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My Winter Village Project

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  • PaperballparkPaperballpark Member Posts: 4,260
    This reminds me that I really should crack on with finishing my scene if I want to display it for Christmas.

    Pics may be forthcoming...
  • tamamahmtamamahm Member Posts: 1,987
    This weekend should be building time, but I am not sure I am anywhere close to ready to start building.  I still need to get my fall/Halloween sets down.
  • Switchfoot55Switchfoot55 Member Posts: 3,280
    I seriously underestimated how little building time I would have and my timeline for completing everything! I had intended on having everything built by this weekend with the scene fully set. That's looking less and less like a possibility. 

    Oh well I guess. I'm determined to enjoy every part of the building process as that really is my favorite part as far as Lego is concerned! If I end up going into December, but have fun in the process, so be it!


    I've finalized where I'll be displaying my scene at least. The plan for the evening is to have the base cut and fit into place, covered in "snow", and the train tracks somewhat finalized. I figure I need to be a little ambitious in my timeline for tonight!
    mustang69
  • LuLegoLuLego Member Posts: 1,010
    Switchfoot55 said:
    I seriously underestimated how little building time I would have and my timeline for completing everything! I had intended on having everything built by this weekend with the scene fully set. That's looking less and less like a possibility. 

    Oh well I guess. I'm determined to enjoy every part of the building process as that really is my favorite part as far as Lego is concerned! If I end up going into December, but have fun in the process, so be it!


    I've finalized where I'll be displaying my scene at least. The plan for the evening is to have the base cut and fit into place, covered in "snow", and the train tracks somewhat finalized. I figure I need to be a little ambitious in my timeline for tonight!
    I’ve enjoyed reading this thread and hearing about the progress, partly because this was a theme I was building myself.

    I was in a similar position to you this time last year but enjoy how the project has evolved.

    I consider mine (see photos a few comments behind) still unfinished and already have plans to expand it next year. But that’s a good thing...
    In truth, I don’t think it’ll ever be finished and I don’t want it to be - I plan on adding to the build every year.

    Looking forward to seeing everyone’s Christmas table photos soon.
    Switchfoot55
  • tamamahmtamamahm Member Posts: 1,987
    Remember... Not everything needs to be built this year either. You can actually build as much of the scene to create a scene for this year and then you have sets at hand for next year to grow it. 

    In addition, I often make small modifications at the end of December to my Christmas/Holiday theme to make it more of a winter theme that I can keep up until mid February. 

    You may be able to prioritize some of the building if you take that approach, and it would extend the one you have to build. 

    In in my case, I could hold off on the train station until next year if I decide not to put the train out this year. This would give me more time to focus on the build and modification of my Friends sets, which I could hold off on setting up until January. 
    Switchfoot55
  • Switchfoot55Switchfoot55 Member Posts: 3,280
    edited November 2017
    Well, no table built last night. HOWEVER, I did manage to start and finish the Winter Toy Shop, so overall it was a great night. The table is back on the agenda for this evening. So fingers crossed!

    I also managed to grab a "Snow Roll" from Target for $4, so I have my snow material ready to go at least. 

    I ran into a few quality issues with the Toy Shop. The first 6x10 white plate I grabbed for the bench was extremely warped. Also, the large tree from the same bench scene had several of the bottom "branches" bent upward at funny angles. And to top it off, the instructions arrived folded at all sorts of odd angles with several rips on the front/rear covers. 

    I've contacted CS about those items and the incorrect 2x2 tile for my Winter Station. It felt a bit odd and like I was being nit picky. However, they were quick to apologize and send replacements! I had a bit of a challenge explaining the wrong 2x2 tile for the Winter Station. Apparently their system shows that the one I received is the one it should have come with and that the one printed in the instructions is incorrect. But once we finally got things straight, they added it to the order. 


    On a somewhat different note, I appreciate everyone who has taken time to read along with this thread, offer suggestions and input, post photos, and join in the adventure of building a Winter Village! It has made the journey for me that much more enjoyable. I don't anticipate being done with developments any time soon either!
    tamamahm
  • milambermilamber Member Posts: 637
    Switchfoot55 said:
    Well, no table built last night. HOWEVER, I did manage to start and finish the Winter Toy Shop, so overall it was a great night. The table is back on the agenda for this evening. So fingers crossed!

    I also managed to grab a "Snow Roll" from Target for $4, so I have my snow material ready to go at least. 

    I ran into a few quality issues with the Toy Shop. The first 6x10 white plate I grabbed for the bench was extremely warped. Also, the large tree from the same bench scene had several of the bottom "branches" bent upward at funny angles. And to top it off, the instructions arrived folded at all sorts of odd angles with several rips on the front/rear covers. 

    I've contacted CS about those items and the incorrect 2x2 tile for my Winter Station. It felt a bit odd and like I was being nit picky. However, they were quick to apologize and send replacements! I had a bit of a challenge explaining the wrong 2x2 tile for the Winter Station. Apparently their system shows that the one I received is the one it should have come with and that the one printed in the instructions is incorrect. But once we finally got things straight, they added it to the order. 


    On a somewhat different note, I appreciate everyone who has taken time to read along with this thread, offer suggestions and input, post photos, and join in the adventure of building a Winter Village! It has made the journey for me that much more enjoyable. I don't anticipate being done with developments any time soon either!
    I've just started the toy shop. So far, so good. I've finished the winter train and santa's workshop with only two small pieces missing from the train. I was able to improvise those though. The workshop was fine. I decided a couple of days ago to order a second toyshop for me, as I've seen quite a few builds using two sets which look great and it was at a discounted price plus a third one for my granddaughter in a few years when she is old enough. Lucky I did because that same day Lego retired the set without warning, at least here in the UK. Managed to pick it up for under £50 which is looking great value judging by the build so far. The large tree is lovely.

    As far as a base is concerned I found anything other than a dead flat surface makes it impossible to stand the minifigs on. In the end I painted a sheet of 6x4 MDF white, giving it a few coats and swirls for texture. Probably doesn't look quite up to the same standards as snow roll or similar, but at least I'm not constantly standing things back up!

    I've built an additional carriage for the train too. I have santa sitting in the wagon with the tree, where the presents were originally and have a combined present/baby reindeer transport wagon instead.

    I'd forgotten how much fun Lego was :) Problem is all my adult kids want to get in on the act too now so I might have to leave some builds until the week before Christmas when they come.
  • Blk69Blk69 Member Posts: 1
    The Bakery and Cottage for $150.  I hate you.....  nice find.  
  • gratefulnatgratefulnat Member Posts: 431
    The lighting looks absolutely beautiful! (If I could Narnia myself, this would be a place I'd love to end up at)
    Switchfoot55 said:




    My kids are in love with moving stuff around, derailing my train, and general destruction of the scene. I think until everything is fixed to baseplates (which won't be until at least next year), my battle will be rearranging back to how I want things. 

    That said, I started this endeavor to have a family friendly and interactive scene. So, I guess I asked for it!
    You most certainly did, but ain't nothing in this world like kids laughing when having a good time!
    More than makes up for the... AFOL OCD pain... usually... maybe... right?
    sid3windr
  • tamamahmtamamahm Member Posts: 1,987
    I really enjoy those trees and the ‘hill’ they are on!! It looks great! Did you make or buy the trees?

    Yes, kids are really going to play initially, but as the newness wears-off that does die down. 

    I also enjoyed the the year We made the sets where I had bought a number of extra elves. That was fun. :-)
  • Switchfoot55Switchfoot55 Member Posts: 3,280
    @gratefulnat, I love your Narnia comments! My AFOL OCD pain is on high alert to say the least. It's a balance between letting them do their thing and not losing my mind. So far the joyfulness of family has prevailed! ...I'm sure I'll break at some point though...

    My son mainly just wants to play with the train. He does pretty good until he starts to make a game of seeing how long he can keep his face in the path of the track before pulling it back to make room for the train to pass. He's taken a few good smacks to the nose so far. But it seems to egg him on to do it more. Oh to be 5 again!

    @tamamahm, the trees were an old Ikea purchase once upon a time. We've always used them for Christmas decorating, but have never really found a "place" for them. They've tended to move from one location to the next as a filler. When we pulled them out this year, the idea instantly came to mind and I'm pretty thrilled with the end result!

    That said, I think it wouldn't be too difficult to recreate something to match them? It's three layers of trees with LEDs in between each layer. Pintrest abounds with ideas after a quick search. 

    The hill is just a sturdy box turned upside down with tunnels cut in the ends for the train to have clearance. Then the snow blanket fabric draped over as well as pulled up in the back to create the appearance of some mountains. I have a couple of other small boxes in the front of the main box to create some tiers for placing trees/figs. 
    gratefulnat
  • tamamahmtamamahm Member Posts: 1,987
    Thanks. I see it now via IKEA. It is a pretty neat piece and definitely doable and might be a craft for my daughter to create a copycat version of those trees.
  • elspankdogelspankdog Member Posts: 403
    Penguins at the North Pole?
    Sethro3
  • gratefulnatgratefulnat Member Posts: 431
    ^must have been the kids...
  • tamamahmtamamahm Member Posts: 1,987
    ^^ Even penguins get vacations to come visit their friends. 
  • Switchfoot55Switchfoot55 Member Posts: 3,280
    Managed to put together the Bakery last night. It was a fun build! 

    I still have the Cottage and Sleigh Ride to finish, but it's starting to take it's final shape!


    I definitely need some lights to help brighten things up, but I'm pretty happy with where things currently stand. 

    @elspankdog, of course penguins in the North Pole! I'm a big fan of penguins, so I had to make some room for them. 


    The above picture represents the state of the village prior to me leaving for work this morning. I'm anxious to see what state it's in after I get home this evening...
    tamamahmstluxOnebricktoomanyevantylerFowlerBricksbandit778LittleLorisnowhitie
  • Switchfoot55Switchfoot55 Member Posts: 3,280
    I plan on finishing my Cottage this evening and setting everything up in it's final positions. 

    On a related note, I just saw a local posting for a complete Cottage set for $50. I responded 15 minutes after is posted and it was already sold. I was SO amped to have a second one for so cheap. *sigh* 
    FowlerBrickstamamahm
  • tamamahmtamamahm Member Posts: 1,987
    We finally started building this weekend. The Friends chalet, and the set with the hockey rink/performing area were the two we built. I de-pinked the outside of the chalet, and I am happy with the look. I am also very happy with my far more festive hockey rink, although, I am not sure yet if it will reside in my final scene. I pulled out my 'winter', but not Christmas Village sets, and have them strewn across the shelf. The ski set still needs to be built, but my one kid is supposed to build and she is going to be swamped this week. That creates an issue in that I can not really continue until that set is done. 

    No photos at this point.
  • M1J0EM1J0E Member Posts: 644
    Even not de-pinked, the friends chalet fits in perfectly architecturally and scale wise with the village.  So far it’s the only friends set we’ve added, but may also have to get the hockey rink.  We, so far (though I’m debating leaving the buildings completed this time around), disassemble everything and rebuild in December each year.  So I anticipate giving the grandkids the friends sets to work on once they get past the duplo age.  Then we can all contribute to the display.
  • eMJeeNLeMJeeNL Member Posts: 781
    edited December 2017
    Just noticed I've got the pic's in the wrong order; the little ticket-/skate-rentalbooth you can see behind the bench in the 3rd pic was later replaced by one based on the little Elves' workshop you can see to the far right of the 3rd pic, result of which is visible on pic 2 and 4.

    I left most of my build in one piece; just store them in a container during the off-season. Unsure if that is still possible after building all the stuff Ive got planned for this year, though.

    oh, and, removing so many 1x1 round tiles from the baseplates really s*cks.

    ;)
    sid3windr
  • Switchfoot55Switchfoot55 Member Posts: 3,280
    @tamamahm, I'm excited to see pictures. I still haven't picked up those sets, but hope to catch them on a post-Christmas sale somewhere. Fingers crossed!

    @eMJeeNL, I like the skating rink! Definitely something I want to add at some point in the future. 

    At risk of adding too many photos at once, I'll try to limit myself. I finished the Winter Village Cottage last night. I definitely think this is my favorite of the lot! I think the Post Office looks pretty fantastic too, but I'll have to wait until next year to judge its build.

    This is one I bought used. I swear I inventoried the pieces 3 times and ordered accordingly to fill in the missing items. However, I ran into about 15 missing parts. After I swept up all of my hair I pulled out, I scavenged around my son's bins and some of my bulk parts I recently acquired and was able to find replacements for all of them. Winter Village crisis averted! 


    Photos of the completed scene in the following post. 

    FowlerBrickssnowhitie
  • M1J0EM1J0E Member Posts: 644
    That turned out great!  Looks really beautiful for sure.  
  • eMJeeNLeMJeeNL Member Posts: 781
    Wow very nice! Really like the slope.

    Also started setting up my village yesterday, as Sinterklaas is leaving our country soon:


    Need more space... (and some child-proofing ;))
    FowlerBricksevantylerLittleLorimithridate
  • tamamahmtamamahm Member Posts: 1,987
    @Switchfoot55

    It turned out great! Having multiple levels really helps with the overall placement and look look of your scene.  I like the Wampa.
  • milambermilamber Member Posts: 637
    edited December 2017
    I bought some super lights from Amazon to go with the village. It was really hard finding anything to scale as all the Christmas lights are far too big, but finally came across some tiny LED's with the thinnest of wire cable. The only snag is that they are powered by 3 AA batteries and a large battery holder so I'll probably have to build something to hide it. I've attached a couple of photos. It's hard to show just how tiny they are as the iphone isn't the greatest camera and they aren't quite as bright as they appear, but they are lovely. For £4 a great addition to the village

    <a data-flickr-embed="true"  href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/38824188652/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_2705"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4584/38824188652_950c812a52_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="IMG_2705"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

    <a data-flickr-embed="true"  href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/37967709695/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_2703"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4566/37967709695_97aebaa7f6_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="IMG_2703"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

    I'll probably set them up around the market square, but just hung them on the buildings for now.




    ktsam
  • datsunrobbiedatsunrobbie Member Posts: 1,813
    You may want to check out the lights I posted over in this thread. Much smaller batteries. The ones I found were all white, not sure if they make multi-color with the same battery pack.

    http://bricksetforum.com/discussion/comment/550908#Comment_550908
  • milambermilamber Member Posts: 637
    edited December 2017
    Cheers. I don't think it will be hard to swap the batteries over to a few 1.5 watch batteries. Project for next year maybe. What I liked about these were the size - it's hard to tell from my photos with the blur.

    Here is one of the bulbs with a tiny round lego brick for scale

    https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4562/38140111194_3c24dfa609_z.jpg

    I have some white ones coming too

  • FowlerBricksFowlerBricks Member Posts: 1,731
    ^Yes, add Lester!
  • Switchfoot55Switchfoot55 Member Posts: 3,280
    ^I love the idea of the larger holiday sets being made into parade floats! I might have to steal that for the future. Especially with the new pics of the Santa/Mrs. Claus Brickheadz coming out!

    I really do love the look of the WV stuff up against the modular street too!
    FowlerBricks
  • M1J0EM1J0E Member Posts: 644
    That is some layout!  Cool use for the duplo Santa set as a parade float too.  Nice!
  • M1J0EM1J0E Member Posts: 644
    Wow your setup turned out great too!
    tamamahmDoktorL
  • Switchfoot55Switchfoot55 Member Posts: 3,280
    @tamamahm, I love it! Aside from the Friends sets (which definitely look great!), what are the other sets you have there? Or are they MOCs? I would love to expand the actual dwellings in my village moving forward and these buildings might just do the trick!

    I really love the ski slope you put together too. And the little bears from Brave! They've been on my want list for awhile now. 


  • tamamahmtamamahm Member Posts: 1,987
    edited December 2017
    @Switchfoot55

    The dwellings are all straight from Lego, mainly the Creator line,  but some have been modified a bit to make them more wintery. I have been using a few of these items for a while for a January winter scene after packing up the winter village, but thought with the Friends line this year, I would be able to hit critical mass to make more of that mountain ski resort/trip feel, while still making it feel like Christmas. 

    Going from top to bottom (left to right on my shelf)

    The skating pond is a MOC.
    The first cabin is the winter cabin from the changing seasons set. I do not believe I made changes to that one. #31038
    The next one is lakeside lodge. That one I made some modification to after I built it yesterday. #31048

    The center is the Friends ski lift #41324 with some minor changes, the mountain MOC, and a slight modified ice rink from Friends resort ice rink #41322

    Then there is the mountain hut. That has some modifications to move it to a more snowy scene. #31025

    Then there is the slightly modified Friends chalet. #41323

    I do not recall offhand what set the sleigh comes from. 
    Brave bears, mini brown bear, rabbits, snowgies.. are from various sets.
    The extra ski and snowboard people are from the CMF line, with various tweaks.

    The flat snow roll is from Target, the Christmas trees range from Lego, Target, craft stores, and with a few that light up. Dew drop lights are from Target. Tea candles look fairly cool instead the various cabins, but I seem to have enough lights with the trees, that I typically am not using them for this scene.

    I would still like to tweak to add a bit of a cross country ski path between the mountain and the various dwellings. 

    Oh my.... I am only just now seeing this set coming in January. I will be buying this.
    https://shop.lego.com/en-US/Modular-Winter-Vacation-31080




  • Switchfoot55Switchfoot55 Member Posts: 3,280
    ^Thank you for the breakdown! I've added a few of those sets to my wanted list. 

    I saw #31080 somewhere recently and knew I'd be picking it up as quickly as I could. Depending on potential sales I can find, I think it would be a fun set to get an additional copy or two to MOD. 

    I guess I'll add it to the list of 10000 things I want to do for my village.
  • bfeigherybfeighery Member Posts: 51
    I will be looking out for the sales of that winter vacation set as i can see some potential there.  i am really enjoying the use of height that people are getting in to their displays, before i saw your display @Switchfoot55 I had everything on a flat plane.  I think i have hit critical mass with the amount that can be put in my display so i am thinking of splitting it out in to separate areas around the house, although i couldn't stop myself tinkering on Monday night and i added Smaug to the top of the palace cinema to add some menace to the parade.

    Nice job @Wallace the train track certainly keeps things segregated nicely, i am waiting for chrismats day opening as i asked for some more track from relatives who didn't know what to get me for Christmas.. they last bought me lego "some years decades" ago when i was about 10
    Wallace
  • Switchfoot55Switchfoot55 Member Posts: 3,280
    Every time I see someone's setup I get more and more ideas! This was a dangerous thread to start I thing. 

    Awesome setup @Wallace! Your giant goldfish in the background is fantastic too! What is the bridge piece you have under your Santa's Workshop? I'm trying to decide if I want to make a brick-built tunnel entrance, or use something else. I like the look of that. 

    @Mr_Hobbles, the Alexa idea is pretty fantastic!
    tamamahmmustang69WallaceEKSam
  • WallaceWallace Member Posts: 134
    Switchfoot55 said:
    Every time I see someone's setup I get more and more ideas! This was a dangerous thread to start I thing. 

    Awesome setup @Wallace! Your giant goldfish in the background is fantastic too! What is the bridge piece you have under your Santa's Workshop? I'm trying to decide if I want to make a brick-built tunnel entrance, or use something else. I like the look of that. 

    @Mr_Hobbles, the Alexa idea is pretty fantastic!
    Thanks. The bridge is made from some polystyrene that came as packaging for a TV that we bought a few years back, my wife carved it and painted the aged brick effect. I keep on saying I’ll build a bridge/tunnel but as I’ve not got around to it yet the polystyrene will do for now. 
    MooreFXstluxEKSam
  • tamamahmtamamahm Member Posts: 1,987
    @monkey_roo

    I particularly love the three snowy sweaters/jackets. Any idea what they are from?

    My kids have lalways enjoyed creating mini digs to fit our holiday displays.
    MooreFX
  • monkey_roomonkey_roo Member Posts: 1,411
    The custom printed torsos all came from firestartoys. The quality is very good, I think they were £2.50 each.
    tamamahm
  • monkey_roomonkey_roo Member Posts: 1,411
    Sorry, £2.95 each, just checked.
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