AYBS Flikr Update

As promised, I said I'd post pictures of my revamped Grand Emporium/Grace Brothers when it was done, so here's the link to my photostream:

My "AYBS Lego"

Look What I Bought

Much to the chagrin of my mother, who saw the box by the door when we came home from work, my latest LEGO Shop purchase arrived Thursday afternoon.

I know I was saying that I wanted to make a set for my AYBS minifigs, but when I saw that this puppy was out, I HAD to get it instead.

I started working on it at 8:00 pm, and didn't finish until about 3:45 am (Oh yeah, I'm hardcore.  Once I start, I can't stop until the build is done).

The bottom floor is the clothing department, and it has a perfume counter, a change room, a cash register, and some mannequins in the window.  There are two escalators, one leading to the second floor (Housewares, with goblets and plates) and the other to the third (the Toy Department, with a scooter and a toy house). 

I'm thinking of leaving the ground floor as-is, but maybe adding some more clothing.  The second floor I have already turned into the staff "canteen", since I had already started getting the parts together for that.  I want to turn the third floor into Mr. Rumbold's and Mr. Grace's office, but since I don't have the desks yet, it's still a combination of Toys and Housewares.  I DID, however, make a Mr. Grace minifig, and one of Mr. Rumbold's later secretaries, Miss Belfridge. 

I'll post pictures on my Flikr when I'm done, but it may be a while, because there will be a lot of more important things I will need my money for coming up.  

I made the minifigs....

..so naturally what must follow are the sets!

I said I would try not to buy any LEGO for the rest of the month, but when you're addicted, you can't stop!  I'm going to make some sets for my AYBS figs, starting with the lunchroom, or canteen as they called it, and I've already started buying the parts.  Next will be the manager, Mr. Rumbold's, office, and then gradually I'll tackle the sales floor.

I'm just slightly ashamed that I STILL haven't finished my semi-inaccurate Largo Winch set before I get started on anything else, but I DO feel good about the fact that I finished my Ghostbusters one, so I'm even with myself, I suppose.

Here they are!

As promised, I am posting my Are You Being Served LEGO minifigs, and some reference pictures:

You can see them better, along with some descriptions, on my Flikr:

My AYBS minifigs on Flikr

AYBS? Lego Immortalization 99% Complete

I am happy to say that I've almost finished my Are You Being Served? Minifigs, but I am currently waiting on better hair for Mr. Lucas.  Once I get that, I will post them.  They're too cute!

New LEGO Immortalization Idea

So I've been on a "Are You Being Served" kick (as I always have been, but it's bigger now that I'm watching my complete box set :-D ) and I'm thinking of putting together some LEGO minifigs to portray the characters (and maybe even make a set down the road!), but the only trouble I am having is finding the right torso for the ladies.  Their uniform is a brown tank dress thing with a white or beige blouse.  The legs are fine because I'll take a brown 2X1, and attach some yellow round 1x1s for legs, but the torso is tough!  Nothing I've seen really works.  There's a Han Solo one that comes close, and I would have used it, but the vest isn't brown.  I can always try and make do, but I'd like to be as accurate as possible. 

This is what I want to reproduce:

Wendy Richard (as Miss Brahms) and Mollie Sugden (as Mrs. Slocombe)  ©1974 BBC

The men are simple because they just wore regular suits and there are a few of those available.

Also, YAY, IT'S MY HUNDRETH (hundredeth?) POST!!! YAY!!!

Ahem.


UPDATE:  I'm going with this.  It's too light, but it's the best I'm going to get.

(Photo from http://www.bricklink.com/)

"Hey Janine...."

"...there's something wrong with Ecto-1.  We need to borrow your car...again."

LEGO Ghostbusters Revisited

So a while ago I posted some grainy pictures of my LEGO Ghostbusters side project that I was working on.  I finally took some better ones of them (in their better uniforms) and their HQ, so here are some links to where I have the pics:

My BrickShelf: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=409324

My GBFans Fan Art section (this has some descriptions included) :http://www.gbfans.com/fans/art/real-ghostbusters/13226/

Enjoy!

Side Project

Due to my recent unexplainable obsession with the Real Ghostbusters cartoon, I have made the characters out of LEGO (if I want to make the movie characters, I'll just get black hair for Egon). Still waiting for the parts from Brick Link to make their traps and proton packs. I have also taken grainy photographs with my Blackberry, for your viewing pleasure.

Here they are contemplating how to battle the oversized Care Bear behind them, using only relay racing batons:

But where's Peter?

With the ladies, of course:

Some progress

So I'm still working on that LEGO project, slowly but surely. I've done a fair bit of planning, and have already ordered parts from LEGO for the exterior walls and raised floors, so when those come in and get set up, I can do more planning with the interior walls and furniture.

I have also started making use of my BrickLink account, and have found it to be pretty easy to use! I've already received almost half of my orders, and I haven't had any trouble with the other members; they all seem pretty nice. It's going pretty well so far. I wonder why I found it so intimidating!

Step 2 Before Step 1.

This is me starting to get a feel for where everything will go on my little obscure TV show set replica.

I threw this together a couple of days ago, actually, before I started mapping things out on graph paper. I wouldn't have bothered with the graph paper step altogether, but I am debating between 1-stud-thick or 2-stud thick walls. 1 stud is good because it leaves more space in the rooms, but 2 studs allows me to have one single colour for the outside walls, and another for the inside, which is what I really want. I'm graphing it out so I can explore both options at the same time.

It's supposed to be an office building for a big international company. The top third is the main character's office, with a bedroom on the left, a sofa area in the middle, and a desk area on the right. When the characters aren't out fighting threats to their company, they're usually hanging out here discussing threats to their company.

There is a boardroom below the office, and although I have a rectangular (sort of!) table in the picure, I recalled that the table is supposed to be round, not solid, but more like a ring, so that may be a challenge. I'm hoping LEGO has a piece that can facilitate this, or else I'm going to have to improvise, and I don't really want to take up too much space with it. I still want to have 6 to 8 chairs around it though. I'll probably get some more minifigs that resemble some of the minor characters of the show later so I can fill up the room.

The bottom right corner is what was called the "Bunker" on the show, but it's the computer server room where another of the main characters had his office, and is another gathering place for everyone. It's a bit of a dark room with computer lights all over the walls, which might be hard to replicate, but I'll think of something.

When I said in my last post that I was recreating this set "loosely", I meant that I would be adding a room that wasn't really part of the show. I am going to put a chem lab beside the boardroom. Even if there wasn't a lab in the show, every major corporation that dabbles in a bit of everything needs a good R&D department, no? Probably will be the easiest room to make. White everything, some cupboards and a sink, maybe a little supply room, we'll see.

I have to also leave space for a lobby with a security desk, and a hallway, since a lot of stuff happened in hallways on the show.Also, the desk area in the main character's office and the Bunker are supposed to be sunken, so I am thinking that I will have to raise the floor for the whole rest of the set.

It sounds like a challenge to me, one with little artistic ability, but I think it will be fun and I'll love having it around when it's done.

P.S. 3 golden stars and my eternal esteem if you can guess the show.

Project in Plastic

I've got an expensive habit, and it's bound to get worse. I've become addicted to LEGO.

My sorry collection is limited to some of the new Pirate sets, a couple of Creator houses, and a few other odd sets, but I bought one of those big 48x48 stud gray plates with the intention of building something from scratch. Actually, I lie. I've built something from scratch before, a bar/pub type thing, but it's not very good, just somthing I slapped together. I want this one to look decent.

I was debating between a house or recreating (loosely) the set from an obscure TV show that I used to watch (which actually had David Carradine in it for a few episodes, R.I.P), and decided the set would be easier. If I find my lost talent with this, I may try a house later.

I understand my scale won't be right, nor will be the location of the rooms in relation to each other, but I just want to see if I can do it and make it look presentable.

I can get a lot from the LEGO Pick-a-Brick tool on their website, but I am sure that I will have to go to Brick Link (which I have just signed up with and am a bit wary of) to get some pieces I won't find there. I bet it won't be cheap.

I'm still in the mapping stages anyway, and won't start buying something until I am happy with my plan, but I figure if I tell someone (even the few people that follow my blog), it will actually get done. I'll update as I progress.

Shanghai Escape

I've been wanting to purchase this since I first saw it on the shelf:

I want it for the cars, and I also love Indy's tux. What I don't want is to spend $40.00 on it. Why does LEGO have to be so pricey? I suppose it could be worse, though. I'll try and stop by the Toys 'R' Us soon to pick it up, because when I want something, it eats at me until I get it.

Sad, Sorry Excuse for an Adult

I like to sing in the shower. Who doesn't? It's the only place where most of us have a chance of sounding like we can win (insert country/province/workplace name here) Idol.

Here's where I start drifting into Weird-Town. I pretend like I have a back-up band playing for me. Even worse, I give them all names. Even WORSE, I've made them into Lego(TM) mini-figs, and made instruments for them. The WORST is that I am putting up a picture of them!

This is a picture of the bar I built for them. You can't see the actual bar, or the tables around the stage, but it looks pretty funky. And I'm 26 years old. When will I ever grow up?

P.S. Thanks to Christopher Doyle from Reasonably Clever for the mini-figs. His Buy-ME-mizer is great!