ustokal have dark red and tan. But, since most of the uploaded stuff so far has been belonging to the humans, it makes sense you'd think that sand green was a dominant color in the theme overall. So I really do fulfil the fantasy stereotypes. There are women! There are women! Women of power! Check in the Warship set... you'll see one of them. Don't worry. Though a number of the dragons are female as well - just not the ones so far seen. The biggest things are yet to come. It means a ton to me to know that the functions don't look gimmicky. That's something I tried to avoid. And yes, sand green is beautiful...

Update: Desert Stronghold Defense set has just been added. Perhaps I will make one - granted that I photograph everything else first. Thanks!

"A heart full of love! A heart full of song. I'm doing everything all wrong... Oh god, for shame I do not even know your name Dear mademoiselle. Won't you say, will you tell?" Oh gosh, I love Les Mis! Such a great moment. Of course, it's a lot more meaningful in the book, but the musical's lyrics fit so well here. I think it's a great creation, nicely done with the plants - the only thing that would complete this in my mind would be poor Eponine watching.

First post has been updated with three new sets: Convoy Getaway, Mountain Skirmish, and Dragon Lair.

Thanks. Funny you say so, though - just added the second one to the first post. It isn't one of the "big ones," but it's nevertheless bigger than the first set. Enjoy!

 RISE TO THE WICKED The fragile peace which once prevailed on the Ortian continent, after years of piling tension, has finally broken. Like eager water held behind a dam, war erupted, immediately throwing the world into chaos. The ustokal race, under the growing influence of the warmongering Prince Vor'ash, have finally received an excuse to succumb to their centuries-old resentment of the human race, who usurped the ustokal hold on Ortia when they arrived a thousand years before, and declare war. At the same time, the human race, as united under the Great Protectorate believes it at last holds the strength necessary to crush the ustokal, the creatures of their hatred and fear. Both sides build siege engines, organize armies, and race to hire the dragons of Ortia as mercenaries to fight against the other side. But all is not as it seems - the simultaneous declaration of interspecies war was orchestrated by a third party with an ulterior motive. The necromancer Scallow has long had his ambitions - and the fog of war is the cover he has chosen to raise an army of invigorated corpses, and worse, to serve these egotistical plans. He too joins the fray as a third party - it is a war of ustokal, men, and undead, each against the others. Magicians and dragons are the most important commodities. Mercy is forgotten; fear, prejudice, hate, and lust for power overcome it. Loyalties are questionable. That which is most shameful in sentience surfaces. These mortals have unwittingly set the stage for something nightmarish to stir from deep sleep... Hey y'all! Well, the above is a basic introduction to the world I've created here in these MOCs. In this theme, rather. The creations of "Rise to the Wicked" are designed to be part of a comprehensive whole; together, they try to be a LEGO-style theme. The creations are as such designed to be self-contained sets, and are of varying sizes. I like to think of "Rise of the Wicked" as the evolution of my first "theme" of MOCs, which had no dragons or ustokal, and were far more centered on siege engines. This first generation having been destroyed in shipping back to me from Brickfair 2010, and my minifig-scale dragons in the pipeline at the time, I decided to combine the two into a new theme. I'm very happy with how that endeavor, which has been about a year in the making, has turned out. Like the story blurb says, there are three factions in these creations. Humans, ustokal, and undead. All three are (hopefully) discernible from one another in color and style. I constructed a lot of figures as specific, recurring characters (again, trying to do what LEGO does!). Almost every set has multiple play features, which often include rubber-band powered launchers, rock droppers, secret doors, collapse/explode functions, and more. Again, these are to make the creations as playsets, which are active within themselves. Without further ado, here they are! Siege of the Portal Atop an ancient citadel lies a mysterious magical portal which has remained inaccessible for centuries. The purpose of this portal is unknown. Now, on the eve it is foretold to open, this cosmic doorway is contested between three mighty factions: humans, ustokal, and undead. Whoever takes the portal will be the first to discover what secrets it holds... secrets that are certain to bring an end to the war. Includes: Althior, Ayero, Kaena, Derringer, Vor'ash, Rothut, Ustokal Soldiers (2x), Scallow, Wraithra, Skeletons (2x), Urneld, Radgha. Flickr Set for more pics and larger versions. Notes: Radgha is the only undead dragon in the series, and has her own build. Magical Shields: Detachable from the tower. Collapsing Bridge: Pull the stairwell, and the bridge's wooden floor falls out board by board. Secret Entrance: Located at front-base of the Portal Tower, a door can open up in the rock. Repeating Gun: Fixated on a turntable, this is a rapid-fire weapon. Six-shot, gravity loading magazine drops with each projectile fired. Fully equipped Spell Launchers and ammunition are contained within the Portal Tower. Rock Launcher: A boulder can be launched from the side of the tower to hit anyone who stands across the bridge from it. Portal Opening Mechanism: Pull out a section of table in the tower's topmost level, and the portal will swing open "magically" from the front. Protectorate Warship A warship of the Protectorate, given the task of transporting the Great Protector herself, is attacked by the wild sea snake Graun and her rider, a nightmarish Wraithra demon. These are dangerous waters. Includes: Great Protector, Derringer, Phoenix, Protectorate Archers (2x), Protectorate Soldiers (2x), Wraithra, Graun. Flickr Set for more pics and larger versions. Notes: The ship's sails are custom-made for it, and printed on stockboard paper. The Great Protector, leader of the united human race, is seen in this set. Sandy, there's your woman! The most politically powerful fig in the whole series! Broadside Cannons: Four rubber band hammer tech guns lined up, with a common trigger - this way, they fire sequentially. Repeating Gun: Fixated on a turntable, this is a rapid-fire weapon. Six-shot, gravity loading magazine drops with each projectile fired. Shot Storage: Rounds used for both Broadside and Repeating Gun are stored belowdecks (8x). Tower Raid The necromancer Scallow controls his undead armies from a sinister tower in the icy northern wilds. Althior, his apprentice Kaena, and the dragon Emget must defeat Scallow on his own ground if there can be any hope of larger victory for the living. But Scallow has just revealed his deadliest weapon - the ghastly Wraithra fire demons! Includes: Althior, Kaena, Scallow, Wraithra (2x), Skeletons (2x), Emget. Flickr Set for more pics and larger versions. Notes: Emget has the largest wingspan of any of the dragons in "Rise to the Wicked." . Destroyed Bridge: Pull back on the platform at the end of the bridge, and the rest of the walkway falls into the abyss below. Summoning Room: In a frigid chamber below his tower, Scallow holds the most powerful of his artifacts - a summoning Crsytal, from which are spawned Wraithra demons. Turntable can replace crystal with Wraithra. Secret Cannon: Portion of the wall opens to reveal a hidden launcher. Loads with pulses of green fire which are stored on the floor below. Fire Dropper: Pull back the lever, and douse those on the bridge with sickly flame. Desert Stronghold Defense The ustokal Prince Vor'ash rules his growing empire from within the walled city Ghai'iq. When a human army arrives, Vor'ash must use his unparalleled weapons training and wily strategic mind to keep his city his own from the forces of the Protectorate. Includes: Prince Vor'ash, Estkel, Ustokal Soldiers (3x), Protectorate Archer, Protectorate Knight, Protectorate Soldiers (2x). Flickr Set for more pics and larger versions. Notes: Protectorate Gun: A small but hardy piece of human engineering. Functional projectile weapon, rubber-band and hammer technology propels the missiles. Includes three shots. Training Machine: Turning the black knob will make the flail pillar/wooden rods (interchangeable) rotate. Spring-loaded Blades: Pull out a black pin from the rear, and a set of spears snaps out of the walls to impale would-be scalers. Ghai'iq's walls also have boiling oil barrels and a rock dropper to pour down upon invaders. Collapsing Wall: with enough forward force (as from a projectile weapon), a portion of wall will break open. Sky Strike Vor'ash and his dragon Skolek attempt to make a key guerilla strike upon an incoming undead legion. But Scallow's disciple Galoremtas, the army's general, has other plans; namely, to shoot Skolek and Vor'ash out of the sky. Includes: Prince Vor'ash (armored), Galoremtas, Wraithra Shadow, Skeletons (3x), Skolek. Flickr Set for more pics and larger versions. Notes: Mortar Cannon: shoots large cannonballs with rubber-band powered might. The most powerful projectile weapon in "Rise to the Wicked" - and the longest ranged, considering its abnormally large rounds. "Floating Arm" Trebuchet: Unlike a traditional trebuchet, the floating arm trebuchet's counterweights do not swing down - they simply drop. The arm, which is pulled down by the weights at its end, swings upward by means of wheels on a track. This reduces instability of the trebuchet upon firing and also allows for twice the weight force. To fire, the pin in front is removed. Dragon Lair The greedy Imaust is a mercenary dragon, valued for his hot fire and ruthlessness, and known for his unconditional lust for gold. But when the warrior Ayero comes to buy Imaust's loyalty for the Protectorate, he is dealt an unfortunate truth: Imaust is already allied with the infamous ustokal dragon slayer, Kimvor. The trap sprung, Ayero must be quick to escape alive. Includes: Ayero, Kimvor, and Imaust. Flickr Set for more pics and larger versions. Notes: Fire Launcher: Imaust's projectile fire-breathing abilities are, instead of being obnoxiously attached to his head, manifested in the set in this disguised launcher. Rubber band and hammer technology sends the fire flying. Includes two shots. Secret Door: Enter (or leave!) Imaust's mountain lair not through the cave mouth, but a hidden door carved in the rock. Lava Dropper: Push the torch over, and lava will be dumped upon whoever stands in the doorway. Harbor Battle The fire-breathing Fythold has emerged from his long self-exile at last, and is allied with the Protectorate. As much wanting to boost his confidence as wanting to destroy a threat, Fythold was took on the mission of incinerating a secret ustokal dock on foggy protectorate shores. But little do Fythold or his rider Ayero know that Kimvor the dragon slayer is among the enemy... Includes: Ayero, Kimvor, Estkel, Ustokal soldiers (2x), and Fythold. Flickr Set for more pics and larger versions. Notes: Net Cannon: Shoots nets to try and ensnare Fythold mid-flight. Pull out the side trigger, and the net is fired. Includes two rounds. Fire Launcher: built onto Fythold's body to simulate his fire breathing. One on either side. Rubber band ballista technology at work here. Exploding Rocks: Push down the trigger to explode a portion of the bay's defense. Mountain Skirmish The wizard Althior must use his magic to dispel a horde of feral dragons, ridden by Scallow's undead, before they eat a platoon of Protectorate soldiers, armor and all... Includes: Althior (Armor), Protectorate Soldier, Protectorate Archer, Skeletons (2x), and Feral Dragons (2x). Flickr Set for more pics and larger versions. Notes: Magic Blaster: Since Althior can't support a launcher that big himself, it is instead attached to a base and looks like a rock. Blue targets can be attached to the transparent stands of the ferals - these serve as targets for the Magic Blaster. Stands included for the Feral Dragons - this is mostly because they have no legs! Wyvern Nest In the uncivilized wildlands in the north of Ortia, feral dragons live free - or, in the minds of others, live to be hunted. The young of feral dragons hold valuable potential in the wartime - potential which Scallow wants to harness for his army! Includes: Ayero (cloaked), Wraithra Shadow, Wyvern, Wyvern Chicks (2x). Flickr Set for more pics and larger versions. Notes: Claw Gun: Shoots a bony hand to ensnare young Wyverns for the taking. Rubber band trigger tech powered. Doesn't fire too far - but it looks cool. Falling Tree: Pull out the pin in back, and then the vine which holds the tree taut in an upright position will loose, letting the tree fall. The Wyvern is the only dragon in "Rise to the Wicked" not on a side - and it is alone in the "medium" size category. Convoy Getaway A carriage which bears riches of the Protectorate is ambushed by undead soldiers midway through its journey. It's up to the engineer Derringer and the veteran soldier Lerus to escape with their cargo and their lives! Includes: Derringer, Lerus, Wraithra Shadow, and Skeletons (2x). Flickr Set for more pics and larger versions. Notes: This is the only "Rise to the Wicked" set without any rubber band launcher within. Treasure cradle is detachable. Wizard Duel The human magician Althior faces his equal in the blind ustokal wizard Rothut. Below the Portal Tower, these two engage in the ancient contest of wills, from which only one can emerge alive. Includes: Althior (ustokal robes) and Rothut. Flickr Set for more pics and larger versions. Notes: Spell Launchers: Both wizards have a projectile launcher which shoots translucent spells of their color. Rubber band ballista technology propels the shots. Two shots included for each launcher. Althior, in this set, wears an uncharacteristic white ustokal-style robe. The Wizard's Duel is an ustokal custom to which Rothut challenged Althior - as such, Althior is expected to don the customary garments for such an occasion. Shattering Rocks: The two rocks included in the set are designed to break apart when hit by a shot from a Spell Launcher. Cast of Characters Image above links to the Flickr group with in-depth looks at all of the minifigures in the series. Thanks for viewing!

This is one of the most impressive LEGO creations I have ever seen. The immense scale, the cohesive beauty, the ever-present attention to detail, and the jaw-dropping effects are all remarkable and astonishing - in separate MOCs, these kinds of traits are merely admirable. But when combined in such a massive, appealing, masterful way as has been done here... Frankly, I don't think I can describe the inspirational power of your guys' Oasis without putting it at the center of a new religion. The rippling water, especially, is incredible. Fantastic work. Please do more of these, if only to keep reminding us all of what can be achieved! -Nuju Metru

Had no idea this was still getting replies... :P Thanks! It's good to know that the exterior of my chapel echoes that of Sainte Chapelle - it is after all what I was going for. And yes, I agree on that historical opinion... the ability of beautiful things to endure is incredible. Mhm, I really wanted to make clearer that the lower part of the building was actually its foundations, but I couldn't think of a good way to do that - hence the doors half way up the wall, heh. Grey grilles are plentiful in my boxes. I had to put them all somewhere. -Nuju Metru

I'm a Portal fan. I thought that this would be a nice minifig to make. Because it was impossible to make a correctly-textured Cube of such small size, I had to use decals to demonstrate its protruding corners. The cube is six-sided, which I'm very happy with. The inside is a knot of SNOT. I hope you guys liked it, thanks for looking! -Nuju Metru

So, is Trusilver the Brickforge equivalent of Lego's pearl silver color, or what? -Nuju Metru

2: 1 point 3: 1 point. 10: 2 points 30: 1 point. 32: 2 points. -Nuju Metru

*low, impressed whistle* That is one pretty vessel, there! Nice to see it come with some Minifigs, too - usually we don't get those with UCD stuff. -Nuju Metru