Onnar Rambrow

 

 Here's a dwarf, a character build for another classic Cyclopic Bricks theme. This dwarf is not based on anything particular. I just wanted to build one - old habits die hard time. This was completed maybe in December or something, and photographed couple of months ago, too. I've been kept rather busy (LUG exhibit last weekend and the last weeks of the semester) so I haven't been able to post anything. I've build a lot though, I have at least 7 completed MOCs right now, three of them photographed and everything.

This dwarf began with the face. I wasn't always going to be a dwarf actually, and looked quite a bit like Rasputin. I wanted to use new-ish bar-on-1x1 round plate pieces to make a big, droopy moustache, and the car fender had an interesting pattern for a beard. The eyebrows are slightly over the eye holes, which gives the character some emotion and grumpiness; similar design in used in some of my creations using a handlebar piece, but you can't always stuck on old solutions, right? These rounded parts used here can be adjusted a bit, which is a nice bonus.

So, after having the face around for couple of times, I ended up building the dwarf. There are some Iron Hill dwarves influences here, from the third Hobbit movie. Weta built some excellent suits of armour to the film, with bronze and brown details, but the CGI-heavy battle scenes are just grey and dull, and they don't really stand out in there. This isn't an exact copy, I made everything up as I went on, but influences are real.

There are couple of piece uses that inspired the build. I have plenty of those gold short chains from LUGBULK and hadn't used them as chain mail suit until this; I've used the black ones and grey ones a lot. Gold isn't good armour material, as it's heavy and soft, But maybe it's just a gold finish or it's a ceremonial armour or it's a brick build of fantasy species based on how good it looks, or probably all of them. Another pieces were those Bonkle masks of controls (had to look this up, my Gen 2 lore knowledge is feeble). Someone said back when they were released that they look bit like a grumpy dwarves, and while I think the lack something on the moustache department, they definitely are grumpy, well shaped and a little bit creepy on the ceremonial armour; this isn't your ordinary lawn instrument, and no merry hi-ho-songs this time. Stand next to him and feel you're being watched.

While there's lot of bright pearl gold here, the secondary colours are simple brown and grey. I usually prefer brighter shades, and even might complain that builders use too much grey, but here it felt fitting. The gold was vibrant enough, and pragmatic colours gave it a nice contrast while still fitting the grumpy feel of the character. Dark bley is also easily associated with metal armour, while the brown on trousers and gloves naturally represents leather. I'm particularly happy with the riveted belt pattern made with 1x2 grilled cheese slopes.

The crest of the helmet features a dragon, with some oriental influence on its moustache (two moustaches on this build). Dragons are traditionally seen as the enemies of dwarves, so probably it's a bit controversial. It might of course be mockery, like Dragon-helm of Dor-Lomin in Children of Húrin, a breathtaking tale from Tolkien's Silmarillion.

As a side note on this, only three pictures as the poseability is very limited. The next post will have about 50. This build is on display on local LEGO vendor Pii Poo's store on central Helsinki, with Undis and the dragon from Gale Serpent Arises.

-Eero.