PLAYABLE "CHARMED" MANOR by Sanddoodle
This is the second draft of my playable version of "Charmed" manor. It is about 90% complete - some detail work yet to be done.
This is NOT an accurate replica of a Victorian house - like the one(s) you have seen done by BoiseBro. This is the "playable" version, much more simplified. No elegant interiors here.
By "playable" I mean that the rooms represent the familiar scenes of the actual layout of the TV series: the all-important Halliwell kitchen, the grand staircase with door to Magic School, the sunny Solarium, the ever-destructible grandfather clock, and the attic with the Book of Shadows and a doll house.
And it includes the four necessary mini-figs: Piper, Phoebe, Page and Leo. (I confined myself to residents of the house, not those of other planes of existence.)
This building follows the set design for the TV series about the three magical Halliwell sisters of San Francisco. As such, it deviates from the actual house (Innes House) at the Los Angeles location, especially in regard to the solarium side of the house. (There is no porch.)
I've been wanting to MOC this house since day one in the world of Lego. My first draft was pretty laughable, but it gave me an idea of what the challenges would be.
This house has been the most difficult build to date, the most challenging thing I've attempted. In the future I hope to create a third and final version that has better developed details, more of the "correct" bricks (no substitutions), and fewer mistakes.
This is NOT an accurate replica of a Victorian house - like the one(s) you have seen done by BoiseBro. This is the "playable" version, much more simplified. No elegant interiors here.
By "playable" I mean that the rooms represent the familiar scenes of the actual layout of the TV series: the all-important Halliwell kitchen, the grand staircase with door to Magic School, the sunny Solarium, the ever-destructible grandfather clock, and the attic with the Book of Shadows and a doll house.
And it includes the four necessary mini-figs: Piper, Phoebe, Page and Leo. (I confined myself to residents of the house, not those of other planes of existence.)
This building follows the set design for the TV series about the three magical Halliwell sisters of San Francisco. As such, it deviates from the actual house (Innes House) at the Los Angeles location, especially in regard to the solarium side of the house. (There is no porch.)
I've been wanting to MOC this house since day one in the world of Lego. My first draft was pretty laughable, but it gave me an idea of what the challenges would be.
This house has been the most difficult build to date, the most challenging thing I've attempted. In the future I hope to create a third and final version that has better developed details, more of the "correct" bricks (no substitutions), and fewer mistakes.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Above, the Charmed mini-figs: Paige, Piper and Phoebe, ready for action. The Power of Three plus their vigilant Whitelighter, Leo.
Part of the second story of this build represents the attic with the Book of Shadows and other items. (The two front rooms below it remain unfurnished and unseen because they were almost entirely unknown to the TV viewer.) Much of the story action inside the house occurred in the central hall, near the grand staircase and grandfather clock. Or else in the kitchen, the solarium, or the sitting room. The Solarium at rear has a tiled floor, plants, a sun roof, awnings, and the door to the garden. The familiar rooms noted above become visible to the user when certain sections are removed and put aside. As for removing floors or sections, instead of the usual tactic of lifting off an entire story of the house, this house has two "slide-out" modules, which come out sideways. |
Three small bedrooms are in one of the slide-out modules at the back of the house, over the kitchen.
The whole unit slides out sideways to expose the kitchen and dining room below. |
Above is the second slide-out module, an opulent Victorian bathroom.
Removing it gives access to the attic and the Book of Shadows. |
STRUCTURAL CHALLENGES
At left, I am building the tower that holds up the roof, which is to come off instantly in big pieces. I color coded the feet of the tower inside so I can take it apart and put it back together easily.
As for the slide-out modules, they are not just for playability but to assist you while building. By removing a key or anchor brick, you can take most of the house apart instantly and put it back together again in seconds.
You can retrieve things that drop down inside, or go back in later to work on "furniture" or other interior items.
And you can work on the details of the modules or rooms themselves, as separate units.
I should have thought of modules before; makes life way easier! It seems essential for a really large building like this.
As for the slide-out modules, they are not just for playability but to assist you while building. By removing a key or anchor brick, you can take most of the house apart instantly and put it back together again in seconds.
You can retrieve things that drop down inside, or go back in later to work on "furniture" or other interior items.
And you can work on the details of the modules or rooms themselves, as separate units.
I should have thought of modules before; makes life way easier! It seems essential for a really large building like this.