Hey all! I normally do Architecture themed builds but I've been working on a lot of other stuff lately and after building this one for myself I decided it would make a good submission to LEGO Ideas due to its use of all existing parts (but with a lot of potential for new colors of some parts and printed tiles/stickers), and because music is something everyone can relate to. I have a few updates planned for it, including attempting to work more features into each component, but this is essentially the final design, aesthetically speaking. Give it some support if you like it!

https://ideas.lego.com/projects/cf5645be-3965-4723-afe0-72c2be871bf4?fbclid=IwAR18RdmHYJ_tWBbcamlY3oZiSTEYFnfo9aizQ-wC5CqxNM-k-GNP8MFquTs

Edited April 6, 20213 yr by Doctor Octoroc
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I love the fact that you made it seem even more realistic (cassette and CD openings and shelf pins). It is a nice model depicting all three major formats and since I'm familiar with them and they are a big part of my life, how couldn't I support it? Good job!

Looks like a classic US/JP system from the 70's, thus the CD player is a wee bit anachronistic. An 8-track would fit better but since you got a dual cassette a R2R deck would be awesome and very doable in LEGO

Unless it's possible to take the individual components out of the rack you could motorize it, the cassette player and the turntable. Maybe even with some cool lights

Cheers,

Ole

4 hours ago, Jack Sassy said:

I love the fact that you made it seem even more realistic (cassette and CD openings and shelf pins). It is a nice model depicting all three major formats and since I'm familiar with them and they are a big part of my life, how couldn't I support it? Good job!

Thanks! I'm hoping to make some small improvements to the models along the way. I'm currently working out an 'ejection' button for the CD Player but there's such limited space inside that it'll essentially nudge the tray out a plate or two to give you something to grab onto to pull it the rest of the way (rather than fully opening) - which is actually how some of the budget units functioned haha. For the tape deck, I played with a few build ideas that used Technic axles for the spools but couldn't get things to line up the way they do in the current version. There's a half plate's distance between the tiny tapes and boundaries of the trans black panels and I want those tapes to be as close to the front inside face as possible. The stereo tuner could also benefit from a decal for the frequency band display but I'm hoping to work out a better brick-built representation for that and the VU meters below. The coolest part about that model is actually the back with all the audio in jacks.

3 hours ago, 1974 said:

Looks like a classic US/JP system from the 70's, thus the CD player is a wee bit anachronistic. An 8-track would fit better but since you got a dual cassette a R2R deck would be awesome and very doable in LEGO

Unless it's possible to take the individual components out of the rack you could motorize it, the cassette player and the turntable. Maybe even with some cool lights

Cheers,

Ole

I thought about doing a reel-to-reel but in trying to resonate with as many people as possible, I felt that was a bit too far out of familiarity for most. Same thing with 8-track since even many of the Gen X people who will probably relate to this build the most didn't grow up with 8-track. I know my older brother and I didn't, but we're on the tail end of the generation - and I'm right on the cusp between Gen X and Millennials - so maybe that perception is a bit off on my part. Still, these were the most popular formats of their respective times.

I had also thought about designing a model based on modular systems that are meant to be stacked directly on top of each other but one of the goals with this build is to have a mish-mash feel - components from different eras that remind people of their own home system growing up, as it does for me. So the turntable could be from the 70's, tape deck from the early 80's, CD player from the late 80's, etc. The majority of folks probably grew up with hand-me-downs from their parents like me, or at the very least didn't have the money to buy all the top shelf units at the time, so having a set all from the same time period is an unlikely case for many, and even less likely these days for people who enjoy these older formats but are too young to have collected them over the years. Kids today are getting back into physical mediums for music (mostly vinyl but many are into cassettes as well and it's only a matter of time before CD's make a larger comeback) so they can relate as well. I can't count how many people have commented saying this reminds them of their parents' setup or 'hey, that's the exact shelf my dad has in the basement', or something along those lines. Although it's worth pointing out that I loosely based the CD player on the SONY CDP-101 which was the first consumer CD player.

I did design the audio tower in a way that leaves room for a battery pack and although the units are each their own model and not attached to the shelves, there is potential for a light kit and maybe even automated mechanical functions like a spinning turntable - and the best part is that if any of that were implemented, the wires running from the backs of the components wouldn't look out of place!