SeaKing61

I recently received a box a lego bricks that used to belong to one of my mother's friends. It's mainly technic but there's also a classic space minifig. What's got me curious is that it appears to be a plain white torso with a sticker applied with the classic space logo on it. I was wondering if anyone knew if this sticker came with the torso as part of a set or if it's from an ideas book or perhaps home made. Thanks very much. I'll try to upload a picture sometime soon. Cheers, Laurie

Yes I agree about the windows. I find it looks okay alone but when compared to a picture of the real thing it is extremely obvious. I may try brick built windows in a future project. As with any model it is a compromise. Thank you for your kind words Laurie

Just wanted to share my latest project, a mk1 BCK (brake composite corridor) coach in GWR/BR chocolate and cream livery. This follows on from the techniques I developed for my Mk1 Inspection Coach. I wanted to develop a more general coach and make use of the 5 tan train windows from the Emerald Night coach. Non-Corridor/Toilet Side View by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr The compartment side of the coach which has 2 extra windows for the toilets. Corridor Side View by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Corridor Side. Yellow stripe indicates mk1 compartments Commonwealth Bogie by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Commonwealth bogie I developed for this model. Compartment Details by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Compartments. Tables aren't entirely prototypical but they cover some of the structural detail. Blue moquette for first class and red for standard. There is no interior on the toilets or guard section due to the need for structural strength. Thanks for looking Laurie

Thank you. I was very pleased to be able to include the compartments inside Laurie

Thank you. I need to get some more pictures of the end and gangways but it is tricky taking pictures of the all-black construction Thanks Laurie

Thank you, it took a lot of experimenting to get the top of the chair to line up with the 8-wide window section. Lego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Thanks. I was aiming for a slightly larger scale but as realistic as possible. Thanks all Laurie

I used this technique on a mk1 coach I made. The curve is gentler than the technique shown above but leave a 1 tall plate along the bottom and gaps in the coach side. Lego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Laurie

This is a model I made of my parent's house that I grew up in. It is my first attempt at an accurate piece of architecture based on a real building. It is around double minifig scale; I based the scale on the construction of the bay windows. I also foreshortened the model so that it could be displayed more easily and so had to make the main roof much steeper. I'm most proud of the bay windows and the wizardry that was necessary to create the white and red arches on the first floor. I wasn't sure if Town is the right forum for it, but there seemed to be various scale buildings in here. Mods, please let me know if it should be elsewhere. Edwardian Terraced House by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Edwardian Terraced House by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Edwardian Terraced House by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Edwardian Terraced House by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Edwardian Terraced House by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Edwardian Terraced House by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Thank you for looking, Laurie

Thanks all, I am very proud of it. It has now taken pride of place in my parent's entrance hall Thanks Laurie

Hi everyone, My first post here in a long time. I spent quite a while developing this Mk1 Track Inspection Coach DB999508 belonging to Network Rail in the UK. It is 8 wide and I developed a new technique to try to get the gentle curve of the mk1 coach side using the back of minifig chairs as the coach exterior. Lego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Lego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Lego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Lego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Lego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Lego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Lego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Lego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Lego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Here's the prototype Thanks for looking, let me know what you think. Cheers, Laurie

Oh wow thanks, I had missed that.

Thanks guys. I should get out some of my standard lego trains for a comparison. It really dwarfs them. I'm quite happy with the bogies; they're fairly accurate. I'd only end up reproducing a lot of the details on the lego wheelsets like the springs either side of the axlebox. I also have an abundance of those lego wheelsets and barely any for the technical axles. Thanks Laurie

Wow, I like it. Good adaptation of the TGV design. The bright red hinge isn't that noticeable. Real vehicles are not as uniformly coloured as we try to make our lego models after all.

Thanks, Phil. I know what you mean about the chairs. When I first tried it after having the idea I couldn't see anything but a row of chairs, especially the slight curve to the corners. However, now sat on my shelf it looks fairly smooth. The only problem with the technique is it denies any sort of detail to the bottom half of the coach so liveries such as Intercity, Network south east or the old royal mail coaches are impossible. Thanks, Laurie

Yeah, it is a bit of a compromise as is necessary in any design like this. The recess is on both sides. I have put a small amount of detail in each end of the coach as shown in the last picture. The demonstration pic I showed earlier was more to show that that spacing of the chairs brings it to 8-wide. The coach did require a fair bit of internal bracing to keep everything lined up, however the recesses are a major weak point in the coach side. I'm looking at making a more standard mk1 coach to test how much interior would be possible with more continuous sides. Lego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Lego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Lego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Lego DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Thanks, Laurie

Thanks all. This was definitely the most complex build I've undertaken. What you don't see in the pictures is about two years of prototypes and experimenting with different techniques. Thanks, Laurie

Pirzyk, I'm working from a number of photos I've found online. The prototype is a one-off modification of a British Rail inspection coach. Thanks ColletArrow. I'm going to upload some more photos when it's finished. I'm waiting for some parts for the roof, and the carriage sides are a little tall for my liking at the moment. This is my first attempt at a 7-wide coach so my techniques are perhaps a little clunky. The coach tends to be hauled with a loco either side or a loco one end and a driving trailer coach on the other. Thanks, Laurie

Network Rail DB999508 by Laurie Bennett, on Flickr Got to do something while you're waiting for parts! This is my WIP DB999508, a Network Rail test coach in the UK Thanks, Laurie

http://ptatransitauthority.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/c-o-baldwin-m-1.html The Baldwin M-1 has to be my favourite steam-turbine locomotive. Looks so utterly futuristic yet quite unreliable in the event. Three were built and all scrapped in 1950. Laurie

Maybe I've missed something but I don't recognise the pieces used to build the rear portion of 4434 Tipper Truck, does anyone know what they're like? Thanks, Laurie

Very nice TGV, I'm guessing you used James Mathis' version as a base. Is it powered? Laurie

It looks like this plane is also used by an executive jet company called Air Alsie, though according to the Danish Civil Aircraft Register it is owned by TLG. Maybe cos it's used by other companies they didn't want to stick a big Lego logo on the side. It is a bit disappointing though, the only one without the logo. My fave is the Learjet with Legoland written on the engines. That's a classic town exec jet Laurie

If it follows the times of the shopping centre it's based in then it'll be open 11am-5pm tomorrow. The store calendar on the Lego website includes events on Sundays so I guess it must be open at some point. Laurie

I did a bit of digging and TLG have had a vast number of aircraft over the years. Looks like they started out with this Cessna 421, not quite an executive jet. They bought it brand new and flew it from 1968-1978. OY-DNL in 1970 they bought a Learjet 25 which lasted until 1972 In 1978 they bought a Piper Pa-31T Cheyenne II which flew until 1981 Then they upgraded in 1979 to a Cessna Citation 550 and flew that until 1992. It is now flying in Switzerland for an airline called Bannert Air. From 1980 til 1984 they flew this Beech King Air In 1984 they also bought a Cessna Citation 650 III and flew that until 2001. From 1992 to 2004 they had a Dassault Falcon 900 jet. In 1997 they started flying this more powerful Beech King Air and continued to do so until 2002 In 2001 they replaced their Citation III with a new Cessna Citation 560 Excel which flew til 2005 From 2002-2005 they complimented their existing 560 Excel with another one! This one was even temporarily registered as OY-LEG for a time. In 2004 they upgraded to a new model of the Dassault Falcon, replacing their old one with an EX. As far as I can tell this is the only aircraft still flying in Lego's Denmark fleet. Being a global company they may well have aircraft based in other countries. I believe a number of these aircraft are co-owned by Kirkbi A/S, an investment company owned by the family that founded TLG. Cheers, Laurie

Very nice model, Ralph. I've been keeping track of your Intrepid aircraft models and I think this is my favourite. It's very hard to capture the curves of these aircraft at such a small scale but this one is spot on. Looks like Ed's Intrepid is coming on fantastically too, can't wait to see it all come together. Laurie