ASK HERE MOC-stuck? Ask for general building advice here!

[spacefan6901]

Well I could use some suggestions on how to hold this (specifically the angled sides) together with hinges or technic or something?

It is an attempt at a truncated cone shape for a minifig-scale space capsule. So I need it to remain mostly open inside so I can fit some crew members.

(The last 3 pictures are LDD screenshots for my latest idea for it. That is what I could use advice on. Surely many have used that technique before, but it is a new one for me.)

https://secure.flick...ith/8173462335/

Thank you for any part ot technique suggestions.

-spacefan6901

Edited November 11, 2012 by spacefan6901

[Alasdair Ryan]

What about using inverted slopes down the inside of each segment?

[spacefan6901]

I just kept plugging away and added some more screenshots to my Flikr.

Think I'm on to something, but the collison detection in LDD is preventing me from placing the last parts, even though I am fairly sure it would work in physical form.

One day I will have to get my bricks out of storage and try it out.

I think I might try some kind of small slopes to fill in the gaps in the sides though. Thanks for that idea.

[twenty6twelve]

So I'm a bit stuck as to how to MOD my modular buildings series:

I want to furnish a complete interior for both Cafe Corner and Market Street and embellish the interiors featured in the five buildings since. However, I'm dissatisfied with the inability to easily view the interior; as is the standard the only means is to separate the modules and look down into the building from the ceiling, which makes both viewing and photography awkward. Lego's solution is to photograph the interior with the exterior walls deconstructed to some extent, but I desire a more permanent method to display the building's 'guts.'

My dilemma is thus: I can't decide which solution I should pursue, out of the three following options, in order of least to most intrusive in regards to their original design:

1). Raise each floor (Technic connecting bricks excepted) by the height of one plate with a layer of tiles

This method effectively separates the literal floor of each module from the walls, splitting them into an interior and an exterior module.This would require the least amount of modification and would be all but unnoticeable until close inspection. This would allow each interior to be photographed and displayed with ease separate from the building.

The con to this method is that, as in the original design of the buildings, the interior is not readily visible without the unit being disassembled. Although it allows a 360 degree view at minifigure eye level to be had of the interior, it only allows this when taken outside of the building.

2). Build hinges into one of the side (i.e. connecting) walls of the buildings

This was the most immediately apparent solution and requires a reasonable amount of modification of each building. The placement of the hinges is crucial - they must not protrude out from the sides so as to interfere connection with other modulars. This method allows the interior to be viewed inside the building without dissasembly of the modules, unlike the one mentioned previous.

It's downside, however, is twofold: not all of the modifications would be so easily unnoticed, as hinges do not exist in all the colors needed to 'seamlessly' blend into the walls. Secondly, it would allow a view into the building from the hinged side only, which while improved upon the modulars as built, is not entirely ideal.

3). Rebuild the modulars with partial or no back walls

(Rightmost creation and image is the property of valgarise on Flickr)

The most radical solution I've fathomed is to rebuild the modulars with either minimized or reduced back walls, in the style of Classic Town buildings. An inherent advantage to this method is not only the ability to view the module's interior with little obstruction but also, with minimized or non-existent back walls, a good deal of parts are then recycled into 'MOC inventory.'

The issues, however, are obvious - with the exception of Cafe Corner and Market Street, as they do not feature rear detail, the lack of most or all of a back wall detracts from some of the character of the standard. While not vastly detailed, they do help to distance the series from traditional town playsets. Light shining through the windows of the building's facade will also highlight the absence.

Thoughts and opinions?

[commodore_legolas]

Hmm, The back idea works, but then you could not really put stuff behind the Modular. The hinge I don't thing would work very well. However, I think you first idea would work great!

So my opinon. Hope it helps!

[Amiko]

Hi,

I'm trying to set up a postal system within my family city for a bit of Christmas fun and I was wondering what the cheapest way to get stickers would be - particularly for the mail boxes... There don't appear to be any mail based sets on the horizon and everything else seems to have been discontinued. Are LEGO fairly amenable to requests for spare sticker sheets and, if so, how would I go about begging 'em for one ? Does anyone know what the most recent mail based set was that came with stickers for mail boxes ?

Massive thanks for any help you can give me... my town needs your genius or we can't send letters to minifig santa! lol

[jonwil]

I am working on a Ghostbusters MOC but I cant think of ideas for how to build actual ghosts.

I have one http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=2888 but it doesn't look like a suitable ghost for my Ghostbusters to bust.

Anyone want to suggest other ideas? Or anyone want to suggest that using the Castle ghost shroud for my Ghostbusters is a good idea (and suggest how to use it)?

I dont have any of the Monster Fighters ghosts so that's not an option :)

[HawkLord]

The Harry Potter Dementor figures could be pretty cool. Otherwise, I see the classic ghost as a very good option

[jonwil]

hmmm yeah, the classic ghost might work better than I thought.

Its instantly recognizable as a ghost and if I give it the right body parts (I have a glow-in-the-dark skeleton skull somewhere that could work well) then it could definatly work.

[Luke_likes_Lego]

Maybe an all white minifig (including head) with gray hair...a kind of humanoid ghost I guess....

Anyway...looking forward to seeing your end result....Ghostbusters is an old favourite!

LLL

[Speedboat]

What about using Rotta the Hutt from the Star Wars line? http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?M=sw193 He looks a bit like Slimer. ;)

[jonwil]

No way I can afford the price Rotta is selling for :)

hmmm, one idea could be to build a minifig looking like some sort of bad guy (someone who might have been a ghost in the past) and give them a trans-clear head.

[Hrw-Amen]

What about the alien conquest head huggers, they are not white admittedly but they have that cartoon ghost look about them.

[jonwil]

Good idea, I do own a few of those and I have watched enough Real Ghostbusters episodes on YouTube to know that ghosts like that could work (especially if I stuck the right plain-colored head in there)

[Rolf]

How about that one eyed mind controller aliem from invasion lego set? Might be good "slimer type" ghost.

[CMP]

No way I can afford the price Rotta is selling for :)

Just check the price. Damn.

You could try these guys: http://www.bricklink.com/search.asp?itemID=112177. They look a bit spookier than the classic ghost.

[halfir]

I am currently designing Gondolin in LDD, and hope to produce a brick-built version over the next few months. I am recently out of my Dark Ages and have a really limited collection of bricks, so testing large LDD designs for stability is really difficult without first buying thousands of bricks. I am particularly worried about the stability of the high wall sections. My current design is a 32-stud wide wall section constructed of 1x2 bricks supported by three flying buttresses. I plan on making the wall 32-36 bricks high, with a buttress every 10 bricks of height, and am afraid that the wall will not be stable enough. For those of you with experience building large castle walls, will I be better off making them with 2x2 bricks, or is my current design viable?

Thanks for all of your help!

Edited December 22, 2012 by halfir

[Green Castle]

Hey everyone, new to the site. I have a hard question to ask all of you, but didn't know where to post it so I'm starting a new thread...Ok so I've seen alot going on with this WW2 military scenes that people have been building for WW2 battle dioramas and the such. The question I've got is, I collect vintage GI Joes (80's) and I'm looking to use lego for the back ground for my dioramas. I've seen this neat little bunker which is 12x12 on a 16x16 base plate, I've put a GI Joe into the bunker and it fits snugly, I'd like to make the bunker maybe twice the size of the 12x12 bunker and see how that looks with my GI Joe.

What I'm looking to do is after I tackle this little project is I'd like to look into further buildings for 1/18th scale to fit the GI Joe scene. Thanks in advance for any and all help guys.

Edited December 26, 2012 by Green Castle

[Hobbestimus]

Hey!

I don't know that I have any help to offer, but I'd be excited to see your eventual results.

I guess you'll want to google Lego sets that are similar to what you want for your Joes - i.e., if you're looking for a winter battle scene, google Lego Hoth dioramas and such to see how snow is built up and all.

Good luck on your quest.

[Green Castle]

Hey Hobbestimus, thanks........from what I've seen floating around the internet I could be the first person to do this..... the problem I'm having is, I'm quite horrable at math and can't work out home big a building should be to fit a 1/18th scale model would be in lego......But I can't wait to see more replies and see where this goes

[Hobbestimus]

I would guess that Lego isn't going to scale exactly - it's stuck to the proportions of the bricks in a way the real world isn't.

I would suggest using your own judgment as to what looks good.

The other thing about scaling Lego, is that Lego is great for diorama tricks like forced perspective, which would introduce different "scales" in the same model.

[AndyC]

It's probably worth googling a bit for images of Miniland scale, that's 1:20 so not quite exact for your GI Joe figures but also not too far off.

[Green Castle]

Morning AndyC, Thanks for the input......I can work with 1/20th scale for these dioarmas, so now to search for pics

[Green Castle]

Urrg! Still having a problem with the scale of this bunker......I need to make this bunker about 1/16th scale but I don't know how to convert it in order to build it.....any help with this would be awesome, Thanks guys

[Hrw-Amen]

If I were doing this I would not worry about working out any proportions and all that, I would get a baseplate one of the figures you want to make it for and then just start building and see what actually looks right. I find myself that it is much better to build to get a feel for the size of things, also you can make sure the figure sits / lays / stands more or less