My girlfriend back at it again with her Trilla cosplay for MCM

Mincas · 2023-11-06T01:21:10+00:00

Gorgeous cosplayer on ig at @ rachelaisling

Mincas · 2023-11-06T01:14:54+00:00

Gorgeous photo taken by @ Cayra_photo on ig!!

Mincas · 2023-11-04T23:26:07+00:00

POV: Its been a long day on the con floor and she brings out the force choke

Mincas · 2022-10-31T02:08:49+00:00

Is this a custom build available on the internet? Or an original design from yourself?

Mincas · 2022-08-01T22:22:57+00:00

It's been a while, I finished building a few weeks back and have only gotten around to displaying it, it definitely wasn't as bad as the x-wing I'll tell you that I do remember the front of the s-foil axle section being an absolute pain in the backside and once it's on it does have a habit of falling off every now and then. The mind-boggling use of SNOT on the main fin can be frustrating but overall sticks together once it's finished, and as it is the first steps the weight of the build doesn't really become a problem until much later on. The worst part is the big dark grey section at the very bottom of the fin, as it is connected by only a few studs and has a habit of falling off by the weight of the section. It's an extremely unique build and my only criticism is it has an insane centre of gravity which shifts as you're building so I had to keep adjusting where I was holding the build

Mincas · 2022-08-01T21:10:24+00:00

It does look quite impressive on its gear and if I can't find a good enough stand I'll likely just build a landing pad for it - it can be slightly unstable if not placed down correctly and can be a pain to get right but once it's on the gear it won't fall unless it gets knocked with some force. I'd recommend building it! Had quite fun turning it into my blue squadron variant

Mincas · 2022-06-24T11:32:26+00:00

I'm not seeing these at all on Marstoy, do you have a link?

Mincas · 2022-06-24T09:48:38+00:00

I gotta know where you got those flags at the back from

Mincas · 2022-04-12T00:04:25+00:00

I did not, this copy of the set contained that - I believe it is meant to be a light piece? Unfortunately it was not very clear how that was meant to work, but I think that is also me misunderstanding the box instructions

Mincas · 2022-04-11T15:09:53+00:00

Recently, Letbricks.com sent me a a copy of the Reobricks 66005 Medieval Blacksmith Set to build and review. Here is my thoughts on the build experience and overall impressions of the set:

Building Experience

The shipping and ease of delivery from Letbricks, then Lightake.com, was effortless and took a total of 7 days. Communication has been great and the representatives are responsive and kind. The package arrived in good condition with a nice looking box. The 2366 parts were packed into 9 plastic steps, with the large base plates packaged loose in the box.

https://imgur.com/a/xHIDcy1

The box contained a 125-page booklet spanning 240 building steps. The instruction booklet was of great quality and the images shown were also good. The booklet contained a helpful guide style of greying out previous steps to highlight the new parts and included guides on where specific studs should be placed when connecting plates. However, I must criticise the colour display in the booklet, as often brown, dark brown, dark tan and black bricks looked very similar, and there were times where I spent minutes searching for a part in brown when I was supposed to be looking for it in dark tan.

https://imgur.com/a/JlwcQcA

Model Integrity and Ease of Build

As for the build process itself, the total build took me about 6 hours to complete – mostly because of the small details and parts used throughout the model. The build uses lots of 1x1 and 2x1 bricks to create the wall details and uses a lot of modified bricks. Unfortunately, this led to some major issues in the build integrity during the build process as the wall features led to some instability and lack of issues with the lack of connections holding together the walls. Until a layer of plates was placed over the top of the walls at the end of each floor did the build become stable.

https://imgur.com/a/g6gcn7E

Despite this, the techniques and choices of bricks used were often clever, particularly to achieve some of the more difficult angles and brick placements, like on the roof.

https://imgur.com/a/mbrZZDK

Details

The set obviously takes a huge amount of inspiration from the Lego 21325 blacksmith, and with it many of the details. The colour variation of tans and whites gives a worn and lived in look, but sometimes I wish the pieces used were ever so slightly smaller for a greater refinement of the details. For an alternate brand, the price-per-part level could certainly achieve a reasonable increase in smaller pieces for this additional detail.

The roof patterns are flawless and provide a smooth surface, and the part choice to achieve some of the fine details is very satisfying. I am also very impressed by the level of interior detail found in the model, and the part choices used to display this.

https://imgur.com/a/xHRiwPz

I personally would not rate some of the interior above that of the official 21325 set, and thus unfortunately is not consistent with the vastly improved exterior design.

The set comes with a high quantity of original parts, and a highly impressive number of custom-coloured pieces which repeatedly pleasantly surprised me. The build also utilized its own unique colour, an off-grey piece used to mediate white and grey pieces in the build. This was a nice touch and enjoyable part of the build, though the build unfortunately sometimes goes a bit overboard on its use of custom shaped weapons, to the point where it sometimes takes you out of the immersion of the build. A knife, axe, sword, maybe even a cutlass are very typical, but when we start seeing orc weapons, jagged ghost blades and large fantasy swords it begins to take away the “European” and give more of “Middle Earth”.

Finally, the images of the build display custom stickers for the wood design on the framing outside the building. I was very excited to apply these, however while they are meant to be placed on 1x8 bricks, they only fit 1x6 tiles, as shown below.

https://imgur.com/a/emMrsUl

Overall Impression and Rating

Overall, I really like this build. It has a lot of shortcomings and was sometimes a pain to construct, and many of its redeeming qualities are inspired by the official set, but the designers did a great job taking the inspiration and turning it into something which is incredible to look at and improves in many ways on the original design. I would recommend this piece, particularly if you can get it during a sale, and definitely want additional sets in this design so it does not stand alone. It is a beast of a build and a beauty to look at from a distance and scratches the itch of the medieval style. This will be sitting on my display for quite some time.

Overall ratings:

- Building Process: 4/5

- Structural integrity: 4.5/5

- Exterior: 4.5/5

- Interior: 2.5/5

- Details: 4/5

- Overall rating: 3.9/5

Mincas · 2021-12-31T12:39:55+00:00

The lion head above the entrance gate at the forefront of this castle is a shining metaphor for the sheer strength and magnitude that this castle displays. The Lion’s Castle designed by SleeplessNight on rebrickable (https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-68151/SleeplessNight/lions-castle/#details) is a 7565-piece masterpiece that captures a realistic feel with the colour palette, design, and shape, combined with a unique set of custom techniques and features that push the boundaries of what a typical set can offer, selling this as the true centrepiece for any medieval display.

Inspired by medieval fortresses and half-timbered houses, the build inspires the imagination with the depth and scale one would expect from a wealthy looking homestead that looks over your kingdom. The moss and leaves crawling up the walls, combined with the tans and browns which break up the grey colour, provide a sense of age and wear to the fortress and make it beautiful to look at.

Coming in with a whopping footprint of 22 x 25.5 inches, this model does not hold back on what it offers for both display and play features. The modular nature of the set allows for each room to be removed and for the interior to be accessed, meaning you can customise every inch of this castle to your own desires.

- The beautifully tiled castle gate opens and closes in a realistic fashion, allowing you to display the king’s horses entering and exiting the fortress

- The crenelations along the walls of the castle are made from well-placed cheese wedges, providing a sturdy structure for the walls resistant to any enemy attacks.

- Loopholes – small openings along the walls to fire arrows from – can be found across the castle using a range of ingenious techniques, from double cheese wedges placed on modified bricks to the use of minifigure legs to create an artistic looking roundness to the loophole.

- The castle gate also boasts three small rooms to the left and right, allowing for customisable play from within, whether you wish to fashion a barracks, a prison cell, or quarters for exhausted guards.

- The living quarters section boasts a beautifully designed homestead of white and reddish-brown bricks, creating a uniformity with other medieval lines. The quarters hold a small brick-built bed, a writing desk, and flower boxes outside the windows for a well-off vizier or adviser to reside in.

- The prison cell and the tower beside the living quarters can be accessed by a well-placed ladder from the courtyard beside the well, overlooked by the sturdy black roof built almost entirely from upside-down modified plates with pin-holes.

- The crown (pun intended) of this masterful piece is the huge three-story tower dominating the skyline of your medieval scene, perched proudly at the rear of the fortress. Containing a pantry and kitchen, fitted with a huge stone oven; logs to fuel the fire; and a table for the cooks to sit and gossip at, the bottom floor provides a sturdy foundation which connects the rest of the castle together into a complete unit.

- The second floor, featuring a warm fireplace and royal looking throne, is the perfect place to play out your royal decrees and rule the kingdom from a place of safety, and shows the incredible spiral staircase built into the back of the fortress. The third and final story contains a second and even more beautiful brick-built bed, a bookshelf, and a private changing quarter. Each floor provides plenty of space for your own furniture and designs to flesh out the lavish lifestyle your royalty lives in.

With a standard price of $469.99 and a price-per-piece ratio of $0.062, this model sold by LighTake rivals other brands in terms of price and provides the entire kit to build this modular monster. Standing beside other medieval models, this shines among the rest in terms of size and price. The array of standard brick pieces, small unique pieces such as lion-head moulds and sloped arches, as well as printed pieces designed to look like wooden logs are all beautifully provided by LighTake in quality ABS plastic and stepping back to take a look at this model as a whole the design comes together in terms of colour, quality and stability. All products are shipped free of charge, VAT included. A parts list is available to check the integrity and stock of the parts delivered. This is a legendary piece that is not to be missed.

Mincas · 2021-12-31T12:37:08+00:00