Today we’re taking a look at the design process for my Norse Longhouse model.
Originally this model was intended to be a submission for the AFOL Designer Program on Bricklink. As such I tried to keep the model very parts efficient. Large white plates made a solid base for the model, while I placed the building on a layer of bricks to allow for some elevation change in the landscape.
The roof is perhaps the most important component of a Norse building, and the portion running almost to the ground made for a nice shed-like addition.
I settled on using bley for the cobblestone path leading to the build. So the next step was laying out some plates and wedge plates roughly where I wanted that path to be.
Partially due to my attempt at conserving parts, and partially due to the small scale of the model in general, I made the snow banks considerably shallower than I usually do. Plat modified with stud allowed me to attach a single layer of SNOT elements at occasional sections along the border.
The 4×4 roof element ended up working well in the snow in a variety of locations. 1×1 and 2×2 round tiles are perhaps the simplest way of building cobblestone, and was what I went with here. Plus a few 1×2 trans clear tiles to show icy patches.
Just a few dark bley 1×1 round plates scattered on the street gave some nice color contrast.
Inside I based the furnishings off of real Norse longhouses with benches along the wall and a central fireplace. The SNOT wall made it a simple matter to add a shelf and mounted axe.
Back outside it was time to detail the roofs with a variety of plates and tiles, along with some large patches of snow.
Next some goods in barrels and crates were added under the overhanging roof, plus a round shield incorporated over the doorway.
There weren’t any printed castle minifigure parts available in the AFOL Designer Program palette, so I posed the fig with his back to the camera to make his blank torso a little less obvious. The dark orange stalk and reddish brown vines fit nicely as dormant bushes and frozen grass. All in all the build ended up using 647 parts.
Norse Longhouse: Build Log
Today we’re taking a look at the design process for my Norse Longhouse model.
Originally this model was intended to be a submission for the AFOL Designer Program on Bricklink. As such I tried to keep the model very parts efficient. Large white plates made a solid base for the model, while I placed the building on a layer of bricks to allow for some elevation change in the landscape.
The roof is perhaps the most important component of a Norse building, and the portion running almost to the ground made for a nice shed-like addition.
I settled on using bley for the cobblestone path leading to the build. So the next step was laying out some plates and wedge plates roughly where I wanted that path to be.
Partially due to my attempt at conserving parts, and partially due to the small scale of the model in general, I made the snow banks considerably shallower than I usually do. Plat modified with stud allowed me to attach a single layer of SNOT elements at occasional sections along the border.
The 4×4 roof element ended up working well in the snow in a variety of locations. 1×1 and 2×2 round tiles are perhaps the simplest way of building cobblestone, and was what I went with here. Plus a few 1×2 trans clear tiles to show icy patches.
Just a few dark bley 1×1 round plates scattered on the street gave some nice color contrast.
Inside I based the furnishings off of real Norse longhouses with benches along the wall and a central fireplace. The SNOT wall made it a simple matter to add a shelf and mounted axe.
Back outside it was time to detail the roofs with a variety of plates and tiles, along with some large patches of snow.
Next some goods in barrels and crates were added under the overhanging roof, plus a round shield incorporated over the doorway.
There weren’t any printed castle minifigure parts available in the AFOL Designer Program palette, so I posed the fig with his back to the camera to make his blank torso a little less obvious. The dark orange stalk and reddish brown vines fit nicely as dormant bushes and frozen grass. All in all the build ended up using 647 parts.
Thanks for reading!