[MOC] Big Ben 10253 alternate model - The Lounge modular

[Huaojozu]

Have you ever wondered how to end a row of modulars in a natural way? One of the available options is to introduce a water feature, be it a beach, lake or a river and then use that for a nice natural progression. In this case, I took the Big Ben set and rebuilt it as a 32w modular that's meant to sit at the end of your street and transition into a beach, bay or a similar feature. I wanted it to evoke the placement often found at beach resorts with a walkway "onto" the sea. It's kind of a faux corner building, as it has 2 adjacent sides of the facade exposed, but only one pavement.

Since 10253 doesn't contain a baseplate, it sits on standard plates included in the set, making it slightly higher than other modulars. You can easily solve it by putting everything on a 32x32 baseplate and adjusting the pieces slightly to allow for modular connections.

If you like it, you can get instructions here:

https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-14123/Huaojozu/the-lounge-10253-big-ben-alternate-model-modular/

 

Since there are no doors in the set, I solved it by making a sliding  door as commonly seen in malls for example. That also determined what kind of building it's going to be - a store, hotel, casino or a similar high-end establishment would fit best with such pronounced doors. The Big Ben ski pole decorations also serve well to give the appearence of rich-ness.

It was a bit of a struggle to make the interior, as the 10253 set contains an awful lot of tan bricks and not much else. But in the end I am happy with how it turned out. There was only enough plates to make floors for two sections, so the roof is just that - a roof. I've at least made the statue on the second floor a bit higher to justify the space.

It was a lot of fun to do this and I am already looking forward to my next project, which will be an alternate model for the Sydney Opera House 10234. It's going to be interesting to see how so many curved white pieces can be used. And since it also has lots of blue, it will make a nice complement to The Lounge - sitting opposite of it and ending with the sea as well.

[Legochaek]

Wow I love this! It reminds me of a beach hotel in Jersey. I love that statue. The roof could maybe use a skylight or other roof decoration. :)

[Pickbricker89]

Great work! I would have never imagined something so different could come from the original like this! Can’t wait to see what you come up with for the Opera House! 

[Inyongbricks]

Nice idea :) I'm looking forward to see next moc too .

[Bricked1980]

This is great. A very nice looking building especially considering all the parts are taken from just one set. 

[beverly888]

Love the use of the teeth and trans-black brick.  All that tan works well.  Juxtaposing simplicity and ornate is a great way to balance a design.

Cheers!

 Beverly

[peedeejay]

Fantastic build considering the limitations!

[LegoModularFan]

Very nice MOC, especially considering the limitations you had. Now switch to Lego and everything will be the best... 

[Agent 86]

Well done! I look forward to seeing your Modularised Opera House too.

[Huaojozu]

Thanks for the nice comments everyone! Looking at it now, it has really grown on me and I can definitely appreciate the variety of pieces in Big Ben. Especially now that I am working on the Opera alternate which is REALLY stretched for bricks to make walls, and it also lacks distinct pieces to make ornaments with. I am about 3/4 of the way there now, only a part of the roof and the interior "decoration" to go!

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

The pier with the street lamps is wonderfu ...I love that style! 

[Huaojozu]

On 5/9/2018 at 8:40 PM, LEGO Train 12 Volts said:

The pier with the street lamps is wonderfu ...I love that style! 

I remembered my visit to Ibiza and Mallorca and the piers going out to the sea from the hotels. I really wanted to make it longer and a bit curved but there wasn't really enough space to do it. Like this it seems a bit cramped but at least it gets the message across :)