 This is a series of creations inspired from the famous picturebook by Virginia Lee Burton, made for showing in the "Joint Toys" exibit in Okazaki city, Aichi. These models were made mostly from basic square bricks and plates and did not use complexed building methods when like building mecha.(I could not buy specially shaped bricks because it is expensive. The Lego company couldn't support me so I had to buy all the additional bricks I need.) Most specific features the models have is the forced perspective of scenes to let the model keep it small for building and carrying. I made the 10 scenes in 5 month all by myself. Scene 1 "Long Long Ago..."(0207)  A closeup view of the house just like the beginning of the original book. So the scene is made in minifig scale, having 4 32x32 plates as its base. I've added a motorized background with sun and moon rotating slowly and gently. Scene 2 "Summer"(0208)  A panoramic view of scene 1 in green colored summer landscape, with 5 32x32 plates at its base. Hills with treees are seen behind the house. The trees have 5 different sizes depending on where to put. Scene 3 "Winter"(0209)  Scene 2 changes to a snowy season. The book had all 4 seasons in the pages but I cut them to only 2. Scene 4 "Development Begins"(0210)  Very similar to the scene 2 but a new road is about to expand towards the house, breaking through beautiful hills. Scene 5 "Becomes a Bedtown"(0211)  The area is now covered with houses. Most ground level is flattened through its construction. Even the rivers were changed to pipes. There is no explanatins about it but the house losts its owner sometime around this period. Cars and houses are made in many sizes to express the scene depth. Scene 6 "Apartments Grow"(0212)  Traffics grow, houses become apartments and more people starts to live. Areas are cut into square blocks by straight roads. Cars and houses at the far back has dull colors to express the smoggy city air. Scene 7 "In the City"(0213)  Closeup of the scene 6 with an additional growth of trolley trains4 32x32 plates are used beneath. Many minifigs are now walking right and left. There are no closeups in the book after the first scene but I wanted this to show the difference in minifig scale. This scene has a "sun and moon" motorized background but the rotating speed is much faster. Scene 8 "Skyscrapers Are Coming"(0214)  The town finally becomes one of the crowded districts in the city. Subways run underneath. Twin towers are raising at both sides of the house. Original book has more scenes between oy scene 7 and 8 but I wanted more speedy plots. Buildings at the back has gray and same shape to show the monophonic townscape. Scene 9 "Escape"(0215)  Twin towers and new tramlines are completed. Now there are no place for the house to live in this city. So the grand grand children of the house owner decides a moving. People at the city sees a rare situation of a house moving by itself. The Buildings at scene 8 and 9 ate up so many gray bricks and plates... Scene 10 "Way To A New Settlement"(0216)  A scene showing a way from the city to the new hill.The cityscape show the development it came in layers. Original book has a final scene with the house smiling at the new hill but I didn't add that. I thought this new place might trace the history as before. So, this last scene is set just aside the first scene and form a circle at the exibit. You can see some different angles HERE. |
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