greg3

That looks great... especially that first pic!! It has a real sense of scale! Love all the details in the other rooms too... Nice work!!

Thanks for the comment... the bike does use cut flex tube for the axles and in a couple of other places (I use it in so many of my MOCs that I like to think of flex tube as the Lego version of Duck Tape!!). For this update (I've missed a few as I've been busy with work!) life in Ballabreek (just like the real Isle of Man) is back to normal and our favourite news crew are reporting on the opening of a new area in the park. The sensory garden has been designed to stimulate all the senses and be as accessible as possible as is being officially opened by the mayor... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr "I declare this garden open..." Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Now the new crews can have a look around the garden and interview some of the first visitors... (they seem to be enjoying it!) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr This is my entry into the Eurobricks Flower Show competition - I chose this garden design mainly because I was lacking plant/flower pieces but also because i thought that after the last few months, the people of Ballabreek might need a bit of colour in their lives!! (I had planned on this being just a temporary addition to the town but now it's done I quite like it!!) More photos and info about the build are in this topic As always, thanks for looking...

Sensory Garden Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/178927-ebfs-sensory-garden/

This is the latest addition to my town... a sensory garden. (just the thing for minifigs who have been stuck inside for months!) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Designed with a range of elements intended to stimulate all the senses... Sight - bright colours and a range of shapes have been used wherever possible and motion/sound activated lighting has been installed. Sound - As well as the natural sound of birds/insects attracted to the flowers and running water created by the water feature, a set of chime bars has been added. Smell/taste - Plants have been chosen for their scent (and all the plants used are edible!) Touch - A textured planter contains a mix of soft leaved plants and a prickly leaved bush. The water feature can be touched and is surrounded by sand/gravel which can be played with. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr It's been made as accessible as possible... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr This is my entry for the Eurobricks Flower Show. I decided on this because most of my plant/flower pieces are tied up in other builds (I might have got a bit carried away with all the colours!!) Final a couple of pics of it in my layout... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Anyway thanks for looking... comments are always welcome!

Here you go Wedge 6 x 6 Triple Inverted

A bit of drama this week as a fire breaks out near the mine... of course the news crew are there to record events! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The fire seems to have started when sparks from a rock cutting tool ignited vegetation on the cliffside. Despite the miners' efforts to extinguish it, it flames quickly spread up to the mountaintop. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Luckily the local fire brigade were soon on hand, quickly getting the fire near the mine under control. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The mountain top blaze is proving more of a challenge but has provided the perfect opportunity to try out the unit's latest technology... a fire fighting drone. Modified from the standard observation drone used to monitor/track fires, it can now carry a hose allowing it to fight fires from above. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Controlled via remote control, the drone is supplied with water from the ground allowing it to remain on station much longer than a conventional helicopter. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr With the help of this technology, the fire is soon brought under control before it could spread too far. The idea for this update came from watching the local fire brigade dealing with a grass fire on a nearby cliff. (although they didn't have the fancy drone... that was based on a picture I found online of an experimental fire fighting drone!) I also thought it was about time the Ballabreek Fire Brigade actually did some fire fighting!! A few more pics of the whole scene... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Thanks for looking!! Comments always welcome.

Great idea and nicely done considering the limited parts you had to work with. Thanks for sharing!

They look fantastic!! Some great part usage and design work. Nice job - looking forward to seeing more.

Usually at this time of year the Isle of Man would be hosting the World famous Tourist Trophy (TT) Motorcycle Races but like most major sporting events it has been cancelled due to the Coroavirus. With no bikes to watch, I thought I'd build one instead! Loosely based on the Norton ridden by Rem Fowler when he won the first ever TT back in 1907... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr With rider and spectators... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Close up of the rider (the white rubber band is supposed to be a spare inner tube. In the early races, riders often had to stop and make repairs). Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr "Vintage Pic" Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Reference pic SCN-0002 by g.nat, on Flickr This build was actually one off several TT based builds intended for the local museum to use as a scavenger hunt for visitors. Unfortunately the project was cancelled (but it's given me time to work out how to get a minifig on the bike - I have a solution of sorts and am just waiting on parts) Anyway, thanks for looking!

This weekend should be Ballabreek's busiest time of the year as people flock to the area to watch the annual TT Motorcycle Races. As well as the racing itself around the local streets, there would be stunt shows, funfairs, live music, beer tents, fireworks and air displays, but this year all of that has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus. As a result, instead of covering the racing the local news crew are out and about to see how the locals are getting on... Many local businesses rely on the influx of visitors and are finding times hard. Here a local woman explains how she just hopes that the can make enough money over the next few months to cover the cost of the brand new ice cream van she bought just as lockdown started! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr She seems quite optimistic about things though!! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The local garage owner is interviewed about his work restoring a bike from the very first race back in 1907. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The restoration has taken many months and the plan had been to have one of the top local riders ride the bike in a parade lap before putting it on public display in the town... oh well, there's always next year!! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Closer look at the bike (very loosely based on the 1907 Norton which won the first ever TT race) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr "Vintage" pic from back in the day!! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr As with other recent updates, this is based on local events (I'm really missing the motorcycle races and all the associated entertainment!). The vintage bike MOD also has an interesting backstory. Just before Christmas, the museum here got in contact with a group of local LEGO builders and asked us if we'd build some small TT based models (about 8x8 studs). The idea was to hide them among the exhibits to create a sort of scavenger hunt for visitors to the museum. The bike was one of about half a dozen builds I'd put together before everything got cancelled!! Oh well, there's always next year!! More pics of the bike itself in this thread. Thanks for looking!

That looks great... love the unusual choice of games croquet and Kubb!! (I've taught the children at the school I work at to play Kubb so your build was instantly recognizable!) Nice use of different shades/textures of green too. Nice job!

This week has seen the 80th Anniversary of Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the British Army from Dunkirk in France at the start of WW2. The Isle of Man (where Ballabreek is set and where I live) played a major part in the operation with many of its Steam Packet Company passenger ferries and their civilian crews requisitioned by the Navy. It is believed that around 25,000 men were evacuated by Manx ships (1 in 15 of the total rescued) but sadly 4 Steam Packet ships were lost during the operation (along with a number of their civilian crews). In Ballabreek the anniversary has been marked with a wreath laying at sea, carried out by one of the surviving little ships which would have ferried the men from the beaches to the waiting ferries.... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The ceremony was watched from shore by relatives of those who took part in the events 80 years ago (and of course our favourite news crew were on hand to cover the occasion) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr This was just a quick update... and a chance to show my "Little Ship" MOC. It's based on a real life "Little Ship" the Tamzine, which at less than 15ft long was the smallest of the ships sent to Dunkirk. The real life ship is in the Imperial War Museum. I would have liked to do one of the local vessels that took part but they were all a bit big!! (Perhaps in microscale one day!). More information on the Tamzine MOC (and its real life inspiration) in this thread. Thanks for looking... as always comments are very welcome.

This week has marked the 80th anniversary of Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the British Army from the Dunkirk following their defeat in the Battle of France at the start of WW2. The successful rescue of over 300,000 men was in part made possible by the large number of civilian vessels donated to or requisitioned by the Royal Navy. Known as the "Little Ships", these boats were key to taking the trapped soldiers directly off the beaches, often under heavy fire. My MOC is based on the littlest of the "Little Ships"... The Tamzine. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Built in 1937, the fishing boat Tamzine (named after a sea captain's wife who had drowned in the 1700s) was less than 15ft long and designed to operate in the coastal waters off SE England. In 1940, she was requisitioned by the Royal Navy for use in Operation Dynamo and towed across the English Channel. Fitted with an outboard engine and crewed by Naval personnel, she was put to work ferrying troops from the beaches to the larger ships waiting offshore. At the end of the evacuation, the Tamzine was towed back to England and returned to her owner. In 1965, she was one of a fleet of "Little Ships" that crossed the Channel to mark the 25th anniversary (and is featured in a Pathe newsreel of the event). Eventually the Tamzine was donated to the Imperial War Museum and after restoration work is now on public display. The Tamzine on Wikipedia My version is based on the standard Lego rowing boat hull, which as about the right length (maybe a stud short). I added a mast and rigging, seats, foredeck (which proved the hardest part of the build!) and engine. The flag (known as the Dunkirk Jack) is that of the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships and combines the Cross of St George with the coat of arms of Dunkirk. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr I also put a little scene together of the Tamzine rescuing some soldiers... (the figures are Brickmania custom prints or stickers) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Finally here she is today helping to mark the anniversary... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr As always, thanks for looking... comments are more than welcome.

These are great - love that truck with all the decorations - nice work!!

I love little builds like this and this one's really nice... I like the splashes of colour and the amount of detail you've squeezed in. Good job!

For this week's (rather short) update, the news crew take to the road again to see how life is getting back to some sort of normality as the lockdown is eased... Mining has resumed at the local mine... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The recycling centre has also reopened... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr As has the park... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr And most of the local shops... with social distancing rules of course! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The Lego Store is especially popular! (the queue goes right round the building!) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Unfortunately though, not all businesses have survived... the local hairdresser has decided to sell up and retire. The shop is being cleared out ready for a new business to take over... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr What that new business will be, I've yet to decide. I'm currently thinking of either a florist, music/instrument store, pet shop, clothes shop or phone/electronic item repair shop but if anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them. It might be home to a series of temporary pop-up shops until I decide. Anyway, thanks for looking!!

Following on from last week's VE Day commemorations and continuing the military theme, this week marked 80 years since the formation of the Home Guard during WW2. Made up of men that couldn't join the regular army, their job was to defend their home towns and villages in the event of an invasion. Ballabreek was no exception and this rare photo shows some of the members of Ballabreek's Home Guard Platoon... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr One of the men in the photo (far left) is now Ballabreek's oldest resident (aged 97) and has become something of a celebrity in recent weeks thanks to his fund raising activities in support of the local hospital. Of course the local news crew are on hand to interview him (and thanks to the easing of the lockdown he's chosen to meet them at same spot where the original photo was taken.) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr An unedited pic of the Home Guard... (figures from United Bricks) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The thing that looks like across between a Dalek and a dustbin(!) is a Smith Gun... an antitank gun used by the real Home Guard and inspired by one in my local museum. This MOC (see more in this thread) was the inspiration for the theme of week's update (which has also become a homage to Captain Tom Moore (a real life WW2 veteran who has raised millions of pounds for the UK health service in recent weeks)). Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr As always, thanks for looking....

The Smith Gun was a 3in (76mm) smooth bore anti-tank gun developed for by the British during WW2. It was intended to fill the gap in ant-tank weaponry caused by the loss of equipment following the retreat from Dunkirk and was the brainchild of a retired army major William H Smith who ran his own engineering company. The gun was intended for Home Defence use on British soil and could be towed behind a civilian motorcar. Preparing the gun to fire involved tipping it onto its side so that one wheel formed a turntable base and the other provided some overhead protection. It could fire HE and anti-tank rounds able to penetrate around 60mm of armour. Problems with production, meant it didn't go into service until 1942 and it was only ever issued to Home Guard and the RAF (for airfield defence). Unfortunately, it wasn't a success; despite having a supposed range of 1500m, it was only really effective up to 300m. It was also vulnerable to damage while being towed by vehicles and worst of all, early versions tended to explode when fired! (this was probably due to errors in assembling the gun which came in kit form). Despite this, many Home Guard units saw the Smith Gun as one of the most effective weapons they were issued with (although it never saw any real action) Ready for transport - the gun barrel doubled as a tow bar! The gun also came with a limber containing spare rounds (this was rarely used as most Home Guard units were only ever issued with a handful of anti-tank rounds!) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The gun itself... the barrel can be elevated (a bit!) and the gun can traverse through 360°. Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The limber (quite pleased with the towing frame bit!) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Ready for action!! (figures from United Bricks, shell from Brickarms) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The gun and crew... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr I've always been quite interested in the Home Guard (and how they weren't always the joke that the TV show Dad's Army makes then seem... although the Smith Gun does feature in an episode!!) This build came about after seeing articles about the Home Guard (which was formed 80 years ago this week) and specifically a video about a surviving Smith Gun in the local museum link Thanks for looking... comments are always welcome.

Today's update sees the people of Ballabreek marking the 75th anniversary of VE day. Unfortunately the current lockdown means the majority had to mark the occasion from inside their own homes but in a simple ceremony at the war memorial, the town's mayor laid a wreath. (recorded of course by the local news crew). Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr This was followed by a fly past involving a WW2 Spitfire (The Spitfire is from Brickmania) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr I like any excuse to get my collection of military themed models into Ballabreek (there may be more in the next few weeks!) In the meantime, hopefully starting next week, life in the town will start to get back to some sort of normality!! Thanks for looking!

That looks great (especially given that it's supposed to be a shop!) Love the use of all the tiles to give it the texture of planking (really makes it look like a working boat with lots of character) and the stern decoration is a nice touch. The only thing that doesn't quite look right is the style of windows and doors but that's understandable given that it's an alternate model (builds like this make me wish I'd bought the original set now!!)

To celebrate "Star Wars Day" I thought I'd post this IG-11 figure showing off the custom IG head by Brickarms. I was always a fan of IG-88 as a kid and now I've finally got round to watching the Mandalorian, IG-11 has become one of my favourite characters!! Much better than the brick built version!! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Here he is in action... “He can’t be bargained with. He can’t be reasoned with. He doesn’t feel pity, or remorse or fear... and he absolutely will not stop ever, until you are dead! (But he does make a lovely cup of tea)” Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr "Would you like some tea?" (just need a baby Yoda for him to look after!!) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Thanks for looking... and May the 4th be with you!!

As today is May the 4th (a.k.a Star Wars Day) I thought it was time to treat my minifigs (many of whom have been stuck inside under lockdown for weeks). So I arranged for a mobile cinema screen (ie my phone!) to be set up and turned the residential street into an open air cinema so they could have a Star Wars movie marathon!! Apologies in advance for the poor photo quality as I had to take them on an ancient iPad as my phone was showing the movie... hadn't really thought that through!! Anyway, We're just in time to catch part of The Empire Strikes Back!! (so shhhh!... and pass the popcorn!) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Seating (Appropriately socially distanced of course) was set up in the street... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr While others preferred to watch from their rooftops... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Of course the news crew were there to capture the event... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Including some interesting alternatives to face masks... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The idea seems to have been a big hit with the citizens and they're already looking forward to another Ballabreek Movie Night!! (maybe it'll be Superheroes next time... or Harry Potter? We'll have to wait and see!!) Thanks for looking... comments are always welcome.

This is last weekend's update... albeit a bit late (or perhaps it's this weekend's update a bit early!). Anyway, it's good news for the citizens of Ballabreek, as after a month of strict lockdown it seems the virus' spread has been all but halted. As a result, the rules are being relaxed slightly, allowing some minifigs to return to work. Most of those who work on their own outside (some builders, window cleaners and gardeners) can now go back to work - as long as they practise social distancing (keeping 6 studs apart). Today the news crew have been at the park interviewing one such worker... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr The rules have also been changed to allow everyone else more time outside (but most shops remain shut and the "6 stud" rule has to be followed.) One local street artist has used this extra time to give the famous "Ballabreek Bricks" sculpture a makeover!! (where I live, rainbows have become a common symbol in people's windows, on walls etc to cheer people up.) Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr So is this is the start of life in Ballabreek getting back to normal? We'll just have to wait and see!! The whole scene... Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Again, this is mirroring what's happening here in real life, I just hope relaxing the rules doesn't cause the virus to start spreading again!! As always, thanks for looking.... comments are always welcome!

After a few hours of experimenting, here's my attempt at brick built sails!! (my aim is to build the boat using only unmodified Lego parts... no custom sails/string etc) Still needs a bit of tweaking (the foremast is a bit short) but it's getting there!! Then it'll need a crew, guns, cargo etc! Untitled by g.nat, on Flickr Thanks for looking!!

Cool little boat... great use of that sail and I like the splashes of colour!! Nice little story too and I especially like the photo of the "skewered shark"