Posted December 31, 20186 yr Towards the inner lands of Argentia, just outside of Mesabi Landing, stood the latest step in WTC weapon production: a newly erected shot tower. Inside shot balls of small calibers were produced: molten lead was poured from above, cooled down in freefall, and was caught in a water basin down below. The balls are checked for roundness and sorted by size - the whole process resulted in better spherical shapes, was faster and cheaper than older methods. A WTC Marine proudy guards the latest production run: Spoiler . ====================================================================================================== Licensed as a medium factory for Mesabi Landing. The idea to build a shot tower came from a discussion with @Mesabi, who brought the concept to my attention. To my big surprise the very first example listed in the wikipedia article - the Schrotkugelturm in Berlin Rummelsburg - is pretty close to my home! Here are some more pictures of mine, I am sure you can spot were some of the inspiration for my build came from. I am pretty happy with the result, and might add some interior details later. Maybe for this one, maybe for another one - I am sure the process can still be refined by the WTC... As always, C&C are appreciated! Edited January 1, 20196 yr by Drunknok
December 31, 20186 yr Oh wow, @Drunknok, I'm really glad you built this one instead of me! I love the way it turned out, the tan detailing is excellent, and really looks great against the gray. You really outdid yourself with this one, and I really like the build. Excellent work!
December 31, 20186 yr This one is really cool ! What a tower !! Well thought the shutters for the intermediate level windows. The ledge are well executed too. Which colours were used ? A kind of blue and light yellow or is this DBG and tan ?
January 1, 20196 yr Author 4 hours ago, Mesabi said: Oh wow, @Drunknok, I'm really glad you built this one instead of me! I love the way it turned out, the tan detailing is excellent, and really looks great against the gray. You really outdid yourself with this one, and I really like the build. Excellent work! Thank you, glad you like it. You started it all! 3 hours ago, Professor Thaum said: This one is really cool ! What a tower !! Well thought the shutters for the intermediate level windows. The ledge are well executed too. Thanks. Standing at 40cm in total, it is pretty big for a minifig. 3 hours ago, Professor Thaum said: Which colours were used ? A kind of blue and light yellow or is this DBG and tan ? The walls are dark blueish grey, the big ornaments and small roof are tan, the wooden parts are reddish brown. 25 minutes ago, Bodi said: A neat build, I like the windows and the door, and tan goes well with dark grey. Thank you.
January 1, 20196 yr This shot tower looks really nice. The colors work well together, and there is enough architectural detailing to make it interesting without being overly complex. As an interesting aside, I've read that some companies are now experimenting with cubical and other shapes of shot - apparently it packs more tightly inside the shell! Edited January 1, 20196 yr by Pdaitabird Woohoo! 100th post!
January 1, 20196 yr Amazing. When I first saw this I thought the idea was merely a fiction (an interesting fiction, but fiction nonetheless), and here I find it's based on an actual practice. I suppose I'm trying to express my gratification for learning something new about the creation of round shots. As for your build, it fits quite nicely. A simple design, but one that is enhanced by the nice tan detailing throughout. I particularly like the additional detailing around the top floor as it helps to distinguish this from the lower floors. As for improvements, I think the surrounding landscaping looks a little out of place. This is a large industrial building, but it doesn't appear to have easy access for wagons to deliver goods and take receipts. But that's not a major complaint with your build, just something to consider (or ignore) for future builds.
January 1, 20196 yr Great work here Drunknok, both in the concept (I too had never heard of this type of tower before) and the execution. The build itself is fantastic, really well done. The tan and dark bley work very well together - it's not a combination I think I have seen much of before. Pity the colour in the photos seems to be doing something weird, at least on my screen anyway. The ornamentation using the cheese slopes and SNOT tiles looks really good - a simply concept that has really enhanced this build to the next level. The top level looks great as well with the 1x1 rounds and curved slopes. I really want to try and build one of these now and I may just borrow much from this build if I get a chance! Definitely one of my favourites of yours and definitely one of the stand out Mesabi Landing builds.
January 1, 20196 yr That is a nice tower. Excellent design on the exterior details. It is the first time i see those small arched latice windows. Can't wait to see the inside with the shot making.
January 1, 20196 yr I really like this build. Wish you had done a cutaway/interior though, I'd be interested to find out what the process looks like!
January 1, 20196 yr Definitely should do an interior... Even if it's not this build but another to take place of this. The details all work well. extra little detail is noticed all over in fact... From the snake in the grass to the window details. I like that you included a bit of elevation on the dirt as well!
January 2, 20196 yr Fascinating! I had no idea such a thing as a shot tower existed. Good job with the architectural details of your tower, especially the shutters. Nice build!
January 2, 20196 yr This is the first shot tower I've ever seen in LEGO form, and it looks great. That tan on grey color scheme isn't commonly used but it looks really good apart from the slight yellowing of the light. The brown shutters are brilliant, and I'm curious as to how you mounted the black lattice pieces inside those small panels. I haven't seen that done before. The various tan design elements help break up what would otherwise be a big flat expanse. I assume the other two walls are missing, and the open windows are just blocked off? Without an interior you don't really need them anyway. I suppose an interior would be a little bit tricky on one of these, with the hollow shaft running down the middle. It would be neat to see even if it's a separate build. How would you build the sieve? A window lattice, perhaps? The scale of the holes would obviously be way off but it would get the point across. Those classic palms are and always will be beautiful. I'll never understand why TLG stopped making them. Knowing the WTC, I fully expect someone to catch that snake and throw it from the top of the tower onto an unsuspecting passerby! Keep it up.
January 3, 20196 yr Author On 1/1/2019 at 3:13 AM, Pdaitabird said: This shot tower looks really nice. The colors work well together, and there is enough architectural detailing to make it interesting without being overly complex. Thank you. On 1/1/2019 at 3:44 AM, Captain Genaro said: Amazing. When I first saw this I thought the idea was merely a fiction (an interesting fiction, but fiction nonetheless), and here I find it's based on an actual practice. I suppose I'm trying to express my gratification for learning something new about the creation of round shots. Nice! You have to thank @Mesabi though, for he brought the concept to my attention first. On 1/1/2019 at 3:44 AM, Captain Genaro said: As for your build, it fits quite nicely. A simple design, but one that is enhanced by the nice tan detailing throughout. I particularly like the additional detailing around the top floor as it helps to distinguish this from the lower floors. Thanks! On 1/1/2019 at 3:44 AM, Captain Genaro said: As for improvements, I think the surrounding landscaping looks a little out of place. This is a large industrial building, but it doesn't appear to have easy access for wagons to deliver goods and take receipts. But that's not a major complaint with your build, just something to consider (or ignore) for future builds. I guess you are right, but I left out additional details for a reason. The focus should be the tower. And since my rail pieces are DBG (just as the wall bricks) it would look odd in terms of colour composition to have these next to the tower. I imagine anything like that just outside the plate - where the pathway is heading to. Still, I would do things differently with another tower design, and I will take your comment into acount when I do another. On 1/1/2019 at 7:47 AM, Ayrlego said: Great work here Drunknok, both in the concept (I too had never heard of this type of tower before) and the execution. Thank you. As already mentioned, the inspiration came from @Mesabi, so direct your praise at him. On 1/1/2019 at 7:47 AM, Ayrlego said: I really want to try and build one of these now and I may just borrow much from this build if I get a chance! Already looking forward what you do with the concept! Check the English and German wiki pages for more examples of actual shot towers (even though I must say that the one right her in Berlin is my favourite). On 1/1/2019 at 9:43 AM, Bart said: That is a nice tower. Excellent design on the exterior details. It is the first time i see those small arched latice windows. Can't wait to see the inside with the shot making. Thanks. The interior is not high on my list of priorities though. On 1/1/2019 at 10:10 AM, Ross Fisher said: I really like this build. Wish you had done a cutaway/interior though, I'd be interested to find out what the process looks like! Thank you! See above: an interior will follow, but not too soon. On 1/1/2019 at 11:25 PM, Roadmonkeytj said: Definitely should do an interior... Even if it's not this build but another to take place of this. The details all work well. extra little detail is noticed all over in fact... From the snake in the grass to the window details. I like that you included a bit of elevation on the dirt as well! Thanks. 19 hours ago, Capt Wolf said: Fascinating! I had no idea such a thing as a shot tower existed. Good job with the architectural details of your tower, especially the shutters. Nice build! Thank you. Glad it brought something new for so many people, I think you all owe @Mesabi a drink or something. 17 hours ago, Captain Dee said: This is the first shot tower I've ever seen in LEGO form, and it looks great. Thanks. 17 hours ago, Captain Dee said: I'm curious as to how you mounted the black lattice pieces inside those small panels. I haven't seen that done before. No magic here, it is just a regular window element. It fits those panels as well as glass and whatnot of the same size. 17 hours ago, Captain Dee said: I assume the other two walls are missing, and the open windows are just blocked off? Without an interior you don't really need them anyway. Aye. It also greatly improved the stability: a hollow tower of this hight would become pretty unstable. And if there was an interior, something had to be opened up to get access to it, making the build even more wobbly. No, there are some support structures inside, and no back walls, and the whole thing can be easily carried around without problems. 17 hours ago, Captain Dee said: I suppose an interior would be a little bit tricky on one of these, with the hollow shaft running down the middle. It would be neat to see even if it's a separate build. How would you build the sieve? A window lattice, perhaps? The scale of the holes would obviously be way off but it would get the point across. Great idea, thanks for the suggestion. 17 hours ago, Captain Dee said: Those classic palms are and always will be beautiful. I'll never understand why TLG stopped making them. Neither do I. A shame really.
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