Michael S

The monorail goes thru the Tower of Terrace and the Aria. My standard monorail elevation is 13 bricks... high enough for trains to pass under. This makes for 13, 23, and 33 heights of monorail. I build it in an 8-stud standard layout, so as long as I center any monorail track on an 8-stud baseplate (2 studs on either side) and at those heights, the tracks that go thru various buildings will always line up with each other. This is the best pic I have at the moment, showing a very early construction phase of the Tower of Terrace Monorail Station. And here's how it looked in MLCAD...

A few more sample floor plans from the final product. It's all modeled in MLCAD and uses about 20 submodels to put it together. About 7000 parts are documented, tho the actual build is about 3x that since I tend to leave off most of the detail work when working in CAD, then that stuff gets added at build-time. The first tower is the Aria tower. It's got a relatively simple design. It's named the Aria after the same-named tower in Las Vegas which gave me a lot of the inspiration for a multi-tower interconnected casino structure. (Altho it looks nothing like the Vegas counterpart). The second tower is the Tower of Terrace. This is just one sample -- every floor is significantly different and it looks sort of like a vertical puzzle when all put together... It's a play on the Tower of Terror ride at Disney World... but then ties into the terraces that you find on every level. The third tower is the Infinity Tower, and is called that for two reasons. it's the building you see on page one of this thread. For one, it's the tallest thing I've ever built, at 12 stories. It almost reaches the ceiling. The second is because of the inclusion of water... with infinity pools on several levels where minifigs can soak and swim while gazing out upon glorious views of the water. The building itself is actually a giant waterfall, with water running from top to bottom, pooling at many of the setbacks. The base of course was the hardest to build. Here's a sample: It was a major challenge creating interior access, particularly at the lower levels. Several of the walls are completely detachable to facilitate getting at the inside. Photos still to come!

Today the happy residents of Shady Vale were about ready to move their City Center Casino & Fun Center from our Dining Room table over to it's designated lot in the city... but when put in its front and center location it so amazingly dwarfed all the rest of the structures -- even previously pretty tall 8 and 10-story skyscrapers. So the townspeople went back to the drawing board. Fortunately for them, their city is built out of LEGO... so after a significant amount of landmoving, baseplate upheaval, railraod regrading and rerouting of monorail lines, the engineers came up with revision 2 of the Shady Vale town plan! With this new plan, the City Center Casino is set further back in the skyline where it will anchor the back corner and photograph well with the rest of the city - which not only makes for pleasant viewing, but nice postcards too. Ah, what geniuses those planners are. Always thinking about the postcards. Here is the Ldraw / TD20 image of the CityCenter in its old and future location. The building itself? It's 3 towers... 8, 10, and 12 stories... however these are taller floors than in past buildings, at about 8 bricks per floor (upper floors) and 10-12 bricks (lower floors). The Cosmopolitan was also 8 stories tall, but it only reaches to about the height of floor 6 here. Just goes to show how building techniques evolve over time. Original location: After relocation: Photos? Almost here! Still doing some finishing touches to round it out.

Wow - thank you all for the awesome replies!! 8404 - I have that set and have looked at the monorail design but I'm confined to 4-wide on mine. There is 0-clearance between the edge of the train and the stations it rides thru. (this is for the safety of the minifigs). My monorails go thru a few other buildings as well, so it would be remodels everywhere if I bumped to 6-wide. Even on the trains - I'm limited to 8-wide cuz they go thru the World City Engine Shop, so I can't get too creative with 9- or 10-wide rolling stock. Expansion? There is still the Cargo Center expansion planned for some day. But current construction in town is focused on the triple towers of the Legoland Casino and Fun Center which is currently under construction. :-) I'm sure "Bill & Mary Bet the Farm" or similar will be forthcoming when it opens... :D

I can't imagine why. Technic parts make things move. LEGO nearly died in the 90's is cuz they had stationary models in an age of computers with moving images and reactions generated by your input actions. Nowadays, any set with technic bits is going to be better than the same one without. Whether it's a lighthouse that turns, a windmill that spins, a Pirates of the Caribbean tower that blows up, or Star Wars blast doors that blast open... What kid wouldn't be quoting "Open the blast doors - Open the blast doors!" before blowing them open? Even dating back to - Adventurers... look at those... Mount Everest, or the Yeti sets... swinging axes, springs, etc. All technic. Those are classic "best ever" type sets. Indiana Jones? Did ya see the Crystal Skull set thingy that goes up? It's cool. My 8-year old has all those. Younger even? Look at Ninjago... the Dragons are some of the coolest builds ever. My 4-year old loves them. Technic ball joints make them happen. Even younger? My just-turned-3 daughter loves to play house w the traditional town buildings, but anything that moves takes prime spotlight. I think anyone who alleges that sets would be better w/o technic is perhaps latched onto classic 80's -- a set like Main Street, truly great for its time, but has very little technic. I played with that set more than any other growing up by far, but that doesn't mean I'd want to get more like it today.

Wow this is awesome! Even tho you've only built a small part, I love that you've planned it out so thoroughly. Part of what I enjoy about building is not just the building, but the planning... cuz you can plan, plan, plan, before ever having to buy anything. Some thoughts... This is 32 baseplates by 16 baseplates. That is just huge. If you ever built it, there would be no way to reach the inner parts. I've found that it is really only comfortable to reach in about 3 baseplates -- any more than that and it's just not convenient to build any more. Have you considered designing in a notch to get to the center, or 3 access holes, one in the middle of each train ring? Do you think you will ever put it together whole? Basement perhaps? I would think that at 27' x 13', that is the only sort of room that would be big enough. I love the harbor look! The MOC fishing boat caught my eye... It is definitely neat that you've incorporated so many harbor sets, which are some of my favorites. I may have not left enough space in my own layout for a sufficient harbor scene... but that's what expansion is for right? :)

I prefer the Power Functions. There is something very clean about building with one system involving parts that are currently available. It is neat how the expansion shafts allow connections to other windmills or whatever else he wants to power. It would be a problem not having the strengthening axle holding it all together - it would get knocked over way too much in my house. Still, I'd love to see a closeup shot of the gearbox, with the black parts swapped out for gray or tan gears and technic beams in any color other than black.

Construction on the Aria tower has been on hold for a week while we await some parts from overseas... in the meantime, construction on the Infinity Tower has begun.. This one is modeled in LDraw from top to bottom. In a rather new-age method of construction, this building was actually built top-down! Seven (upper) floors done... 3 more to go. The lower ones get tougher - as they get bigger, it becomes more challenging to keep interior access and playability up. No actual pics yet...

Our kids are 8, 4, 3, and -.1 Our entire city (see signature) is built kid-playable! I mean really... why would you want to build the coolest thing ever, then *not* let your kids play w it? They bring it to life... We even have sections of the LEGO table built for everyone so we can all be in the same room and play. (Yes, I have to rebuild all the time... runway lights get knocked off when you lean on those baseplates, and of course it's hard to keep minifigs on the table in funny poses cuz they get plucked!)

Some more shots of the work in progress... Early development of the monorail station: A possible balcony... And looking up...

Wow, these are incredible. I have thougth about turning the Diagon into town buildings too... I am most likely going to print these pics out and study them. It's just amazing. The smaller scale is very welcome! CC and GE are very big structures. I like the one on the end best.

After a little hiatus, I've finally started the next skyscraper in Shady Vale! This is the City Center Complex, modeled somewhat after the superstructure of the same name in Las Vegas. It's going to be mixed use development... with a Hotel Tower, Luxury Condos, and of course Casino! Here's the building site... approximately 4 baseplates, between a bend in the road and the Colorful Cove: All my skyscrapers start with a model floorplan, to see how things can be made sturdy once tall. Most buildings are strong at 3-4 stories, but once you get to 7 or 8 they tend to sway! Also the spindly modern look that I try to bring in leads to a rather light construction... And of course - it has to be accessible on the inside, and stand up to the kid-use test! Every wall that opens, every roof that retracts leads to less structure. Here's what we've got for a 1st draft of one tower, which will cantilever some floors out above the train tracks!

You build cities like I do, that is, try to fit a lot of stuff in a compact space. :) I like the Adidas shop, the sticker works there even tho non-LEGO but my favorite is the Police Station with Statue outside. Lookin good! You should move the Paramedic Unit. Or ditch it. Classic set, but it's taking up that outside corner on that curve plate where you can conceivably fit another larger building. Real estate seems to be at a premium here...

Ah, I've owned every one of those except for the very first one. The original Exxon stayed alive until very recent, when it got sold off as parts. The 2 Exxon figs sold for around $10 each I think. :) The Shell station that came as a full set was nice. The promo sets you got at the gas station had me running from Shell to Shell trying to find ones that weren't out of them! But my favorites are the Octan. I like the non-licensed name. It sits in my town now. Comes w a great car, car wash, and that transparent sign is awesome - which I'm using in my airport rental car area since it looks nice & modern. So my vote goes to the latest 7993.

Wow, this is one of the most impressive MOCs I've ever seen. The detail in each little section is awesome, and the general insides just look like a musum. Your breaks between white, gray, and tan walls, the tall ceilings, even the lobby with soda machine - it's really perfect.

Loosely, yes! Both San Jose Intl and Orange County Intl have a similar layout, a circle-ish drive with departures on the right, arrivals on the left, and overpass across the road to go from one to the other. I've spent a lot of time at these two airports, so every business trip provided new ideas. :)

Here we go some pics at last. It's hard to get good ones at this point cuz things are so undone... The view from the monorail blue line, looking west across the town: Tourist view from atop the Cosmopolitan. Sure get some nice views from up here! And last, the proposed building site for the City Center Casino... Now I have to actually get to work on something!

Yep, definitely the best set from that era. Also from that time, the Hovercraft Hideout warehouse will eventually creep in here, and maybe (?) the Coast Watch HQ, but that building takes up so much space for the quality of structure. So it might not make the final cut. I'm already running out of space - land values are going thru the roof! Pictures soon - maybe this weekend...

I think a Pet Shop would be nice. It seems in line with the amount of internal detail LEGO likes to do - a couple featured interior pieces, so something like a bird cage and a fish tank would fill an inside nicely. Surely the little frog piece would make it into this set. Then a couple dogs on leashes and you're good. How about a Library? Nice government building, often times pretty architecture, and found in small towns everywhere. Plenty of room for LEGO to pad the piece count with 1x2 plates turned sideways as books. Perhaps only 2/3 as tall as the GG. Every building being about the same height is a bit visually unappealing. Not enough variance. I also hope this year's is at the $100 price point. $150 for two years in a row is a bit steep.

I so often forget to document things along the way - yet it's fun to look back and see how things develop in LEGO worlds... So this time will be different! Here you'll find the beginnings of Shady Vale. It all starts here. At the base of Mount O'Legos, nestled along the beaches of Colorful Cove. Like any town, Shady Vale had a modest beginning: Shady Vale, Circa 1984: That was before the Great Fire, the Earthquakes, the Flood, the Hurricanes, the Alien Invasion, the Dark Ages, and our three kids. But relocated to our living room, the residents of Shady Vale get a new LEGO table custom built to fit the baseplates - on which they can grow their town. Approximately 130" x 110" to fit 13 by 11 baseplates: The town is a mecca of commerce, industry, transportation, and tourism. Far from complete, the residents have their work ahead of them! Having just completed their airport, I'm wondering what to start next. Should it be the 1 Mafia Tower? The Brick Wallups? The City Center Casino? The Bridge across Colorful Cove? So many choices it's always hard to get started on the next project. I'm a bit airported-out right now, so the Cargo Center will be saved for another day. Places in Shady Vale: Shady Vale International Airport More pics to come in time! Any thoughts/ideas welcome... -mike

Very cool... my favorite is definitely the black & yellow sport coupe...

I love this set. In fact, it's my first "Outstanding" of all I've voted on! Nice review too, big clear pictures. I picked one up at Target and even paid full price... if it were avail at TRU, I'd have gotten 2. But 1 will have to do it for being a Target exclusive. The van is great, and the building vibrant and colorful. It looks perfect in a downtown setting. Here's mine. A bit MOC'd up just to raise it a bit and tile the surfaces. I may make it a brick or two taller yet... maybe one more brick on each floor will make it compete stronger w the nearby Emporium.

Heh, I have absolutely no idea how much it cost. If the actual part count is indeed 20,000, and parts are worth on average $.10 each (typical of modern sets), then if you knew exactly the part list to buy ahead of time, it might be $2,000. But then what I actually spent -- There's just no telling. So many sets got parted out. At least $1000 worth of things like Police Stations, Home Ones, and Hoth sets... Sell off the figs, keep the parts. Then buy what I couldn't get in sets, online. Also doesn't help that the first year of this project, I was still working on the last of the I Heart U tower, so there was tons of crossover. And then I also sold off a lot of Classic Castle from my youth to pay for some of the orders. What a tear-jerking experience that is selling off your precious childhood sets! All in the name of modernization I guess... I went to look for some photos of the original skyscraper I tore down to start this... and I can't find any! Just an MLCAD image... this was a MOC of the new San Jose City Hall that I never got quite right enough to want to complete it.

Looking at your signature -- I want your Bookshop!!!! It is fantastic. Can I use it in my town? This is I think the best modular building I've seen. A corner structure, but at only 24-wide, it will fit in my layout so much better than the cafe corner type too-big buildings. I searched but don't see a thread on this building. It is adorable. Can I see what's inside?

Random city pics? Ok... 30 yrs of evolution... Old Legoland Hotel (from the back of the Main Street box) vs new Cafe Corner Hotel.