My CCC3 thoughts - Bruce

[Bruce N H]

Hi all,

Thanks everyone for participating in CCC3! There were a lot of great creations and it was good to see the new participants this year. My favorite aspect of CCC is that it helps spread the word of CC and the castle theme to people who may normally stick to other themes.

While all of the winners were well deserved, there were a lot of other great creations as well. Since I'm judging I don't make a lot of comments on the creations as they come in, so in this thread I'm going to comment on each category in turn. There's no way I can focus on every creation, so I'm just going to go with a few in each category. This is no indication of the overall judges' ranking, it's not even necessarily a listing of my own favorites, as in some cases there is something that I liked a little less but I have some details to comment on.

First up Castle -

Jacob Cournoyer - Fortress Del Pescatore - A well deserved win. This was the entry that best fit the category, IMO. I really like the space inside the outer wals and the dark gray stone underneath the central keep. No real new construction techniques in this, but the balance and overall feel is very well done. I'd like to see more pics of this (or is there a gallery I missed?).

Ben - Lion's Island Castle - I'm generally not a big fan of panel wall pieces, as I think these give castles an overly-uniform look. What sets this one apart, though, is the use of landscaping, with the castle on the island with the cool sea gate and protected harbor. I also like the barrel-trees a lot.

Jim - Castle Bleydenstien - This one has lots of great mottling (which coordinates well with the printed corner panels), especially the multi-colors on the roof of the main keep. The incorporation of the tall slopes into the walls is cool, and the arrow loop design is great, though inverted. This window design is particularly cool. Nice portcullis and stable inside. A few critiques - those battlements are way too short, the two taller towers in the back are too narrow to have any actual use, and there is no access for the defenders to get up to the battlements.

Sir Nelson - Castle in the Sands - I like the incorporation of arches, HP turrets, and lion heads into the walls particularly. I like the proportions of this and the asymmetry of the back portion a lot. I'm not sure how I feel about the monochromaticity. I guess this can be seen as a sandcastle, but I think setting this on a dark gray ground would set off the castle better. Same concerns as above about the short battlements and the lack of access.

ACPin - Bulls Ice Peak Castle - This is probably the castle with the cleverest new technique, using those quarter-round panels offset by 45 degrees and the zig-zag battlements. The brown and gray color scheme seems nice for the bulls, and I like the snowy setting. One complaint - the flags are blowing in all different directions.

[Bruce N H]

Next up Classic-Castle. When looking at these creations I kept in mind how well the MOC fit with the existing lines, but also how it improved on those lines.

Jim - Manor House - Back in the day I remember going to a huge official LEGO display at a local shopping mall. While there were great sculptures, what really impressed me was this huge moonscape that used the Classic Space blue/gray color scheme and construction techniques to make this huge base and various spaceships. I don't remember if they had a castle display (I was all Space those days), but if they did, Jim's Manor House would fit perfectly. It uses the colors and techniques of the early years of castle but it makes a really nice add-on. I thought this was a perfectly balanced creation. Minor gripe - the saddle is backwards.

Sir Nelson - Torre Del Oro - This would be sitting right next to Jim's Manor House in that display. I like the use of old square windows (or perhaps those are just headlights backwards) as in the original castle. This one also has great landscaping.

Josh Wedin - Under the Greenwood Tree - This one is fun not so much for the construction (though that central tree is great), but for all of the action going on with the figs. I do like the cave in the background a lot, though the inside should probably not be perfectly square. And shouldn't your friendly neighborhood Creations Admin have made an appearence? Friar Tuck could have brought him along to the party.

Athos - Market - Again, this is perhaps simpler in construction (though it fits very well with sets such as 6040 and 6041), but the different shops and the action make it fun. I like the net in the fisherman's shop and the variety of statues particularly.

Kenn Oldham - Foresters' Palisade - This is a great expansion on existing Forestman sets. I like the stream and the little bridge, particularly, and also the way the doors are set to make a 45 degree wall. The zig-zag wall with log bricks doesn't work quite as well, IMO, though it's a nice idea. I think with 1x4 log bricks and brown 1x1 cylinders it would have been possible to make a curved wall that fit the same space.

Marcos Vinuesa/Medievalmarc - Great yellow Barbicane - This goes along with Jim's Manor House and Nelson's Torre del Orro, though I think the proportions aren't quite as good. There might be a little too much red, especially with those rocks to the right of the drawbridge. I like all the different levels and stairs and the way it opens up for access to the interior. With all those figs it feels a little like the great Where's Waldo drawings.

Jonas Lindbärg/Maedhros - Bullfighting Arena - A very cute idea and I like the bull design a lot.

[SuperRadz]

You know, I absolutely loved these threads when you did them last year. It really puts a nice summarizing coda on what truly is a collosal contest. Please keep doing it, it's great! (Also helps that I generally agree with everything you say )

--Radleigh

[Norro]

Always appreciate you picking out interesting details Bruce! Great to see this thread again.

Thanks and God Bless,

Nathan

[Bruce N H]

Thanks. Continuing on with Custom figure:

armothe - Crusader Knight - Bianco Leone and armothe - Tournament Knight - Sir Talland - I think these two customs were the best of the bunch. They used all the tools of the customizer - decals, painting, handmade accessories, and everything is perfectly done. I particularly like the custom helm and the braided headband on the crusader knight.

Lomero - Half Giant - Hmm, maybe this should have been in misc as it's more of a brick-built creation, but in either case I really love this. It's a great addition right in between Jeremiah VanderMark's giant knight and Marc Nelson's ogre. I'll definitely play with this body design.

Josh Wedin - Will Scarlett - Very nice paint job to make a striking figure. The use of the cut hairpiece along with the hat is well done and it's a clever idea to use the cut bow to make it look like the string is under his arm (because, let's face it, LEGO bowmen always look kind of silly carrying around a fully pulled bow at all times).

Recluce/Emily - Merman and Mermaid - These are both really cool. I'm very impressed with how well Emily's resin casts turn out and they work well here. I think I like the man a little better because I prefer the trident mod to the flame/sword/thing. Great choice of head on the maid, though.

Radleigh - Medusa - This one was probably hurt by fuzzy photos, but it's a great MOC. I'm not quite sure how the snakes are attached and would be interested in learning more about that. I'm not 100% thrilled with the way the torso connects into the snake-body. There was probably a smoother way to do that. Very nice detail to pose the statues in front of her.

Sir Nelson - Helga - Probably the creation that made me laugh the most of the whole contest. Nelson has since told me that he actually submitted it a couple of hours before the deadline, but I like to think of this as the last one to end the contest. I'd love to see her on a stage. Good subtle commentary on the horned helmets, btw. I'm not a huge fan of the hair solution, though. It just doesn't scream LEGO to me. I know, this is the custom fig category, where people use all kinds of paints and stickers and sculpy and whatnot, but this seems further afield from my LEGO aesthetic.

Bruce

[Jacob C.]

I'd like to see more pics of this (or is there a gallery I missed?).

The gallery for Fortress Del Pescatore is here:

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=152736

Like the other two have said, you do a very good job at picking out the interesting details and summarizing the Mocs.

It's a great way to conclude an awesome contest.

[JoshWedin]

This one is fun not so much for the construction (though that central tree is great), but for all of the action going on with the figs. [snip] And shouldn't your friendly neighborhood Creations Admin have made an appearence?

I agree that the construction isn't anything spectacular. I was trying to frame the central tree and I wanted the focus on the figs. This was a lot of fun to pose. There is actually a lot detail there that I couldn't show in only three pics and it is mostly torn apart now. And it didn't occur to me to include your sigfig. But if it had, I probably wouldn't have done it. Don't want to be a suckup!

Very nice paint job to make a striking figure. The use of the cut hairpiece along with the hat is well done and it's a clever idea to use the cut bow to make it look like the string is under his arm

Thanks! And double thanks for these posts. It makes a great summary of the CC.

Josh

[fuzzy]

I did really bad, didnt I???

[Bruce N H]

Don't worry about it, Fuzzy. This was your first CCC, right? You'll do better next year. Anyway, the point of any contest is not really to win but to have fun.

Thanks for the link, Jacob. I'm sure I saw that before but never looked at it in deail. I'll have to spend some time with that gallery.

Anyway, on to Interior
AmberStone - Prince's Bedroom and AmberStone - The Royal Study - Along with the great work of Mark Stafford, these by AmberStone were my favorite "new discoveries" of this CCC. I really like the way the room's space has been redesigned to make the octagonal shape. Perhaps these are in a tower? The prince's bedroom is my favorite; it's really fun with all the bright colors and the different toy ideas. Good use of the Quidditch Shop windows and the tiled floor. The hat on the dog is a great touch.

Mark Stafford - Assassination in the Study - Such great detail in this one. The fireplace and clock designs are great, and the action is very cool. The scene stealer, though, is that painting above the mantle. My only dislike is that red/yellow flag thing.

Jim - Castle Kitchen - This is a simpler creation, but it's very clean and well-balanced. The highlight for me is the large fireplace with the smaller bread oven off to the side. Good application of techniques like the curved ceiling and the candle, and the tile floor is very nice.

Loneranger - The Princes Room - If I recall correctly, this was the first instance here of that candle design, which is very cool. I like the snot floor incorporating a rug and the parrot and cage are great.

greg3 - Alchemist's Workshop - Usually an overly busy MOC doesn't work, but it seems perfect for an alchemist. I love the odd spirally apparatus on the left (for distilling solvents?) and the TRULY FIG SCALE BELLOWS! Wow! That's an idea we've needed for every Blacksmith MOC.

Radleigh - Dungeon and Torture Chamber - The rough stone walls are very striking, as is the use of arches at 90 degree angles to each other in the corners of the ceiling. Great rack design and iron maiden (with spikes inside - great attention to detail). The skeleton stuffed under the stairs is a funny detail.

Sir Nelson - Torture Chamber and Sir Nelson - The Pit My favorite is the torture chamber. Another great rack design and also the hanging cage (what's the term for that again?). The wheel is so simple yet effective. The two chains hanging from above are a great detail. I'm actually not a fan of the color scheme in the pit but like they different ways that texture is built in a lot. What makes this, though, is that great brick-built-beast. The use of (Jack Stone? Hagrid?) arms as legs is really effective.

Stone Goblin - Scorpion Throne Room - I actually find the color scheme and the triple slopes to be a little too much, though perhaps that fits Vladek well. My favorite details are the slide-out scorpion pattern floors and the cells underneath and the cage hanging from above. Good application of the candle idea in a nice chandalier design.

Recluce/Emily - The King's Treasure Room - Good design and the use of the Wolfpack as thieves is great. Great to see that she included the tiles that they've pushed aside when they dug up under the floor. The cool detail to me, though, is the joists under the floor. That's a level of architectural realism that most people wouldn't think to include in a MOC.

Josh Wedin - Mews Great idea and some details like the table, the columns by the door, and the way the birds are perched are great. The cat waiting for scraps is a really fun idea, but if it weren't in the caption I would have never seen the cat, as only his tail is visible in only one photo. The room itself is a little plain, though. Fully 2/3 of the vertical space is just empty blankness. Either some detail up there or a shorter ceiling would have improved this MOC.

Bruce

[Mark Stafford]

Thanks for taking the time to do this Bruce.

Sorry about the red/yellow flag thing - I ran out of old grey - it's only there to cover up what lies beneath!

I loved all the torture chambers and monster pits - nasty things happening to Minifigs just makes me laugh! (Maybe I have a problem... )

Cheers,
Mark

[Bruce N H]

Next up, selections from Medieval life

Saskia van Doesburg / Stuifzand - A day in Brickerlo - A well deserved winner. The color scheme in this is sublime and there is a great balance with just the right amount of details. Lots of action with the marching soldiers, the man tipping his hat to the woman, and the two men sawing the log with that great saw. Other great details are the plates with clip lights at the ends of the timbers, the arched windows in the stone wall, the well, that detail using beards on one window, and the chickens.

MOCkingBird - Toll Bridge - Beautiful bucolic scene that evokes a real sense of peace. The shape of the bridge is great and the all-plate mottling with the inclusion of 1x1 rounds looks very realistic. The sense of movement is good with the kid running ahead and the bridge-keeper coming out to meet him, and the woman washing clothes is a great side-detail. Other good details are the cow (complete with cow pie), the tree, and the fact that the top of the chimney uses corner panels so it really looks hollow.

Sean Ericksen (psu_ericksen) - Adventurer's Supply Shop - To me this one is just beautiful. The roofline is really interesting and well balanced. The interior is well designed and realistic, and the removal of the second floor is smooth. Are there more pictures someplace, including the interior of the second floor?

Stone Goblin - Royal Inventor's Clockhouse The bold color scheme on this is really striking, and the snotted slopes at the base of the timbers look great. The interior shot is appropriately cluttered, and i love the guy working on the gears. The white bird with the horn as a beak is a great design.

Sir Nelson - Home of a Doctor - Another great house along with those above. The red/dark red in the roof looks really good, as do the garden and the horse rail. The fig placement is very natural. The best detail of this one is the use of that brick technique along the bottom portion of the building.

Maciej 'Ciamek' Koszyka (aka Piglet) - Medieval Motel - A really humorous idea! Lots of good details like the chickens, the cat on the bench, the use of wedge bricks in the left-hand stair, the hanging lamp, and is that a shower on the right hand side, or an outhouse? Fig placement is very natural.

Lomero - Boat maker and Freeman's house - The boat maker is my favorite of these, with the interesting non-square shape. On the freeman's house the roof under construction is my favorite part, though the flower as decoration and the post with the clip light plate as pulley are great details.

Mark Stafford - Pizarro's Bakery - The awning and the smoke are really striking on this. I like the angled trays for the buns for sale a lot as well.

While we're on bakeries, Athos' Vladek's Bakery is a great extension of the classic wall shop style with newer figs to make a humorous entry. You know, I never realized until today that that bun/pastry thing is simply a painted chef's hat.

Kenn Oldham - White Cliffs of Dover - I'm not 100% thrilled with the church on top (though the interior of the sanctuary is superb - lots of details in a small space, hanging the cross from a clip is a good idea, nice altar, appropriate use of the new scroll tile), but the cliffs are outstanding. Nice detail to have the waves crashing at the bottom and my favorite thing is the diving bird.

AC Pin's Red Roof Inn - Great design. It reminds me of Jon Furman's Prancing Pony. I have to say, though, that the red/black color scheme is too much for me. I would have loved to see this exact design in softer colors.

Carl Watson - Mountainside Cottage - Great landscaping and I love the tree. The cottage on supports is a fun idea. Living in LA I'm used to seeing houses like this up in the Hollywood hills and always wonder what those people are thinking. Next thing you know Mel Gibson is going to hitch a horse up to those supports and pull the whole thing down.

Bruce

[stuifzand]

It's great to read these reports Bruce!
Thanks for posting them!

[Bruce N H]

Next up - Misc

Mark Stafford - Death in the Library A great entry and well deserving of the win. The action of the scene is wonderful and the way the falling fig is suspended is very clever. Other great details are the deep-set window, the corner shelves between the bookshelves, and the candlestick on the table.

Micah Berger - Gargoyle and Fuzzy-man - Well, you know I love brick-built-beasties, and these two by Micah are no exception. The gargoyle is cooly posable and uses really clever piece combinations like the binoculars and guns to make the lower jaw. Fuzzy-man is really humorous and the eyes and tusks are perfect.

Sean Ericksen (psu_ericksen) - Inn at the Bridge - This is a wonderful scene. It seems very peaceful for some reason. I like the way the bridge goes "out of the frame", as it were, implying the larger world around. Lots of detail in the interior as well.

Stone Goblin - Midsummer Village - There are so many great details in this scene that it's hard to really see them in the overall shots in the contest entry folder. I was really glad that Stoney posted a folder full of detail pictures so we could see more of it. My favorite construction is probably the bridge. Great uses of flex tubing to get the curved shape. The painting of the barn is also particularly clever, as is the juggler. All kinds of action including the William Tell game in the woods, the woman jumping into her man's arms and the two women sitting on the bridge talking.

Chad / CAI - Tom Bombadil watching Old Man Willow - Chad's Tom is great, with a clever solution for "and his boots were yellow," and I love the Old Man Willow. Good landscaping.

Ryan "Lights" Wood - Shroom Rock - Great implementation of the whole floating rock meme. Clever construction to get the octagonal shape. Another good instance of SNOT is in the little dock thing, to put tiles on both sides - the sort of detail many builders would leave out. The orrey is very clever as well.

Sir Nelson - St. George and the Dragon - I have to admit that I dislike the dragon. However, the landscaping on this is superb and the horns and skulls lying around are a great touch. The tree is very creepy.

Kenn Oldham - Hippogryf Tree - As I said before, the tree here is very cooly remniscent of a Dr. Seuss drawing. The building shaped like a Hippogryph is also very clever, especially the battledroid heads as toes. The red flowers are extremely innovative. This MOC inspired my own hippogryph scene.

AC Pin - Knight's Tent - We've seen lots of tents built with the tall slopes, but the use of plates as sides makes this one have a really accessible and roomy interior. The capes as tent flap are also very cool.

Lomero - King Arthur - Really funny concept, executed well.

[Bruce N H]

Next up, Siege Scene. This was probably my favorite category of the contest. There were such great scenes, both in the MOCs of fortresses and siege engines and in the action of the battle sequences.

Kenn Oldham - Siege of Eger - A great winner in a collection of great entries. The non-square castle is great, and I particularly like the hoarding atop the wall. With the attackers, the early firearms are clever, especially the guy loading his gun in the lower left. The sappers' tunnel is also very effective. In the action, my favorite part is how the defenders are throwing stones down from above and the attackers are all ducking and holding up their shields to deflect these as they go up the slope.

Josh Wedin - Siege of the Black Falcons - This was actually my favorite of the category. The construction itself is fairly straightforward, but the action is what really makes this one work - things like the defenders rushing up the stairs, the oil poured down on the attackers (the black figs are particularly effective, as is the fact that the front of the battering ram is covered in oil), other attackers running from the splattering oil, and the ladder being pushed over. The pile of stuff behind the gates is also very cool.

Mark Stafford - Attack on High Podermik - In many ways a similar scene to Josh's, with the burning oil (the use of stickshifts as splashes is very clever), the flaming black fig, and the ladder being pushed down. The lion-head pieces work very well in the wall and the stripe of red/dark red is a great accent to the tan. That's an interesting shape on the window.

Stone Goblin - Siege at Wolf Outpost - The steep cliff and high keep are great. Good story with the people rushing to the keep and then the attackers coming. Lots of great detail in the interior, including the necessary well in the basement, the bunk beds, the assassin in the basement, and the cross.

Chris Perron/Sir Terrance - Undead Viking Attack - Very imposing high wall and the 1x1x2/3 slopes look great on the crenellations. Great brick-built boat and the skeletal dragon prow is outstanding. Good action with the falling skeleton. The trans dark blue sea is very effective.

Sean Ericksen (psu_ericksen) - When Black Falcons Attack - Another great hoarding and the catapult and mantlets are also very good. The lines behind and defenders above seem kind of static, but there's good action with the figs rushing forward with a ladder.

Chris Malloy / PorscheCm2 - Desert Dispute - Another great scene. Dang, those sappers have a long ways to go (though this is probably much more realistic). Good use of the turban/scimitar elements. Hey, how come the guy in the white turban gets to be shaded? Note that the oil actually goes down into the sand rather than resting on top - good sense of realism.

Erumaren - Siege on Gate and Wall - Very nice shape on the gate towers, especially with those upper walls set at odd angles. Good ballista solution in the bottom left.

brickfrenzy - Siege of Martindale Castle - I like those snotted triple slopes beneath the turrets quite a bit. Lots of great action with all of those skeletons.

Roger the GoGoGo - Underground Siege - More sappers. The great detail of this one is the cutaway showing that the wall is realistically constructed with rubble in the interior and that (unlike so many MOCs) it doesn't sit atop the ground but rather continues on down below. Good brickbuilt tree as well.

Lomero - Vikings attack - I wish there were more pictures of this one. The snowy setting of this one is great, especially with the ground showing through behind the gate and the little splatters of blood showing up so brightly. The blurred picture in this actually doesn't detract, but rather gives a sense of movement. Good ballista and portcullis as well.

Sir Nelson - Vladek's Revenge - This seems like it would be really fun to play with. The stone pattern in the wall is effective and it's good to see the rainbow knights take a fall.

Jim - Siege of the Crusaders - Another one where I'd like to see more pictures. The construction of the hoarding is clever with all the technic half-pins. There's good action at the top where the attackers are spilling out of the siege tower.

[wunztwice]

Wow! So many great entries, so few prizes. Too bad there can't be more. Also, thanks Bruce for this summary. I think every MOC entered deffinately has great aspects, and your attention to detail covers them well.

Here are some of my own thoughts, although not nearly as complete as other's.

Figs:
I have never been much for customization, but these entries, especially armothe's creations, proved to me that they can be done very well, very tastfully, and even look like something Lego might make.

Interior:
I've always liked building interior spaces, it started with my first pirate building brobably around 92 or so. There was no furniture, so I made my own, expanding the size of the building to fit it in....
OK, back from nostalgia-land. I especially liked the assasination scene. I looked at it and immediately found myself watching this plot unfold. Great action and detail. The 'painting' and the chandoleer are great!
The kitchen scene is also one that instantly sucked me in. It's very semple, but then again, who needs a cluttered kitchen. I also like that idea forthe candle, and will probably try to implement it.

to be continued...