greg3

Simple but effective... that crook could do with one of those new crowbars!! Nice work...

Wow!! I love the detail on this one (especially the doors and the underside) and how you've managed to make so much space inside!! Nice work...

Love the design!! The plank effect is very effective and gives it a real spooky feel!! Nice work!

Personally I quite like these sets... the new pieces will certainly be very useful!! However the police station is far too big for my layout so I'll probably use it to build a smaller station and use the rest as parts. (I wish that rather than a huge police/fire station every year or 2 they'd release some smaller smaller emergency service buildings (preferably including a doctors/medical centre!!) I'm really looking forward to the harbour sets though!! Cheers

Looking good so far!! With all these tools your War Memorial will be built in no time!! (is the mystery tool a sealant gun?) Keep on... keeping on!!

It definitely looks better (I've just Googled war memorial and it looks very similar to many of the real life ones).... not sure about the holes in it though, is there a way of covering them or using plain 1x1 bricks? Anyway keep up the good work... looking forward to seeing how it ends up.

Nice ideas and a clever use for stickers!! I'll certainly be using these ideas (They certainly make the windows look more realistic) so thanks for sharing... Cheers

WOW!! That looks brilliant... I love the town's history and from the large buildings to the tiny detail (such as the mower cutting grass) the layout is simply stunning!! Excellent work!

Nice MOC... I love the giant ice cream sign (might "borrow" that idea myself!!)

A simple MOC based on a local grave known as the Vampire's Grave. According to local legend a corpse began to cough and mumble during its funeral causing the mourners to open the coffin and drive a stake through its heart. It was then buried and the unusual chains put in place to keep it there!! The MOC itself started off as a bit of Halloween (or Hop-tu-Naa as it's also known here) fun but I ended up discovering a new (for me at least) technique to make chain fences!! The actual grave Unfortunately there's no real evidence that the chains were anything to do with a fear of vampires rather than just a bit of fancy decoration or to stop people walking on the grave (in fact there's a man and his wife buried there - and no one even seems to know which one was the "vampire") And anyway, we all know that there's no such thing as vampires.... or is there? Comments always welcome... Cheers

Excellent stuff... the toy shop and bakery look great together especially with your paths and landscaping... but the pictures with the lights lit up are even better... and very festive!! Great work...

They are brilliant!! I've only just read this topic and so I've just seen them all in one go... each one I thought "that's the best" then the next one comes along and "no, that's my favourite" and so on... the MoC's themselves, the photography, the quotes all simply perfect!!! Excellent work!!

Hi Here's my latest alterations to the village after trying the park near the centre I've gone back to the original layout but I've revamped the park/tram stop area... wasn't sure about the track ballast though (think I might just stick the 1x1 square/round plates down to the baseplate!!) Now it just needs a bit more vegetation (flowers etc to add some colour) and the space at the far end of the park is either going to be a wooded area with a path heading off into the "counrtyside" or the village war memorial... as always any comments are more than welcome Cheers

Looks good to me.... I can imagine it being a nice peaceful place. Are you going to add some poppy wreaths? Every village/town here also has a war memorial, usually a tall obelisk structure with the names engraved around the base. In fact I'm working on one for my village... I might "borrow" some of your ideas!!

That looks amazing!! The map itself is stunning and then you add on the landmarks.. simply brilliant!!

Here's mine... it may only be a small village and still a WIP but I hope it counts... Eurobricks Member: Greg3 Name of the Town: Ballabreek Village Topic link: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=47971 Personal Layout Cheers Greg

Brilliant!!!! But where's James May? He's not one of the Stigs is he? Speaking of the Stigs is there a giant "Queen Stig" somewhere producing them (like in Aliens?)

Hi Thanks for the comments... the bit behind the pizza place is supposed to be a parking bay - it also gives me the option to put a petrol station where the pizza shop and bike shop are and allowing the cars to pull in and fill up without blocking the road (at least that's the plan!!). The curved corners are where the road narrows and in real life (I think) would give the cars more room to turn (unlike the exposed baseplate studs which are just because I was experimenting with the layout and knew I'd have to move the whole thing to somewhere more permanent and didn't bother finishing plating it all!!!) Hopefully I'll post some more pics as the village grows... Cheers

Hmmm.... WPS..... Winter Police Station? (although a Winter Pirate Ship would be pretty interesting!!)

That looks great!! I especially like the kitchen and the details on the outside... nice work!!

A quick update... I've been working on houses for the village. Based on 6592 Vacation Hideaway, here's a little row of cottages. Still not quite done as I need the right colour windows and to make some interiors (and to add them to the village!!). I imagine them to be really old (18th century) workers cottages that have been modernised. The black ones have at least - the red one retains more of its original features. Unfortunately their small size means that they may end up being replaced as the population grows!! I've also come up with a brief history for the village - I find it helps with working out what/why to build. I've based it a bit of local history and whatever my imagination could come up with!! 1567 - The first recorded use of the name Ballabreek refering to a farm (the name is believed to have come from the fact that the main buildings were made of brick rather than stone). Early 1800’s - The name was now being used in relation to a settlement near the old farm. Made up of about 20 dwellings housing farm workers it was centred around a crossroads where the main roads linking the area’s largest towns meet. This crossroads can still be seen in the modern road layout. Early 1900’s - Mining for tin and lead has now become as major industry in the area. An electric railway has been constructed, passing through the settlement. A post office and small shelter meant that goods and people could now travel to and from the village much quicker than the old horse drawn carts. Tourists begin to visit the village on day trips to explore the countryside and take in the “air” and visit the many fairs that are held in nearby fields. 1950’s - New roads have long since replaced the old cart tracks. During the summer the area is still very popular with tourists. A large holiday camp has been built nearby and the village now boasts a small cimema and open air theatre. 1970’s - Air travel means a sharp decline in tourists and the holiday camp has closed. The trams have stopped running except for a few months in the summer. The population has plummeted as increasing cheap imports and mechanisation mean that there are fewer and fewer jobs on local farms and the area’s mines have been exhusted and closed down. It’s feared that within a decade the village will no longer exist. 1990’s - As property prices in the large towns began to rise, people moved out in search of cheaper locations. With it’s excellent road links, Ballabreek proved ideal and it’s population is once again on the rise. After years of hard work cleaning up the area, once again people come to enjoy the surrounding countryside; hiking, cycling, and visiting the nearby nature reserves are especially popular. New local businesses have begun to appear... the village has survived... Today - The village is once again a thriving community, with a mixture of traditional and modern buildings. Most of the population work in neighbouring towns and a planned redevelopment of the old tram system is expected to bring in even more people and businesses... but some people have begun to wonder how this might change the nature of Ballabreek... only the future will tell. Hope it makes some sense!! Cheers Greg

An awesome looking pub!!! I'd love to hang out there if I was a minifig!! I love all the little details, especially inside (I can tell you've done a lot of research inside pubs!!) The only suggestion I might make is that I think it needs a sign on the front though. Anyway can't wait to see what you come up with next....

Very nice!! Really looks the part!! Great work!

Cheers LT - Great minds think alike, I've just been working on a small supermarket/farm produce store using bits from the Green Grocer (I do like your fridge design though) and I've considered a garage too - or at least a petrol pump (maybe run by the supermarket and using the parking bay) I envisage the village changing just like a real one with buildings changing use/being demolished etc so I doubt I'll ever have a finished version!!

Thanks... the railway is actually going to used by trams (versions of the Victorian electric trams still used here to begin with, maybe updated with modern trams when/if I get the new public transport set) The road/tram crossing is just going to be the official level crossing set (minus the barriers as tram crossings here don't use them) and there will be a pedestrian crossing by the green shelter (at most of the tram stops you can simply walk across the line) I'm currently working on some housing for my village so watch this space.... Link to photos of the real life tram stops (I'm trying to find out the best font to copy the place names so I can make a sign for the shelter) MER Stopping Places Cheers