Homemade roads

[crossmr]

As my daughter is just starting lego, and liking city, I've been focusing on getting some sets and not wasting money on road plates. Yesterday I put some finishing touches on some homemade roads that we'll use for the time being.

The base is bristol board the sidewalks are printed and cut to size for sidewalks. Lanes are 7 cm wide, 1/2 cm for the yellow line. Sidewalks are 6 cm wide.

The crosswalks are printer paper with rectangles cut out.

I may add some common Korean writing to the road and I'm debating whether or not to laminate it.

[EvilBlackSheep]

That's a great idea! I would recommend laminate it indeed, my sister did the same kind of thing for my nieces to add around their lego town when she saw the price of the road plates (but with a less pretty sidewalk than yours) then passed it to the laminating machine she has at home. Turned out it was very useful when some liquid involving accident happened (The 3yo tried to fill her sister's lego pool with real water, no need to say it didn't go well).

[crossmr]

Yes, I'm just worried if it'll make it too slick or not. I actually like it without the laminate as I can push the the buildings right up against the sidewalk and the slightly raised edge kind of makes it line up nice. I wish I could find a way to secure it to the paper. I'm planning to buy a blue piece and make water with a dock, and add a second bit of streets as I've got some other street stuff on the way.

Right now it's mostly Oxford Block sets (you can see a friends set up near the top) but some Lego sets will be added. Oxford does more limited runs on some of their sets, so I'm trying to collect a lot of the ones which are only available on the second hand market right now before I jump onto the more expensive Lego sets.

Edited March 20, 2015 by crossmr

[EvilBlackSheep]

If it helps, my sister used a "soft" laminating sheet one of those that leave the thing pretty thin & flexible afterwards ? I'm not sure of the details as i don't have a laminating machine myself but i can always ask if you want.

In any case, yours really looks better as i said, especially the sidewalks part. What is nice is that the kids don't really mind those are not lego, they're just happy to have the road :)

[dr_spock]

Great idea. Laminating will help it last longer. Worth it if you don't want to have to recreate it after much kid play later on. You can make the buildings stay on the laminate with double sided sticky tape so it doesn't slide around.

[crossmr]

Thanks. I have to find a place first that has a machine big enough to take this sheet of bristol board it's quite large. 54 cm wide. When I go in to pick up more tomorrow I'll check if they have a machine large enough or not.