Rapseflaps Posted May 14, 2010 Layout Last Monday, my parents left for a two-and-a-half week trip to the Dutch Antilles. One of the added benefits for me is that I have the whole house all to myself until they return. Now I could do what the hip kids do: throw a party, trash the place or call my friends to inadvertently create a wish-granting sex-oozing bombshell out of a Barbie doll hooked up to my computer, all while wearing a bra on my head. Instead, I chose to build some LEGO. Quicklinks to Brickshelf: Main Folder Day 1 (browser-friendly here) Day 2 (browser-friendly here) Day 3 (browser-friendly here) Day 5 (browser-friendly here) Day 6 (browser-friendly here) Day 7 (browser-friendly here) Day 9 (browser-friendly here) Day 18 (browser-friendly here) Or leave comments over at Flickr Day 1: Monday, May 10th 2010 I started by pulling my old LEGOs down from the attic again. Last year, me and my girlfriend decided it would be fun to play with LEGO again, for old times sake, and built pretty much all I have (little did we know what this would set in motion, but that's a story for another time). We made a small town with sets from the late eighties and early nineties, occassionally invaded by some aliens (i.e.: Blacktron II, Space Police, Ice Planet...). When we cleared it all away again, everything was left intact as much as possible and it was all stored so it could be rebuilt quickly. The only things I had really taken apart since then were the 6394 Metro Park & Service Tower (for my review) and the 6389 Fire Control Center (just for the heck of rebuilding it again). I've decided not to bother with any other themes this time around and focus solely on my Town and City LEGO. Day 1 of the project consisted solely of putting the classic LEGO in place. Everything that was still assembled to some degree put in place. What you see above is just one corner of what the final town will be. There will be a residential area somewhere else, so the houses you see in the background are waiting for a place elsewhere later down the line. You may have noticed the printed BlueBrick layout in the lower right corner of the picture: it's my rough draft for the final town. Basically everything sitting behind the International Jetport is waiting to be relocated. The streets can never be too safe: the police starts patrolling early! This pilot has some work to do on his little plane. Putting all this stuff back together also led to some sad conclusions: there's a startling amount of minifigs gone and some essential parts are missing here and there as well. The hole in the plane pictured above is not by design: the piece that goes there is missing. I'm also missing half a dozen wheels, leaving me with a race car that sadly rests on its car base (and also lacks a steering wheel). I spent the rest of the evening rebuilding 6394 and 6389 and end up with this final result: The first part of my town is completed. Tomorrow, the new LEGOs go in! For now, some pictures of the town as it stands: The view from Flight Control. The guy from Fire Control can wave back! Directing ze plane! More pictures from Day 1 at Brickshelf (browser-friendly versions in the Thumbs folder). Day 2: Tuesday, May 11th 2010 It's day 2, and I realize how huge my collection of LEGO sets must have become in the past year, compared to what I had. The little bit of classic town sets takes up a small portion of the room and I know there is a lot more to add to it in the next few days. I start by bringing down parts of my newer CITY sets and re-assembling them. Most of these sets have been stored in their box as intact as possible, so getting all the vehicles back together was done in no time. When you can rebuild a gargantuan plane set in five minutes, LEGO building has just become easy. I slept in late, but by lunchtime the table is already filled with sets. I spend the rest of the morning unpacking the other stuff, but once again I come back to the whole scale issue. Those are some pretty big airplanes compared to the cute 4-wides sitting in my airport. I don't think I even have room for these planes. Also, our little town cop we saw earlier may not be a match for these monsters: Oh well. I decide to ignore the issue. As the day progresses, I find myself in a rush and start expanding the town. I rebuild 7744 Police Headquarters and take all of my Modular Buildings that are usually on display in my room and add them to the town. I pause my building to go see a movie and as I return from the afternoon showing I continue by rebuilding 7641 and 10184. In all my excitement, I forget to take any proper pictures, except for some really crappy phone picture before I leave to go see my girlfriend late in the evening. The town has more than doubled, and I can't wait to add the rest and flesh things out more. More pictures from Day 2 at Brickshelf (browser-friendly versions in the Thumbs folder). Day 3: Wednesday, May 13th 2010 Day 3 proceeds much the same as day 2, except this time there are no more nearly-assembled sets to unpack and it's all building from here on in. I re-assemble some more sets and add them to the town. The town square gets rearranged slightly. I'm still planning on putting the Fire Control Center somewhere else, but I haven't decided yet where to place it. The whole emergency helicopters taking off in the flight path of an international airport thing doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, so relocating will be necessary. I put it off for now. A view of the town on day 3. And the same as seen from the other end. I've started to put more cars in the streets too. I'll have to put some minifigs walking around in there as well, because the sidewalks feel very very bare as it is. The town square feels like a huge open place, because of the wide roads and small buildings, while the street with all the modulars (or Main Street, as I have come to call it) feels much more busy, even though there's hardly anyone on the street: the towering structures with roadside features already give the street the feel of a bustling town center. Some more pictures: Town Square The towering structures in Main Street lend to a dizzying bird's eye view. An escaped convict runs across the roof of the market alley! Looking down Main Street towards the airport. And again, the other way round. Wash now, movie later. More pictures from Day 3 at Brickshelf (browser-friendly versions in the Thumbs folder). Day 4: Thursday, May 13th 2010 Study time! No progress in LEGO town today. Day 5: Friday, May 14th 2010 Today... Train tracks! Read all about it here! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningtiger Posted May 14, 2010 Very nice layout you have there 'Rapseflaps' - nice combo's od classic old/modern plus modular builds too ! I'm a conformist! ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WesternOutlaw Posted May 14, 2010 It's always enjoyable to see how different LEGO fans layout their towns. You've got that nice hard wood floor that helps provide a good, stable, and level foundation. I like the curved plates around the water fountain from the Town Plan. The images from the Airport control tower are pretty clever, and I love that Metro Tower! Great collection of sets! - although wearing that bra on your head sounded like a fun alternative. Thanks for sharing. EDIT: I look forward to seeing how you add a train. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Cam Posted May 14, 2010 Holy Crap!!! That is an insane amount of Town action. I love the progression shots and just adore the shots from the tower and from behind the LEGO glass. This was a joy to read over, and i suggest you have a LEGO town party on the last day! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rapseflaps Posted May 14, 2010 Day 5: Friday, May 14th 2010 Train tracks! Today, the time has come for my town's rail system to be put into place. The whole thing took some puzzling and I cheated a bit here and there (some of the rails is under a bit of stress because it didn't all quite fit), but I've managed to build the roundtrip I wanted without having to go out and buy extra rails. Hurray! My town, now with more public transport than ever before! I've put the train station near Town Square. This is the town's central station. There's a second stop at the airport. Take the bus from your home to the station, then the train to the airport, and then it's off to a distant destination! (or a plane crash - ahrumph) Meanwhile at the train yard, the cargo train is getting loaded. Also, the Emerald Night (sans motor) sits in a bend as a lovely museum piece, awaiting visitors. I do wish LEGO would release that Level Train Crossing already though. This looks a bit sad (and dangerous!): Is that train about to hit the tank truck? If so, it's 'splosion time! And since you guys seemed to enjoy the Air Traffic Control pic from Monday, here's an update from today : Main Street really does tower over everything else, doesn't it? More pictures from Day 5 at Brickshelf (browser-friendly versions in the Thumbs folder). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Minxter Posted May 14, 2010 (edited) OMG! This is amazing It´s when you see something like this you want to collect City. It would be cool if you added 7642 Garage. Minxter Edited May 14, 2010 by Minxter Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
charlieboy Posted May 15, 2010 A big welldone fella,looks truely awesome!Tis a shame you cant leave it up all the time! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rapseflaps Posted May 16, 2010 Day 5: Friday, May 14th 2010 (part 2) Fairly little work on the town gets done in the rest of the day. I do spend some time in the evening moving the entire town about a foot to the right, so I can access the backdoor and the amp that's under the TV a bit better. I also lay the groundwork for the very last part of the town: the residential area and the construction site. The end is really close now. Climbing onto the dinner table for a top view of the town. I do notice I'm sorely lacking any waterfront features. I've made a little corner where I imagine there's a lake. Last year's camper is next to it. Gator Landing harbors some goldsmugglers, but the wave cops are still on the lookout, but all in all, this area remains pretty thin. My girlfriend drops by in the evening, bringing along her two sisters (one of them accompanied by her boyfriend) and they spend the next 45 minutes ogling the town. The modular buildings are a big attraction. I think very few people actually know sets like these exist. I feel glad to enlighten them. The rails have been slightly rearranged here and there and there's some more cargo activity going on here now. The complete floorplan is finished. More pictures from Day 5 at Brickshelf (browser-friendly versions in the Thumbs folder). Day 6: Saturday, May 15th 2010 Most of today was spent getting some work done and catching up on my great Lost rewatch (yes, I do have other hobbies). I build some more in the evening, but I find myself going much slower now. With the end in sight, I start to put off building the last sets, not wanting this project to end. I build only three sets tonight. Another three left for tomorrow... The first of my two Creator houses is finished. As nice as the new fire chopper looks, that thing sure is HUGE! More pictures from Day 6 at Brickshelf (browser-friendly versions in the Thumbs folder). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zorbas Posted May 16, 2010 Eye candy pictures Rapseflaps! It's so nice seeing all the city-town sets together, forming a beautiful layout. The interesting thing is that every layout looks different even when containing the exact same sets and that's the great thing about LEGO. Even when you have official sets built, imagination and creativity still continue to play a big role when it comes to arranging them in a layout. And since I'm more of a set guy rather than a MOCer, I just love these kind of pictures! This is one of my goals too in the future btw. To try to have ALL of my city-town sets built and bring them together for my layout even for two or three days, something that I have never done it till now (lack of space and time... ). I had some partial layouts in the past but still not the ultimate. Anyway, thanks again for the very beautiful pictures! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matt Dawson Posted May 17, 2010 Nice!! If only I had that much room... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WhiteFang Posted May 18, 2010 Rapseflaps, I enjoy the daily updates of your City Development. It's only as if I am part of this process. I really enjoyed these images and the town layout very much. I really envy the amount of space you have in there. I wish I could do something like yours and leave it there for a few weeks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
drdavewatford Posted May 18, 2010 I've loved watching this set-up grow and evolve, and I don't want the work to end......... Perhaps Eurobrickers should have a whip-round for Rapseflaps so he can go out and buy more sets to add to the town !! It's a shame that you'll have to return to real life soon and break up the town. I guess many of us have a dream that we could have enough space to leave our set-ups in place indefinitely and gradually add to them over time, but for most of us that will remain a fantasy. Dr. D. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rapseflaps Posted May 18, 2010 Day 7: Sunday, May 16th 2010 Well, it's done. I spend most of the morning and afternoon studying and watching some more Lost (one week until the finale, yay!). Then, late in the afternoon, I start to build my final sets. I finish with 7633 and take my time. I have a dinnerdate in the evening and I have just enough time to put the last pieces in place as I'm already stepping into my shoes to leave. The set stays on the table as I rush out the door. When I return a good two hours later, I place the last set in my town and assemble all the little dump trucks and such around it. The residential area of my town is complete, along with a brand new shop being built by my minifig inhabitants. Somehow it seems fitting that the last building put into my town is one that is still being constructed. I finished 4956 earlier in the day. I'm really happy with how the Creator houses look in a town setting. They look a lot better than I thought. I've relocated 4996. Residential area: finished. The whole town: finished. This has been quite something and I enjoy looking at my bustling town full of inhabitants just sitting there displayed in all its glory. In little over a week, I'll have to start clearing the floor again... For now, I leave you with some images of the finished town: The water area. A tilted view of the room. With the corners just outside of the frame, you can finally feel how much of the room this town really takes up. I've had to move the furniture to make space! The Small Car fits neatly into the Creator house's garage. A lone cop tries to stop a bunch of noisy street racers. Lots of traffic at the Town Square. I wonder what will be on the news tonight? More pictures from Day 7 at Brickshelf (browser-friendly versions in the Thumbs folder). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Cam Posted May 18, 2010 That is awesome!!! Why on earth would your parents NOT want that on the floor all the time?? I think you need to send them here so we can straighten them out. That is one impressive city! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rapseflaps Posted May 18, 2010 I've loved watching this set-up grow and evolve, and I don't want the work to end......... Perhaps Eurobrickers should have a whip-round for Rapseflaps so he can go out and buy more sets to add to the town !! Hey, I'd be up for that. It's a shame that you'll have to return to real life soon and break up the town. I guess many of us have a dream that we could have enough space to leave our set-ups in place indefinitely and gradually add to them over time, but for most of us that will remain a fantasy. Yes. I wish I could have it around a bit longer too. Just seeing the town slowly form was great fun as well, even if it only took seven days to physically get everything in place). Anyway... Day 7: Sunday, May 16th 2010 (part 2) My town is finished, but the building continues. As I went along re-assembling my old town sets, I wrote down what parts I was missing and I have put them all together in a database on my computer. Perhaps I'll go out and BrickLink the missing pieces at some point to complete my old sets. Of course, if I'm going to do that, I might as well check and see what else is missing. So... I spend the rest of the evening (and start of the night) reassembling every other set I have and carefully write down what is gone. Some missing pieces get found along the way, others have mysteriously vanished, some were never even there to begin with (some second hand classic space sets were missing parts when I got them). I've made a long list of missing parts and now have (again) a table full of LEGO models, along with a small pile of leftover bricks (mostly from Basic sets - oh, and a ton of spare visors ). Off to bed now. Just two Technic sets left to inventory. They're sitting in a tub somewhere, nearly entirely assembled. A poor spaceman amputee. Damn those missing pieces. More pictures from Day 7 at Brickshelf (browser-friendly versions in the Thumbs folder). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brick & Mortimer Posted May 18, 2010 Oh my! I wish I had the time and space just to reassemble my old sets, let alone display my entire town... Ah the memories , It could almost be my town... The fire control center, the airport, the metro park & service tower Instead of being a town, right now they're just a bunch of bricks in an attic Seeing old and modern sets combined, it did convince me not to buy the modern airplanes though, they're about as big as the entire runway of the international jetport Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rapseflaps Posted May 20, 2010 Day 9: Tuesday, May 18th 2010 I've made some small scenes in the town here and there. I got out an old tripod today and made some long lens shots of the action in the town. I rather like some of these shots where it seems almost as if you're looking out of a window in the city somewhere. So enjoy! Busy streets. The highest minifg in town: a simple construction foreman. The limo awaits... for this newlywed couple! Freshly caught criminal. "Well... there's yer problem!" Not custom, just awesome: a window-washer's work is never done! More pictures from Day 9 at Brickshelf (browser-friendly versions in the Thumbs folder). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rapseflaps Posted June 13, 2010 Layout The two weeks I originally had planned for this were a slight miscalculation. My parents would not return until the 29th and the town stayed intact a few days longer. Hurray! The town was finally dismantled on Friday, May 28th (Day 19). It took me the better part of the afternoon, but most of my sets are now neatly tucked away again. My old LEGOs have returned to their boxes in the attic, as complete as possible. Most of my new sets have been bagged and boxed and sit under my bed, while some remain on display in my room. But in the twelve days between the town's initial completion and its final destruction, things did not stay entirely unchanged... Day 16: Tuesday, May 25th 2010 I had an exam today. I'm applying for a study that requires me to have Economics on my high school diploma. I don't have that, so the school I'm applying to gave me an exam so I could proove I knew enough economics to study there. On May 25, I got in the car and drove for two hours all the way up to Enschede to take my exam. I breezed through the test and got the opportunity to await my result while they graded it. Two hours after I arrived in Enschede I exited the school building, a freshly gained economics pass in my pocket. Huzzah! With Enschede being quite close to the Dutch/German border, a plan had formed in my mind over the past week. So after a quick phone call to my girlfriend to bring forth the happy news, I got back in the car and drove on... to Oberhausen. To visit a true LEGO Store for the first time. I arrived in Oberhausen after a drive of just over an hour. I sauntered around CentrO a bit, the large shopping centre that holds the LEGO Store, along with lots of other stores and restaurants. I wander into the Kids department of the Galeria Kaufhof and spot some lovely new LEGO sets not yet available in The Netherlands: the 3221 LEGO truck and the 7566 Farmer impulse set (mind you, this was three weeks ago - since then both models have gone on sale here as well). I take note of some of the prices. I head around the corner into the LEGO Store (the two shops are literally back-to-back). There's something quite fun about being in a store where they sell nothing but LEGO-related products. I enjoy looking at some of the built models. The modular houses I know of course, since they currently reside on our living room floor, right in the middle of my town. The Imperial Flagship is frickin' HUGE. So big in fact, I'm slighty put off from saving up to buy it. Where the heck am I going to keep this thing once it's built? I'm out of space as it is. The Pick-a-Brick wall disappoints me. I'm not much of a MOC-maker, but I did just do an extensive inventory of all my missing pieces. None of them are in the clear plastic bowls that are embedded in the wall. Seriously, who needs a tub full of round 2x2 tiles with a clockface on them? Huh. I look around the store. That's odd. I just saw about a dozen copies of 3221 at the Kaufhof next door, but it's not available here. Hrumph. I look around a bit more. Empty-handed, I leave the store and head back to the Kaufhof. I grab the Farmer, the Apple Tree House and the LEGO Truck. 3221 comes at a hefty price of 29.99 Euros, but when its rang up at the cash register, I only have to pay €19.99. Sweet! (turns out it's something of a marketing ploy: since its introduction, I've seen this set on "sale" practically everywhere - you can get it for €17.99 at our local Bart Smit). I exit the Kaufhof with a bag full of LEGOs. But I can't just let this go. I drove all the way to make a unique purchase at the LEGO Store, so that's what I'm going to do, dammit! Twenty minutes later, I hold in my hand a nice little LEGO bag containing a shiny green brick seperator (my first ever!) and three custom minifigs: a representation of yours truly, my girlfriend, and what I refer to as my nighttime alter ego - just for the heck of it. I drive home smiling. Good times. Day 17: Wednesday, May 26th 2010 I savor the moments. I have new LEGO waiting to be added to my town. The expansion continues! Hurray! After a day of cleaning up some of the clutter in the house here and there I sit down and build the final models. The Apple Tree House is quite nice and I dig the dark blue roof, although I'm not too hot on the very light green baseplates. Weird color. The LEGO Truck is much cooler than I'd thought. I was almost tempted to not put the stickers on the final model and just stick them on some of my own stuff. Large sticky LEGO logos FTW! The truck cabin's interior is also very very nice. It's not shown anywhere on the box, but there's some lovely details inside. There's a bed for the trucker, as well as a little TV screen. A very cool surprise. So now, finally, the town is as large as it will be... The Derby Trotter stable has a new employee and two new animal guests! Some slight rearranging in the residential area. Nobody's home... yet. Meanwhile, the toy department at the Grand Emporium receives a brand new shipment of LEGO sets! And Main Street becomes busier than ever before... ...but none of it bothers Green Grocer's two new inhabitants: yours truly and his girlfriend in the recreation of a scene in my backyard from just two days before. And finally, the last new inhabitant of my LEGO Town, bringing the total population to 193, makes sure he doesn't miss any detail in The 50 Year Brick at the local cinema... And thus ends the story of my 2010 LEGO City project... Thanks for reading! More pictures from Day 17 at Brickshelf (browser-friendly versions in the Thumbs folder). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningtiger Posted June 13, 2010 Well as the old saying goes........all good things must come to an end ! Very nice layout overall 'Rapseflaps', also a great story of the life in your city too. By the looks of it you'll have to move or pack up your city though. Anyway, nicde job again and I'm a conformist! ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheWarden Posted June 14, 2010 VERY nice! It was was watching the day-by-day evolution. Too sad to have to put it any, hrm? You could try the project again in a year or two, if you'd like to try a different arraignment. You MOC much? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
beans Posted June 14, 2010 This was inspiring! Looks like I'm going to have to develop my city a bit to come anything close to what you've put together. Shame it has to be taken down so soon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
