Dakar A

Eurobricks Knights
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About Dakar A

  • Rank
    I've been outing Scum for OURS!
  • Birthday December 9

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    Modular Buildings

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Jacksonville, FL
  • Interests
    LEGO, cars, music (alt-rock is a personal favorite!), Overwatch, and cooking!

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    United States

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  1. Dakar A

    Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

    I dig it! Bottom floor feels like an homage to the 2008 Town Plan set, and the general vibe of it really fits into that turn of the century American building oeuvre. Feels like it'll be right at home with the Fire Brigade, Police Station, Grand Emporium, and even Pet Shop! Kinda funny how there's this sort of friction with the Modulars where some people want the European vibe ones, some like the American vibes, but TLG puts out new ones that fit them based on their own whims and preferences.
  2. Dakar A

    [MOC] Adaptive Architects

    Appreciate it! That blend of modern and traditional was the exact mix I was going for; it's edifying to get validation that I succeeded!
  3. Dakar A

    [MOC] Adaptive Architects

    It is a render! However, it was built with the goal of doing it IRL one day, so as much as I'd love to play Lego Designer and request that they make 3 new elements for my set, I opted for the more pedestrian, yet realistic option of using the existing roof bricks. I also think going for the flat roof design would have become a PITA as it extended rearwards- I don't think there are many elegant solutions for mating up one half of a roof like that to a square section. I'm a big fan of the lower windows too- I wanted to go for something that had the kind of big panel glass that you see on newer buildings, but also felt like it was built from materials from the early 1900s. And I think the necessary artifice of stacking 1x2 plates and tiles really gives it that feel of something older, compared to just using 1x4x6 frames and glass panels. And as for the left side, you got it on the nose! 1x1 clips recessed on those 2x2 half plate/half tile guys from Minecraft, with a 2x8 on top.
  4. Dakar A

    [MOC] Adaptive Architects

    Adaptive Architects is a 32x32 modular building, and the third fully custom modular that I've designed and created, from initial sketches to final build with instructions- the complete Lego product cycle, as far as a single person can at least! THE BUILDING The building was done in the style of a turn of the century American brick building, that has been rehabilitated as an adaptive reuse project, preserving the façade of the original building, but improving it for modern efficiency standards with corrugated iron woven into the structure of the existing brick. I wanted to play with the idea of a "solid" façade mixed in with the very square glass and metal structures that you see in a lot of swanky new developments in major downtowns. Of course, it also has to fit with the other modular buildings in order to really be called a successful modular building, right? The in-set porch gives a pleasing difference in depth compared to the rest of the modular street, and I think that it looks right at home with other American style modulars such as the Detective's Office and Brick Bank- the roof height of the "original" sections of the building match up with the existing rooflines, while the adaptive section rises above, both conveying how it was an addition on top of the existing building, AND giving a sort of observation platform to the rest of the modular street- a perspective that I feel like fits the adaptive reuse idea of melding the past (sight lines to the other buildings) with the future (lots of glass letting in light and opening the space above the more crammed street below). Of course, with such a heavenly, god-like view, who should get the penthouse suite but the head architect of the firm? I made liberal usage of the 1x2x2 window frame as cast iron legs for furniture throughout the building, both to decrease the overall number of part types required to build it AND because I feel like that sort of solid, thick steel construction is big in that neo-industrial aesthetic these days. I borrowed the design for the drafting boards from 4000034 System House- I just created my own arm out of the 3L bar pieces and adapters instead of the 3d printed solution or brick-built alternate used there. I also changed the boards to green, because all my experience with drafting boards has had them green, and not white! Finally, the lobby is the most detailed and colorful, in the Modular tradition. There's an architectural model, some project the firm is known for; the reception desk replete with minimalist logo for the firm; and a seating area with those moderately uncomfortable velvet stool things that are almost definitely there to look good and not be sat on! THE DESIGN PROCESS The initial form for this build came the way I always do it- some mood board research on Google, combined with ideas I amass day to day, and then some sketching to try and rough out a shape for the build. As you can see here, the porch has been a constant, even if the design of the rest of the building shifted around a good bit. However, as these things go, I wasn't happy with my first pass. It was too blocky and uniform. It didn't have the whimsy and charm that the Modular buildings embody for me. And that top gable didn't translate the way I'd hoped it would. So it was back to the drawing board. As you can see, this sketch ended up being MUCH closer to the final design. Parts were retroactively added, but the majority of the shaping came from this drawing. I find that combining the unlimited palette of Stud.io with the conceptual freedom of sketching does a great job in helping me to refine an idea without having access to the bricks needed to rapidly prototype. The boondoggle of the build was this gable, however. What I wanted to do was to have plates make up the roof portion, and a nice clean façade beneath them. What I quickly realized, however, was that the Lego system is not friendly to SNOT angles without an overhang, and that I would need a number of parts that do not exist (in dark orange, no less) to accomplish my vision the way I'd...envisioned it. So back to the drawing board (you can see my sketch for the roof done with standard roof bricks in the sketch above- that left page was done after the one to the right). Once I'd acquiesced to using plain old roof bricks, the construction of the build really flowed from there. This is my second draft, with incomplete interior and missing a lot of detailing on the upper floors. But the overall shape and character of the building was complete at this point. The little cornice/ornamentation at the top of the left column of the building took a bit of iteration. I was trying to go for a sort of wrought iron/rusted steel vibe with it, pulling inspiration from many of the buildings on my mood board. Ultimately I went with a more textured version of this that separated the brown section below and the wrought iron section on top, with a bit of the medium azure to carry through the accent color and really make it pop. FINAL THOUGHTS Thank you for reading and viewing my MOC! I'm really proud of this build and happy with how it came out. I feel that I successfully carried out the concept I was going for, and capturing the aesthetic I wanted. My favorite part is probably using the hinge bricks in brown as detail on the 2nd floor in order to get a more compact "recessed" pressed metal detail. Instructions are available through Rebrickable!
  5. Dakar A

    45 Degree Gable + Plate Roof struggle

    Ooh, I'd completely blanked on using cheese slopes! I just need this particular part of the build to be a facade, so that may well be the best solution. Would also allow me to integrate an arch over the domed window too.
  6. Hello Townies! I'm working on a digital MOC, and running into an issue- I want to have a gabled roof, using the 1x1x2 45 degree roof bricks, with a plate roof on top of it. However, I've run into a problem that feels like it requires a new part to solve: The build on the right uses the same sort of construction from the Winter Village Toy Shop, but I also created a 1x1x1.5 plate and 1x2x1.5 plate in order to align the 92946 (slope 45 2x1 w/ 2/3 cutout) parts to get that nice 45 degree slope across the entire height. My question is: is there a more elegant or feasible way to get a similar setup WITHOUT resorting to pieces that Lego has never made before? I'm using this in a modular context, so the right edge of the roof can't go beyond the outermost 45 1x2 brick.
  7. I feel like this is a long shot and it may be Lego company exclusive gear, but one of the designers in the Black Friday video today was wearing this sweater: https://imgur.com/2PuFGzp (timestamp on the video: ) I looked on shop.lego.com, and a cursory search on Google is not showing anything. If it's available I'd LOVE to buy a copy!
  8. Dakar A

    10278 Police Station

    That's confirmed to be a gift with purchase, so it won't be a part of the set. It's a different color to add depth and variety to the overall look of the modular street. Additionally, in older buildings with holding cells the section with the cells is made of steel or otherwise reinforced, which would have a different color from the outside. Also $200 is pretty much the new waterline for the modulars- inflation has driven up the price, and so has the AFOL demand for more detailed sets with more prints and better fleshed out interiors. I'd get used to it.
  9. Dakar A

    10278 Police Station

    99% sure it's to allow easier play inside. There's no structural need to have the walls go all the way to the top, so the designers probably opted to both save some bricks there, as well as opening up the interior to better allow you to pose minifigs inside.
  10. Dakar A

    10278 Police Station

    Looking through the details, as someone who's built their own police station modular (https://www.flickr.com/photos/75784937@N07/albums/72157663583912562), it's interesting the kind of overlaps and similarities in ideas that came up. And also in the way that a staircase takes up so much of the build! Some details that were shared were the holding cell for a prisoner, the classic green lamps for lighting, and the lobby space being somewhat barebones. It looks like there may be a chief's office on the 3rd floor where there's an air conditioner hanging out the window, which would be another similarity! I'll probably get this set and modify it to not be a police station but keep it in my city!
  11. Dakar A

    Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

    Assuming the picture is legit, the interior should be interesting. In my modular police station I had a tough time fitting all the stuff I wanted to into a 48x32 footprint, so I'll be curious to see what the Lego designers opt to go for and what they ignore. I do like that ivy crawling down the side of the building and the bushes out front!
  12. Dakar A

    MOC Free instructions for Worst Car Ever!

    I love it, it has that mischievous charm that so many of the best Lego sets do! And at a minimum number of parts! Awesome build, @koalayummies
  13. Dakar A

    Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

    I feel like we could get some good skyscraper-esque design, perhaps a bit of an homage to the Home Insurance Building (I know that's late 1800s, but it would still be a bit of a departure from the style) or International style buildings (A Bauhaus design school homage would be awesome).
  14. Dakar A

    Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

    Also, figure I'll throw my hat into the classic smiley vs. detailed expression debate- I prefer the detailed expressions for the exact reasons that others like KoalaYummies and Aanchir said: they allow for so much more inherent characterization for figures than the classic smiley. Sure, the classic is a blank slate, but it also makes them feel lifeless and artificial (like they've been Kragle'd ). Whereas the new detailed faces allow you to build your figures with character and inherent traits. Plus there are quote-unquote 'default' smiling faces in the new style: and But you can also add to a character built with those heads- say you've got a female chef in your Parisian Restaurant with the face on the right, but then her turkey catches fire! Oh no! You can change her face to this, and she's now perturbed by the burning bird instead of staring blankly at it with a default smile on the face: And that kind of power is why I think that the detailed smiles are the better choice, going forward.
  15. Dakar A

    Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

    Wasn't it retired back around the great Lego consolidation, in favor of dark purple? That's what I heard, and considering they're much more stable now and have introduced a number of new colors, it seems like the perfect time to bring it back into rotation. Fingers crossed for sand red and purple next!