WIP Café ( coffee shop )

[Guss]

Hi everyone! Let me explain why I'm going to show you this, in may, i'm going to do an exhibition with freelug, and I have to build 2 32x32 modules , that's not a lot, but quite enough considering that I don't have tons of pieces, and that I'll travel in train ^^

so I started to make this coffee shop, and I don't know what to put around it ( littles details around. ) as I'm not a City expert.. that's my first city building for a long long time^^

in front of it , there will be a road , so I did a grey sidewalk . I'm forced to make the sidewalk like it to fit with the other modules, but that's cool because it's a cool and easy design ^^

on the other sides there will be the rails , train tracks, don't know if that's the good word XD

Pictures of the exhibition :

I came back from the exhibition were I was supposed to put these two little buildings so I decided to show you the final result :

here is a link to the gallery :

http://guss.teammu.com/modules/extgallery/...lbum.php?id=127

here is a link to a bigger gallery, but full of "non lego" stuff :

http://gallery2.freelug.org/main.php/v/gus...ts/Miramas2009/

and here is a little picture selection :

Here is the complete layout, you can see Pierrick( PZ ) a Freelug member, and my girlfriend on it.

You can also see that I also brought my tank to the exhibition, just for fun, actually it's fighting against a mad cow!

They had a lot of fun destroying my tank again and again, with a train, with elephants...

Or making it play soccer..

So here are my two littles modules, in the middle of it :

As I know that there's a lot of train fan around, here are some pics of 2 models (not mine, I don't build train ^^ )

This one is very cool, it's called the "locotonneau" ( Locobarrel ) , and it's piloted by an indian Dwarf ( it's a play with words, in french, dwarf = nain > "un nain dien" and "un indien" sounds the same. )

Here is a very cool module of J

Edited June 4, 2009 by Guss

[brickzone]

How about an outdoor seating area? As you say, visitors won't see the interior, so why not put some such elements outside the building to fill the empty space.

I like the Café, it's a neat little building, and the angled bits and detail look nice.

Edited April 16, 2009 by brickzone

[Skipper 24]

A delightful little Cafe Guss. The colours match well together and the interior details look really good. Your flat-bed truck looks great too. I like the smooth curved front which adds realism .

[Brickthing]

On the contrary to what you've said about your interior, I think it's quite important because you've got some nice big windows by the flowers that would be big enough to encourage visitors to try and look inside the building. Nothing makes looking at LEGO Town displays neater than being able to appreciate the outside, then peek inside the windows for a whole new level of detail. For this reason, I recommend you add some minifigs enjoying the Café food inside.

As for the back of the Café, it would be neat if you replaced the car with a pick-up truck that is delivering food to the back of the Café, where there could be some crates full of various cooking foods and some barrels of drinks. Then you could either have the truck being unloaded or spilt, because interesting events in a Town display always are fun to spot.

Good luck with your modules, and I look forward to seeing what you do with the Café and what you build on the other baseplate.

[teleri]

i love this... its so cool with all of the curves and shapes... the colour is amazing i this this should be the next lego city set... XD

i think the ideas about outside seating and the truck bringing supply's are really good and i think people on the inside is a good idea as i have looked inside buildings through a window and there being nothing there makes it look a bit... well empty.

i really like the tuned pick up, i think it will help make the scene look busy... i really like all the details!

i really like this model... i want it!!! XD

speak soon

Teleri

Edited April 16, 2009 by teleri

[Guss]

brickzone : Thanks a lot, your idea is cool but a seating area behind the café looks wrong to me, I don't know why , I'll try but I'm not sure I'll do it!

Skipper24 : thanks a lot ^^ I like my truck too, I think I'll modify it to makes a kind of "post apoc truck" ^^

3D Brickthing : you're right about the interior, I think I'll add some people drinking coffee , I was planning on put some people on the scene of course, and some people drinking coffee are an " obligation " to this kind of scene !

it would be neat if you replaced the car with a pick-up truck that is delivering food to the back of the Café,

OMG ! how did I do to not think at this kind of detail ! I think that's what I'm going to do , I must now build a little truck ! thanks!

Good luck with your modules, and I look forward to seeing what you do with the Café and what you build on the other baseplate.

thanks^^ I think I'm going to make a little house with peoples working on their motocross's mechanic in the garden, that's something a friend of me want me to make, I'll show you some pictures of the finished layout with the other's modules ( wich are way bigger than mine! ) at the end of may !

Teleri : thanks a lot ^^ I'm glad you loved it ! I think too that the 3D Brickthing's Ideas are some really good ideas. If you want this truck that much, maybe I can make instructions for it^^

[BlueBard]

Lovely design! I really like the colour scheme and the roof technique

If you want two little suggestions I would do the interior furniture (chairs, tables, cups, bar...) in other colours than the wall's ones and I would put some decoration in them (a picture, a clock or maybe a tv or a radio)

[badboytje88]

That is one lovely creation!

[MetroiD]

Very nice MOC, make sure you post the completed version as well!!!

The first thing that came to my mind seeing this was - drinks. Yeah, it's a cafe, so alcoholic beverage (i.e. BOOZE) is perhaps not really the best option. But since you have to build cars anyway (as you put it ), why not build one of those smaller Coke delivery vans and add a few crates of fizzy drinks being loaded or unloaded? That would really make use of that backdoor entrance you've built there - and I do believe that hiding it away and failing to make good use of it would be a crying shame. I really like that detail, no matter how small it looks. If you use it right, that backdoor could really lay the foundation for some wonderful further developments of this scene...

On a whole different level, following that backdoor thing - if you've considered adding the element of crime to your freelug exhibition, you might as well try and add a mobster scene happening just behind the cafe - like in those old Godfather mafia-type movies... Bluebard did that with his pizza parlour and I thought it looked awesome

Keep us posted :) Would be great if you could take a few pics of the entire exhibition. Oh and btw, I'm totally with 3D Brickthing on what he said about the interior. You've really done a nice job, make sure it's seen, people will really enjoy it!

[pesgores]

Interiors are awesome...and so are yours.

[Ricecracker]

The cafe looks absolutely wonderful Guss! My only suggestion would be change these to these in chrome or metallic silver, on the front of the truck.

[Officer John]

I like it a lot. Maybe some trees or lampposts would reallyl finish it.

[Guss]

BlueBard , thanks a lot^^ sadly I don't have enough chair of other colours to fil the café, plus I like the fact that the chairs are the same colours than the wall !

badboytje88 , thanks ^^

TheOtters thanks, of course I'll post the completed version !^^ here it comes, just after the answers to all of you guys^^

why not build one of those smaller Coke delivery vans and add a few crates of fizzy drinks being loaded or unloaded?

I added a pick up truck , but not a Coke delivery van, but that was a good Idea

BobaFett95 thank you^^ I just improved it!

Ricecracker thanks ! mhh yes it would give it another look, but I like it that way^^

Officer JohnThanks, I'm glad you like it^^ the lamppost will be bring by another builder^^ he is the one that does all the lamppost in the final layout^^

SO , here is the updated version with some other baad pics^^ , tell me what you think :

front view, I'll surely add someone walking :

left view , I added the truck they use to buy supplies :

back view, the fence is here because there will be the train track just behind :

right view , nothing really new there

interior views , I added some details and a tv

when you remove the roof, with the light you can see what my camera can't see, because it's an old camera :

some view of the truck (wich is 5 studs wide, except the board wich is 6 ) , with the old one :

the truck, empty :

here it is^^ tell me what you guys thinks, I think I'll not change a lot of things, but advices and ideas are always welcomes ^^ thanks everyone!

[BlueBard]

Nice improvements! The truck look very nice And I'm very glad you used my TV suggestion

[MetroiD]

Glad I/we could help with that truck delivery thing :) It really looks very cool, nice job mate! Have fun at the exhibition ;]

[Skipper 24]

I love the new delivery truck. I like the little scene out back too. The minifgs in the interior gives it further interest. Nice update .

[Brickthing]

Wow Guss, that looks great! I really like the scenes in the back with the worker's expressions, and although I don't know what the dynamite trade is about, it's certainly fun to look at! The truck is also very stylish.

One concern that I have is related to how people will be able to view the module. Will the be able to walk around the front and back of the modules, or will they be against a wall with access only to the front. Either way, the Café seems low enough to allow people to see over it, but if they can't see the module directly from the back they may not be able to see the expressions of the great droppig minifigs. Maybe if you turned them around so that they where facing away from the fence it might be better.

Overall, the Café is looking even better, and thanks for using our suggestions! Good luck with your build.

[Guss]

BlueBard , Thanks a lot^^ I used your TV suggestion because there is a lot of bar or café that watch the soccer where I'm going to do the exhibition, so they usually have a TV inside, so I thought your idea was great!

TheOtters thanks a lot ^^

Skipper 24 thanks a lot too^^

3D Brickthing thanks a lot ^^ I was thinking of a "mafia trade" or something, so I wanted to put someone buying some stuff to a "mafia dealer", but I didn't knew what to put in the hands of the dealer, so I put the first accessory I found, and it was a dynamite.

Our layout will looks like this one :

http://gallery.freelug.org/main.php/v/JAC/.../St-Chely-2009/

with some elements from it , so it's quite low so peoples easily can see at the back of the module, plus I think they'll be able to go behind it, so that's ok, they'll not miss any detail!

anyway thanks everyone for your kind comments, I started the second module, it'll be a little house with a swimming pool, I'll post it here later! thanks!

[Eilif]

Nice Job,

I'm not sure how I missed it the first time around, but your completed version looks great. The side access and loading scene is well thought out, and your interior is great. Even though the SNOT roof is very well executed, I think it would be good to leave the roof off when you display it.

[keetong]

Its looking great. I like the detail you've done inside the Cafe and the air conditioner oon the outside. The truck looks heaps cool. The roof and floor are awesome. The only thing I can say is stick a minifigure or two walking past, which you already stated you would do.

[Guss]

Eilif , thanks a lot^^ sadly it'll be a part of a big city when I'll display it , maybe if someone ask if there's a detailed interior I'll show him, but unless they ask me, it'll remain closed :/

keetong, thanks a lot ! as you'll see on the next pictures, I didn't add a lot of minifig walking, but I'll surely add some when I'll put it in the expo, depends on what there will be around^^

So , I built a second module, simpler , with less snot and tricks, but that's a nice module anyway ! here are the two modules together:

it's just a simple house

some details of the house :

as you can hardly see, it also have a detailed interior, but when I finished it I realised that it's quite an "invisible" interior ^^

havin' a good time in the swimming pool

between the two buildings, only a little and dark alley remains :

Bonus :

a little view of the yellow/orange "sports" car :

tell me what you think, all your ideas/comments and critics are welcome^^ Thanks for watching!

[welcomestranger]

Both buildings look fantastic! Well done to you on those! I'm not sure it has been mentioned, but have you thought of using a lighter colour to make the "CAFE" sign? Perhaps a lighter colour will help it stand out against the white background more than the black... or even try a black background, then the words in white, and then go over the white letters with a trans brick to make it look like an illuminated neon-type sign... just a thought... :)

[Guss]

thanks a lot welcomestranger, for the Café sign, I think it's nice like this, If I make it to looks like "neon" , then the two lamps I put on the roofs will be useless , and the photos are quite bads, but In reality it looks nice , I'll photography it on a white background with a good light, you'll see that it's nice like this^^ plus I don't have enough trans brick to make it looks nice, but your Idea is very nice, and maybe I'll try the white typos and post a photo to make a comparison ^^

[Perterz]

That's some great detailing and design on that cafe, I found those SNOT (just got into the terminology) parts very attractive especially on the second modules pool, perfectly done! Just the front of the tan building seems a bit to simple compared to the rest, but maybe we want to much :)

Also that second truck looks even better than the first one ;)

Edited April 20, 2009 by Perterz

[Klaus-Dieter]

These are totally awesome MOCs, Guss!

Although you supposably know that I'm really no fan of CC styled buildings I really your MOCs you show here!

The architecture of the buildings (mainly the one of the café) look brilliant and very realistic! Plus you added a lot of great details, interior (in the café), accessories, vehicles and minifigs to them!

Imo the updated version of the café and the truck are much better! Whereas I don't like the older version of the truck that much the new one looks great.

The most I like the swimmingpool with the big tree since these look that and the yellow sports car with car doors.

Very, very well done! :thumbup:

Klaus-Dieter