BrickRally217

WOW that looks amazing! I might have to steal your idea of using those gold Elves pieces for decorations because that makes me recall this really incredible brass orrery with the constellations that I saw when visiting the Frederiksborg Slot in Denmark.

I was able to finish setting up a storage and build area recently in my basement. Having no corner walls to work with was a real challenge but I think I've made the best of the available space. I have been building a MOC recently and grabbing pieces has been a total breeze, way easier than it ever has been. Ditching the craft organizers for something more robust and with more sorting capacity was the best storage decision I've made. The build table slides in between the storage chest and the black wire shelf when I'm not using it, so as to keep the walkway clear. Amazingly I was able to find two of the exact same metal cabinet (in different colors) from separate estate sales last year. They were made in about the 1950s by a company called Steelmaster, built very well, and have a nice aesthetic too, which is important depending on which area of your living space you must dedicate to your Lego. I mean, these things have been a game changer. I fill them with drawer inserts as needed made from cardboard, Lego set boxes, cereal boxes, etc and tailor the size according to which pieces need to go in there, making highly efficient use of space. The white units are the Simply Tidy wide mobile chest from Michaels, which I think are superior to the Ikea Alex drawer units. The box insert system is similar. Judging by the Rebrickable count of my total parts, there are well over 100,000 parts inside these 4 units and the 3 plastic tubs on top (which I use for disassembled sets and overstock parts). Not bad yeah?

Has anyone had success recoloring this thing yet? I just made a quick Bricklink wanted list for every non-black part included in this set that's available in black, except for the element used for the moon and a few dark bluish grey substitutions when black wasn't an option. I will have to go through the instructions and see how much non-black I can get away with, considering the rarity of some of these parts, but it's a start.

What a creative idea! I just took apart my copy of this set last week after getting tired of looking at it—I wish I'd thought to do something like this instead! There are so many nice parts in this set. My favorite of these rebuilds is the resistance bomber. Good job forcing yourself to be creative with a limited number of parts is the bread and butter of this hobby!

I wish I could be less disillusioned about the source material because this is a beautiful model. You are brimming with amazing part usage ideas; toolboxes, harry potter wand cases, 1x1 pyramids on the outside which mimic soundproof wall textures in studios, and my favorite, using the book elements for the desk. Expert color blocking on the exterior too, you've got just the right balance!

My first thought was that this reminds me of the rebrickable radio station rebuild of the police station modular- then I clicked on the rebrickable link and saw in the description you said you were inspired by it. Cool! The layout of that model is so nice, it plays with depth and height in a really unique way for the modular series, and I think you've effectively put your own stamp on it. This is a really intelligent model and I love it. I love how the surf shop looks so temporary, like it's just the current iteration of that building's ongoing palimpsest. As in, there have been many businesses located there over the years, and the surf shop probably won't even be the last one. The red accents throughout the build really help bring it together which is a nice touch. The dog house is cute. My favorite part has to be the stone statue on the side of the building- probably a relic from when it was first built- and the kind of thing that, if you're a minifig who maybe walked by this corner every day during a season of your life, you'd visit the town years later and see it there, and all the memories would come flooding back. Thanks for sharing your build!

This post jogged something in the recesses of my memory... oh boy, do I have a tutorial for you Looking at the upload date I was just about to turn 12 when I filmed this. Still a really good technique 12 years later!! Haha. This isn't exactly accurate in terms of detail (which I think is what you're asking about) but definitely accurate in that 4 people should be able to fit in the falcon cockpit. Lol!

I think this is fantastic. My favorite interior bit is the bar, I love the black and azures together, you've really made this look like an exciting place to be. I also love what you've done with the middle alleyway, but if this were my build, I would stick 2 8x16 baseplates onto the side with the green building and extend it, there's just not a lot you can do with a 6 stud interior width (although you've definitely made the best of it). The exterior detail on the comedy club building looks great, particularly the effect of the 1x1 curved slope within the arches, but also the spacing of the grey columns. For some reason I'd never thought of mounting the newer 1x6 double door frame at 45 degrees before, even though I've done that with the 1x4 door many times- what a great idea

I built this in Studio and put it on Rebrickable if anyone wants to build it! https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-164173/BrickRally217/antique-toy-store-modular-building/#details

That's a brilliant build! It adds a nice corner while making the overall footprint of the build an even 2 baseplates instead of 1.5. I also can't believe how much better the color scheme looks on that build compared to the museum. Maybe I'll have to see it in-person before coming to any negative conclusions.

Interesting find, in the context of this discussion! Maybe leave the ground floor as-is and MOC the second floor tan? And change the trim around the windows to olive green on both floors?

To me, having an eye for color isn't just deciding what color(s) to use, it's also about how the designer uses them and creates visual balance. You could reasonably say the main color for Parisian Restaurant is olive green too, but as its designer, Jamie was able to accent the green (which has a dark hue) on the facade with lots of whites and light greys. It's clear that a different approach was used with the facade of the museum, opting for large blocks of green and comparably less color accents, and the accents that are there are darker colors like brown and dark tan. To me the end result is not as attractive, but that's just my two cents!

The darn thing is hideous. Jamie Berard and his eye for color are sorely missed in the modular line. To the set's credit, I'm not sure how much changing the primary color (to something more muted with color accents?) would even help it. A modular-style museum is a pretty good idea but maybe in practice it isn't. To me it doesn't look great on the modular street. Something like this needs its own campus, surrounded on all four sides by patches of green and trees. Not that you couldn't modify it and do that yourself. The interior is really well done. The solar system display rips. And the technique for the stairs; what a great idea!

I don't know if the residents would be too happy with a patron of the toy store climbing their staircase and trying to enter their apartment. I would get a haul from the green grocer and show up as a grocery delivery person, that might work And yes! I did want the building to feel exciting and like a "toy" in itself, it's cool you noticed that. The classic yellow really evokes the "toy" (specifically classic Lego) aesthetic to me, so I knew it was the right choice for my toy store. Some Lego city builders like to incorporate the more industrial side of things, the roads, the offices, the bureaucracy and the like. To me that stuff is off somewhere else. I strive to make my Lego city the perfect relaxing weekend trip itinerary, all in one block... wake up at the hostel, get some breakfast, visit the bookshop, peek your head in the toy store, grab a bite from the market, and spend the rest of the day in the ragtag astronomy museum/curated library just learning and learning.

I've been holding on to that one for a while