Showing posts with label contest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label contest. Show all posts

Friday, March 18, 2011

UD Minifig Design Battle - Samurai Sho(w)down Winner


Congratulations go out to Burakki for winning the February UD Minfig Design Battle! The challenge was to select a character from the video game 'Samurai Shodown/Samurai Spirits', and craft a minifigure in it's likeness. Burakki opted for Oboro's Amazon as her subject.

Burakki will be receiving a gift card to FireStar Toys worth £25 which can be used on a wide variety of LEGO brand products, custom minifigures, or custom accessories.

I encourage everyone to check out all of the entries by visiting the UD Minfigure Design Battle page.

The Emperor is challenging all designers with this month's theme - 'Oh My Goddess...' The brief and details of the contest can be found at the UD Minfigure Design Battle page.

Congratulations once again to Burakki and my thanks to everyone who participated this month.

To those who are about to design, we of the Minifig Nation salute you!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

March UD Minifig Design Brief - Oh My Goddess...


Three design battles have come to pass. The Emperor of Minifig Nation would like to know if you have the mettle for his next challenge...

The fourth minifig design battle has begun. The theme of this month’s challenge is...

“Oh My Goddess...”

The challenge is simple - you must depict a minifigure as a female diety with power beyond those of mortal...um...women. You may choose a goddess from an existing mythological pantheon such as Athena or Kali.

You may also ‘freestyle’ on this challenge. You can derive your own ‘goddess of war’ or ‘technology’ or ‘wisdom’; however, the figure you design and create must clearly emanate ‘godliness’ - no mortals need apply.

- You must depict the goddess as the main element of your design.
- This is a ‘goddess’ challenge so the minifigure must be a woman or female.
- You must state in the body of your entry who your character is supposed to represent (i.e. “Athena”) or what your ‘freestyle’ creation is the goddess of.
- The goddess should be a LEGO minifigure.

A couple of additional design ‘rules’ if you don’t want your entry disqualified...Although goddesses often don’t feel the need for clothing, yours should. The fact is we deal with a medium that is also a child’s toy so keep it clean. Also keep any depictions of gore or violence to a minimum - see the ‘Rules and Guidelines’ on the Flickr group page.

If you choose an existing female deity for your design, treat it with respect. We all have our own beliefs and this is a group of inclusion. Any entries that are blatantly putting down another religion through their design will be disqualified and their image removed from the pool. You will also be disqualified from further contests.

Other elements that will be looked upon favorably but are entirely optional include lighting, presentation, posing, and photography/digital effects. Do remember that the figures should be the primary focus of the composition and should not be overwhelmed by other design elements.

Although this is not a ‘customization-only’ contest, you may find many of the tutorials we’ve collected on the site to be helpful. There are also tutorials on photography, presentation, and digital effects.

Entries must be submitted to the UD Minifigure Design Battle Arena group on Flickr before 12:01 am EST April 16th, 2011. Entries submitted after this time will not be considered eligible. Remember to read the ‘Rules and Guidelines’ thread before submitting your entry.

This month’s winning prize is sponsored by FireStar Toys, where the victor will receive a gift card to FireStar worth £25 (approximately $40 USD**) which can be used on a wide variety of LEGO brand products, custom minifigures, or custom accessories from companies like BrickArms, Tiny Tactical, Si-Dan Toys, or Amazing Armory Ltd., to name a few. You can start planning on how to spend your winnings by visiting FireStar Toys today.

Questions about this contest or the rules should be submitted to Cygnet at uglyduck.bricklink@gmail.com.

To those who are about to design, we of the Minifig Nation salute you. Good luck!

*Please read the contest ‘Rules and Guidelines’ thread regarding views on depicting violence and other topics of a potentially serious nature.
**Exact value in US Dollars is dependent on the currency exchange rates at that time.

Brilliant Bootstrap Bill Turner


I'm blown away by Jared's (AKA DirkNagel) entry for the Pirates of the Caribbean custom minifig category of the Jolly Roger 2 contest, Bootstrap Bill Turner. I love the look of the barnacles and sea stars in this design, especially when you take a step back and appreciate the scale at which these details were created!

I'm expecting 'big things' from Jared in the future. You can check out more of his work, including his 'Union Against Infected' zombie stompers, on his Flickr stream. You can also see the other entries to the Jolly Roger 2 Contest at ForbiddenCove.com.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Reminder: Samurai Sho(w)down Deadline


This month has been a little unique and as a result I've not been able to send out as many reminders about this month's UD Minifigure Design Battle Challenge - 'Samurai Sho(w)down'.

Hopefully, you've all been working on your designs this month. Entries must be submitted to the UD Minifigure Design Battle Arena group on Flickr before 12:01 am EST March 16th, 2011. If this is the first you are hearing of the contest, then you can check out the design brief and start finalizing that entry today!

This month’s winning prize is sponsored by FireStar Toys, where the victor will receive a gift card to FireStar worth £25 (approximately $40 USD*) which can be used on a wide variety of LEGO brand products, custom minifigures, or custom accessories from companies like BrickArms, Tiny Tactical, Si-Dan Toys, or Amazing Armory Ltd., to name a few. You can start planning on how to spend your winnings by visiting FireStar Toys today.

Questions about this contest or the rules should be submitted to Cygnet at uglyduck.bricklink@gmail.com.

*Exact value in US Dollars is dependent on the currency exchange rates at that time.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The Greatest Movie Villain Contest


Shmails, from Brickforge and CustomMinifigs.com, is hosting a contest with some pretty amazing prizes. All three are concept characters for CustomMinifigs.com with Brickforge prototypes! We haven't seen these pieces anywhere else and as of now this is the only place to get them.

The contests starts today and runs until April 15, so you have a month and a half to get your entries in. Start customizing your villains today!

For more info please visit the Brickforge forums by clicking here.


In related news, The Ugly Duckling's Minifig Design Battle - Samurai Sho(w)down is already halfway complete so don't forget to get your entries in before March 16th.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Fembots Four


Have you submitted your entry into the Eurobricks Number Four Raffle yet? Morgan has with these clever Fembots which use the perfume bottles from the Orient Bazaar game (see those games have minifig parts too). 

You have two more days, I believe, to submit your entry. The 'contest' is a raffle so you just have to submit a pic within the scope of the guidelines. You must have been a Eurobricks member before the contest was announced, however, to win.

Not a Eurobricks member?! Head on over today so you're ready for their next event.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Fantastic Four


No, I'm not talking about the 'first family of comics' (they're down to three now anyway). Eurobricks is holding a 'raffle contest' where current forum members submit LEGO creations that incorporate the number four. The rules are pretty soft, so it should be easy to enter. 

After four days they will draw four entries for four random draws from a Series 4 Collectible Minifigure case. You can see the full rules on the Eurobricks forums.

TLG is sponsoring the contest, but does this mean Series 4 will debut somewhere in world very soon? I'm placing my bets on a March launch. Stay tuned...

Friday, February 18, 2011

UD Minifig Battle - The Paranormal Gunslinger Winner

Once again, I want to thank everyone who participated in the Paranormal Gunslinger challenge. The battle was well fought by everyone with lots of fantastic entries.

The judges have convened and the verdict is in. The winner of the Paranormal Gunslinger challenge is...


...KJ the Knight! KJ's entry embodied the spirit of the brief quite well, with his Ghostbusters in the 1800's concept. The devil hat was a nice touch too. KJ will be receiving a gift card to FireStar Toys worth £25 which can be used on a wide variety of LEGO brand products, custom minifigures, or custom accessories.

I encourage everyone to check out all of the Paranormal Gunslingers by visiting the UD Minfigure Design Battle page. This month's competition was fierce and difficult for the judges to decide.

The Emperor is challenging all designers with this month's theme - The Samurai Sho(w)down. The brief can be found at the UD Minfigure Design Battle page.

To those who are about to design, we of the Minifig Nation salute you!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Let the Next Challenge Begin - Samurai Sho(w)down


The exalted Emperor of the Minifig Nation, Adolphus Bartholomew Smythe, is pleased by the combatants who brought forth their ‘Sinister Toymakers’ and ‘Paranormal Gunslingers’ to the arena. His thoughts have turned to the east for this next challenge...

The third minifig design battle has begun. The theme of this month’s challenge is...

“Samurai Sho(w)down”

The video game experience of the 1990’s was dominated and defined by arcade fighting games. Companies like Capcom and SNK provided complex fighters with amazing, and often wacky, character designs. SNK produced a series of games under the title of ‘Samurai Shodown’ or ‘Samurai Spirits’. We have provided a link to a character list from that series below. Your challenge is to pick one of the 66 character designs and depict that character in minifigure form:
  • You must depict the character as the main element of your design. 
  • You must state in the body of your entry who your character is supposed to represent (i.e. “Haohmaru”). 
  • This is not a ‘in the style of’ challenge. It must be based on one of the 66 characters. 
  • The fighter should be a LEGO minifigure.
You can find a listing of the 66 characters from the franchise at the Samurai Shodown official website. The site gives a brief synopsis on each of the 66 characters. You can then use sites like Google Images to find more reference material.

Other elements that will be looked upon favorably but are entirely optional include lighting, presentation, posing, and photography/digital effects. Do remember that the figures should be the primary focus of the composition and should not be overwhelmed by other design elements.

Although this is not a ‘customization-only’ contest, you may find many of the tutorials we’ve collected on the site to be helpful. There are also tutorials on photography, presentation, and digital effects.

Entries must be submitted to the UD Minifigure Design Battle Arena group on Flickr before 12:01 am EST March 16th, 2011. Entries submitted after this time will not be considered eligible. Remember to read the ‘Rules and Guidelines’ thread before submitting your entry.

This month’s winning prize is sponsored by FireStar Toys, where the victor will receive a gift card to FireStar worth £25 (approximately $40 USD**) which can be used on a wide variety of LEGO brand products, custom minifigures, or custom accessories from companies like BrickArms, Tiny Tactical, Si-Dan Toys, or Amazing Armory Ltd., to name a few. You can start planning on how to spend your winnings by visiting FireStar Toys today.

Questions about this contest or the rules should be submitted to Cygnet at uglyduck.bricklink@gmail.com.

To those who are about to design, we of the Minifig Nation salute you. Good luck!

*Please read the contest ‘Rules and Guidelines’ thread regarding views on depicting violence and other topics of a potentially serious nature.

**Exact value in US Dollars is dependent on the currency exchange rates at that time.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Last Weekend for Paranormal Gunslinger Challenge


This is a reminder that this will be your last weekend towork on your entry for this month’s UD Minifig Design Battle challenge, The Paranormal Gunslinger. All entries are due at the end of the day Tuesday, sowhen the clock strikes 12:01 am EST on Wednesday, February 16th wewill be moving on to the next design brief and challenge.

We have some really great entries this month, so even if youaren’t planning on entering, drop by the contest page and check them all out.

Once this month’s contest has concluded, the judges shall convenein a secret conclave to decide the winner. We will announce the winner shortlythereafter.

This month’s winning prize is once again sponsored by FireStar Toys, where the victor will receive a gift card to FireStar worth £25 (approximately $40 USD*) which can be used on a wide variety of LEGO brand products, custom minifigures, or custom accessories from companies like BrickArms, BrickForge, Tiny Tactical, Si-Dan Toys, or Amazing Armory Ltd., just to name a few.

Questions about this contest or the rules should be submitted to Cygnet at uglyduck.bricklink@gmail.com. Good luck!

*Exact value in US Dollars is dependent on the currency exchange rates at that time.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

CCCVIII Contest Winners Announced


Congratulations to Kris Kelvin and Bluesecrets for winning the Realistic and Fantasy Custom Minifig categories in this years Colossal Castle Contest. Kris Kelvin submitted a wonderful knight ready for the jousting field, while Bluesecrets' fairy sports a dress that could easily be mistaken for real flower petals.


Our congratulations go out to the winners of all the categories. You can see all of the winners at Classic Castle.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Photo Tutorial - Producing Ghost/Hologram Effects

As we approach the weekend, it's another opportunity for folks to work on their entries for this month's Minifigure Design Battle brief - The Paranormal Gunslinger. An effect you may want to try in your presentation is to make the gunslinger or his adversaries appear to be more ghostlike (ghosts one of the many creatures that fall under the banner of 'paranormal activity').


I managed to find a nice tutorial from site JC Icons which walks you through a process for making hologram projections in GIMP - a free, open-source image editing software with functions similar to Photoshop. The functions are so similar, that I'm guessing the Photoshop experts could follow along as well. The final result gives you a blue, transparent 'hologram' effect like you would see with the AI in Halo or the projections in Star Wars. A color change and/or a wipe effect where the image phases in would produce a nice phantasm for your final entry into the contest. 

Speaking of which, entries must be submitted to the UD Minifigure Design Battle Arena group on Flickr before 12:01 am EST February 16th, 2011 (in other words, at the end of that Tuesday). Entries submitted after this time will not be considered eligible. Remember to read the ‘Rules and Guidelines’ thread before submitting your entry.

This month’s winning prize is once again sponsored by FireStar Toys, where the victor will receive a gift card to FireStar worth £25 (approximately $40 USD*) which can be used on a wide variety of LEGO brand products, custom minifigures, or custom accessories from companies like BrickArms, BrickForge, Tiny Tactical, Si-Dan Toys, or Amazing Armory Ltd., just to name a few.

Questions about this contest or the rules should be submitted to Cygnet at uglyduck.bricklink@gmail.com . Good luck!

(Thanks to JC Icons for the great how to!)

*Exact value in US Dollars is dependent on the currency exchange rates at that time.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Two New Contests - BrickArms and VingnetteBricks

Two new contests have been announced. The first is BrickArms' 'Last Stand' Contest. The challenge is to create a 32x32 (or larger) scene of "a small group making a valiant last struggle against a much larger force". The prize pool is quite nice with accessories in rare colors, prototypes, and printed minifigs all up for grabs. You can see the full details and rules on the BrickArms' forums.


The second contest comes from a site I just found out about! VignetteBricks is hosting a 'Murderous Minifigs' contest. The objective is to create an 8x8 vignette depicting either a classic scene from the game 'Clue', or a riff off of the classic concept. This could really be a lot of fun! The title of 'King of Vigs' is up for grabs...that and some loot, of course. You can see all the details on VignetteBricks.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Days of Future Past: Family Bricks' Sinister Toymaker


Family Bricks was unable to post his entry into last month's UD Minifig Design Batttle, The Sinister Toymaker, due to several factors (one of which being how I stated the deadline). He's been gracious enough, however, to share his entry 'Evil Pinocchio':

"...This evil pinocchio features a custom nose for an angry Pinocchio (for you see, little did he know that when the Blue Fairy turned him into a real boy, she forgot to tell him that if he lied, his nose would continue to grow, and after years of lying, his new appendage was unsightly and angered him. Due to this, he created a remote control figure to drill into Gepettos head, and surgically install a wooden nose with leaves."

A great custom figure, and dig that remote control! There are more photos of this diabolical puppet man, including a group shot depicting Gepetto's fate, on Family Bricks' Flickr stream.

Quick Hits: New BA Freebies and Series 3 Contest

A couple of quick items before I get to more meatier posts...

BrickArms has announced that February's freebies are (drum roll please)...Jungle Camo. Johnny, tell them what they've won...


Johnny (in his best announcer voice): "Well Cygnet, orders directly from the folks at BrickArms may receive a one of a kind, randomly chosen weapon with jungle camo printing. Direct from Mr. Chapman's solvent inkjet printer, these freebies compliment any BAP collection and will leave the fanboys drooling for more. This offer will only be available in the US, as BrickArms does not ship internationally. Back to you Cygnet!"


Thanks Johnny. In other news, Eurobricks is hosting a Series 3 Collectible Minifigure building contest, quickly becoming a tradition among these fine folks. There are three categories you can enter - 8x8 vignette, interaction vignette, and the 'inappropriate minifigure adult special' (would I make this stuff up...yes, but that's beside the point).  All the rules and regulations can be found on Eurobricks.

That takes care of the bits and bobs of today's news. Now, on with the rest of the show...

Friday, January 28, 2011

Reminder - Paranormal Gunslinger Minifig Design Battle


We've received a fantastic response to this month's Minifigure Design Battle brief - The Paranormal Gunslinger. At last count we nearly had as many entries in just the first two weeks, as we did the entire month in the last round! There's still plenty of time to create and submit your entry.

Speaking of which, entries must be submitted to the UD Minifigure Design Battle Arena group on Flickr before 12:01 am EST February 16th, 2011. Entries submitted after this time will not be considered eligible. Remember to read the ‘Rules and Guidelines’ thread before submitting your entry.

This month’s winning prize is once again sponsored by FireStar Toys, where the victor will receive a gift card to FireStar worth £25 (approximately $40 USD*) which can be used on a wide variety of LEGO brand products, custom minifigures, or custom accessories from companies like BrickArms, BrickForge, Tiny Tactical, Si-Dan Toys, or Amazing Armory Ltd., just to name a few.

Questions about this contest or the rules should be submitted to Cygnet at uglyduck.bricklink@gmail.com . Good luck!

*Exact value in US Dollars is dependent on the currency exchange rates at that time.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Special Edition Armor as Prize for Hazel Contest


Hazel has been hinting at having a contest relating to Halo soon. The prizes? These very limited, trans blue Emile armor sets. The great thing is you can paint the helmets and leave the visor clear for a more traditional look, or just leaving them as is for cool effect. Details on the contest are forthcoming.

Are you drooling over these molds? Pedro still has the dark blueish gray ABS versions for sale at United Armory. If you're in the US or Canada, you're in luck so why not take a look. The space marine helmets appear to be quite popular - there are only 15 left in stock!

I don't know for certain, but I would anticipate FireStar Toys will also be receiving some of these down the road. Again, I'll announce it if and when they do.

UD Minifig Battle - The Sinister Toymaker Winner

I want to take the time to thank everyone who participated in this most recent UD Minifig Desgin Battle contest - The Sinister Toymaker. I appreciate everyone's efforts and hope to see you back in the arena soon.

The judges have convened in a secret location to submit their votes. I have submitted these to the Emperor who is happy to announce the winner of his first challenge is...


...Legoagogo! Mark will be receiving a gift card to FireStar Toys worth £25 (no need to worry about conversion since he's in the UK) which can be used on a wide variety of LEGO brand products, custom minifigures, or custom accessories.

You can see all of the Sinister Toymakers by visiting the UD Minifig Design Battle Flickr page.

The Emperor bids me to remind you that his second challenge has been announced (The Paranormal Gunslinger), and  his Excellency looks forward to all of the coming designs for this month. You can find the next design brief, rules, and more details on the UD Minifig Design Battle Flickr page.

To those who are about to design, we of the Minifig Nation salute you!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Next Minifig Design Challenge - The Paranormal Gunslinger


Citizens,

The exalted Emperor of the Minifig Nation, Adolphus Bartholomew Smythe, has decreed that the second minifig design battle has begun. It will be the challenge of combatants to depict...

“The Paranormal Gunslinger”

Whether he, she, or ‘it’ is a cowboy who draws his six-shooters with telekinesis, has showdowns at high noon with residents of a ghost town, or is even a ghost himself, is up to you. Submissions should include the following design elements:
  • You must depict the gunslinger/gunfighter as the main element of your design.
  • Gunslingers are often associated with the old west of 1800’s in the United States.
  • The gunslinger should be a LEGO minifigure.
  • There must be an element incorporated of a ‘paranormal’ nature. Paranormal themes include - ghosts and other supernatural creatures, magic, aliens, extra sensory/‘mind’ powers (telekinesis, telepathy,etc.).
A character in popular culture who represents this theme might include Roland Deschain from Stephen King’s Dark Tower series.

This is a mash-up of two, somewhat distinct, themes. Designers who create a minifigure that represents a good balance between the ‘western gunfighter’ and ‘paranormal/supernatural’ themes will be most true to the challenge.

Other elements that will be looked upon favorably but are entirely optional include lighting, presentation, posing, and photography/digital effects. Do remember that the figures should be the primary focus of the composition and should not be overwhelmed by other design elements.

Although this is not a ‘customization-only’ contest, you may find many of the tutorials we’ve collected on the site to be helpful. There are also tutorials on photography, presentation, and digital effects.

Entries must be submitted to the UD Minifigure Design Battle Arena group on Flickr before 12:01 am EST February 16th, 2011. Entries submitted after this time will not be considered eligible. Remember to read the ‘Rules and Guidelines’ thread before submitting your entry.

This month’s winning prize is sponsored by FireStar Toys, where the victor will receive a gift card to FireStar worth £25 (approximately $40 USD**) which can be used on a wide variety of LEGO brand products, custom minifigures, or custom accessories from companies like BrickArms, Tiny Tactical, Si-Dan Toys, or Amazing Armory Ltd., to name a few. You can start planning on how to spend your winnings by visiting FireStar Toys today.

Questions about this contest or the rules should be submitted to Cygnet at uglyduck.bricklink@gmail.com.

To those who are about to design, we of the Minifig Nation salute you. Good luck!

*Please read the contest ‘Rules and Guidelines’ thread regarding views on depicting violence and other topics of a potentially serious nature.
**Exact value in US Dollars is dependent on the currency exchange rates at that time.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Sound the Klaxons - UD Design Battle Entries are Due


Call it the 'eleventh hour' or the 'two-minute warning'...You have under 48 hours to submit your final entries for the first UD Minifig Design Battle - The Sinister Toymaker. All entries must be submitted to the UD Minifig Design Battle Arena on Flickr before 12:01 am EST January 16th, 2011. Entries submitted after this time will not be considered eligible.

Voting will take place next week, and the winner will be announced on the site and notified accordingly.

The next design brief will then be announced on the morning of January 16th with the details for the next design challenge.

My thanks to everyone who participated in this round, and I look forward to seeing the new creations for next month's challenge.

Cygnet
Minister of Information
Ugly Duck Command Center
Minifig Nation