Decrepit Bank

[WesternOutlaw]

I recently made a visit to Death Valley, but unfortunately was not able to visit the nearby Ghost Town of Rhyolite. Within Rhyolite is an old structure known as Cook Bank. I understand that the building is often photographed by Wild West enthusiasts and others interested in Ghost Towns.

I shared an image of a large-scale version of Cook Bank that I came across on Moc Pages a few months ago (will add link later). It was a very well designed creation.

I've been wanting to try a minifig scale version, and just yesterday purchased a new photo editing program to start creating digital/photo-edited backgrounds again.

So I'm proud to share with you, my latest addition to Grave Stone, Decrepit Bank. The small B&W photo on the left is the actual building.

Comments welcome.

PS. Most of my time has been spent learning Photoshop Elements so I have not written any story yet.

[I Scream Clone]

Looks great!, are the upper level timbers that sandy colour or a brown in real life?

some more shrubbery too!

Tumbleweed On!

[Dragonator]

A nice, simple Moc, that sums up a ghost town ruin nicely. It looks to be very accurate to the picture, good job!

[iamded]

It's a neat MOC, great going with the picture, but it doesn't really fit in with the rest of Gravestone. There aren't any skeletons or creepy things, just a ruined building. That looks great though.

~Peace

[Asuka]

Very good in size and proportion, although I guess this is one of the few occasions where some yellowed white bricks could become handy....

[WhiteFang]

It defintely gives me "ghost" feeling in a way . The illustration is plain but the main thing is, you get your point through which is an abandoned old building. I love this feel. You can add on more interesting componets such as the interior to filled up the building with broken furniture.

Edited April 18, 2008 by WhiteFang

[Batbrick]

Yay! More Gravestone is always welcome. I like the building, you've done a good job of a making the model minifig scale. I like the colour choices too, white and tan. My one criticism is it's plainness, I think it could be made a bit better. Maybe add a spider web down te sid, a scorpion in a window, a dirt mound and fallen bricks at the bottom. Just give it a bit of debris and history I think, and it'll look much better still.

Batbrick Away!

[Flatfoot Thompsen]

Nice! I've seen your other gravestone mocs and there awesome!

[wulf]

very cool, mabye you could add an interior?

[WesternOutlaw]

Thank you all for the feedback.

Are the upper level timbers that sandy colour or a brown in real life?

No; judging by pictures that I've seen, they are just window ledges. I just used the tan pieces for contrast.

You can add on more interesting componets such as the interior to filled up the building with broken furniture.

Excellent idea, but I won't be adding these components to this particular building. I was actually trying to capture the simpleness of the real structure in Rhyolite.

For another MOC; however, definately a great idea.

Maybe add a spider web down te sid, a scorpion in a window, a dirt mound and fallen bricks at the bottom. Just give it a bit of debris and history I think, and it'll look much better still.

Some debris and/or a few other spooky elements would have definately tied this into the Grave Stone genre a little better. I think I've figured out how to use my new program now (or at least enough to get by), so I may be pursuing a few more Grave Stone MOCs. This was really just a test run, but good ideas. You know I enjoy the development of the characters and story surrounding Grave Stone.

Again, thanks for your comments.

EDIT:

I added one of Grave Stone's most notorious spooks, the Card Creeper. He serves as a prelude to my next story surrounding Grave Stone.

His story was revealed in the Dark Tale of the Whispering Windmill:

Grave Stone legend says that the Card Creeper was notorious for card cheat'n in many crooked games of cards. On a dark and stormy Halloween night, after stealing hundreds of dollars from a drunken bunch of outlaws, the angry men took matters into their own hands. They dragged the Card Creeper out to the Whispering Windmill were they stopped it and tied him to one of the windmill blades. Once the blades began to turn, the men shot at the Card Creeper nicking him almost a dozen times before a final shot to the head finished him off.

Before that final shot; however, the Card Creeper cursed the men swearing vengeance upon all of them for what they did to him, laughing hideously with an evil grin on his face. Bang! He was finished.

But that was not the end of the Card Creeper. Someone or something heard his curse and brought back his evil soul to seek vengeance upon his killers. Some even say it was the "putrid water" that runs under the windmill. On every Halloween night, the Card Creeper awakens seeking out each of his killers. And always found on his victim's body, is a black ace of spades.

[hollisbrick]

Looks pretty good, not as good as your other gravestone Mocs though anyway are you going to do the back of the bank like on the picture???

[WetWired]

looks cool, one suggestion, perhaps you could use some 1 x 2 bricks with technic holes scattered through it to look like bullet holes?

[Lt. Col. Thok]

Very good, it looks much like the real thing.

[WesternOutlaw]

are you going to do the back of the bank like on the picture???

No, this is it. I just wanted a simple building (or facade) that looks like the real Cook Bank. My next MOC will be something different. If I do choose to build a larger building, I'd like to have some interior detail.

perhaps you could use some 1 x 2 bricks with technic holes scattered through it to look like bullet holes?

Good idea, but this is pretty much done.

[Klaus-Dieter]

That's a very nice ruin of a WW bank, TheBrickster!

The only thing I miss are more minifigs and an interior. (Or has it got an interior?)

Otherwise it's a great WW MOC with a great architecture!

[WesternOutlaw]

The only thing I miss are more minifigs and an interior. (Or has it got an interior?)

Thanks KD. The real one doesn't have much of an interior, just a back section (which I did not add to this MOC). In any case, my next Grave Stone MOC will have an interior. This was just intended to be a replica of the building in Rhyolite (mostly facade).

[Athos]

Ooooh, I want to go there. I've been on a ghost-town kick lately. Went out looking for some last weekend, but couldn't find any that weren't on the military bombing ranges.

Steve

[WesternOutlaw]

Ooooh, I want to go there. I've been on a ghost-town kick lately. Went out looking for some last weekend, but couldn't find any that weren't on the military bombing ranges.

Are you planning to do any Grave Stone Ghost Town building?

[Athos]

Probably not for a while. I'm currently in miniland mode and then I've got to get my next JT story done and off the dining room table.

Steve

[Athos]

If anyone is interesting in visiting ghost towns, here is a website that gives a listing of some. Though I must note that how they classify ghost towns is questionable, as some I grew up in one of the "ghost-towns" and it hardly qualified (I figure a town with a graduating highschool class in the high hundreds and a K-Mart and McDonalds doesn't count) and some of them are merely empty fields (they do at least tell you this). It still is kind of interesting. I'm going to go check out some of the other ones listed today.

Steve

P.S. Yes, the music is kind of weird, but I like it...

[WesternOutlaw]

If anyone is interesting in visiting ghost towns, here is a website that gives a listing of some.

Some time ago, this site or collection of sites had a neat scavenger hunt. I don't see it any more though.

For more Ghost Town info, you can also check out this thread: Ghost Towns & Wild West History

[Flatfoot Thompsen]

You should make a haunted train that gose around Grave Stone.

Edited April 27, 2008 by Flatfoot Thompsen

[WesternOutlaw]

You should make a haunted train that gose around Grave Stone.

Excellent suggestion. I considered it a few years ago after reading about the Ghost Train of Ely. I also saw one last Halloween during a haunted Ghost Town tour. I never posted the image, but it was a huge black steam engine that has the boiler open and other areas of the train torn apart. On it was cob webs and a few skeletons. I will post a picture if I can find it.

Edit: Found them! Here's some images of the Ghost Train:

I thought Lego's official black steamer from the MOT collection would work well with just a few modifications.

But I have a large jungle display on my tabletop at the moment, so perhaps some time in the future.

[Flatfoot Thompsen]

Excellent suggestion. I considered it a few years ago after reading about the Ghost Train of Ely. I also saw one last Halloween during a haunted Ghost Town tour. I never posted the image, but it was a huge black steam engine that has the boiler open and other areas of the train torn apart. On it was cob webs and a few skeletons. I will post a picture if I can find it.

But I have a large jungle display on my tabletop at the moment, so perhaps some time in the future.

That trains spooky! :skull: And I do think that train makes a great WW addition.

[WesternOutlaw]

And I do think that train makes a great WW addition.

Rhyolite also has an old train station that is still intact. It would be neat to have the bank, the staion, and a spooky ghost train passing by at midnight.