Doctor Octoroc

Thanks! I'm hoping to make some small improvements to the models along the way. I'm currently working out an 'ejection' button for the CD Player but there's such limited space inside that it'll essentially nudge the tray out a plate or two to give you something to grab onto to pull it the rest of the way (rather than fully opening) - which is actually how some of the budget units functioned haha. For the tape deck, I played with a few build ideas that used Technic axles for the spools but couldn't get things to line up the way they do in the current version. There's a half plate's distance between the tiny tapes and boundaries of the trans black panels and I want those tapes to be as close to the front inside face as possible. The stereo tuner could also benefit from a decal for the frequency band display but I'm hoping to work out a better brick-built representation for that and the VU meters below. The coolest part about that model is actually the back with all the audio in jacks. I thought about doing a reel-to-reel but in trying to resonate with as many people as possible, I felt that was a bit too far out of familiarity for most. Same thing with 8-track since even many of the Gen X people who will probably relate to this build the most didn't grow up with 8-track. I know my older brother and I didn't, but we're on the tail end of the generation - and I'm right on the cusp between Gen X and Millennials - so maybe that perception is a bit off on my part. Still, these were the most popular formats of their respective times. I had also thought about designing a model based on modular systems that are meant to be stacked directly on top of each other but one of the goals with this build is to have a mish-mash feel - components from different eras that remind people of their own home system growing up, as it does for me. So the turntable could be from the 70's, tape deck from the early 80's, CD player from the late 80's, etc. The majority of folks probably grew up with hand-me-downs from their parents like me, or at the very least didn't have the money to buy all the top shelf units at the time, so having a set all from the same time period is an unlikely case for many, and even less likely these days for people who enjoy these older formats but are too young to have collected them over the years. Kids today are getting back into physical mediums for music (mostly vinyl but many are into cassettes as well and it's only a matter of time before CD's make a larger comeback) so they can relate as well. I can't count how many people have commented saying this reminds them of their parents' setup or 'hey, that's the exact shelf my dad has in the basement', or something along those lines. Although it's worth pointing out that I loosely based the CD player on the SONY CDP-101 which was the first consumer CD player. I did design the audio tower in a way that leaves room for a battery pack and although the units are each their own model and not attached to the shelves, there is potential for a light kit and maybe even automated mechanical functions like a spinning turntable - and the best part is that if any of that were implemented, the wires running from the backs of the components wouldn't look out of place!

Hey all! I normally do Architecture themed builds but I've been working on a lot of other stuff lately and after building this one for myself I decided it would make a good submission to LEGO Ideas due to its use of all existing parts (but with a lot of potential for new colors of some parts and printed tiles/stickers), and because music is something everyone can relate to. I have a few updates planned for it, including attempting to work more features into each component, but this is essentially the final design, aesthetically speaking. Give it some support if you like it! https://ideas.lego.com/projects/cf5645be-3965-4723-afe0-72c2be871bf4?fbclid=IwAR18RdmHYJ_tWBbcamlY3oZiSTEYFnfo9aizQ-wC5CqxNM-k-GNP8MFquTs

I finished the first draft of one of a few custom designs as part of the Kickstarter. This is a model that will be turned into a physical set for the backer who requested it. It's the Brooklym Bridge in New York, NY! Some feedback would be appreciated :-) Of course, it's not to scale with the series as pretty much every bridge would look the same at that scale but it's comparable in the number of parts and the style.

So I'm getting ready to put together physical sets for rewards from the Kickstarter as well as design the custom models that were requested as part of rewards and I'm wondering if anyone in this thread got the digital instructions package and has attempted to build any of them yet? If so, please feel free to post the builds in this thread!

Thank you kindly! It was a lot of fun, I'm definitely planning to do something similar down the line with different subjects.

Here's the final model, Nina Towers in Hong Kong, China. I've had my eye on this one for awhile and am happy to make it the last addition to the series.

New model finished, the Leadenhall building in London, England. Only one more left!

By request, here's Hearst Tower in New York, NY United States. This is more suggestive than accurate as at such a small scale there was no sound method to represent the angular insets on just the corners of the structure as they are on the real deal. Instead it's a more exaggerated representation to give an overall impression of the appearance.

So here's what I came up with for the CCTV Headquarters thus far. I'm not terribly fond of it since it's stepped but due to the fact that the overall form tapers on all sides simultaneously, I couldn't figure out a way to properly represent it otherwise without leaving gaps between sections built up by angled plates and the such. It's a shame that there aren't more shallow angled slopes - I've been having the same issues with trying to recreate the Leadenhall Building in London.

Some nice prospects! The Boeing factory is cool but unlike the VAB, which is a great model for the fact that it has a large footprint compared to the others, the BF doesn't have a lot of defining features like the VAB (plus no tiny rocket, although a bunch of small planes would be fun to put together so might be worth it for them). It's also very uniform in height so it would just be a stack of plates in the layout configuration basically. The footprint might actually be too large for the instructions format. If I had to guess off hand, I'd say it would be at least three times the size of the VAB base which would be too large to fit on a page in the instructions. The VAB barely fits as is. CCTV Building would be cool, I've taken a look at that before. The real challenge there would certainly be trying to capture not just the shape but the finer points of the actual angles it takes. It would be simple enough to make a more suggestive model with 90 degree angles but representing it more accurately could be a fun challenge. Hearst Tower would be doable with more suggestive features. Obviously there isn't much room to work in the intricate design with flat faces made of triangles and insets along the corners but some combination of slopes could achieve a good looking model that does the form some justice!

Thanks, Tom! Any suggestions for the last three in the series?

And another one - only three left! This is the Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh, PA United States. It's not the most interesting build but I like how the tiers build out towards the base around the center column.

One more model, Yingli International Finance Center in Chongqing, China.

Two more models added to the series - now only five left until I'm completely finished! Franklin Center in Chicago, IL United States and the Pantheon in Rome, Italy. Both were fun models but I especially like the way that the Pantheon turned out. It's officially the shortest structure in the entire series.

By request on the Kickstarter, the Great American Tower in Cincinnati, OH United States!