MOC: Dragon Dance

 Here's another of my contest entries from Model Expo 2016! And, on top of that, this was a winning entry on the city happening category! I got 45 points (LUG member voting). The second got 16 points so it seems that victory was clearly my destiny, as Meta Knight would put it.

The original entry had a different base. The size of the entry had to be 32x32 studs (this one is a bit longer and narrower and I displayed it on black SNOT road module, just next to my modular houses (coming to this blog very very soon). It was on the edge of our modular collaborative city (600x 32x32, no baseplates!) so it was well visible to the audiences.

I have no idea why I built this group of Chinese new year celebrators with their paper dragon. Of course those Chinese dragons are cool, and somehow I wanted to blend some Bionicle stuff on my minifig-scale SYSTEM display (which was so heavy I could take any character builds with me. 1000 km by train). I actually had built the road module for the happening entry before knowing what to build. Ideas included street theatre, tapirs on the loose (but there already was a cattle on the loose -themed entry) and movie filming setting, but I ended up winning with an oriental dragon; I don't complain.

I began building our papery salmon-snake by selecting some cool odd dragon pieces. Medium orange elephant tails were natural choice for whiskers, and I had had urge to use those Chima ultrabuild wings - very beautifully shaped pieces - for something since I got few in probably February. I went with a design reminding of Pokemon Gyarados; Though I think my dragon is a bit manlier (tougher moustache). This doesn't have any legs, but has couple of fins instead. I'm also rather happy with the central body using Bionicle ankle guards on rigid tube to create scale-like effect.

Designing minifigures for the parade was fun. I haven't posted that much minifig barfs lately, but believe me, I've been doing some combos now and then. Most of pieces are from Ninjago or Orient Expedition (excellent Adventurers subtheme - I collected every set as a 9-year-old). Of course there are some bits from collectable minifigs and various sources, too.

I was wondering what sort of accessories they have in Chinese dragon dace parades, and ended up with four paper-lamps built around Mistika air pumps. I've used them before on my Shanghai K8000 vignette, an another Palikkatakomo contest entry from 2013. This time those aren't light up, though. They connect nice and firmly to Bohrok eyes.

My victory earned me 31038 Changing Seasons, but also, and more importantly, a glorious DUBLO snail trophy. Tops!

-Eero