WesternOutlaw Posted February 21, 2009 Posted February 21, 2009 After the Fall & Winter of 2006; in March of 2007, when everything began to thaw out, I returned to Grave Stone once again with an attempt to re-create a very early Ghost Town creation called the Shady Inn. I wanted to utilize light green bricks that I purchased from Legoland Pick-A-Brick a year earlier, with prior attempts not turning out well. The trick behind the Shady Inn was to build it large enough to have interior room for a bar and hotal rooms, making it much larger than traditional Wild West buildings (at least from Lego). While the interior never came out as well as I wanted it to (due to a lack of useful bricks at the time), I was quite pleased with the exterior., esp. the color palette of light green, dark orange, and white. Inpiration The inspiration behind the Shady Inn was based on no single source, but rather a continuously haunting desire to build a large hotel for Grave Stone since the beginning of my visions for the town. Very early inspirations may have been from a Pink Panther Cartoon called Pink Panic. The thought of a haunted hotel within a Ghost Town has always been fascinating and even modern horror films have used the concept. About the MOCs No other creation from the Grave Stone collection has been re-built as many times as Shady Inn. I must have had at least five different Shady Inn MOCs over a two-three year time span, never quite happy with the final creation. I think of all of these versions, Version I (pictured first), was my favorite of the creations; however, Version 2 had a secret door in the upstairs closet that opened to the roof top, an addition that I particularly liked. Shady Inn Version 2 would include more custom minifigs that I had ever used throughout the Grave Stone collection. Four Western figs (including a buffalo soldier) would find themselves outside the Shady Inn being chased by skeletons as they loot the Hotel (not mentioned in the story). The Story Have you heard of skeletons in your attic? There may be skeletons in your bed in the Shady Inn Hotel. Within the desolate town of Grave Stone stands the Shady Inn. It's a horrifying place with boarded windows, creaking floors, and terrifying spooks that haunt the dark rooms within. Legends say that the Inn was built on a graveyard, while others believe that the land beneath was the ancient burial ground of American Indians. The shadows play tricks on ones sanity within this horrific hotel for those who have dared spent the night have seen those terrifying visions of apparitions and the undead, calling for someone to join them in their shallow graves. If you are unfortunate to have stumbled upon the ghostly town of Grave Stone, you may want to think twice about spending the night in the Shady Inn. About the Story The Story of the Shady Inn embraces two different concepts: 1) That the hotel was built on a graveyard (Poltergeist inspired) and 2) That the Shady Inn was built on an ancient American Indian Burial Ground. A similar Indian burial ground concept would be used again in the story of the Haunted Mine. The MOCs Version 1 Version 2 Looking back at the Shady Inn(s), I appreciate them much more now, than I did upon building them. I think the revised graphics help enhance them as well. Quote
Lego12 Posted February 21, 2009 Posted February 21, 2009 (edited) There are now words for this masterpiece...... It looks amazing! I want to buy it! I want to buy it! If it was a real set I would buy it the day it came out! More brown barrels, I see! I really like the color of the Inn......its just lovely! I like the boarded up windows and doors and the way the Inn is designed. I like Version 1 better than Version 2, but it would be interesting to see pictures of the interior. Do you happen to have pictures? I doubt it, though, anyways, I like the coffin and the wooden stilts holding up the building. Great job on another great MOC. This is by far my favorite! Also are these MOC's newly built or have they been built for a time now? Can't wait for you next Grave Stone MOC! Edited February 21, 2009 by Lego12 Quote
Captain Blackmoor Posted February 21, 2009 Posted February 21, 2009 I admit this is really nice. I've seen it before but it is still very pleasant to the eye. I like the abandoned look on it, the planks for windows and doors and the coffin in the street is not really something what you see every day. The first version is my favorite because it looks more like a Wild West tavern. Quote
WesternOutlaw Posted February 22, 2009 Author Posted February 22, 2009 I want to buy it! I want to buy it! If it was a real set I would buy it the day it came out! I guess you like this one. Thanks Lego12. but it would be interesting to see pictures of the interior. Do you happen to have pictures? I doubt it, though, Yes, I actually took a few pictures of the interior from the 2nd version. The interior wasn't good at all, but here's some close-ups. Also are these MOC's newly built or have they been built for a time now? I built this in March/April of 2007. It's been long-since destroyed. The first version is my favorite because it looks more like a Wild West tavern. Thanks Cap'n. I think most have said that the 1st version looks a bit better. Quote
Lego12 Posted February 22, 2009 Posted February 22, 2009 I guess you like this one. Thanks Lego12.Yes, I actually took a few pictures of the interior from the 2nd version. The interior wasn't good at all, but here's some close-ups. I built this in March/April of 2007. It's been long-since destroyed. ....................... Yeah, I really enjoyed this one. The interior isn't that bad, but the yellow is a bit odd..... March/April 2007.....that was a long ways back......its good that you took some pictures of this beautiful MOC. Can't wait for you to post your next Grave Stone MOC! Quote
Klaus-Dieter Posted February 22, 2009 Posted February 22, 2009 These are two absolutely amazing Western MOCs, TheBrickster! I really, really them! For me these are the two best Ghost Town MOCs you ever created! I don't know why I think so. Perhaps it's because they're looking absoluetly realistic, perhaps because they are the two MOCs which look the closest to official Lego Western sets of the past or perhaps because I'd so much like to see TLG releasing a saloon/hotel/inn for the Western theme. I even couldn't vote for which of them I like more. They're both absolutely awesome! Perhaps I'd prefer version one - but I'm really not sure. The architecture is absolutely fitting, the railings and colums, too! The windows with the balks in front of them, the special green color and the skelettons add to it a realy shady and spooky charisma. :skull: Very, very well done! Klaus-Dieter Quote
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