First Project

tucker

This past Christmas my wife gave me several pieces of the winter set and I started imagining using it to build my first ever original project.

I envision building a suburban village/shopping center that incorporates the sets I have been given with room for expansion with future holiday sets. I would like to incorporate a mountain, train, and urban landscape. I plan for it to be 4ft x 6ft and possibly expanded to 4ft x 12ft. I have been collecting images of both Lego and real world inspiration.

I would love any tips or advice on how to start large scale projects.

Also any tips or resources on landscapes, train layouts, keeping elements in scale, or anything else anyone things it might help to know.

Thank you everyone.

CCC

The best tip I can give is just play with it at first - and build small to start with. Learn what looks good to you, learn how you like to build. Only then start to go for larger scale projects.

StuBoy

Laying it out in LDD (Lego Digital Designer) is a good way to try different ideas without having to spend hours rebuilding a real layout. Also making it modular would be good so you have the freedom to move them around, change them, etc.

tucker

My hope is to make it at least semi-modular as I only have the space to work with it a section at a time until Christmas when I can display it on the dining room table.

Thanks for the tip on LDD I'e never used that before, at this point I've only drawn it our on graph paper.

When working with a large landscape is it suggested to build from left to right, front to back, put large elements in and build around them or another strategy?

CCC

^ I find it best to work in sections - usually 32x32 so they fit on baseboards. That way, the whole landscape is modular. You can also work on any section at any time then too.

tucker

CCC said:

^ I find it best to work in sections - usually 32x32 so they fit on baseboards.

That is exactly what I am going to do. I laid out some of it tonight with LDD and it is helping me determining scale. Not to mention a possible order for the project.

This led me to start thinking about the getting together the bricks I will need. I know I will need to get specific pieces from pick a brick, but are there any tips in general to start collecting bricks?

Also, If I am doing a winter scene and a good portion to will be white will it be easier to search out white base plates or would it be easier to buy green or another color plates and cover them with other white plates where needed?

StuBoy

Some of the creator and bricks and more sets have lots of useful bricks for low cost, if there are any sets around that have the brick + colour you're looking for. Otherwise making a wanted list on Bricklink and going down the path of no return....

SirBen

tucker said:

If I am doing a winter scene and a good portion to will be white will it be easier to search out white base plates or would it be easier to buy green or another color plates and cover them with other white plates where needed?

For base plates themselves, it will likely be significantly cheaper to use green, especially it you're going to cover over them and build a gradated topography anyway.

For "mass grading" and general support, it's generally easier/cheaper to use mixed color pieces. This is where slightly discolored, second-hand, and even Duplo pieces come in handy. Then the fine adjustment and "final coat" can be put on in the.

For example if you look at Blake Baer's Erebor MOC, you'll see in this picture down the page that it's support system is quite colorful and eclectic.

This Eurobricks thread: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=60907 has also been referenced several times throughout the Forum and provides a nice step-by-step overview of how one builder put together a large MOC with landscaping.