MOC: Townhouse Trio - Butcher, Barber, and Laundromat

[sonicstarlight]

Sonicstarlight, i am amazed. These are very beautiful Builds. They are perfect. How do you get your inspiration? So much creativity. And i am sill building the Medevil Village Pub you have mad eto have his place in my Bricksterdam. When i am finished with this, i will certanly begin building one of these, because i am in need of a 16x32 house to fit in next to my Ice Cream parlor on Station Straat. Please keep on building and keep on inspiring guys like me to follow you.

Thank you for the kind words.

My inspiration is really more to do with necessity than anything else. I had to start my collection over from scratch when I got back into Lego a few years ago, and buying sets is the fastest and often cheapest way to amass a lot of bricks. Even now I don't have a huge pile laying around (all my spare parts fit in 5 shoeboxes) so I work with what I have. The bonus is by using official sets as starting points, I feel the end results tend to give them a look consistent with the actual modular line so there isn't a big disconnect between mine and theirs.

Please post pictures when you finish your modular based on my MMV build - I really can't think of anything more flattering and I would love to see it. Let me know if you have any questions about anything, too - just send me a PM. You won't have to wait too much longer before I unveil my next creation - it's going to be a big one!

[Texrob]

Great build! I really like the design and the details. They look great with the rest of your modular buildings.

[Squelch]

These are great! Next time I'm in the city I'll look for them. Do you plan your designs on LDD or do you just start with a baseplate, a bunch of bricks, and go? I want to get into building modular MOCs, but I don't know if I should start digitally and plan, or just start building from the ground up, so to speak. I need to start buying more big sets too, to amass some bricks!

[sonicstarlight]

These are great! Next time I'm in the city I'll look for them. Do you plan your designs on LDD or do you just start with a baseplate, a bunch of bricks, and go? I want to get into building modular MOCs, but I don't know if I should start digitally and plan, or just start building from the ground up, so to speak. I need to start buying more big sets too, to amass some bricks!

When I first started, I did use LDD to help plan out my models - just bits and pieces, never the entire thing. It is a great tool when you don't have a lot of bricks. Starting with these three and continuing on to the model I am making now, I haven't used any digital creation programs at all - I like the ease of testing things out in actual bricks now that I have the luxury to do so. I think it is a personal choice in the end, and now that I have all these finished buildings I do actually want to go back and try to create digital versions in the hopes of making instructions (eventually).

[Squelch]

Thanks for the reply! How many sets went together to make these buildings? What do you think is a good number of sets to have before you can start building MOCs? What percent of the buildings are straight from sets you own, and what percent did you buy off Bricklink specifically for the MOC?

Sorry for all the questions, but I want to get started building modular MOCs, and I have no idea how to start. I didn't see anything in the forums about "How do you get into building MOCs?" It's a chicken/egg thing - do I design it on LDD first and then get the bricks, or do I get a bunch of large sets, and then start building with the bricks I have from those sets?

I've got the FB, GE and PS, and will buy the TH when it comes out, but I don't want to tear those up to make a MOC. Instead I want to make something to fit in with them.

[sonicstarlight]

Thanks for the reply! How many sets went together to make these buildings? What do you think is a good number of sets to have before you can start building MOCs? What percent of the buildings are straight from sets you own, and what percent did you buy off Bricklink specifically for the MOC?

Sorry for all the questions, but I want to get started building modular MOCs, and I have no idea how to start. I didn't see anything in the forums about "How do you get into building MOCs?" It's a chicken/egg thing - do I design it on LDD first and then get the bricks, or do I get a bunch of large sets, and then start building with the bricks I have from those sets?

I've got the FB, GE and PS, and will buy the TH when it comes out, but I don't want to tear those up to make a MOC. Instead I want to make something to fit in with them.

No problem with asking a lot of questions!

I only used one of each of the two sets when making these - I've since bought another Diagon Alley as I needed more Gringotts bricks for what I am making now. Typically I try and do the front elevations of my buildings using mostly just the bricks from the set, using Bricklink more for the bricks to make the side walls and rear elevations. I always run low on windows, plates, and tiles, too. I would estimate it to be a fairly even 50/50 mix of pieces I got through sets and pieces I got on Bricklink, but that might be generous towards the set side. If I was less picky with my interiors, especially with the colors of everything, I could save a lot of ordering.

Speaking of, I probably spent twice as much time on the interiors as I did the exteriors. My first modular had very modest interiors, and I would recommend keeping it simple when starting out. You can always decorate further later.

As for the answer to the "chicken and egg" question, I just say jump in. Find a set that inspires you (and I agree that you shouldn't take apart the official modulars) and just start playing with the pieces you have. You might have to build a little with actual bricks, switch over to LDD to refine your ideas when you run low on certain elements or don't have the exact bricks you want, and then do a Bricklink order when you can generate a list of what you need. Lather, rinse, repeat as necessary, and don't expect overnight results. I think these were the quickest I have ever built modulars, and it still took a few months - I am 6 months into the one I am working on now.

Hope this helps!