jrosen Posted April 13, 2015 I got back into LEGO a couple years ago when I started attending the Brickworld Conventions in Chicago. I didn't think I was creative enough or talented enough to create my own modular designs, but the Research Institute was really a good motivating item. I got it for my wife, but we had no place to display it. We have several LEGO tables in our house. Sets tend to get taken apart or modified heavily by our kids when they are on the tables, except to the table that contains the modulars. In order for them to fit on that table, I decided that I needed to create a research center. I designed pretty much the entire research center on LEGO Digital Designer. I don't know how anyone can create a model with more than 100 pieces - let alone the 3000 or so pieces that went into this thing - without it. I also had to use Bricklink for the first time, and I can't believe how much of a pain that was. Part of problems were my own -- not being completely 100% happy with the design before ordering parts that I didn't need or want in the end. I must of had 5 or 6 orders that were missing pieces. Many sellers refunded the money instead of sending the parts, which was more of a pain because I then had to buy them for other stores, pay shipping again, and usually have to meet the minimum order which meant buying pieces that I didn't necessarily want or need at this time. Ok, so enough about the headaches and back story. I designed my Research Center with SC Johnson's Headquarters in Racine, WI in mind. The complex was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and allowed for a relatively straightforward and minimalist outside design. I designed the entire interior so that all nearly all of the pieces from the Research Institute would be used. Minimal modifications were done when needed, but the point of the building was to focus on what LEGO already created. In the end, I created a three story building: a lobby with coffee stand, security guard, and dinosaur skeleton on the first floor, a chemistry lab and outside terrace with skylights for the second floor, office space with desks and cubicles on the third floor, and a observatory on the roof. I also didn't want to use any stickers, so all pictures on the walls come from printed plates. One mistake I made was using flat tiles for all of the floor space. The minifigures kept falling over and couldn't be posed. Eventually I had to put in some plates for footing in the chem lab because it was a disaster. 20150327_210114 by jrosen15@rocketmail.com, on Flickr 20150412_152139 by jrosen15@rocketmail.com, on Flickr 20150412_152128 by jrosen15@rocketmail.com, on Flickr 20150412_152234 by jrosen15@rocketmail.com, on Flickr 20150412_152510 by jrosen15@rocketmail.com, on Flickr 20150412_152548 by jrosen15@rocketmail.com, on Flickr 20150412_152827 by jrosen15@rocketmail.com, on Flickr 20150412_153152 by jrosen15@rocketmail.com, on Flickr 20150412_153138 by jrosen15@rocketmail.com, on Flickr 20150412_153308 by jrosen15@rocketmail.com, on Flickr 20150412_153250 by jrosen15@rocketmail.com, on Flickr 20150412_153321 by jrosen15@rocketmail.com, on Flickr 20150412_153437 by jrosen15@rocketmail.com, on Flickr 20150412_153416 by jrosen15@rocketmail.com, on Flickr Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dapper-D2 Posted April 13, 2015 Wonderful build and I love your idea of incorporating the research institute set. Beautifully done! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lightningtiger Posted April 13, 2015 Excellent modular MOC......Brick On 'jrosen' ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dapper-D2 Posted April 13, 2015 Also I think it would work well with the upcoming Big Bang Theory set. Oh, you've given me a great idea. Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Razi Posted April 13, 2015 Beautiful build and design Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gazumpty Posted April 13, 2015 Great build and a really nice concept with the incorporation of the 'Research Institute' set! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
motokokawaii Posted April 13, 2015 Great modular! Fits in with the others great! If you need any peer reviews for your research, we would be happy to help, a couple of my astronomers were also checking out your telescope with envy :P BTW I also completely tiled my chem lab floor and then disliked it so much I spent best part of 2 hours levering them all up again lol, I bought enough tiles to completely tile all floors, but I really liked being able to move stuff about too much so its back to studs now except for the toilets. I figure those tiles will come in when I roof the place and do the car park etc. Like the laptops and books, I still need to get that stuff and I wish there was more official lego printed art tiles TBH. Was also interested to see you made it in LDD, I always get massive RSI from using that for some reason so just changed mine as I went. This is fun approach but I spent soooo much time redesigning stuff when I wanted a layout change, and it also cost a fortune and a lot of waiting time because I was putting in so many bricklink and PaB orders for new parts. Anyway great work again, I hope to buy my first modular soon, just waiting for the next promo item to come free with orders and I willl get one :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pirzyk Posted April 13, 2015 Nice! Are you going to bring it to Brickworld Chicago this year? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jrosen Posted April 13, 2015 Thanks for all the feedback. I don't have much experience with MOC, but it seems like there are always more details to add or things to redo and make better. Its hard to be just be satisfied and be done with the project. I also wish LDD had a way to tell you how many sets the brick/color combination came in. There were so many times where I picked a plate or tile that LEGO created but only came in a few sets. That made the pieces crazy expensive or limited the stores that carried them. I must have placed 3 or 4 orders at stores where I only really needed one element and the store would have literally nothing else I needed. Sometimes I would change the design to accommodate the piece limitations at a later time, but often I had my mind hard set on what I created and didn't want to substitute anything. For those that build these larger MOCs, do you tend to stock up at PaB whenever you see things you know you'll need later but don't necessarily need for your current project? I get this feeling that I'll need to plan for future projects by buying tubs of 1x3, 1x2, 1x4, and 1x6 in typical building colors - grey, brown, tan, and black - whenever I see them in the LEGO store. That way I'll have them on-hand when I start a new project and I'll have paid relatively cheap per part prices. Of course I'll be spending lots of money on inventory that I won't necessarily "need" for any project if I go this route. I'm not planning on displaying anything at Brickworld. I like to go with my kids and just wander around. It's such a cool place and we have a great time. We also way overspend on "souvenirs" by buying collectable minifigs at the show. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PastVPresent Posted April 13, 2015 Looks great, very clean and professional. Really like the brick built doors, observatory and too much else to list! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Venunder Posted April 13, 2015 Good work. The observatory on the roof is a good idea but maybe a weather monitoring station would be better? Then you can build a big observatory for the outskirts of your town where the skies are clearer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Iria Posted April 13, 2015 I like how each floor is designed differently to reflect the variety of research going on inside. The exterior and observatory look great as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jedijon Posted April 14, 2015 Greebles like air exhaust or picnic table on roof w/observatory? The other parts rock really hard. I think the repeating masonry texture does work well. There's a lot of it-so it could've flopped. But you placed and spaced it right. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jrosen Posted April 14, 2015 Greebles like air exhaust or picnic table on roof w/observatory? The other parts rock really hard. I think the repeating masonry texture does work well. There's a lot of it-so it could've flopped. But you placed and spaced it right. I was thinking about putting a second outside seating area on the roof, but I didn't want to add a doorway to the observatory. I also thought about making a "green roof," but I couldn't figure out a way to make a mossy surface that looked good and could be done relatively inexpensively. I also tested an exhaust hood above the fire station in the chem lab with venting out the roof and on the side of the building. I got it to look nice, but the stability of the hood wasn't very strong. I figured that the kids would knock it over every time they opened the modular -- similar to what happens to our chandelier in the Grand Emporium -- unless I secured it into the front wall of the building. Doing that would have required another level of plates, which would have thrown off the symmetry of the masonry. In the end, a simple roof without access made the most sense. But if I can figure out something to add that looks good, I'm more than willing to change it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gabor Posted April 16, 2015 Very nice bilding with some very creative details, great interior and fantastic overall look! Fortunately I had only a few problematic orders on Bricklink, but I also think, that it is the most boring period of MOCing. LDD makes me tired, too, but withot LDD it's very hard to find out, how many and what elements we need! The life of a Lego builder is very diffcult! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
