MOC: Alina

 Here's a MOC that have been on the building table for quite a some time. As you can see, it's another steampunk lady, this time in remarkably large size, standing 42 cm tall, not counting the base. The MOC can stand without the stand, but it makes posing very challenging.

Origins of this MOC have nothing too interesting. I wanted to use some costume ideas I hadn't used with my previous steampunk girls. I began with the legs, as usually with female models. The lower legs are very similar to Samus's, with those beautiful Chima printed armors as kneeguards. The upper legs don't surprisingly use Rahkshi back guards, as I wanted to show some bare skin there. I also used tan as the skin color. It's harder to use than tan due to limited part array, but looks a lot more natural. I'm very happy with the legs overall.

The skirt was hard. It's more rigid than intended, but it looks quite good in my opinion, and makes the MOC sturdier. It uses one of those net pieces as the frame, and long brown plates are connected to it using 1x1 round plates. Dark brown 1x2 plates add some detail, and the front has shorter and more mobile skirt.

The upper body is actually connected via one stud connected to a pin hole, but it is surprisingly sturdy and rarely falls off.

The dark red corset it similar in design to Alice Nautia's, but of course a lot bigger. The upper torso is pretty basic stuff, but I'm happy with the color blocking there. The arms are very similar to Qwena's, with a bit shorter sleeves and lower arm guards. The tan bits balance the color scheme.

The head was challenging. The head is always challenging. I wanted to make a bit more detailed face than in the most of my steampunk ladies, but it's very hard to build realistic faces that are not humorous. I simply took different shaped tan bits and fiddled around with them. I build another version with goggles earlier, but it was too tapering and tall. This one uses old good batarang eyelashes, but the head it a bit more shaped in general than before. The hat was originally sort of a pie hat, but turned into a cap because the ponytail blocked the back trim.

The photographing was hard as I haven't seen the sun for around two weeks. It's quite dark even in the midday this north, so I had Alina finished on table for a couple of weeks. Today I just went out and took the photos, and the light was somewhat enough. I have currently some new stuff to post already photographed, so I believe I can post stuff a bit more often than during this November (Three MOCs).

-Pate-keetongu

MOC: Abzumo

Sorry for my absence - I have been sort of a busy. I did a trip to Amsterdam last weekend, good-looking city but the holiday didn't go that well: Our hotel was a disaster and KML had overbooked our flights so I was left on the airport with my father; We however got 400€ cash and tickets for the next flight, so I can live with it, but honestly waiting 8 hours for the next flight at the airport wasn't such fun. Luckily I had bough a few Discworld books, Good Omens and the volume II of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Good bookshops in that city, but not much else in terms of shopping, and the food was expensive. Hint: Pick Prague or Berlin instead.

And yessss, the MOC. You might have guessed that this is built for Battle for the Golden Mask contest, and boy you are right. This entry is probably more serious than the last one, Captain Notfun, which turned out to be surprisingly popular. Well, we'll see at the voting.

Like Notfun, Abzumo is a character from Klaanon. He is evil, in chaotic evil category. Basic stuff really: Torturing prisoners, talking with lot of ssss, god complex, killing own men and so on. Abzumo is a Makuta, old buddy of probably good Makuta Manfred (Makuta Nui; a bit of god complex here too), and they created the Nazorak species together, as creating species is things that Makutas (I use plural form if I want!) use to do.

Build-wise there were a few challenges, but the building process was fairly painless. Purple is always a hard color to work with. I never liked dark purple, but old good Nui-Jaga purple is always cool-looking; It's so vibrant. I put a bit of dark blue around for balancing, while black is the second main color.

In Klaanon story Abzumo wears Kanohi Avsa, Vamprah's mask, but I was never going to use it on Abzumo. There are several reasons, and the most important is that I don't even own one. Plus it doesn't look like Abzumo, who should have demonic grin of sharp teeth, so I built the mask. The design is based on idea I used on Gambrodon terror reptile over a year earlier and got the second place on EB's Hero Factory contest. I added some color, moved the eyes forward to make it look more human and added two more teeth on the upper jaw. I think the head is the best part of the MOC.

Wing crown on the back done using Shadow Matoran wings (I like those pieces) was there form the start, and I quite like how the bat wings rise among them. The basic body shape turned out a bit more hunched that I though. In other hand Abzumo should be a bit more grandiose ruler-like figure, but I simply couldn't imagine normal legs on him, or on Makuta in general, so Abzumo became somewhat goblin-like monster. I have confess that I never imagine Makuta's legs when I'm reading about them. Odd thing if you think it like that.  

-Pate-keetongu

MOC: Captain Notfun

 Yarr. This is Captain Notfun, probably the most unlucky and eccentric of all the pirates of the Silver Sea. Well, the captain part is a bit controversial, as he has lost his ship (Floating Plank/Timo of the Night(`/Timo of the Night II) and crew (stolen by the brooding bounty hunter Amazua). But he has the hat, a peg leg, an artificial hand (not a hook though) and he loves rum (which usually is gone too).

And yep. Captain Notfun is my first entry for Battle for the Golden Masks contest around the Internet. You know, build a villain they said. Piratism is evil, despite Notfun usually co-operating with the good guys on the Klaanon story... There is lots of entries on the contest so far, some great, some twisted, but few with humorous attitude.

As the MOC Notfun is simple, but offered some challenges. I needed enough pirate-stuff to make Notfun yarrr enough. The peg leg and the mechanical hand were described on the story (around three years ago, by the way), as well as the light stone connected to the Maxilos mask (though is might have been a LED light at some point). I added the leather jacket and the pirate-neck thing, and built a flintlock and a pirate hat; connecting it wasn't that easy, but T-bar saved the day, as usual. The dagger is probably my favourite part of the MOC; I actually photographed Notfun and came up with the Genie lamp idea afterwards and had to take new photos a week later.

-Pate-keetongu