I’ve created a bunch of new MOCs (“My Own Creations”) for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). BayLUG honored the Mexican holiday by displaying our themed collaboration at the Museum of American Heritage in Palo Alto, CA. The show will continue through January 15 (see schedule below), if you want to come see it.
Tag: #moc
Follow me on Social Media / Micropolis Houses
I’ve recently been trying to up my social media game, and want to post an update and reminder. I’ve started being a bit more active on Instagram and Twitter, and I’ve been posting on my Facebook page for a while now, but if you’re not following those then now’s a good time to start.
Sewing Machine by Niklas Rosén
Check out this adorable and very lifelike sewing machine designed by Niklas Rosén.
Improved LEGO Calendar
If you’ve built the LEGO Brick Calendar 853195, you might have discovered that it’s a real pain to rearrange it each month. So I’ve created my own version, using the parts from that set plus others from my collection, to create a better version.
Coast Guard Base
Last fall, the Bay Area LEGO Train Club (BayLTC) was doing a show where many of our usual waterfront models were not available, so I volunteered to build a new model for that spot. I discovered Coast Watch HQ sets on sale at Costco for about $20 each, and bought two of them. I used many parts from the sets, such as the baseplates and windows, but built a new design to be a little more realistic. The building is of my own original design, but the helicopter and cutter are based on real U.S. Coast Guard equipment. Since it was for a train show, I made it come apart into pieces for easy transport.
Esso Garage
A garage to take your LEGO cars for their regular maintenance. Has two service bays, each with a lift to give the mechanics access underneath the car. Also equipped with a workbench and a complete inventory of repair parts and tires.
This model is fully detailed on the interior, and also features rare and valuable printed bricks (Two each of “ESSO SERVICE” and “GARAGE”) from the 1960’s.
Christmas 2003: Santa Claus Bust
Initially I wanted to build a complete Santa Claus model, but Christmas came and went and I had only built the head and neck. So I finished this model as a bust.
Modular Downtown Buildings
These buildings were made for the BayLTC train layouts. Fellow club member Kenny Paul and I agreed on a standard for the placement of Technic pegs to connect the buildings together. However, with practice it turned out to be easier to not connect them, but to just place them next to each other.
The pegs are placed in a 1×2 Technic brick with peg hole, at the 7th and 8th studs in from the street, at the 3rd and (optionally) 8th brick heights. In addition, pegs may be placed at the rear, also at the 7th and 8th studs from the edge. The backs and sides of the buildings are incomplete because they are not visible; the rule is that from street level to the 6th stud, and everything above 12 bricks in height, must be decorated.
The tan building has a removable wall on the right side. This allows it to be a corner building or to be in the middle of a series of buildings. The removable wall features a fire escape.
Pokémon
With the Pok�mon Go game being such a huge hit at the moment, I thought I’d post about some old MOCs that I built 15 years ago. Sorry about the photo quality – this was the early days of digital photography…
Maneki Neko
This LEGO sculpture of a Maneki Neko (Japanese good-luck cat) was one of my earliest models, after building the Pok�mon out of basic bricks alone, I allowed myself the luxury of plates as well, in order to approximate the script on the coin. The cat itself is just basic bricks though, except for the arm detachment mechanism.
Articulated light rail vehicle
This is my second LEGO train model, a modern light rail vehicle (LRV). It is inspired loosely by the new vehicles that have recently entered service for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in Santa Clara County, CA. Like the VTA LRV’s, it has three sections, with the middle one having a wheelset fixed to it, and has a “low floor” design, so that there are no steps to climb from the platform. This gives easy access to those in wheelchairs, with strollers, or with other limited mobility.
Class C Motorhome
Tour the country in comfort in this luxurious model. Sleeps three minifigs: one above the cab and two in the rear. Includes a complete galley for cooking meals on the road, and television over the rear bed which is connected to a satellite dish on the roof.
Yellow Hopper Truck
In 2002 I built two versions of this yellow hopper truck. You can see both versions in the albums below.
Van and Sailboat
Another boat and vehicle combination, this sailboat sits high on its trailer but if you remove the keel it looks good on a blue baseplate representing water.
Truck with Zodiac Boat
Another boat entry, this ordinary one-piece LEGO inflatable boat is
improved with the addition of a control console and outboard motor.
Street Sweeper
Designed around the brush from the LEGO Car Wash, this truck provides an important civic service.
Garbage Truck
My Garbage Truck gathers up all the MegaBloks and other unwanted material from the LEGO town.