[MOC] Bottled City of Kandor (minifig-scale) and Fortress of Solitude

[rob-ot5000]

Hello, and welcome to my minifig-scale bottled city of Kandor! This is the first MOC I've posted on EB, so be gentle. Or harsh. Or honest.

EDIT: I may update this later, as I keep building, or take better photos

This is part of a much larger Fortress of Solitude project I've been working on since forever (hence WIP, or work-in-progress). Please excuse the dust, dog hair, bad lighting, bad photos, etc, etc, ad infinitum. I'm only posting because someone asked how I did it, and because I really like some of the work I've done and am keen to share it, even if I'm not in a position to take decent photos. Or dust thoroughly beforehand. Seriously, my dog sheds a lot. It's a problem.

On with the show.

Here's some shots of the city, still bottled. Each shot is a 90 degree rotation clockwise from the previous shot.

And here it is out of it's bottle.

As you can see, the city is built on a 2x3 plate for a base, and fitted into a 4x4 (round) space, offset using two jumper plates. This is pretty tricky. The top of the cylinder, when assembled, only has a 2x4 opening, so you can't simply put the city inside the bottle. The opening at the bottom is the same 2x4, so you can't attach the 2x3 city then add the half-cylinders because the city overhangs on at least two sides. The easiest way to assemble it all is to add the two 1x2 jumpers to the bottom of the city's 2x3 base, then hold the cylinders around the city, so that the cylinders grip the jumper plates and form an even surface. Then attach the assembly to a 4x4 (round, or not), making sure to apply pressure to the half-cylinders AND the city itself. This can be frustrating, especially if the city isn't stable enough to withstand the pressure put on top. For mine, that longest spire is a perfect place to apply pressure and ensure solid clutch-power on the bottom.

As for the city itself, well, you have tons of options. I went for the white color-scheme, to match the general aesthetic of the 70's movie version of Krypton, but plenty of depictions of Kandor/Krypton have color, so it all depends on what you want. For my project, I just started grabbing all of the tiny white pieces I could find in my collection and started throwing them together, finding pleasing arrangements, hoping to suggest micro-scale alien architecture. This is the fourth version or so that I came up with (though I think I liked the second version better, it is lost to me now). Here's some shots without the bottle, each one turned 90 degrees clockwise, as before.

As you can see, there's all sorts of tiny bits in there, lightsaber hilts (attached vertically using a 1x1 round w/ pin), a lever-base, cheese slopes, a skeleton arm, some minifig hands, and lots of SNOT building on a 1x1 brick with studs on 4 sides. There are so many ways you can configure this stuff, it's nuts. I actually just acquired some white minifig skis that I'm hoping to incorporate soon. The only restrictions are to the inside of the cylinder, which leaves some room to build past the 2x3 plate-edge on the short sides, making the city more rounded in appearance. Spires also need to be position to fit through the centered 2x4 gap at the top. That's it, really. If anyone has any questions, please let me know!

Now that that's out of the way, here's some shots of the Fortress itself (very much a WIP), and a couple of other goodies.

A wide shot of the base and half of the outer Fortress, with Kandor sitting in front for size-reference:

Pictured are four spires, individual constructed and attached at the base. The spires are built using a core of standard bricks and technic bricks, strategically placed so that the outside can be plated and tiled in various places, adding to the crystalline look I'm going for.

Here's where the spires attach, using some technic pieces, so that the spires are able to swing open, allowing access to the interior (which is fairly non-existent at this point )

The spires are built with some overlap, so that, if you raise the first one, it catches the second, and so on. When closing it up, the last one catches the next-to-last, and so on.

Aaaand, this is the point at which I stalled out on the project. I want to incorporate some gears so that the entire structure can be opened and closed using one crank/gear. But I'm not a Technic guy. I came up with a simple enough lift system, but the spires are too heavy for it to work smoothly, or well, or at all really. I thought about redesigning the spires to be more hollow, thus lighter, and I thought about changing the way in which the spires interlock, and I thought about changing.....etc. So yeah. That's why there's a year's worth of dust on this monster. I should get back to work soon. Again, criticism, thoughts, and ideas are all welcome.

Here's a case of kryptonite that would go somewhere inside, though I'm not entirely happy with it, simply because glass isn't enough to save Superman. It'll have to go behind lead, but then we couldn't see inside, so I'll probably add a vault for it to go in. Eventually.

And last but not least, my Phantom Zone projector. I styled it largely based on the Superman: The Animated Series version.

It is able to tilt up and down on the stand, or detach completely so that Superman can fly around with it and zap anyway who annoys him. Like Jimmy Olsen. Damn that Turtle Boy!

A picture here would be good. #FAIL

Phew, I'm tired of writing this post, so I guess that's it.

Thanks for checking it out!

Edited September 15, 2016 by rob-ot5000

[Actor Builder]

I was brought here by the shameless plug in another thread.

It looks nice.

I am living proof that shameless plugs work.

Keep on shamelessly plugging, folks.

[rob-ot5000]

I was brought here by the shameless plug in another thread.

It looks nice.

I am living proof that shameless plugs work.

Keep on shamelessly plugging, folks.

Ha, thanks AB.

[Duncan Young]

Loving what I can see so far!

[x105Black]

You finally got around to taking some photos! Nice!

As I've said before, I love this build. I think you did a great job on the spires, and on the bottled city. Great stuff, over all. Having seen it in person, I'd say the pictures here don't really do it justice (the build as a whole). The bottled city pictures look excellent.

I can't wait to see some more progress on this.

Keep it up!

[rob-ot5000]

Thanks guys!

[milojthatch]

I love these MOCs. I also love how you go into how you made them. I might have to replace some of this here later for my own LEGO Superman. Thanks for sharing!

[rob-ot5000]

You're quite welcome, and thanks for checking it out! Let me know what you come up with

[HyperOnion]

I was brought here by the shameless plug in another thread.

It looks nice.

I am living proof that shameless plugs work.

Keep on shamelessly plugging, folks.

Iiiiinteresting. Well, in that case... check out THIS shameless plug!

But seriously, this is cool. I'm not a fan of the Donner films, but that's a hell of a structure to try to do out of Lego, and you nailed it.

Does the interior stuff fit into the main model at all, or is it just separate bits?

[craggy]

that's impressive! even "just" the city itself. was thinking of making a little Fortress build (want to put the Byrne era Battle Suit mech in there somewhere) but hadn't thought about Kandor. Great idea and executed really well. The landscape itself is very interesting and the Phantom Zone generator is a very well done adaptation from the cartoon. I knew it before reading the text.

[rob-ot5000]

Iiiiinteresting. Well, in that case... check out THIS shameless plug!

But seriously, this is cool. I'm not a fan of the Donner films, but that's a hell of a structure to try to do out of Lego, and you nailed it.

Does the interior stuff fit into the main model at all, or is it just separate bits?

SHAMELESS PLUGS FOR EVERYONE!!

Yeah, I'm not a HUGE fan of the Donner films, but that version of the fortress is (IMO) the only iconic version there is. As for the rest of the stuff, there's not really anything Donner (or Singer *shudder*) -related.

And yes, all of the mini-builds will eventually fit into a playset-style interior, I'm just not there yet. I stalled out on the exterior and switched to interior builds without having a sure idea of where they'll go.

that's impressive! even "just" the city itself. was thinking of making a little Fortress build (want to put the Byrne era Battle Suit mech in there somewhere) but hadn't thought about Kandor. Great idea and executed really well. The landscape itself is very interesting and the Phantom Zone generator is a very well done adaptation from the cartoon. I knew it before reading the text.

Byrne era Battle Suit...would that be the purple one I'm thinking of? You should do it!

Thank you for your kind words! I'm so very happy that you recognized the Phantom Zone generator design! It's not perfect, but I definitely think it evokes that design, and I'm glad you do too!

Edited August 11, 2016 by rob-ot5000

[GoldenNinja3000]

Awesome MOC! Wish I could make something this cool!

[rob-ot5000]

Thanks man! You can! It just takes time, patience, and a ton of money to spend on BrickLink

[HyperOnion]

As for the rest of the stuff, there's not really anything Donner (or Singer *shudder*) -related.

I dunno, after Snyder, Singer is looking pretty good...

I kinda have a soft spot in my heart for Giant Gold Key style-fortress. And hey, being basically a giant rectangle, it'd be way easier to make in Lego. Plus, Superman's Silver Age Habit of making wax figures of everyone to chill in his Fortress would be a great way of justifying storing all your duplicates in there...

[rob-ot5000]

I dunno, after Snyder, Singer is looking pretty good...

I kinda have a soft spot in my heart for Giant Gold Key style-fortress. And hey, being basically a giant rectangle, it'd be way easier to make in Lego. Plus, Superman's Silver Age Habit of making wax figures of everyone to chill in his Fortress would be a great way of justifying storing all your duplicates in there...

WHAT?? Dude, Snyder is a visionary, and LIGHT-YEARS beyond anything that came before. He really understands the DC Universe, and more importantly, he understands the characters and their motivaaaaaaahhahahahahaha, I kid.

We are totally sympatico. I was actually planning to incorporate a door with a giant keyhole! I was trying to think of ways to incorporate an actual unlocking mechanism into in before you could open it up, but phew, it was/is (probably still, but maybe not?) beyond my skill set. I also had thoughts of including his little chessboard with the statues, and the suggestion of the Titanic sticking out of an implied back room, and Superman-robots. But the space needed for all that....phew. I actually built the base pretty thick so that I could build down from the entrance and have at least two levels. But yeah, I stalled. Lol. The only thing I know for certain is that I need to find something suitable to use as the classic statues of Lara and Jor-El holding up Krypton. Actually, if you have any thoughts on appropriate figures for that, drop 'em on me! All I can figure so far are just generic male and female statues, with gray capes, holding a globe or some sort of Bionicle-y orb.

Damn. I really need to clear off my table and get to work. This weekend. DO IT, SELF.

Edited August 13, 2016 by rob-ot5000

[HyperOnion]

WHAT?? Dude, Snyder is a visionary, and LIGHT-YEARS beyond anything that came before. He really understands the DC Universe, and more importantly, he understands the characters and their motivaaaaaaahhahahahahaha, I kid.

I see you're also a fan of the Snyderverse. In which case, let me share with you this amazing MOC of one of the key BvS props:

Hopefully you can find a place for this delicious peach tea in the Fortress somewhere?

(I mean, assuming you can make it. There's some PREEEEEETTY advanced building techniques in there. I can send the LDD file if you need it)

We are totally sympatico. I was actually planning to incorporate a door with a giant keyhole! I was trying to think of ways to incorporate an actual unlocking mechanism into in before you could open it up, but phew, it was/is (probably still, but maybe not?) beyond my skill set. I also had thoughts of including his little chessboard with the statues, and the suggestion of the Titanic sticking out of an implied back room, and Superman-robots. But the space needed for all that....phew. I actually built the base pretty thick so that I could build down from the entrance and have at least two levels. But yeah, I stalled. Lol. The only thing I know for certain is that I need to find something suitable to use as the classic statues of Lara and Jor-El holding up Krypton. Actually, if you have any thoughts on appropriate figures for that, drop 'em on me! All I can figure so far are just generic male and female statues, with gray capes, holding a globe or some sort of Bionicle-y orb.

Man, I'm probably not gonna be much help on this. I'd look to the locking vault from the Bank Modular from this year for inspiration on the unlocking mechanism. If you're willing to have a gear part on the front of the key, I could see that connecting to some gears inside the door to pull back some technic bars or something, maybe?

For the statues, I'd try asking the guys over here in the Purist Superhero Figures thread. My ideas are pretty much limited to "all grey minifig, with capes", so... hopefully they might have some better ideas.

[daryen]

Thank you so much! I will definitely play around with this!

Again, thank you.

[rob-ot5000]

I see you're also a fan of the Snyderverse. In which case, let me share with you this amazing MOC of one of the key BvS props:

Hopefully you can find a place for this delicious peach tea in the Fortress somewhere?

(I mean, assuming you can make it. There's some PREEEEEETTY advanced building techniques in there. I can send the LDD file if you need it)

Man, I'm probably not gonna be much help on this. I'd look to the locking vault from the Bank Modular from this year for inspiration on the unlocking mechanism. If you're willing to have a gear part on the front of the key, I could see that connecting to some gears inside the door to pull back some technic bars or something, maybe?

For the statues, I'd try asking the guys over here in the Purist Superhero Figures thread. My ideas are pretty much limited to "all grey minifig, with capes", so... hopefully they might have some better ideas.

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: Oh man, definitely gonna need that LDD file from ya!

Thank you so much! I will definitely play around with this!

Again, thank you.

Hey daryen, glad you made it to the party! You're quite welcome! And if you come up with anything cool, come back and share with us!

[daryen]

Hey daryen, glad you made it to the party! You're quite welcome! And if you come up with anything cool, come back and share with us!

Thank you!

I finally was able to play with this some. I figured the best place to start is to duplicate yours as much as possible, then start swapping things in and out. I found out a few things:

1) Those "hose nozzle" pieces really are perfectly sized for that bent skeleton arm. No other piece seems to work well for that look. Unfortunately, white ones are only available in on rare set, meaning they aren't easy to get. Even light bley sticks out more than I want.

2) That clear 4x4 hemisphere is *really* hard to get. BrickLink prices are pretty impressive for that particular piece. I figure I have to live with a 4x4 dish instead.

3) The tolerances are very tight. That cheese wedge on the 1x1 with four studs on the side is touching the sidewall.

4) The two towers are very specifically located for a reason. It's tight to get that working. And using the 4x4 dish instead of the 4x4 hemisphere means I have to use 3L bars instead of the easier to find 4L bars.

Finally, I have a question: that light saber hilt on one corner looks like it is free-floating on a 1x1 round tile. Is it? How do you get it to stay there? I replaced the tile with a stud and replaced the light saber hilt with a telescope so it would attach. I am happy with the look, so that's good. But I am wondering how you made the hilt work there.

Anyway, thank you for the pictures and inspiration. I have always loved Kandor and it was good to have an inspiration to try and make one. I'll come back and show pictures once I have enough history to post pictures. (Including my mini-Kandor of four round studs under a 2x2 round dome piece.)

[rob-ot5000]

1) Those "hose nozzle" pieces really are perfectly sized for that bent skeleton arm. No other piece seems to work well for that look. Unfortunately, white ones are only available in on rare set, meaning they aren't easy to get. Even light bley sticks out more than I want.

If you're talking about the piece I think you are, it doesn't go for too much on BrickLink. Around 30-40 cents it seems. I was surprised when you said it only comes in one set, since I surely don't have any really rare sets or anything, but I looked it up, and yep, just the Research Institute apparently. And I definitely remember tearing that down for this.

2) That clear 4x4 hemisphere is *really* hard to get. BrickLink prices are pretty impressive for that particular piece. I figure I have to live with a 4x4 dish instead.

Ha, you ain't kiddin', brother! I seem to remember paying $5 or so, but looking on BrickLink right now, that seems unlikely. But damn, I don't remember paying *that* much. The same piece was widely available in trans-black in one of the more recent Mixel sets, and I had that piece on there for the longest time. I bought some 4x4 dishes in clear, since they're much cheaper (plus they have a stud to connect a tube to, which most depictions have), but it just didn't look right to me, so eventually I just gave in and bought the trans-clear dome. Not a single regret from me. Maybe that's because I don't remember paying between $8 and $30 for it. Yowzers.

3) The tolerances are very tight. That cheese wedge on the 1x1 with four studs on the side is touching the sidewall.

Oh yeah, it's ridiculously tight. Any tighter and it simply wouldn't hold together anymore. I went through a number of iterations trying to hit that sweet spot of "as much as possible and not a bit more". It's touching, but not with enough pressure to warp anything.

4) The two towers are very specifically located for a reason. It's tight to get that working. And using the 4x4 dish instead of the 4x4 hemisphere means I have to use 3L bars instead of the easier to find 4L bars.

Yep. That positioning is key. And yeah, the greater height possibility was another reason to go for the dome rather than the dish. But again...yowzers.

Finally, I have a question: that light saber hilt on one corner looks like it is free-floating on a 1x1 round tile. Is it? How do you get it to stay there? I replaced the tile with a stud and replaced the light saber hilt with a telescope so it would attach. I am happy with the look, so that's good. But I am wondering how you made the hilt work there.

Ah, that would be this It's a relatively new piece that's pretty darn useful. It was released just last year, according to BrickLink.

Anyway, thank you for the pictures and inspiration. I have always loved Kandor and it was good to have an inspiration to try and make one. I'll come back and show pictures once I have enough history to post pictures. (Including my mini-Kandor of four round studs under a 2x2 round dome piece.)

You're more than welcome! I owe you my thanks, as well, for providing me with a reason to get off my butt and share this thing with someone! I'd definitely love to see your take on it once you get past those darn new member restrictions.

[daryen]

After a longer time than I planned on, here are a pair of pics of my version.

That's just the "front" and "back". I basically just copied your build, but swapped out the trans light-blue for the trans clear squares. I also used a telescope instead of a light saber hilt (as I mentioned before). also, as you can see I finally broke down and got the clear dome. (Someone was selling for $5, so I jumped on it.) I do wish that "bar with a clip" came in white ... (Or trans light-blue.)

I also made a "mini-Kandor" to try and get something reasonably minifig scale. Obviously, it is pretty abstract at that point ...

Thank you so much for the idea and the example! I hope you get to finish your Fortress of Solitude.

 

[Ashnflash]

rob-ot5000 do you have an update by any chance? I'm very curious to see how things have been progressing. Depending on how it looks (no pressure) I might make one of my own! 

[rob-ot5000]

Damn, @daryen, I'm loving the trans-blue plates you used in place of the trans-clear. That looks fantastic, and you better believe I'm stealing that idea   And yeah, the bar with clip in either of those colors would be great, but hey, we do what we can with what we've got!

@Ashnflash The update is: there's no update  Sadly, I haven't gotten back around to working on this. But please, if you do make one of your own, throw a link in here so I can see it!

[Luke Styer]

That is a gorgeous Fortress of Solitude.  It looks genuinely relaxing.

[rob-ot5000]

4 hours ago, Luke Styer said:

That is a gorgeous Fortress of Solitude.  It looks genuinely relaxing.

Why, thank you kindly

I may even finish it one day!