Season 4 – Round 7: Of Pointy Things and Puns Galore
Looking back at Round 7 of Iron Builder Season 4 – from November 2015.
Originally hosted in the Iron Builder Group on flickr.
Looking back at Round 7 of Iron Builder Season 4 – from November 2015.
Originally hosted in the Iron Builder Group on flickr.
Who will take home the crown?
Our defending Iron Builder Champion Jimmy Fortel or our challenger David Hensel?
This round’s seed part is the Minifigure, Weapon Sword, Foil in flat silver!
Pick up your swords gentlemen and prepare for the duel! The round will end in 3 weeks on 12/22, but it will be no less intense.
Who will take it home? Whose builds reign supreme?
Only one way to find out! ALLEZ BRICK!
First Blood!!!!!
Turn on your TV my friends, cause the showdown is about to start! 😀
It would seam I failed to draw first blood…
Maybe I’ll try inject something instead 😉
Stop watching silly TV shows and get building Jimmy!
The IB is the only show my satellite is broadcasting. Game on my friend 😀
(oki satellite build is out of the way :P)
I’m sending over a little robotspider to hook you up with some new channels bro!
And if he can’t do that, watch out cause he stings!
Your spider is creepy and dark so why don’t you let me light it up a bit 😛
You’re searching for the light?
Well the only lights you’ll see is the ones from explosions cause it’s WAR!!! 😛
The only good war is Starwars! or even better, really tiny cute Starwars!
That X-wing is a bit small, maybe you should pump some air into it to make it bigger 😛
This is my IB island and I plan to to fight to the death to keep it!! “Arrghh Sacre bleu!!”
Doesn’t look like there’s much to do on that island… once you’ve finished pumping up your floats (and maybe your leg) why don’t you come ashore and join me for a game?
I have a stingy game for you, it’s called “get inside!” 😛
To be perfectly honest, you game doesn’t look very fun… how about some music we can both enjoy?
Here, let me give you the rhythm:
“One, two….one, two, three, four!!!”
You’re a bit off bro, would you like to borrow this?
Your efforts are pointless Jimmy! Circular even, no points whatsoever 😉
My compass on the other hand is very pointy…
No efforts on my side, this round is like a walk in the park for me 😛 oh and look what I picked up for you in the park, a RED flower cause RED is what you’re gonna see!!! 😀
It’s a fantastic view from up here… But I’m seeing blues and greens, not much red mate!
Well I’m sure you can see me from up there since I tend to stand out in the crowd 😛
You can’t have a break when you’re in the middle of a battle 😛
Just a tiny build for the fun of it!! 😀
Judging by the old metronome you’re using, I bet you still use one of those:
Sorry mate, trust me my break wasn’t spent lazing around, I went and applied for jobs, and had the first of many end of year Christmas shindigs :p Here’s a tiny build back at ya! quick entry for my lug event tomorrow.
Well since you have long bushy hair just like me, you might need a good hairbrush to groom yourself before applying for jobs 😉
Just a little build for celebrating the birthday of my good friend Pistash 🙂
That’s a swell looking cake Jimmy 😀
This cute little guy wants a slice!
Ya well this guy wants more than just a slice, he wants the whole enchilada. LOL 😛
Too many builds, the circuit burned out, I gotta repair it 😛
I just got a new microchip, so far my circuit board is holding out, maybe you should consider an upgrade?
Enjoying the ride Jimmy?
I’ll enjoy even more after my Christmas Dalek as eliminated you 😛
I thought you saw the light already, this is a friendly match, no need for exterminations…
do you need a reminder?
I see what you mean but I know that you want my throne and I’m gonna fight to keep it 😛
Whoever designs your furniture seriously needs to think of something new, first a spiky cupboard, now a spiky chair… not that I can talk I guess, most of my music gear is apparently outdated –
Here is a more modern and friendly interior. GOT TP? 😛
I’ve got a back up plan in case things go south 😛
Come on David, lets play a bit! 😀
I’ll just get a little cocktail while I wait for your return my friend 😉
Just a little bonus build 😀
Sorry for my lack of opposition Jimmy, busy time of the year :s I’ll get back home to building tomorrow afternoon, I guess time is a luxury not everyone can spare 😉
Well I don’t have all the time in world either, I’m trying my best to build whenever I can 😉 It is frentic that’s for sure, look at my cat’s face when he sees me building like a crazy man 😀
Crazy man? we’ve been building like machines!
do your joints need a spot of oil yet?
Nope!!! My body doesn’t feel any pain!! 😀
Here’s a painless build for ya Jimmy 😉
Ya well I got something more fun than chemestry 😛 , a FAIR!!!
Note: Unfortunately this creation was deleted by David.
Don’t you like bumper cars??? 😛
There has been an awakening Jimmy, have you felt it?
Here is something that will wake you up for sure 😀
Awesome, you need to be awake and alert when you’re around this guy :p
I’m not going to stick around this guy, I’m going up in the air in that bi plane 😉
Can that thing still fly? looks old, my old thing is older though!
if it can’t, forget the air, you might be joining this guy down in the ground ;P
Sorry no smalk on this one, just a bonus build for fun 😉
Ok back to smalk 😛
Well my plane still runs like a charm and while up in the air, I made a new buddy:
While your mind is focused on petty things like birds nests, I’m occupying myself with something a bit more intellectually challenging 😉
Well I’m a hipster, what can I say. Check out my clothes 😀
(another bonus build 😉 )
Only a day or two to go, gotta keep on chugging away :p
Well it’s gonna be checkmate for one of us pretty soon 😛
Soon we will be able to spend some zen time 😉
I prefer to relax with a good cup of coffee actually :p
Feel free to join me!
I was gonna hang with Robin Foil but he is such a fraud so I think I might join you for a cup of coffee 😀
send him to space, that outta sort out whatever problems you have with him.
Liftoff!
Carefull my friend, I smell a trap 😛
I found the light buddy!!! It all happened in that secret shrine 😉
There are lots of butterflies like this one 😛
I’m coocoo for foil part!!! nah just kidding 😛
You keep posting your funny little coocoo builds, I’m done :p
Here’s my Grand Finale, hope you all enjoyed the show!
What can I say bud, I got the IB under my skin 😀
Legonardo Davidy:
Building skill: 18/20
Presentation: 17/20
Use of mystery part: 15/20
Total: 50/60
6kyubi6
Building skill: 16/20
Presentation: 16/20
Use of mystery part: 16/20
Total: 48/60
I really thought David did a nice job with keeping the element easily identifiable in his MOCs. I particularly like how the part is highlighted in the metronome. The silver foil against the warm browns of the metronome really make them pop. Similarly, the foil is an integral part of the compass and an obvious choice of build for that part - so simple, it's genius. His Enigma machine also was a very clever use of the foil, in repetition, to keep it a visible part of the MOC. It worked very well, and probably just as well as the strings in the grand piano. Again, very clever.
I found Jimmy's builds to be more subtle with the foil pieces, which I really appreciated. Most of his builds incorporated the part without blatantly saying, "I build this because I had these foils." A great example of this was the sewing machine. It is a beautiful MOC and the use of the foil is inspired. Another example is the voodoo doll. The foils are a necessity within the overall MOC, but they are a subtle addition to make the entire MOC cohesive. Great work there. I also liked the hairbrush for its inspired simplicity, and the swami on the bed of nails. He truly looks as though he is in no pain. Well done.
This Iron Builder round had a seed part that I didn't find particularly stimulating; upon seeing it my mind tossed out a half dozen or so ideas that could be the crux of a decent build, and that was that. My foil-aversion made the contestants' brilliant and well-executed entries all the more of a pleasure to pore over, and I am still surprised by many of the uses in both Jimmy and David's builds. However, I am extremely disappointed that neither of the contestants created a fencing scene. Something that awesome would have made me a completely incompetent judge and blinded me to the contestants' flaws, earning them both perfect 60/60 scores. Oh well.
Before you get too far in, I'll apologize in advance for the abnormally long judge's comments. I could blame them on myself, but I'll choose to blame them on a particularly build-dense competition that requires extra analysis. Here are the scores for all you TL;DR'ers:
6kyubi6:
Building skill: 20/20
Presentation: 20/20
Use of mystery part: 18/20
Total: 58/60
Legonardo Davidy:
Building skill: 20/20
Presentation: 19.5/20
Use of mystery part: 19/20
Total: 58.5/60
Comments for 6kyubi6:
The sheer volume of builds that you made during this relatively short round puts you at an average of nearly two builds per day, and considering the high quality of each build, that's incredibly impressive. However, there was a concession in some ways considering build complexity and composition, which fluctuated but, notably, did not decline over time. On the other hand, though many of your integrations of the foil were perfect, toward the latter end of the competition many of them seemed unnecessary or redundant. As for presentation, it was almost consistently perfect. Some peaks and troughs:
Ceci n'est pas une ampoule is so realistic I initially was unsure if it was brickbuilt. Even now, it only takes the slightest crossing of the eyes to turn one sharp plastic lightbulb into two blurry real ones. Skill, usage, and presentation would all have scores of 21/20 if that were possible.
One, two....one, two, three, four!!! is unmistakably you. Presentation is perfect, the part is used in various ways, and it's all built rather well. Even though the drummer doesn't actually incorporate any foils into his person, which probably wouldn't make sense, he fits right in without overshadowing the seed part.
Lets play arcades! has arguably the highest volume of different seed part uses and is a huge pleasure to study. The hockey pucks are probably the most perfect use of the foil in this entire round, and the other two games are in no way lacking with a pinball spring mechanism and joystick using the same short lengths of foil tip, but taking very different forms of motion in context. Having them all grouped together with no happy kids crowded around seems odd, but the space invaders background redeems you.
Checkmate!, Monarch Butterfly, Geisha, and Tex Avery all seem like the seed part inclusion was an afterthought. The chess scenario might have worked better if the chess pieces had been more foil-centric, but the seed part is used as ornamentation. The butterfly looks like it lost its antennae and got expensive prosthetics that also pick up FM radio; the disparity between colors just doesn't work. In addition, it's one of your less impressive entries buildwise, though the Bionicle integration for the abdomen is a great touch. The foils used in the geisha fit in more, but the use is somewhat redundant, as the foils were already used as needles/spikes in Fakir (which is an excellent build, by the way). Lastly, Tex Avery looks more like an entry for an Iron Builder round featuring magenta balloon segments (can that be a thing, please?).
Comments for Legonardo Davidy:
Though your building rate relative to your opponent's was much slower, it's still remarkable; over one per day. Looking at all of your builds, however, I come to the conclusion that you decided to build on the principle of quality over quantity; almost all of your builds contain a higher degree of detail and structural complexity than Jimmy's. Your use of the seed part was not necessarily superior in general, but you had fewer trough builds where it seemed out of place or redundant. Lastly, though presentation was mostly top-notch, there were a few builds that seemed underwhelmingly packaged, so to speak. Again, here's some highlights and weak spots:
Meorw! is simply fantastic. It achieves a great atmosphere with the background props, the piece is at home as Gary's eye stalks, and it's all solidly built, of course.
Building Blocks of Building Blocks is truly inspired, and contrasts nicely with your more complex models by being delightfully minimalistic. It's poetic, relevant, witty, cool, nerdy, and altogether my favorite build from you during this competition.
Concert Grand is made more impressive by the fact that you made it at the end of the competition (or did you save it for last...sneaky dacidiciter) when it seemed like everything you could do with a foil (except fence) had been done. Yet it contains a new range of uses, from the obvious and ingenious piano strings to the wheeled feet and pedals. A perfect finish.
RC car is probably your weakest build. The seed part is not really integral, and the build itself is not poorly built in any way, but neither is it particularly interesting. Presentation is misdone; it would have made more sense to display it with a natural backdrop if it was a working RC car, besides being more interesting as a kinetic model. As it is, it would be better suited to a brickbuilt terrain (I still have to give you credit for the ABS batteries though... heh).
Teeny Tiny Cho Cho! and Microscale is fun! have a lot of untapped potential; their presentation is sorely lacking. The train could have benefited from a generous smattering of microscale trees and a more natural terrain for a full scene. I imagine it passing through the forest, which you have liberally applied speed blur to, to show just how fast the train is going. But alas. The chapel, on the other hand, suffers mightily from its black rectangle base and would have been better off with its own more landscaped patch of microscale trees, or perhaps a city block surrounding it, or a tiny town nearby. With a title like “Microscale is fun!” you need to deliver a bit more.
The Venus Piranha Flytrap and Iron Microchip both have different reasons they don't really work. A microchip was a ripe opportunity for this part to be used, as Jimmy did considerably better. Yours seems to be a little cluttered and might not be recognizable if it weren't for the green board. The flytrap just doesn't make sense; the colors are off. If you had tried to go for something more absurd, like a piranha-flytrap hybrid swimming around, or a cyborg flytrap, it wouldn't seem so out of place.
Legonardo Davidy:
Building skill: 19/20
Presentation: 18/20
Use of mystery part: 18/20
Total: 55/60
6kyubi6
Building skill: 19/20
Presentation: 19/20
Use of mystery part: 18/20
Total: 56/60
Comments from judge for Legonardo Davidy:
Great job using a difficult piece. I am amazed at how many things you were able to build with the piece. My favorite builds from this round are yours. The Enigma machine, Molecules, Amp, Darts all are incredible builds. However, overall I saw a lot of repeated use of the par as a needle. I also felt that the presentation of the mystery piece in some of the builds was a bit lacking and not easy to identify the piece quickly.
Comments from judge for 6kyubi6:
You really did an incredible job of using the part in a wide variety of ways. It can't be easy to find new ways of using a thin gray stick. Like David, I felt like there was a little overuse of the part as a needle. This was a really difficult round to judge because it was so evenly matched. What made the difference for me was presentation. You were able to more clearly highlight the mystery piece in your photos and builds.
Building Skill:
Presentation:
Use of Mystery Part:
David
David
Jimmy
Building Skill:
Presentation:
Use of Mystery Part:
David
Jimmy
David
Building Skill:
Presentation:
Use of Mystery Part:
Tie
Jimmy
Tie