Modular city arrangment

[Spartikis]

So i currently own every modular building, once i pick up the Parisian Restaurant that would make 9 total, plus i have plans to make 2-3 MOC buildings and a park. Im trying to figure out how to arrange/display that many buildings.

 

if i do it linear with a street in front of the buildings that almost 9 feet, roughly the whole wall of my basement lol.

 

if i put buildings on both sides of the road i maximize use of the road (custom built 1x2 tile road to look like a stone road)

 

What do you all recommend? anyone have any good pictures of a large modular display?

[Guest eightbrick]

Sounds like a great project. For display I would go with them all in one long row so you can see all of them, but I'm not really sure (if you could get it to go wall to wall, I actually think it would look quite nice). To get some ideas, I would start out with the Eurobricks Town Layout Index: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=62405

 

There's lots in there to look at. Good luck!

[Spartikis]

Sounds like a great project. For display I would go with them all in one long row so you can see all of them, but I'm not really sure (if you could get it to go wall to wall, I actually think it would look quite nice). To get some ideas, I would start out with the Eurobricks Town Layout Index: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=62405

 

There's lots in there to look at. Good luck!

thanks for the link, that helps alot!

 

Im going for simple and elegant so i think the linear approach would be the best for drawing attention to the buildings, yet allowing for a few people, cars and possible a train/troll in front of them. it seems like every town layout that attempts to do a grid or square pattern of roads ends up looking clutters and chaotic, its hard to see the buildings and is always over flowing with vehicles and trains.

 

Would be fairly easy to install some 2' wide shelves on the wall of my lego room to keep them up off the floor and at a easy viewing and play height. It will fill up the whole wall but i could always add shelves to the other walls and make a city around the perimeter of the room haha.

 

My original thought was to get a cheap desk/table and arrange the buildings 2x6 with the fronts all facing out and have a road all around the exterior. If i put it in the center of the room you could see all of the buildings easily plus i could put a train track around it as well.

[Anakinisvader]

You should have "floating" buildings.  Give it a 3D effect.

[kerrmando]

Do the sloped/incline street one over at Eurobricks! It's awesome

[Spartikis]

Do the sloped/incline street one over at Eurobricks! It's awesome

Ive considered building the whole city up a few bricks and possibly making buildings different elevations but i think it will add significantly to the cost on a city of that size, thats more of a long term goal right now.

[strangeboy]

IKEA, my preferred furniture/shelving for displaying LEGO - if you have the room, of course.

 

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/secondary_storage/20660/

 

Lack shelves:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60103750/

Some of the shelving is the perfect depth for a 32x32 baseplate (10 inches square), so you may not get much "scenery" in front of the buildings (an inch or two), but you can still leverage the space between buildings.

 

Be mindful of the weight limits of the shelves, especially the floating "Lack" shelves...even though the hidden mounting bracket might be screwed into a stud or two, the bracket can only hold so much before the shelf dips. The last thing you want is a LEGO city falling on your heads (yours, cat's/dog's, girlfriend/wife/S.O.). Give yourself a huge margin for error here...

 

Expedit shelves:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20116274/

If you want to double-up on function (storage and display), the Billy bookcases can be on their side: LEGO city along the top, and storage beneath. All on casters for easy moving, or flush on the floor.

 

Billy bookcase:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40116678/

?The Billy bookcases are an option for wall hanging, but you'd have to get a few of them for the overall width you need. They can handle the weight limits.

 

I'll send pics later, but I'm at work...and late for a meeting!

[Spartikis]

IKEA, my preferred furniture/shelving for displaying LEGO - if you have the room, of course.

 

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/secondary_storage/20660/

 

Lack shelves:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60103750/

Some of the shelving is the perfect depth for a 32x32 baseplate (10 inches square), so you may not get much "scenery" in front of the buildings (an inch or two), but you can still leverage the space between buildings.

 

Be mindful of the weight limits of the shelves, especially the floating "Lack" shelves...even though the hidden mounting bracket might be screwed into a stud or two, the bracket can only hold so much before the shelf dips. The last thing you want is a LEGO city falling on your heads (yours, cat's/dog's, girlfriend/wife/S.O.). Give yourself a huge margin for error here...

 

Expedit shelves:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20116274/

If you want to double-up on function (storage and display), the Billy bookcases can be on their side: LEGO city along the top, and storage beneath. All on casters for easy moving, or flush on the floor.

 

Billy bookcase:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40116678/

?The Billy bookcases are an option for wall hanging, but you'd have to get a few of them for the overall width you need. They can handle the weight limits.

 

I'll send pics later, but I'm at work...and late for a meeting!

 

i like the idea of the horizontal shelves with the vertical supports from the first link, however it appears the largest is only 11 inch wide, as you said that doesnt leave much room for a road, i feel like if i want to display them more as a city with a road i will have to do it with a table. maybe that second option having them be all back to back with fronts of buildings facing outward and a road and tracks surrounding everything, basically just like a city block.

 

Also, what are peoples thoughts on cutting base plates? Anyone ever try and cut a 32x32 into a 32x16?

[sadowsk1]

How do you have them arranged now?

[Spartikis]

How do you have them arranged now?

On the floor along the wall in a line. About half of the custom built road is complete atm. it works for right now but i want something thats a little more display worthy, plus i have to get it up off the ground as everytime i turn my back small children and animals find their way into my lego room and feel the need to play godzilla!

[strangeboy]

You can get 32x16 baseplates:

 

http://www.brickset.com/parts/?part=4520893

 

I use some for my custom modular MOCs.

[Spartikis]

You can get 32x16 baseplates:

 

http://www.brickset.com/parts/?part=4520893

 

I use some for my custom modular MOCs.

yeah i know, but lego doesnt sell them individually, only place to get them is bricklink or ebay and they are like $5+ a piece, i can get a 32x32 for that price and cut it in half and save some 

[strangeboy]

For a nice (non-melted cut), if I were going to do so, I'd go to the tile and bath section of a Home Depot or a Lowes and ask them if they'd make that cut for you. Their tile cutters use a lot of water, which would keep the base plate cool/cold and prevent melted edges. It's worth the experiment for no other reason than to capture the expression the employee makes when you hand them a base plate and say, "Can you cut this in half for me, please?"

 

Figure out the depth you're after if you want to be able to walk around your city block (even just 3 sides of it). You may want to look at a used train table approach, where one edge is against a wall...all depending on the space you have to utilize.

 

http://www.toysrus.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2257784

 

Most of these tables have the printed side (with all the roads, lakes, trees, etc.), but the opposite is unfinished or plain which might look good under your modulars.

 

Anyway, it's always a fun problem to neatly display your collection in a way that works for your space and desired interaction. Let us know how this little project turns out.

 

Enjoy!

[gregpj]

yeah i know, but lego doesnt sell them individually, only place to get them is bricklink or ebay and they are like $5+ a piece, i can get a 32x32 for that price and cut it in half and save some 

 

I've cut plates before .. with scissors when I was "hiding" the edge and with a very sharp olfa knife for others. The problem is that the cut always has a whiteness to it that is hard to get rid of, though the sharper your blade the less noticeable it is. If you are really adventurous, get some automotive grit sand paper (1500 or so) and use that to smooth the sharp edge.

 

PS, You talked about a train in your city, if memory serves...to allow the trains to "turn around", the corner tracks need 30"x30" to make a circle. Our Lego table is 32" or to give a little room and it fits three 32x32 base plates perfectly (I think a base plate is 10.5" x 10.5") . Our city has a subway running underneath it. I have to get some pictures off the other computer.

[MartinP]

I've cut plates before .. with scissors when I was "hiding" the edge and with a very sharp olfa knife for others. The problem is that the cut always has a whiteness to it that is hard to get rid of, though the sharper your blade the less noticeable it is. If you are really adventurous, get some automotive grit sand paper (1500 or so) and use that to smooth the sharp edge.

 

PS, You talked about a train in your city, if memory serves...to allow the trains to "turn around", the corner tracks need 30"x30" to make a circle. Our Lego table is 32" or to give a little room and it fits three 32x32 base plates perfectly (I think a base plate is 10.5" x 10.5") . Our city has a subway running underneath it. I have to get some pictures off the other computer.

I have never thought of cutting baseplates to make the arrangement better. That is a very good idea from what I am reading, but I do not think that I will be doing that anytime soon. Also, I like the idea of a train running through the city next to the modulars. That seems like a good idea.

[gregpj]

I have never thought of cutting baseplates to make the arrangement better. That is a very good idea from what I am reading, but I do not think that I will be doing that anytime soon. Also, I like the idea of a train running through the city next to the modulars. That seems like a good idea.

 

I built a custom table to fit along the entire south wall in our dining room. It ended up not fitting base plates perfectly left to right. On the right side, we cut to fit because without it everything would have been off height-wise. Base plates are half as thick as regular Lego plates. With two small kids, things need to be "secure" else they get destroyed just by looking at them rather than offering a small smattering of resistance.

 

Except this past summer I took out the west wall so now we have room to expand!

[MartinP]

I built a custom table to fit along the entire south wall in our dining room. It ended up not fitting base plates perfectly left to right. On the right side, we cut to fit because without it everything would have been off height-wise. Base plates are half as thick as regular Lego plates. With two small kids, things need to be "secure" else they get destroyed just by looking at them rather than offering a small smattering of resistance.

 

Except this past summer I took out the west wall so now we have room to expand!

Enjoy the expansion. I could probably fit all my baseplates along a wall in my basement, but then all the houses and buildings would get very dusty fast.

[comicblast]

I really like the idea of putting your modulars face-to-face and on a hill/incline. Doing so lets you see more of the modular faces than you would have otherwise seen when they are face to face on the same level, while you also save a bit of space. This is the one I am talking about.

[Diabolos80]

I have a dining room hutch, the top is about 5' by 1'. It's currently displaying a sopwith, VW, QAR, HH, and some smalls. In January they'll have to move. The new Parisian Restaurant has convinced me to finally get serious about the modulars

Thanks to eightbrick for posting the Eurobricks index. I love the winter village scene there. Makes mine look decidedly humbug lol.

[Spartikis]

I've cut plates before .. with scissors when I was "hiding" the edge and with a very sharp olfa knife for others. The problem is that the cut always has a whiteness to it that is hard to get rid of, though the sharper your blade the less noticeable it is. If you are really adventurous, get some automotive grit sand paper (1500 or so) and use that to smooth the sharp edge.

 

PS, You talked about a train in your city, if memory serves...to allow the trains to "turn around", the corner tracks need 30"x30" to make a circle. Our Lego table is 32" or to give a little room and it fits three 32x32 base plates perfectly (I think a base plate is 10.5" x 10.5") . Our city has a subway running underneath it. I have to get some pictures off the other computer.

 

ive used a straight edge plus utility knife, basically just keep scoring along the same line until it cuts through and you can easily snap the two pieces apart then use a fine grit sandpaper to smooth it out, its not perfect but if you are able to sover the cut edges, (mine have tiles over them) no onw will ever know and you can save some significant cash when you are making large layouts. Like you said, any kind of scissors would deform the plastic and turn it white.

 

 

I have a dining room hutch, the top is about 5' by 1'. It's currently displaying a sopwith, VW, QAR, HH, and some smalls. In January they'll have to move. The new Parisian Restaurant has convinced me to finally get serious about the modulars

Thanks to eightbrick for posting the Eurobricks index. I love the winter village scene there. Makes mine look decidedly humbug lol.

 

I was never terrible serious about my modular buildings either, or so i thought, i would build them and then stick them in the corner, but the years have gone by and 1 building turned into what will soon be 9 and they have all acquired detailed studless interiors including furniture, ive added a cobble stone road with literally thousands of 1x2 dark blue gray tiles, custom WWII era vintage cars and tanks, a custom 8 wife version fo the emerald night, and much much more. I'm also planning several MOCs including a brewery! With the release of the Persian restaurant i feel the city has earned its right to be properly displayed. Besides these haphazardly arranged builds shoved against the wall get more comments than most of the MOC i make haha