WesternOutlaw

Interesting thought Ricecracker. Let's see what a few others say.

Over the past few weeks, I can't help to notice the number of gardens, flower shops, and spring creations that are popping up on the Trains & Town forum. I think it's great! It got me thinking, does the weather and/or the season influence what you build? -particularly relating to Town and City creations. As the weather warms up, and the grass, trees, and flowers begin to bloom, does this inspire you to build Spring creations? If so, are you planning to build something Spring-related? What are you planning, and what would you like to build? Spring ahead and share your thoughts...

Welcome BenLego! What a really fantastic creation. I particularly like how you used the tiles fro the cut section of the grass - very clever. The little wood shed is superb! -esp. the roof. This deserves a BLOG! Nice job.

Very nice Etzel! This creation looks like a lot of fun. Sort of a Dwarf Mine + Agents Volcano Base + Indiana Jones Temple of Doom all rolled into one. I really like the way you designed the track scafelling (for lack of a better name). Having that nice slope makes for a lot of action. This is the kind of creation that you can't help to play with. Great job!

LOOK what made the morning news!

Wow! I've never been a big fan of pink (doesn't exactly represent the rough tough deadly Phanton Rider persona :skull: ), but this is a really neat creation ACCURATEin. The idea to create a hotel in pink Lego is very unique, and definately something that one doesn't see every day. The use of the light trans blue windows work well with the pink structure. As a suggestion for an addition, it could use a large fountain in the center courtyard. Great design and I'm looking forward to seeing your completed creation. Fantastic! and Pink On.

Thanks Elif. It was actually closed for repair when I visited; but I don't think that it's part of the normal tour. It is a lot larger than it looks from the pictures. Thanks Zorro, but I'm really just a very basic "Studs On Top" builder. -just some minor details.

Thanks Keetong. I appreciate the feedback. The size of the baseplate is currently at 64x96 (or) 6 half-sized baseplates (16x32 each). There is a section toward the left that I can continue to expand. I plan to make another wall and gate on the left side (as you look at the castle). I'll share some additional images, but here's another: EDIT: Here's a few more "behind the scenes" images to give you a better perspective. The central tower is the only component that is not connected. This was intentional as I'm still adding on the castle and may move it.

Thanks for the feedback Asuka. You always have nice comments about others' MOCs. I ran out of tan toward the top of the structure (at least with the smaller bricks). It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but had to make do with the pieces I had left. One of the most difficult parts to make. As simple as it was, it took me more time than the base of the structure. You can't see it in the picture, but the 3-stud wide stairs open at the base (2-stud wide) behind the right rear column. I forgot to add a door/opening to the balcony though. It's difficult to add that extra splash of color to offset the tan. I actually tried to add a little more brown to this creation just for that reason. Thanks. Do you like Scotty? He's a bit hard to see, but you can see more of him in the Scotty's Castle Mystery Tour. Thanks General. You've got that right! See my comments above re. the use of tan. I wouldn't know what other color to use for the baseplate to offset the structure. I do have a large grey baseplate, but I don't think it would look right. Thanks KD. I always enjoy reading your comments (esp with WW creations). Something I would have liked to capture is the arched and sloped architecture toward the back of the tower (as seen in the picture below): It was fun building this completely separate component to the castle. This is a bit more detailed than the other sections of the castle. Here's another image of the tower at a different angle. I'm still working on the interior and have a few modifications that I'd like to make:

He's really like 60, and just getting a little senile. Time for your nap Hinck. Hunterx: don't mind us admins & moderators. We get a little punchy late at night.

Seriously, I prefer the tin lunch boxes. Legoland California had some nice Star Wars tin lunch boxes in one of their shops a few months ago. They make nice boxes to store those special collectibles.

And is this a good thing?

Brickington has become the "place to be" Eilif. With great buildings going up every so often, it's nice to see the town expand - and men like us always need a "make it right" store like a florist shop. I think the idea to combine a florist shop with a green house is a very clever idea. I like the additions of the green 2x2 plates and green striping used throughout the building. The sun roof looks fantastic! The combination of yellow and green colors look good as well (yellow + green = sun flowers: Nice!) My only suggestion is perhaps a large sign on the front of the building, perhaps above the door (although I like the little yellow piece/decal to the right of the door). Nice addition! This is a fine addition to Brickington. I'll probably be visiting before the day is over.

Fantastic collection of Batman villains Penguin. I esp. like Ras Al' Ghul. Very well done! It's great to still see interest in the Batman theme.

Absolutely fantastic SlyOwl. I love the way you made that dock, and the roof top is very creative - what a great design. I really love seeing little scenes like this. Great job!

Is this a preliminary image or do you own the actual set?

Well said SV. I agree with you. Also, that's a wonderful looking modular city you've created there.

Welcome Reejoc. I blogged your wonderful creation earlier in the week. I love the style of your church, and it actually gave me a few design ideas for my Grimwell Manor (pictured in my sig fig); particularly, the use of the black slopes in the windows. I was looking for the right piece(s) for the vents of the manor's clock tower. I really like the design of your church, esp. the roof sections and dome. It's a very nice creation and I'm glad you shared it in the Trains & Town forum. Welcome again!

It's great to see that some of you think the two types of sets can co-exist in the same town/city. I think this shows imagination and creativity. I'm mixed on the subject; although after reading some of the responses "for", I'm more likely to say "yes" now. Isn't this what Lego is all about? Years ago, I remember castle and town being mixed - that's even two different themes.

I don't own any of Lego's official Modular buildings (eg. Cafe Corner, Market Street, or the Green Grocer). While I admire them greatly, I haven't brought myself to buying any; but continue to look closely at all the fine details of these fantastic sets. As I look at some of the preliminary images of the new town sets, like 7641 City Corner, 7642 Garage, and older "Open Back" Classic Town style buildings, I compare the two distict styles closely. Looking at the two types of styles (Modular vs. Classic), I can't help to wonder, do the sets fit well together? For those of you with a big tabletop collections of City/Town sets, how do you feel about displaying the sets side-by-side? Do the modular buildings dwarf the classic "open-back" structures? Are the modulars too detailed to blend in nicely with classic buildings? Or since the sets are all City, do you interchange them within your layouts? I've added a poll for voting. Share your thoughts.

It's really enjoyable to read the responses to this thread, and see how diverse our tastes for a "Perfect MOC" are. When I initially started this thread, I was picturing a very large castle, like many of the fantastic castle fans always create. I had never created a really large MOC. I had a thought to build a different castle, Scotty's Castle in Death Valley (a Spanish-style villa) using tan bricks. I studied some floor plans and made some drawings, then ordered a large tan Pick-A-Brick order from LSAH. After building only a very small foundation/section, I realized I would need at least 10 times the amount of tan bricks I had ordered, as well as doors, windows, and all the extras for the details. What I came to realize is that one needs a huge stockpile of bricks, mostly in the same color to build a large creation (simple, some might say, but until you try, you don't realize how many pieces you truly need). For example, it's amazing how quick 100 or even 200 2x2 bricks can be used in a creation. In any case, I had to downsize my dream and create more of a facade, rather than the huge modular structure I had envisioned, unless I wanted to order another $500 in tan bricks. So, hats off to the castle builders and those of you who have created very large MOCs. They take a lot of time and $$$ to create them successfully. I haven't given up, just sort of changed my initial plan to create Grimwell Manor.

Happy Birthday CopMike. Here's one for you, or is that for me? Nevertheless... Happy Birthday! Another day older, and closer to :skull: .

Nice job! This deserves to be pinned.

It looks like; in addition to the XL Power Function Motor that the Emerald Night will utilize, Lego has also provided train fans with the new 8866 Train Motor. Now I'm a little bit confused. I'm guessing this motor is for use with existing 9V trains; which would be great (if that is the intent). It looks like Lego has delivered. NOTE: I just spotted this on Lego SAH, and missed it if it's been discussed previously in this thread.