Doctor Octoroc

Thanks! I'm hoping to make some small improvements to the models along the way. I'm currently working out an 'ejection' button for the CD Player but there's such limited space inside that it'll essentially nudge the tray out a plate or two to give you something to grab onto to pull it the rest of the way (rather than fully opening) - which is actually how some of the budget units functioned haha. For the tape deck, I played with a few build ideas that used Technic axles for the spools but couldn't get things to line up the way they do in the current version. There's a half plate's distance between the tiny tapes and boundaries of the trans black panels and I want those tapes to be as close to the front inside face as possible. The stereo tuner could also benefit from a decal for the frequency band display but I'm hoping to work out a better brick-built representation for that and the VU meters below. The coolest part about that model is actually the back with all the audio in jacks. I thought about doing a reel-to-reel but in trying to resonate with as many people as possible, I felt that was a bit too far out of familiarity for most. Same thing with 8-track since even many of the Gen X people who will probably relate to this build the most didn't grow up with 8-track. I know my older brother and I didn't, but we're on the tail end of the generation - and I'm right on the cusp between Gen X and Millennials - so maybe that perception is a bit off on my part. Still, these were the most popular formats of their respective times. I had also thought about designing a model based on modular systems that are meant to be stacked directly on top of each other but one of the goals with this build is to have a mish-mash feel - components from different eras that remind people of their own home system growing up, as it does for me. So the turntable could be from the 70's, tape deck from the early 80's, CD player from the late 80's, etc. The majority of folks probably grew up with hand-me-downs from their parents like me, or at the very least didn't have the money to buy all the top shelf units at the time, so having a set all from the same time period is an unlikely case for many, and even less likely these days for people who enjoy these older formats but are too young to have collected them over the years. Kids today are getting back into physical mediums for music (mostly vinyl but many are into cassettes as well and it's only a matter of time before CD's make a larger comeback) so they can relate as well. I can't count how many people have commented saying this reminds them of their parents' setup or 'hey, that's the exact shelf my dad has in the basement', or something along those lines. Although it's worth pointing out that I loosely based the CD player on the SONY CDP-101 which was the first consumer CD player. I did design the audio tower in a way that leaves room for a battery pack and although the units are each their own model and not attached to the shelves, there is potential for a light kit and maybe even automated mechanical functions like a spinning turntable - and the best part is that if any of that were implemented, the wires running from the backs of the components wouldn't look out of place!

Hey all! I normally do Architecture themed builds but I've been working on a lot of other stuff lately and after building this one for myself I decided it would make a good submission to LEGO Ideas due to its use of all existing parts (but with a lot of potential for new colors of some parts and printed tiles/stickers), and because music is something everyone can relate to. I have a few updates planned for it, including attempting to work more features into each component, but this is essentially the final design, aesthetically speaking. Give it some support if you like it! https://ideas.lego.com/projects/cf5645be-3965-4723-afe0-72c2be871bf4?fbclid=IwAR18RdmHYJ_tWBbcamlY3oZiSTEYFnfo9aizQ-wC5CqxNM-k-GNP8MFquTs

I finished the first draft of one of a few custom designs as part of the Kickstarter. This is a model that will be turned into a physical set for the backer who requested it. It's the Brooklym Bridge in New York, NY! Some feedback would be appreciated :-) Of course, it's not to scale with the series as pretty much every bridge would look the same at that scale but it's comparable in the number of parts and the style.

So I'm getting ready to put together physical sets for rewards from the Kickstarter as well as design the custom models that were requested as part of rewards and I'm wondering if anyone in this thread got the digital instructions package and has attempted to build any of them yet? If so, please feel free to post the builds in this thread!

Thank you kindly! It was a lot of fun, I'm definitely planning to do something similar down the line with different subjects.

Here's the final model, Nina Towers in Hong Kong, China. I've had my eye on this one for awhile and am happy to make it the last addition to the series.

New model finished, the Leadenhall building in London, England. Only one more left!

By request, here's Hearst Tower in New York, NY United States. This is more suggestive than accurate as at such a small scale there was no sound method to represent the angular insets on just the corners of the structure as they are on the real deal. Instead it's a more exaggerated representation to give an overall impression of the appearance.

So here's what I came up with for the CCTV Headquarters thus far. I'm not terribly fond of it since it's stepped but due to the fact that the overall form tapers on all sides simultaneously, I couldn't figure out a way to properly represent it otherwise without leaving gaps between sections built up by angled plates and the such. It's a shame that there aren't more shallow angled slopes - I've been having the same issues with trying to recreate the Leadenhall Building in London.

Some nice prospects! The Boeing factory is cool but unlike the VAB, which is a great model for the fact that it has a large footprint compared to the others, the BF doesn't have a lot of defining features like the VAB (plus no tiny rocket, although a bunch of small planes would be fun to put together so might be worth it for them). It's also very uniform in height so it would just be a stack of plates in the layout configuration basically. The footprint might actually be too large for the instructions format. If I had to guess off hand, I'd say it would be at least three times the size of the VAB base which would be too large to fit on a page in the instructions. The VAB barely fits as is. CCTV Building would be cool, I've taken a look at that before. The real challenge there would certainly be trying to capture not just the shape but the finer points of the actual angles it takes. It would be simple enough to make a more suggestive model with 90 degree angles but representing it more accurately could be a fun challenge. Hearst Tower would be doable with more suggestive features. Obviously there isn't much room to work in the intricate design with flat faces made of triangles and insets along the corners but some combination of slopes could achieve a good looking model that does the form some justice!

Thanks, Tom! Any suggestions for the last three in the series?

And another one - only three left! This is the Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh, PA United States. It's not the most interesting build but I like how the tiers build out towards the base around the center column.

One more model, Yingli International Finance Center in Chongqing, China.

Two more models added to the series - now only five left until I'm completely finished! Franklin Center in Chicago, IL United States and the Pantheon in Rome, Italy. Both were fun models but I especially like the way that the Pantheon turned out. It's officially the shortest structure in the entire series.

By request on the Kickstarter, the Great American Tower in Cincinnati, OH United States!

Newest model, MesseTurm in Frankfurt Germany!

It's been a week since I completed the first 5 extra models so I decided it was time to get back to it. Here's #106, Gama Tower in Jakarta, Indonesia!

Thanks! No mockup yet - the Kickstarter just finished up so the majority of funds from that will be going towards fulfilling rewards and building models from that series. If I have some extra funds I may supplement my stock of white and clear pieces to build Fallingwater. I'm actually still working on it. I like it but it looks too much like the official model (albeit at a much smaller scale) so I'd like to try something a bit more creative like have the waterfall be a single supporting column and have the whole thing hovering - something like that.

Only one day left in the Kickstarter campaign! We've hit all the stretch goals resulting in 15 more models added to the series and a comprehensive video tutorial series but there can still be more models! I've decided to get a jump on the first five of the stretch goal models as well. By request here, I did the Monadnock Building and One57; by request elsewhere, I did Angkor Wat; and the other two are my own choosing, Salufa Tower in Dubai and K11 in Shanghai!

So while I wait for the Kickstarter to run its course I've been thinking about a possible next project - 1:300 scale famous architectural residences. Of course Falling Water, Robie House and other Frank Lloyd Wright designs in the official LEGO series will be done but I want to expand that further and include Le Corbusier, Frank Gehry, etc. Just did a mock up for Fallingwater and I like the look but may opt for a more simplistic color scheme - all white or something along those lines. Thoughts? Is it worth exploring for a series like this one or would it be better to just stick with a few models?

I have been known to overthink things haha. I've probably looked for floor plans and multiple elevations for around half of the structures in the series. For many, photos and an elevation usually suffice, especially for symmetrical buildings. On occasion, I've even completely misinterpreted a building from only looking at photographs. Central Plaza, for example - the photos I referenced were taken with a wide lens so what I interpreted to be a sharp angle on a four-sided structure due to the FOV actually turned out to be a 60 degree angle edge on a three-sided building - I redesigned the entire thing on account of that. But I will say, if it weren't for the distinct seam between the three tiles on the top of the third segment, I probably wouldn't have noticed. There are times that I favor suggestion over accuracy for certain details as it does suit the Architecture series better in many cases. One thing I love about the TV towers, even though they're simple builds with really low part counts, is the creativity of figuring out which wheel, gear, rod or axle to use for various portions. Part choice and arrangement are equally crucial to an aesthetically pleasing model. Aesthetically, your Torre Cepsa is beautiful - and for better or worse, I have an attention to detail that led me to create a simpler overall texture to the model in order to maintain the more precise proportions. At such a small scale there will always be sacrifices and which ones we choose to make inform not just the design but the unique take on the original subject. That's what's great about it, a lot of people can try the same form and get very different results.

Awesome! With every model I complete, I have an ever-growing wishlist of Architecture specific parts I'd like to see created. 1x1 curved slope, 1x3 plate with two offset studs, 2x2 modified brick with 2 studs on all four sides, etc. I certainly love the challenge of using the existing parts and as the Architecture series is still relatively young I'll cut LEGO some slack but boy it would really open up the possibilities to have additional parts created specific to the series! I don't have much to add as it's pretty spot on - I love the extra lip on the front and back sides created along the top of the structure! The only thing I noticed is that the three inside segments are 2 wide and 3 deep on your model while on the real deal I believe they're square - I could only find one plan view in a quick Google search: Otherwise, fantastic build! Would definitely be a challenge to alter the proportions in your model while still maintaining the alternating clear and solid plates up and down the front. My build required 1x2 Technic bricks with one hole in combination with a 1/2 stud pin to hold the sides on - and in order to maintain the uniform distance of, and height between, the three middle segments, I had to use a 1x2 tile above the first iteration instead of a 1x2 plate with offset stud (the 2 bricks on the bottom side of the segment above would have no way to connect to the offset plate as the one above does). Because of this, the side assemblies are crucial in holding the top segments in place above the first. Also, thanks for the mention on the original Instagram post!

That one looks cool, it would be interesting to see how many layers I could capture in this scale. I actually love the look of the 432 Park Avenue model I did. Ironically, when I say boring most of what I'm referring to are actually really interesting buildings but in LEGO form they are quite boring due to an uninteresting build or just not looking right. But structures like 432, ADNOC, Torre Cepsa, etc. with an overall square shape that fit so nicely into the LEGO proportions tend to be among my favorites. Absolutely - the three I mentioned above worked so nicely with the LEGO units lining up almost perfectly with the buildings various features. And thanks! I'll check it out! Looks to be a nice variation on a similar build to the HIB but I'd have to get it into my diagram to compare to the rest.

Last model for the series finished! Only a week left in the Kickstarter campaign so if you're interested, now is the time to back it and get your hands on all 100+ sets of digital instructions for the models in the series! The campaign is already fully funded and there will be at least 12 more models added to the series after it ends due to stretch goals being met - if we can get to the next stretch goal there will be 15 total added, plus I'll put together the video tutorial series! And here's the last model - Torre Cepsa in Madrid Spain.

A lot of the ones I skipped going down the line were either boring or too similar to another build, and the only skyscraper in the top 20 tallest buildings that I passed on was the Guangzhou International Finance Center in China. No combination of bricks is giving me a decent looking representation of it. It's curved, tri-faced and tapers on the top and bottom. It's a LEGO nightmare haha. I've revisited it about a dozen times just to try different construction methods but all to no avail... But that's why I also wanted to represent a good portion of the mid-sized structures and some shorter, historically significant (tall for their time) ones.