The "Broken Spoke" Gold Mine: A Wild West MOC

[Klaus-Dieter]

That's a brilliant MOC, Sir Nadroj!

It's very well designed with the big cactus in the front, the watergutter on the left side, the crane on the right side and - the nice gold lorry. The gold lorry was the thing which I missed very much in the official Lego WW Gold Mine from 1996. There was a canon, ok, but a gold lorry would have applied much more!

Very, very nice!

[SirNadroj]

Thanks guys!

You're very welcome!

It would, that is, if it actually looked like a dragon head. The thing looks like a big irregular shaped chunk of rock to me.

:-P

That may actually work. I may try that and see how it looks.

[Bonaparte]

This is a remarkable and very complex MOC.

You don't cease to amaze me Sir Nadroj.

Every MOC of you has something fresh, original.

And this is one of the best I've seen from you.

I can't offer any suggestions for improvement because I can't think of anything.

If I had to mention one thing I like most, it's to roof. But also the color schema is perfect.

Taking abstraction from all the details and looking at the whole, I must say it has an incredible look.

Conclusion: I like this MOC ;-)

[zouave]

My Sir Nadroj, I never realized you were this flexible. You seemed to have posted in almost every forum.

Your mine scene is extravagent. The water luige is so cool. Although, I would suggest you add in a little brown or grey in with gold to suggest it's been mined. You could also add a mill where they get the gold out of the rock.

[ZeekyBoogeyDoog]

Wow X-O

My favorite part of this MOC is the war sluice, I love how you rendered it and the the water flowing from it. Also the mine car. I love mine cars. Awesome.

[Batbrick]

Jeez! 8-

[WesternOutlaw]

SN, I want to commend you on a terrific WW MOC. I would have responded sooner, but I've been preoccupied with Mystery Ship, and wanted to give your MOC a fair and thorough review.

First, the section that catches my eye the most is the water flune. I love how you designed the various brown plates holding it up like they were wooden beams. It adds a great level of detail and realism to the design. The clear 1x1s look great as water. I also like how you continued the stream separating the main structure. This is a really nice that I would never have thought of doing.

I also like the various roof plates giving the MOC a very uneven design. I'm not good at this mystelf and always end up with very symetric structures. This design works very well for gold mines and old western wooden structures are not always symetric.

The small barrel on the rope adds an excellent touch of detail to the mine. I like this very much, and I could really see and old mine having a barrel on a rope.

I also like the miner. Is that Tex Grimwell?

I like his red beard.

Now for my suggested improvements, and constructive comments:

The mining car is a little too wide. I think I like having only two spaces between the tracks (like the original WW Gold Mine).

I'm not too particularly fond of the entrance to the mine. I think a keep out sign and/or some brown pieces to make it look like it has some wooden support beams would have added to the entrance. - just a suggestion.

Lastly, the cactus is a little too large. I think it was Athos/Steve who did a cactus in one of his vignettes made from round 1x1 pieces. I think making it smaller would look better.

I have attempted to build a number of gold mines over the years never to arrive at anything I liked. If this was my MOC; however, I would be very proud of the final outcome. It looks terrific, esp. considering this is your first WW MOC. Excellent job and it is great to see other WW MOCers on EB. Great job *y* *y* !

[simonwillems]

Why am I looking at this thread that late? This is brilliant, the ultimate Wild West feeling!

Looking at your MOC, and other beautiful Western MOC's by other people I often realise that The Lego Group could have done so much more with the theme: saloon, houses etc.

Glad to have people like yourself around to keep the dream alive.

I, for a change, like the cactus. It's big and chunky just like in real life (I have never seen such a cactus in real life before living in Holland... but still).

Congratulations with a wonderful Wild West MOC.

*y*

[iamded]

I'm not too particularly fond of the entrance to the mine. I think a keep out sign and/or some brown pieces to make it look like it has some wooden support beams would have added to the entrance. - just a suggestion.

But why would it have a keep out sign if it's still in use? 8-|

[WesternOutlaw]

But why would it have a keep out sign if it's still in use? 8-|

It was a suggestion to add some detail to the entrance, just like the actual Lego WW mine. Perhaps a sign that reads Danger, or Blasting if "Keep Out" is a bit much. The Keep Out sign is a great existing Lego Western piece though.

[Brick Miner]

I'm not too particularly fond of the entrance to the mine. I think a keep out sign and/or some brown pieces to make it look like it has some wooden support beams would have added to the entrance. - just a suggestion.

hmm... i like the mine entrance. i don't think "keep out" necessarily fits this MOC.

Lastly, the cactus is a little too large. I think it was Athos/Steve who did a cactus in one of his vignettes made from round 1x1 pieces. I think making it smaller would look better.

i think 2x2 is the correct proportions for a saguaro. 1x1 would be far too small. what bothers me about the cactus is that this MOC is going for super-realism. that cactus looks far too abstract comparably.

it is hard to make a cactus, it seems most people thought my cartoony cactus was disproportioned aswell. its too bad LEGO never offered any "arm" pieces.

- Brick Miner

[oo7]

Lastly, the cactus is a little too large. I think it was Athos/Steve who did a cactus in one of his vignettes made from round 1x1 pieces. I think making it smaller would look better.

I didn't mention it in my original post, but I agree there are some better saguaro designs out there. I think the size is perfect myself (those things can grow up to fourteen meters tall!). I mainly just don't like the use of those green space pieces, it just doesn't look like a saguaro limb.

But why would it have a keep out sign if it's still in use? 8-|

Perhaps it could serve as a "No Trespassing" sign.

what bothers me about the cactus is that this MOC is going for super-realism. that cactus looks far too abstract comparably.

it is hard to make a cactus, it seems most people thought my cartoony cactus was disproportioned aswell. its too bad LEGO never offered any "arm" pieces.

Very true.

However, I think the 1x1 pieces would make a good baby saguaro (Although even the short ones are still quite thick). Damn, I was going to post a design example but Brickshelf is down again.....

[SirNadroj]

Thanks very, very much everyone! :-$

Damn, I was going to post a design example but Brickshelf is down again.....

I don't think brickshelf is down anymore. ;-)

[goggleson]

nice..don't think I even have 2 tan/sand coloured bricks *sad*

do like the way it doesn't look perfect, as in... the top of the mine where it starts pointing. great.

[Captain Green Hair]

Here's captain eleven with his late reply :'-(

I love it, it's great! *wub*

Only thing could be improved is the minig cart i think, i'd make it black and add some handlebars.

But ah what the hell, like i said, it's great!

[Wout]

I did not comment on this great moc? 8-| How could I? Forgive me! :'-( *sing* :-D

This set is great and the cactus is great! *y* X-D

[Johnny 5]

Wow this moc is fantastic it makes me want to collect WW sets.

I have only two small ones from that era.

The sluce and the makeshift crane are my two favorite details.

And I love how the wood interacts with the rocks on the side, gives it that built directly into the mountain feel. :-)

I think though if you had enough of the peices that the gold coins come off of when their new they would have made great raw gold.

Overall *y* *y*