Hardware Store

Last May, I wrote about the two houses I have in my Lego city so far, the Apple Tree House and the Family House.  And now that spring is upon us, it's time for some upkeep to get everything fixed up, planted, and whatever else home improvement stores tell us to do so we buy their wares.  I figured, why couldn't the Lego people do that as well?  If I gave them a Hardware Store, they could also get ready for spring.

The Hardware Store

This will be the first in a two-part series, focusing more on things to go in and on the home.  Stay tuned for the next scheduled post that will emphasize the outdoor section.

This is the first building I put together and filled up from scratch, instead of using existing sets.  Store employees are from various sets with minifigures dressed in a red shirt and green overalls.  I know it doesn't really match up with the yellow green bricks used in the building, but since there were a good number of people all wearing the exact same thing, the red/green uniform would make it easy to identify employees, should a customer need assistance.



A customer buying a broom

The inside part of the Hardware Store has tools, storage containers, paint, and doors and windows.  I thought this would pretty much cover the basics.  One glaring omission right now is the lack of plumbing equipment, but I'm setting up a separate business for handling those items.

Tools (left) and storage containers (right) for sale

For tools, I have the basics: shovels, brooms, hammers, wrenches, axes, pickaxes, crowbars, and power saws.  That's a pretty good selection  As for storage containers, I have drawers, cabinets, boxes,, barrels, and trashcans.  I was able to put all of that on a single shelving unit I constructed that sits against the back wall, out of the way so it does impede foot traffic through the building to the outdoor section.

The paint selection available (left) and paint cans (right)

Paint was a must for the Hardware Store, in case no one likes the colors of the houses I had constructed.  I took a 2x2 round brick and added a 2x2 medium stone grey tile on top as a lid to assemble the cans.  I've got a wide array of colors available across the Lego rainbow, so the residents are sure to find something to their liking.



A woman is looking at window shutters with the store employee.



The front right portion of the store is devoted to new doors and windows for those that may want to build a new house, or do some major remodeling of their current home.  I've also got some sample fences right next to it, in case anyone is looking to buy those.



Lego Haul - 3/25/16

I had this Friday off because of the upcoming Easter holiday, so I thought what better time to head to the Lego store and pick up some new sets.

Boy, was I wrong.  It was slim pickings in my local Lego store.  There were still no Series 15 minifigures, they only had one of the Captain America: Civil War set on the shelf, and the Pick-A-Brick wall wasn't much different than the one at Disney a few weeks ago.

Turns out that Spring Break at the area schools have seen product flying off the shelves at a higher rate this March.  Kinda sucks.  Maybe if Easter wasn't so early, I would've had better luck.

The Lego Haul from 3/25/16

I didn't want to waste a trip to the Lego store, so I got a 31048 Lakeside Lodge and a 76066 Mighty Micros: Hulk vs. Ultron.  With my $35 purchase, I got a free 30422 Kai's Mini Dragon.

Let's start with the Marvel set.  I did not have a Hulk minifigure yet, so I thought this was a quick and easy way to get one so I could finish up my collection.  I'm trying to avoid having duplicates of each Avenger, and Hulk and Black Widow are the last two I need.

76066 Mighty Micros: Hulk vs. Ultron contents and assembled product

Sadly, I did not get what I was expecting.  The minifigures included in this set had short legs, not full size ones.  I could easily find legs for Ultron, but since Hulk has purple pants...  It's going to be a l9ot tougher to make him taller.

Hulk is not in Captain America: Civil War, so I'll have to wait for the next Thor movie to try to get him again.

The Hulk and Ultron minifigures

I've never been a fan of the Ninjago sets, but it was nice to get a little set for free with my purchase today.  I don't care much for any of the Lego sets based on a cartoon series whose sole purpose is to try to sell Lego's.  Ninjago, Mixels, Nexo Knights...  They're all too fancy and complex for my taste.  I also don't need any Marines from the Ninjago and Nexo Knight sets.  Mixels are OK, but I haven't found any I really like, nor a reason to incorporate them into my town.

30422 Kai's Mini Dragon contents and assembled product

The 31048 Lakeside Lodge will be a nice addition to my Lake area, outside of town.  I'll have to find a baseplate to put this one, since it opens up in the middle of the building.  I should be able to figure that out soon.  I won't go into too much detail here, as I plan to write about all my building out by the lake this summer.

31048 Lakeside Lodge contents and assembled product

Overall, I'm satisfied with my purchase.  It's good enough, but not what I was expecting.  I'll live with it, but I hope if my luck isn't better next time around, it may be time for another letter to the Lego Group about my disappointment in them.

Everything has been put together, once again, saving the day for everyone

Lego Haul - 3/13/16

Last weekend, my wife and I went to the happiest place on earth.  And we went to Disney World.

Disney World is massive.  So many parks, so many rides, and so many stores trying to sell you stuff. 

The haul from the Lego Store at Disney Springs last weekend

We went to Disney Springs, which is a nice outdoor shopping center, to visit the Lego Store there.  It was pretty nice.  Comparable to the one at the Mall of America up here in the Twin Cities.  Perhaps even a little bit bigger.  The way ALL Lego stores should be.

40202 Lego Easter Chick contents

We were finally able to get our hands on some Series 15 minifigures.  They came out last month, but we've never been able to find any in our local Lego Store.  They restock the shelves every Monday morning, but when we visit on the weekends, they are already sold out.  It seems like they are really throttling the availability, because in the past they've had bins full of minifigures to wade through to find them all, but now it's like they only have one or two boxes worth out at a time.

We were able to find nine out of the sixteen in relatively short order.  It's much easier to feel the bags up to find specific minifigs this time around, because each one has more unique pieces than normal.  I got a Farmer, Tribal Woman, Animal Control Officer, Ballerina, Frightening Knight, Wresting Champion, Clumsy Guy, Kendo Fighter, and Laser Mech.  The Animal Control Officer is the best since it came with a skunk, or as my wife and I like to call it, a fart squirrel.

Complete haul from the Disney Springs Lego store.

In addition to the great selection of Lego sets, they had some really nice Lego dioramas and statues in and around the store.  They were of course depictions of Disney intellectual property, but they were done very well.  I especially liked Hulk, because it absolutely brilliant.  Totally how I would have built it.  It was also one of the few Marvel properties anywhere at Disney World.  Marvel had a deal with University Studios in Orlando before Disney bought it, so Disney can't do anything while University Studios has rides based on the comics and movies.  Lame.

Clockwise, from top left: Hulk holding me prisoner, Snow White and Dopey, the Dwarfs working in the mine, and the dragon and knight from Sleeping Beauty

It was a great trip.  I can't wait to go back...  To the Lego store...  Duh.

It's double VIP points this month.  Why, what did you expect?

Islanders

One of the first challenges I was faced with when designing my Lego town was figuring out what to do with my early '90s Islanders sets.  In the Legoland universe, they were a subset of Pirates, and a few of the sets intersected with seeking bounty and booty.  But with all the Pirates joining the Marines in my world, what could I do with the natives?

The Islanders' performance center

I thought about where I could put it and what kind of climate my city would be in.  I came up with a subtropical zone, like maybe southern California.  It'd be nice to go to Cali, because then I could put my wintry sets in the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe.  Then the Islanders could be at the beach or next to the shore.

Status of the king overlooking the land (left) and the actual king on his throne (right)

 

Of course, the next question becomes what do they do in town?  I thought a Polynesian-type luau/cookout/dance show.  Show their athletic abilities, provide a non-sports entertainment option, give the residents a chance to learn about other cultures.  Spending my teenage years overseas I saw some of these types of displays, but I should have done more to learn about my hosts.

 

The Islanders performers consist of spearmen, a hula girl, and even a flamespinner.

I wish I could come up with something like this for my other late '80s to mid '90s Lego's.  I have no idea what to do with all my Space sets.  They're all too futuristic to fit into the mold I've built for my town.  It's much easier to yank Lego people forward into the present then to try to pull them back from the past.  Maybe when I complete more of my city, I can open up my green tote with all the items I'm not using right now to come up with my next big idea.

Sets used: 6236, 6246, 6262, 71002