Observatory

DARKspawn · Post by **DARKspawn** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 5:58 am

Hi, all

Here is my lattest MOC developed from my Harry Potter contest entry...

Pic is BS link

Before anyone mentions it, I am aware that Observatories didn't start appearing in Europe until the late 1600s

Remyth · Post by **Remyth** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 6:48 am

Wow! This is a pretty amazing cas...er.. Observatory, Aaron! The detail is awesome.

Landscaping/figs:

The creek/river/stream/whateva is pretty friggin' sweet! I like the indentation down to it, and the river itself is nicely formed. I like the dark gray going to the sand right be the side. Nice foliage work around it as well. The rest of the landscping flows nicely and looks very clean.

The figures (i.e. their posing and such) are awesome! I love the little scene by the well. What is that? Did a boy fall into it? The soldier falling back (and into the stream no doubt) is hilarious! The poeple on the castle are nicely placed and look good where they are.

The Observatory:

The overall shape of thsi is very, very nice. The angled towers is very nice looking. Good job on those. The roofs are great for how you have to make them when dealingwith this kind of base. i like the cups used through-out. The windowsills with them and the railing look fantastic. The banner-things of the sides are very nice lookoing, and make the observatory towers much more eye-appealing. The telescope is very cool, even though it is a simple build.

Overall, a very, very nice looking MOC, which is what I have come to expect when looking at something done by you. Keep up the great work man!

In Christ,

g2 · Post by g2 » Sat Jun 16, 2007 6:50 am

Another nice looking MOC Aaron. I love the overall shape of this creation. The details are spectacular as are the various hexagonal towers. I like how the river/stream is made using blue tiles, so as to signify a smooth appearance. I also like how the river/stream is ‘deep’ within the landscape, which would have used up a lot of green bricks, but a very effective outcome.

I need to go back to this MOC, and study it some more. I am sure I will learn some new techniques, that I may use them on my MOCs.

DARKspawn wrote:Before anyone mentions it, I am aware that Observatories didn't start appearing in Europe until the late 1600s

Minor detail. I am happy to turn a blind-eye to this fact.

Job Well Done.!

Jojo · Post by **Jojo** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 11:24 am

Hello!

This really caught my attention on BrickShelf. It’s a cool creation, it has an interesting design and a not-so-usual subject. You built in sweet details like the guy who fell into the well (?), and the apprentice carrying all the books. Also the landscaping is very nicely done. Overall this MOC has a clean and right-to-the-point look to it.

(Only thing I don’t like are the blue legs of the falcon soldiers…)

Bye
Jojo

stuifzand · Post by **stuifzand** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 11:31 am

Very nice!

Great details, and I also like the clean presentation!

symwyse · Post by **symwyse** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 12:45 pm

Wow, the design is amazing! You've inspired me with to push my castles further by incorporating the perfect details (such as the 2x1 ladder handle, and the 1x1 vertical clip and the 1x1 round bricks).

Blue Head · Post by **Blue Head** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 4:21 pm

nice work, I like the first picture with all the magical action going on.

eNiGMa · Post by **eNiGMa** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 4:55 pm

This is excellent! As has already been said, that stream is very well done, as is the rest of the terrain. The structure itself is one of the best I've seen in a very long time, and all the details look wonderful. I especially like the use of 1x1 rounds where the gaps would be in the angled walls.

I love your style. Keep it up!

wunztwice · Post by **wunztwice** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 6:12 pm

Stunning work Aaron! The overall shape and architectural details in this MOC amaze me. I love the fig details and posing too, the whole well incident, the apprentice, the forestman, and on and on! This whole thing is definately being bookmarked for later inspiration!

DNL · Post by **DNL** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 6:58 pm

very nice Observatory!
great details, nice landscaping!
very inspiring

DNL

DARKspawn · Post by **DARKspawn** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 10:05 pm

Thanks for the comments everyone

The scene by the well is dipicting a group of soldiers rescuing a boy who has fallen down a ricketty well while his paniced mother looks on. One of the soldiers has lost his footing...

I really tried to increase the fig action in this MOC. I wanted to make an even balance of structure, landscaping & fig action. Looking back at the excellent MOCs that are posted in this site I think these 3 elements really make a castle themed creation stand out

Spongey · Post by **Spongey** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 10:23 pm

This is an extremely well done MOC. The design of the observatory is excellent, and the landscaping is great. I've always been a bit of a n00b, but I still don't understand how to make towers that don't just have four sides. How did you do this?

Remyth · Post by **Remyth** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 10:24 pm

DARKspawn wrote:I wanted to make an even balance of structure, landscaping & fig action.

I think that you did combine these three things excellently. Good job again!

DARKspawn wrote:Looking back at the excellent MOCs that are posted in this site I think these 3 elements really make a castle themed creation stand out.

I couldn't agree more with you. On castles, figs need to be somewhat spread out, like they are here. In more civilian MOCs, I think that you need a little more fig action. This is a great example of a combonation bewteen the two.

In Christ,

smcginnis · Post by **smcginnis** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 10:31 pm

OOooohhh.

Can you like, stop making things, so that other people will feel comfortable posting their own stuff?

. J/k, but seriously, this is amazing, as usual. I haven't got much time or I'd write a longer review than that which follows.

Starting with the amazing landscaping. The slopes look really natural, and the rocks and beach by the awesome river are, again, awesome.

The well, trees, and bridge are spectacular. I like the posing of the rescuers, and the faces used are great.

The smaller tower is perfect. The sides and steps are great. Nice battlements too. It'd be nice to see the bridge side door, but no big deal.

The larger three towers are breathtaking. The 1x1 clips and goblets make awesome detailing, and the narrowest tower also has some neat detailing. The medium-diameter tower is very very nice as well.

Yet another awesome DARKspawn creation.

~smcginnis

DARKspawn · Post by **DARKspawn** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 8:35 pm

Thanks again for the kind words all

Spongey wrote:I still don't understand how to make towers that don't just have four sides. How did you do this?

The octagons are done with brick hinges, I used rows of 1x1 rounds to try & hide the gap. The Observatory is actually only attached to the base by a 1 x 8 section, I used tiles under the structure in other areas to make it look "attached"

I forgot to give a nod in Brody's direction for giving me the idea to actually make a medieval observatory, although mine pales in comparison to his in terms of size

Classic-Castle.com

Observatory

Observatory

Re: Observatory