Sisco

Caving pretty much involves crawling, climbing, rappelling, descending, tight spaces, little holes, fragile formations, and basically trying to explore as much of the cave as you can and going as deep as you can while getting as muddy as you can. I had more fun caving today that I've had doing anything else (sadly including LEGO ) in a very long time. This will definitely become a long-time hobby for me. I'm really excited about Mammoth Cave, too. It fascinates me as well, those hundreds of miles of unexplored caves. Hopefully, I'll get to explore a few miles of them. Of course, this doesn't mean I'm shelving my LEGO. I'll probably come back from that trip inspired. Maybe make a cave MOC.

Does anyone else go caving? My uncle showed it to me today, and I've gotten Cave Fever. I'm even buying all the necessary gear, and we're going on a weekend trip with some of my buddies to Mammoth Cave. Got any good cave stories?

If we do that, can we get at least one area with mountains? I personally enjoy digging into the sides of mountains.

May I direct you here? Or maybe here for the bumping? It pays to search first, my friend.

Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus- I just watch this movie for laughs at the horribly bad acting and stupid storyline. Great if you and your friends want to poke fun at a horrible movie.

I know I'm somewhat late in replying to this post, but I just wanted to say that I read Leviathan a few days ago, and loved it. I'll absolutely be on the lookout for Behemoth. I also read Brisingr in a day, one of Christopher Paolini's tomes of the Inheritance Cycle. I don't see why the critics thought it the worst of the first three books, I loved it. Especially the forging of Brisingr itself. Of course I read it in preparation of Inheritance, the final book in the cycle, coming out November 8th. I'm pretty excited for it, and it comes out two weeks before my birthday. I'm buying it as an early birthday present to myself. Can't wait!

Oh, so let me amend my experience... -Eurodina. Not nearly as impressive now, is it?

Alright, new Mafia! 1. Hm. Experience... -Won in The Coming Darkness -Won as the only survivor in Villiage of the Bloody Damned -Survived (but lost) in Red Scare Mystery -Lost in Eurodina -Lost in PoP Mafia game. 2. I should be good to go- I'm too boring to go on things called "vacations". 3. I assume the front page? 4. Oh boy... So many... I'll say the talent show in 7th grade, and my voice cracked. Six times. The whole audience was laughing. Yay.

Has anyone installed the Clay Soldiers mod? I did, and built arenas for them... Overall view of the battlefield. Here's the hall up top with the redstone. As you can see, it's attached to a piston, and there is a hatch with ladder to put combatants in... Like so. Fill all four rooms up... Flick the switch to "Off"... And watch the madness unfold. I also built a larger, more awesome outdoor arena. I love it. The top floor. I hate redstone so much. View of the arena in action. It features dispensers for the supplies, piston doors, four "ready rooms", stairs to the top floor, and a maze. This thing is unbelievably fun to watch. Just be sure not to break through the floor and fall in. Oh well, here's an action shot for you. More on my Minecraft Flickr folder.

Some Sum 41. Their album "Chuck" is a great album, and the story behind the name is really cool.

Thanks, I did indeed have a lot of fun building it... My little cousins are over now, and they're having a ball battling with Majisto and Draggy. Trust me, I know. I only have one, and apparently I've lost it. I looked high and low before taking that picture, just because I knew someone would point out if I used a new skeley. I love the wand as well, it was just horrible to photograph. Gosh, that thing was invisible... Thanks for the comments, guys!

My local Fine Arts club is doing a production of the play adaptation of the book. I've been told that the play was better than the movie, so I'm excited to see how it turns out.

Before we begin, I'd like to apologize for the long-is intro. The writer side of me got inspired, so you get this somewhat long dialogue. So please, bear with me, and attempt to chuckle every once in a while. Also, while I'm at it, I'd like to put in a Nostalgia Alert. Yup, I get nostalgic in this review. Sorry! It was a dark and stormy night. A night, much like tonight. Lord Draconius Draco "Draggy" Dragon Knight the Fourth, Esquire rode into the Black Forest, looking for someone, someone who could assist him on his quest to be the Draggiest Dragon Knight there ever was. Lord Draconius Draco "Draggy" Dragon Knight the Fourth, Esquire was looking for a Magician. A magician by the name of Majisto. Lord Draconius Draco "Draggy" Dragon Knight the Fourth, Esquire had heard that Majisto's Magical Workshop was hidden somewhere in the darkness of the Black Forest, and he intended to find the Majestic Majisto. "Why, hello there, good fellow!" A strange voice shook Draggy from his reverie. "Who might you be?" "Oh, er... *AHEM*... I am Lord Draconius Draco "Draggy" Dragon Knight the Fourth, Esquire. You may call me Draggy for short. Are you Majisto?" Draggy was wary, as this man was certainly a strange one. "Indeed I am, good chap! What brings you to my workshop on this loathsome night?" "Success!" Draggy exclaimed in his head. "I have sought you so that you may make me the Draggiest Dragon Knight there ever was, dear Majisto. Comply or die." Majisto shrank back in fear. "Of course, Draggy. Just follow me into my workshop, enjoy some wine with me, and we'll begin!" "Fool," Majisto thought to himself. "I may be getting old, but I will NOT be threatened. Let's see what tricks I have up my sleeve..." Set#: 6048 Name: Majisto's Magical Workshop Theme: Dragon Knights Year: 1993 Parts: 185 Minifigs: 2 Price: ??? Original. Brickset Peeron Bricklink Flickr The Box The box is a little beat up. I suppose even Majisto's magic can't withstand the curse of time. But it's actually still in nice condition, considering it's 18 years old now. Also, don't mind the sticker on it, the BL seller just didn't get it off right. That's okay. But it's really the things on the box that I'm interested in. Like that "System" Logo. Brings me back to the good 'ol days. And look at that cool "Dragon Masters" shield graphic! Speaking of the good 'ol days, look at the back! Alternative models, FTW! God, I miss these. My favorite has to be the one to the very left, the one with the tower and dog house-looking structure. Awesome, there's a little box that shows that Majisto's wand glows in the dark! That's really cool. I'm sorry, I'm just having a nerd-gasm over this box. Instructions What is with me and bad instructions? 5525 had horrible instructions, and these aren't too terribly much better. They clock in at a mere 20 steps for this small-mid set, which I suppose is alright, but rage-inducing when you miss a piece. Yes, these instructions don't pull any punches. But I have to say... Bring it on! 20 Steps later, we arrive at the end of the instructions. No ads. Better yet, no screaming kid yelling "WIN!!!"! Suddenly, I like these instructions a lot more. Pieces Ahem. Please excuse the editing fail, it doesn't happen often. Anyway, the pieces are pretty magnificent. Loads of black pieces, a few red plates, two halberds... Good haul, if you ask me. Interesting Pieces Very interesting pieces indeed. The wizard hat is lovely. That's my first old style cape. It's quite... Odd? I guess that's the word I'm looking for. The Helmet is astonishing. So much detail! The shield is a piece of art by itself. That is one beautiful dragon, and I'm sure glad to own it. The blue dragon thing looks pretty cool, as well. That printed tile with the page of writing? Awesome! The two bricks are a mystery to me. I've never seen anything like them. I love 'em both! Very useful! Minifigures Here's Lord Draconius Draco "Draggy" Dragon Knight the Fourth, Esquire himself, and Majisto. Both are extremely detailed for early nineties figures, and thankfully lacking in the early nineties hairstyles. All kidding aside, both are great figures. Draggy has a great torso print (er... Accidentally hidden behind the shield. Oops. . Well, the making of this review has been dragging on for about a month now, so I may go back and edit in a picture of the torsos at a later date.), as does Majisto. Speaking of Majisto, sorry about his wand. That thing was a bitch to catch on camera. You'd think it was a vampire or something! And here's the back. Not as detailed as the front, but what do you expect? These guys are 18 years old. Majisto is sporting a quite sexy cape, however. The Build This is after step one. Like I said, those instructions weren't pulling any punches. I suppose I should be glad that they weren't nearly as bad as 5525 Amusement park, but I did mess up a few times. Step two. No, I won't be doing this review step-by-step, I just wanted to show you how much progress is made from each step. Here we see some interior details are added, and the walls are beginning to go up. About 12 steps later, and we have this. I'm loving the "natural" look Majisto went for with his workshop- it works for him. Two steps later, we have the beginnings of a roof. We're using those weird but awesome bricks now! A few steps later, and it's finished. Here it is opened, on the inside. Let's close 'er up and show you all the views of this puppy. Set in Full Here it is at an angle looking at the front. Huh. Where's the door? That's odd... Oh, so that's how you open it. Okay, I can dig it. Let's continue this 360 spin and look at the side. Looks awful thin at this angle, doesn't it? And dusty. That's what I get for buying "slightly used". Continuing on... Dude! There's a giant hole in your house/workshop! This may not seem like a big deal to the average reader, but it's a pretty big design flaw to me. It's not like we need to be sticking our hands in a hole like this, the set opens up... Oh well. Skylight, anyone? This side is exactly the same as the other side, but I knew someone would ask for a picture. Here it is, to save you the trouble of asking, dear reader. Play Time Yup, I'm going to have a section labeled "Play Time". There aren't really an features to talk about, so you're getting some pictures of what the average child/ child-at-heart would do with this set. Look at that magic spell lying on the table! Where's Majisto, we need to see what this thing does! Treasure chest! Let's open it! Oh no! Lord Draconius Draco "Draggy" Dragon Knight the Fourth, Esquire is in Majisto's Workshop! Get 'im, Majisto! Oh, looks like Lord Draconius Draco "Draggy" Dragon Knight the Fourth, Esquire just wanted to make nice and have a cup of Gin with Majisto. Alright, happy ending! The Final Verdict Design: 6/10. Can anyone say "Big Gaping Hole"? This may be a minor quibble to you, but it's a major gripe to me. Even back in '93, the designers should've known better than that. I also wish that the table was something other than a grey brick. And the BURPs were a bit lack-luster for making details on the outside. But it's a cute design, with the opening workshop with lots of play opportunities. Build: 7/10. This build was fun, and slightly challenging. The instructions made this build a little frustrating, but it was okay in the end. Good piece usage, I just really wish I had used some different pieces for a more detailed design. Playability: 10/10. This set has no "flick-firing missiles" or other bad "playability" features that kids these days seem to love. No, this set cuts through the crap and lets us use our imaginations. There's a clear good guy and a clear bad guy, a treasure chest, a pot and campfire, a table, two cups, a barrel, some weapons, and a building to use them in. As you probably saw in the "Play Time" portion of the review, I love stuff like this. TLC, please make more like this instead of the usual "flick-firing missile" crap you make nowadays. Minifigures: 8/10. These minifigures hold their own to this day. I know my "Minifigures" section was a little thin, but they really are special. Both have some great personality. They may not have back or leg printing that's becoming more and more common in modern figures, but they're still spectacular figures that I really love having in my collection. Price: 10/10. I'm not quite sure how much this set was when it was new (I'm guessing right around 15-20 USD), but I got it for $23 USD, in pretty good shape, with box and instructions. That's absolutely well below what you'd expect a classic set to go for, so I have no complaining whatsoever to do about the price. Overall: 8/10. This set is pretty dang good. It's design is a little buggy and the instructions are a smidgeon difficult, but it's from 1993. That was 18 years ago, just to save you some counting. And this set still holds its own against newer castle sets! I actually prefer this one to a few of the newer Kingdoms sets, to be honest. So if you get a chance to pick this set up, do it. You won't regret it. Parting Shot And we thought he was an old coot in '93! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Want to make great reviews like this? Join the reviewer's Academy today!

While I'm thinking about it, sorry if I sort of made fun of any of you townies in the write board, I was just having too much fun watching day four to not post some of my favorite quotes.

Muahahahaha! Evil has triumphed! Sorry guys, I would never have figured it out either.

I did go see Harry Potter, at midnight. Saw part one as well beforehand.

Was the Battle of Hogwarts as epic as it was in the book? (please reply in spoilers)

Jeez, can't wait to see that city layout now!

And the second lesson is: Make posts that make sense. I have no idea what you just said.

That's pretty awesome, thanks for the extra information. Craig Man, for the win!

I can explain mine. Craig. It's always Craig.

Hm. Cool ending, can't wait for day three now.l

Screw it. Unvote: Donena Buena/ Donut Vote: Mistress Kupp/ Jedi Master Brick I'd rather be killed by the scum I didn't vote for than suffer through another day of Kupp.

I pretty well trust Bananakin, enough to proxy my vote to her, so I'll Vote: Donena Buena/ Donut