tatertots

Thanks Rick!

I was able to get into the studio a couple of nights this week to take some pics. The pics above have all been updated with more recent shots. Cheers!Nick

The tiled rood is surprisingly tight!

I've been chipping away at this on the last few months. The gears are working smoothly now and the presentation is coming together. Hope you like it! Building notes and thoughts on the build below. Gears in the back of the clock are turned using a wooden barrel on the left side (just out of view). When you turn the barrel it rotates both displays on the front of the clock. In trying to compress everything the cuckoo doesn't come all the way inside and it tracks a little to the left and right (check the video in folder set). The bird is connected to a 6 long bar using a headlight brick on one end and an axle and pin connector on the other. As the gear (laid horizontally at the top) turns around it drives the 6L bar in and out of the window. The axle and pin connector at the very top hang to help guide the bar. I had to leave the guide loose so that it doesn't jam like the piston on the Emerald Night set. The alternating tiles on the roof are pretty solid. Each tile is basically clicked in with one stud. In the video below, now the golden windscreens are gone. Every once-in-a-while the studs on the wings would catch the windscreen. To capture a smooth video sequence I pulled the windscreens. Here's a short clip of the bird going in and out: http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/ I put the picture below in for two reasons. First, I used a bunch of half-pins on the horizontal disc/arch that sticks out in front. I also use one with the bat. Great technique for changing the direction of bricks. The second reason I put this up is b/c it captures many of the little things I was playing with in-terms of the story/texture of the model. In thinking about the forest and mountains where many of these clocks are made, I wanted to capture as many human interactions with the forest and mountains that I could. Animals, cutting wood, mountaineering, bread-wine-and-cheese in the alps all felt right. I played with a sceene that told the story of little-red-riding hood but I like this one a bit better in the end. If you build one of these on your own, this was one of the really fun parts of the build - what finishing elements would you choose to convey a story or theme? Hope you're inspired and can't wait to see your cuckoo!! And finally, a crosscut view of the pinecone at the bottom:

LOVE IT!!!!!!! Great details

Great work!!

sometimes, simple = awesomness Great work!

I bought 9391 for my kids to play with (age 3 and 6). After putting it together for them they LOVED it! My just-turned 6 year old tried to help put it together but the axels are still frustrating for his fingers. Solid model for the kiddos and it's holding up nicely to some pretty descent play. I suspect the string will be the first casualty...

Based on the clock tower in Wellesley, MA this was about falling in love when it's winter time; winter sleigh rides, teenagers having a snowball fight, good times when the fluffy white stuff is out. Happy new year everyone! The sleigh was self-imposed build challenge. I was determined to use those gold pearl sword blades from a Ninjago set to make some sleigh rails. Connection is solid and the angles feel right. The 90 degree angles seemed to rigid. And the cast of characters: boy in love and his dog, girl tossing a snow ball, female tourist, sleigh master: I'll get it into the layout for next year :-)

Looking great! So many details. Would love to have seen this in person!

I love the lines on these cars as they stack up. That retro feel really comes through! Great work!

I'm definitely thinking about it. I'm collecting bricks to take this out a baseplate farther in each direction.

Superheros make for fun mosiacs. Oh to have thousands of 1x1 bricks in all the hard-to-find LEGO colors!

Love the gate and the layout! Keep up the good work!!!!

Incredible! I'm a firm believer that the best projects evolve over time. This one has really turned into something special. LOVE IT!

The truck looks great and I love the pieces that are coming with this set. This looks solid on several different fronts!

Nice ride!

Those are two great looking rides! Nice work

What a hoot! I have to admit, it feels like TLG group stumbled onto something with the NINJA go theme - this is, there's a real market for toys that don't look and feel like something you'd ever see in real life. Wacky is OK and maybe even... TONS OF FUN!

Great details! The arm coming out, the drain, the facial expression, everything about this build is spot on.

Great review! Nice to see so many photos and comparison notes. You've out done yourself with this revew!

I thought about it but then ditched the idea. The belt does turn if you move it with your fingers. I tried slipping an axel in there to come out by the chimney or the molding the machine but found the space to be a bit tight to maintain the overall look. The easiest idea would be to have something come out by the chimney near the ground. I was thinking the turning mechanism on the exterior wall could have been made to look like a vent or electric meter (2x2 round tile with decal)or something to that effect. I'll play it with some more since you asked! Time to block out the next few nights

4. Inn - 2 16. Winter sports store - 1 20. Clocktower - 2

have fun with it!

It's definitely an interesting point of discussion to figure out how to describe where the various influences come for a project like this. Some aspects of the ceremaic Department 56 model translated to the LEGO elements nicely, such as the glass front, while others lead to a complete departure, developing a workshop on the second floor and a roof that would allow me to keep things to scale (I tried something more like the Department 56 model with one giant sweeping face but the model quickly got too tall to pursue so I had to come up with something else). I'm often left wondering how far to go with noting influences with a project as there are problably half-dozen more notations I could make about where an idea came from. For example, this band saw got me thinking about how to build a stand-up model for this and my snow blower was the result of a search for other LEGOsnow blowers online. While there are some similarities to these components it was tons of fun figuring out how to make a new one that I could call my own Perhaps this would be a good discussion thread? How far do go with noting your sources of inspiration? Is it distracting? Something we need to more of? Meh?