MOC: Carlijn Cow's Ice Cream Shoppe

[Hinckley]

For the first time in over a year, I've built an addition to my Fabuland layout. Here is Carlijn Cow's Ice Cream Shoppe:

Carlijn Cow has just opened her new Ice Cream Shoppe for business. She was very busy all night making ice cream and she's very tired, but titillated by the prospects of a successful new business.

Carlijn's first guests have arrived, including the Fabuland Builders Guild's obligatory frog!

Lazlo Lion compliments the beautiful glass sculpture in the fountain by the entrance.

Brigitte Bunny loves the woodwork around the front door and bay window.

Carlijn explains to her customers that the sign is an homage to her grandmother's Ice Cream Shoppe:

This was a set I wanted for a long time when I was a kid. By the time I got my parents to take me to Toys R Us to find it, it was no longer available. As a matter of fact, Fabuland was no longer sold in the states. We wrote a letter to TLG to ask if we could get Fabuland LEGO sets from somewhere and they sent us a new mail order catalog that had all the Fabuland sets that were available overseas! However, the Ice Cream Shoppe was long gone. When I first signed up for eBay when I was 21, it was the first Fabuland set I purchased.

Carlijn works quickly to get Brigitte a refill on her ice cream sundae.

Carlijn also sells boxes of candy! It's hard to keep them on the shelves because they're so popular! Or the MOC builder was too lazy to fill the shelves...

Carlijn had an exciting first day being open for business. She hopes to have many many more!

_________________________________________

This is the first FBG MOC I've built that is fully enclosed. After World of Lights at Brickworld this year, I realized my layout wasn't suited for lighting. Fully enclosing the MOC makes it viewable from all sides and would hold whatever light I choose to put in it. It serves better for displaying but isn't great for taking pictures. Hope you can see some of the interior details. Enjoy and please feel free to leave feedback. To see more pics check out my Flickr Photostream.

Update: Adding lights!

[Rufus]

Oooh, I like that! I love the way you effortlessly combine clunky Fabuland parts with regular bricks to create a realistic and attractive look, and the architectural details are beautiful.

Took me a while to find the frog... that and the fountain made me anticipate violence for some reason

Oh, and the little gumball machine is awesome!

[lightningtiger]

Aw, it's cute 'Hinckley', what a nice MOC !

Bad luck if you're lactose intolerant !

Brick On !

[Hinckley]

Thanks, Ru!

Took me a while to find the frog...

Did you see The Fabuland Edge?

[Rick]

Cuteness!

You have really created a unique Fabuland style and, as Rufus already mentioned, I too am impressed at how you take Fabuland wall pieces and make the windows, doors, and cupboards feel like such an integral part of the MOC. The facade looks pretty in tan.

Perhaps add another table to fulfill the undoubtedly high demand for ice cream in Fabuland?

And what kind of a name is Carljin (sorry, if it's actually someone's name on here... )?

[Brickdoctor]

Excellent work, Hinck! I always enjoy seeing MOCs wherein builders incorporate seemingly <insert that tiresome argument> pieces and manage to use them as they were intended while making them fit in with normal brick-built construction. And I do love the 'woodwork'.

[LuxorV]

I love all the building details in this Ice Cream Shoppe, but the glass sculpture in the fountain is easily my favourite!

As said, you managed a perfect fusion between Fabuland and System parts, and the combination of shades makes for a great overall effect

[iElkie]

Ok, that is mega cute!

I also love your story on your 'history' with this set. Nice!

[Fugazi]

This is a lovely build, Hinckley! I'm always amazed at the number of different building designs you can come up with using a few key Fabuland parts and a good dose of cutting edge intricate MOCing. Highlights in my opinion are the colourful stonework on the terrace, the woodwork and the fountain. Though the fountain and the frog did send shivers down my spine! Ah, the good times!

Do you have any comments on the difficulty of mixing the primary colours of Fabulandish elements with yummylicious realistic modern colours? I find it that you're achieving a good mix as you're not limiting yourself to primary colours yet your building doesn't look like a painter's pizza orgy nightmare. Yet you have yellow, blue, green, tan, nougat, dark orange and whatnot. How do you choose your colours when you plan a build?

[22kane]

I'm not a big Fabuland fan but I really like the detail on this. The front patio especially with the various colored bricks. Most of the Fabuland buildings I've seen are very basic so this is a special treat. Great job!!

Almost forgot- The ivy on the sides is a great addition

Edited August 3, 2011 by 22kane

[WhiteFang]

This is ultimate cuteness!

Will this trigger another wave of FBG MOCs???

This is just lovely and felt as if you are at a cafe in town. Glad to see you posting more of your MOCs.

[Big Cam]

Very nice, I wish I had some of these fabuland figs, I always like seeing the unique parts.

I love that fountain, very creative.

[JimBee]

Besides wanting an excuse to use that new emote, I just wanted to say that this is a beautiful creation, Hinck. My favorite part is the colors, and how they all flow together on the patio and walls. I also love the gumball machine and the fountain.

Hopefully this means you're back into MOCing?

[Pandora]

This is so lovely!

The tan detailing on the facade really gives it the "shoppe" feel, and I too love the pattern of the paving, and the gumball machine is a great idea! One thing that struck me was the side window - the external detail in particular. The covered arch and sill could so easily have been overlooked but it's a charming detail that also helps to incorporate the primary colours of the Fabuland window into the build.

It's the details you put in, Hinck, that make this special. Speaking of which, uhm, who's under the counter?

[Rufus]

Did you see The Fabuland Edge?

I missed it the first time round, but I see it now!

[Hinckley]

Speaking of which, uhm, who's under the counter?

I missed it the first time round, but I see it now!

It's clear that your wife pointed it out to you.

Thanks for the comments, and questions!, everyone. I will respond in more detail later. Just had to call Rufus out.

[Rick]

Speaking of which, uhm, who's under the counter?

Well-spotted. More importantly, what's (s)he doing there?

[Pandora]

It's clear that your wife pointed it out to you.

Thanks for the comments, and questions!, everyone. I will respond in more detail later. Just had to call Rufus out.

In fairness, I should point out that he spotted "something" and I spotted that they were (probably) legs.

Always teamwork...

[airsoftg36c]

I missed it the first time round, but I see it now!

The frog was easy to see(at least for me)

Love it, Henck! I've ALWAYS wanted Fabuland....

Also, what's up with the legs under the counter?

Edited August 3, 2011 by airsoftg36c

[Cecilie]

That is a really cute house with lots of nice details . Makes me sad I don't have any Fabuland from my childhood () when I see the excellent ways those old Fabuland elements are blended in with more modern parts and colors .

[legodac]

Wow, this really will be a week to remember, my Saturday saw me and my grandsons at BrickFete and now I get to learn something about Lego I've never seen before.

Lego and Duplo together in Fabulous Diorama. Thank you for this inspiration and thanks for sharing eh

Keep on Brickn' eh...The legodac Brickerage Firm

[Hinckley]

Took me a while to find the frog... that and the fountain made me anticipate violence for some reason

It's so good to have a reminder not to make Baritones 3 as complicated as The Forest. If the water in the fountain runs red with the blood of The Baker... Yeesh. Shut up Hinckley.

Perhaps add another table to fulfill the undoubtedly high demand for ice cream in Fabuland?

And what kind of a name is Carljin (sorry, if it's actually someone's name on here... )?

I originally had another table in there. You can still see the plate where it set. Now that's where Carlijn stand to take orders. And the name was spelled wrong earlier. As Vincent Kessels pointed out, it's Carlijn. It pronounced "KAARLIYahN." I love it. I found it on a Norwegian site. It's the name of an author. However, when I looked up the origin, it appears to be Dutch. The English "equivalent" would be Caroline.

Though the fountain and the frog did send shivers down my spine! Ah, the good times!

Do you have any comments on the difficulty of mixing the primary colours of Fabulandish elements with yummylicious realistic modern colours? I find it that you're achieving a good mix as you're not limiting yourself to primary colours yet your building doesn't look like a painter's pizza orgy nightmare. Yet you have yellow, blue, green, tan, nougat, dark orange and whatnot. How do you choose your colours when you plan a build?

I forgot how scary I made fountains and frogs for certain people.

Thanks for the questions! As far as choosing colors go, I don't find it that hard to mix them. If you look around a city, there are many example of earth-tone brick buildings accented with primary color signs and trim. So, it's mainly a challenge of making the Fabuland piece fit into the MOC naturally. That's where the real challenge lies. I've got a couple of tricks (see my response to Pandora's comments below) and I'm always trying to come up with new ways for them to blend. As far as color choice, I choose a natural color to be the main color of the brick building. In this case, it's dark tan. Then I choose two accents colors, One is nougat and the other is dark orange in this MOC. In one of my sorting bins I mix two handfuls of the 1 x 2 bricks in the main color, dark tan, one handful of one accent color, nougat, and a half handful of the third accent color, dark orange. Then I shake the box up and build the MOC without looking what color I'm choosing. That's how it gets it's natural random brickwork look. As far as what primary colors are added, I choose a window I like and set up the walls around that. In this case, I really wanted the bay window. One thing I've learned is that the trim of the window should match the trim of the door. Fabuland houses usually use the same color door frame as the walls and the door matches the window frame. This is the first time I matched the window frame to the door frame and I think it's more cohesive that way. So, to conclude, I build it in a way that a small area of the Fabuland wall is showing. It will show that there's an area of the wall where somebody "painted" an accent color.

I'm not a big Fabuland fan but I really like the detail on this. The front patio especially with the various colored bricks. Most of the Fabuland buildings I've seen are very basic so this is a special treat. Great job!!

Well there are many more advanced Fabuland creations out there. Check out The Fabuland Builders Guild Flickr Group! or the Fabuland Builders Guild Index right here in the Special Themes Forum.

Will this trigger another wave of FBG MOCs???

Yes. My buddy Steve, who I built this castle with, and I sat down and had a brainstorming sessions. I have a ton of ideas. All I need now is to organize my time. And I'll hint that all of Steve's ideas revolved around some sort of movement.

Hopefully this means you're back into MOCing?

What? This and this don't count? Thanks for giving me another shot at shameless self promotion.

This is so lovely!

The tan detailing on the facade really gives it the "shoppe" feel, and I too love the pattern of the paving, and the gumball machine is a great idea! One thing that struck me was the side window - the external detail in particular. The covered arch and sill could so easily have been overlooked but it's a charming detail that also helps to incorporate the primary colours of the Fabuland window into the build.

It's the details you put in, Hinck, that make this special. Speaking of which, uhm, who's under the counter?

That arch on the side window is one of the tricks I've referred to above with Fugazi. It's a nice, easy way to incorporate the Fabuland wall into the brick wall. Thanks for the feedback. I thought of you as I was placing the flowers.

In fairness, I should point out that he spotted "something" and I spotted that they were (probably) legs.

Always teamwork...

Always a great example. Miss you guys.

Love it, Henck! I've ALWAYS wanted Fabuland....

Also, what's up with the legs under the counter?

Hi! My name is Hinck(ley). I'm glad you like the MOC. The legs under the counter are an example of The Fabuland Edge. Most MOCs from the Fabuland Builders Guild include something a little "off" which we refer to as The Fabuland Edge.

That is a really cute house with lots of nice details . Makes me sad I don't have any Fabuland from my childhood () when I see the excellent ways those old Fabuland elements are blended in with more modern parts and colors .

You don't have any Fabuland elements!? Get on eBay or Bricklink immediately.

Wow, this really will be a week to remember, my Saturday saw me and my grandsons at BrickFete and now I get to learn something about Lego I've never seen before.

Lego and Duplo together in Fabulous Diorama.

Thanks legodac! You're about to learn one more new thing: those aren't DUPLO pieces. They're Fabuland. Fabuland used System elements and the Fabuland pieces have system size studs, not the mondo DUPLO kind.

Thanks to everyone for all of the nice feedback! I'm glad you enjoy my creation.

[WesternOutlaw]

Really nice Hinck! I always enjoy seeing the creativity of your MOCs and I like how you successfully integrate the large Fabuland parts with standard LEGO, a task that I'm sure is not always easy to do. The MOC spells fun, especially with certain elements like the heart fence pieces, the icecream desserts on the table and the most classic icecream sign. Nice combination of colors used for the chimney and paved/tiled area. The fountain reminds me of a certain margarita fountain in front of a Mexican restaurant I remember from a visit to Old Town in SD many years ago. Great details and the ivy adds to the quality of the building.

Great job, as always. Lots of fun.

[dr_spock]

Very cute. Cow running an ice cream shop; makes one wonder where the cream for ice cream is coming from.

[Ferrik]

It looks amazing! I love how well you combined the colours for the ice-cream shop!