Nuju Metru

Sebulba's pod racer looks absolutely stunning. My goodness. And accurate, too! I love it. However, I'm disappointed with the Sith Infiltrator - not for the figs, not for the build, both of which look fine (and Qui-Gon spectacular), but just the fact that this is our second Sith Infiltrator in a very recent timeframe. With such a big universe as the Star Wars one, I think more variety in the way of subject matter wouldn't be too hard... -Nuju Metru

Minifigure: Elf Warrior Theme: Town/Lord of the Rings? Even best friends like Legolas and Gimli have their fights.. this time, it's over who will get their makeup done first. Makeup artist Debbie just wants to get it over with. -Nuju Metru

Are stickers allowed? Stickers of our own design, that is. I want to add a mirror in my entry by making a shiny sticker to apply to the surface at hand. Is this okay? -Nuju Metru

Cutty, I appreciate your second thoughts greatly. Hearing that my names escaped the cliche'd fantasy vibe is an immense compliment. You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. And I'm glad that the names add something for you to the creations and their characters. It makes me glad you made the "professional writer" analogy... psst, that's something I dream to do! Radgha is one of my favorite names too. It sounds sinister, wrathful, and ancient. Plus, yes, it carries my awesome sigfig. Skolek, ironically, is the dragon of a desert tribe. Her full name is Skolek'enth, but as apostrophes aren't allowed in Brickshelf file names, I shortened it to her nickname, Skolek. Emget took me a while to figure out in the way of a name. I like the way it came out. On Fythold, again, it's very ironic that you bring up his backstory in that manner. Turns out that, in fact, I am in the process of writing a novel with these characters, this universe. The best thing about LEGO to me is that it stokes my creativity; the MOCs and the writing develop symbiotically with one another. The two together are an astonishing tool to be wielded by the imagination. And I didn't draw from the Night Fury intentionally, if he looks like it; maybe they only seem similar because both are jet-black with green eyes. Thank you again for your insights! I could possibly make pictorial instructions, if you'd like. LDD doesn't have the wings, nor am I skilled at it. Thank you Dragonator! Yes, as I've said, making the dragons flexible was one of my major priorities when it came to designing the dragons, because it made them feel and appear more organic. The wings were hardest to figure of these - initially, i was striving for a wholly brick-built wing, but they were all too heavy and large and non-draconic. So I wished for a membrane that was lighter. Turns out that what I needed had been there the whole time in the form of an old costume cape, red one side, black the other, and flexible, thin, and even correctly colored with LEGO hues. It was perfect, so I used it. The holes, yes... As you can see on Fythold and Imaust, the original pair, their wings have around 3-4 holes apiece. However, I'm afraid I got somewhat carried away with later ones. At least on Radgha this over-cutting works. Her body is decaying anyway. The part you're looking for is from the Knight's Kingdom first series figures, and was attached to their legs in order to add some bulk. As for Emget, yes, in some dragonologists' classifications, he is. However, in my universe, the Wyvern is a specific species of two-winged-two-legged dragons, of which Emget is not a member - he's larger and smarter by far. The Sea Ferals, as they draw closer to their cliff homes, will slow their flights by spreading their wings and beating backwards. Soon the force of their wings beating in this manner isn't enought to keep them in flight, and the Sea Feral falls- -only a few feet. The claws on its wing-fronts will snap out reflexively and snag onto the lip of the cave they wished to enter. It is a developed trait. For this reason, Sea Ferals always aim a few feet higher than the cave they wish to enter. They are mostly airborne/aquatic creatures, however. Their caves are only used for feeding, breeding, and sleeping. Otherwise they are in constant motion. Explain your question? Thank you for your in-depth critique! -Nuju Metru

Whoa, frontpaged! I'm honored. :) Well, the dragons of Eragon are very cool - so it's good to know that I'm emulating that with mine. Thank you! Haha yeah, I'd be interested to see which dragon is the favorite statistically. That'd be cool to know. Personally, I love those two as well - they're so balanced and look great, in my opinion. Yeah, I found the idea of a swarm of dragons to be really appealing, to shake up the larger, otherwise-solo creatures. As for more in future, I have another dragon in the works right now. Plus, there are going to be sets/MOCs to accompany the Dragons, also being made... So keep your eyes peeled later for more works of this sort. Well, aside from the membranes (which are pieces of fabric I cut to fit the wings), the wings are entirely made from regular LEGO parts. So I guess that's custom. -Nuju Metru

Why thank you! Yes, luckily, these dragons were built by me to populate a fan-made Dragon-based theme. It's hopefully gonna be awesome. The wings are one of my favorite parts, too. That was what took the longest to design - just the base design. Imaust and Fythold came first, and after them, I built the other dragons next. And good choice - Fythold's wings really win him as my favorite too. :) Articulation and proportions are some of the most important parts of the design of a creature MOC, after stability. I was very happy to have found a design that fulfilled all of those, and also looked distinctive; it makes me happy to know you like it too. As for the photography, I beg to differ, but that's not so important. :P Good to know you actually read that stuff. I spent time on the backstories, too, so I'm happy they're appreciated. Thank you! Radgha took a long time to figure out, so I'm happy that she fulfills the skeletal role here to your satisfaction; she was hard because I had to stay with the other dragons' proportions, and yet make an entirely new body structure that was both stable and looked fragile. In the end, I feel like it was a success. :) Thank you for your support! On the paws, I don't know what else I could've used to have a balanced surface to offset the viking horn parts. Plus, they came in a lot of colors... :P But I'll try to think of something better to replace them, if it's possible to do so. Thank you all so much for your commentary! :D -Nuju Metru

Hey all. I attended Brickfair 2010, and set ahead of me the entirety of my medieval/fantastical MOCs. However, upon receiving them again some weeks after I had returned, I found all of my creations practically destroyed, thanks to my haphazard packing. But the crisis definitely had a silver lining. With my past years' work wrecked, I decided to start anew. However, I also wanted something new to work with, having decided to take on a refreshed project. So I angled my creations in a more fantastical direction, and made many different species to populate my new creations. Chief among these developments was the creation of my minifigure-scaled dragons. I decided that I wanted dragons in my world, so dragons had to be made. The other day, I was at last satisfied with my work, and photographed the creatures. A little background to set the scene for these characters: "In a fantasy world of magical conflict and interspecies tension, what few sapient dragons exist are vital assets in war. These dragons act as political entities of their own, and ally with different factions in exchange for valuable treasure." Well, here they are. (Note: Images posted here link to their far-better-looking originally sized versions) 1) Imaust Gallery A fire-breather, Imaust is a mercenary who demands high salaries in exchange for his valuable talents and speed. He will do anything for more gold, even taking for his companion the dragon-hated hunter of their kind, Kimvor. He has no pity for others. 2) Radgha Gallery In life, Radgha was a legend who dominated battlefields. So powerful was she that, after dying, a necromancer tried to summon her back to life. It worked, but Radgha killed the wizard. Now she is free and still alive, despite her body decaying. 3) Fythold Gallery In a war long ago, Fythold once had a companion that he grew attached to. When this companion died, Fythold was miserable and decided to never again take one. Now, in a war of dire importance, he is the only undecided dragon. His allegiance is crucial. 4) Skolek Gallery Two-headed and unmatched in brute strength, Skolek is a very old dragon of huge prowess. She has been the companion to the Usranagh family since hatching, and so, like all dragons of the Ustokal Princes, owes loyalty to someone other than herself. 5) Emget Gallery A dragon of average size and power but uncanny speed and maneuverability. Emget has many quirks that set him apart, including that he will only take female companions and sometimes fights for free. Most times amiable, but can be introspective and moody. 6) Wyvern Gallery A type of feral dragon that lives in the mountainous forests of the north, Wyverns live alone after mating in the autumn to raise their young, of whom they are extremely protective. Wyvern eggs, however, are a favored delicacy by many species... 7) Sea Ferals Gallery These small wild dragons live untamed in porous cliffs that jut out of the sea. They operate as a pack. But their weak minds make them easy to coerce - maybe to be used as winged mounts for undead soldiers, with whom they are a devastating air force. Thank you for viewing! I appreciate any commentary you have about any of the above dragons! :)

Do we know any of the prices of these sets, yet? I'm trying to compile a holiday wish list. XP -Nuju Metru

I absolutely love the Musketeer! And the Rocker! And the Artist! :3 So many delicious new molds here, I don't even know what to start drooling over. -Nuju Metru

The trans-orange parts are wonderful. I hope we see more of the like in future, because it really looks striking. The new connection system, too, is well-done in my opinion - then again, I'm more of the collecting type when it comes to the LEGO action figures, so I can see how it'd be seen as detrimental to a MOCer. Hopefully that's balanced out by the wealth of new joint parts. -Nuju Metru

Thank you so much for reviewing! I think I'm in love with these sets. They just look so cool - Evo especially is fantastic, what with the Purple. -Nuju Metru

I love these sets. So. Much. The sniper rifle doesn't do anything, right? No launching lightsaber blade? -Nuju Metru

MANDOLORIANS OMIGOD OMIGOD I'm practically hyperventilating. -Nuju Metru

Elf minifig is unbelievable love. :3 -Nuju Metru

All of the stained glass parts are held in by pressure. The windows themselves are held together by the inward-pushing forces all around that are supplied by a frame - said frames slide into slots in the build of the wall. To piece them together is somewhat tricky, therefore, but obviously worth the time. Too bad - nature stuff isn't my forte. Weird. I kinda felt the other way when I built it... maybe the stained glass lost its effect after a time. Thanks for your commentary, everyone! -Nuju Metru

Glad my ideas were helpful. :) Mhm, I didn't want to make them too broad - both for parts conservation as well as the design element. I definitely plan to - dunno if I'll make something this good again, but I can try! Underneath the rose window, there are two sets of doors. However, they don't open... nor did I build stairs going up to them. Ah well. Well, it definitely is a micro-scaled building, so similarly-proportioned figures might be good. Thanks all for your comments! -Nuju Metru

If only, if only I had the pieces... -Nuju Metru

Well well Andrew, look who decided to show up. XD Well, the thinness has to do with the architecture of gothic Christian buildings. The gothic architectural style is designed to convey a feel of airiness and lightness, deftness that is belied by the size of the building; its height and its grace are dependent on careful calculations so that it doesn't collapse upon itself. See here; the thickness of the walls (those exterior things are the buttresses) is actually very small. Now, mine isn't a cathedral like that, it's a chapel - so no aisles on the sides. And my buttresses are a bit too narrow. Maybe that's why it looks too thin. Nonetheless, thank you man, I appreciate the feedback! -Nuju Metru

The antistuds were unavoidable - with the irregular, hard-to-work-with rounded shape of the back section, as well as the thickness of the Stained Glass frames, I could barely fit three sides in there, or cover all the gaps. Thanks! Too bad it isn't minifig-scaled, then... -Nuju Metru

Thank you! Yep, they're held in by only pressure - if you see this poorly taken shot, you can see that the Stained Glass windows are all built inside a frame, which then slides into place into the wall so that it's held vertically. This is why the wall structure is so thick. They all do fall out if one cheese slope gets pushed, yeah - believe me, it's happened numerous times when I was making them, so I know. XD -Nuju Metru

Didn't have nearly enough tiles to cover all of that roofspace... Masterpiece? I don't think so, but thank you anyway. I like the buttresses too - it's just a shame that I couldn't buy any of the half-arch parts in tan on PaB. That would've looked better, I think. -Nuju Metru

Thank you all. The windows are my favorite part - in fact, it was my creation of one window by messing around with parts that was part of my inspiration to make a full cathedral to house it and more like it. -Nuju Metru

I agree. It was my original intent to built a full cruciform-floor-plan Cathedral, but didn't have enough parts. So I basically slapped a front with a Rose Window on instead of continuing with my original (but impossible) design. -Nuju Metru

Well, in my original design, I had some furnishings such as lamps, pews, and things. But I decided that they threw off the scaling once i had finished the full thing (looked at the doors). I couldn't find a way to make them any smaller than they were, so they went. But thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! -Nuju Metru

Front Back Right Left (Here's a link to the gallery, once it's public.) Hey Everyone. This is a creation of mine that was long in the making, and longer in the completion-to-photography stage. But, after maybe three months since I first began it (at which point the MOC was merely a cutaway slice of the nave), my Gothic Chapel is finally ready to be shown here. It was inspired after my recent trip to France and observations of famous gothic architecture such as Notre Dame de Paris or Sainte Chapelle. This structure is based primarily upon Sainte Chapelle - this is because with the wall thickness of my creation, and lack of parts, I didn't have enough to make a full cathedral with aisles and all that. Attached 1 Attached 2 Cross-section I ordered over 300 new trans-colored cheeseslopes for the windows - and I'm very happy I did. They look incredible. It was important to me to make a building that had a detailed, appealing interior - Gothic architecture's beauty is present on the inside as well as outside. Sucky Interior Picture 1 Sucky Interior Picture 2 Please leave any kind of commentary, it's all welcomed - especially constructive stuff. Always good to know what one is doing wrong, after all. Thanks for viewing! :) -Nuju Metru