We've discussed LEGO® Hidden Side sets quite a bit this year and now it is time for a different take. We sent the talented US builder Eli Willsea (ForlornEmpire on Flickr and Instagram) a copy of 70430 Newbury Subway and 70432 Haunted Fairground to see what original creations he could come up with, also using his own LEGO parts. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.
First off let's take a look at some of the newest elements included in these sets that I used in my creations. There were several recolours of existing parts as well as a few new elements that immediately caught my eye.
New colours of LEGO rollercoaster rails in set 70432:
- Rail 2X16X3, Bow, Inv., W/ 3.2 Shaft in Dark Red (6294358 | 34738)
- Rail 13X13, 1/4 Circle, W/ 3.2 Shaft in Dark Red (6294360 | 25061)
- Rail 2X8, W/ 3.2 Shaft in Dark Red (6294376 | 26022)
- Rail 2X16X6, Inv. Bow, W/ 3.2 Shaft in Titanium Metallic/ Pearl Dark Gray (6287321 | 26559)
- Rail 2X8, W/ 3.2 Shaft in Pearl Dark Gray (6294361 | 26022)
Other new elements in sets 70430 & 70432:
- Mini Hat, No. 30 in Bright Reddish Violet/ Magenta (6294375 | 27149)
- Limb Element in Medium Azure (6295972 | 2417)
- Bicycle Frame, No. 1 in Dark Azure (6295974 | 36934)
- Various scary head prints including the one shown here: Mini Head, No. 3143 in Transparent Fluorescent Green/ Trans-Neon Green (6289316 | 66699)
- The ghost effect family pack - Mini Accessory, No. 13 in Trans-Neon Green (6313372 | 65726)
- Mini, Middle Part, Angled in Trans-Neon Green (6299272 | 66899)
Discovering New Lands
A brave crew is exploring a cold new world. But what is that they see? A strange new tree? Time to send the rowboat to investigate!
In this build I wanted to feature some of the new “ghostly” elements that come in Mini Accessory, No. 13 in Trans-Neon Green (6313372 | 65726) which I call the ghost effects pack. As soon as I saw these lightning-shaped parts I knew I wanted to either use them as microscale trees or shooting stars; I opted for trees. Their bar connection on the back makes it easy to connect them in different ways; I used it to attach the trunk of the tree. I also used a few of the Spencers (Dog, No. 17 – 6271329 | 56202) as part of the ice floating close to shore. The dogs work well because they have been dual-moulded with Transparent/ Trans-Clear and White, giving the effect of ice and snow.
Here is a closer look at some of the new ghost effect elements:
Microscope Slides
During science class in school, do you remember pulling out a case of slides with tiny little specimens to examine under the microscope? I sure do. I also remember being far more fascinated by looking at my own hair, or spit, or anything I could find lying around that I could zoom way in on.
The ghost effects pack comes with this splat effect. This lends itself very well to being used as spilled liquid or slime. The circle in the middle of the element is intended to fit around a minifigure’s neck, which could be useful in other applications, but here it adds to the organic effect of something a scientist needs to examine. If this part came in other transparent colours in the future, especially Trans-Clear, I could see many builders finding uses for them in MOCs.
Under the Sea
I took one look at the new bike element now in Dark Azure (Bicycle Frame, No. 1 – 6295974 | 36934) and decided it was not a bike, but coral! I also utilised another element from the ghost effect pack: claws. I couldn’t help but see them as jellyfish.
Twisted Tram
While looking through the new parts that came in 70432 Haunted Fairground, I knew that I wanted to use the Dark Red bowed rollercoaster rails (Rail 2X16X3, Bow, Inv., W/ 3.2 Shaft – 6294358 | 34738). I decided to use them as windows and since I had two, I went for a train car.
The challenge was that the bow of the tracks made them a bit tricky to integrate into a sideways-built structure so I used several hinge bricks underneath the windows and hinge plates on the roof to compensate for the warp. In the end, while the look is fun, it is probably not a very practical way to build train windows...I can't see this train actually rolling on tracks!... but I think it would fit right into the world of Hidden Side.
Interestingly enough, while working with some of the new elements and recolours, I found myself leaning toward the darker tones of the Hidden Side theme. I find it is a fun and mysterious colour palette that is refreshing to work with.
Kid’s Room
When I was growing up our family had a bed in the shape of a blue plastic car that my younger brothers got to use. It was super cool because you could pretend to drive it during nap time!
For this model I incorporated the not-so-new rollercoaster wheels (Wheels, Dia. 8/11 Mm, W/ Axle in Dark Stone Grey/ Dark Bluish Gray – 6135290 | 24869) into the base of the bed. I think they give the impression that it's more of a bed than a car. I also used the back of a new head print (Mini Head, No. 3143 in Trans-Neon Green – 6289316 | 66699) to make a lava lamp to complete the room.
Tea Party!
A tea party is always a happy occasion. It doesn't matter if you are at a fancy tea-house or in the backyard with a plastic picnic table and chairs;, tea is something to look forward to.
The curves of the top hat (Mini Hat, No. 30 in Magenta – 6294375 | 27149) reminded me of the child-safe curves of play structures made for kids, so I used two as plastic kiddie chairs to complete this little scene.
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Massive thanks go to our 'Vibrant Coral' patrons: Iain Adams, Baixo LMmodels, Andy Price, Anthony Wright, Geppy, Chris Cook, London AFOLs, Gerald Lasser, Big B Bricks, Dave Schefcik, David and Breda Fennell, Huw Millington, Neil Crosby, Antonio Serra, Beyond the Brick, Sue Ann Barber & Trevor Clark, and Kevin Gascoigne. You're awesome!
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Very nice part usages!
ReplyDeleteThe boat looks really cool, and is in a nice environment. The train is also fantastic, too bad the straight tracks have the diagonal bars. The other concave and convex tracks could be nice in a building!
Wow that is creative!
ReplyDeleteThe twisted tram just blew my mind. Simply incredible!
ReplyDeleteThat tram is ingenious! I never would have thought of doing that with the track pieces!. I bought this set just for the new roller coaster track colours, but there were some really nice minifigures in this set too, which was a real bonus! I'm a bit obsessed with having to but all track pieces in every colour available, but i do enjoy creating track designs so they're well used. Great article. Thanks for posting! :D
ReplyDeleteThey did that to the Batmobile in one episode of B:TAS. I never noticed it myself, but they call attention to it in the commentary. As the car crests a hill, it takes on a subtle convex shape to match the road surface. This is one of the problems with trying to broadcast six new episodes per week (as B:TAS did when it debuted). In order to keep up with the rush, they had to farm out individual episodes to any animation studio they could find, and some studios did a better job than others.
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