Last November I built a MOC in which two weird guys lived 30 feet in the air in minimal but cozy stilts. It was called Stilt Houses precisely. In the diorama there was also an off-road vehicle for which I wanted to build a small dedicated setting. Recently I came up with the idea of creating an ironic scene with some building techniques that I had never used, such as the rocks made of many dark bluish gray slopes and inverted slopes. The diorama is quite small but cute, and it manages to get a smile, in this period there is a need… It is mainly composed of three parts: two rocky blocks covered with shrubs and a crumbling bridge that joins them. In the middle the all-terrain vehicle is crossing the bridge escaping from the hungry bear to take shelter on the stilts.
The starting point of the MOC is the first rocky block, the largest on the left. The block is made with a quite common building technique that I had never used. A couple of years ago I managed to get a lot of dark bluish gray “slopes” and “inverted slopes” thanks to the bulk program. And I finally used them for the rocks of this diorama. To complete the block I added shrubs and bushes. A bright light orange pine stands out in a mostly brown and gray setting. The leaves are attached to “plates with clip on end” and fixed to “plate with bar frame octagonal”. It is not the first time I have used this technique and the outcome is always amazing. I got the yellow leaves from the pick a brick wall at the local LEGO store in my town. Below there is a small tree made with many “flower stems” and the trunk is a dinosaur tail in dark brown. I also added a “tree hollow stump”, a quite expensive and rare piece from 90s Western theme. I love that piece. The second block on the right is similar to the first, a little smaller and with a green sapling on the side. I used a bunch of reddish brown “hoses” for the trunk of the tree and some “bars with clips” to hold the leaves. At the base a barrel contains the hoses and all around some whips to create the twisted branches effect. Don’t miss the mushrooms made with knit caps of different colors! The most characteristic part of the whole diorama is probably the crumbling bridge that joins the two rocky banks. The bridge recall the one I built for the Stilt Houses, but it’s longer and wider. It’s made of two long black parallel “strings with rope climbing grips” to which plates with clips are attached, and above them different tiles and plates of various colors. And it rocks! Last but not least in the middle of the bridge there is the off-road vehicle, ready to deal with mud and rough terrain and complete with all the necessary tools to fix it yourself in case. It is based on my previous Chevrolet Blazer spotted in the Sheriff Hopper’s Cabin diorama built in 2019 but with a new 80s two-tone paint job and loads of gear strapped all over. It’s full of details and some interesting part usage such the weird “Scala towel bar” used for the running board of the Blazer. And take look also at the front winch and the side mirrors…
Below a few photos of the building stages. From left to right:
The first rocky block is the MOC starting point;
Beautiful bright yellow pine and few others shrubs are added;
Assembling the bridge;
The crumbling bridge is ready to join;
Second rocky block is ready;
A bunch of details to complete the light bluish rocky block;
The bridge joins the two blocks and it rocks!;
The All Terrain vehcile, the bear and the main character are ready to complete the scene;
Will the crumbling bridge bear the A-T vehcile? YES!
The A-Frame Cabin has been chosen by The Brothers Brick as the November photo cover for all Brothers Brick social media. A huge pleasure and honor for me, thanks once again TBB team! The same happens 5 years ago when my Scooter Garage was chosen as the TBB cover photo for August 2015 and few months ago when the yellow General Store was the Cover Photo for June 2020. Two times in the same year, unbelievable but mind blowing!
“One of my favorite annual activities is heading to the mountain where my fam stays at an A-Frame in the snow, so this A-Frame build from, Norton74, immediately brings thoughts of winter and fun. Where it gets good, and one of my favorite things about Norton74’s builds, is looking at all the details scattered throughout. These details tell the story of this cabin and really bring the build to life, further reminding me of our A-Frame vacay. Take a look at that log pile and saw, cookie rounds for log ends is a smooth move. Seriously, look at those logs. Other notable features that bring me to the mountain include the jagged roof, the abundance of wildlife, and the little doodads scattered here and there. Now I need to see the inside of this cabin….is it February yet?“
Let’s take a look at some unreleased WIP snapshots of my latest creation, the General Store right from somewhere in the heart of America. At first I had chosen dark tan/tan as a color combo, then I ventured for an unexpected and unusual yellow/reddish brown combo. And the outcome rocks! The ground comes from my previous Into the Wild diorama but is wider and longer. The first prototype showed more details and objects but there was also too much confusion; I took something away to make it more enjoyable. As usual I drew a sketch of the idea I had in mind and then brick by brick I created the General Store. And a big thank you to my daughter Claudia for the nice drawing of my creation.
Super article about Norton74’s famous FOOD STANDS on April issue of Brick Journal. If you like my street restaurants you can’t miss issue No. 61. 9 pages of hi-quality pictures and the complete story about my street food-themed builds: from the first Hot Dog Stand to the Coffee Stand and the last Hamburger Stand. In the middle also the Agip Gas Station. The article focuses the attention to the possibility to build different scenes using the same base, and that’s what I did in the past two years. It’s not the first time Brick Journal features my works: back in 2015 the first 8 pages piece about the well known Scooter Shop and then in 2016 with an article focusing on my Hot Rods and vehicles in general. Brick Journal is one of the most popular LEGO-themed magazine throughout the AFOL community. Run by Mr. Joe Meno is available here. Don’t miss it!
Main features: ✅ Step by step Hi-Quality instructions made by Simone Bissi, one of the most capable instructions maker all around; ✅ Instructions for Coffee Stand and Pick-up truck; ✅ Part count (48x48studs): 1482 pieces; ✅ Part count (32×32 studs): 988 pieces; ✅ A modular version of the stand that fits in a 32×32 baseplate is also included; ✅ PDF for sticker printing included.
The Coffee Stand is the second classic food stand designed by Norton74 and it follows the well known Hot Dog Stand (February 2018) and precedes the Hamburger Stand built few months after in June 2019.
Below some pages extracted from the instructions as an example.
If you are wondering if the Coffee Stand fits between your Modular Buildings, the answer is YES it fits! Look at the photo below to realize it.
So if you like coffee don’t miss the chance to build the iconic mid-20th century Americana culture Coffee Stand designed by Norton74. You won’t be disappointed!
This is the video presentation by the guys from Brick Vault…so cool!
December 25th Santa carried a very welcomed gift to my house, the well known Mustang from LEGO Creator Expert series.
It was funny building this big (yes, BIG!) piece of Americana and even more stimulating taking good pictures on my work station. I think this is the best Creator Expert vehicle yet and even I’m not a collector this wild horse will be displayed on the shelf in my LEGO room.
In the same hours I was building my Mustang a piece of Hollywood history went for a record price, when the green 1968 Ford Mustang GT used in the Steve McQueen movie “Bullitt” sold for $ 3.74 million at a Florida auction house. Take a look below.
It’s been a long and winding road for one particular 1968 Ford Mustang GT. You first saw the car slam dancing through the streets of San Francisco as one of two Highland Green fastbacks purchased by Warner Bros for use in the detective movie Bullitt, starring car-obsessed actor Steve McQueen. After Bullitt ended filming, the famous Mustang was sold to Warner Bros employee Robert Ross, before it spent several years with an actual detective, then went into hiding by 1974 with its fourth owner, Robert Kiernan, in New Jersey. It resurfaced by surprise decades later, trotted out by Ford at the 2018 Detroit auto show—and its whirlwind celebrity didn’t end there. The car just sold at Mecum auctions, bringing in the highest sale price of any Mustang ever at public auction.
