H is here!

Discussion of personal LEGO Castle creations
jb
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H is here!

Post by jb »

H is for Henry's House*
Image
For those of you that don't know who Henry is, he is cc.com's unofficial mascot. He is currently travelling around the world to visit different cc members.

Anyway, check it out on the alphabet project page.

Here are the deeplinks:
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrin ... e/hh00.jpg - hh07.jpg
and
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrin ... e/hhi1.jpg - hhi3.jpg

Enjoy!
James

*A Henry model was used in all photos because Henry will not be visiting me for several more months/years, although I am on the list!
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Devari
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Post by Devari »

Very cool! Love the colours.
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forester3291
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Post by forester3291 »

Really nice structure. I like all the colors as Devari said. I also like the way the top is larger than the bottom
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architect
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Post by architect »

Hi James,

Henry's house looks excellent. I like several of the design features such as the dark orange plaster color, the 5 wide window bays, textured stone, stable (with hay :wink: ), 3 wide bed and pillow, and the floor beams :D

I have a few small constructive criticisms. The 5 wide windows cause the plates to stick out into the rooms. I dont know if there is any solution to this though. The other thing is the fireplaces. Having the first floor one behind the staircase and the second at the top of the stairs doesnt make sense to me - too much of a fire hazard and also poor heating. Of course to avoid this you usually have to put the stairs in front of the door - which gets boring after a while. Considering all the details squeezed into such a small footprint, you did an excellent job!

Ben
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Bruce N H
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Post by Bruce N H »

Hey James,

This is a beautiful house. I especially like your solution to the roof-peak and the hidden hinges. All the details are great. Is there a pic that shows the interior of the stable? I couldn't find one, but perhaps I was guessing wrong on the names of the files.

"*A Henry model was used in all photos because Henry will not be visiting me for several more months/years, although I am on the list!"

Here's the real challenge: Do you think this house will still be together by the time Henry reaches you? I've actually got that as a problem myself. There are MOCs I'd like to build specifically for Henry's visit, and I'm excited to start them, but don't want to tie up my bricks until then. I've also got a house put together right now that I want him to stay in if it is still together at that point, but I want to use some of those elements for new MOCs in the meantime.

Bruce
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Post by TwoTonic Knight »

I really like the balcony, but I somehow have this California temblor-induced distrust of anything that looks vaguely unbalanced. :wink:

I hope Henry hires a good housekeeper - looks like he is on permanent vacation!
Redwine the Ribald: Stare long enough into the abyss...
Two-Tonic Tippler: ...and you spit into it.

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Sir Terrance
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Post by Sir Terrance »

I like how he is packing his suitcase ready to take another trip. Very nice house, love the colors and as Ben said, nice windows!
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porschecm2
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Post by porschecm2 »

Wow, I really love this house. The house colour looks like earth orange, I think. I didn't even know they made 1x1s in that colour. Whatever it is, it looks great mixed with the black. I also like the 3 wide bed. I think the carrot still needs to cook down a bit though. :wink: The 5 wide windows are totally new to me, but I LOVE them. I've got to try that one of my next MOCs. The stone work is quite well done, also. Stupendous job. Bravo. :D

Cm2
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Brickboy
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Post by Brickboy »

Cool! wish lego would make more sets that have houses like that.
Alan
good times
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wlister
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Post by wlister »

Hi James,

Another great MOC and the level of detail you pack into your creations is fantastic. I really like the color use as others have said. Henry must have been a general before he began his travels, his house looks like he is ready for an invasion. :D

Will
After a long absence, I have returned. I can't wait to start building again.
jb
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Post by jb »

Thanks everyone!
The 5 wide windows cause the plates to stick out into the rooms. I dont know if there is any solution to this though. The other thing is the fireplaces. Having the first floor one behind the staircase and the second at the top of the stairs doesnt make sense to me - too much of a fire hazard and also poor heating.
That is a problem with the 5-wide technique. If the window is in a plain wall, 1x4 tiles can be used to plug the gaps. The shutter holders hold the plates from falling out on one side, and a properly placed intertior feature can hold them from the inside. I did it this way with the butcher. If you use 2 2x2 tiles to plug the gaps you can make windows that can stick out, like on henry's house and the atilliator. I could have done a little better job blending the interior 'features' added by the 2x2 tiles and making them into something positive.

You are right about the fireplaces. I will put more thought into placing them in future creations :)
I especially like your solution to the roof-peak...

Thanks! I first did this on the Fisherman to make an odd width roof to suit the 5-wide windows. You can see back on the atilliator that the roof was even width and it forced some offset walls.
Is there a pic that shows the interior of the stable?
Probably not a very good one. The interior of the stable is pretty small and plain. There is a small box/trough and that is about it. If I were to redo the house I would have a hinge so that the stable could open up for more play value.
Do you think this house will still be together by the time Henry reaches you?
Probably not. Henry's journey has been a bit slow so far, and I'm at the bottom of the list. That's why I had my stand-in :) Maybe he will have a new and improved home when he arrives :)
I didn't even know they made 1x1s in that colour.
They do, and someone on Bricklink had a bunch :D There are close to 100 in this little house!
The 5 wide windows are totally new to me, but I LOVE them. I've got to try that one of my next MOCs.

Thanks! Check out the atilliator and the fisherman for more ideas. They both use the 5 wide window. So does my butcher's shop from the contest.

Thanks again!

James
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porschecm2
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Post by porschecm2 »

jb wrote:That is a problem with the 5-wide technique. If the window is in a plain wall, 1x4 tiles can be used to plug the gaps. The shutter holders hold the plates from falling out on one side, and a properly placed intertior feature can hold them from the inside. I did it this way with the butcher. If you use 2 2x2 tiles to plug the gaps you can make windows that can stick out, like on henry's house and the atilliator. I could have done a little better job blending the interior 'features' added by the 2x2 tiles and making them into something positive.
Well, as I said in chat last night, I'd work on it. So I did. Might this fix that problem?

http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/porsc ... to0407.jpg

http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/porsc ... to0408.jpg

Cm2
jb
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Post by jb »

That is a good idea for a 'plain' wall like this: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=694363
I use a 1x4 tile as well for these. The outside shutter holders keep it from falling out, and an interior feature keeps it from falling in. For example there are posts behind the window here: http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrin ... an/f05.jpg

I tried your idea when I started doing 5 wide but didn't have enough of those 1x1 technic pieces. Plus they are pretty rare in anything other than a basic color.

The interior problem that ben mentioned comes from overhangs like these: http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrin ... op/a09.jpg
because there is nothing to 'stick' the side of the 1x4 tile to. This happens in several situations. Look over Henry's House and you will see several spots where there are no places to stick the 1x4 tiles. Limiting yourself to 'plain' walls, which I feel have to be at least 9 studs long (black, color,5 wide window, color, black ) to look right, does not allow for much detail in a smaller creation

Anyway, I'm glad to have some interest in the 5 wide technique!

James
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Mr. D
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Post by Mr. D »

WOW! Great! :shock: But of course, what else can we expect. :D I The fact that the fireplace isn't split, I'll always comment on that when I see it. And of course, it's the little details that round out the MOC so well. I like railing on the stairs too.
moom
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Post by moom »

I've been thinking, if someone makes a slightly larger MOC and needs a externally offset hinge as 'Henry's House' has, one could model a cellar entrance hatch just above the hinge, for instance with a pair of 'Flag 2x2' parts.
Image

With friendly greetings, M. Moolhuysen.
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