Chris Weagel

I voted for the transportation center, although all of them are vague and seemingly pre-existing in current sets. I like that the artist and whoever approved the drawings went to such detail in replicating the Airport Shuttle. It's a nice touch even if there's no new monorail. Whatever the case, I might buy it but certainly not at Toys R Us. Lego's prices alone may be ridiculously high, but TRU's markup is insulting. Chris Weagel

I don't know. It just happens. Really though, the yellow building should have it's own third wall. Right now it relies on the blue building for its left wall. But since I don't see these ever separating. Ideas for next time... Chris

Yeah, I need to work on that. I'm not that good at coming up with interior decor yet. Especially compared to what I see floating around on Brickshelf. Chris

I started with the red Camera Store on the left, which is has some interior decoration, and continued on with a strip of small, primary color, open-backed stores. Sort of a mid-point between the old Main Street style and the newer, more detailed Cafe Corner style. MY FACTORY LINK Chris Weagel

Recently made in LDD, currently unavailable due to Dark Red 1x1 plates being out of stock. The floors separate and the ground floor is decorated. I'll have to see how the budget is in the fall before I buy it. MY FACTORY PAGE Chris Weagel

Months ago I posted an LDD file of a building called Jefferson Avenue #45. I bought it recently and had one of the best Lego building experiences in quite a while. Lego needs to adopt the open lid style box Factory sets come in for all their products. (I seem to recall a time when their packaging was just as impressive as the toy inside.) I suppose it was only a little more expensive than I would've preferred, but the additional cost was offset by having all the pieces available in one spot at the same time. Anyway, here are some photos as well as the link to the now defunct Factory site listing. LINK It's sitting in front of a modest setup on my dining room table. The bulk of my Lego town sits in boxes in the basement. Chris Weagel

Here are two more town buildings created in Lego Digital Designer. Hopefully I'll be able to afford them someday. Each is open backed and built in an evolved classic style. Sorta. Jefferson Avenue #45 (The Green Building) Square Office Building Chris Weagel

B-OV-4C A little over 9 years ago, I built a Town Post office in a style I modeled off the buildings in the original Main Street set, only slightly expanded. Here's a photo: The other day, I took it off the shelf and rebuilt it in new colors and new window treatments using Lego's digital designer. You can find it here: Embassy Chris Weagel

Looks like Bill and Mary's house in the background. Great find.

They took pieces OUT of the program with the new release? Chris

I've been collecting Lego Town for a very long time, but this is the first time I finally sat down with Lego's digital program. This was the first thing I've designed and uploaded. The program is both very enjoyable to use and really frustrating. It's fantastic to finally have enough pieces of one type to build something substantial, but it's frustrating in its seemingly arbitrary color choices. I understand there are financial reasons for the limits on color and piece selection etc, but it's far too limited right now. In this house you might notice some clear 1x1 plates. I had to use those because no 1x1 in White were available. It's been 10 years now since Lego went off the tracks with it's insane Juniorization scheme. Slowly, they've started making progress towards something I want to spend money on again. In some cases it's been fantastic, like allowing fans to help create sets like the Cafe Corner and the Hobby train. It's also great to finally be able to purchase bulk pieces. But these are offset by stupid marketing decisions, ridiculous color limitations, and really ugly set design. It often seems like they take one step forward and three back. Still, though, for all its drawbacks, it's very, very satisfying to build with that program once you get the hang of it. Thanks for the feedback.

I've made an attempt at using the very fun and very frustrating Lego Digital Designer and created a house in Classic Town style. It features an open back and as many flowers as I had patience for creating. View here: Chris Weagel Lego Factory Page