SwissBrick Posted April 23, 2013 Posted April 23, 2013 (edited) Hi Everyone, I am struggling to get the best out of the tables surface in terms of layout... and I am not very happy with this one, any ideas that could make it a bit more attractive??? The prerequistes are, the Town Hall should stand alone, the train is a must, water not (at least not yet). Actually I had layouts on smaller surfaces that looked more realistic, more dynamic, i.e the modulars created the impression of a bigger city, maybe because there were more "angles", more streets crossing each other.. Anyhow, thank you for your feedback and advises! photo (14) par SwissBrick, sur Flickr photo (23) par SwissBrick, sur Flickr photo (18) par SwissBrick, sur Flickr photo (20) par SwissBrick, sur Flickr photo (21) par SwissBrick, sur Flickr photo (27) par SwissBrick, sur Flickr photo (28) par SwissBrick, sur Flickr photo (25) par SwissBrick, sur Flickr Any ideas welcome, will post some updates if modifications are made following your advises, thanks again! Edited April 23, 2013 by SwissBrick Quote
lightningtiger Posted April 23, 2013 Posted April 23, 2013 Nice layout, my only advice would be more greenery (trees or shrubs), more straight road plates than cross intersections (I know same problem I had in the past too ) and a gas station. Brick On 'SwissBrick' ! Quote
wondermonkey Posted April 23, 2013 Posted April 23, 2013 Windows on the side of the town hall might add a little character, if your OK with changing it. Maybe a park in there somewhere. Quote
timmyc1983 Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 I like this layout, and you have ALL the modulars it is spread out which is nice and leaves space for expansion in the future My only comment would be to put some landscaping in front of the Town Hall, maybe a fountain or some greenery would look nice Happy building Quote
Kristel Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 You have a great foundation here for an amazing layout, but its just a little spread out. I think it needs some finishing touches to tie it all together, such as the landscaping in front of the town hall and something to fill the space between the road and train tracks. I'm curious though. What happened to the other layout you had planned? The one that had a couple of city blocks closer together, with the town hall at one end? Quote
LegoSjaak Posted April 24, 2013 Posted April 24, 2013 Your layout makes me consider to add the 10228 Haunted House to my collection as well.. it is rather okay, standing next to modulars.... to be honest.. And it is okay that it looks abandoned... Got lots of positive remarks on my Modular collection, last weekend when we had a party at our home.. I missed out on Green Grocer and Cafe Corner... sadly!! Quote
SwissBrick Posted April 24, 2013 Author Posted April 24, 2013 (edited) Nice layout, my only advice would be more greenery (trees or shrubs), more straight road plates than cross intersections (I know same problem I had in the past too ) and a gas station. Brick On 'SwissBrick' ! Thank you LT! Yes, definitely more greenery and straight road plates... this will take a little time to set up... but for the gas station, I guess I have material to do one as I have 4207 left that does not fit in the layout, might want to make gas station that would fit in, excellent idea!!! Thanks again! Windows on the side of the town hall might add a little character, if your OK with changing it. Maybe a park in there somewhere. Good point for the windows...but will wait until I find the definitive place for the town hall. As for the park, yes, that should be a next step! Thanks wondermonkey! I like this layout, and you have ALL the modulars it is spread out which is nice and leaves space for expansion in the future My only comment would be to put some landscaping in front of the Town Hall, maybe a fountain or some greenery would look nice Happy building Hi timmyc 1983, you're right, a statue, fountain and greenery should stand in front of the Town Hall! Will have fun building, but for the remaining space, I already did not put all of the sets I have in it...I think I should get another table... You have a great foundation here for an amazing layout, but its just a little spread out. I think it needs some finishing touches to tie it all together, such as the landscaping in front of the town hall and something to fill the space between the road and train tracks. I'm curious though. What happened to the other layout you had planned? The one that had a couple of city blocks closer together, with the town hall at one end? Hi Kristel, you are right, beauty is about details, same stands for realistic... and I must admit I am not good at it, but I'll try to add more details, greenery and landscaping (I tried with the haunted house, my first attempt.. ). Regarding the compacity/spreading, I have a couple modulars remaining (another FB to make Brick City Depot's Consulate and another Pet Shop that I can transform to classic residential building) that can be added. For the initial layout idea, I just did not take the table dimension into account... and if I want the train to loop around the city, I just can't go for it since the table width allows me to put 2 buildings and a road and the train on the sides. Initial planning was 4 buildings, a road plus the train in the width... Now I definitely need another table to go for it... But in the meantime maybe better ideas can come out depending on the discussions. Thanks Kristel for your always valuable feedback! Edited April 24, 2013 by SwissBrick Quote
UrbanErwin Posted April 29, 2013 Posted April 29, 2013 (edited) It looks very good. I am struggling to get the best out of the tables surface in terms of layout... and I am not very happy with this one, any ideas that could make it a bit more attractive??? Height, perhaps a tunnel with some modulars on top of it and track ballast. Edited April 29, 2013 by UrbanErwin Quote
SwissBrick Posted April 30, 2013 Author Posted April 30, 2013 It looks very good. Height, perhaps a tunnel with some modulars on top of it and track ballast. Thanks for your feedback UrbanErwin, excellent idea! However it will take a long time and lots of bricks... But I wanted to make a hill for the haunted house, this might be the perfect solution!!! In the mean time I did some modifications as per prior comments: So there are more straight roadplates - Thanks LT! A little more greenery and scenery, thanks all! And there is a townhouse by Brick City Depot and another pet shop... Hope you like it 1 par SwissBrick, sur Flickr 4 par SwissBrick, sur Flickr 5 par SwissBrick, sur Flickr 9 par SwissBrick, sur Flickr Any further improvement ideas, especially in terms of placing the buildings another way? Thanks! Quote
melbs Posted May 1, 2013 Posted May 1, 2013 (edited) My only suggestion is to put your city on the floor so you're not limited to a narrow layout That way I would make a small gated village with all your creator houses on one side of the city then line up the modulars to showcase them like how lego does on the other side of the city. Add a police station, park, and some more retail buildings in between... But if you can't, it's good as it is Edited May 1, 2013 by melbs Quote
EvMan Posted May 1, 2013 Posted May 1, 2013 Hola! Like it? SwissBrick, it is off the chain! The large town square in front of Town Hall is a great idea, one which I'm going to "borrow" (read: steal). Only change in building location I would consider is swapping Cafe Corner with the Pet Store + townhouse next to Town Hall, for the following reasons: - Having Cafe Corner adjacent to the Town Hall would mean you'd have a wider laneway (with a cafe) opening on to the town square in front of Town Hall; and - Appreciate town houses are normally in city centres, but having another townhouse down where Cafe Corner is currently would result in a transition from CBD - inner city -suburbs. EvMan Quote
SwissBrick Posted May 3, 2013 Author Posted May 3, 2013 Hola Evman, thanks for the advice! You're definitely right, next to a town hall and a big square, there should be a café! So I changed te CC to the suggested place, but did't invert it with the pet shop, but I'll try though @melbs, unfortunately I can't put it on the floor for several reasons... but if I expand the tables, yes, a park! Thanks to both of you! 96 par SwissBrick, sur Flickr 94 par SwissBrick, sur Flickr Quote
LAKAbricks Posted May 3, 2013 Posted May 3, 2013 A good start for a new layout, SwissBrick. The narrow table gives you some challenges, but it might not be bad. - My primary suggest would be to move the railway station to the city centre together with a bus stop to have a public transport terminal. The other bus stop I would put in the suburbs, so the citizens can take the bus between centre and suburb. In the suburbs, you should swap the 4956 House (white) with the 4954 Town House (tan), so the latter will be neighbour to the haunted house. I think the two fit better in size and architecture. It would seem like a natural expansion of the city in past, while the white house fits the smaller and more modern looking buildings better. Quote
ACCURATEin Posted May 4, 2013 Posted May 4, 2013 Awesome layout! Looking forward to future installments. Quote
LEGO Guy Bri Posted May 4, 2013 Posted May 4, 2013 Looking forward to future installments. Same here, I love looking at layouts! You have a great collection on modulars, although I don't sea a Market Street. Was that one missed? Quote
Roger_Smith Posted May 4, 2013 Posted May 4, 2013 You apparently have way too many pet shops. I'd suggest you dismantle one and send it to me ;) Seriously though, having a corner building with no street in front of it on one side feels odd. So I'd suggest swapping the palace cinema with the last two buildings on the right of this street: Then move the MOC that right now sits to the left of Palace Cinemo up to the street aswell, and also put the Haunted House a bit nearer to the street which would soften the progress from inner city houses to suburbian style houses.. Quote
fred67 Posted May 4, 2013 Posted May 4, 2013 I've been away for a while, so hadn't seen this until now. I think it looks great, especially with the changes you implemented from the suggestions. I understand not putting it on the floor, but L is such a large scale that you need width in order to get the large feel. But you can't, I get that, so my suggestions are: 1. a backdrop. 2. the haunted house is a great addition... little detail-y things, "hidden" things to find, make it interesting... someone getting a ticket, street lights (working would be really cool); one of the things I have is a "mater" truck (I have some displays, but not a full layout). 3. if you're inclined to expand, make a t section where you crossed the road over the tracks. But I wanted to repeat it's just my two cents, you've made a wonderful layout. Quote
Hrw-Amen Posted May 4, 2013 Posted May 4, 2013 I think the main issue here is with the perspective in which your City is seen. It looks like a group of building squeezed in between a train track, which is OK as that is what it is. To start with i would build tunnel ends where the train runs around the back. You may not want to build a tunnel all the way along the back as that could take a lot of bricks, but feel free to if you want. A way around this would be perhaps to put in a facade of building fronts in front of the railway line to the rear. It would block the view of the train running around the back and then when it appears from the tunnel at one end it seems as though the train has come from a long way off and not just been around the block so as to speak. That would add a depth to your streets and to the buildings in general as well as forming a backdrop and giving the impression of the train arriving from elsewhere and of course leaving to elsewhere. I think the other thing to remember is that a display like this is never really finished, so if you have a gap or the bits between the road and railway are not fully finished I would not get too hung up over it, it will be in time and you know this, you cannot expect to have the whole thing built straight away. That would take away the fun of building for it as well. Just take it a step at a time as long as you have an over all plan as to the way you want to go. Quote
SwissBrick Posted May 14, 2013 Author Posted May 14, 2013 (edited) I've been away for a while, so hadn't seen this until now. I think it looks great, especially with the changes you implemented from the suggestions. I understand not putting it on the floor, but L is such a large scale that you need width in order to get the large feel. But you can't, I get that, so my suggestions are: 1. a backdrop. 2. the haunted house is a great addition... little detail-y things, "hidden" things to find, make it interesting... someone getting a ticket, street lights (working would be really cool); one of the things I have is a "mater" truck (I have some displays, but not a full layout). 3. if you're inclined to expand, make a t section where you crossed the road over the tracks. But I wanted to repeat it's just my two cents, you've made a wonderful layout. Thank you Fred67, Not sure about the backdrop yet, will see if I can make a mountain, tunnel behind, YES fo the T section and yes to more details in the haunted house "garden"... Thanks for your feedback, will try the T section as soon as possible.. I think the main issue here is with the perspective in which your City is seen. It looks like a group of building squeezed in between a train track, which is OK as that is what it is. To start with i would build tunnel ends where the train runs around the back. You may not want to build a tunnel all the way along the back as that could take a lot of bricks, but feel free to if you want. A way around this would be perhaps to put in a facade of building fronts in front of the railway line to the rear. It would block the view of the train running around the back and then when it appears from the tunnel at one end it seems as though the train has come from a long way off and not just been around the block so as to speak. That would add a depth to your streets and to the buildings in general as well as forming a backdrop and giving the impression of the train arriving from elsewhere and of course leaving to elsewhere. I think the other thing to remember is that a display like this is never really finished, so if you have a gap or the bits between the road and railway are not fully finished I would not get too hung up over it, it will be in time and you know this, you cannot expect to have the whole thing built straight away. That would take away the fun of building for it as well. Just take it a step at a time as long as you have an over all plan as to the way you want to go. I think this is the best advice I ever got, you're definitely right! Thanks Hrw-Amen! I needed this, especially these days when I want to have it grow faster and faster... Here is yet a little update (not to compare with Castor Troy's city please ) Next steps: Brick Link some of Kristel's models! Light up the lamp posts..., Thanks Electricsteams.. Make the table bigger and update the layout as per comments! photo (17) par SwissBrick, sur Flickr photo (18) par SwissBrick, sur Flickr photo (24) par SwissBrick, sur Flickr Thanks LT: photo (26) par SwissBrick, sur Flickr photo (27) par SwissBrick, sur Flickr photo (29) par SwissBrick, sur Flickr Thanks again! Thanks again to all of you for your help and advises! Edited May 14, 2013 by SwissBrick Quote
lightningtiger Posted May 14, 2013 Posted May 14, 2013 Looking good 'SwissBrick', I really like the Addam's family house across the street from the cinema. Brick On 'SwissBrick' ! Quote
tedbeard Posted May 14, 2013 Posted May 14, 2013 Do you really need a full baseplate at the front to run a single track? Using 16x32 "half-baseplates" would give you some options to create depth. If you want to keep that depth perhaps you could build some small buildings on that side of the street to fill the gap a bit? Quote
lostdriveway Posted May 15, 2013 Posted May 15, 2013 Love your layout! I have a question though about the tables you are using - home made? 12mm plywood on the top? If you have any pics of the tables before you built on top I would be interested to see. I'm looking at doing something similar but creating a large hollowed out square / rectangle with tables. This would then be something I could take to shows etc so I can stand in the middle and get an overview of everything going on. Quote
BrickyBoy Posted May 15, 2013 Posted May 15, 2013 Hello! Nice updates. What I should do, is incorporating a tramway instead of a train, for a more "urban feel". Or combine them? And adding a bycycle path... What have you done with the Tower Bridge? Can we have a closer look? Looks interesting, maybe I'll do the same in my little city. Keep on building! Quote
Kristel Posted May 15, 2013 Posted May 15, 2013 Thanks for the update, SwissBrick. I love the new tree, especially the 'knobbly' trunk. Really nicely done! I'm looking forward to watching your layout get even bigger and better. Oh, and thanks, too, for the plug! Quote
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