Scrollin' along

Somewhat later than intended, here is the second of three reviews of new parts that the LEGO Group (TLG) have released this summer. First up we looked at the new inverted half-arch; today me and the gang are back to examine the...um, what to call this piece? I seem to have ended up referring to it as 'the scrolly thingy' but that's a bit rubbish... although much more descriptive than the official TLG name, 'Design Brick 1X1X2'. BrickLink (BL) are typically long-winded but accurate with theirs; 'Brick, Modified 1 x 1 with Scroll with Open Stud'. I find BL names too tiresome to write repeatedly, so I will go with my sister's exotic suggestion of 'the curlicue'.

The curlicue has a Design ID of 20310 and comes in two colours so far. Brick Yellow [TLG]/Tan [BL] has an Element ID of 6114992 and there are two supplied in 41098 Emma's Tourist Kiosk. (I'll be reviewing this set later as it contains another thrilling new part.) Warm Gold [TLG]/Pearl Gold [BL] has an Element ID of 6112307 and there are ten to be found in 41101 Heartlake Grand Hotel (which will also be receiving a separate review soon). These sets are both from the Friends theme, which suggests this part will be exclusive to that theme for a little while, like the ice cream cone part was for a time.

I'm not much of a fan of Pearl Gold so a bunch of Tan ones were sent out to a gang of UK superbuilders - Simon Pickard, James Pegrum, Rod Gillies, Drew Maughan and Elspeth DeMontes - to see what techniques and builds they could come up with. Like this excellent cello by Elspeth!

 

Clearly, it's a decorative element and like some other new elements recently introduced for themes such as Friends, Disney Princess and Elves, it's curvy and swirly. There's something quite Baroque about its curves and the most obvious use for it is in architecture. Here I have used four to make a somewhat clunky but simple capital for a column.

The base of the scrolled section of the element is exactly one plate higher than the base of the brick section, meaning you can frame the scrolled section nicely. Below left is an attractive cornice which Rod Gillies made by by repeating them horizontally, whilst below right are my experiments with repeating them vertically.

The inclusion of a second stud on the top of the scrolled section means that the curlicue behaves in much the same way as a 1x2 inverted 45° slope brick, so it actually has structural as well as decorative uses. This rapidly led me towards creating arches out of it as well as combining it with other arched elements. I think they have quite a Middle Eastern or Moorish feel to them.

Drew Maughan was also drawn to creating arches - or rather, exotic windows - as you see in his experiments here. He also combined it with the the 1x4 bow window (which is actually the third element we will be examining in this series) which echoes the interior curve suggested by the two curlicues.
Rod Gillies created a very similar arrangement to Drew but instead created a brilliant Aztec monkey statue!

It's not just for architecture: some of our builders found use for the curlicue in creating furniture. Elspeth DeMontes made them into feet for a cabinet and a chair - she made pains to point out to me that this is not a toilet. (I think it probably is a toilet.)

Spot where Simon Pickard used them in his wonderful vignette below! It's another good example of how they are like the 1x2 inverted 45° slope.

Elspeth also made a towel rail, using the hollow stud of the curlicue to create a 180° reversal technique.

In his spectacular build below, James Pegrum also utilised the hollow studs and a 180° flip to create beautiful effects on either side of the doorway. I'm looking forward to doing my own experiments with upside down curlicues!

As you can see, James also combined the curlicue with a favoured AFOL technique of inserting pieces into the underside of an arch. What's especially clever here is his use of ice cream cones between the curlicues: their conical shape fits nicely in between the scrolled shapes which splay outwards slightly.

I'll reveal the wider shot of James' build when we come to examine the bow window piece, hopefully not too far in the future! :/

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