kjm161

Eurobricks Ladies
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Everything posted by kjm161

  1. When the movie Toy Story 4 came out a cute and innovative promotional display appeared in near a mall in Tokyo. The playing shadows of the Toy Story characters could be seen through frosted glass cabinet doors. When the doors opened the toys “magically” reverted to inanimate objects. My MOC is the opposite, asking can toys come to life when someone’s watching? This is my Toy Story/Pixar Automata Cabinet where the toys can move when the doors are open and people are watching. There are two drawers that open as well as the central doors that reveal the music box interior with dancing Toy Story characters. The interior also has power functions lighting. In the Toy Story 4 movie there are lots of easter eggs in the Antique Store scenes that reference many of Pixar movies and short films. I have included many of my own easter eggs to some of these films in addition to the many of the main characters from the Toy Story films. The Automata function on the top of the cabinet has been modified from Teun de Wijs’s “Fisherman” and the music box component behind the cabinet doors is modified from pixeljunkie’s “Swan Lake Ballet”. Two Lego parts have been recoloured and the only non Lego part used is the music box which plays “Let It Snow” (Unfortunately, I didn’t have a “You’ve Got a Friend In Me” music box). The Pixar movies referenced are Coco, Ratatouille, Wall-E, Inside Out, Brave, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Lava, Monsters Inc., Boa, Cars, Up, A Bug’s Life, Bird on a Wire, La Luna, Geri’s Game, The Blue Umbrella, Partly Cloudy, Bounding, Presto, One Man Band, Lifted, Piper, The Good Dinosaur, Soul, Onward, and of course Luxor Jr. More pictures and videos of the movements can be seen on my Flickr page. Thanks for looking. Hope you enjoy. Toy Story Cabinet by Karen Metz, on Flickr Opening Cabinet by Karen Metz, on Flickr Top Right Cabinet by Karen Metz, on Flickr Interior Cabinet by Karen Metz, on Flickr Top Left Cabinet by Karen Metz, on Flickr Lit interior cabinet by Karen Metz, on Flickr Right Side Cabinet 2 by Karen Metz, on Flickr
  2. kjm161

    MOD Haunted House 10273

    The Haunted House 10273, is an great new set. I love the drop tower feature, which is reminiscent of Disney’s Tower of Terror. While I appreciate all of the references to previous Adventurers sets I did not like look of the interior of the Haunted House. The interior play value seemed small and the colours disjointed so I decided to MOD my own version. I added to the front to include a larger front lounge area with the set’s wonderful organ and add an upper level room/study for Baron von Barron. I eliminated some of the many windows on the back of the tower. I moved the cemetery to the back and added some extra details. There are now working elevator doors and a larger fireplace that is complete around when opened. A hinge mechanism is used to include the fireplace feature and still let the house close easily like a dollhouse. I was inspired by Disney’s Society of Adventurers and Explorers and how the Lego Haunted House and the Adventurers sets contain some of the same themes. I have tried to add details from all of these. I have tried to get the feel of Hotel Hightower in Tokyo’s DisneySea and Mystic Manor in Disney Hong Kong and have added easter eggs from the alteration of the Tower of Terror to the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride in Disneyland. Hope you enjoy. haunted house front a by Karen Metz, on Flickr haunted house back b by Karen Metz, on Flickr haunted house 7 by Karen Metz, on Flickr haunted house 2 by Karen Metz, on Flickr haunted house 1 by Karen Metz, on Flickr haunted house 10 by Karen Metz, on Flickr haunted house b by Karen Metz, on Flickr haunted house 3 by Karen Metz, on Flickr haunted house 9 by Karen Metz, on Flickr haunted house 8 by Karen Metz, on Flickr
  3. kjm161

    MOD Haunted House 10273

    Thanks, glad to have found a home for the stained glass window.
  4. kjm161

    MOD Haunted House 10273

    Thanks!
  5. kjm161

    MOC Batman and the orca

    Batman did not fare too well against the orca. A little vignette for my Lug minifig challenge. I haven't created any MOCs in a while and parts of this are for a larger one that I have started. I have altered it to fit the challenge. It moves with the mechanism from the rocketship ride set and the whole thing lights up as well.
  6. All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players “As You Like It, Act II, Scene vii) In my MOC Lego minifigs are the players. I have tried to create the world of many of Shakespeare’s plays in Lego. I was inspired by the beautiful painting “Shakespearean Fantasy” by James Christensen, which is why there is a forest above the buildings. There are 19 plays represented in my MOC. Hope you can recognize most of them, although a few are from some less well known plays. I have included some animation and music to the model as well. The movement of Prospero is adapted from Jason Alemann’s Fisherman Kinetic Sculpture on JKBrickworks. Katherine is being chased by Petruchio while the “Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet” by Nino Rota plays. The movement was adapted from Pixeljunkie’s Swan Lake Ballet creation. The videos can be seen on my flickr page as well as closer images of all of the 19 plays. (I used mostly yellow minifigs except in those instances where the characters skin colour was relevant, they were magical creatures or they were dead or dying.) *Not sure if this is the correct forum but since most of the plays are set in the late1500s or earlier I placed it here. Shakespearean Fantasy 2 by Karen Metz, on Flickr Shakepearean Fantasy 1 by Karen Metz, on Flickr Shakepearean Fantasy 3 by Karen Metz, on Flickr Shakepearean Fantasy 4 by Karen Metz, on Flickr Shakepearean Fantasy 5 by Karen Metz, on Flickr Shakespearean Fantasy 6 by Karen Metz, on Flickr The Tempest/Macbeth by Karen Metz, on Flickr
  7. kjm161

    [MOC] Bookshelf Library WIP

    Wow great changes from the initial rendering. I really like that you kept the open book above the entrance. Love the little touches like the graffiti being painted over. The slanted book on the left is very nice leaving room for the windows. Looks like you have been working on the interior. I would love to see what it looks like. Fantastic work!
  8. The Lion and The RoseLivraria Lello A by Karen Metz, on Flickr I have attempted to recreate one of the most beautiful book stores in the world in Lego. The Livraria Lello in Porto Portugal was built in 1906 by the engineer Xavier Esteves. It was founded by the brothers José and António Lello. I have renamed my MOC “The Lion and The Rose” since these can be found throughout my creation. The Lion and the Rose/ Livraria Lello 2 by Karen Metz, on Flickr The Lion and the Rose / Livraria Lello 4 by Karen Metz, on Flickr The Livraria Lello features one of the most exquisite staircases ever created that appears to float within the building. This iconic red staircase, with its ornate decorations that adorn its facade, is at the centre of my MOC and the rest of building was built around it. The Lion and The Rose / Livraria Lello C by Karen Metz, on Flickr “Thou who walked the room, shall then see a staircase which is a piece of surprising allure, for its apparent lightness which masks the audacity of its design. One feels the urge to climb it yet fears one’s weight may make it crumble.” (in Catálogo 1930 of Livraria Lello). JK Rowling, who frequented the book store in the early 1990s is said to have been inspired by them when writing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. A few the the characters from her novels can be seen browsing books in my MOC. The Lion and The Rose / Livraria Lello D by Karen Metz, on Flickr The ceilings of the Livraria Lello are equally impressive. A large stained glass skylight features prominently on the second story ceiling. Usually ceilings are ignored in Lego MOCs. I have tried to add some interest to my MOC with dual chandeliers, a stained glass skylight and decorated tiles. The Lion and The Rose / Livraria Lello B by Karen Metz, on Flickr There are numerous books for sale in my MOC. Some books displayed in the window are custom tiles from The Brick Show Shop. I have tried to create the characters from these novels in minifig form (luckily Lego has produced a couple of them already). The novels are “The Great Gatsby”, “The Wizard of Oz”, “Alice in Wonderland”, “Tom Sawyer”, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, “The Old Man and the Sea”, “Gone With the Wind”, and “Treasure Island”. The Lion and The Rose / Livraria Lello 10 by Karen Metz, on Flickr I have slightly modified the exterior of the book store but have tried to capture its gothic and Art Nouveau style. The back and front facades on the first floor of my MOC are hinged to allow easy access to the interior. The back of the second floor is hinged as well. The roof is easily removed so the stairs can be seen from above. The Lion and The Rose / Livraria Lello 9 by Karen Metz, on Flickr The actual Livraria Lello. Livraria Lello Series by Karen Metz, on Flickr
  9. kjm161

    [MOC] The Lion and The Rose / Livraria Lello

    Thanks. I made a few colour changes and have an additional photo with the backside completely open to show the two floors at the same time. The Lion and The Rose: Livraria Lello by Karen Metz, on Flickr The Lion & The Rose: Livraria Lello by Karen Metz, on Flickr
  10. kjm161

    [MOC] LEGO Store Leicester Square Modular

    Amazing representation of the Leicester Square store. The interior is wonderful. All of the small builds and minifigs add perfectly to the feel of the model.
  11. Thanks CopMike for doing this each year. My manatees from this year and last arrived today. Cheers!
  12. kjm161

    [MOC] The Lion and The Rose / Livraria Lello

    Thanks for the comments! :)
  13. kjm161

    [MOC] The Lion and The Rose / Livraria Lello

    Thanks! I played with the idea of having the lower stairs be convex rather than concave but went with the arch design for the front so that I could have the convex back part of the stairs in reddish brown. I didn't figure out how to have both front and back convex and studs available to put the railings and side detail. I really do like those printed floor planks in that colour since they make the interior slightly brighter than regular brown tiles and add a bit of detail. Good thing the Old Fishing Store had a lot of them so that the price on bricklink wasn't too expensive and lots of stores had them available in large quantities. Love to see your library in the future with the printed rose piece. Thanks! The classic books come in great colours, which show up well on the bookshelves. Thank you so much. I really like doing the interior of buildings.
  14. kjm161

    [MOC] The Lion and The Rose / Livraria Lello

    Thanks! The original stairs are an engineering masterpiece that were challenging but fun to get a sense of in Lego. I can't tell you how many times they collapsed while trying to put them together.
  15. kjm161

    [MOC] The Lion and The Rose / Livraria Lello

    Thanks! Thank you. The chandeliers were a bit of lucky accident. I ordered the new fence parts thinking I would use them on a section of stair railing being the same diameter as the old spoked gold fence part but when I got them found they were smaller. They didn't work for the railing and I wanted to decorate the ceiling so used the parts for the chandeliers instead.
  16. kjm161

    [MOC] The Lion and The Rose / Livraria Lello

    Thanks! So many great elements to choose from. I have heard rumours about the long lines. Hopefully it won't be as busy this March when I am in Porto. I am really looking forward to seeing it in person. Thanks, happy you like it! Thanks. The real bookstore has so much ornate detail both inside and outside. So many printed tiles and stickers needed to try and capture even a fraction of it. Thanks. The arches were my best solution to try and replicate the curved stairs (even if they are concave where they should be convex). Glad they came in the right colour. Thanks for the kind words. I really like the new style books, but the older ones add a pop of colour. The Brick Show Shop has a great pack of printed tiles that contains the 8 book covers.
  17. kjm161

    (MOC) The Belgian Club, Winnipeg Manitoba

    Looks great! Perfect that you took photos of it outside.
  18. kjm161

    [MOC] Mustrum Ridcully Bust

    The face is amazingly well done. I agree with your decision to not have too much going on in the beard and distract from the marvelous facial expression you achieved.
  19. kjm161

    Shakespearean Fantasy

    Thanks! The Tempest scene is my favourite as well. Some of the plays are more obscure. I have seen many of them but not all. The plays cover many different locations and time periods so it was interesting trying to get them to go together. Thanks!
  20. kjm161

    [MOC] Modular: Adventure Cottage

    I love all of the quirky details of this MOC. The seemingly random mix of hydrologists, gamers, evil land barons, and food truck vendors go together wonderfully. Fantastic job!
  21. kjm161

    Shakespearean Fantasy

    Thanks! The crank on the water makes the waves and Prospero move and the other crank near the pine trees causes a music box to play the theme song from Romeo and Juliet and two figures from "The Taming of the Shrew" to move around the columns. Here are the links to the videos on may flickr page. Not sure if the videos will play here. Tempest (1) by Karen Metz, on Flickr Taming of the Shrew by Karen Metz, on Flickr
  22. kjm161

    Shakespearean Fantasy

    Thanks! Thanks for the kind comments. An MOC with H.C. Andersen fairytales is a great idea. I love lots of his stories. There are so many to choose from.
  23. kjm161

    Shakespearean Fantasy

    Thanks! Getting the different time periods to mesh was one of the more challenging parts. Here are the list of all of the plays and some closer photos (sorry for the quality of these pics): Love’s Labour’s Lost/ Timon of Athens/ Romeo and Juliet/ Macbeth/ The Tempest/ Hamlet/ Twelfth Night/ King Lear/ Merchant of Venice/ As You Like It/ Midsummer Night’s Dream/ Julius Caesar/ Richard III/ Antony and Cleopatra/ A Winter’s Tale/ Taming of the Shrew/ Merry Wives of Windsor/ Othello/ Measure for Measure and of course the bard, William himself. Julius Caesar/Antony and Cleopatra by Karen Metz, on Flickr Love's Labour's Lost by Karen Metz, on Flickr Romeo and Juliet by Karen Metz, on Flickr Richard III by Karen Metz, on Flickr Timon of Athens by Karen Metz, on Flickr Midsummer Night's Dream/As You Like It by Karen Metz, on Flickr A Winter's Tale by Karen Metz, on Flickr Measure For Measure by Karen Metz, on Flickr Othello by Karen Metz, on Flickr King Lear/Hamlet/Twelfth Night by Karen Metz, on Flickr Merry Wives of Windsor by Karen Metz, on Flickr Merchant of Venice by Karen Metz, on Flickr Thanks for the lovely comments. I ordered a few of the minifig tree trunks and lots of the new leaf pieces to try a new style of tree. Glad you like the water. I tried making the sea look as violent as possible for Prospero commanding it in The Tempest. Fun going through all my minifigs to try and create the characters.
  24. kjm161

    [MOC] Medieval tour de force

    Wow! Great MOCs. The reflection in the water really does look like a reflection of the buildings and adds to the realism in "Time to reflect". The addition of the tree makes the composition of the last picture so much more interesting and makes you want to see what lies beyond the wall. The colour variation in the wave of "The Flood" is beautiful and you really captured a sense of impending doom. Congrats!