Svelte Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 Meet John and Jane Minifig! In which the Global Financial Crisis hits Lego Town Note: This little story was originally supposed to be an addendum to my 7633 Construction Site review, to show the sets in action in a more detailed setting. Like many things in life, it spiralled wildly out of control! At first it was just a baseplate with some farm type landscaping, but then I added the classic 6372 Town House and expanded from there. After reading through the tutorials in the Reviewer's Academy I also tried improving my photography workspace so this is an exploration of that project too. As you can see, a couple of cheap lamps and some thick white board *does* make all the difference! I obviously need another light source but for a mid-week project this turned out pretty well, and I actually like the noirish shadows. Enough introduction; enjoy this twisted 'Dick and Jane'-style parable as the credit crunch hits Lego town! Meet Jane and John Minifig. Jane and John live on a farm with their daughter Jill and her pony, Daisy. Here is their farm; it's huge! Here is a lovely cherry blossom tree on top of the hill. Here are the crops. They are ready for harvesting! The two kittens Bobo and Jojo keep the crops free from rodents. Jill likes to feed her pony juicy carrots. Jane says, 'Would anyone like pie?' Bobo comes running. 'Not for you, Bobo,' laughs Jane. 'It's not mouse pie!' John is proud of his vegetable patch. He grows pumpkin and cauliflowers bigger than your head! One day late in 2008, Gary the Accountant pays a call to the farm. 'Due to recent events, your share portfolio in Inferno Industries is valueless,' says Gary. 'Furthermore, the banks are foreclosing on the second mortgage you put on the farm to pay for Jill's college tuition. The property has been sold to a construction consortium who are going to silt up the river and build a retail precinct over your land. You have 14 days to get out.' 'Thanks for dropping by!' say Jane and John. 'Shall I stab him through the heart with my enormous carrot, Daddy?' asks Jill. 'No sweetheart,' says John. 'I am sure Gary is a nice man and did the best he could. After all, if you can't trust your financial advisers and investment bankers, who can you trust?' 14 days later, the sky seemed to darken as the first of the dozers moved into position. First to go were Jill's flower beds. Jojo the black cat ascended unexpectedly early to Kitty Heaven when he got in the way of the yellow dozer. Next to arrive was the front-end loader: It went over the fence... ...and started demolishing the crops! And kept on demolishing them! A dump truck arrived to clear the debris. It also took away a rare and valuable palm from the front garden, Daisy the pony, and Jill, who had lost her mind with grief. Bye-bye Daisy! Bye-bye Jill! John went mad too. He had to be carried away with his prize cauliflowers! Nobody knows what happened to Jane. She was last seen in the company of these two construction workers. Say hello, boys! The big dozer moved in to take care of the house. SMASH! went the roof. CRASH! went the front door! The workers congratulated each other. 'Job well done, guys!' The site of the former farm, once fertile and lush, now looked bleak and empty. But not for long! Soon a bustling construction crew arrived! After all, governments were encouraging everyday consumers to spend, spend, spend, to prop up the weak economies, and to spend money, you needed shops to buy stuff from! Soon, the workers had built a small mall. Business was slow at first. But construction worker Creepy Beard 1 cut an under-the-table deal for his twin brother Creepy Beard 2 to set up a BBQ pigeon franchise. Soon, all of Creepy Beard's construction worker pals were shopping at the BBQ stand too! Before long, the former rural paradise had been transformed into a bustling consumer precinct. Not a tree was to be seen on the strip as the dealers, panhandlers and street-hos moved in! Visitors came from all over Lego City to visit the famous Cafe Casino. The live shows at Cafe Casino were renowned! One of the most celebrated dancers wore a riding cap and bore a strong resemblance to Jill. She even carried a riding crop! She was always accompanied by her two red-headed mafiosi pimps and her transvestite costume maker. 'Shake ya money maker, darlin'!' says Gary the Accountant. But what about Jill's daddy? Well, there was a homeless beggar with a cat who looked a bit like John. Rumour had it he had put out his own eye and cut off his own leg to attract more sympathy from passers-by! Cat food doesn't come cheap you know! However nobody ever found the mortal remains of that loving wife and mother, Jane... So there we have it - a heartwarming tale of global financial markets in action! We hope you enjoyed the story of Jane and John and Jill and the transformation of their little farm! THE END! Quote
iamded Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 (edited) Nothing better than a happy little story to start off the day! Thanks for the laugh! (And awesome MOCs!) ~Peace Edited January 16, 2009 by iamded Quote
Zepher Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 This sis very incredible for many reasons. The first is the photography, which is simply fantastic! The second is the story, which is funny and well done. The third is the changing sceneray, while still slowly evolving. Ever read the book "The little White house"? It's like that, only better. The fourth is the biggest. This is an incredible MOC. Both the farm and the city look really great! Overall fantastic work! Quote
Lego12 Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 Funny and great MOC! I saw the rock monster in 6th picture. A 5/5! Quote
Skinny Boy Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 This is brilliant! The name of the topic is such good bait, but the actual story and MOCs are the best death i've seen yet! (from the point of view of a fish. bait, fish, death, you know) And,this is a great review of... 1, 2, 3... Several sets! Most of them new! Really fantastic. Hope to see another one Quote
Faramir Posted January 16, 2009 Posted January 16, 2009 Hilarious Nice green Vesta's BURPs too. Quote
Derek Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 (edited) Jojo the black cat ascended unexpectedly early to Kitty Heaven when he got in the way of the yellow dozer. That was the saddest part of the entire story! That was a very good and clever story, I liked it a lot. Edited January 17, 2009 by darthperson Quote
General Armendariz Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 Great job Thats so true! The two kittens Bobo and Jojo keep the crops free from rodents. Look! A rock monster! Quote
mrchris Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 I cant believe they destroyed that amazing farm. Nice work Quote
Zorbas Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 What a great story and presentation svelte_corps! Really amazing! The photos are brilliant! After all, if you can't trust your financial advisers and investment bankers, who can you trust? :skull: Quote
Sandy Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 Aww! What a truly heartwarming tale! I'm a sucker for happy endings, after all. Quote
BrickheadProductions Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 That was great. The bulldozing reminded em a bit of the start of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy books. Douglas Adams fan, anyone? I particularly loved the cherry blossom. Good work! Quote
Freddie Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 That was a fantastic and hilarious story! Very entertaining to read. Thanks! Quote
WhiteFang Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 It does brings us back to reality in this unique story. It filled with many interesting presentation right from the start till the end. Great attempt in this illustration of yours. Oh, this story has been covered by Classic Town's journalist. Quote
Asuka Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 A very sad story... and a very good work, full of creativity and lovely details! Quote
Yeow Posted January 17, 2009 Posted January 17, 2009 Very creative, putting the Financial Crisis to "good" use. Quote
BlueBard Posted January 18, 2009 Posted January 18, 2009 Wonderful story, I really enjoyed reading it Quote
Monki Posted January 19, 2009 Posted January 19, 2009 Awesome! I read and watched the whole thing with eagerness, every good story has some twists and turns. Poor poor Jane... Quote
Svelte Posted January 19, 2009 Author Posted January 19, 2009 Thanks for all your comments everyone and good spotting for those that spied the rock monster early on! It was a lot of fun to do. It's amazing how well the aesthetics of classic town and more modern pieces (hair etc) can blend in. Quote
Erdbeereis Posted January 19, 2009 Posted January 19, 2009 Absolutely hilarious Svelty. I really enjoyed reading it. Quote
Loganwan Posted January 19, 2009 Posted January 19, 2009 Great story. They way it was going at the start, I thought they were going to be able to expand and then have to get the new farm sets to keep up. Unfortunately it turned sad and reality set in. Thanks! Quote
Svelte Posted January 19, 2009 Author Posted January 19, 2009 Great story. They way it was going at the start, I thought they were going to be able to expand and then have to get the new farm sets to keep up. Unfortunately it turned sad and reality set in. Thanks! I can't wait for the new Farm sets - that's why I was practising some landscaping Hoard your yellow antennae, people! They've gone from bricklink! Actually it would be nice if Pick-A-Brick started selling the yellow antennae so people *could* make their own crops. Quote
Lt. Col. Thok Posted January 19, 2009 Posted January 19, 2009 How very depressing. But also well done! You have told a modern day tale well. Quote
Marko Posted January 20, 2009 Posted January 20, 2009 I love the realism! That's how things do happen. Many Lego towns need the serious attitude that you have Reading your story was highlight of my whole week, you see I had to return to work after one month winter holidays. Quote
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