Morgan19 Posted July 24, 2008 (edited) Catch Up! B-OV-4E; Roamin' Holiday Scooters B-OM-1C; The Silver Lining B-OV-12A Below is a set of MOCs I've been working on over the past two weeks for Fine Clonier and Arealight's "scooter shop" contest. They were a lot of fun to work on. I haven't created any buildings since childhood (20 years ago...!) and, like most of FC's contests, this definitely got me working in an area I wasn't particularly comfortable with. ______________________________________________ "Catch Up!" Lesiure Motors When it first opened its doors in 1955, "Catch Up!" was as an eccentric novelty diner competing in San Francisco's booming fast food market. Business was oustanding for several decades until the late 90s, when the general public's increased awareness of healthy living combined with an unfortunate incident invloving a rat and some French fry oil forced Catch Up to shut down in 1998. The building was purchased in 1999 by the eccentric billionaire Cromwell "Pockets" McMurray, who ultimately decided to maintain the building's quirky charm by keeping its facade and simply redirecting its business focus. Thus, the landmark Catch Up went from selling French-fried rats to motorcycles and mopeds. I'm honestly not sure how this one turned into a giant ketchup bottle. ;) I was working off a Harley store for inspiration: for the most part it had a low, flat building profile but then had a giant rectangular structure plopped in the storefront's middle that really struck me as an interesting design. I was playing around with pieces for that big middle structure one night and somehow got it into my head that they looked like ketchup bottles, like something you'd find at a Bob's Big Boy or other cheesy novelty restaurant/store in the 50s or 80s, so I ran with it. The "Feel like life's passing you by? Catch up!" slogan and store title came pretty quickly after that, simply by the necessity of explaining why a motorcycle store would be constructed from gigantic condiments. ______________________________________________ Roamin' Holiday Scooters For years, New York's Little Italy had been popular with both tourists and locals alike for the gorgeous architecture of its corner cafés and hidden treasures down the multitude of tucked-away market streets. With the seemingly unstoppable rise of gas prices and a public much more conscious of its carbon footprint, people have started demanding more inexpensive, environmental-friendly transportation options. Although Roamin' Holiday opened rather inconspicuously in the mid-90s, it has since seen an astounding 700% increase in sales and revenue over the last three years. This was the first building I worked on for the contest. The goal was to construct a structure within the piece limit that could still fit within the Cafe Corner modular style. The Little Italy theme came purely out of PAB, where I'd picked up a bunch of the regular green and lime green pieces the week before and wanted to work with that color combination. Highlights include a scooter from Arealight, original illustrations for the storefront signs and posters, and two walls that breakaway for access to the insidey bits. ______________________________________________ The Silver Lining Motorcycle Apparel & Accessories Although it has always been a popular shopping destination for cycling enthusiasts, Denver's The Silver Lining has recently enjoyed a boost in public exposure by starting to sell fuel-friendly motorcycles and scooters in addition to its tradition of supplying high-quality accessories and apparel. The shop's owners wisely built the space to take advantage of the land's surrounding beauty: a bank of crystal-clear windows affords customers a spectacular view of the nearby Rocky Mountains, while the soothing color scheme evokes a sense of being in the great outdoors with the wide-open sky above. (Base jumpers like it, too.) The only real plan behind this one when I started building was that I 1) wanted a store with tons of windows and 2) to build something a little on the New Age-y or Post Modern side. The name came about while I was working on the roof; I had a ton of those curved white pieces and it occurred to me that they look an awful lot like clouds when stuck tofether. Given that I wanted the store to be a cycling apparel shop that was starting to expand into selling actual bikes, it made sense that its name would focus on fabrics or thread while also playing off the airy, light cloud theme– thus, the "silver lining". ______________________________________________ South Hovel Originally built by the descendants of the O'Caelie family over 300 years ago as a small farmer's cottage in the forests outside Carlow, Ireland, the South Hovel house was recently opened to the public after several months' worth of conversion to a place of business. Although now selling top-of-the-line scooters, the a priority of the O'Caelies was to preserve the cottage's history and character. As such, they chose not to modernize it, but rather continued to play off its quaint, rustic style to promote a shop that straddles both the romantic past and the economical present. This store actually started out as a pirate-themed venue in the planning stages before eventually morphing into the "Irish-cottage-turned-scooter-store" concept it is now. I'm really pleased with all the little details in this one like the side garden, wooden signs, and runes on the front door. > Full Gallery (once moderated) Front Front (Angled) Entrance Back Greenery m19 Edited September 24, 2011 by Phred Updated links. Photos Moved to Flickr Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Klaus-Dieter Posted July 24, 2008 That are awesome MOCs, Morgan19! "Catch Up!" This is my favourite one - I really :wub: it with the nice interior, the minifigs and the funny design. It' really excellent - hopefully TLG is going to release something similar to that soon, too! Roamin' Holiday Scooters This is very nice, too, but I persoanlly don't like CC styled buildings (no backwalls, much more expensive). The Silver Lining This is brilliant, too. I really :wub: it with all the nice accessories you included (even clothes )! South Hovel I'm not sure about a motorcycle shop being in a so old building - but I really :wub: the architecture of this ancient house (a cafe or a wine tavern would fit perfectly I think )! Very, very well done! Klaus-Dieter Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lt. Col. Thok Posted July 24, 2008 Wonderful scooter shops; I like what you've done. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zouave Posted July 24, 2008 Great mocs. I think the best would be "the Silver Lining" because of its design. I also like the South Hovel, but I would never suspect it to be a scooter shop. Nice job. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morgan19 Posted July 25, 2008 Thanks guys! As hokey as it sounds, it makes me happy that these are receiving such a good reception. They're another first for me (my first building/town MOCs as an AFOL) and I definitely appreciate the comments. Seems like there've been some interesting reactions across the board to South Hovel in particular– it makes perfect sense to me that an old house would be converted into a store, but I can definitely appreciate the "bwah...?" reactions. I've always loved old, fairtytale architecture like that and, while it might not make a whole lot of sense in the real world, I really wanted to try and create a shop based around that feeling, logic be damned! Definitely feel a building burn-out for the time being, though. Four MOCs in two weeks is high for me and I think I need another break. m19 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Plural Posted July 29, 2008 Totally forgot to comment on this. Anyway, I love all of the shops, I think it's brilliant how they've all got their own distinct feel to them and how none are alike. I have to say my favourite has to be South Hovel. I really love the gritty, dirty, swampy feel it has to it and how unorthodox it is to have a shop in such a building, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shoc Posted July 29, 2008 " " is all I can say, and it's not even a word! :skull: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
highlandcattle Posted July 29, 2008 Where did you get the scooter part in the last shop? I have never seen it before. I love them all? each with it's unique style. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Plural Posted July 29, 2008 (edited) Where did you get the scooter part in the last shop? I have never seen it before. I love them all? each with it's unique style. It's a custom piece by Arealight I think. It's the basis of the competition of which these MOCs are entries for. EDIT: Here's a link to the contest. And here's more pics of the scooters. Edited July 29, 2008 by Plural Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morgan19 Posted July 29, 2008 (edited) Plural is correct. I was lucky enough to purchase the scooter from Arealight a few months back. They're not publicly available yet, but I believe he has plans to sell them in the near future via his Bricklink store. m19 Edited July 29, 2008 by Morgan19 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GoldenBrick Posted July 31, 2008 Wow. Great work. I especially love the Roamin' Holidays shop. Superbr! By the way, how do you make those stickers? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morgan19 Posted July 31, 2008 I make them in Adobe Illustrator, then print them out on regular white decal paper. m19 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GoldenBrick Posted July 31, 2008 Oh, ok. so is decal paper like sticky on the back? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BlueBard Posted August 1, 2008 WOW! Your "Catch' Up" Shop is just... perfect! I really like the design and, of course, the amazing interior. It really makes me want to buy a scooter here! Great Job! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brickmaster Posted August 2, 2008 All are amazing works, but there is one think I simply must know.. That purple bike. Where did you get it! I must have this! I love purple Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Manta Posted August 2, 2008 Amazing MOCs, my favorite is the ancient look of the Southern Hovel. Great job, you've just inspired me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morgan19 Posted August 7, 2008 (edited) I like inspiring! By the by, voting just started for the contest, so if anyone's inclined... VOTING - Arealight's Magnificent mid-year Scoot-a-bration!! That purple bike. Where did you get it! I must have this! It's just a regular LEGO dirtbike with the body painted purple. I don't have the can in front of me at the moment but I'm fairly certain I used Krylon's Fusion spraypaint. m19 Edited August 7, 2008 by Morgan19 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hinckley Posted September 4, 2008 These are the ultimate! I'm happy to revive this topic because I spent so much time looking at them but never responded. At least I don't think I responded... You are such a great builder and these little creations show how skilled you are at using pieces to create new shapes. If I tried something like this, I would keep expanding, but you have a handle on matrix-reasoning that allows you to put new shapes into compact spaces. I wish I could do that! I can't decide which one of the four is my favorite but I do know that you're one of my favorite builders. You're awesome! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guss Posted September 5, 2008 that's really some amazing shops, I Love these , each design is wonderful ! the "South Hovel" is so original! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morgan19 Posted September 5, 2008 but I do know that you're one of my favorite builders. That made my day, thank you. :) (By the by, what's the "Indexed" icon at the top of the thread mean? I've never seen that one before.) m19 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adam Posted September 5, 2008 These are great MOCs! I especially like "Catch Up!" These are some really good shops, and I'll jump in a river if you don't win. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morgan19 Posted September 5, 2008 The contest actually ended a few weeks ago; I placed twice in third. m19 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Posted September 6, 2008 I am a LEGO purist, not painting, modifying or using other brands (we all know the evil ones), but I am eagerly awaiting my chance to get a scooter from AREALIGHT. The red one will match the one I drive during the warmer months. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Freddie Posted September 6, 2008 Whoa! How'd I miss these!? These are just... fantastic, and inspirational, and gorgeous, and beautiful, and and and... Yeah, well I could go on. It's not often somebody post several MOCs of outstanding quality in such a short manner of time. You, sir, did just that. And I'll probably be borrowing a few of your details for my own MOCs when I get around to start building again. Any word on when the scooters might be available? I want some of those (guess the competition had the effect arealight intended, hah! ) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morgan19 Posted September 20, 2008 I'd spoken with Arealight shortly before the contest and I got the impression the scooter pieces would be going on sale to the public in the near future. That was a few months ago; I'm not sure what the latest is, to be honest. m19 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites