It’s been a relatively busy time in my Lego world, with building my first Rebrickable model, buying sets and minifigures, and planning what comes next. Time to update you on all the excitement in the past week!

Set builds

I had two builds this week – the Nano Gauntlet #76223 and the Central Perk and Friends Apartments MOC by Brick Artisan. I reviewed both builds earlier this week, so check them out for my thoughts and building experience!

Nano Gauntlet review
Central Perk and Friends Apartments MOC review

Nano Gauntlet

I bought this set during the July sales – the only time I have seen it discounted. It was a lot of fun and only took a few hours while I watched television and got distracted by my cats. I rearranged my Marvel display to put it on the top shelf and think it looks fabulous there. I will pick up the Infinity Gauntlet #76191 one day to have the pair, but as that set isn’t retiring this year, there is no rush to add it to my collection.

Brick Artisan’s Central Perk and Friends Apartments MOC

I posted my review, including the general building experience of the Central Perk and Friends Apartments MOC (AKA SitComplex), yesterday, and now it’s time to place it in my city. Brick Artisan created the instructions – available on Rebrickable.com – he has many fantastic MOCs you should check out! I’m planning on building another of his this weekend.

Building the set was a long, tiring weekend, and I finished on Monday night. I watched the associated sitcom during the process and got near the end of season three. If I can, I watch any media associated with the set I’m building.

I learned a lot from my first MOC build. First, I need a better sorting arrangement to make finding parts easier. Granted, this will be of lesser concern with smaller MOCs, but when hitting the 3000+ piece count, it’s too much searching to put all the bricks in a single bin! I know some builders like to mix many bags to build – elongating the build process. I’ve found through this build that this is not the way of building for me!

I also came to love my part inventory. Near the end, I constantly rummaged through it to find pieces that would work. It makes my trips to the PAB wall seem necessary, rather than simply fun, to keep topping things off. I also want to get some more bulk Lego to sort through – it’s something I find relaxing, and it will be exciting too.

Generally, I needed to be better prepared – sorting elements, creating a good workspace, and double-checking any extra parts I ordered (I hadn’t ordered everything I needed!)

It was a fantastic time, and I and thrilled with the result. My city is going to look tremendously improved with this set in it.

With the build complete – it’s time to place the set!

So far, my city only has half a street and needs something on the other side of the road. This seems like the perfect spot right now for my new apartment building. It will also be nice to have a coffee shop near the hotel and the police station.

Right now, I have the Cozy House #31139 and the Up House #43217 sets resting on a MILS plate, but I don’t think these are the sets I want to see when I enter the room. A two-plate gap is next to it, so I tried it in both positions to see what worked best. Placing the SitComplex front and center is the way to finish the end of the street. I will probably need to move it nearer the taller buildings (Daily Bugle #76178, Haunted House #10273, forthcoming Avengers Tower) as I add floors.

Now that it’s in position, time to bring it to life with some minifigures and stories! Of course, I had to place the six friends and Gunther in the coffee area, but I also added a couple of police officers and two mates playing a game of pool. Finally, I positioned a bartender to complete the ground floor.

In the apartments, I placed other copies of the friends from the apartment set – after all, you have to have the boys on their chairs! I also added a little foliage to the girl’s balcony to cover up a bit of the grey.

On the street, I put a bee tile in the bin and added Jurrasic Park’s Owen Grady on the bench, enjoying coffee and cookies while his dogs snack. Oh, and why not throw a kid on a skateboard there too?

I love how this city area is starting to take shape, and it already feels more like my city by adding this single MOC.

With hindsight, I wish I had built the building on the other side of the MILS plate, as I love the side facade. Oh well, I will order some half baseplates and make that adjustment so that it is at the corner of the street.

Purchases

Last week I saw the Creator 3-in-1 Medieval Castle #31120 on sale for 20% off on Amazon.com. I already had one and bought two more due to the fantastic builds you can produce using these sets. The problem is I need help deciding what to build. I could go for a single large castle to oppose the Lion Knights’ Castle or make two smaller structures to populate the non-existent medieval area. I am open to suggestions on which Rebrickable models to make. Here’s the link if you want to look at the options available.

I also got a great deal on eBay (the first time buying Lego on that platform) for the retired Black Widow Helicopter Chase #76162. I wanted this set for the Yelena figure and the helicopter – which is rare in Lego. It will add a lovely dimension to my city with a helipad on top of a building.

Next week

Building plans

Cozy House # 31139 MOC time! When the Cozy House was released earlier this year, I was desperate to get my hands on it. It looked like a fantastic set you could do so much with. Quickly, Brick Artisan released two MOCs that created very different townhouses, and I instantly wanted to build both. They look fanastic together. I’ve waited for the sets to go on sale, but they haven’t yet. So, I’ll create one now and the other later when I can grab a discount.

The two MOCs are either the Classic Townhouse or the Cozier Home. I’m starting with the Classic Townhouse because it better fits the city’s downtown area. Once I move the SitComplex to propper fitting baseplates, I will place this next to it. Though, things may change once things are constructed.

I have finally begun assembling the Guardians’ Ship, so my Marvel shelf will get another reshuffle. I’m only at stage two, but it’s been a straightforward build thus far. It is a large ship, so it’ll most likely need its own shelf. We shall see.

Planned Purchases

It’s rumored (r/legoleak and brickclicker) that the third Houses of the World GWP will be available from Friday (Aug 11th). The spend threshold is $250 to snap up that GWP – the bulk will be spent on Medieval Blacksmith #21325. I hoped to get it on sale, but as it’s retiring at the end of the year, I will bite the bullet now. As for the rest of the $70 spend, I’m still considering some PAB or pick up a Friends Botanical Garden #41757. I may even fill my cart with baseplates. There is a rumored Dreamzzz polybag that is stackable which might alter my plans as the blue bunny is too damn cute to ignore.

So, that’s been my Lego life of late and plenty on the agenda to build! Let me know if you have any thoughts on which castle MOC to create, as I’ll need to decide soon!

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