[SoNE ep.VI] In the strange jungle

[Jannik]

My first mission with my new unit and we ended up on the strangest planet, with plants like nothing I had ever seen. We had been walking for hours and I was struggling to keep up with the rest of the team.

The look that the sergeant gave me whenever I lagged behind made me think he would rather leave me behind to be consumed by one of the giant fungii. Thankfully the vegetation seemed to get a little less wild as we reached the co-ordinates we were heading for.

My orders were clear; stay out of sight behind the large tree and don't do anything else unless told to...

The rest of the team took up positions around a small cave, where the bothan intelligence had said a lone figure dressed in Mandalorian armour had been seen coming and going. Catching a glimpse of his helmet they charged in hoping to catch him off gaurd.

Sergeant Diggs seemed even less happy than usual when the team realised that what they had seen was just an empty helmet on a pole, left to scare away any unwanted visitors. It turns out it didn't even have belonged to the character we were looking for, Bobber something I think the Sargeant called him.

It did it's job though as we were ordered away in case the place was booby trapped.

As the others muttered about Bothan intelligence I was just glad that we would soon be leaving this strange place....

Overview of the MOC:

Note: pictures updated following comments, originals are on https://www.flickr.com/photos/126795439@N08/

Edited August 17, 2014 by Jannik

[MontyPython]

Very nice, Jannik. Those 256 studs are used very well.

[Wat Tambor]

Finally a Rebel entry and quite a good looking one for your first SoNE build.

The vegetation looks good so far but which planet is this, is it Felucia or Bothawui? If it is meant to be Felucia mybe you should replace the wooden trees with more strange and alien looking plants.

Nice entry!

[Xcod119]

Very nice build and entry into SoNE!

[Jannik]

Thanks all. It is supposed to be Felucia.

[MKJoshA]

Nice! It's great to have you join the Rebels! I really like your forest. I think the use of ice-cream pieces for plants is a first for me, NPU! While the forest is not very Felucian, it still has Felucian elements. I can understand that if you don't have a lot of trans-clear parts that can be challenging so I'll assuming the best and say that this is a great entry!

[Jannik]

Thanks. I have taken on board the comments and made the trees less wooden and more weird looking, just need it to brighten up outside so I can take some more pictures. If I want to update this thread is it best to replace the photos in my original post or just add the updated ones in a reply?

[-Horizon-]

Great Build Jannik. The thickness of the plants really make it seem like Felucia. Great Job.

[VK-318]

Thanks. I have taken on board the comments and made the trees less wooden and more weird looking, just need it to brighten up outside so I can take some more pictures. If I want to update this thread is it best to replace the photos in my original post or just add the updated ones in a reply?

Go ahead and replace the current photos. I would recommend you keep the old ones in a spoiler (if you know how to do that; I still haven't figured it out) or in a post in this thread, though, if for no reason other than to make sure people can figure out what the early comments are talking about.

Edited August 16, 2014 by VK-318

[MstrOfPppts]

I agree that this looks too much like ordinary jungle. As I've said in previous Felucia builds it doesn't have to be all translucent but some other colors than brown and green are very welcome. Also the shape of the vegetation reminds too much of ordinary trees and plants. The icecream tops are nice touch and their color suits the planet more. The border is simple yet looks in place and gives the creation just the right. Much better than just a creation on a simple plate!

[Jannik]

I have updated the photos, hopefully it looks a little more like Felucia now, although I don't have enough translucent parts to make it looks like other peoples interpretations I am pleased with it

[-Horizon-]

I have updated the photos, hopefully it looks a little more like Felucia now, although I don't have enough translucent parts to make it looks like other peoples interpretations I am pleased with it

This looks great Jannik, The teal tube plants really stand out. a good improvement from the first one.

[MstrOfPppts]

Teal tubes look great and the whole change has improved the MOC quite a bit. I like it how dense and busy the forrest is, yet there are still some trees built from leaves and trunks that look too earthly - except for the color. Another tip for photography, I think that your presentation is missing an image which is the best for presentation. For my taste it's an image from an angle just like first images or just a little bit higher, but with the whole MOC in the image. Preferably with one corner sticking towards the camera or slightly to one side. It gives a nice overall view of creation and is not so restrictive as your last image almost from the top.

Edited August 17, 2014 by MstrOfPppts

[GallardoLU]

on the earthy tree note, i literally just played the Felucia level of Force Unleashed last night, and most of the colors are browns, very little ground cover, and mammoth fungi, some of which were tall brown stalks surmounted by a egg shaped mushroom top. so from a ground perspective they appear to be giant tree trunks, until you look upward. over all though this has a very otherworldly feel to it and definitely leads me to believe this is Felucia more than any other planet in star wars universe.

[markus1984]

Ahhh, an rebell MOC .

Must say - nice work and think you have done very well work on the vegetation!

markus

[BEAVeR]

That's a very nice depiction of Felucia! It's nice to see the different ways in which people depict it, and this one really does a great job!

I do agree, however, with the fact that the vegetation looks a bit too earthlike. There are already some great elements like the ice cream plants, the tubes and the strangely textured stems with wheels. Creative parts usage all around! There is still too much green, though. You will see that that color is practically absent in Felucia. Instead, look for all of your browns and blues. That will make it look more exotic. Don't be afraid to use parts that aren't normally used for vegetation (you've already done that on multiple occasions, so way to go!). In fact, you could avoid those parts altogether, as there is no real foliage on Felucia. Think more of stems with flowers and weir membranes. You have to make a shift in thinking about vegetation, and than you let your imagination run free. Who knows what amazing plants you can come up with then! Vegetation is also about variety, but not alone in the obvious way. Try to play with more extreme height differences of plants, that will make your MOC pop out more (I hope...). And why not have some stems that branch into smaller ones, instead of all those single-stemmed plants? Anything that looks natural is good!

A small note on the cave: this way, it actually looks more like an artificial building. The relative symmetry might be responsible for that, so experiment with more extravagant shapes. Also, the cave has no real rock roof, which definitely makes it look like some improvised tent. So your cave should be more encapsulated in rocks, all the way around. And with building nature, you should always consider how it was formed. So this cave could reside in a big rock face, and was carved out by some sort of river (possibly with purple water!), so maybe it would be a nice idea to depict that in some way. And again, as long as it looks natural your ideas can be as crazy as you want!

Still, you already have a great looking creation with some unique foliage and a very nice story. I like it!

[Jacob Nion]

The vegetation looks a little bit to conventional for my taste. Bit it's definitely a nice jungle scene. And who could say to know all corners of Felucia? I hope you'll gain a bunch of points for our cause.