Terrain Workshop: Trees 13

Let's get lost in the woods for a week.  All the designs from this week actually predate Terrain Workshop: Trees 1 Revisit but I haven't had a chance to build/photograph/talk about them before that post and the "Road to Nowhere" game.

This one is going to get a little complicated.  It all started with two Pneumatic Hose Connectors w/Axle Connector in Dark Brown that I found while breaking down some sets.  They gave me a few ideas.

The build starts at the bottom with a 2x2 Round Tile w/Hole.  An inverted 1x1x6 Solid Pillar Support is placed into this.  A 1x2 Jumper goes on top of that with two 1x1 Technic Bricks w/Axle Hole on top of that.  A 1x2 Plate is used to secure the bricks and two more 1x2 Jumpers go on top.  Four 3x4 Plant Leaves finish off the stack.  A 4L Technic Axle goes through the two Technic Bricks and the two Pneumatic Hose Connectors w/Axle Connector are placed on the ends facing in opposite directions.  The pneumatic sections of the Pneumatic Hose Connectors w/Axle Connector are both vertically oriented.  Four Plant Leaves 6x5 are attached to those.  This gives us a total of eighteen pieces which is 3 Hits.

This would be 25' tall in 6P scale with a trunk thickness of 2.5 feet.  The branches would cover 35' at their widest.  This is my most complex build so far in terms of building techniques and parts use.  I've got a few more of the Pneumatic Hose Connectors w/Axle Connector in Dark Brown so I may make a couple more of this style of tree.  Flickr page.

Terrain Workshop: Trees 12

Let's get lost in the woods for a week.  All the designs from this week actually predate Terrain Workshop: Trees 1 Revisit but I haven't had a chance to build/photograph/talk about them before that post and the "Road to Nowhere" game.

This one started with the Round Plate w/Pinhole & 4 Arms Up that I had sitting in my "Tree" parts collection.  It also has three 2x2 Round Bricks, four Plant Leaves 6x5 attached to the Round Plate w/Arms, and four 3x4 Plant Leaves on the top.  This is a total of twelve pieces which is 2 Hits.

This is 11' tall in 6P scale and the trunk is 5' wide.  It also covers roughly 35' from edge to edge.

This is the shortest of the tree designs I've made recently but also fairly common in terms of parts.  I wanted to substitute a 2x2x2 Barrel for one of the 2x2 Round Bricks to add a little height but I couldn't track any down in my collection that weren't already in use.  I'll try to remember to revisit this in the future when I find one.  I may also change the leaf color to Lime to fit in with this set of trees.  Flickr page.

Terrain Workshop: Trees 11

Let's get lost in the woods for a week.  All the designs from this week actually predate Terrain Workshop: Trees 1 Revisit but I hadn't had a chance to build/photograph/talk about them before that post and the "Road to Nowhere" game.

This design has its origins in the build from Terrain Workshop: Trees 10, but it makes several changes.  We start with four Log Bricks as the base of the trunk, shifting into four 1x3x3 Arches, topped off by four Plant Leaves 6x5.  This is a total of twelve pieces which is 2 Hits.

In 6P scale this is 16' tall and the trunk is 5' wide.  The branches/leaves span roughly 45 feet.  This is probably the simplest build so far in terms of parts use and availability.  That should make it pretty easy for people to duplicate.  It's a little less boxy and covers more space than the build in Terrain Workshop: Trees 10.

With the boxy trunk design, I feel like this and the TW:Trees 10 design should be spun off into a different table-setting.  Flickr page.

Battle Report: The Road to Nowhere

After taking a month off due to scheduling conflicts, the group got together last weekend for a Battle on a new table-setting.  I've been working on this table-setting for at least eight months.  It's basically the culmination of all the "Terrain Workshop: Trees" I've been doing for the last couple of years.

Me (5 Frames & 19 Systems) = (7 Points per Asset) * (7 assets) = 49 points. (Scorpitaurs)
   White Light Brawler -- 2Rh/2B/1Gd8/2W + SSR.
   Red Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.
   Blue Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W + SSR.

   Yellow Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.

   Lime Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.

Occam's Spork (5 Frames & 20 Systems) = (6 Points per Asset) * (7 assets) = 42 points.
   Brown Recon by Fire -- 2Ra+d8/2Y/2W.
   Orange Shoot&Scoot -- 2Rd+d8/2G/2W + SSR.
   White Bodyguard -- 2Rh/2Rd/2B/2W.
   Blue Spotting Bodyguard-- 2Rh/2Rd/1B/1Y/2W + SSR.
   Grey Spotting Bodyguard -- 2Rh/2Rd/1B/1Y/2W + SSR.

Stevenik (5 Frames & 20 Systems) = (6 Points per Asset) * (7 assets) = 42 points.
   Orange Tank -- 2Rd+d8/2B/2W.
   Gold Watchtower -- 2B/1Gd8/2Y/2W+SSR.
   Lime Artillerist -- 2Ra+d8/2B/2W+SSR.
   Blue -- 2Rd/2Ra/2B/2W+SSR.
   Yellow Artillerist -- 2Ra+d8/2B/2W.

Phungkyjams (6 Frames & 24 Systems) = (3 Points per Asset) * (8 assets) = 24 points. (Dockhands)
   Green Fast Sniper -- 2Ra/1B/2G/2W.
   Blue Watchtower -- 2B/1Gd8/2Y/2W + SSR (x2).

   Red Brawler -- 2Rh+d8/2B/1Gd8/2W.

   Yellow Squad Leader -- 2Rd/1B/2Y/2W + SSR.
   Orange Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.

   Trans-Orange Soldier -- 2Rd/1B/1G/1Y/2W.

This is what the table looked like at the start of the game.

Events of Round 1 (DDC@11): Before the game starts my White and Blue frames capture Phungkyjams' Stations.  My Red frame captures one of Occam's Spork's Stations.  My White frame hops down off the tree it was perched on and launches a SSR at Stevenik's Lime frame.  Stevenik's Lime frame moves towards his Stations.  Phungkyjams' Green frame steps sideways and recaptures his Station.  My Red frame hits the tree in front of Occam's Spork's Brown frame for 1 with a SSR.  Phungkyjams' Trans-Orange frame moves along the roadway and hits my Yellow frame for 1.  My Yellow frame moves up to a wide tree and hits Phungkyjams' Green frame for 2, Station Dance.  Phungkyjams' Yellow frame moves towards the center of the battlefield and hits my White frame for 1 with a SSR.  Phungkyjams' Orange frame hits my Yellow frame for 1.  Occam's Spork's Blue frame hits my Blue frame for 5, Station Dance, then it moves on to the roadway.  Occam's Spork's Grey frame hits the thick tree in front of my Blue frame for 2, destroying it.  Stevenik's Yellow frame hits my Blue frame for 1.  Stevenik's Blue frame hits my White frame for 3.  Stevenik's Lime frame hits my Red frame for 3, Station Dance behind a tree.

Me: 63 Points.
Stevenik: 42 points.

Occam's Spork: 36 points.

Phungkyjams: 21 points.

Events of Round 2 (DDC @ 7): My White frame scuttles backwards and recaptures one of Phungkyjams' Stations.  Phungkyjams' Yellow frame hits my White frame for 3, destroying it, and recaptures the station.  Occam's Spork's Grey frame hits my Blue frame with a SSR for 6, destroying it, then moves on to the roadway.  Occam's Spork's White frame moves forward and captures Phungkyjams' Station that was under my control.  Phungkyjams' Red frame runs in and bashes Occam's Spork's White frame for 3, Station Dance.  Phungkyjams' Red frame recaptures his Station that was under Occam's Spork's control.  Stevenik's Lime frame hits the tree in front of Phungkyjams' Green for 1.  Stevenik's Yellow frame hits Occam's Spork's Brown for 1, and the tree in front of it for 2 -- destroying the tree-- Station Dance.  My Yellow frame moves backwards on to the road and hits Occam's Spork's White frame, that was acting as cover for his Grey frame, for 1.  Stevenik's Blue frame hits Occam's Spork's Orange frame for 1.

Occam's Spork: 42 points.

Stevenik: 42 points.

Me: 35 Points.

Phungkyjams: 24 points.

Events of Round 3 (DDC @ 3): Occam's Spork's Orange frame moves forward and captures my Lime Station.  Occam's Spork's Grey frame hits my Red frame for 1.  Phungkyjams' Blue frame hits my Yellow frame for 1.  My Yellow frame hits Occam's Spork's Grey frame for 6, destroying it, then moves behind a tree.  Stevenik's Blue frame hits Occam's Spork's Orange frame for 2.  Phungkyjams' Yellow frame hits Stevenik's Lime frame for 2.  Stevenik's Lime frame hits Occam's Spork's Orange frame for 1.  Phungkyjams' Red frame sprints over the roadway and bashes Occam's Spork's White frame for 2.  Stevenik's Orange frame moves towards the center of the battlefield and hits Occam's Spork's Orange frame for 2.  Phungkyjams' Green frame hits Occam's Spork's White frame for 2, destroying it.  Phungkyjams' ?? frame hits my Yellow frame for 1, destroying it.

Stevenik: 42 points.

Occam's Spork: 30 points.

Phungkyjams: 27 points.

Me: 21 Points.

Here are several during and aftermath pictures.

Round 1

Start

Round 3

Round 3

Round 3

Round 3

Round 3

Round 3

Round 3

Thoughts & Observations:

• This was a Battle.
• I started out Round 1 with 70 points.
• Stevenik's point total didn't change for the entire game.
• We all counted down the Doomsday Clock pretty aggressively this game.
• The new table-setting got a good reaction.
• The last round of the game was pretty tense with the lead changing hands and everyone trying to figure out how to win.
• Flickr page.

Terrain Workshop: Trees 1 Revisit

Over two years ago I started working on making terrestrial-style trees for MFZ Cover/terrain. I'm looping back to that initial post as I had an idea last Friday on how to improve the design I posted the first time around.

As I mentioned in that first post, the problem with the basic design

is that it's seven pieces total.  Which is not evenly divisible by

six, which is the magic number when it comes to building Cover.

While this design fixes that problem, it also requires use of a Reddish-Brown Travis Brick

in the base.  It looks nice but I was never quite happy with the look and parts usage.

This, on the other hand, brings the Round Plates w/3 Leaves off the base and on to the

Small Palm Leaves.  Borrowing from the third design in that first post, it also adds a 1x1

Round Plate under the Inkwell.  This brings the total parts count to twelve which is 2

Hits.  Yes, the small leaves are a different type than the larger ones but I'm okay with that.

If you don't like the Round Plates w/3 Leaves then you could substitute four 1x1 Round Plates w/Flower Edge (5 Petals) instead.  This gives you the chance to add a splash of

color to your trees.  You have to be a bit careful though as if you push the Small Palm

Leaves on too far to the bars the Flower Plates will pop off.  Going back to the last

iteration for a second, you could use some of the non-Green Round Plates w/3 Leaves

which would help to explain away the difference between the small and large leaves.

If you don't like that idea, you could substitute four Apollo Studs

inside the Small Palm Leaves.  This variant gives the leaves

a little clearance away from the trunk of the tree as well.

Here's the usual size comparison.  I hope this helps people with

future tree designs for MFZ: Rapid Attack.  Of course this has given

me a few ideas for tweaking some of my other old tree builds.

Flickr page.

Review: 30651 Harry Potter Quidditch Practice Polybag

Let's get this out of the way first.  I don't support the transphobic views expressed by J.K. Rowling.  They are antithetical to the beliefs of the Mobile Frame Zero community at large.  Trans rights are human rights.

I found this polybag recently in Target in the Toy section on a sidekick.

Bag.  MSRP is $4.99, for a $0.09 Price per Piece.

Instructions.

Minifig.

Parts.  Plates, Quarter Circle Plates, Round Tile w/Hole, Tile 

w/Pin, Round Plate, Jumpers, 1x1 Pyramids, Apollo Studs, 

Bar Studs, Translucent Clear Antenna, and "Golden Snitch". 

Build.  Two Stations.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Below.  (+5)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: +20 (A+).  Enh.  the Gold bits, Pyramids, and Trans-Clear Antenna are the only really interesting things about this set.

Non-Human 36

Here's a picture post for the day.  Happy Friday!

Dinosaur Mech by Nobu Tary.  C'mon.  Look at it.  This is awesome and

a squad of those on the table would draw eyes from miles around.

Mobile Shield Generator by Tenor Penny.

This could work as a Frame or a Station.

ATCW-G3 All Terrain Combat Walker Generation 3 by Klement Elias.  The walker

is too tall but I see ways to shrink it.  I'm really posting it because of the color use.

Thomisid MK II by Smartan 427.  Nice use of Sand Green.  It is

 Minifig scale, so you'll have to shrink it down for a regular game.

Octan Drone OD5 by Devid VII.  Excellent use of color

and some rare parts here.  Disabled downloads though.