Emma Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 A GNAR warship entry for Nocturnus: The Smiling Phantom The Happy Wizard captains this dark ship and its crew of Shadows, wreaking havoc in naval warfare. The Smiling Phantom is a sleek warship from Nocturnus whose main purpose is to quickly sail in close to an enemy ship, sneak a Shadow on board, and sail quickly away; she rarely engages directly in battle. This Shadow then possesses the enemy captain, giving Happy control over the crew and ship; chaos ensues… A few more photos are on flickr. Quote
TheUtilityBelt Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 Haha! Proves Nocturnans are only evil on the inside. I like your design, Emma! It does look fast. If this were a contest, I would name you second place! After me of course. Quote
Kai NRG Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 Definitely looks like a speedy sailor! A very unique ship, in a good way. Great use of the good/bad cop head, also like the use of the Mixel eyes! For some reason the second sail seems a touch oversized to me... maybe it's just the angle it's at. How sturdy is it? Strikes me as though the prow especially is a bit delicate! Quote
Torgar Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 (edited) Cool design! I really like how creepy the whole build feels, great job. Edited May 24, 2014 by Torgar Quote
ZCerberus Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 Very creepy. The photos are a bit dark, save for the last one. I don't know what you tried, but I found a technique that allowed me to photograph things that are all black in LEGO pretty well. the trick is that the black is fairly reflective so if I surrounded the MOC in white poster board so that the board reflected in the black, the photos came out 100 times better. Quote
Alfadas Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 That is one very nice ship. Looks very fast, especially with the huge sail. I love it! Great work! Quote
Gunman Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 So creepy looking... Lovely design with lots of nice elements Emma... Great ship! Quote
Tomsche Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 If the Black Pearl and the ship from LotR made a lovechild... A very good looking, sleak and menacing ship, great job Quote
Gabe Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 Ah, the eyes are creeping me out! Lovely build Emma, the perfect illustration of sneakiness and strategy playing as large a part in warfare as brute strength. Beautiful lines on this one, both body and sail. I really like your mix of system and bionicle/technic connections too, they give the ship an interesting organic feel. ps. I was just thinking about this today whilst walking down by the creek, and i suddenly remembered what this ship reminded me of - a cormorant! I can just see her taking down the sails and diving beneath the waves to ambush enemy ships... Quote
Lord Vladivus Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 Favourite GNAR ship yet! Great work- really captures it's nature! Quote
Scaevola Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 Very nice, I like the techniques you used for the siding Quote
Gideon Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 Awesome ship! I like the overall shape and the amount of detailing you've done. Black lego is so hard to photograph, but I think you did a great job with the last picture allowing us to see all the details of the ship Quote
krono111 Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 Lovely ship. My favorite detail is the smiling phantom. Quote
MassEditor Posted May 24, 2014 Posted May 24, 2014 Very sinister ship Emma, wickedly done. Some fine details really sell it, like the jagged but organic look as well as the custom rigging and sails. The quarterdeck in particular has a very menacing build. Any possible way we could see a shot of the stern? Quote
Emma Posted May 25, 2014 Author Posted May 25, 2014 Thanks all for the comments/feedback. Haha! Proves Nocturnans are only evil on the inside. We're happy on the inside too...very happy For some reason the second sail seems a touch oversized to me... maybe it's just the angle it's at. How sturdy is it? Strikes me as though the prow especially is a bit delicate! Thanks Kai! Umm, bigger sail to catch more wind so it can go really really fast?... I think the angle, and maybe also the position it's in (bit towards the back instead of the middle) make it look a bit akward. The prow and a few of the spikey details are definately a little delicate. Cool design! I really like how creepy the whole build feels, great job. Thanks Togar! ...the trick is that the black is fairly reflective so if I surrounded the MOC in white poster board so that the board reflected in the black... Thanks Z. More white poster board is going on the shopping list, and I shall give this technique a shot (any tips on proping up the posterboard?) That is one very nice ship. Looks very fast, especially with the huge sail. I love it! Great work! Thank you! So creepy looking... Lovely design with lots of nice elements Emma... Great ship! Thanks Gunman! If the Black Pearl and the ship from LotR made a lovechild... Lol! Now if only I had some of the ship pieces from either of those lego sets... Ah, the eyes are creeping me out!... ...diving beneath the waves to ambush enemy ships... It's watching you... and attacking from below the waves! Thanks Gabe! I love your ship designs - definately a source of inspiration. Favourite GNAR ship yet! Great work- really captures it's nature! Thanks LV! Very nice, I like the techniques you used for the siding Thank you. The sides kind of ended up a mish-mash of parts, which fortunately worked out well with the overall look of the ship... Awesome ship! ...Black lego is so hard to photograph... Thanks Gideon; that it is, that it is... Lovely ship. My favorite detail is the smiling phantom. Thank you. Any possible way we could see a shot of the stern? Thank you Mass. I'm loving all your Nocturnus builds thus far, awesome stuff! I've got these ones that give a bit of an idea of what's going on back there: (eewwww camera flash/eewwww weird camera noise...) Quote
Thomas of Tortuga Posted May 25, 2014 Posted May 25, 2014 If the Black Pearl and the ship from LotR made a lovechild... ...and Orthanc was the godfather. This ship is really sleek and dangerous, like an assassin's poisoned dagger.The dozens of spikes and odd angles make it seem quite fragile and disjointed, but I think it actually improves the overall look of the ship. To me, it looks as though the only thing keeping it together and seaworthy is some form of dark magic. Finally, your Happy Wizard is a hilarious fig. Nice job! Quote
MassEditor Posted May 25, 2014 Posted May 25, 2014 (edited) Thanks Emma! I appreciate the stern pic, it looks awesome - like an evil tower on the seas. Great angle too, makes her look exceedingly swift! Edited May 25, 2014 by MassEditor Quote
soccerkid6 Posted May 25, 2014 Posted May 25, 2014 Very sinister looking ship The long slender design makes it look very swift Great Nocturnus entry to the GNAR challenge Quote
Hammerhand Posted May 26, 2014 Posted May 26, 2014 Cool entry Emma! Very scary with the smiling wizard, totally fits the creepy Nocturnus vibe. Are those custom sails? I always like seeing those. Quote
Simon_S Posted May 26, 2014 Posted May 26, 2014 Very cool ship Emma . I really should take apart my Orthanc and start building black MOCs too. @ZC: Thanks for the tip. I will try that out with my next black MOC . Quote
Gideon Posted May 27, 2014 Posted May 27, 2014 I really should take apart my Orthanc and start building black MOCs too. Be ready for some frustrating photo sessions ZC's tip is good, the best way to make details and shape come out nicely in the pictures is to light it in such a way that it doesn't become entirely black. (Just take a look at your Orthanc box photos to see that the pros do it too!) Quote
Emma Posted May 28, 2014 Author Posted May 28, 2014 ... To me, it looks as though the only thing keeping it together and seaworthy is some form of dark magic... Oohhh, sounds good. Thanks Thomas! ... Great Nocturnus entry to the GNAR challenge Thank you SK. ...Are those custom sails? I always like seeing those. Yep - at first I was just going to use some black paper - but then remembered I had some scrap fabric and was able to use that. I really should take apart my Orthanc and start building black MOCs too. It's quite fun - having to rely on texture and shape to create interest, and not having to worry about what colours to use . Be ready for some frustrating photo sessions Yep, it seems that it is just a matter of time/materials/setup to get everything right... Quote
de Gothia Posted May 28, 2014 Posted May 28, 2014 So black, so evil so sinister! I love it! Great details and I really like the rear part with all the spikes! Quote
ZCerberus Posted May 28, 2014 Posted May 28, 2014 Thanks Z. More white poster board is going on the shopping list, and I shall give this technique a shot (any tips on proping up the posterboard?) Not really. It was just tipping them to reflect. I took my phots outside so they were propped at obtuse angels on a ladder here and there. Quote
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