SiAra Station

[Si-MOCs]

SiAra Station

The original SiAra beacon was established as a long range sensor/communication relay beacon. It was infamous as the point of first contact and was subsequently destroyed in the First Interstellar war.

Its replacement, the first SiAra station was a military outpost on the edge of Colonial territory and was the site of diplomatic events and as well as acting as a first line of a Colonial defence.

Today, the SiAra station still maintains a small fleet garrison, but mainly acts as a commerce center allowing ships of all sizes from all sectors to dock and conduct business. Besides being a convenient resupply depot, It is also responsible for search and rescue operations and assisting ships in distress.

Security measures activated - Quarantine shields up!:

In space... it's really dark:

Estoc and Falx ships on standby ready to launch for S&R or intercept missions:

--

Collaborative build for Brickfête by Iain and myself.

More pictures in gallery

SHIP picture is Iain’s Grace Jones.

Shot of SiAra with more SHIPS docked at Brickfete:

[Brickdoctor]

This is incredible. Lighting is well-used, not too much but enough to illuminate the MOC to a nice level. The mostly Classic Space color scheme blends well with the other colors, and the shape is believable.

[Umbrix]

Fantastic MOC.

I like design, lights and abundance of starships.

[CP5670]

Wow, this is even better than your other model. It has a great mix of classical and modern building styles. What kind of lights are you using for the antennas?

[dr_spock]

You and Iain are very talented.

[Si-MOCs]

This is incredible. Lighting is well-used, not too much but enough to illuminate the MOC to a nice level. The mostly Classic Space color scheme blends well with the other colors, and the shape is believable.

Thanks!

When we went about designing the station, we thought about how to build something that would be 'realistic' - but also useful and practical to dock other attendees SHIPS - 2001 was a bit of inspiration as well as the standard 'spoke' station. most of the tower and supporting ships were just random make believe

The theme of the convention was 'old school' hence the total CS love going on ... unfortunately I didn't have enough trans yellow otherwise it would have been TOTAL CS love.

Fantastic MOC.

I like design, lights and abundance of starships.

Thanks!

Heh, I actually ran out of table space - I had more ships to put around the station - but we decided to put it on a table instead of floor - it was painful enough to setup on a table, I couldn't imagine the pain of doing it on the floor

Wow, this is even better than your other model. It has a great mix of classical and modern building styles. What kind of lights are you using for the antennas?

Thanks :)

Though to be fair, this took awhile to build up, and most of the ships I've built previously.

The antennas are lit up by 2 sets of lifelites. Each LED is stuck onto a 1x1 cone which is then connected to the antenna so that light propagates up the shaft.

you can see some of the wiring tucked away under the baseplate in this picture

You and Iain are very talented.

I can build, but I can't drive/build a techbot to save my life

You definitely have me beat on the Technic stuff.

[CP5670]

Thanks :)

Though to be fair, this took awhile to build up, and most of the ships I've built previously.

The antennas are lit up by 2 sets of lifelites. Each LED is stuck onto a 1x1 cone which is then connected to the antenna so that light propagates up the shaft.

you can see some of the wiring tucked away under the baseplate in this picture

Ah, I see. The effect on trans-neon green parts looks great. I need to get some of those Lifelites packs.

[I Scream Clone]

Great build filled with awesome designs and superb lighting. Love the whole thing.

[Delta 38]

Oh, wow! I like the designs of the starships, and the central building is also great. The lights work well, too.

Great work!

[P4trickvH]

Saw this on the frontpage and had to stop by to just say, freaking awesome MOC and great photography. I question, am i right that the first picture is actually a LDD or any other 3D Lego modeling software render ?

[Yatkuu]

I am obviously stunned as any honest AFOL should be but I am mostly impressed by the quality of the photography – and the same comments goes as well for the Automaton Machine MOC. I mean… it is already difficult as it is to shoot right very large MOCs… but you did it in the dark and you managed to still have a sharp rendering… (the first picture is incredible) how did you manage this??

Could you please explain a little the setup you have used, the camera, did you use any lighting other than the leds from the MOC?

[blueandwhite]

This looks so good in these photographs! Si, I was wondering how long the exposure was for these shots as they look absolutely perfect.

[brickmack]

Another beautiful MOC SI-Mocs. The docked ship in particular is great, and the comm tower or whatever on top of the station is a nice touch. Cool lighting also.

[Hollander]

Man, this is awesome! Shame on me I didn't leave a comment earlier. Just as with your ''robot creating'' machine MOC, the color scheme is lovely again. Not to mention all the details put in this build. You did once again an amazing job.

[Jedi master Brick]

This is amazing, I just love it. Is there any pictures of it in plain light as well please

[Rook]

Brickfete was DOPE!

[Ogre]

You and Iain are very talented.

I do believe that their combined talents are enough to give me indigestion for the rest of my time on this planet.

On a more serious note...STELLAR model. Looks quite awesome lit up and I have to agree...the lights are 'just enough', not 'overkill'. Well done.

[Big Cam]

SI-Moc's you take MOC'ing to a whole other level. The lighting is just outstanding, plus the MOC itself.

I would have killed for a set this awesome as a kid. As an adult, I will just loathe over it for a few minutes.

[Legoiain]

Saw this on the frontpage and had to stop by to just say, freaking awesome MOC and great photography. I question, am i right that the first picture is actually a LDD or any other 3D Lego modeling software render ?

it's not LDD nor is it a 3D render. just lighting trickery.

[Si-MOCs]

Hey Everyone, thanks again for the kind comments, I'm glad everyone is enjoying our builds...

Saw this on the frontpage and had to stop by to just say, freaking awesome MOC and great photography. I question, am i right that the first picture is actually a LDD or any other 3D Lego modeling software render ?

I was blown away when I saw it was on the front page :)

<3 EB

Nope it's all real - just some fun lighting techniques and such.

I mean… it is already difficult as it is to shoot right very large MOCs… but you did it in the dark and you managed to still have a sharp rendering… (the first picture is incredible) how did you manage this??

Could you please explain a little the setup you have used, the camera, did you use any lighting other than the leds from the MOC?

I'm not a photography expert by any stretch but I'll try to answer best I can...

Where to start?

Tip 1) TRIPOD! very important, in low light conditions - even the 'brightly lit' shots were longish exposures.

Tip 2) Delayed shutter release - aka timer - I use it a lot for low light -as even releasing the shutter button causes SLIGHT vibrations. so if you have a 10s delay that vibration subsides by the time you take your shot - alternatively use a remote to trigger your camera.

Tip 3) Lighting is important. Even when there is lack of light

Regardless if it's light or dark, try to make it evenly bright/dark over a large MOC. If you don't, since it's a long exposure one side will be unnaturally bright in one area.

Tip 4) In photography terms: Depth of Field or 'DOF' is what's in focus - in large mocs this is the hardest thing to work with.

The easiest trick is actually shoot your moc from as far back as you can and 'zoom' with your lens.

Alternatively you want the high 'Fstop' (that's F# like F9) that will give you a greater depth of field.

you can read more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-number#Effects_on_image_quality

Check out the image and seeing how just changing the Fstop can change how the picture looks (also good to know for when you want to do the reverse).

Tip 5) Take your time! and take lots of shots! - pretty obvious but take your time, I think I took over an hour taking pictures and 'trimmed' it down from 99 to the ones in the gallery.

To answer you specific questions:

I have a ball joint tripod that helps move around and take shots faster, but any tripod would work. I have a Nikon D90, but really any camera could have done if you follow some of the tips below - I used to have a pocket camera, and some of my favorite photos of all time were taken by that 'crappy' cam.

I used a lot of different lighting depending on the shot - anywhere from 2 bright spot lights (bounced off wall/ceiling) to a pocket LED flashlight to light up specific areas to using my TV to bounce some coloured light to absolute darkness - it depends on the shot (any in particular you were interested in?)

I think that's about it ;)

Let me know if you have any more questions!

This looks so good in these photographs! Si, I was wondering how long the exposure was for these shots as they look absolutely perfect.

Depends on the picture. Shortest I think was 1/2 second (it was low light) to upwards of 4 second exposures.

Make sure you set the timer / use the remote for long exposures.

Another beautiful MOC SI-Mocs. The docked ship in particular is great, and the comm tower or whatever on top of the station is a nice touch. Cool lighting also.

The Docked SHIP is the Grace Jones that's Iain's baby.

I didn't do too much for that one - mainly just comments during construction and Lifelite retro fit ;)

Oh I also contributed the Akabar screaming about a Trap in the window

This is amazing, I just love it. Is there any pictures of it in plain light as well please

Here's a link to a close up of the comm tower (also the 'spinning top' - which was broken... the gears slip and we it would have taken too long to fix)

Here's two more with just my regular lights on:

Note the yellow 'tint' in the last two - they're from my halogen track lighting - different types lights have different uses

I do believe that their combined talents are enough to give me indigestion for the rest of my time on this planet.

On a more serious note...STELLAR model. Looks quite awesome lit up and I have to agree...the lights are 'just enough', not 'overkill'. Well done.

I ran out of lights/batteries (26 Tripple As!) ... otherwise I would have lit it up more

SI-Moc's you take MOC'ing to a whole other level. The lighting is just outstanding, plus the MOC itself.

I would have killed for a set this awesome as a kid. As an adult, I will just loathe over it for a few minutes.

Awww I like you too

[Yatkuu]

I'm not a photography expert by any stretch but I'll try to answer best I can...

Thank you so much for such a detailed explanation. Your post is actually the first one I have printed out of EB for future reference!

I have never played with the exposure length or the F# setup (actually I don't think my camera has these options but since I'm considering upgrading my gear I'll keep these ones in mind for sure.

Using your TV as light source is pretty clever, I'm sure this can bring very unexpected results though.

btw ... you say you are no expert, I beg to disagree!

[lightningtiger]

Just simply AWESOME and with that lighting 'SI-mocs' a wonderful sci-fi creation you have created......Brick On !

[Ogre]

Okay, my eyes are killing me from trying to see the detail...is that a Ninja on the right side of the control tower? Looks like a black-clad figure with a katana.

[Ricecracker]

Okay, my eyes are killing me from trying to see the detail...is that a Ninja on the right side of the control tower? Looks like a black-clad figure with a katana.

The Ninja was found!?

[XimenaPaulina]

Congratulations on this outstanding collaborative work with lain, SI-mocs! Two fantastic MOCs in less than a week is really very impressive.