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[Svelte]

A Modular Building style MOC based on a Spanish Colonial Revival apartment block in King's Cross, Sydney. Although the original is in a dense urban environment, I've added some modular park extensions to allow the apartment complex to breathe in this display.

I will add a reference pic and some extra shots of the building combined with modular sets very soon! There's also a PF light-up brick included but I haven't got a nice shot of that yet

All pics are links to high-res versions on flickr.

Sydney's King's Cross & Potts Point suburbs are famously filled with beautiful Art Deco and Spanish Colonial Revival buildings constructed in the early 20th Century. This creation is based on a real building, but I've added some modular street greenery to add a touch of colour. I've also added some Bohemian inhabitants that may not look out of place in the famously seedy inhabitants of the Cross.


There are six apartments in this complex. Entry is through the main wrought-iron gate through to a walled courtyard studded with pot-plants. A decorative curved roof is a whimsical but non-functional addition.


Closer view of the apartment complex itself.


Just back from the famous Department Store with some undoubtedly luxe purchase, this blonde ingenue meets her Lothario husband out on the pavement. She doesn't ask too many questions about his always-close 'associate'. Business partner? Bodyguard? Best not to enquire too closely.


The decoratively-tiled roof is a vision in dark red.


The apartments overlook the upper part of the inner courtyard, which is studded with creeping vines, cactus and flowers.


The greenery continues down to ground level. Behind the door is the foyer of the apartment building.


Close-up of roof and one wing of the apartment complex.


On the other side of the building, a hipster chick stops to chat with a preening sunbather.


"Hey babe - wanna rub some suntan lotion on my chest?"

"Sorry - my mother told me never to get within 6 feet of a man wearing gold pants."


The large tree is producing fragrant blooms at this time of year.


Low-angle close-up.

"Hey - I'm still looking for someone to rub suntan-lotion onto my chest!"


Overhead view.


The standalone apartment complex can be aligned with other buildings following the Modular Standard - pics coming soon!


Park sections are also modular and can be recombined. Praise be to the dark brown cylinder piece in Woody's Round Up!


Update 8 March: here are the promised reference pix The building is almost adjacent to the famous Wayside Chapel in King's Cross

Full view showing recessed courtyard and gate.


View showing roof tiles.


Courtyard detail.

[Peppermint_M]

Boring MOC is boring



What a lovely Modular house. It is refreshing to see different architecture in use

[Izzy]

Ahhh the green army men base as a tree really did work out nicely. Very cool Svelte. Really nice building too, that red roof is wickid cool, very nice touch indeed! I really like your seedy characters hanging about too *shudders at the gold pants*

Now can you make the Art Deco building? Please?

BTW, where is your MOC expert badge?

[Siegfried]

I think this is your finest work. The roof is just beautiful and you've got just the right balance of plants in the courtyard. I'll be eagerly awaiting the rest of the photos!

Svelte, on Mar 6 2010, 10:25 PM, said:

A Modular Building style MOC based on a Spanish Colonial Revival apartment block in King's Cross, Sydney.

I think I know the one. Are you trying to make me cry; I really miss Sydney.

Svelte, on Mar 6 2010, 10:25 PM, said:

Just back from the famous Department Store with some undoubtedly luxe purchase, this blonde ingenue meets her Lothario husband out on the pavement. She doesn't ask too many questions about his always-close 'associate'. Business partner? Bodyguard? Best not to enquire too closely.

I was on the floor after reading that! The rest of the story is pretty good too.

Cutlass Iz, on Mar 6 2010, 10:39 PM, said:

BTW, where is your MOC expert badge?

He'd need to start merging them like Shadows.

[Shadows]

Seedy-licious! It's full of character(s).

What more is there to say?

It's refreshing to see a nice looking roof that doesn't require anything overly bizarre.

The walls are very white, especially the side walls, that's probably it's biggest weakness, though I'm not sure how to solve it without more ivy/plants.

Overall, a fine presentation of a style of building we don't often see in LEGO, which is always nice.

I'll give this a 972.

[Princess Muttonchops]

OmiGod Svelte, this MOC is the "da bomb", as the young people say. I think I know the building it's based on, I probably used to pass it on the way to Kings Cross (ah, good times...). The tile roof is a thing of beauty, and the trees are completely awesome. What set/fig is the hipster chick's torso from? It's completely gorgeous, I want one. Oh, and very sound advice about staying away from men wearing gold pants! Triple A+++! Yay!!

[Quarryman]

Peppermint_M, on Mar 6 2010, 12:32 PM, said:

Boring MOC is boring

Yes, boring MOC sure is boring.

It's different, which is always good, but the whiteness of it bothers me, there's so much white. And the windows feel somehow.. "wrong". The roof is great though, loved that, and the overall impression is very good. Loved the soldier bases for greenery on the one tree.

[Rick]

I really love the roof technique Svelte. The way you used the army man lily pads ghost buster splatters (or whatever the name of the element may be) as leafs on the tree is great too. Other than that, the whole Spanish style is really well done and instantly recognizable, with the little arched entrance fence being my persona favorite in that respect.

Peppermint_M, on Mar 6 2010, 12:32 PM, said:

Boring MOC is boring

Quarryman, on Mar 6 2010, 12:43 PM, said:

Yes, boring MOC sure is boring.

And I thought that Svelte made a type when he said 'Wise Rick is wise' in another thread... Confused Rick is confused now.

[Etzel]

Great work, Svelte!
I really liked the roof (that's a serious amount of dark red jumper plates! ) and all the different plants (I really like the ones at the door with these and these parts, I might borrow that idea). Your trees are very good and the use of the green soldiers stands as foliage is a nice idea

But the best part of this MOC is of course the classical Svelte-humour and jokes

[Bob]

Wow! What a great MOC!

I've been waiting to see when you'd post this one, I tried vainly clicking the picture in your signature, for a minute, until nothing happened. However, now this is up! I like the tree using the Army-Men Bases, very creative. Must have cost a small fortune to get them all, though.

[LegoFranks]

Love the Triffids at the front...

M.

[Svelte]

Thanks for your comments!

White isn't my favourite colour for buildings, either, but it was appropriate for this MOC. The original building has a stucco facade which creates shading and texture but I have yet to find a LEGO brick that can substitute for 'stucco' I do think it captures the essentials of the Spanish Revival style quite well. I've been looking at a few buildings in this area to turn into their LEGO counterparts and as a starting point this seemed like a good balance between a unique and interesting design and available parts My style tends to end up cartoony and a bit exaggerated, so this is a step in a more 'realistic' direction but it still feels 'Svelte-ish' to me.

The windows are actually very true to the building's design - shame I lost all the pix! The 'windows' above the courtyard are doors with teensy narrow little balconies on the original, but to make them doors on this creation would have pushed up the height and made the curved roof sit too high above the rest of the building.

I am quite pleased with the red tile roof. It's quite sturdy too, which is something I always aim for in MOCs

WalrusKeeper, the hipster torso is Snake Oiler's from the Speed Racer set from 2008.

Sieggy, YES I AM TRYING TO MAKE YOU CRY! That, or move to Sydney

Rick, the reason for the 'boring' comments is that I did complain when I was making this that it was kind of boring. I think the landscaping helps give it a bit of pop, but I'm quite happy with it anyway, if only (as Shadows says) it is a bit different in style from many other Town MOCs.

[Admiral Croissant]

Very great building!
I like the roof technique and the entire design is just lovely (and very original)
Good job

[Jasper Joppe Geers]

Just Superb!

Really well executed piece of work, especially the roof!
And a stunning way of how to build plants and trees as well!

Now give us more of this!!!

Cheers,

JJ.

[MantaMan]

Great MOC!I very like the plants,roof and the design