27 replies to this topic

[Righteous Squid]

Gotham Central Bank has opened for today’s business





Some people like to go up and down the steps.



Some people withdraw cash from the ATMs



Some people have random fights on the street - “Take that rebel scum!”



Down the alleyway a security van transfers cash.





Inside people begin to queue for the NATH (Non-Automated Telling Humans)



Some ‘busy’ managerial staff pause to look down on all the poople bringing them money.



In the conference room the banks owners plan the next financial meltdown.



The manager convinces the professor that his Bank is the safest place to deposit his valuables.



So the professor leaves his case with security…



… and it is deposited in the vault below.



Suddenly the doors burst open and Two-face bursts in with his henchmen…



The security gate crashes down...



They manage to open the safe…



But there are two cases - Two-face has to flip his coin.



Fate having chosen the case they will take they make their escape in a cleverly disguised security van…



Robin soon roars up on his cycle…



Two-face presses a button that randomly selects a door to open, luckily it is on the right side and his henchman shots out Robin’s tyres enabling them to escape…



Back at their hideout Two-faces henchmen begin to wonder if it is worth working for someone whose decisions are made by a coin toss.



The professor feels a passing pang of regret that the only existing prototype of the super flame-retardant, cold resistant, chemical proof wig that he had intended to patent is missing.



Batman patrols the rooftops to keep a watch for further mischief…










As with all my MOCs my design choices are guided and often determined by the need for playability, (in this case I wanted to incorporate the security gate/portcullis which did have important implications for the design), the primary aim in building it being to make my kids something fun to play with it. The building is therefore a façade with the interior fairly open plan to allow easy access. And my kids love it. Today I was wondering where all the bankers had gone and discovered my 21 month old daughter had locked them in the vault along with the cat.

Disclaimer:
The fact that I am posting this now has nothing to do with Batbrick having posted his Gotham Bank and I am not trying to copy him. If you haven’t seen his yet check it out.    We just both happen to be working on building up our own Gotham cities and banks are an essential part of the drama of Gotham city and Two-face was in the story because Lego chose (for reasons still unclear to me) to give Two-face a unique security van which I chose (for reasons still unclear to me) to modify.  

(I did in fact promise this MOC and story months ago but due to problems with getting bricks to Africa I wasn’t able to finish the Bank when I anticipated but had to wait until I got the Green Grocer set for Christmas). The bank isn’t entirely complete in every detail but my plan is to build a street of several buildings and then work out what pieces I need to add the finishing touches - so I don’t anticipate finishing it to my satisfaction anytime soon.

Enjoy and do feel free to comment, question my sanity or whatever  

[prateek]

Nice bank! It's really different from Batbrick's. I like the inside of it, and the story is funny

[???theriddler???]

This is one of the first projects i really like. Good job for sure! I like the inside the most. And i like the story!

[lightningtiger]

AWESOME MOC 'Righteous Squid' - love that bank design - cute atm's too !
Well at least Two Faces has extra hair when he goes bold eh ?
The external walls are beautifully detailed - I like it !
Fantastic design and build 'Righteous Squid' ........keep on bricking !

Edited by lightningtiger, 16 March 2010 - 01:52 PM.

[Batbrick]

Wonderful bank Righteous Squid! I'm so happy to see you finally post it! I'm so jealous of the ideas here it almost makes me want to tear my own bank down and copy yours!  

I'll go a bit more in depth soon as I'm in a hurry, but this is superb and excellent choice with Two-Face there, best Batman villain. And I gotta love the re-emergence of the wig!

Batbrick Away!  

[Righteous Squid]

prateek, on Mar 16 2010, 04:24 AM, said:

Nice bank! It's really different from Batbrick's. I like the inside of it, and the story is funny

Thanks Prateek. I should point out, as I meant to above, that I changed a staff room with sofas and a coffee table to a conference room after seeing Batbrick's bank (sorry Batbrick, I should have said,   ) so its not entirely 'different'.  

Apart from that there was no 'conferring' on any other detail  

???theriddler???, on Mar 16 2010, 02:35 PM, said:

This is one of the first projects i really like. Good job for sure! I like the inside the most. And i like the story!

Wow. That is high praise indeed. Thanks very much Riddler.    
As my second favorite villan (after Scarecrow) I will one day have to do a story involving you
but as yet I simply don't have a good enough selection of green pieces to do Riddler transport of any kind
and my attempt a sphinx mecha was a total fail.

lightningtiger, on Mar 16 2010, 02:51 PM, said:

Well at least Two Faces has extra hair when he goes bold eh ?

It also works as a cunning disguise    

Batbrick, on Mar 17 2010, 10:34 AM, said:

Wonderful bank Righteous Squid! I'm so happy to see you finally post it! I'm so jealous of the ideas here it almost makes me want to tear my own bank down and copy yours!  

No Need: your own Bank is impressive in its own right and I must confess to being jealous of some of the details you have been able to include in your Bank.
Having been inspired by your conference room I must admit my conference room is sadly a little cramped and not as impressive as yours
and I envy your gold stuffed safe. I do wish I could pack in more details but thats the unfortunate trade off for play space.
I look forward to seeing how your Gotham evolves compared to mine.
Thanks Batbrick  

Edited by Righteous Squid, 18 March 2010 - 05:07 PM.

[LegoGalactus]

Very cool moc Righteous Squid.  
I have never seen a bank that huge before. I like the atm and statues that you put in it. I think Batman only patrols at night.

[Batbrick]

Mega post update!

Righteous Squid, on Mar 16 2010, 12:17 PM, said:

I look forward to seeing how your Gotham evolves compared to mine.

Then from this day we must be enemies!  

Seriously, I was blown away when I first saw this, that first shot especially really shows your mocing skills. I'm really surprised at how green works so well with the grey, wish I'd thought of it as I have most of those pieces. Guess I'll save them for Gotham Cathedral. The little ATMs are one of my favourite touches of the whole piece, as I'm still not satisfied with my own that look more like arcade machines. I hope you don't mind if I do something similar one day, I would of course credit you.

The steps are quite neat too, I love that it allows space for the vault, it really works and makes the building even bigger. Good use of those grey parrots too, I've always wanted some of those, and the barred sections are great, excellent use of the portcullis. My only complaint with the front is that the middle section with the dark grey columns seems a little bare, I think it needs something like another gargoyle. Other than that I love the very gothic and older looking style you've gone with, fits Batman perfectly.

The inside is even better than the outside, and that's certainly saying something. The NATH section is one of my favourite parts, the checkerboard floor is great and I wish I had that many note tiles as you! The steps down to the vault level is a great touch, as is the security door. The mixing of bley and traditional grey gives the safe an older, weathered look that I love. The addition of the boxes and cupboards make the whole thing a lot more detailed too. You're like me in that actually, a real detail monkey  

The upper levels are just as fantastic, if not more so. The little conference area (glad to be of influence   ) is grea,t an I love the inclusion of the Mayan/Aztex/Whatever stickers, they really suit somehow and I never would've thought of that. The way you've done the barrel with plants in them is something I've not seen before and quite clever. The manager convincing the depositing is great too. The bearded statues are quite neat, mind if I borrow the use of those beards on statues? I want to use that one for Gotham Park because it looks so good and much better than the plain grey fig I've got at the moment.

The cat is a great touch too, and in terms of architecture the inverted slopes below the highest level look really neat. The only complaints I can really think of for the inside is the lack of the dark green roofing on one side, though I understand that may be a parts issue, and the fact that the inside of the roof has no detail, I was hoping for a chandelier or something for Bats to hang off. I'm really stretching with these though.

You're updated security van is very neat too, in particular the opening back part is well done. I like Two-Face's updated vehicle too, I think the black/white looks much better than grey/white. And I laughed at the Professor's wig gag, I thought you'd forgotten but indeed the flame retardant, cold resistant and chemical proof wig is there in all its glory!    I suggest that if you ever plan on retiring the character that you give him a happy ending, he's had quite an unlucky run  

Very, very much looking forward ot whatever comes next Righteous Squid (which I still deem is the best username I've ever seen) and I'll be there to match it with something of my own!

Batbrick Away!  

[Righteous Squid]

LegoGalactus, on Mar 18 2010, 06:15 PM, said:

Very cool moc Righteous Squid.  
I have never seen a bank that huge before. I like the atm and statues that you put in it. I think Batman only patrols at night.

Many thanks for your kind words of affirmation.  
As to Batman patroling only at night I think I can say my photos prove otherwise - I didn't photoshop him in you know  

Batbrick, on Mar 19 2010, 07:55 AM, said:

Mega post update!

Then from this day we must be enemies!  

Seriously, I was blown away when I first saw this, that first shot especially really shows your mocing skills. I'm really surprised at how green works so well with the grey, wish I'd thought of it as I have most of those pieces. Guess I'll save them for Gotham Cathedral. The little ATMs are one of my favourite touches of the whole piece, as I'm still not satisfied with my own that look more like arcade machines. I hope you don't mind if I do something similar one day, I would of course credit you.

Credit is always good - how much did you have in mind?  

Batbrick, on Mar 19 2010, 07:55 AM, said:

The steps are quite neat too, I love that it allows space for the vault, it really works and makes the building even bigger. Good use of those grey parrots too, I've always wanted some of those, and the barred sections are great, excellent use of the portcullis. My only complaint with the front is that the middle section with the dark grey columns seems a little bare, I think it needs something like another gargoyle. Other than that I love the very gothic and older looking style you've gone with, fits Batman perfectly.

Sadly for the columns in the centre I ran out of suitable dark grey pieces especially when I raised the building another two bricks in height. However I think I will do something with the window in the middle top rather than the columns which might have minor decoration at the top - (note the technic holes at the top of the columns which I had thought to put studs on but never did).  I have further modifications in mind when I have further supplies of parts including raising the building height by a further two bricks and widening it by four.

Batbrick, on Mar 19 2010, 07:55 AM, said:

I wish I had that many note tiles as you!

Well I have zero bank note tiles if that is what you mean, but a lot of envelope tiles - so my bank is currently handing out IOUs.    

Batbrick, on Mar 19 2010, 07:55 AM, said:

The upper levels are just as fantastic, if not more so. The little conference area (glad to be of influence   ) is grea,t an I love the inclusion of the Mayan/Aztex/Whatever stickers, they really suit somehow and I never would've thought of that. The way you've done the barrel with plants in them is something I've not seen before and quite clever. The manager convincing the depositing is great too. The bearded statues are quite neat, mind if I borrow the use of those beards on statues? I want to use that one for Gotham Park because it looks so good and much better than the plain grey fig I've got at the moment.

I have tried statue figs with grey hair but they just look weird IMHO:   Beards are best!

Batbrick, on Mar 19 2010, 07:55 AM, said:

The cat is a great touch too, and in terms of architecture the inverted slopes below the highest level look really neat. The only complaints I can really think of for the inside is the lack of the dark green roofing on one side, though I understand that may be a parts issue, and the fact that the inside of the roof has no detail, I was hoping for a chandelier or something for Bats to hang off. I'm really stretching with these though.

The missing roof part is not a parts issue - it is a letting your 21 month old daugther play with it before you photograph it issue. She always removes parts and puts them elsewhere or builds something. I went to photograph again later from different angles but couldn't find the figs in spite of searching everywhere. After I had given up and posted I discovered the figs in the vault. The roof is something I want to work on further, as is the lighting. I considered some kind of chandelier but have no plans to include one at this time.

Thanks for the detailed comments. Much appreciated.
One thing missing though - what did you think of gargoyle v1.0?

[CallMePie]

The story made me laugh, but the bank itself is awesome!

Edited by CallMePie, 21 March 2010 - 08:57 PM.

[Marko]

You MOC is the reason why I should visit more often Licensed forum.  I love buildings with details, but I do not like modular ones - yours is exactly the mix of architecture and playability that should always be in LEGO if done for hobby (OK architects can have their dry buildings with Modulex).

You have used these fabulous pink minifigures that fit in the Gotham City very well.  White cat brings me to my mind James Bond movies and Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

SAND GREEN is very good color choice, people should use more the rare colors in MOCs.  OK you should have stuck with one shade of grey or then total mix of grey shades.

Thanks for nice MOC.  My sons would have loved to play with your MOC (They know Batman but have never seen the movies due the age).

[Erdbeereis]

The level of detail in the interior is fantastic. I love all of the different furniture, and other fun things.

Great work on the facade as well, it really looks like it would fit in with the Modular Building sets like Green Grocer. Beautiful work!

[LuxorV]

Very nice bank Righteous Squid!

I love all the detailes you included both in the interior and on the exterior (especially those small gargoyles ). And you did a great job by including parts from other themes (like the two Indy pannels) to add decorations.


(Just one tiny request: could you resize the fourth pic so that it is at 800 pixels max like the others, please? Thank you!)


LuxorV

[I Scream Clone]

This is an amazing creation with all its action and gothic undertones! Its nice to be able to easily peer inside to look at all the details. The colour scheme works well to me except the wooden doors on a bank don't seem likely to be too strong at repelling would be bank robbers like Two Face. I really like the motorbike and truck, nicely designed. The gargoyles are a nice touch too.

Can you resize this picture that is way too big for site guidelines and took a long time to load up, http://www.brickshel...mBank/gb2aa.jpg

Great job,
Cheers

ISC.

[Righteous Squid]

CallMePie, on 21 March 2010 - 08:57 PM, said:

The story made me laugh, but the bank itself is awesome!

Thanks CallMePie – always happy to raise a smile

Marko, on 22 March 2010 - 08:47 PM, said:

You MOC is the reason why I should visit more often Licensed forum.  I love buildings with details, but I do not like modular ones - yours is exactly the mix of architecture and playability that should always be in LEGO if done for hobby (OK architects can have their dry buildings with Modulex).
You have used these fabulous pink minifigures that fit in the Gotham City very well.  White cat brings me to my mind James Bond movies and Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
SAND GREEN is very good color choice, people should use more the rare colors in MOCs.  OK you should have stuck with one shade of grey or then total mix of grey shades.
Thanks for nice MOC.  My sons would have loved to play with your MOC (They know Batman but have never seen the movies due the age).

Wow, high praise indeed. Nice to see someone sharing my desire to combine detail and playability too.  The MOC is built for my kids (8yrs and 2yrs) to play with and the enjoyment they get from it makes it all the more satisfying..
Would have mixed shades of grey more if I could – I’m afraid I always stretch my collection to the limit and don’t have a lot of the old shades since I started collecting after the change.

Erdbeereis, on 23 March 2010 - 04:06 PM, said:

The level of detail in the interior is fantastic. I love all of the different furniture, and other fun things.
Great work on the facade as well, it really looks like it would fit in with the Modular Building sets like Green Grocer. Beautiful work!

Thanks Erdbeereis. I hope to continue evolving my design adding detail as I collect appropriate bricks. I have already done so on the exterior of this MOC – pics of update below.

LuxorV, on 23 March 2010 - 04:27 PM, said:

Very nice bank Righteous Squid!
I love all the detailes you included both in the interior and on the exterior (especially those small gargoyles ). And you did a great job by including parts from other themes (like the two Indy pannels) to add decorations.

Thanks LuxorV. I am pleased the gargoyles have worked as I wasn’t sure how successful I could be with brickbuilt ones. As for the Indy panels I don’t complain about the stickers in sets as they are so much more versatile than printed parts and it makes the little purist in me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to use official lego stickers rather than make my own decals.

I Scream Clone, on 23 March 2010 - 09:29 PM, said:

This is an amazing creation with all its action and gothic undertones! Its nice to be able to easily peer inside to look at all the details. The colour scheme works well to me except the wooden doors on a bank don't seem likely to be too strong at repelling would be bank robbers like Two Face. I really like the motorbike and truck, nicely designed. The gargoyles are a nice touch too.

Thanks I Scream Clone.
The wooden doors are to my mind reinforced – the wooden panelling on them being for aesthetic purposes. For my Gotham I ultimately want to go for a style that blends retro, modern and fantasy elements, hence I have also chosen to go for a less secure but decorative and retro interior rather than use bullet-proof glass etc.

Here are some pics of updates that I have since done to the exterior, adding some details and increasing the height by 3 or 4 bricks:

[Penguin]

WOW! The Detail is fantastic, and I just adore your story . How long did this take you to make? You are truely talented Brickbuilder!  

[Righteous Squid]

Penguin, on 20 June 2010 - 06:05 PM, said:

WOW! The Detail is fantastic, and I just adore your story . How long did this take you to make? You are truely talented Brickbuilder!  

Thanks Penguin.

I built a prototype in one evening over a year ago. I then took it apart and rebuilt it the next evening, making a number of changes.
I then got the green grocer for christmas and rebuilt it again to make use of all the extra bricks - probably about another evening.
Since then I have made occassional changes and finalised interior and exterior details. So depending on how you look at it you could say it took me either a year and a half or four evenings worth.

Nor do I consider it finished as when I accumulate enough bricks and proptotype other gotham projects I want to widen it by four or eight studs, and do work on the roof and vault among other things.

More Gotham MOCs on the way soon.

Righteoues

[Commodore Hornbricker]

Very nice MOC and very funny.  I must have missed this the first time around.  I am glad it came back!

[Penguin]

Yes please do make another Batman-themed MOC, your MOC's are inspirational!

[Batman1]

Wow! This is a really great Moc! I love the detail on the building and the attention to detail on elements such as the interior, the vehicles and the people (with their accessories).
I am glad to see other people using the IJ figs for gotham city :) and I also love the security van with the suitcases :)
The only things that I could possibly criticise would be the yellow professor (as I personally don't like mixing yellow and flesh, but thats just me) and the only other thing would be if its still built, I would love to see you expand it into more that has the full depth of a building, as those types of Moc's are great for display, but it would be great to see your take on a larger version.
Thanks for sharing such a great Moc with us all,
Batman1-

[Righteous Squid]

Commodore Hornbricker, on 23 June 2010 - 12:29 AM, said:

Very nice MOC and very funny.  I must have missed this the first time around.  I am glad it came back!

In that case I am glad to revive it.
Thanks Commodore.

Penguin, on 23 June 2010 - 03:47 PM, said:

Yes please do make another Batman-themed MOC, your MOC's are inspirational!

More MOCs already made and will be posted soon. I will also be posting an index for my Gotham and Batman MOCs

Batman1, on 24 June 2010 - 05:03 PM, said:

Wow! This is a really great Moc! I love the detail on the building and the attention to detail on elements such as the interior, the vehicles and the people (with their accessories).
I am glad to see other people using the IJ figs for gotham city :) and I also love the security van with the suitcases :)
The only things that I could possibly criticise would be the yellow professor (as I personally don't like mixing yellow and flesh, but thats just me) and the only other thing would be if its still built, I would love to see you expand it into more that has the full depth of a building, as those types of Moc's are great for display, but it would be great to see your take on a larger version.
Thanks for sharing such a great Moc with us all,
Batman1-

Thanks Batman 1 and welcome. Nice to have another Batman fan aboard.
I myself prefer fleshies and wish Lego would convert once and for all as I don't like to mix them. (Then it would be worth getting the minifigure collections.) However, the professor is an established character I have been using to present my MOCs since back when I had only a few fleshies and tonnes of yellows so I continue to use him even though I have retired all my other yellows. Perhaps if Lego releases a suitable fleshie head in the future I will do a transformation MOC.

The bank is still built as my aim it to have a Gotham city. More depth would indeed be nice to be able to add more interior detail, but I design my MOCs for my kids to play with and depth is wasted space if it cant be reached. Also by keeping it shallow I can make the buildings taller and more gotham-like, do more buildings, and will be able to do a full street much sooner. I do intend though to give the bank more width in the future. Beyond that, perhaps, and once the kids are grown up I will complete the buildings but thats a long way off.

[Batman1]

Righteous Squid, on 25 June 2010 - 10:54 AM, said:

In that case I am glad to revive it.
Thanks Commodore.



More MOCs already made and will be posted soon. I will also be posting an index for my Gotham and Batman MOCs



Thanks Batman 1 and welcome. Nice to have another Batman fan aboard.
I myself prefer fleshies and wish Lego would convert once and for all as I don't like to mix them. (Then it would be worth getting the minifigure collections.) However, the professor is an established character I have been using to present my MOCs since back when I had only a few fleshies and tonnes of yellows so I continue to use him even though I have retired all my other yellows. Perhaps if Lego releases a suitable fleshie head in the future I will do a transformation MOC.

The bank is still built as my aim it to have a Gotham city. More depth would indeed be nice to be able to add more interior detail, but I design my MOCs for my kids to play with and depth is wasted space if it cant be reached. Also by keeping it shallow I can make the buildings taller and more gotham-like, do more buildings, and will be able to do a full street much sooner. I do intend though to give the bank more width in the future. Beyond that, perhaps, and once the kids are grown up I will complete the buildings but thats a long way off.

Thanks for replying to my post and thank you for a pleasant welcome :) Ah thanks for clearing that up about the fleshies, now i know for future mocs when i spot the professor ;) I also like your use of the darker flesh tone figs, very nice :)
Ah that is very understandable about your kids and so nice that you build things for them :) I am greatly looking forward to a finished gotham street!

Batman1-

[Blackicep8ntball]

I'm finding all sorts of cool things today  . Beautiful dark Gotham style MOC! Those gargoyles are particularly creative. Perhaps I overlooked something, but is there a staircase or other means of getting from the bank's main floor to the thug's table on the second level?

Nice vehicles too btw

[Righteous Squid]

Blackicep8ntball, on 26 June 2010 - 07:05 PM, said:

I'm finding all sorts of cool things today  . Beautiful dark Gotham style MOC! Those gargoyles are particularly creative. Perhaps I overlooked something, but is there a staircase or other means of getting from the bank's main floor to the thug's table on the second level?

Nice vehicles too btw

Thanks Blackicep8ntball.
To answer your question: The interior is cut away for playability - if I were to build to full thing in modular style the stairs would be at the back of the building away from the shopfloor, it would also be somewhat oversized and consume my entire lego collection.

[The Scarecrow]

Your MOC's keep getting better, and Better! The detail in this one is fantastic, and your other Scarecrow MOC's Great aswell!  

Keep up the good work, hope to see more soon  


-Scarecrow