ZCerberus

dG will you also please post one picture with a link to this thread in the Albion thread? Here is a link to Albion for you!

Ah ha! Let me run through that which I like first, which is a lot. Elevation and angles. Great work there. The elevation makes it look so much more realistic and natural and the angled houses also really take the MOC from vanilla to excellent quickly. I love the blue/dark brown house. Great work on that one. Though blue is not really all that realistic a color for a house, I think it works well in fantasy since that color is just so eye catching. I think it was good to make the other two houses a more muted color to make this one stand out. It has that Medieval Market flare, but it really has a touch of dG as well! I like the interiors on both houses, especially the gardener's. I also like the characters and their expressions. They really are conveying an emotion and that is really cool. I can just tell you could make cool background stories for all the characters here. I like the tan house overall. To me the chimney/fireplace on that one looks a little "flat". I might try to make it stick out from the house more and I might also make the extended chimney more than 1 brick thick. Also, the siding technique on the top with the "cheese" slopes seems like it would look snappier if it was recessed into the wall by half a stud. I also wonder if the second level would look sharper if the black was replaced with brown. I think the black worked on the Medieval Market village house because of all the black around the windows and with the brown rounded ones, it just doesn't quite look as good to me. I like the detail work on the side of the gardener’s house. The roof though… I know you were struggling with it a little bit- I don’t love the dark bluish gray color or how “rough” it is with the studs on it. I didn’t really have any good ideas for you on how to do that one. Now I wonder if maybe a tan or “thatched” looking roof would have been a good way to go with that. I don't have an example of a thatch roof I like, but that might be a technique for both of us to think about using I will link these into Albion soon!

I bet this has been a topic of great debate before, but I am going to bring it back since I am somewhat new to the history forum. For xmas, my mother got me a LEGO coffee table book with a lot of illustrations of past LEGO models. I always have such fond memories of past LEGO builds, but too be honest, when I looked back on some of the old models I really did not think they lived up to my memories. So that got me thinking- if LEGO was going to update a classic model to fit in to 2012, what classic CASTLE model or theme would you want them to update? Though they had hardly any sets, I would want LEGO to recreate the Wolfpack theme. For whatever reason, I like these two models: Another old favorite of mine would have to be this one. Would love to see an update to this: I have heard some people really loved the old "Guarded Inn". I think it was one of the first "Legends" sets released. Personally, that model never really did it for me. What do you think?

Overall, I think SoT is right. They probably don't have a lot of paint in the slums, so more brown, tan, white, black, dark brown and dark tan over the bright blue, red and green may indeed add a little more "realism". Also, mixing those realistic colors on the same buildings may have added a bit more of that run down look I was talking about on the MOC. Maybe there is one brown and one white shutter on a buiilding, or the black roof is patched with some brown wood planks etc. I do think that using less colors SHOULDN'T be confused with making the buildings "uniform". I think the colors here helped make the buildings look mismatched like they would be in a slum, but maybe a more muted color scheme with different building techniques could have been even more impactful! Angling the buildings and your work with the figs really are advanced techniques, so thinking about the color choices is just another step to becoming a great MOCer. It's still fantasy, so I would still step out on the color scheme sometimes on a single build, but be mindful that using too many colors in a small space can make the eyes go "yuck" if the colors aren't "natural" to what your eyes would expect the world to look like.

Good work man! Your skills are improving quickly! The MOC feels very busy like a packed slum would be and the buildings do feel a little run down. I almost think they could be MORE run down though. Overall

You gotta know how to play the game baby! HBO introductory price... when that price expiries after the GoT season, then I move to Showtime for Homeland and Dexter... intro price for Showtime ends and what do you know, HBO again at an introductory price right when GoT starts. Your "tisk tisk" just got SERVED!

Indeed that would be a good idea. I would really like to get rogueang, CJ and meph in there beforehand though. I haven't included sigfigs on members who haven't built anything or have been inactive... let me know if I missed you! Feels very Jabba's Palace-ish, or maybe StarCraft Dragoon-ish. Have the immortal souls of the druids/crystal keepers been enslaved in those mechanical bodies? Not sure which head I used, something that looked close. Your figure has the sandgreen shirt from the Mill Village set and dark brown pants. Does that sound right?

They have other shows on HBO... and lots of movies... still...

When DC and I were discussing Albion layouts, we came up with some things a city would need, but we tried to leave it as open as possible so ideas could flow. We started out hot, but things have cooled a little. I am excited for dG's city block and I hope to contribute a few builds soon as well. Developing your own lands can be fun, especially since there are no constraints and you can make whatever you want, but don't forget to contribute to the capital if you haven't done so already! I think I have you penciled in for 64 x 64... does that sound right? Let me know ASAP if things change. Also, can you post a pic of your sigfig (Varis?) in his full armor? Yours in one of the sigfigs I have not completed. In case anyone is curious, I am going to be including many of the Avalonian sigfigs in the Albion Gatehouse extension MOC I hope to finish for BW. Sigfigs I have made off the top of my head... Niku Beerbeard Silver Smith MikeyB de Gothia Derfel Cadarn ZCerberus Matn Brickdoctor Volcanikpanik Maydayartist Andonii Jason Cicchini Captain Blackmoore Rolli Doornroosje Zach Mills Legonardo Davidy Ones I am missing and planning to build... it would be helpful if you had a link or pic of your sigfig for me... and Jason would probably also like it for his council MOC. If I forgot you, you can show your sigfig again to get us all reacquainted. Rolli Doornroosje Zach Mills Legonardo Davidy rogueang CJ Mephistopheles

Why haven't we blogged this.. anyone? Anyone? No? Okay. I'll do it to it! [bloggedcp][/bloggedcp]

We've had some cool stuff in here lately. This is really neat and therefore expect it to be [bloggedcp][/bloggedcp]

Love it! Too bad the boar's heads on the actually CMFs are like a dirty brown, and barely visible, and not the nice red color you have used here!

I dropped Showtime (sorry Dexter and Homeland) for HBO to get GoT. Funny story, my DVR recorded the second episode in Spanish! Luckily I can get it "On Demand" from my cable company if I wait a day or two.

I had the same issue with challenge 2- just couldn't get it going until I had the idea of having the trees "dead" on the Nocturnus side and springing to "life" on the Avalonian side. I kind of worked out the rest from there. I think in this challenge the hard part is working the MOCs into the story with the guardian. For me, I came up with the guardian idea first, then the story, then the MOCs. If that isn't working, change it up, come up with a scene, then a story, then the guardians or the story, then the guardians, then the scene. Though I thought Rolli had the most interesting building in the last round and deserved to win, I personally liked yours the best. Yours just had such great atmosphere! Building can be a good release, but don't let the guild get in the way of real life! Good to hear you have the right priorities... school, school, school, challenge 3, "friends" Thanks and it was in there becaue we were discussing the merits of good lighting. I was showing a WIP pic taken under interior lighting in my house at night versus a photo take outside in the shade with "natural lighting". That shoule be a tip for ALL of us. Lighting is 3/4 the battle. Yeah, seems like there are quite a few in the boxes. The armor is pretty good and the swords look like the LotR swords, so you can load up on those before LotR comes out.

I fear I will need to get out a toothbrush and some canned air for Brickworld.

That would be most excellent with ISC, Si, darkdragon, rogueang, BB (I think) and me at Brickworld in June. Maybe I can squeeze in an Albion build before then. I am holding my breath on both accounts!

Looks great man! Very sharp and great colors! See, even Avalonians aren't useless!

I was getting the Mitgardian thread off topic, so I should have posted the pic here instead. The tomb is done, now on to some other stuff. Hope I finish that stuff before May 12. How is everyone else coming with Round 3? I know dG and I think BB are in. Anyone else? Jason? MikeyB? Rolli? CJ? rougeang? Anyone? We need to keep up our steam to stay number one!

Double Negative for double posting a negative response in a PM thanks to my iPhone and the cell reception in Target due to my wife's dead car battery. Given by- Ricecracker.

I don't want to hijack this thread, just show that lighting is the big key to getting the photo sharp and looking good. Avalonians shouldn't spill all their secrets in here!

So many galaxy patrol men showing up! Love your work here.

That is pretty badass.

Thanks SoT... thanks to your pesky extention I am working on an additional element for challenge 3. Nothing too special, but a little fun trip down memory lane... Anyhow, as for that photo... that was outside, in the shade, with white cardboard underneath and my stucco house for the backdrop... I think if I retook the pics, I would elect to use cardboard behind the build as well, though the stucco does give a fun bit of fun texture. I think that is going to be the way to go for me from now on.

SoT and Eccy are right on the money. It's ALL about the lighting. Take pictures OUTSIDE and take them in a shaded area or when it is cloudy so there are no shadows. Does it make a difference... you tell me! Inside, at night without natural light Outside in the shade...

Very nice. Great entry. Not a lot to say other than that!