new Takeshi Itou - Fog Valley Castle

Post by **Bruce N H** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 11:40 pm

Hey all,

Takeshi itou has posted a new fantasy castle, the Fog Valley Castle:

Bruce

Azaghal · Post by **Azaghal** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 11:50 pm

That noise you just heard was the sound of my jaw hitting the floor.

This, like all its siblings, is a gorgeous MOC - my only complaint is that the pictures are too small.

wunztwice · Post by **wunztwice** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 11:58 pm

Very pretty! As a fantasy castle this works great. I like the waterfalls and how it hangs over the edge. The "caps" on the bottom of the towers are a nice touch. The cliff behind it going up is a detail I like alot (how skinney it gets as it goes up, to be precise). Also all those cypress trees add alot, and somehow a more fantasy feel.

Lord Felix · Post by **Lord Felix** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:04 am

I always look to Takeshi itou's castles for insperation. This certain one is not my favorite, but good as always. They all seem the same; only with a slightly different shape. This certain one is noticably different, but still has the Cypress trees, water, lots of arches, and a big grey rock face. I personally like the style, but they all seem to be built with the same formula.
I also wish he would add some interiors. The exteriors always look very good, but if he is that good at the exteriors, he could make some amazing interiors. Ah well. We have yet to see.
I mean this as an opinion. I love his work, admire his work, and look for insperation from his work, but it is starting to get repetative.

Love it as always,
George

Remyth · Post by **Remyth** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:18 am

Great, as always. I like how it hangs over the edge, off of an almost sheer cliff. The waterfalls are cool, too. I, like George (Lord Felix), look to his MOCs for insparation.

In Christ,

Dunechaser · Post by **Dunechaser** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 1:32 am

Azaghal wrote:...my only complaint is that the pictures are too small.

Here's one bigger pic:

http://home.att.ne.jp/apple/hachi/ce_ga_le32x1.htm

smcginnis · Post by **smcginnis** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 2:23 am

This is great, as always. I was browsing his gallery today and saw this, but it wasn't public yet. The waterfalls are very cool, and the cliff is amazing. The castle itself is a little so-so (for Itou), but still very nice. I like this part the most. Another great castle from Itou.

Azaghal wrote:That noise you just heard was the sound of my jaw hitting the floor.

That's funny. Right before I read this, there was a sort whirr, like a CD spinning.

Lord Felix wrote:I also wish he would add some interiors.

Some of his MOCs, like Witch House and Village Wind Mill have pretty nice interiors. I've noticed that there aren't interiors for castles, most of the time; just houses and such.

~smcginnis

E of Alshire · Post by **E of Alshire** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 3:06 am

smcginnis wrote:
Lord Felix wrote:I also wish he would add some interiors.
Some of his MOCs, like Witch House and Village Wind Mill have pretty nice interiors. I've noticed that there aren't interiors for castles, most of the time; just houses and such.

Yes, but his houses and such are some of his best works. My particular favorite is Blacksmith Street.

And now, to the current.

This is really nice - the suspension of the towers is just such that it doesn't seem ridiculous, as some are wont. The waterfalls are perhaps the most substratal I've seen, yet are wonderfully enchanting. Hedoes a fantastic job of creating a nice presentation out of many simple techniques, which perhaps causes hesitation in highlighting any specific peice.

Recluce · Post by **Recluce** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 4:45 am

It's... monotone. Only one type of grey for the castle, one type of grey for the rocks, one type of green for the landscaping, one blue for the water. Lego has expanded the palate so much, I really wish he had used some. I mean, the building itself is stunning, but it's not realistic looking enough for my tastes.

brody · Post by **brody** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 10:08 am

This is a great MOC.

The thing that I love about Takeshi Itou is the simple yet effective aesthetic style he has developed. Itou has a signature style which seems to be in harmony with the nature of the LEGO brick as a modular building element in its most pure conceptual state.

Despite the seeming simplicity of color and form, Itou manages to derive very complex variations of architectural style and mood in every successive MOC. In some ways his work seems more suitably classified with LEGO vignettes, at least in terms of what has been decribed as the 'poetic' nature of vignette MOCs. Viewing Itou's work often gives one the sense of harmony, and of seeing only a piece of a larger, richer world.

Compositionally, Itou's work is balanced, the color scheme is always unified and pleasing, and is often viewable from any angle. I also love that fact that his structures are built on an integrated topography. Of course, the well edited photography helps.

Best,
Brody

DARKspawn · Post by **DARKspawn** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 10:36 am

brody wrote:This is a great MOC.

The thing that I love about Takeshi Itou is the simple yet effective aesthetic style he has developed. Itou has a signature style which seems to be in harmony with the nature of the LEGO brick as a modular building element in its most pure conceptual state.

Despite the seeming simplicity of color and form, Itou manages to derive very complex variations of architectural style and mood in every successive MOC. In some ways his work seems more suitably classified with LEGO vignettes, at least in terms of what has been decribed as the 'poetic' nature of vignette MOCs. Viewing Itou's work often gives one the sense of harmony, and of seeing only a piece of a larger, richer world.

Compositionally, Itou's work is balanced, the color scheme is always unified and pleasing, and is often viewable from any angle. I also love that fact that his structures are built on an integrated topography. Of course, the well edited photography helps.

Best,
Brody

what he said

Lonan · Post by **Lonan** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:11 pm

Really, really nice. Just from a design standpoint, it's fantastic. I agree with Recluce that some variety in the color might spice it up a bit, but it's still fantastic. The landscaping brings it to life, makes it very realistic. And I dig the waterfalls. Just great, great, great. It's so good, I'm stuttering.

JPinoy · Post by **JPinoy** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 4:49 pm

I like how the castle was designed to divert the water from the natural waterfall into it's own 3 waterfalls.

Norro · Post by **Norro** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 6:59 pm

Looks a little too familiar but I love the water flowing through the building... I must try that some time.

God Bless,

Nathan

Post by **SavaTheAggie** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 7:06 pm

I've always liked Itou's work, and I don't mind the light grey for castles / dark grey for stone thing (done it myself more than once), but I'm really disappointed in the waterfalls.

They just don't seem to be 'alive', and really detract from the MOC, IMO. They're more blue pillars holding the castle up than they are waterfalls. I'd like to see some other colors like clear or white bricks added to the waterfall as it moves down, mimicing the water breaking up as it falls, and some clear or white where the waterfall hits the lake. At the very least some added blue bricks and plates to give it texture.

But aside from that, I really can't say anything but good things about this MOC.

--Tony