Freddie Posted February 19, 2012 It is, in my eyes, a nothing less than a stunning piece of craftmanship. It's difficult to point out what I like about it, because there's just so much to like. It's not just a huge MOC, it's detailed, it's immersive and probably a few other positives too that I can't remember right now. This is absolutely an excellent build, and nothing less than that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snaillad Posted February 19, 2012 Well done, the photocopier is particularly good. I like the way the ground floor and first floor merge together, nice use of colours. A very impressive structure indeed, certainly worth the wait! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
weltall1028 Posted February 19, 2012 So many great details in this town hall. The copier is awesome, also love the scales of justice, and Moses. I can't believe I've never seen your galaxy diner before, it looks amazing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Javert Posted February 19, 2012 Just stumbled across this! This is too brilliant for words! Also never seen that Market Village Modular MOC before, I'm guessing it is made using parts of the MMV and nothing else? forget the town hall. Cuusoo this! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
L@go Posted February 19, 2012 I just managed to sneak a peek at this on Flickr earlier before I went to work, and I'm not exactly surprised that this topic is getting flooded with praise. Every now and then somebody presents a MOC that's so stunning and full of detail that it's very hard to know which details to comment on... so let me just say that I'm completely in awe of your incredible building skills, and that I'm now moving on to Flickr to point out some details. Like... is that a red stapler in there? Let me know when this makes it into the NYC Lego store. I'm going to need to take a trip across the pond to have a butcher's :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sonicstarlight Posted February 19, 2012 Thanks to everyone for their feedback - there are already too many responses to reply to everyone, but know that I really appreciate all your comments! Also, huge congrats to whomever made me the resident "Sneeze-proof floor specialist" on the forums - I honestly cracked up when I saw that. where you buy the pieces? lego pick a brick??? Several cups from the pick-a-brick walls, two Diagon Alley sets, and hundreds of dollars on Bricklink. No clue on the final piece count, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was in the 6,000-7,000 range because of all the parts needed for the interiors (the hexagonal floor alone was well over 400 pieces). The exteriors are actually not overly complicated, but have a lot of area to cover. It is all droolworthy! The building itself is wonderful, but what I find staggering is your intricate interior detailing (aided, obviously, by your perfect knowledge of what's supposed to be found in such a place). Very smart and effective technique for the dome of the clock tower, as is the entire octagonal structure. As to the interior - my favourite part has to be judge's chambers - I'm really loving her desk lamp and library... I hope you aren't implying that I spent a lot of time before a judge in my life, and therefore know the ins and outs of a courthouse interior. Kidding aside, that octagonal part of the cupola used a lot of techniques that look an absolute wreck on the inside - I actually used tweezers and a chopstick to hold everything in place while assembling, which I'm sure isn't something Lego would condone in an official set. Speaking of... CUUSOO this NOW. I don't care that I'd have to save up for it like the falcon, I would do it! And I think if this would be rebuilt with TLC to be more piece conscious, it could fall into a reasonable price point. Something like a "double CC" extra-exclusive set. As others have said, the piece count and price point would make this as it stands now the most expensive set in their inventory. I've also had requests to put my diner and theater, another huge set albeit with a much lower piece count up. As someone who has helped with Marshall_Banana's CUUSOO effort with his Western Town, both by voting and blogging it on Brick Town Talk, I have the feeling that it won't even make it to that insanely high 10,000 vote mark, or at least not for years. Not to take away anything the Minecraft people have done, but if that is the only kinds of things that will ultimately result from this program, I'm not sure it is a worthy venue for custom modulars. That said, while I was waiting for my last Bricklink orders to arrive I decided to have a little fun and made version of my diner and theater in the Mini Modular standard - I still need to order the proper bricks to finish it. Maybe I could make and release digital models of mini versions of the buildings I've done to at least give people a chance to make some of my creations at a price point that is more reasonable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cosmolon Posted February 19, 2012 you are a genius¡¡¡¡¡¡ may you help me with a church??? please Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
woolie Posted February 20, 2012 Very nice! I am currently designing my own large MOC, which primarily uses white. It looks good in LDraw, but was worried it would be "too much white" in the brick. But if yours is any indication, should be fine! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheWarden Posted February 20, 2012 Once in a while something comes by that you have no words to express how great it is. I nominate you for the MOC Expert tag, if no one else has yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
danthaman11 Posted February 20, 2012 Wow! Great looking building. Thank you for sharing. I really like the wider width for the building as I always think of more state type buildings being wide like that and it allows for a lot more interior space. I though Lego was going to do a 48 wide for the town hall modular to give it a grander feel but they went for more height than width. The little dome on the top is my favorite exterior feature. Did the technique you use for that similiar to how the official taj mahal domes were done? How stable is the dome? The interior just adds to the set and I like how there is more space in all the rooms. At the smaller 32 by 32 it sometime seems like everything is being jammed in. Keep up the great work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brickmamba Posted February 20, 2012 Wow great Modular! Not sure if white was the best color to go for, maybe tan would have been more subtle, amazing nevertheless Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rick Posted February 20, 2012 I don't have much to add to the comments in this thread already. Brilliant piece of work. I especially like all the interior detailing. As others have said, the piece count and price point would make this as it stands now the most expensive set in their inventory. I've also had requests to put my diner and theater, another huge set albeit with a much lower piece count up. As someone who has helped with Marshall_Banana's CUUSOO effort with his Western Town, both by voting and blogging it on Brick Town Talk, I have the feeling that it won't even make it to that insanely high 10,000 vote mark, or at least not for years. Not to take away anything the Minecraft people have done, but if that is the only kinds of things that will ultimately result from this program, I'm not sure it is a worthy venue for custom modulars. From Cuusoo, as I understand it, TLG just takes your idea. So, the idea here would be a courthouse. If they would produce a courthouse, they'd undoubtedly scale it down to regular modular proportions (of about 2,500 pieces). The Town Hall looked like the ideal building to put on 1.5 or 2 (32x32) baseplates, but they still decided to stick to 32-wide. And they surely might take a few ideas from the interior, but not everything can be realised in a smaller set. Many aspects of the courthouse would be pretty close to the about to be released Town Hall, so I see more chances for your modular cinema. But then again, Hinckley also put his modular cinema on Cuusoo. If the AFOL community wants to successfully use Cuusoo, I think much more coordination is needed. And to be honest, we might be more effective through our LEGO ambassadors. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bernd Posted February 20, 2012 The interior is great. All those details (I especially like the copier). The floor with the cheeseslopes is very nice. And I have to borrow the judge's hammer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jonwil Posted February 20, 2012 I built a courthouse for the last club train layout but yours is way more impressive. I like the way you did the scales of justice (I couldn't come up with a good way to do them myself) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BrickBox Posted February 20, 2012 (edited) Well, people have already pointed out all the great details of your creation and how absolutely awesome it is. So I can just add my compliments to that. The amount of detail you put into the interior, right down to the office stapler, is mind-blowing. Fantastic work! Edited February 20, 2012 by BrickBox Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cunctator Posted February 20, 2012 Great modular courthouse! I like the architecture, the level of details of the interiors, the skylights, the cheese sloped floor, etc etc.. The second photo is really spectacular Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakar A Posted February 20, 2012 Great job Sonicstarlight! As I said on Flickr, this is a perfect compliment to the town hall.whilethe TH has mayoral offices and marriage clerks, this has court offices and hearing rooms. I personally think thatthese would look great paired with each other, probably on two sides of a street. Great job with the cheese patterns, and the judge's office. I wonder if the FOL community can get together and create an elevator standard that isfunctional, yet appealing, since I have heard some dissent about the elevator in the TH. great job, as always! Dakar Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Player Nº1 Posted February 20, 2012 Awesome job! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ACCURATEin Posted February 20, 2012 Beautiful work! I love all the intricate details. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sonicstarlight Posted February 21, 2012 Wow, again too many comments to get everyone! Thank you all for the great feedback! Let me know when this makes it into the NYC Lego store. I'm going to need to take a trip across the pond to have a butcher's :) Will do. We don't get a lot of volunteers to take the Rockefeller Center window, so it will probably be sometime in the spring. may you help me with a church??? please I could try - send me a private message if there is something specific rather than posting in this topic. Very nice! I am currently designing my own large MOC, which primarily uses white. It looks good in LDraw, but was worried it would be "too much white" in the brick. But if yours is any indication, should be fine! This is the first time I have ever been able to say that my building almost looks better in photographs than in real life - in low light, it honestly loses a lot of detail. I invested in a better camera since my last creation, which made a huge difference, and tried to get some better light on the building. Photographing a white building on a white background is a delicate process, and I'm by no means an expert. I nominate you for the MOC Expert tag, if no one else has yet. Thank you! I wondered how people got those little tags in their profile and would be honored to get one! Did the technique you use for that similiar to how the official taj mahal domes were done? How stable is the dome? I'll admit I don't know how the Taj Mahal domes were done, but if you want to build your own, here is a link to instructions. I had to make some modifications, mostly to the internal structure, which is totally different in order to connect it to the base. I gave a shout out to the creator of that on flickr, although this basic technique has been used in a lot of builds over the years. The dome is actually a lot more stable than the octagonal base it is sitting on. From Cuusoo, as I understand it, TLG just takes your idea. So, the idea here would be a courthouse. If they would produce a courthouse, they'd undoubtedly scale it down to regular modular proportions (of about 2,500 pieces). The Town Hall looked like the ideal building to put on 1.5 or 2 (32x32) baseplates, but they still decided to stick to 32-wide. And they surely might take a few ideas from the interior, but not everything can be realised in a smaller set. Many aspects of the courthouse would be pretty close to the about to be released Town Hall, so I see more chances for your modular cinema. But then again, Hinckley also put his modular cinema on Cuusoo. If the AFOL community wants to successfully use Cuusoo, I think much more coordination is needed. And to be honest, we might be more effective through our LEGO ambassadors. Great points. You also brought up a real reason that most of my buildings would be inappropriate for production - most draw heavily from existing sets. This is essentially Gringotts on steroids, and there is a lot of overlap between this and the Town Hall. My theater is also a long shot, as LEGO put an art deco movie theater in the Town Plan set, which again is what I used as inspiration. It is a bit of a double-edged sword - I want my buildings to blend seamlessly with the official sets, which seems to get a lot of support, but the best way to do that is use other official sets as a starting point therefore making them redundant to what has already been released. I agree that coordination is the key to CUUSOO's success, and like the idea of reaching out to the Ambassadors. I don't want to seem negative to the site, as it is actually a brilliant idea and encouraging to see that it has already resulted in action - I just don't know that it is a good fit for myself personally. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
L@go Posted February 21, 2012 I nominate you for the MOC Expert tag, if no one else has yet. I second that. It's shocking that you haven't got one already :) This is essentially Gringotts on steroids... Haha! In that case, I'd love to know what kind of steroids. My Gringott's could use some beefing up, and if it's that simple... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Badsneaker Posted February 22, 2012 Yeah so where's the MOC tag? I don't know what level of creativity you have to achieve to get one but you get my vote on it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Dutch Guy Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) I am an admirer of your work for a long time, but this takes the limit. What a magnificent build. Absolutly fabulous. Great detail and the ground floor is amazing. You are realy an inspiration to us all. In my opinion you earn the titel of Expert builder. in the mean time, wear our compliments with pride. Edited February 27, 2012 by The Dutch Guy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sonicstarlight Posted February 23, 2012 Huge thanks to you guys for the support! It really means a lot to see you rallying for the MOC Expert cause. I decided to cave in and throw my hat into the CUUSOO ring - feel free to vote for this creation here! I don't expect to spam this link a lot so I can't imagine this getting more than a few hundred hits, but I figured there is no harm giving those interested a way to express it. Feel free to share it in any venue you deem worthwhile. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WetWired Posted February 24, 2012 I just saw this on CUUSOO last night and voted for it, very nice. If you had to estimate, how many pieces would this be compared to a regular modular set? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
