MOC: New Century Corner

Hullo, folks! Here's what I've been building for last few months (since November, actually, but intermittently). These five early 1900s style modulars were on display on our LUGs 600-module (one is 32x32 studs, no baseplates used) collaborative town on Model Expo 2016 in Helsinki Fair Centre couple of weeks ago. I packed them in a cardboard box and travelled 1000 km by train with them! Fortunately I made some of the buildings (unnaturally) thin, otherwise I couldn't have made it... Anyway, these buildings are based on my love of old, grand architecture. There are some strong Jugend/Art Nouveau influences, though most of these can't be labelled as AN in its pure form. Inspiration is drawn mostly from buildings in Prague, a beautiful city definitely worth visiting. 

Buildings from left to right are:

House of Two Whistling Geezers: I'm very happy with the roof. It is based on a building located in Czech spa town Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad). I indented to use it on my long-time Unseen University WIP but it was too robust and turned out in to a modular house. The roof has some Gothic elements, but the elephant tail detail and the arch above the gateway are hints of Art Nouveau design. The faces of Two Whistling Geezers are reference to somewhat humorous faces typical in Finnish Jugend/National Romanticism style.

House of Two Sisters: The first house built in this display. Hoarded some nice old light yellow bricks in a LUG event and this was a natural way to put them in use. Is loosely based on Art Nouveau houses on the Central Square of Prague. I was surprised that I was able to photograph white-on-white so nicely.

House of the Bat-Lord and Three Sinners: Probably the most Art Nouveau-heavy building here. I wanted to use strong and dramatic colors, and the themes of the building evolved around them. I'm especially happy with the top part of the facade. The elephant tails are super sweet AN parts. This building doesn't have any particular real-life counterparts.

The House of Secret Society of Aviation: The main building. The wall on 45 degree angle is connected with TECHNIC axles that allow free slip; Therefore no challenging mathematics are needed. The 18-stud-wide wall is slid between the side walls with axles and piston connectors. It's surprisingly sturdy, as it's connected like that on two places, on the top and the bottom.


Designing this started with a large, lone window. The black inner arch uses some heavy SNOT and looked nice, so I Bricklinked pieces for two more of them (building with two large windows side by side almost always reminds of a face. Only human things). The shape of the building evolved around them. I wanted to use them on the second floor, so I had to invent something for the street level; I settled with a grandiose, almost church-like doorway and couple of elegant windows often seen on Art Nouveau Houses. I also went with strong geometric shapes with black, light grey and medium dark flesh. They created a nice contrast with the round shapes.

The dome, based on design of Castor-Troy and developed further with some dinosaur-tail iron arches, was going to used on one of the building, and this was the natural choice, being the grandest. I also had ideas of a globe, similar to one used on Tietz Store in Berlin before WW2, using Dagobah and clip-bar-rails as meridians (the Equator was tricky!) attached to a roof. Well, I thought that heck, better put all the grandiose elements in one place, and slapped the globe, finished with golden winged warrior, on the top of the dome, and connected the dome to the top of the biggest building... It's quite cool, if you don't mind me saying, and combined many elements I love in late 19th - early 20th architecture.

This is the only building here featuring a bit of interior: As the windows are rather big, there's a 7-stud-wide tile stove on the angled back wall, and a portrait of Fat Lady above it. The dome illuminated is somehow. The rest of the details include sand green SNOT cheese roof to balance the color of the globe and some Angel statues continuing the wing motif; Don't blink!

The House of Golden Frogs: I wanted to something different with the general shape of this building, and it turned out having white baroque-esque first floor and red second floor with some Art Nouveau elements. With glass doors and large clock this might be a public building rather than an apartment building, probably a club or a music hall. But there's no interior (it's not deep enough) so I'm not sure.

Again, the build started with the windows, which are similar to ones in the previous house but some elaborate and heavy. Some Bionicle parts are used alongside frogs and decorative elements from Friends Grand Hotel. The other key parts were the columns on the first floor using white wing elements for more interesting shape. Arranging the columns was tricky, but I'm happy with the result.

After finishing the buildings I had to populate the layout. There isn't much figures inside the buildings (okay, I confess, none, except in the gateways) as there isn't interiors nor always even floors, but there's plenty of fuss in the street. I wanted the characters to be from late 1800s or early 1900s, and there's some figs seen before in my steampunk dioramas or minifig barfs. But there are also some odd references. There's somebody up to exterminate a drunkard in the first portcullis. At the corner roof, the famous detective, his doctor friend and the (clone) folks of Scotland Yard are up to make an arrest. Johnny Thunder is visiting the city between his numerous adventures. Several nobs have gathered at the doors of the House of the Golden Frogs.

Now I've had enough of modular house building for a while, but I'm planning to eventually return to this layout and make a whole block, maybe sized 4x3 modules (128x96 studs), with four corner houses. But next up some character builds - I promise!

-Eero

MOC: Nux-Imitation Terror Rod

 "Okay guys, this is a cool ride, you can let me down now. Guys? Guys? Goddammit, let me down! Guys! Ernie! Goddammit!"

 You know I'm not much of a car builder, but there was a vehicle category in our LUGs Model Expo contests and I decided to go full Fury Road. Of course it didn't have to be a car, the winner was a big grand cruiser by Legorides, but somehow I ended up with this. I also though of making early 1900s style tram, but didn't have enough time (wait for the next post for reasons). I came fourth with a tie.

This is of course sort of a mock-up of Nux car from Mad Max Fury Road. It ended up being more similar to the original; I though of making it a bit more civilized but it didn't work. I though that a gang of automobile enthusiasts saw the film a wanted to build something similar, and the two stronger fellows ended up tieing their butt monkey in the front. The rest is history. Or actually, this MOC.

There isn't too much to say there. The exhaust piping is probably the main attraction, pneumatic tubing proved its worth once again and I think those odd chima two-colored flame pieces bring life to otherwise rather monochromatic build. I'm also happy with the explosive spears angled using the tiny ball joints at the ends of those antennas (antennae?) I had to hunt a pair from Pii Poo 's brick sale tables as the spears in the front were dark bley and dark grey at the beginning of our exhibit.

-Eero

MOC: Dragon Dance

 Here's another of my contest entries from Model Expo 2016! And, on top of that, this was a winning entry on the city happening category! I got 45 points (LUG member voting). The second got 16 points so it seems that victory was clearly my destiny, as Meta Knight would put it.

The original entry had a different base. The size of the entry had to be 32x32 studs (this one is a bit longer and narrower and I displayed it on black SNOT road module, just next to my modular houses (coming to this blog very very soon). It was on the edge of our modular collaborative city (600x 32x32, no baseplates!) so it was well visible to the audiences.

I have no idea why I built this group of Chinese new year celebrators with their paper dragon. Of course those Chinese dragons are cool, and somehow I wanted to blend some Bionicle stuff on my minifig-scale SYSTEM display (which was so heavy I could take any character builds with me. 1000 km by train). I actually had built the road module for the happening entry before knowing what to build. Ideas included street theatre, tapirs on the loose (but there already was a cattle on the loose -themed entry) and movie filming setting, but I ended up winning with an oriental dragon; I don't complain.

I began building our papery salmon-snake by selecting some cool odd dragon pieces. Medium orange elephant tails were natural choice for whiskers, and I had had urge to use those Chima ultrabuild wings - very beautifully shaped pieces - for something since I got few in probably February. I went with a design reminding of Pokemon Gyarados; Though I think my dragon is a bit manlier (tougher moustache). This doesn't have any legs, but has couple of fins instead. I'm also rather happy with the central body using Bionicle ankle guards on rigid tube to create scale-like effect.

Designing minifigures for the parade was fun. I haven't posted that much minifig barfs lately, but believe me, I've been doing some combos now and then. Most of pieces are from Ninjago or Orient Expedition (excellent Adventurers subtheme - I collected every set as a 9-year-old). Of course there are some bits from collectable minifigs and various sources, too.

I was wondering what sort of accessories they have in Chinese dragon dace parades, and ended up with four paper-lamps built around Mistika air pumps. I've used them before on my Shanghai K8000 vignette, an another Palikkatakomo contest entry from 2013. This time those aren't light up, though. They connect nice and firmly to Bohrok eyes.

My victory earned me 31038 Changing Seasons, but also, and more importantly, a glorious DUBLO snail trophy. Tops!

-Eero  

 

MOC: Atelier

 This atelier, or an artist commune's workshop, was built for Collaboration building contest, building category, on our Finnish LUG Palikkatakomo's large exhibit on Model Expo 2016. The requirements were 32x32, 32x48 or 32x64 on modular base with minimum 25 cm (a bit less than one foot) of height. As I had built several modular townhouses for our modular city, I wanted to do something completely different; Last year my entry on the very same category was Ambrose Street 23. I got the fourth place on both audience and LUG member voting (tied in the latter) and got Basic brick box set and a Creator loc cabin (the one with a moose).

Building this started with probably the most striking feature, the tower with boats as (fake) window frames. I've seen boats used in similar fashion before, but never with those half-circle windows I got from Friends Grand Hotel won from Eurobricks' Winter Village Contest. They looked such nice together, despite the studded floor of the boat showing through. The also created a nice wooden color scheme which seemed fitting for the thue nature of the building.

 Sand green is another color I used here along the brown shades. It looked nice and bleached, which helped to emphasize the nostalgic athmospehre of the atelier. I also had hundreds of sand green cheese slopes from LUGBULK and this seemed like a perfect chance to use them. Cheese slope pattern on roof looks always great!
 
This is obviously inspired by Pekkala Mansion in my hometown, which hosts a public art school. I've studied there as a hobby (three hours a week) for nine years and recently worked there as a trainee for three months, so artist life in not completely alien to me, no...

As this is an atelier, there is no need for sleeping facilities. There's however a small stove and sink for occasional snack and whatever, and naturally an outhouse or a privy on the backyard. The main room has large windows, as good lighting is natural for artistic work. The veranda is large and confortable, and as you can see, most of my artisting minifigs (including great wizard Vitruvius who looks like a great artist in his bathrobe and hippie shirt) are enjoying the fresh air.  

-Eero