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The claws and mandibles are fantastic. They are long, thin, and bony, giving him a good eerie feel. The torso uses the original Carapar's pieces to create a crab shell like armor, which isn't very original, but it is well executed. I also like the color scheme, particularly how well balanced the tan claws, mandibles, and toes are. But the feet, IMO, are one the best parts of the MOC; the Carapar armor piece with the Onua claws just fit together so beautifully, and the claw-toes add a creepy feel that really gives the finishing touch to this creature of the Pit.

That's a very awesome project. The resemblance between the original images of Metru-Nui are fantastic. And I love how some of the chute systems for each Metru sort of reflect the personality of the region; Ko-Metru, for example, has a straightforward, efficient design. I think there could be a few more chutes filling in that region, but the linear no-nonsense pathways of the chutes are spot on. I also think that Le-Metru should have more chutes curving around, like Ta-Metru or Ga-Metru, in a twisting jungle-like pattern, and covering more of the Metru. But that would probably mean deviating from the original images of Metru-Nui a bit. I agree that marking some stations on the map would be neat, even if it's only a few landmarks from the story.

I've got the book, but I don't think I'll be able to make any scans for another week. Hopefully someone else can get some pictures sooner, but otherwise I can make them for you eventually.

Well, I'd say it's a good thing that this big company is now trying.

Since I have no knowledge on the subject, would you provide your sources? I'm not saying you're necessarily incorrect, but that's still a big claim. From my point of view, since LEGO is building a manufacturing plant in China and already has a headquarters there, it would be in China's favor to enforce TLG's copyrights. Why support some cheap knockoffs over a worldwide company investing quite a bit of business into their country?

It's not as if the OoMN needed the Olmak while Brutaka was stationed on Voya-Nui. They had other means to get around; mainly Botar, who also couldn't have his power stolen from him. Isolating Brutaka on Voya-Nui would have helped prevent anyone from attempting to steal the Olmak while keeping it in a useful place. Why they let him keep the mask in the Pit is indeed more confusing. Perhaps there were safeguards that prevented the use of powers? The Pit held many dangerous criminals; I think there were some mechanisms to help keep their strength suppressed, though I can't remember exactly.

Vorahk1Panrahk2, notice how he said individual [event] medals, not total medals, the latter of which Phelps definitely owns the undisputed record for.

Teridax wanted the false Nuhrii prophecies to be found and believed, so it makes sense to put them in the Great Temple. I think he would also have taken pleasure in defiling the Great Temple with false prophecies. I guess it depends on what exactly Teridax thought he might end up needing Keetongu for. If he wanted it to be hard for someone to find Keetongu, then putting the directions in the Great Temple would be a poor choice, since that's the first place the Rahaga and Hordika thought to look. But he may very well have deliberately made it easy to find Keetongu, in case someone else needed to find him in an emergency, and therefore Teridax thought it was worth using the Great Temple to hide his instructions.

Makes sense, though I don't think Teridax necessarily has to be the one who hid Keetongu. You could say the Order of Mata Nui decided to hide him in the safest place they could find: Metru-Nui, the island farthest from the southern islands. While perhaps less interesting, I am disinclined to think that Teridax would put the instructions to find Keetongu in the Great Temple. Because the Makuta were jealous of the Matoran worshiping Mata-Nui (and such dedication being perfectly exemplified by the Great Temple), I can't imagine it's a place Teridax is fond of.

I would guess that it's more along the lines of "hey, due to the lack of popularity of some forums, let's give the staff who moderate them the ability to help out elsewhere." But, this change probably can't be pinned down to just one reason.

Nothing really strikes me in this poll, but I went for #7, which has a couple nifty design aspects and looks passable for a G1 titan.

The Manas seems to have the G1 feel mainly because of the inherent general structure of a Manas, with the treads and mechanical arms. I feel like that should work against it, because it relies on that inherent design rather than any creativity or innovation to fulfill the G1-style criteria. But it is such a good MOC that I still voted for it.

#6 has a good G1 feel, in both the design and beach vibe.

The Empress is now one step closer towards domination! Her BBC staff are likely preparing for battle with their new powers as we speak!

I was just re-reading the main post and noticed this. Is this new or did I just miss it in previous contests? Either way, it's a pretty neat way to encourage voting.

I want to have the will to refuse your legendary kindness, but oh man the temptation is just too great. If I may humbly ask for a large 2014 shirt?

It's amazing watching characters get brought to life like that. I wish I had the skill.

Hmm...

Of course it's about the company. But if I buy a product for functional purposes only--say, for example, a pencil--I'm not going to notice if it works perfectly., because that's what I expect it to do. Really, I'll only notice if the quality if it isn't good. If that pencil I bought is working great, I'm not going to write a review saying how amazing the company is. Now, say that I had a fantastic experience buying the pencil, with good customer service and help finding the one color I wanted. That's what this list is looking more at. But still, it's a pencil. Like a watch, I see it as a functional item. It seems hard for a company to be able to generate a high volume of positive reviews for something that, again, doesn't really seem noticeable unless it doesn't work. It just must take a lot of good customer service reviews to get up there in the rankings. I'm not saying that the rank isn't deserved; just surprising.

Member titles, or ranks, are determined by your post count, and will change after you reach different intervals. Some members have custom titles, which are usually granted by staff as a reward for something, such as sending MOCs to conventions or winning a contest. EDIT: here is the topic for the 2016 convention circuit. Under "perks", you get the reward of a custom member title if you have MOCs at three or more conventions. As far as I know, this is the only sure way to get a custom rank.

I'm not saying that it's unbelievable or that Rolex's products aren't top notch. Yes, others might be surprised by TLG's presence on the list. But as you said, lots of toys are disposable--which you would expect to drive up satisfaction of endurable LEGO bricks. It's just there doesn't seem to be much of a precedence for watches. I'm not particularly excited if my watch is working great. Why should I? I expect it to work. I guess some people might really enjoy having a really nice looking or shiny watch.

Not surprising that LEGO was in the top 10, but I was rather interested in the companies ranked ahead of it. Google and Disney are to be expected, though I had to do a double take and look up Rolex and Daimler to verify that they were what I thought they just were. Kind of surprising that a watch maker got the top spot.

And here I thought this blog entry was going to be about something else entirely...

This. Or alter your computer's settings to have the monitor automatically turn off sooner. And before you say that something is preventing you from closing the lid of your laptop, or that you have no such settings: then just throw a towel on top of your laptop. Or turn it away from your bed. Physically cover it up or something.

I heard about this a few years ago and forgot about it. Wasn't (and I'm still not) sure that they were going to follow through with the project. Are you referring to better safety regulations and protocols, or the fact that there would 24/7 news coverage and surveillance, and probably a small rescue fleet standing by?