TheLegoDr

Thank you! Merry Christmas!

I hate you. I seriously hate you I was literally building a central perk modular also...grr! granted in the end I’m sure they will end up different. And I like the idea of Big Bang above it (but I won’t be doing that). your initial planning looks great! Thanks for sharing

I don't think I ever went over how I sort (not that anyone cares ). Everyone always says sort by part, then color. Other say color! There is so much rivalry. There are a lot of different ways that will work for a lot of different type of collections/builders. I have found what works best for me is a -- wait for it -- combination of both by color and by part type! Oh the humanity! I have three separate areas of pieces (located in the same section mind you). One area is similar to akro mills style drawers on the wall. I am an eye doctor, so I was able to get contact lens bins from the contact lens representatives. They are approximately 1 foot tall x 1.5 feet wide x 6 inches deep containing 9 drawers each. I have 18 of them (and will likely get more). I use these for the small parts that will get lost in the shuffle. I have probably more categories than needed, but I always know where everything is at any given moment, so it works for me. But these categories are by color group AND piece type (like all blues, greens, reds, etc.). So I have drawers separated for plates of varying sizes together (as in all 1x1 blue group together, all 1x2 blue group together, etc.) and repeated with each color group for each size. So if I need a 1x4 or a 1x8 in a specific color, I know where to find it immediately. The only hiccup was the longer 1x12 or 1x10 plates, so those are grouped together by type with a mixture of all colors. Same goes for tiles, with the varying sizes up to 1x6 and 1x8 are mixed to save space. This continues for plate modifieds with hinge clips, flags, 1x1 rounds (trans separated), food items, brackets, snot bricks, etc. I can't really say each and every drawer's contents in this message because we would be here all day. Yes, I likely have too many categories; however, I know these will get lost with the other bins I have, so I keep them separate and know where to find them. My brain certainly works in this structured category system, so if my daughter asks where "x" piece is, I can tell her from across the room what bin to go into. The second area is larger sterilite drawers from Target. These house the 2x and up plates, separated by size (but colors are together). So 2x2, 2x3, 2x4, etc. To save space, I did put 2x14 into a ziploc and place them in the 2x10 drawer, and likewise the 2x16 into a bag into the 2x12 drawer since there were fewer of them and didn't want to incorporate another drawer. Then we move onto the larger sizes, 4x have their own separate drawers depending on size, then 6x, and so on. I also have round plates into their own drawer, and wedge plates by size into drawers. Like I said, if I need to find something fast, I know exactly what drawer to go into. The last area is premade shelves that were in the LEGO room before we bought the house. On these shelves I use 12 quart sterilite containers from Walmart. These containers are sorted by piece type within color schemes. Each of these groups are into ziploc bags. So if I have a ton of tan 1x bricks, I have them organized by those sizes. I have slopes, inverted slopes, round brick (if I have a lot in certain colors), brick modified, plate modified, arch, fence (again if I have enough to warrant it, like black), 1x brick, and 2x brick. These are sorted by color groups, so one container may house varying blues, but each blue is sorted into its respective color. So blue, light royal blue, dark blue, medium blue, aqua, etc. Same goes for red, dark red. One is just the varying pinks/purples. I have pearl gold, metallic silver, pearl dark gray. Etc, etc. The list continues ad nauseum. I have over 300,000 pieces, so it takes up a lot of space. I need to manage it somehow and this worked for my brain. Yes, you have to pull the full sterilite container off of the shelf. Yes, you have to open and re-close ziploc bags so things don't spill out. But it has been a pretty effective use of space for me. I need things by color. I'd be miserable trying to sort out all of the tan 1x bricks from a giant tub of just 1x bricks of all colors. I don't build that chaotically. I build lots of Modulars or castles, so I will need specific colors in large quantities. Again, it all depends on you and how you build for what will work best for you. With this said, I still hate sorting. I think it is tedious and annoying. I'd much rather build. As monotonous as I like things, I still find sorting to be a bane. But a necessary evil, so it will forever happen until I can't do LEGO anymore.

I know I already commented a while ago. When I first got back into LEGO in 2010, I think I got my first modular in 2011. I was beyond the first 3 buildings. Early on I wanted to buy them (and they were even cheaper back then), but I couldn't really justify those prices. And I didn't love them 100% to justify it. So I bricklinked them, like a lot of people have. Now same boat, the rare pieces were expensive then just as they are now. So I took a different route. I used a different color. And unfortunately I never got around to getting pictures of it, but I was one of the first to have a sand blue version done. The sand blue groove piece is easily accessible. And personally sand blue looks amazing compared to sand green (personal preference). But since then, I have grown to not really care for the early modulars. They were neat at the time and revolutionary in terms of build style. And they still provide new details/colors/piece usage, so I still buy them. But I've found myself not worrying about the official build and only MOCing my buildings. I don't remember the last modular I've actually built. Maybe Detective Office? I have since torn down and modified/MOCified other buildings with the pieces. I think I'm trying to say, if you want the official, bite the bullet and pay $$ unfortunately. OR modify it to something else and most likely appreciate it more because it will be unique (and cheaper). If I ever get around to getting pictures of the sand blue version, I'll post them on the EB. I modified other bits of it also since the original design was lacking in areas. Not symmetrical enough where it should have been. (and this is coming from a huge Jamie fan)

I guess I don't understand what you mean. If you are referring to the window panes, then the LEGO version is accurate to how it looks now. The picture is the only picture I could find online that represented overall how it looked with the side stairwell. It has gone through different modifications over the years, so finding an up to date picture was difficult. And it is enough of a hassle that I was/am unable to just go there and take a picture of it myself. If you are referring to something else, then please inform me. I don't understand. Thanks for looking.

I was just frontpaged! I've been a member for 8 years and this is my first frontpage. I am honored and it really is a dream come true! Thank you to the moderator that frontpaged my build. It really means a lot!

Thank you all for the input. I will look into all of this and see how successful it is. Thanks! Edit: Looking at the two other pages, the second one seems more for what I need. But unfortunately does not come in brown, so I'm going to have to stay official brown tubing or go another route. Thanks for the help though!

It seems no one actually knows, so check with the official company. Or just go on there one day and hope for the best? It has closed down for inventory in previous years, so I don't see why this year would be any different. Although it is usually closed by now if memory serves.

Thank you all. I am glad people can get some enjoyment from this MOC. I usually don't get a lot of positive feedback on here, so unsure if it was my build ability or source material.

Thank you. Thank you. I looked up that Helsinki telephone building. That was really cool to see, but definitely caught me off guard since it isn't what you'd expect.

That's so weird. Mine took 5 days processing so far. Just got the notice it shipped today. I ordered it last Saturday. I would say holiday rush, but it seems some are still having speedy service. Oh well.

I know nothing of The Witcher storyline/characters. But the builds speak for themselves even without knowing source material. Well thought-out, cohesive builds. A lot of neat details thrown in. The irregular bases really add some flair.

Hello. I am curious if anyone knows of a good source of tubing. I am wanting to put leaves to make angled/droopy trees and whatnot. Obviously I’d prefer a brown color for the tubing. I know Lego makes it, but I am willing to use unofficial materials to grab bulk quantities. https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=75c18#T=C this is what I am looking for. I’ve tried google, but it always comes up with things I don’t want exactly, so thought I’d ask if people here have any experience with some. thanks!

Brilliant. I love that grill and I thought they were ice skates too! But I can tell now since you mentioned the correct part. Very inspired.

I say whatever can give us more HP sets, I'm game. 2010 wave is what brought me back into LEGO. It has been my favorite theme since (granted the new sets BLOW the older out of the water, even with how much better 2010/11 sets were). But FB is just not good for movies. It doesn't have the same vibe as the earlier movies. But I'd love them to continue to keep new prints/builds up. Even if I don't love the movies, I'll always take more magical sets!

I love the book store. The birch tree is a nice add, but I think it is too tall. Compare it to every other modular tree and it is ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, the older trees are terrible, but this really stands out. The townhouse is so tiny, not only in height, but also depth. I don't know what to make of it. I'm sure I'll have to modify it some if/when I buy this. I've been over the modular bug for a while. I still love building modular MOCs, just not the official sets. The colors are interesting, and while I don't mind them, I am torn on the azure windows with the teal building. I love the roof detail though.

I hope you didn't pay too much for that set, considering a lot of it was swapped out. So either the seller rebuilt it from bricklink and flipped it to you, or they kept the expensive parts to sell separately. As mentioned, just to make it official, you will be spending quite a fortune to finish it.

Looks great. The colors work really well together. Is that sand blue? I think the flowers pop out front. I agree a sign to signify it is a Police HQ would be good, but I'm guessing people can figure it out based on the clientele/staff that comes and goes. Plus, you add in those lovely interior details. That is a lot of fun making interiors, but since I rarely look inside of it, I stopped doing them. Maybe on one of the next buildings I will add it in. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the kind words. I have recently dropped this MOC off at the book store and it is on display there for her patrons to see. That should be fun. I do not have instructions. I build as I go without the use of any computers. I draw a few things out before hand, but nothing worth showing how it is built per se. I did have a lot of fun with this. I think the colors worked really well together. I recently built 2 other nougat colored buildings prior to this one, so I was running a bit low.

The removal of the gaps is key. That looks loads better. The gaps are one of the main reasons I'm hesitant to buy this thing. I don't mind the color scheme, I don't mind the occupants, but those gaps...does not show me advanced/expensive set.

Once I see who posted a new topic, I know what to expect. Another incredible build by you. I particularly like the theater (and the side door and front door). I was planning on an art deco theater for my town, but I've been struggling with motivation. Maybe this will help! I also want to see more pictures of that gray building. I really like the use of the pyramid pieces. The colors here are always so subdued, but they work really well together. I always struggle with what will go together and still look appropriate. Plus I always forget to make a scene. My posts are always build only, so it isn't as eye grabbing. Thanks for sharing.

Our LUG did local landmarks for our recent show. I chose to do a few modular sized/style buildings around town. One of which is the Telephone Building. It was built in 1894 by the architect Thomas Rogers Kimball. It was finished in 1896 as one of (if not THE) first telephone exchange in eastern Nebraska. There was something about the color change and style of the building that made me want to build it. I have no personal connection or affinity for the building. We start off with the official building to compare against. It has a bookstore Francie & FInch on the main level. I am unsure what is in the upper floors. I thought the dark tan and medium nougat worked well against a dark green window and covered stairwell. Next we have an angled side look at the wall facing the alleyway. (I have actually modified this since taking this photo. I didn't realize until I started this topic). I changed the dark bley tile to make that section longer and used medium nougat behind it to blend better. I assume that section actually attached telephone wires to different sections. Full side view now. You can see the green stained glass window and the stairwell really well here. Close-up of the front seating area, tree, shrubbery, and front of the bookstore. I hope everyone enjoys it. It was a lot of fun building a local building. I plan on doing more in the future. I have another one from that show that I will post later. I don't want to clog the forum board with new posts.

I would have no idea how many of the original building's bricks are used here. There is surprisingly little dark red in the set from what I recall. Other than a similar color scheme (which is hard to bypass considering it is a brick building), the ping pong table, the bell, and water tower, nothing is carried over. The original building has been disassembled for a long time. I wasn't trying to capture anything from it. It just happens to be a known fire station, so I brought attention to it that way. I prefer making unique buildings these days. I still have multiple modulars in the box because I can't bear to build them since I only want to create my own stuff. So there they sit until I can think of a good use for the pieces. But I'm glad I can inspire. That's the whole point of building.

These are brilliant. Are these all official prints? I'll need to start searching for a few of these to make my own figures. They look great!

Thank you for the kind words. I am overall pretty pleased with this building. I'm sure I will look at it in the future and make some changes, but who knows.