African Savannah Build Log

 When I began working on this MOC, I did not intend to make an African Savannah. I actually wanted to design a birch forest with a path through the middle. However I was missing a lot of part #62462 (the piece I was planning on using for the tree bark). I saw how many plates I had in tan and began work on the African Safari.

I began by building a black 32x48 stud base, similar to my previous project Birds of Parad-ice. I wanted to get right into the build so I didn't waste any time with the base.

I started reinforcing the base with a variety of large plates that I placed over all connections. Next I began work on a small watering hole. I initially used trans-dark blue tiles over white and dark turquoise plates, although I went on to change this. I also began picking out the animals that would be used in the build.

In this portion I began adding in the savannah terrain. My strategy was to put a brick on top of the base, and then tan plates on top of that. In the beginning I used a 16x16 plate to reduce my work although I ended up sacrificing nuance. 

Looking back, this strategy of putting plates on bricks took up a LOT of parts. Way more than I could have ever expected. The upside is that I got a well detailed terrain with a nice border. At this time I also added an elephant and calf. I also decided to place some footprints behind the elephant to add some detail.

Here I began building up more of the savannah and adding in more life. I decided to play with levels and create a small step down with a wildebeest skull at the bottom. I also added one of my favorite parts of the build: a small acacia tree. I was very happy with how it turned out and I feel it fits into the build nicely.

I added in a lot more savannah landscape here and changed the plates under the water to dark blue and dark turquoise. I also switched to trans-light blue tiles so it wouldn't feel like unrealistically deep water. I also added a second acacia tree and a variety of animals. At this point everything in the build started to come together and match my initial vision. 

I still felt the build was lacking a subject, so I decided to build a safari vehicle. I had never worked on vehicles before and was apprehensive to work on something like this. Regardless I searched for some reference photos and began working.

I used this photo as reference for my model.

This was my first prototype which took about an hour or so to put together. I was trying to use headlight bricks and cheese wedges as mudguards but it wasn't working out very well. The car's chassis also felt way too blocky to be realistic. However, I was quite happy with how the roof and beams turned out.

After about five more hours of dedicated building that day it was done. I was really happy with how this turned out and there are some great details. The back and interior are some of the better detailed portions while I feel the front and side still appear a little square. I wish I had figured out better parts usage for the windshield because it looks really awkward here. 

Looking back on this MOC, I like my use of animals to bring the whole environment to life. I'm also quite happy with the way the two trees turned out and how I integrated them into the build with quarter tiles. Although the safari vehicle was a big step for me, I'm confident I can make improvements here.

Overall I'm pretty happy with this build. I'm glad I finally went ahead and made a vehicle and I'm proud of my tree design. This build could also definitely be rearranged so the two largest subjects (elephant and vehicle) are spread out and create some visual interest.