Dragonator Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 Hi all, It's been a while since I last posted a MOC on EB, and so I think now would be a good time to rectify that. Today I would like to present to you my most recent creation, Dragon's Retreat. This is a small fortified Manor House located in the beautiful countryside of the Dragon Masters Kingdom. Lord Dragonator decided a while ago that he wanted to take a holiday every now and then, and so had this place built as a secure residence for him to stay in. This was a very challenging build, and I must say I am quite pleased with the end result, as it is only my second serious build. Some of you may remember my Ravine Tavern that I posted nearer to the beginning of the year. Thanks to all of you who commented on that, I used a lot of the advice I gained from it to help me make this. The most frustrating part of building any MOC I have found is getting all the pieces! You will notice that I used mainly 2x1 bricks on all the exposed walls, to try and give it a more 'stone work' kind of feeling. I can tell you, I used every last one I had spare, and I had to tear apart a fair number of things to complete the roof! This model was on display at the recent NZ Lego Show in Wellington, and I was lucky enough to win 1st prize for my age category with it. Yay for me! Of course, the prize had to be a crappy Mars Mission set, didn't it? Well, enough mindless chatter from me, I think you'll be wanting to see the pictures. Here they are! An overview of the front. This shot gives you a fairly good look at the overall model. It is built on a base of two 32x32 stud baseplates wide, and two and a half 32x32 stud baseplates long. The front Here it is, front on. I built it with a very symetrical design, which I wanted to contrast with the random asymmetrical feeling of the landscape. Hopefully I pulled it off. You may notice that I "borrowed" the window design for the arrow slits on the front from Teddy's module castle, they weren't to tricky to figure out luckily. I wanted to see what they looked like, and I must say, I really like them. The front gate This is the main entrance of course. It is lower than the main castle, which is for defensive purposes, anyone who makes it through the doors would have to fight their way up into the main house. I have used a classic piece of dragon design over the doors, which is to make the castle fit in with the style and theme of other Dragon Masters/Black Knights Castles. A signpost... The all important signpost. In this picture you can see one end of the bridge, as well as my favourite piece of greenery, the beautiful cypress tree. I wish I had more than one of those... The landward side I really like the angle of this shot, it gives a really neat foreshortening effect. Party? Lord Dragonator is holding a house-warming party. Looks a bit boring to me, I think we need to invite a few EB members along. The Bridge Here is a little bridge crossing the river on the main road. Some of you may recognise the horseman. In fact, there are a few faces around some of you might recognise. See how many you can name... The River Here is a shot of the riverbank. On one side we see a fisherman-turned-Shepard with his sheep, and on the other is the new cellar keeper taking in a recent delivery. The River Side Here you can see the steps leading up from the river and the windows overlooking this side. The Back I never like it when the back of a creation is plain and dull, so I decided todo something different here,and I thought, why not try my hand at a stained glass window? I think it turned out pretty good. Birds-eye Another look over the whole diorama. Riding to war I just really like this picture, and thought I would end with it. Sorry for talking so much, but I thought that since I don't post MOCs all that often I had better do some sort of running commentary. Thanks very much for looking, I hope you have enjoyed it. If you are interested, here is a link to the Brickshelf Gallery where you can find the complete set of all 49 photos. I would really appreciate feedback, as that's how I can learn what to do better on next time. My next major plan is working on the village that will feature in Mystery Castle II. I want to get everything spot on for that, so please, let me know what you think. Your feedback on my last MOC was what helped me to make this, so I really do appreciate what you all have to say. Thanks for all your help and support, without the EB community, I don't think I would be building anywhere near as much as I have been. It is a true pleasure to be able to share my creations with you all. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Dragonator Quote
Bob Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 It looks nice! Infact theres a few people that I can see in there. I like the bridge and the river as it flows and you even added another side to. I also like how you have the troops marching to war. Quote
Guss Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 omfg, that's a wonderful moc... I love every part of it^^ did you make the interior ? or is it empty ? and I was lucky enough to win 1st prize for my age category with it. that's not luck, that's talent ! ^^ Quote
Dwarvenlord Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 Wow, that's very impressive! I love the SNOT rocks you used, and those little pine trees are awesome! does the building have an interior? (I wanted to look at your brickshelf but it wasn't public yet) You can be very proud on this creation, dragonator! Quote
Lt. Col. Thok Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 Who woulda thought Dragonator would make something with the name Dragon in the title? Nicely done! The bridge and those little arrow slits are my favourite - tell us how you made those slits. Quote
Zorro Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 Looks very nice Dragonater. Too bad the brickshelf folder isn't online yet, does it have any pics of the (possible) interior? Quote
WhiteFang Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 Dragonator, I love this moc of yours! It's about time, since you promised such amazing moc from you, such as the Ravine Tavern. Looking at this moc, kind of reminds me that we had not went back to EBRP for awhile. Is it about time to go back to our EBRP where we last finished? My Lee, is still attached with you in Dromindur. I miss writing EBRP. Perhaps, we could find a time and re-organised the things we had left few months ago. Back to your moc, I must admit that it looks impressive with such huge scale. I love it!! You ought to teach me how you build such nice castle mocs. I am so "green" towards such building style. In fact, I don't think I can ever achieve building like this. Congrats for winning the top prize in the contest! Quote
Norro Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 Very nice! I like the landscaping and particularly the incased door. The whole MOC has a nice sense of scale and perspective and maintains a great 'Lego' quality. Thanks for sharing and God Bless, Nathan Quote
AwesomeStar Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 Dude, I'm speechless. This model really is amazing. I absolutely love it, well done, well done! And congrats on winning the crappy MM set, btw :P Once again, amazing model, well done! ~A.S. Quote
cagri Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 Absolutely fantastic ! I loved every single stud in this MOC Quote
MoWo Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 Great!! So this is Where Lord Dragonator Rules his Mighty Land!! Or not... Undersigned MoWo Quote
Dragonator Posted October 16, 2008 Author Posted October 16, 2008 Thanks for all your comments guys, I appreciate them all. I'll answer a few questons now if you like. did you make the interior ? or is it empty ? Heck no! It took me over a month just to make it as it is! I was planning on making an interior, but I kinda ran out of time. It's more of an exterior model. If I wanted an interior I would have had to design some of the windows differently, as they have some weird things going on behind them to pull off the desired effect. So no, this is just an exterior model. I can say in advance though that I will be making interiors for all the buildings in my village. Dragonator, I love this moc of yours! It's about time, since you promised such amazing moc from you, such as the Ravine Tavern. Looking at this moc, kind of reminds me that we had not went back to EBRP for awhile. Is it about time to go back to our EBRP where we last finished? My Lee, is still attached with you in Dromindur. I miss writing EBRP. Perhaps, we could find a time and re-organised the things we had left few months ago. Back to your moc, I must admit that it looks impressive with such huge scale. I love it!! You ought to teach me how you build such nice castle mocs. I am so "green" towards such building style. In fact, I don't think I can ever achieve building like this. Congrats for winning the top prize in the contest! Thanks for your comments WhiteFang. I don't know if I would make a very good teacher, as I don't feel I've mastered some of the techniques I really like using yet. As I've said, this is only my second major MOC, and the largest creation I've ever built, so I've still got a fair bit to learn too. For example, I'm useless at building brick-built trees. My long-term goal is to eventually get enough pieces to build a full-minifig scale castle, so in the meantime I'm working on such MOCs as this one to try and get a bit better. But WhiteFang, you are full of great talent, and I think that if you give it a go, you would be surprised at how well your own MOCs turn out. That's pretty much what I did when I built my first one, the Ravine Tavern, and although it had some flaws, it wasn't half bad. My best advice to you would be to imagine something in your head, and then build where your imagination takes you. I had a very different initial concept for this, for example, it didn't have a tiled roof at first, but it kind of evolved as I built, if you get what I mean. So yeah, go get building! As for EBRP, I miss it too. It was so much fun doing it, and it inspired me to build my first major MOC. I have completely forgltten where we were up too. Perhaps, if we can draw enough people back, we should start it afresh? It's an idea worth considering... Thanks once again for commenting everyone, and please, keep them coming! Quote
Dr. X Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 Amazing! I've never been a castle builder or fan, but I still like this a lot. The landscaping is great, but the house is even better. Awesome job. Quote
Athos Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 The landscaping is quite good. And I like the windows on the side (though some of the arched window pieces might make them look nicer). The side entrance on the river is a nice touch and the sign posts are great little details. My only real suggestion is that I think it needs to be slightly taller. It looks sort of squashed with the front balcony/entrance being so close in height to the beginning of the roof. A few bricks is all that it would take. Steve Quote
Matteo Kenobi Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 (edited) I, I, I love it It looks great, The way you did the castle on the rigiding, it looks great! For some reason I am very fascinated by the small bridge, looks wonderous! Edited October 17, 2008 by Matteo Kenobi Quote
Erdbeereis Posted October 16, 2008 Posted October 16, 2008 That's really stunning Dragonator! I love the stained glass on the back and all of the little details you have included. The SNOT river with that great bridge is another personal favorite of mine. All of the landscaping is wonderful as well. I hope to see more of your lovely creations in the future! Quote
I Scream Clone Posted October 17, 2008 Posted October 17, 2008 Awesome! Guess I better add some more detail It was a while coming, but well worth the wait! Lots of little details that really stand out. Im a big fan of the tree design you have by inverting the shrubs onto a brown antennae, must try that one time. Just like Teddy's MOC I love the window design, I think I know how to build it, but please point out your method if you like. The stained glass window design is great on the rear of the building, just proves that you shouldn't "judge a book by its cover" ie. dont just look at the front, you may miss something cool on the back. All the little details like dragon gargoyles, the ornate decorating of the entrance, the top of the parapets/balcony. Im curious to how you go about holding the raised ground up? I usually use lime green, yellow, red bricks etc that aren't needed for the moc, to build reinforcements under the base. Same for you too? I agree with Athos, in that the building itself would look a little more imposing if it was taller. I also feel the stream might need some movement in it, not sure whether some bubbles from round 1 x 1 clear plates are needed, but thats just personal preference. Another thing is to make the entrance a gate house, this would allow the balcony to be extended forward a fair way. Great work mate! Keep it coming. Quote
robbo Posted October 17, 2008 Posted October 17, 2008 Beautiful work there mate, a truley amazing moc. But i carnt help think how cool it would be see it surrounded by my crown forces turning it into dust with its catapults..... and my knights slaying what ever dragon you could through at me.. Quote
Dragonator Posted October 17, 2008 Author Posted October 17, 2008 Thanks for all your comments guys. The landscaping is quite good. And I like the windows on the side (though some of the arched window pieces might make them look nicer). The side entrance on the river is a nice touch and the sign posts are great little details. I agree with you on those side windows, unfortunately I don't have any of the arched window pieces, and with the exchange rate as it is, probably wont get any for a while. As it is, I found it fairls tricky to do those windows, as I had to have some wird things happening on the back to make sure there weren't any gaps in the wall. Needless to say, if I had done an interior, I would definitely have needed some of those pieces. My only real suggestion is that I think it needs to be slightly taller. It looks sort of squashed with the front balcony/entrance being so close in height to the beginning of the roof. A few bricks is all that it would take. Yeah, I agree with this too. My main problem is that I, um, ran out of bricks. I'll have to order some more 2x1 more my next project. Initially I was going to have a big tower in the middle and some sort of large open rooftop area, but I ran out of small grey bricks, and so I put the roof on instead. And I have to say that I like it with the roof, so I'm glad that I ran out. Thanks for your tip[s, they were very helpful and have got me thinking on a few things. Awesome!Guess I better add some more detail It was a while coming, but well worth the wait! Lots of little details that really stand out. Im a big fan of the tree design you have by inverting the shrubs onto a brown antennae, must try that one time. Just like Teddy's MOC I love the window design, I think I know how to build it, but please point out your method if you like. The stained glass window design is great on the rear of the building, just proves that you shouldn't "judge a book by its cover" ie. dont just look at the front, you may miss something cool on the back. All the little details like dragon gargoyles, the ornate decorating of the entrance, the top of the parapets/balcony. Thanks mate. The window design is quite easy to do really, I just used two 1x2 technic bricks with 2 holes in them stacked on top of each other, with half pins in all the holes. Then just add a 1x2 plate and tile and a 2x2 plate and tile to the respective spots. Simple, yet really effective, I like them a lot. Glad you like the back, I must say that the stained glass window took me a while to get right. I've seen various examples around the place, but I've never been able to figure out how it is actually done, so I had to find my own method. Im curious to how you go about holding the raised ground up? I usually use lime green, yellow, red bricks etc that aren't needed for the moc, to build reinforcements under the base. Same for you too? I used up my entire lot of spare 2x4 bricks. I started with the red, then the yellow, follwed by the blue, white, and whatever other colours I could find. Once I ran out I just improvised. Most of the roof is held up by my spare 2x2 inverted light bley slope pieces. I need to get myself a few anniversary brick sets for the next one... I agree with Athos, in that the building itself would look a little more imposing if it was taller. I also feel the stream might need some movement in it, not sure whether some bubbles from round 1 x 1 clear plates are needed, but thats just personal preference.Another thing is to make the entrance a gate house, this would allow the balcony to be extended forward a fair way. Great work mate! Keep it coming. Yeah, as I said to Athos, I would need a few more bricks. The stream probably could benifit from a little bit of movement in it. I'm considering trying to build some rapids into my next MOC, which should be a challenge. As for a gate house, I'm not sure if there is room! I can't quite picture in my mind what you mean, could you elaborate a little please? Quote
Dragonator Posted October 17, 2008 Author Posted October 17, 2008 (edited) But i carnt help think how cool it would be see it surrounded by my crown forces turning it into dust with its catapults..... and my knights slaying what ever dragon you could through at me.. Slaying dragons!? Why that's a horrible thing to say. EDIT: Opps, sorry for the double post, I thought the board software would attach it to my previous one. Edited October 17, 2008 by Dragonator Quote
WhiteFang Posted October 17, 2008 Posted October 17, 2008 Thanks for your comments WhiteFang. I don't know if I would make a very good teacher, as I don't feel I've mastered some of the techniques I really like using yet. As I've said, this is only my second major MOC, and the largest creation I've ever built, so I've still got a fair bit to learn too. For example, I'm useless at building brick-built trees. My long-term goal is to eventually get enough pieces to build a full-minifig scale castle, so in the meantime I'm working on such MOCs as this one to try and get a bit better. But WhiteFang, you are full of great talent, and I think that if you give it a go, you would be surprised at how well your own MOCs turn out. That's pretty much what I did when I built my first one, the Ravine Tavern, and although it had some flaws, it wasn't half bad. My best advice to you would be to imagine something in your head, and then build where your imagination takes you. I had a very different initial concept for this, for example, it didn't have a tiled roof at first, but it kind of evolved as I built, if you get what I mean. So yeah, go get building! Thanks for your tip. Perhaps, in the near future, I will defintely explore on how to build a good moc. I can build a good set, only with instructions provided such as the offical sets from TLG. Seriously, I understand what you meant by visualising inside my mind and I do hope I will be able to think of one good castle mocs. Lack of bricks and space are always the main factors which prolong my desire to build. As for EBRP, I miss it too. It was so much fun doing it, and it inspired me to build my first major MOC. I have completely forgltten where we were up too. Perhaps, if we can draw enough people back, we should start it afresh? It's an idea worth considering... Don't start it afresh. Let's continue where we have left. I will remind our dear Aluvar and Shadows that the EBRP should be continued after a long break. Furthermore, I missed your story such as the attack in Ravine Tavern where Lord Calvin is assisting Lord Dragonator to fight the enemies away. Seriously, I think we need to work on the kingdom's format which I had left back there. You must understand that the amount of effort which had put in earlier stages, have our story plot written out very well. Don't you think it will be a waste to do so? After looking at your moc, it got me blabbing about EBRP again. By the way, what was the first prize you won? I meant what MM set. Quote
Dragonator Posted October 17, 2008 Author Posted October 17, 2008 (edited) Don't start it afresh. Let's continue where we have left. I will remind our dear Aluvar and Shadows that the EBRP should be continued after a long break. Furthermore, I missed your story such as the attack in Ravine Tavern where Lord Calvin is assisting Lord Dragonator to fight the enemies away. Seriously, I think we need to work on the kingdom's format which I had left back there. You must understand that the amount of effort which had put in earlier stages, have our story plot written out very well. Don't you think it will be a waste to do so? After looking at your moc, it got me blabbing about EBRP again. Yeah, so then perhaps we should continue as it is. I seem to recall I still had a lot of information to write down about the DMK. Perhaps we should start by focusing on story for a bit again. To be honest, I can't even remember what was happening. I'll either have to re-read everything again, or perhaps, instead of starting afresh, we could just say that a week or month has gone by, or something like that. That way I can read back a few pages to remind myself, and then continue things from a little time on. Perhaps we should continue this in the EBRP discussion thread? There are probably some new people around now who would be interested in playing. I haven't seen KhoRne around at all recently, and as he was the "game master", we might run into some problems... By the way, what was the first prize you won? I meant what MM set. Oh, it was the 7693 Alien flying thingy. They all look the same to me. EDIT: Actually, I think a new thread would do it some good, so I'll get one up soon. Then we can hopefully attract a few new players. Edited October 17, 2008 by Dragonator Quote
iamded Posted October 17, 2008 Posted October 17, 2008 Oh mein Gott. This is amazing! The overall look of this diorama is just awesome, with the fantastic building, the neat little bridge and pathway, the quaint river and the humble farm. The crocodile/dragon head designs on the roof corners are a unique and ingenious touch, as are the small windows on the roof. I love the side door leading down to the little pier, that is really cool, and the wall said door is attached to is nicely detailed, those 1x2 bricks look great, and there's some neat architectural design going on. The stained glass window at the rear of the building is magnificent, the colour really livens it up. On to the landscaping. The SNOT water is as always looking great, fits in wonderfully. The cliffs are all done very well, I'll have to learn how to do that without making it too monotonous or too haphazard. The ground itself is never dull, the flowers and stones and dirt and larger foliage are all nicely layed out. I love the small tree to the right of the main entrance, and trees made with the grass/flower stalks. The pathway looks very neat and natural with spots of grey and black speckled throughout it. The little area of the farm we see is also very cool, those BrickForge animals fit in nicely. I better wrap up now, there's only so many complimentary words I can reuse before I start drawling away... I can say this was well worth the wait. It's good to see that 1x2 brick pattern looks good, I'm planning on using that when I redesign King's Castle Siege to modular building quality. So, my final opinion, definately a stunning creation, two thumbs up. :thumbup: Also, I really like that tree stump... ~Peace Quote
Teddy Posted October 17, 2008 Posted October 17, 2008 Dear Dragonator, thats a very beautyfully designed house! I like the landscaping and bridge design. Sorry for the late reply, but my computer died on me again.... Now I'm working from an older computer. I've read most of the replies and think most has been said already. So thumb up from me to you. Kind regards, Teddy Quote
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