LEGO Historian Posted February 24, 2013 Posted February 24, 2013 From 1960-66 TLG produced a #238 Building Idea Book, which came in about 11 different variations over those 7 years, some in many different language versions. One of these was the 1963-65 International (no writing) versions of this idea book. One of the images that was shown in this booklet was of an image of the British Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster). This image looked gray, and looked like just artwork... Since gray bricks were not produced by TLG in the 1960s (just gray plates)... I had always thought this was not a photograph. It was only later that I realized that the shadows of the base of the tall square Victoria Tower were indeed real... that it convinced me that this was just an over-colorized display model. Well recently a LEGO friend found a 1960s image of this model... from a USA Department Store display... This very beautiful white model of the Houses of Parliament really consumed a bazillion 1x1x2 white windows... which at over $1 each in mint condition would make for a very very expensive rebuild today. This image inspired me to add a huge chapter to the next version of my LEGO Collectors Guide DVD/download... with about 400 images of old historic models that I have in my archives (some of which are already displayed in it). New updates will be free for current DVD owners, and at a discount for old CD owners... in the Bazaar... Of course some images will be from LEGO ads, such as the very first PALACE CINEMA of 1963... which is available in both advertising format... and glued (aged) display model.... Quote
Hrw-Amen Posted February 24, 2013 Posted February 24, 2013 Very nice Houses of Parliament but I don't recall them having white roof bricks back then either? If memory serves we could only get them at 45 degres in red or blue? Quote
Carrera124 Posted February 24, 2013 Posted February 24, 2013 I am wondering what happened to these beautiful "fll size" glued models ? Did they survive ? Or have they been sold, broken down, destroyed ? Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 24, 2013 Author Posted February 24, 2013 Very nice Houses of Parliament but I don't recall them having white roof bricks back then either? If memory serves we could only get them at 45 degres in red or blue? Right you are! Red slopes (2x2 and 2x4 slopes and peaks) were first introduced in 1958, with the other sizes introduced in 1959, and all 13 sizes (including that "L" 2x2 peak that was discontinued in 1972) were introduced in blue in 1960. It wasn't until circa 1970 that other color peaks came into production very slowly (and selectively). All the roof bricks on the Houses of Parliament are just regular studded bricks... which under the spotlighted part of the image makes them look like sloped white bricks... but they're not. The "gray artwork" version of the image shows the normal brick roof better. Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 24, 2013 Author Posted February 24, 2013 I am wondering what happened to these beautiful "fll size" glued models ? Did they survive ? Or have they been sold, broken down, destroyed ? Actually there is a good new/bad news sort of answer to that.... The bad news is that TLG discards all of their LEGOLAND Miniland buildings after many winters of cold damage, and summers of Ultraviolet light damage. Somewhere in my 10,000 image collection I have a tragic picture of a large trash mound of discarded Miniland buildings waiting for the trashman to come a crush it in the garbage truck for crushing and disposal... Some models have been recovered by collectors and have been given to or are on loan to museums. Karl-Heinz Vogt of Germany is one collector who has done LEGO display model museum displays, such as this one... However most of the models that were meant for indoor display are often still around in peoples houses or garages... but often times neglected or damaged. I have a good Dutch collector friend by the name of Henk... and he finds (mostly damaged) old LEGO models... and restores them with vintage parts. For him it is a labor of love, and I applaud him for spending all the effort and time to do so. My LEGO DVD/download shows dozens of his models (soon to be even more in the next free upgrade).... unfortunately (as seen in the Palace Cinema pictures above)... the original parts have often yellowed, or in the case of Cellulose Acetate parts... they warp with age due to the fact that Cellulose Acetate is not a stable plastic like ABS is. ABS will discolor easier than Cellulose Acetate... but it will not warp. Here is an example of the many many buildings that Henk has found in garages, flea markets and lord knows where... and is lovingly restoring them..... this is a brightly colored version of the (now named) Elizabeth Tower, where Big Ben is housed from original bad condition to restoration.... Undergoing restoration..... And finally glued restoration.... You know... all of this discussion about restoration of old historic models has given me the idea of devoting an entire LEGO DVD chapter to Henk and his restoration work (and results) of his labor of love of gluing "wayward": and decrepit display models back to their original condition... using vintage parts and going to the painstaking trouble of gluing the parts back together. (Me and my other old collector friends affectionately call Henk "the gluesniffer"... since most people find gluing LEGO appalling. But since it was done by TLG, and since the models were mostly still glued together, we don't mind his use of glue. So just like I did Jim Hughes of the USA and his research into the LEGO company and LEGO sales (I devote Chapter 73 of the LEGO DVD/download to Jim)... and to Maxx and Arnoud of the Netherlands and their affection of 2x4 bricks and Pat. Pend. LEGO parts (Chapter 49 - LEGO bricks is devoted to them).... I am going to create in the next LEGO DVD version 2 (free to current DVD owners, and at a discount to LEGO CD owners)... a chapter on Henks "labor of LOVE" in preserving the model history of LEGO display models. And that large Houses of Parliament model in white? Henk has started collecting white 1x1x2 small classic windows in preparation of finding that model one day, with plans to restore it... Quote
Rolf Posted February 24, 2013 Posted February 24, 2013 Nice! Can't wait to see updated version. Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 26, 2013 Author Posted February 26, 2013 (edited) Nice! Can't wait to see updated version. Another glued display item... a 1960s skyscraper made of LEGO... now restored..... There will be other new chapters as well... with the DVD download currently at 688MB... the new version will probably approach 1 Gigabyte and over 3,700 pages!! That's a lot of LEGO history! Edited April 14, 2015 by LEGO Historian Quote
Rolf Posted February 26, 2013 Posted February 26, 2013 I was wondering.. why not create a large chapter that has more narration, providing overview over rest of chapters together? It can be even sold on its own, opening opportunities to sell on kindle, physical book, so on. I bet you can easily write a 200 page book out of what you know about history alone. Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 27, 2013 Author Posted February 27, 2013 Rolf, I was thinking about creating a "NO STARCH PRESS" publisher book, like Allan Bedford did.... with soft cover... but all the images would have to be b/w. Coming up with a 280 page or so book would probably take me about a week! But then I'd have to leave out so much.... Quote
Rolf Posted February 27, 2013 Posted February 27, 2013 I hope that it would be mostly history story, with few picture to show what is being talked about for example picture to show build with people figures. Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 28, 2013 Author Posted February 28, 2013 I was going to do one of these models... the one on the 1958-60 Basic Sets boxes. This image is from a 1958-59 Retailer Glued Display model catalog. But thism model is so windows intensive... So I just put the lot of windows on Ebay today, since I decided to build something larger scale. But it's amazing how among all the classic windows the smallest ones are the most in demand... maybe it's cause they're the most versatile... Quote
Hrw-Amen Posted February 28, 2013 Posted February 28, 2013 Yes I think so, even today at mini-figure scale they are useful to people making building MOCs. After all not everyone wants a huge window in the bathroom of a house or similar. Those little 1X1 windows are very useful for that sort of thing. I have a few of them now, but if only I could locate the box with the majority of my old bricks in it I would then have a mine of them and m,any other bits. I really must find a way to get into mother's attic or shed! Quote
Rolf Posted February 28, 2013 Posted February 28, 2013 I do wish older, more flexible windows were remade. Maybe even as set of windows like Lego had set that has many kinds of tires and wheels. Quote
LEGO Historian Posted April 14, 2015 Author Posted April 14, 2015 (edited) Rolf, if you're still around... one of the most beautiful glued display models just came to light, found by my Dutch collector friend Henk..... going into my Retailer glued display model chapter.... this one is a real beauty... and is also found in the 238 Building Idea Book of 1960-64.... Edited April 15, 2015 by LEGO Historian Quote
LEGO Historian Posted May 2, 2015 Author Posted May 2, 2015 Well now I think I've seen it all..... several LEGO fans have recently offered the use of the images of about 150 display models covering the last half century of LEGO retailer displays, for my Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide next edition (free to current owners of my DVD or Desktop Reference Guide). So now my chapter on Glued LEGO display models will likely be split into large chapters on models by decades!! Chapter 78 - 1955-70 Early Display Models. Chapter 79 - 1970s Display Models. Chapter 80 - 1980s Display Models. Chapter 81 - 1990s Display Models. Chapter 82 - 2000- Present Display Models. This is in addition to a chapter on LEGO Retailer Stores & Displays, and a chapter on LEGO Retailer Catalogs, Binders and Brochures. I'm very excited over thiss... some of these new LEGO guide chapters will be subdivided into sub-chapters on Town, Castle, Space, Homemaker, Large Figures, etc. These chapters will show the evolution from the early years, when retailers were required to purchase Display Models from TLG in Billund Denmark, to starting in the 1970s when TLG made them available to retailers, but kept ownership of the models, expecting them to be returned to TLG. From what I gathered TLG didn't want broken or dirty display models left in circulation, because they wanted to protect the image and reputation of the LEGO product. Fortunately for us today... many of these LEGO display models didn't make it back to TLG, which once returned... they were destroyed. So we are fortunate that there are survivors among this part of LEGO history. This same destruction took place among weathered and replaced Miniland models from the LEGOLAND partks. Somewhere I have a heartbreaking image of a huge mound of disposed LEGOLAND models that were on their way to being crushed and recycled. Even in the early years, when retailers could own their own copies of models, TLG suggested that they dispose of them after they became outdated and no longer in good condition. The over 150 image assortment I now have to document is amazing... an entire book on just these alone could be put together.... Some teasers from my LEGO display model chapters.... An English Tudor House... 1960s A late 1950s House Model..... The old lady who lived in a shoe model from 1976... from the Homemaker era with big people.... A 1970s LEGO Mississippi Paddlewheel Ship showing the old Minifig "stiffs" of 1975-78..... 1001 Arabian Nights.... LEGO Airport model..... And a bazillion more.... ;-) Quote
mostlytechnic Posted May 2, 2015 Posted May 2, 2015 I love how creative Lego has always been, stretching the usage of parts. Like the tiny window bricks as eyelets in the shoe, and the paddlewheel.... Quote
LEGO Historian Posted May 2, 2015 Author Posted May 2, 2015 Also included in the several chapters of my LEGO Collectors Guide are going to be several videos. The nice thing about having a Computer Desktop collectors guide is that you can click on sites on the internet (videos and reference sites), and then go back to the desktop document where you left off. This will be true for several videos of some of the largest collections of LEGO display sculptures on the planet.... including museums (Dan Brown's in Ohio), as well as online links to the works of famous LEGO sculptors (and LEGO friends) such as Eric Harshbarger, Nathan Sawaya and Adam Reed Tucker. The 5 chapters on display models will make this the ultimate guide for official (and non-official) LEGO sculptures and displays! ;-) (P.S. If you currently own my collectors guide.. this expansion of the guide from 2800 to 3700 pages will be free ) (Image from the 1985 LEGO Exhibition in Paris).... See the LEGO Bazaar for a special.... http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=73780 Quote
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