deraven

Welcome to EB, Joelle! Lego is a great family activity - enjoy that Sheepo Jeep!

Welcome to EB, Tass! Happy building!

Oh, yeah- it may just the the way the light is hitting it. The hanger on the right makes it look like you can see the bar through the pin. Regardless, it is buildable, just not in a metallic color with the pin as you noted.

Here's the appropriate set (with more shots of these buildings towards the bottom):

... but it appears that the technic half-pin is in trans clear (or some trans color, anyway)- I don't think that actually exists. Does it? Thought I suppose it doesn't matter if you're building digitally or want to do it in other colors.

Seriously NPU all over the place. You've really captured the Vespa look and feel at an impressively small scale. Great work!

Welcome to EB, PatRat. Make sure you spend some time looking at the FAQs and new user information. Here's a thread with all the info on ranks, tags, etc.:

Might help to see more of the ship, but I'd say the left side is the way to go.

Welcome to EB, Supreme_Youngling! We are pleased to have you here.

Neimoidian Warrior

Welcome (belatedly) to EB, TheRealDiskDastardly!

Welcome to EB, Vaggelis!

Welcome to EB, Peyj! I'm sure you'll find plenty of inspiration here! If you're looking for some ideas on trees in particular, you'll find a lot of that in the forums for sure, but here are a couple nice summaries with links to more inspiration and building tutorials, etc.: http://thebrickblogger.com/2016/09/how-to-build-lego-trees-more-techniques/ http://thebrickblogger.com/2012/09/how-to-make-lego-trees/ This is also a really great thread to read through for inspiration on your village: Happy building!

I must say, that Tin Lizzie is great!

Huh. You should be able to embed images as a new member, so long as they're not spammy or from a suspicious domain or anything. Here's the instructions on how to embed images from various sources (in this section):

I think you've captured it really well. Nice part usage with the new element for the mirrors. For the sub version, I'd have added a small periscope/rocket rather than just the antenna. Supported!

Definitely this. But depending on the overall size, just keep in mind that all those sub-models will need to be properly and securely integrated together in the end. I've gotten too carried away on focussing on getting detailed sections just right while not spending enough time thinking about integration, and then ended up re-working many of them again because of that. I see what you're saying there, but maybe I didn't do a good job with my brief explanation. The exterior digital design stage of my building is basically what you're describing there with your drawing stage. That is, if I'm working off an existing real-world reference object, I'll have a bunch of photos or drawings for reference, then work on replicating the shapes/details in the computer of the exterior, then I build from the inside out, but knowing the specific parts arrangement I'll be ending with (or close to it) based on the computer design of that part. As I noted above, in some cases those pieces are literally just floating in 3D space in the computer, so it's not like I'm fumbling with a bunch of loose pieces frantically trying to build inward from them. Obviously the process is a little different when designing something with a lot of interior space (like a building or ship), in which case I kinda build toward the middle (work on the interior rooms/spaces to get the layout and details right, also work outside-in for some of the exterior details, and then merge them as needed with all the in-between structure in real bricks. I mean... it's not like the Lego designers working on the Saturn V set started from the inside and got to this arrangement without knowing exactly what they were trying to support on the outside: But then, I'm no Master Builder... so maybe they DID.

Hi BCC_LQ! If these are genuine Lego minifigs, the printing shouldn't be nearly that fragile, though some of the newer stuff definitely isn't as durable as it used to be. Just dumping all of them in a plastic bin loose together shouldn't even be an issue unless they're frequently being mixed around or the container constantly vibrating in travel or something. I've got tons of minifigs that have spent many years in bins with other pieces that only have minor wear, so if you're having printing rub off I'd suggest either more loosely packing them or perhaps more tightly since you may have stumbled upon the perfect mix of factors that affects the pad printing. What works fine for me for bulk storage (not strictly filed, but say a few CMF lines in one box, loosely grouped together but still easy to find a specific minifig) of minifigs I want to treat more gently is putting each figure in a small plastic baggie (like these used for general collectibles: http://www.hotspotcollectiblesandtoys.com/collecting-supplies/3-x-5-zip-lock-baggie.html - these are big enough to also hold a few accessories with the fig, and can just be rolled around them for extra "padding" if it's just the minifig, but if you're doing just the figs a 2x3 bag is the right size) and then putting those in whatever box/bin with other minifigs makes sense for how you sort or store them. Plenty of room to label those bags if desired, too. I find this to be effective, economical, and scalable. As for displaying the minifigures, here are a couple things to look at: http://frugalfun4boys.com/2016/05/19/ikea-frame-lego-minifigure-display-storage/ Let us know what you come up with - always nice to see how other AFOLs do things.

Totally agree!

I could be totally wrong, but I think the secret is using digital tools to get the look & feel correct as far as complex geometries that give the general shape or specific stand-out features of a model the look you're going for, then the rest for physical stability comes down to live prototyping and making adjustments from there. At least, that's how it is for me! I tend to build more complex MOCs from the outside in. Like, if I'm making something with a lot of complex or compound curves and trying to get a shape right, I do that in the computer with not connection points, just pieces floating in space to get close to what I want, then I work on how to support them in a stable way and adjust things from there. Probably a lot easier if you're a Master Builder and have unlimited physical bricks at your fingertips, but I bet you it's somewhat like that for them too. I mean... probably a lot closer to a buildable model digitally, but I'm sure there's still a lot of real-world manipulation and design as well.

Needs different color "skin" (bricks) around the eyes. Nice job. Love the too-long tie; that's a nice touch, too.

The whole thing is lovely, but such NPU on the turtle! Love it.

No set limits in LDD. It's simply not designed for use with very large projects, so it's less graceful than it could be when it finds itself resource-challenged and can crash. The more powerful the computer - and amount of system memory more specifically - you have, the better LDD is able to handle very large files. The largest LDD file I have is just shy of 40,000 bricks, and my older 6-core Mac Pro handles it just fine, and LDD only uses about 1.25GB of active memory when using that file.

Welcome to EB, DazzaT! Looking forward to seeing your MOCs and your participation in the community.

Whoa. That's pretty sweet. Definitely an interesting change of pace from most layouts, and it looks like you've really put thought and care into the design. Looking forward to some video of it in action!