Birds of Parad-ice Build Log

I started planning this build a couple months back after a particularly successful trip to the Build-A-Minifigure wall at my local Lego store. Like many builds I work on, I had a general idea of what I wanted the final project to look like. I wanted an Antarctic diorama featuring penguins, researchers and ice floes. 

I began by assembling a 18x34 stud base in all black. In the past, all my vignettes were constructed using freeform SNOT techniques so this was a good change. 

I laid out some plates and began tiling the base with blue tiles. I very quickly realized I didn't have nearly enough so I had to look to my parts wall for solutions. I was pleasantly surprised to find a whole drawer of 2x4 tiles in dark turquoise. I bought these pieces at the PAB wall a couple years back, and finally found the perfect use! As I ran out of these tiles, I mixed in some blue tiles and as a result achieved an effect of deeper water. 

After this I began work on the ice floes. The first small island in the top left of the photo came together pretty quickly and I found the right balance of rounded slopes and angled slopes. As I began work on the second floe I realized I would need to use some SNOT techniques if I wanted curves on all sides. With some clever stud inversions and plenty of trial and error I achieved a look I was satisfied with.

At this point I finished tiling the base and added in the final floe. I was really glad with how this final one turned out. I think the hole in the center and the curves on the outside resulted in a very organic appearance. Looking back, I wish I added a fish or some more life in the water at this point.

I began adding in a variety of transparent light blue parts to fill in the space between the ice and the base. All of these parts are simply placed on the base, resulting in a final project that is sensitive to gravity. I was really happy with how the project had progressed and I was confident it was done.

After looking at the MOC, multiple times over the course of the next couple days I realized exactly what I needed to do. Raise the ice above the water by one tile. Keeping ice at the same level as the water was unrealistic and held the model back from a certain level of realism.  

  I am a little disappointed because I was't able to incorporate a researcher in this model, because it leaves the MOC without a focal point or subject. A human character instantly draws the attention of the viewer and as a result the build is more like a slice of life.

Otherwise I'm really satisfied with how this project turned out. The whole MOC (excluding raising the ice) was completed in a four-hour block one afternoon. I really enjoy putting together these smaller, shorter builds and look forward to doing more in the future.