My 1st MOC: 'Friends' Apartment Building and Bookstore (WIP)

[LukeWarmTea]

Hi all! This is my first MOC post and due to a lack of parts (and skills, it turns out) I'll be sharing this diary styles - a little like Lightning Tiger's - so you all can see and contribute to the build. So far it's gone from this:

to this:

With a whole lot of rebuilds along the way! Currently only the basic wall layout for the lower floor is complete. The left side of the build is a bedsit complete with old cat lady and exterior stairs to the second floor. The right is the ground floor bookstore and small rear exterior for a dumpster etc (I'd like to devise a working trash chute). There will be another 16x16 plate to be the footpath (or 'sidewalk') featuring a newspaper and magazine vendor in front, as the set is designed to be played with an open hinge (forming a handy 16x16 square). The second story will be a two bedroom family apartment, and above that there will be a nominal roof terrace 'garden' (probably only on one side). The book shop doors are unfinished and I'll be working on some brick built ones in the morning. Also the base plate colours need work, don't you think?

I've set myself up with a pretty steep challenge as well. The build has to meet some criteria which have been defined by myself out of fun and also from necessity, as this MOC will end up being played with by my 5 1/2 yo (and the Friends target age) and we don't have a lot of money to spend on parts.

Challenge:

1) It has to fit in the Friends/City universe, and I like to think it fits somewhere in between - a little closer to Heartlake maybe, a hard working borough on the outskirts of town? Bella calls it 'the Neighbourhood'. Thanks Mr. Rogers! Anyway, it has to look like a proper Lego building, with that nice Lego realism/playability balance.

2) It has to be easily accessible, playable (durable!) and buildable by kids in the 5-12yo range.

3) The parts must come from one major set (3185) and any other parts used must be readily available in small sets, polybags etc.

(btw, does this make it a mod?)

4) Key design challenge - it has to be compact. The whole shebang is designed to close up, stack up and be put away neatly. (No spreading mini-builds!)

5) It has to be aesthetically pleasing in both 'closed' and 'open for play' form; including using a reasonably limited colour palette, not covering/blocking wall panels (a real bugbear of mine) and not having large expanses of blankness.

6) There have to be at least 3 "real" play features. Guess who gets to judge what constitutes real?!

I'm always so in awe of the amazing MOCs I see on here, especially the high quality modular buildings. This sure isn't one of them, but I hope you can see the inspiration. Thanks for reading!

[Kristel]

4) Key design challenge - it has to be compact. The whole shebang is designed to close up, stack up and be put away neatly. (No spreading mini-builds!)

So true. The nature of the Friends sets just beg to be converted into buildings to avoid that sprawl! I love the concept of it being able to be out away.

You've made a great start, with a good choice of set. I'm looking forward to seeing this one develop!

[lightningtiger]

My ears were burning, only when my name is spoken !

Looks nice so far 'LWT', is it going to be a two storey structure ?

Keep going and Brick On 'LWT' !

[Redhead1982]

I agree with Kristel. Many Friends' sets have a potential to make them into a building, and if the build is intended also to play with, stability is an issue. Personally, I never post WIPs, because they change too much during the build itself. However, your first floor design seems neat, and finished, so it's nice to see it. Enjoy the build and let us know how it develops.

[Doom2099]

That's a nice first floor. A friends modular sounds like a lot of fun!

[LukeWarmTea]

Thanks guys!

The nature of the Friends sets just beg to be converted into buildings to avoid that sprawl! I love the concept of it being able to be out away.

Thanks - that's a big part of the challenge. Almost all the larger sets we have have smaller builds that end up being broken up almost immediately (or lost somewhere) simply because they're not 'attached'. This also includes having homes for accessories; like drawers, holding clips etc for small parts. There are times I wish I was just an AFOL, not a parent AFOL (PFOL!).

My ears were burning, only when my name is spoken !

Looks nice so far 'LWT', is it going to be a two storey structure ?

Keep going and Brick On 'LWT' !

Yup, 2-3 storey (roof terrace). Although I'm fast running out of bricks!

I agree with Kristel. Many Friends' sets have a potential to make them into a building, and if the build is intended also to play with, stability is an issue. Personally, I never post WIPs, because they change too much during the build itself. However, your first floor design seems neat, and finished, so it's nice to see it. Enjoy the build and let us know how it develops.

Thanks Redhead. Stability is super important, and it's useful that my 'tester' often gets in and has a play with it during the day, so I can see what was 'damaged' at night and redesign - just as you said about WIPs. Funny but it has changed a little since that photo - I was never happy with the bookshop doors! I'm also planning to make custom stickers. I'm posting this as a WIP as I need real AFOL feedback and help from time to time. I'm sure if I ever get to your MOC level I won't need to!

That's a nice first floor. A friends modular sounds like a lot of fun!

It is! It's also really mathematically complicated. Sigh. I'll put more pics up tonight (NZ time) but the lighting is poor (apologies in advance.) I started it on the floor (as you can see!) just as a bit of a laugh to make a 'bigger play house' for Bella, but then got pretty caught up in it. (I like to do things well.) And making the floor plan bigger doesn't work for a doll-house style of build, you can't get your hand 'tween two 16x16 spaces, even small hands, and it gets pretty dark. Unlike a modular it's not being built to be taken apart for play. You can but you shouldn't have to. I'm hoping you can just swing it open. So the left side walkway/stairs became 4 studs wide almost immediately, and the right side grew from nothing to 3 and then 4 studs, cause maths.

I'm now struggling with how to do the second storey floor, which is 12x24 studs each side. My initial plan to brick link 4 6x24 plates would work (in light bley) but that doesn't really fit the challenge, sigh. The most common Friends plates are 8x16. Whoops. Should have planned ahead! Ah well, in the mean time I've been fleshing out the interior, pix soon!

[LukeWarmTea]

OK, sorry for the delay. Major image/imgur issues, but have managed to get some pictures.

Bedsit interior:

Bedsit bathroom:

Bedsit birds eye:

Back of model (gap left on purpose):

Side with stairs (opposite side is simply two panels and a window - needs stickers):

And my favourite view, and how the model 'should' be viewed (at least when it's open for play!):

This is still missing the 16x16 light bley plate to infill the front, but it may not need it? Maybe? No pics of the bookstore as it's still pretty empty. Dumpster needs to be added and the lighting adjusted in the rear of the store. Not sure about the cat dish as I think it's in the way of the door, but my 5yo insisted!

[Kristel]

So Friendly!! :wub:

[Sarah]

I love that. Grandma with a cookie. I'm guessing that is the CMF Grandma? Where'd the cookie come from?

Wish my daughter was older!

[elleana]

Small suggestion - instead of 2 x 4 plates for the stairs, maybe 2 x 4 tiles?

[LukeWarmTea]

Thanks guys, yes it is a lot 'Friendlier' than I'd originally planned - you build with what you have! I was hoping to tone it down with the dark green and dark red pieces to make it better suited for City, but I feel they clash with the purples and pinks, and I only really have buildable parts from 3185, so pinks and purples it is.

CMF cat lady/grandma is correct, and the cookie comes from Mia's Lemonade Stand, which I've taken apart to form the bookshop interior and other little details. The challenge is to use 3185 primarily, and I'm trying to really limit my parts selection to polybags or sets that are $20 (NZD) or less.

Small suggestion - instead of 2 x 4 plates for the stairs, maybe 2 x 4 tiles?

Yeah! I'd use tiles - if I could. But there aren't enough tiles in 3185, and I don't know of any small polybag/set that has enough either. If you look at the pic, you'll see I didn't even have enough plates! Plus, the build is for a 5yo, and there's a reason TLC don't use titles on kids builds floors - the figs fall over! But if you have any polybag/small set recommendations, please do - I've heard Tiger's Temple is a good option?

[greg3]

Nice!! I can't say I'm a big Friends fan but your building looks great!! I especially like the fact you've got a little expert helping you out with the design (hope she's enjoying it!)

[LukeWarmTea]

Help!

The inevitable has happened and I have run out of tan bricks! I used Emma's Karate studio and Mia's Lemonade Stand as well as 3185, but so far that's been about it. (Also I think I finally figured out a floor plan that only uses 3185 plates and is reasonably durable.) This is as far as I have gotten:

Which has included rebuilds to release some more tan bricks from the stairs. It's currently not very strong due to the high use of 1x2 bricks, and I'd rebuild it better if I got more bricks.

And now my question to you is, do I use another large-ish Friends set for parts (such as the Heartlake stables or Vet) and 'fail' my challenge or do I try and make it work with more small sets/polybags?

I need 1x3 and 1x4 tan bricks which is the toughy, and I can't Bricklink them or it would defeat the purpose of the whole project. We (by which I mean my daughter) does have the Heartlake Vet which I was considering cannibalising for the roof, and the tan would be perfect, but it's such a cool set and I feel a bit mean destroying it, although I could always rebuild it with the dark-reddy-brown (I have no idea of colour names) roof slopes from 3185. We don't have the stables and the only one I've found is twice the retail price, so while it's unlikely we'd get it if we did it'd be all mine, and it does have the perfect bricks. I still need to build the front right wall, that whole side and the rear which will probably just be an open arch to the balcony, as well as some Friends style 'roof' type wall at the front and the garden terrace!

Help?

[TheLazyChicken]

This is great progress so far! As for your question, you might want to get the Grand Emporium from the modular line but the problem is the price.

[trippybrowneyes]

Nice work far. If the Friends sets were designed more like this I might actually be inclined to buy them. Not being able to use bricklink for parts is quite the challenge. Are you just trying to avoid the hassle and cost of buying by the piece?

[LukeWarmTea]

This is great progress so far! As for your question, you might want to get the Grand Emporium from the modular line but the problem is the price.

Nice work far. If the Friends sets were designed more like this I might actually be inclined to buy them. Not being able to use bricklink for parts is quite the challenge. Are you just trying to avoid the hassle and cost of buying by the piece?

I've set myself up with a pretty steep challenge as well. The build has to meet some criteria which have been defined by myself out of fun and also from necessity, as this MOC will end up being played with by my 5 1/2 yo (and the Friends target age) and we don't have a lot of money to spend on parts.

Challenge:

3) The parts must come from one major set (3185) and any other parts used must be readily available in small sets, polybags etc.

Money money money! Thanks for your suggestion TheLazyChicken, but something like the GE is more than 2 weeks wages here in NZ - and it'd give me too many parts - I'd end up going overboard. Kind of in reply to you both of y'all I've quoted myself above from my 'challenge' list - and it's a major reason I won't Bricklink TrippyBrownEyes, but another reason (and one I have just realised I haven't mentioned anywhere) is that this MOC will be the star of a blog/resource I want to set up for parents of KFOL's who are just getting back into Lego themselves, people who probably won't be confident on Bricklink.

I want to use this to say to folks "Hey, you don't have to put up with little mini builds lying all over the house. You don't have to worry about tiny bits getting lost, or breaking a set when you pick it up to put it away, and you don't need a lot of money to build something substantial. All you need to do is join in the fun. Build with your kids, for your kids and maybe even just for you."

[Legogal]

LWT, this is an admirable plan and quite a challenge! You might take the tan bricks from whatever other sets are lying around and replace them with white or some other neutral color like bley.

The cat lady's apt us lovely! And so many of us have wondered what the heck should we build from our lovely Friends' sets. Yup, it is time to remove them from the top of the knee wall around our stairwell and put them to use. But I am not dismantling my dolphin cruiser because who knows when the Great Flood or global warming might require a pastelly houseboat as part of ones survival plan!

Glad you a have a set of small, willing hands in the product testing dept. When my son was three to ten, I regularly trolled WM stores after Christmas because of their regular 70 per cent or more markdowns. That us where most of our older sets came from, but is no longer a reliable source of cheap bricks for impoverished moms like myself. I felt like the poster mom of the Bricks for the Poor campaign...seriously! Then I went through a phase of trying to buy used sets...most resembled garbage. Dumped that strategy!

Please keep posting as we want to see how you answer the question of what to build with all those Friends's sets.

[Sarah]

Do you have another color you DO have that hasn't been used? Instead of being all tan, maybe you could make the walls some combination of, say, tan and yellow

[Alasdair Ryan]

Do you have another color you DO have that hasn't been used? Instead of being all tan, maybe you could make the walls some combination of, say, tan and yellow

Agreed,how about using some 'bright colours' for the interior and some 'greys' for the back?

[LukeWarmTea]

Do you have another color you DO have that hasn't been used? Instead of being all tan, maybe you could make the walls some combination of, say, tan and yellow

Great idea, but I haven't needed to! I built this out of 3185 because it was 'my own' Lego, a set I bought for my birthday. Most of Bella's Friends sets are complete(ish) and are played with often, so picking bits is a bit tricky. In the end I used tan from about 5 sets - 3185, Heartlake Vet, Stephanie's Soccer Practise, Emma's Karate Studio and parts from Mia's Lemonade stand (which I also bought for myself - a Vespa!).

So here it is, almost complete:

I'm not 100% sure about the roof, as it adds yet another colour, and I could use the same shaped parts from the Pet Salon and make it magenta (pink!) but I was hoping to tone down the Friends colours. It's funny how it ended up looking way girlier than I'd expected.

Closed view (it's very easy to pick up):

The rear:

Is a bit of a mess. The 'clip' to hold the set together works surprisingly well but I think it looks a bit messy (supposedly disguised as a cistern type doodad, and a lamp when open) and the bathroom/upstairs windows are thumb-holes so you can pull it open again easily. The balcony will hold 2/3 play features depending on my patience (a fire escape ladder, hence the pink gate; ladder to 'garden' and possible rubbish chute) but I think the above 'garden' is too small and messy. Fixing it soon.

I'm pretty pleased though, as I only had to use the 'stable' section of the vet, which can be rebuilt in another colour so nothing is lost from Bella's Neighbourhood.

[Freddy Bricker]

Great MOC here LukeWarmTea, you've really done well with what ya got. I especially like the consistency in the build, it's not like everything is just slapped together, it's very unified. Also on regards to the colors, I agree that you could find more alternatives opening up your pallet a bit, and one quick question: Are you currently building this on LDD? It would make sense if you have, and perhaps you could even test some colors out with LDD before presenting us with the final model.

[LukeWarmTea]

Forgot the inside! Obviously unfinished (barely started!) but already played with. You can see the lamp/cistern clip better here too, and the floor layout that only uses supplied plates (which was tough!).

[Freddy Bricker]

'LWT' I suggest putting the link to this MOC (or WIP) in your profile so you never lose touch of it, it'd be great for you to always be able to look back at your profile and know that you created this.

As for the interior, I love it! The bathroom alone looks amazing, though I do have one concern, is that the entrance (when closed) will lead directly to the bedroom, which might confuse some costumers into thinking it's a mattress store! Also, do you plan on putting any stairs on the inside, or will it all be accessible through the outside only?

[andyscouse]

You made excellent progress wit this! And to build only using bricks from Friends Sets -- I definitely couldn't do that!

[CityBuilder]

That's a nice apartment building, it definitely looks like a Friends building.