LEGO Prince of Persia MOC Scorpion Fort

[Svelte]

PRINCE OF PERSIA - SCORPION FORT

** Click on all pics for high-res versions **

Under an angry sky, the Nizam's guards watch over the entrance to the Scorpion Fort -

a solid, spiky stronghold built into desert rock. An easily-defensible bridge traverses the

two Towers, under which a thin, sickly stream sluggishly idles.

Dastan's poor camel gets no respite from the poisonous looking waters; near the front Tower,

a travelling native lights a small campfire in preparation for the icy desert night.

On the other side of the entrance to the fort, we see a couple of bloated pigs sniffing

for sweetmeats amongst the desert rock - let's hope they don't run into that black scorpion!

The pigs are probably the only creatures that find the poisonous-looking waters running

under the arched bridge in any way enticing.

The main gate to the Fort itself. The thin corridor adds an extra level of defence - no opponents

can easily rush the entrance. On either side, the distinctive gold scorpion motif identifies this

as a stronghold of the Nizam.

The front section doesn't look too intimidating - unless you are a humble petitioner

standing at the very base of the stairs, looking up.

A travelling PoP-Svelte lights a fire to keep warm -

temperatures in the desert can drop to below freezing at night!

The bridge is solidly buttressed with arches for maximum structural integrity.

From above, the Scorpion Fort entrance is just as intimidating - if not moreso!

A rear view of the main gate to the Scorpion Fort. A cutaway shows the Nizam's

private bathroom hidden beneath the solid rock. So that's where the fresh

streamwater has diverted!

The Nizam does some of his most vile scheming and plotting whilst taking a leisurely bubble-bath.

Fresh water pipes in from the waterfall to fill the tub.

The Nizam daydreams as he goes through his daily beauty routine - notice the soap and gold vial of bath salts.

'Yes, Tamina... you shall soon be mine... Or maybe Dastan, whose abs are the very colour

of the Scorpion Fort itself... or maybe both of you shall kneel before me... mwahahahah!...

Ahem... can someone get me some tissues?'

The Scorpion Fort can be attached to other bits of Arabic architecture one may have lying around.

Here, the more modern style of the Alamut Gate acts as an entrance where merchants gather,

with the military walled mountain fort behind it.

Bonus pic of the intimidating view from the very front of the Scorpion Fort, looking up.

A Dastan-less closeup view of the bridge and towers.

A more detailed view of the sickly green stream!

Design Notes:

This design is based on the entrance to the ancient city of Aleppo, Syria, with its distinctive

double gate and bridge. Ever since I did the poster art for PoP month I wanted to do a much

larger MOC using a colour scheme of dark bley, pearl gold and medium nougat.

With a very limited palette of bricks in nougat - no plates or tiles! - it was quite difficult

to do areas like flat steps and the roof of the towers - so I am very happy with the result.

Whilst I was initially unsure of using it for detail, the 1x4 brick adds great textural detail

and is in keeping with the Arabic theme.

I'd love to keep going and do a proper Fort - instead of just a walled gate - but that would

require a serious investment of $$$ and space One day...

Anyone interested in Arabic architecture or MOCing should consult 'Architecture of the Islamic World'

edited by George Michell (Thams & Hudson, 1978, reprinted 1999) - it's an amazing visual reference.

[MicroM]

Very, very nice. I love the colour scheme.

Thanks for sharing.

[Princess Muttonchops]

Brilliant MOC Svelte, I absolutely love the bath scene (Sieggy laughed his head off until I could ignore him no more ). The plants in the bathroom work so well, and the slimy stream looks so noxious. Truly you are a talented man.

[Rick]

Sir, you have outdone yourself again. It indeed is impressive with the very limited palette of Svelte-was-wrong nougat. However, the color, only spiced up with a little gold, does gives it a really menacing look. A nice contrast with the richness of the Alamut gate.

The bathtub is as brilliant as it is hilarious. I really like the waterfall and the resulting 'bubbles' in the water. And who'd have thought the Nizam liked their wash cloths pink? Great to see those big green pot plants back again. I hope Jamie Berard is pushing TLG to take them back into production for the next modular building.

[Izzy]

Holy hell that is so cool Svelte!

You have done an amazing job and the surprising little splash of colour in the back is just gorgeous. For such a simple design you have managed to make it look rich and luxurious.

[Siegfried]

Oh this is a marvel. Right now I'm on Flickr downloading the full size images so I can use them as wallpapers!

Sieggy laughed his head off until I could ignore him no more

Indeed I did. Here was looking through the pics that are going on about the strategic design of the fort... and then I find Nizam dreaming of glory in his tub!

I hope Jamie Berard is pushing TLG to take them back into production for the next modular building.

One hopes. I'm surprised that TLG felt they weren't essential parts.

[cooky321]

Wow! Amazing! I love the detail of the rockery and the little decorations on each of the gates!

Nizams' bath is absoloutly genius!

[squidman85]

Amazing qork Svelte !I very like ornaments and Nizam's bathroom.

[Etzel]

Fantastic work, Svelte!

So much sand orange/medium nougat You made a great job with the bridge, it looks very nice with all those arches and the 1x4 SNOT bricks that adds lovely texture. The bathroom for Nizam is really good to, the waterfal is very clever. Can't understand why Disney didn't made a scene like this for the film

If I should find negative with the MOC it would be the tiling of the dark tan mountain. Especially the area behind Dastan feels unnatural to me with too much tiles.

But overall a great work! :thumbup:

[Admiral Croissant]

That's awesome!

The bridge is great and I like all the small golden details on it

The waterfall and the plants there are also very inventive.

Good job!

[Ras 74]

This is a very beutiful MOC Svelte!

Colours are really great and has that true feeling of a palace in the desert. Must kind of agree with PrEtzel as well of the rock formation.

Would be sweet to see just a comparison picture if you removed some of the tiles just to see what it would look like.

The bath is an amazing threat for your eyes. Both in colour and for the fun part of it. You really are on fire with this arabic inspired MOCs.

[Gunman]

ow man thats awesome... great job

[Superkalle]

'Yes, Tamina... you shall soon be mine... Or maybe Dastan, whose abs are the very color

of the Scorpion Fort itself... or maybe both of you shall kneel before me... mwahahahah!...

Ahem... can someone get me some tissues?'

Wow, this is simply stunning. The colors scheme is fabulous. One of the best I've seen.

And the way you used those Ice BURPs to create some irregularity.

The plants/cactus you used in your Grand Emporium are still fantastic, but this time in white pots. (Question: are they connected to the pot/wheel, or just put on top?

A 5/5 MOC...

[Brickus]

This is awesome I love it, great work Svelte.

[Robinson]

Excellent work!!!

I'm in love with your MOC's Svelte :P Keep it going.

[iamded]

Fantastic MOC, Svelte! It looks amazing, the colours and arches... Awesome.

I love the dastardly story behind it too, with the Nizam redirecting the fresh stream water. Nicely done.

~Peace

[Svelte]

For such a simple design you have managed to make it look rich and luxurious.

Thanks Iz! The shape looks simple but arranging the limited palette and getting the proportions right was the challenge in this one, rather than fancy techniques. Still, I knocked it out in about 4 days so I was pretty happy

Indeed I did. Here was looking through the pics that are going on about the strategic design of the fort... and then I find Nizam dreaming of glory in his tub!

The bathroom is the most popular part I wanted to contrast the dry, dusty, rocky rough lives of the Alamut Guards with the pristine decadence of the Nizam in his palace, luxuriating in water. Plus I love medium blue, and trans-medium blue is one of my favourite colours - I like to throw some in when I can (like the 8x8 plate in the Department Store roof pool, or even some of my earliest MOCs on EB like the Elflands contest). It's kind of a running theme, like using the pot plants.

If I should find negative with the MOC it would be the tiling of the dark tan mountain. Especially the area behind Dastan feels unnatural to me with too much tiles.

Interesting point. I wanted to make a contrast with the rough & studdy dark bley ground with the more slippery and unclimbable mountain part. I was probably thinking more of the original Aleppo gate where the incline is much steeper and unfriendlier than this MOC.

Would be sweet to see just a comparison picture if you removed some of the tiles just to see what it would look like.

The bath is an amazing threat for your eyes. Both in colour and for the fun part of it. You really are on fire with this arabic inspired MOCs.

Thanks Ras! I pride myself on colour work and I think the contrast between the icy blue bathroom and the red desert fort is a really lovely one. I may try your suggestion with de-tiling too

Wow, this is simply stunning. The colors scheme is fabulous. One of the best I've seen.

And the way you used those Ice BURPs to create some irregularity.

The plants/cactus you used in your Grand Emporium are still fantastic, but this time in white pots. (Question: are they connected to the pot/wheel, or just put on top?

Thanks Superkalle! The dinosaur flipper parts have a Technic pin end which just clips neatly into the holes in the wheel pieces. It seriously is the easiest technique in the world!

Fantastic MOC, Svelte! It looks amazing, the colours and arches... Awesome.

I love the dastardly story behind it too, with the Nizam redirecting the fresh stream water. Nicely done.

~Peace

Thanks iamded! I am glad you picked it up. The stream isn't as prominent in the photos as it is in the MOC (it needs to be thin to fit under the arch). I always like to have a little bit of story in my creations.

[Skalldyr]

Oh, wow! It seems you invested some money in a few prince of persia colors.....

I really like all you Pop-stuff. Now I really, really, really want to build some Mocs my own.

Edited May 22, 2010 by Skalldyr

[Erdbeereis]

I love this Svelte!

The colors work beautifully together. That bathroom is both hilarious, and a great part of the MOC because of the contrast.

It's a small detail, but I love the way you utilized those corner pieces here with the regular bricks. That looks fantastic.

Excellent work! How many of each POP set do you have Svelte?

I'm finally almost getting done on my latest MOC, but it still has few more weeks left in it. Until it's done, I'll just enjoy yours.

[lightningtiger]

TOTALLY AWESOME 'Svelte' - excellent use of these newish colours, dam that's a lot of bricks and you forgot his rubber duckie !

You always keep comming up with surprises, great job again and I'm a conformist! !

[Aanchir]

I love the brilliant use of those Alpha Team ice-crystal pieces as cascading water. It's a use I don't think many people have thought of, but it works brilliantly, especially with the white blended portion at the bottom. The stark contrast between the orangish color of the stronghold's exterior and the calming blue of Nizam's bath room also has great artistic appeal.

You're also wonderful at making creative textures on the exterior using only the limited selection available in medium nougat. Overall, this is a fantastic MOC.

[just2good]

Very, very epic MOC. You must be rich. You have so much peices.

But now that PoP month is over, how about a Toy Story month? I would love to be a part of it.

[WesternOutlaw]

This is an amazing MOC Svelte. I love how you've created a long realistic bridge as part of the the fortress (a design reminiscent of European castle bridges). The bath house at the end is most unique and is a fantastic representation of the opulence of Nizam's wealth. That middle section with the trans blue bricks looks so good as a bath house splash. Blue and white tiles work well for the flooring.

In regard to the main structure, I find the overall color very nice and so different from that of most MOCs among the LEGO community, only made better by the splashes of gold with the radar dishes and scorpions. I also like the use of the trans green 1x1s for the small stream. You've done a most impressive job at building a LEGO creation based on the entrance to Aleppo. I'm completely unfamiliar with this type of architecture but after seeing this splendid creation, I want to look more at this design style.

It's hard to top certain creations that one makes; in your case the Grand Emporium (your version), but I think you've done so here. It is a completely different genre, but this impresses me more. Great job!

[Legorski]

I'm Lovin' Your Prince of Persia work, Great Moc, the colors work amazingly and the secret tunnel thingie is awesome,

[lego-maniac]

What a revelation !

The sercret room is fantastic ! very colorfull and so surprising !

The whole palace color scheme is just... perfect !

congratulation and respect Svelte !