The Amphitheater of Ruadh

[Kai NRG]

Great build mccoyed, the curve of the seats is just about perfect, and I'm really liking all the little details. Good work merging the sand and concrete!

[Slegengr]

This is a neat build, mccoyed! I like the atmosphere created. I hope something like this shows up in Mitgardia some time .

[Jakorin Swiftsword]

Nice build! It has a really nice friendly feel to it. :)

[soccerkid6]

Nice work getting the curves and stepping seats to work so well

The little market stand is a great touch

[mccoyed]

I did something similar, where each section was wider at the back than at the front. If I remember correctly, the angle between the sections was about 1 stud per 3 studs. The priority was however to get the inside wall as round as possible. My solution for the tiling of the upper floors was to allow some overlap between the "pies"...which worked ok to eliminate the gaps but did not look very good on the small scale of the build. Fortunately the minifigs hid most of the ugly misaligned tiles

I have longed to build a larger amphiteatre for a long time, but never gotten around to it...your build here is great inspiration for me to think further on it!

Oh no! If you build one, everyone will forget about my humble offering. :P

I really like this build! You know you are welcome to stay in Kali as long as you want, we are really quite the friendly guild

Bunch of oil profiteers if you ask me.

Great build mccoyed, the curve of the seats is just about perfect, and I'm really liking all the little details. Good work merging the sand and concrete!

Thanks. Worked really hard on those curves. But hey, this is carved stone... I don't think even Kaliphlin has invented concrete yet!?

This is a neat build, mccoyed! I like the atmosphere created. I hope something like this shows up in Mitgardia some time .

A Mitgardian amipheatre is a long table full of drunken louts warmed by a gigantic fire and fed by animals most folk wouldn't be brave enough to look at let alone eat.

Nice build! It has a really nice friendly feel to it. :)

Ruadhi are like the friendliest people in Historica outside of the Black Spire.

Nice work getting the curves and stepping seats to work so well

The little market stand is a great touch

Thanks, SK! I worked hard for those curves, man. It was very tough to find anything similar to what I was trying to do out there on Flickr. I even tried Google Image! After about 2 hours I felt like I couldn't figure it out myself so I scrapped all the trial runs and tried to find an example somewhere. After an hour of that, I started from scratch using a version of one of the ideas (hinges and wing plates) and it somehow came together.

Edited October 16, 2014 by mccoyed

[Kai NRG]

Thanks. Worked really hard on those curves. But hey, this is carved stone... I don't think even Kaliphlin has invented concrete yet!?

Well technically the Romans used concrete, long before the middle ages. But then yes, it was lost after the fall of the Roman empire, so I guess it's an open question whether we can use it in GoH or not?

Since Kali is sometimes slightly greco-romanic in architecture, perhaps concrete is feasible?

[mccoyed]

Well technically the Romans used concrete, long before the middle ages. But then yes, it was lost after the fall of the Roman empire, so I guess it's an open question whether we can use it in GoH or not?

Since Kali is sometimes slightly greco-romanic in architecture, perhaps concrete is feasible?

Should write a letter to the University of Petraea and find out!

[Gabe]

Nice shape to the seating, but i also like the way the minifigs inhabit the scene. Nice one and congrats on your first build in Kali! This Ruadh looks like quite a lively place.

This may be the first amphitheatre in Historica, although i did build a similar structure in the UoP grand lecture theatre. I can agree with you that making a semi-circle with tiered seating is certainly a challenge!

[mccoyed]

That build was one I looked at doing research for this! Remains one of my all time favorite Kali builds and one of the most detailed Lego creations ever. So thanks immensely for your comment, Gabe.

Edited October 17, 2014 by mccoyed

[MassEditor]

Awesome work Evan, there's a lot to appreciate in this build! The figs are exquisite and really capture the diversity of the Kaliphlin people - I would love to have a seat there, listening in to the various conversations and hearing more about this esoteric Nocturnian mystic! I like the tree as well as the curved seating, very nice job there. Not sure you remember but we had a short conversation a few months ago about your claimed tendency to pack more detail in a build than is perhaps necessary. If that ever really was a problem for you (personally, I'd rather see too much detail than not enough I suppose) you've certainly shed it. This build seems to have just the perfect amount of detail, color and composition. Not overly complex but not simple either. Instead, this is a very well-balanced build - the type of build in which many seem to miss their mark (often, myself included).

[mccoyed]

Awesome work Evan, there's a lot to appreciate in this build! The figs are exquisite and really capture the diversity of the Kaliphlin people - I would love to have a seat there, listening in to the various conversations and hearing more about this esoteric Nocturnian mystic! I like the tree as well as the curved seating, very nice job there. Not sure you remember but we had a short conversation a few months ago about your claimed tendency to pack more detail in a build than is perhaps necessary. If that ever really was a problem for you (personally, I'd rather see too much detail than not enough I suppose) you've certainly shed it. This build seems to have just the perfect amount of detail, color and composition. Not overly complex but not simple either. Instead, this is a very well-balanced build - the type of build in which many seem to miss their mark (often, myself included).

What a killer comment! Thanks ME. I think packing in details tends to happen for me more in action-heavy builds where I need to have a lot going on in small spaces. My battle scene for LoR (Rumble in the Shade) and my final Warlords of Nocturnus build seem to indicate that. Perhaps my Dark Tower builds have promoted a better balance of detail and minimalism. Or maybe it's the Kaliphlin setting! I definitely noticed that both my Ruadh builds strike a nice balance. I might say the same about my most recent GoH build also (Old Faces).

I think in general, though, I'm just continuously humbled and inspired and educated by the other builders here and elsewhere. I feel like I get better all the time!

[Gideon]

I feel like I get better all the time!

You are!

Not saying that your older builds were bad, but seeing well-balanced and well-presented builds like this is a pleasure.

I like to think that it is at least partly due to the spirit here at GoH of constructive feedback where builders who listen to that will improve at a fast pace

Edited October 30, 2014 by Gideon

[mccoyed]

You are!

Not saying that your older builds were bad, but seeing well-balanced and well-presented builds like this is a pleasure.

I like to think that it is at least partly due to the spirit here at GoH of constructive feedback where builders who listen to that will improve at a fast pace

Thanks Gideon! One thing the best GoH builders (and others out there doing other stuff) emphasize is that every build be a learning experience where new things are tried, even if it's just refining techniques you use frequently. Challenging yourself seems to be as key as listening to feedback and being diligent about studying other builds. Because I've been on the scene such a short time, I try to do something new every build. That can be habit-forming though, as I've found lately that this impulse translates not only to techniques and settings but also projects and genres. One of the reasons I've been more selectively building for GoH is that I've been branching out into other spaces and genres. Comments like yours, and MEs, and all the other wonderful comments, suggestions, and discussions we all have on a regular basis is why I'll always be an Historican first, though. :P