Forest Police and File

I've shown you a few of the residences out by the lake, but it's not all relaxing lake homes.  Someone has to help keep the peace out there.

Forest Police and Fire Stations

I wanted a Lego bear, and I had limited options, so I got the 4440 Forest Police Station a few years ago.  However, the original design of the police station was open ended.  I needed to close it off so it could better contain anyone arrested out in the boonies.  I tried to use any many parts from this set, but I wound up with a lot of extras.  I also needed lots of white bricks to put it all together, but I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.

Outside and inside the Forest Police Station

I also put a forest ranger lookout station on top of the Forest Police Station to keep an eye out for trouble on the horizon.  It works great, as the ranger can notify the fire station of potential wildfires that may need to be addressed.

Forest Fire Station outside and in

I got a 60010 Fire Helicopter for Christmas a few years ago, and I didn't feel like it was a good fit for a more urban area.  But out in wilderness?  Perfect.  I pretty much built the Forest Fire Station just to house the helicopter, with a landing pad large enough to hold it.  Once the forest ranger sees smoke, the firefighters can hop on an ATV to investigate further and call in the chopper if needed.

 Fire and police ATV's stationed out at the lake

The Fire Station out in the woods is a place where city firefighters can go out and practice their skills to ensure they remain well versed in their responsibilities.  There are plenty of apparatuses (apparatii?) to work on for all types of fire.  I should probably have a building out there too, but I just haven't bothered to put one together yet.

Equipment for the firefighters to practice with

As for the extra, leftover pieces after assembling everything?  I haven't sorted them out and placed them in the bins yet.  No idea if I ever will or not.  I may want to redesign a few things.  Or maybe go back to the original design.  Who knows?  Until I decide, I'll leave them in the ziplock bag.

Leftover pieces from 4440 Forest Police Station

Sets used: 4427, 4437, 4440, 6511, 7279, 30228, 60006, 60010

Grandstand

With the Minnesota State Fair wrapping up in a few days, I'll close out my two-part fair series with the Grandstand.  The State Fair always has good rock acts come through, and this year is no different, with Weezer playing this Saturday night.  They are my favorite band, so I have to check them out every time they come to town.

The Grandstand

The Grandstand is a combination of two ideas.  The first, a pavilion stage that one would find in a park for bands to play on.  It's just a platform with a wall and partial roof over it.  There are stairs leading up to the stage on both sides.  It's just enough to be useful, and that's all I ever try to do with all my buildings.

The band performing on stage

The second inspiration was trying to build a drum set out of Lego bricks.  I came up with the conceptual designs in Lego Digital Designer.  How could I get a bass drum and cymbals arranged in a small space so that the drummer can reasonably reach everything without feeling crammed in.  I don't have any toms mounted above the bass drum, but I think this worked.

 Conceptual design of a drum kit front (left) and rear (right)

:Lego beat me to the punch with the 850486 Rock Band Minifigure Accessory Set, but there were a couple of elements missing from their set that were in my conceptual design.  There was no kick pedal, but no big deal.  I just used the one from this Lego set.  I put it up on a platform, so it'd be above the rest of the band, like drummers in actual bands do.

 

 

The drummer banging it out on his drum kit.

Once I had the drumming situation figured out, I built the rest of the band around him.  I figured a bassist, a lead singer, and three guitar players would round things out.  Of course, I wound up with a few extra musicians.  I've still got an 8831 Rocker Girl, a 71002 Saxophone Player, an 8831 Bagpiper, and a newly acquired 71013 Mariachi.  I could put the Saxophone Guy in the band, and maybe the Rocker Girl (you can never go wrong with more guitars), but with my limited stage space, I don't have room for them up there.

Additional musicians (left to right) Rocker Girl, Saxophone Player, Bagpiper, and Mariachi

We've settled on who's performing at the Grandstand, but who's going to the show?  Easy, it's the minifigures dressed up in costume.  The band is playing AT A COSTUME PARTY.  It's brilliant!!  A concert is a great excuse to put on a bright, colorful outfit, like a zombie, a shark suit, or a Ninja Turtle, and wear it out in public.

Costume partygoers enjoying the music at their shindig

As always, the best way to build a Lego town is to take the pieces you have and build around them, not the other way around.

Sets used: 8684, 8804, 8831, 71002, 71007, 71013, 850486

Lego Haul - 8/12-14/16

During the weekend of August 12-14, my wife and I went hunting for Lego's, after she discovered Series 16 minifigures at the Target in Bloomington, MN.  We'll get to those later, as Target also had a deal that weekend on Lego Dimension sets.

We got three Fun Packs for Lego Dimensions, 71231 UniKitty, 71234 Sensei Wu, and 71222 Laval for 40% off, so we essentially got a free set out of the deal.  These sets gave us access to two additional worlds, Ninjago and Legends of Chima. 

New Lego Dimensions sets (clockwise from bottom left) 71222 Laval, 71231 UniKitty, and 71234 Sensei Wu

UniKitty didn't unlock a new world like the other two characters, but activating Rainbow LEGO Objects is her exclusive domain, we decided to get her.

71231 UniKitty contents (left) and fully assembled (right)

Sensei Wu, like all Ninjago characters, have the Spinjitzu ability, but we got him for his Pole Vault ability, a talent only he and Legolas possess.

71234 Sensei Wu contents (left) and fully assembled (right)

Laval can Deflect Lasers, which we haven't had a chance to use yet, but his CHI power is quite useful.

71222 Laval contents (left) and fully assembled (right)

With all the new Lego Dimensions sets, my wife and I have been going back through all the levels we've completed, but we'll need to do again as we're still missing a few abilities.  We haven't got any Ghostbusters , Doctor Who, Simpsons, or the Portal 2 sets yet.  We'll keep our eyes open for additional deals, especially with the next series of game packs coming out next month.

The new Lego Dimension sets, ready for action

My wife went to Target in Bloomington, found Series 16 minifigures and grabbed 5 of them.  We went back the following day to try to get the rest of them.  We very nearly did, as we were only missing Penguin Boy and ended up with two Cute Little Devil's.  I think I'll give the extra one to my nephew at Christmas.

Series 16 Minifigures

I haven't thought much about where everyone will be going yet, as I've been working on other non-Lego related stuff lately.  I managed to finish up my semester of school, so I've got a bit of free time before my next class starts.  I'm not sure about more purchases, as Christmas is only a few months away, but I've still got plenty of buildings to work on.

Fairgrounds

It's August, so it's nearly fair time.  The Minnesota State Fair is one of the biggest events this time of year, and one of the biggest in the United States.  In honor of it, this post (and the next one) are dedicated to it.  Today, we'll be looking at the Fairgrounds outside my Lego City

Most of the Fairgrounds

As you can tell from the photo above, the Fairgrounds are quite large.  I couldn't fit everything on the platform I use to take pictures of my creations, so I had to split it up here.  Although my table is big enough to fit everything, my cardboard backdrop and my tagboard bottom pieces can't hide what's in the background of my apartment.  No worries though.  If I didn't want to build big stuff and take pictures of it, I wouldn't be blogging about it.

Hot dog, balloon, and ice cream vendors (clockwise from top left)

The Fairgrounds are mostly the Ferris wheel and the mixer, plus some vendors and games.  All the classic things you'd expect to find at a fair.

Various fairgoers enjoying their time outside

Since the Fairgrounds are so big, they're located outside the city, near the lake.  Unlike the Minnesota State Fair, which is located in St. Paul, right next to the U of M campus.

Elements of the Mixer laid out

I also have a carousel with another game that could have went with the Fairgrounds if it wasn't winter-oriented.  I don't have the pieces to build a replica specifically for the Fairgrounds, but no big deal.  A Ferris wheel and a spinning, nauseating mixer should be enough entertainment for everyone.

Step right up and get your tickets here, folks.

I don't have much more to say here, so I'll let you go along and check out the rest of the fairgrounds.  I know when I'm at the Minnesota State Fair, I just try to take it all in at my own pace.  You should do the same here.

Dunk tank (right) and a strength tester (right) are two of the games for everyone to try to win a prize at

Spinning around the mixer

 Sets used: 8293, 8883, 10244, 10247, 40078, 40108

Lego Haul - 8/6/16

A few weeks ago, my wife and I went to see the new Ghostbusters movie, and it was A-MAZ-ING!!  They took an old idea and put a new spin on it.  Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon were hilarious, Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig  provided solid performances, and it was a great social commentary on geek culture.  The cameos from the original cast were well placed, making the flick an excellent tribute to the original from 1984.  Ghostbusters was well worth the price of admission.

The Lego Haul from 8/6/16

As such, I had to get the new Ghostbusters set from the Lego store.  I lucked out and get the last one in stock last Saturday, then spent the afternoon putting it together.  75828 Ecto-1 & 2 came with the main cast and a demon ghost for them to bust.  I've got it up on a shelf right now with the original Ectomobile set, 21108.  It was a brilliant idea that Lego decided to get the licensing rights to the original movie, then the firehouse, then new version as well.  A great business move, in my opinion

75828 Ecto-1 & 2 contents (left) and fully assembled (right)

I grabbed a 60100 Airport Starter Set, so I can continue amassing elements for my town's airport.  I've got the cargo terminal pieces already, so I'm looking for more passenger plane objects so the folks can fly around (like maybe up to the mountains or something).  Most of this set is orientated towards mail delivery services, but I can use that to my advantage and enhance my Delivery Services building with a few more employees and stuff for them to handle.

60100 Airport Starter Set contents (left) and fully assembled (right)

I was aiming to get $75 worth of Lego's, so I could get the free 40220 London Bus.  I added a sand baseplate to get me over the mark.  The bus is more for decoration, as it's not big enough to put any minifigures in.  I guess I could put it with my Lego Big Ben, but it's quite large for that.  Maybe if I got that new larger Big Ben set.  But I won't.

40220 London Bus contents (left) and fully assembled (right)

I don't know why Google is uploading my pictures like the one of the contents above rotated 90 degrees.  I'm sure if I migrated my blog off of Blogger, or maybe moved my photos to another server, I wouldn't run into this problem anymore.  If you know of a way to fix it, please let me know.

All my new sets assembled and ready to go

Rumor has it that Series 16 minifigures are available from Lego, a month earlier than I expected.  I'll have to go hunting for some this upcoming weekend.  Stay tuned, sports fans...

Mountain Hut

Not every cabin and cottage out by the lake is on the lake shore itself.  The Mountain Hut is upstream a bit from the lake, at the foothill of the nearby mountains.

The Mountain Hut

I'm not sure how I'd build a mountain to put this hut in position next to it.  Nor do I know what kind of baseplate to put it on.  It opens up off-center, with 8 studs to the left and 24 to the right.  I've got one 8x32 baseplate, but I'd need a second one to finish it off.  I've got a 16x32 baseplate, but I debate if I'd really want to use my green one, or if I'd want to track down some blue ones.

My other option would be to get a 32x32 baseplate and lift the plates up and place some tiles on the left to open the hut up.  Then I'd have to buy enough green tile pieces to get that to work.

Damned if I do, damned if I don't.  Either way, I'll have to make an investment to get this on a baseplate.  I'm probably better off saying to heck with it and not caring.

Inside the Mountain Hut

If I do get a baseplate for this set, I'd also have to take the river into account.  Before I got this set, I wasn't thinking of putting a river anywhere in my Lego world, but this Mountain Hut introduced a new opportunity to design a geological feature.  For the most part, the lake was just going to standalone, but since I live in Minnesota, it'd be more apt to connect it to a source.

A couple of mountain climbers practice scaling this height outside the Mountain Hut

As for the mountains?  I don't have that kind of time or money to build a freakin' mountain.  I can barely handle molehills...

Sets used: 31025, 71002

Lego Haul - 7/7/16

I'm supposed to have a normally scheduled post right here, about my next building out at the Lake Shore, but I've been really stressing out over stuff lately.  School, work, social activities.  I was freaking out a few days ago, but I've calmed down a bit since my near-panic attack.  I've got a mid-term exam Monday, so I should return to normal after that.

I did get some new Lego's last week, so I'll share that with you instead here.  I made this purchase online, as I was aiming to spend enough to get a 5004119 Lego Knights Retro Set.  Lego has also lowered the amount you need to purchase to get free shipping, from $75 to $35, which is nice.  I got a nice variety of items here, one of my nicest acquisitions, IMO.

71235 Midway Arcade Level Pack contents (left) and fully assembled (right)

I got my first Lego Dimensions level pack with the 71235 Midway Arcade Level Pack.  Everything I got before was either a fun pack or team pack, which only gave me new abilities and new worlds to complete tasks in Lego Dimensions.  With Level Pack, not only did I get to go the Midway Arcade world, but a brand new story mode level.

Not only can I play more of the Lego Dimension content, but there are the classic Midway arcade games you can fire up and enjoy.  Rampage, Gauntlet, Spy Hunter, Paperboy, Joust...  Lots and lots of fun.  Well, fun as long as you don't play Defender or Robotron 2084.  Those are hard as well.  How did people waste their quarters and tokens on that shit.  Those ARE NOT fun.

60134 Fun in the Park - City People Pack contents (left) and fully assembled (right)

60134 Fun in the Park - City People Pack is the one set I wanted the most with this order.  They introduced a few new elements/concepts, like the baby and the dude in the wheelchair.  There is a great assortment of standard park elements in this set, enough so that I'm now inspired to design a park "building" for my Lego town.  I hope to start figuring that out in the coming weeks, after I clear up my personal schedule.

 

5004119 Lego Knights Retro Set contents (left) and fully assembled (right)

I didn't need more Castle or Pirate sets for my Lego Marine facilities, but I can never resist these fancy collector sets like the 5004119 Lego Knights Retro Set.  A nice little presentation box and an insert outlining the evolution of a major aspect of the Lego system.  And who doesn't love big giant crossbows?

The full haul sitting on and around the sand baseplate

Lastly, I got a 10699 Sand Baseplate so I could start trying to move some of my Lake Shore sets off of blue baseplate plates.  Sand is a much more logical choice, as water shouldn't be sitting underneath the cabins and houses out there.  I hope to try to transfer a building I haven't catalogued at the Lake Shore, so you can see the different of what it looks like on a blue versus a sand baseplate.  The latter is going to look much better.