(WIP)-City Canal

[kevin8]

Today I would like to present you a project that I've pursued since I was a child, when I dreamed of building a diorama to represent a small town on many levels, full of canals and waterways, waterfalls and more. At that time in my naivety I imagined a diorama on 2x2 meters developing mostly in height, which is not now feasible to consider what I have in mind now.

This idea came after a trip to Normandy last summer. While I was in those beautiful old towns characterized by canals, weirs and little falls, I burned with the desire to reproduce them and start working on this project. At the end of 2013 I had already made LDD plans for the most part of the modules.

First of all I created the canal. I decided to limit the dimensions of this diorama because my project is to put it inside a showcase in my new house, so it cannot be enormous. I'm not going to disassembly everything and I don't want to spend my life cleaning the diorama.

I used the 8x8 transparent light blu plates to simulate water and let to see the bottom. The idea was that you could see algae, fish and stones on the depth.

Around the canal I made a parapet and a floor made of crushed stone as in many old towns.

In order to connect the canal to the zero level of the baseplate, I decided to place two weirs. In this way I could make a basin that would give more emphasis to a more complex and alive depth.

After the basin I placed another weir in order to have the canal at zero level then disappearing underground.

Next to the canal I created raised modules to support standard modular buildings placed on baseplates.

The raised part is then completed with a staircase flanked by a tanks fountain and a park with a Snack bar.

On one side of the hill I placed a ruined tower.

The park ends with a gate opened to the street. Here I built a Bus Stop and a telephon boot.

This setting would have been part of the collective diorama for an event in Reggio Emilia. At the end some things have been completed a bit 'in a hurry (for example the tower).

Unfortunately the event of Reggio Emilia was canceled a little before its inauguration.

Later I had to expose it at the end of February in another event in Ferrara.

Sadly, that same week my mother passed away and I was not able to expose it.

Currently, all parts are in some boxes in the garage. My desire to attend events has completely disappeared and unfortunately apart from the city mansion which participates in the EB contest months ago I'm really locked with my projects.

The idea is to continue creating more modules for the old town, a medieval gate and other accessories for street furniture.

Let's see how to proceed.

For now I am attaching pictures of the projects, in the next few days I'll try to describe the various modules and add more photos of what have been built until now.

https://www.flickr.c...57639549797624/

www.flickr.com/photos/kevin8/sets/72157639549797624/

Today I will show you the first module. It was not one of the images saved as LDD png, because I decided to add it at last. My idea was to have modulars building all surrounded the canal, but it was too much overwhelming, it finally didn't have enough space.

So I started with a little square and being 6-bricks tall, why don't use it to dig a hole?

I placed some workmen who are soldering a pipe in the ground. Obviously the square is a little of a mess.

Being an old town with some attractive for tourists, I put also some street musicians, I don't know how much their show is being washed-up by the workers...

And at last the square is completed with a couple of public benches with planters (I've seen them in many old towns I liked the idea) and 4 lamp posts.

I would like to change something like the black inside the compass rose with a lighter color, but that's it.

The first module I have designed and realized is the one that represents the area in which the channel exits from the underground and becomes an element of urban design.

I keep repeating how I am attracted by the old towns in northern Europe. I find them an example to be imitated for cleaning and the care they put into each details. In particular flowers and points of interest throughout the centre.

Thus, in this first module I built a couple of flower pots hooked to a railing and plants. The plants give me some concern. Initially I built to do very quickly, because in a short time I would have to expose this diorama. But I do not deny that I would pick them up and change them a bit, particularly the foot of the tree.

For the lamps in this case, I decided to keep the line of modular buildings bordering the canal.

As you can see, the trans-clear blue plates, raised from the bed of the canal, gives the effect of transparency I was looking for ... a city canal like this, has a rippled surface that can be well represented by the studs on the plates and in this way fishes and algae can be glimpsed in a not too defined way.

Along the walls I added a bit of creepings (which never hurts).

For this diorama I made a kind of basket with round lid that I often see in towns. It is not difficult to realize, anyway google can help when you need some references...

I also placed one of the benches with backrest wrought iron ... I like the result very much.

Finally, being a tourist place, I thought of placing a mime dressed as the Statue of Liberty and a couple of tourists ...

This is the third module.

Here the canal reaches the weir with the first jump. It is positioned at a bridge on which I placed the minifig representing me, looking to the work done so far.

The weir tries to reproduce the real mechanism but of course, it doesn't work.

On one side of the canal I placed a bike rack bike. The bicycle in light blue with the red tile comes from a "rent a bike" shop I'm going to create (beware from stealing my idea!!! ). A pair of street sweepers are cleaning (one has just changed the bag in a bin).

Even in this module I made pots filled with flowers hanging on the edge of the parapet.

There's another couple of tourists in this module. They are an involuntary tribute to an Afol friend of mine who uses the same minifig face to represent himself...

The next module is the water basin. In my original intention there was to be a watermill with the wheel inside the water. Having to make everything to the standard modular buildings, I had to discard this idea. I do not deny that in the very near future I would like to change it to add the mill.

The depth of the basin is greater in order to fill it with various staff. In addition to algae and fishes I added other details like a bin, a skeleton... I made a stair that goes down to access a platform on which a fisherman is pulling on a nice fish. This stair is protected with a lock.

Here, too, I have made several pots of flowers and flowered creepings. On the water there are a couple of ducks and a swan.

The river goes through another weir bringing the canal to the zero level of the baseplate. This point is the link between the rest of the diorama.

As you can see the effect of the transparency of the water is very pleasant in this form.

The next part I'm describing is the staircase that runs along the canal.

This staircase is one of the points of union between the hill and the zero level of the baseplates.

The canal continues until it disappears under a small wooden bridge in the park surrounding the old town.

To the left of the stairs there is a fountain made with tanks.

Inside the water of the canal another fisherman is struggling with his hobby. A girl using one of the Bike from the Bike Sharing.

On the right of the basin I built another module with a second staircase, to access the park, and the ruins of an ancient tower.

There are some tourists in the ruins, while at the base of the hill a little boy is starting a graffiti with a can of spray color.

The ruins of the tower are shrouded in some vines.

In the near future I would like to complete the tower. The current one has been constructed so to be able to speed up the completion of the work.

The last part is the park surrounding the old city.

The entrance has walkways similar to standard modular buildings. In this way it is possible to attach it to the rest of the city.

I've put some people on it and some urban furnitures. You can see a bus stop a phone boot and a mailbox. I'm moderately proud of the phone boot, because simply moving to a 5 studs wide I found the ideal proportion between dimensions and usability. The bus stop even is a good result being very similar to the real ones.

After the entrance I placed a fountain. Around the fountain some kids are attending to the show of the clowns who are making some baloon-animals and some music.

An artist is making a painting of the old town...

Behind the fence you can see a couple of gardeners who are picking up some leaves and near the entrance a place where sweepers placed the garbage cans... It is hidden by some flowers pots to be more appropriate to the rest of the park.

Some people are relaxing in the park.

Somewhere in the park I've placed a Snack Bar. It is made of wood and similar to a little cottage. As you can see it is really narrow, but there's almost everything. A fridge, a sink... inside there's just the place for a minifig.

Outside there's a lot of people waiting for their drinks or snacks.

That's all for now.

Here's the complete Flickr gallery.

www.flickr.com/photos/kevin8/sets/72157644673791880/with/14194240368/

Edited December 15, 2014 by kevin8

[Brandon Miller]

Oh wow. Such detail in that. Can't wait to see.this finished.

[TheLegoDr]

This is very interesting. I don't think I have the creativity to come up with that style of build design. I like the idea of a canal through a town. I haven't been to Europe, but there is a canal downtown Indianapolis that I used to walk around during my lunch break. That was neat having it right there, but it didn't have the same aesthetic that yours does.

Good luck with this project. It looks promising.

[Gongoro73]

Wow, I love this so much. Everything looks so familiar to me. Can't wait to see pictures of the actual builds. Congratulations!

[kevin8]

Thank you all...

You can see the photos on my flicker gallery anyway...

Edited October 10, 2014 by kevin8

[Zerobricks]

So many details and such awesome scenery! Good digital work right there

[kevin8]

Thank you again.

More details are coming with the photos actually.

[eurotrash]

I can't wait to see how you develop this - there's so much detail in there.

[ItsaBRICKS]

Very cool dude!

[Moebius118]

This project is definitely verging on epic. Must see the finished setup! The representation of the canal so far is simply charming.

[LAKAbricks]

Fantastic project, kevin8. All those details, street interior, a small café, even stuff under the water (where's the old bike? ). I really hope you will find time to build this cityscape, including some buildings to surround it. It will great. Really great. All the best wishes for your projects.

[lightningtiger]

Excellent work 'Kevin8', can't wait to see what's next.......Brick On !

[ItsaBRICKS]

I am just reveling in the awesomeness of the tan planter/bench thingy.

[Kristel]

Wow! Awesome idea and beautifully executed so far.

I'm looking forward to watching this one as it develops even further!

[Pix]

Kevin is one of the best MOCers in Italy!...

[kevin8]

LOL...

This is not actually true...

There are many italians more prolific and better than me...

But, hey thank you. This is your opinion and actually I respect it!

Thanks to you all!

[sonicstarlight]

I don't usually comment on digital models, but this is some amazing work! I am especially impressed with the little details - those benches and potted plants are both really clever. Can't wait to see anything built.

[kevin8]

Thank you. I hope you like the update I gave to my opening post.

I described the first module...

[Ultimo]

This is simply amazing! I'm living in Italy now, If in the future you ever get to show this in public, I'll be there to admire it for an endless count of hours.

[kevin8]

Thank you. This is really rewarding. And it boost me to go on...

Thank you all, really!

[haddock]

This is very cool , loving it

[cgarison]

I love the level of detail that you are building into your MOC. I cannot wait to your build when complete!

[ScotNick]

Wow, so much creativity for parts usage round here! Really inspiring creations, especially the small decorations, like bushes, benches ....

Brick on "Kevin8" ...

[CityBuilder]

It looks very good, tons of detail packed in.

[KringlesBricks]

I really like the scene where the workers are working on the pipe!