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Showing results for tags 'neo gothic'.
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I've been building occasional Lego Architecture sets for a few years now, but the series now seems to be well-and-truly moribund. Just tourists traps and Skylines that don't appeal (although the Miami skyline on Ideas is rather nice). But I've always had a train interest too, and the Crocodile caught my attention last year, and I was hooked.I needed more than that to keep myself busy, and I had a collection of OO scale model railways that, in all honesty, were never going to see a layout, so I sold them and switched to Lego trains.I started with two City Train sets, 60197, at good prices, but they really needed a proper station to do them justice. Like many people I think that the Metro Station 4554 is one of the nicest that Lego has ever created. I completed this in Tan, and replaced the windows with panels, which give it a nice 1930s look. I needed another building for the other platform. Lego does Brutalism really well, and 7997 looks the part in Light Grey. The station buffet is long closed, a victim of economies. Together, parting up 4554 and 7997 are a really good lesson in learning the ins and outs of Bricklink and the waywardness of Lego parts colour availability. These are both nice stations, but I wanted something a but more grand and old fashioned. The Disney Train station 71044 is really the only large station that Lego has ever created (it keeps rejecting good stations on Ideas), and I managed to get just the building by itself for a very reasonable price from Ebay. Of course, platforms are needed too. Several Harry Potter stations combine nicely to create an attractive substantial set-up. Although the Disney station is large, it still gives the impression of a country town station rather than a major city terminus. The next step was a chance encounter with a book on the history of Lego sets. The Town Hall in 10184 looked too good to stay as a Town Hall: I could see a Neo-Gothic Victorian monument struggling to get out. St Pieces is the main central station on the layout in my head. Typical Victorian grandiosity (as per St Pancras). I followed the original 10184 plans to the letter and then extended outwards and upwards. My big lesson was not to design like this. It is much better to start with a concept and a blank slate rather than adapt someone else's design. For the record I will note that the 2x2x3 roof slope is HORRIBLE, that part doesn't have clutch, it has anti-clutch, and that roof exploded messily at every opportunity. All those joists in the loft are there for a reason. The desire to return to Brutalism was strong, showcasing just how nice a such a building can be when done well. Inspired by the Royal Festival Hall, Falmer House (University of Sussex) and the Crystal Palace Sports Centre, for Festival Gardens Station I particularly wanted to show the metal-framed windows that characterise these buildings, and I've always wanted to do a circular roof. Initially, I thought I had cursed myself by making the whole building an odd-number of studs wide but the Lego gods were merely testing my resolve: the circular roof went together with the main building like a dream and fitted perfectly. I just wish there were more inverted slopes available. I thought that Festival Gardens would be the last stop on my journey, but Art Nouveau has always been my first architectural love, and ideas started forming in my head about ways to make it possible. You've already seen Botanical Gardens, but here are a few photos again so you can see my full journey! So, that's my long MOC journey come to an end. I hope you enjoyed the results. I think that's exhausted my inspiration for now, but who knows what might pop into my head next! If any of these buildings generate particular interest I will start a separate thread for them with extra photos, I need the practice!
