BRICK TRICK DUDE CUSTOM HOLIDAY BUILDING KITS

Above: AIRPLANE Design Number Two, (YES! Your minifigure pilot will fit in the seat).

Greetings!

Here in the BRICKTRICK studio in SAN FRANCISCO we've been developing CUSTOM KITS for building cool items such as small AIRPLANES for your minifigs. Other kits in the new collection include a minifigure delivery man with a CHRISTMAS TREE on a red push cart, a red and white GO CART for holiday racing and a bold lime green FOUNTAIN for your holiday city or town. These kits, available exclusively on Ebay, come with colorful building instructions with photographs and you can also review the building directions for all the items in the CUSTOM KITS from BRICKTRICKDUDE here in the BRICKTRICK BLOG. Many of our friends here in FOG CITY have affixed these items with ornament hooks when finished and use the various designs for HOLIDAY DECORATIONS. Younger visitors really enjoy them as toys. We expect to be creating more CUSTOM KITS thoughout the season!


Above: The red HOLIDAY PUSH CART custom kit comes complete with a minifigure delivery man wearing blue overalls.

Below: The red and white GO CART. (YES! Your minifigure driver will fit in the seat).

Above: The bold lime green FOUNTAIN will spruce up your city or town for the holidays!

Above: AIRPLANE design number 1. The tiles and grills adorning the wings can be rearranged to create other patterns, too.

TOWN SQUARE TREE, FOUNTAIN and BLEACHERS

Above: As part of the Holiday Town display, we intend to include public spaces such as a park. This example showcases a large tree sculpture, which would likely be "decorated" for the holidays. This sample is built on two baseplates; the tree and grassy area with the black benches is on a 32x32 peg plate and the bleachers/grandstand with fountain and planter is on a 16x32 peg baseplate.

More HOLIDAY TOWN Ideas

This posting features shots of a Public Park with a large Tree and viewing Grandstand. Other notable items are the "fountain", the old-fashioned style lamppost and the cool black park benches.

Below: Here we see a close-up of the fountain, which utilizes aqua caps to simulate water. Just FYI: there are more than 200 caps used here!



Above: Another vantage point of the park area. Right now we're not sure what all the minifigures are staring at, since no one is on the small stage and not much is happening elsewhere yet! It does seem like a pleasant place to enjoy a latte. Where is the Java House?

Below: Close-up shows the minifigures seated in the "bleachers". The bleachers were created with pre-formed seat pieces set on top of a brick base. A planter is situated behind the beachers and filled with red and white flowers.



Above: Another view of the TOWN SQUARE TREE and FOUNTAIN sculpture. The tree is elevated off the baseplate 2 bricks in height, and on this side we see a gray "retaining wall", topped off by smooth white tiles.

SUNNY YELLOW COTTAGE

Image above shows the SUNNY YELLOW COTTAGE, the first in what has become a series of cottages in the BRICK TRICK studio this fall.

SUNNY YELLOW COTTAGE
Designed and built by Mitch Hightower

Over coffee one morning BRICK TRICK contributing artist Mitch constructed a small cottage structure on a 16x16 peg baseplate. We all liked the results and thought cottages would be a nice addition to our Holiday presentation. The challenge: to create as many cottages as we can for our Holiday Town display, while having no two exactly alike. Oh, and we have to stay within the boundaries of a 16x16 peg baseplate. The cottage portion of the Holiday project is a study in exterior architecture, so these small buildings do not have have tricked-out interiors like many of the other BRICK TRICK projects do. Right now we have six finished test cottages, we'll post more images of the others in the next few days.

Below: Another view of the cottage shows the side opposite the front door.



Above: The back of the structure. Not many details were employed here, as the structures may sit up against each other when displayed and the sides and/or back won't be visible.

Below: A close-up shows the details at the front entrance. The arch draws attention to the door, while the inverse slopes serve as korbels to support the second floor overhang. Dark Purple bricks purchased second-hand on Ebay make a striking contrast as the trim to the bright yellow walls. Vintage lattice windows and green shutters were another auction find.


Below: Despite our ever-growing and rather vast brick collection in our shared studio, we still don't have any green ridge pieces to finish off roof lines. So here, Mitch used yellow grills as an alternative.



Above: Another shot of the SUNNY YELLOW COTTAGE. More cottage designs will follow in upcoming posts. Many thanks to PHILIP for taking these shots.

BRICK TRICK TOWN

Above: Image shows buidings in a town/street layout.

BRICK TRICK TOWN
Holiday Party Presentation Samples

Here at our SAN FRANCISCO Studio, we've been designing and constructing various buildings as tests and samples for a town we are planning to have on display at a holiday party. The shots in this posting show buildings which include, (from left), the RED/WHITE ART MUSEUM and GALLERY; the YELLOW TUDOR house; a park area with benches and a large tree; a grand stand area overlooking the park complete with bleachers and a fountain; a powder-blue loft style building and the ORANGE TAQUERIA which was featured in a previous post. We're working on several other buildings right now including a series of "cottage" structures which will be featured in an upcoming posting.

BIG CITY LOFT and SIDEWALK CAFE

Above: A view of three story brick sculpture constructed in gray, black and white bricks.

BIG CITY LOFT and SIDEWALK CAFE
Designed and Built by PHILIP BUCHAN

This building project unfolded in several separate sessions to achieve the final result and some very extensive attention to detail. Please scroll down to view more images.

Below: A view of the front of the BIG CITY LOFT. The three-story structure features a sidewalk cafe on the first level, (ground floor). The CAFE has a sidewalk eating area with tables. The interior of the CAFE has a bar with stools, tables and chairs, booze bottles on shelves, a cash register and art on the walls. Of course there is also a full-service kitchen and a restroom.


Below: A shot of the BIG CITY LOFT from the backside. The bottom floor has a back exit from the kitchen and a blue dumpster. The second floor has a small balcony off the kitchen and the third level has a large deck outside the sleeping loft. The deck has a barbeque and the railings are carefully constructed of transparent pieces to give the look of glass.



Above: A close-up view of the sidewalk portion of the CAFE. A "banner" welcomes guests to the entrance. Note the "parking meter" at the curb.

Below: We see the sculpture open, as it was designed to be split into two sections for ease of viewing the interior.


Below: A close-up shot of the bar inside the CAFE on the ground floor. Note the booze bottles on shelves behind the bar and the cocktail tray with glassware on the shiny black bar.


Below: Another shot of the CAFE interior. Visible are the tables and chairs as well as the very avant garde artwork which is part of the Chef's personal art collection.



Above: The back section of the structure houses the CAFE kitchen.

Below: The restroom is also housed in the back section of the structure on the first level, through the arch and then the two swinging blue shutter doors); so the staff and CAFE customers can get easy access. Note more artwork on the wall between the archway openings.


Below: A view through the keyhole doorway on the second floor, which houses the loft's main living space and a contemporary stairway to the third floor sleeping loft. Note the LIME GREEN chaise lounge. Other details include black smooth tiles on the floor to simulate marble and a large dark purple plate is used to indicate an area rug. There are also skylights built into the roof.



Above: A view into the private kitchen on the second floor for the loft tenants. The kitchen is contained in the back "half" of the two part structure. Note the "glass topped" table and other cool kitchen appliances.

Below: Another view of the second floor kitchen interior shows the refrigerator and the back door out to a small balcony.



Above: The interior of the bathroom on the third floor. The shower stall is constructed of clear plates and aqua caps. Also visible is the bathroom sink. Behind the shower wall is a toilet, (not visible).


Above: Image shows balcony and railing on third floor at the back of the building.


Above: Outside the back door of the CAFE on the ground floor is the trash dumpster.

Below: Close-up shows the dumpster with the lid open. A hinged-type brick combination was used to achieve this result. Note how NEON YELLOW "jewel" bricks have been used as light fixtures.


Below: The structure back in it's "assembled" position with both sections together. The overall baseplate area is 16x48 pegs. The front section is built on a 16x32 peg baseplate and the back section is constructed on two 8x16 baseplates combined.


Other cool features of the BIG CITY LOFT and SIDEWALK CAFE include some items that cannot be viewed in these shots or without removing the rooftop or other sections of the building. The third floor sleeping loft overlooks the main living space through another "glass" railing and has a bed and other modern furniture in a purple color scheme. The CAFE has a full-service restroom on the ground floor with a sink and toilet and even a payphone in the hall outside the restroom!

LIME FLOWER STAND

Above: Image shows a "Flower Stand" brick creation using bold lime green accented with black.

LIME FLOWER STAND
Design By Mitch Hightower

This brick sculpture of a small sidewalk flower stand was built on two 8x16 peg baseboards. One is the foundation for the building, and the second supports the sidewalk and other floral displays. The interior features a floral display case, pedestal displays and a small tree. Accoutrements of the exterior include more floral displays, lattice-topped walls and a checkerboard pattern in the pavement. The clerestory windows on the roof are transparent green 1x2 bricks.

Below: Image shows the two baseboards separated. The dark green tinted bay window and other doors are vintage parts from a Police themed set purchased on Ebay.


Below: The flower stand has been staffed with a blue-uniformed minifigure.


Below: The LIME FLOWER STAND was customized with a printed sticker and taken as a gift to an ill friend.

ORANGE TAQUERIA

Image above shows a brick "Taqueria" architectural sculpture complete with an outdoor eating area.

ORANGE TAQUERIA
Brick Sculpture by Trick Richey

The Orange Taqueria is a simple yet striking design built on a 16x32 peg baseboard. Features include an outdoor eating area with tables and benches, windows for ordering and pick-up, built-in light fixtures, interior details and more.

Photo below shows the backside of the sculpture. Here you can see the skylight in the sloped roof and the awning over the backdoor. Also visible are a garbage can and a cooking oil receptacle.



Above: A close-up of the back area and door. Beyond you can also see the cook inside the building and a customer at the pick-up window.

Below: A close-up of the front of the building. The yellow-framed windows at the top of this image are vintage pieces purchased online from an auction vendor.

Below: The ORANGE TAQUERIA Sculpture from another angle.

Photography by artist Philip Buchan.