Exploration, Discovery and Steam!
/What happens when you go back in time 142 years and get together the finest minifigures of the galaxy to prod into the future of exploration and technology? It might be hard to answer that question very scientifically, but thankfully that won’t be necessary because Max Brich and Castor Troy have already done it and brought us this excellent steampunk model as a result!
There are a lot of fantastic designs and NPUs in this build, but one of the most impressive things about it (to my mind, at least) is that, without relying too heavily on vehicles and contraptions as is usual in steampunk creations (which there’s no denying most everybody loves), the builders have managed to capture the genre and feeling perfectly in the building itself—no easy feat!
The colors (sand green, burnt orange, dark red and orange and nougat, and all in such close proximity!) and architectural choices—with the two statues to discovery and exploration flanking the main entrance and the gorgeous flora showing through the greenhouse on the side—work together flawlessly to draw the viewer into the alternate, steam permeated past.
But that’s not all of this build either! Turns out the dome in the center isn’t a dome at all but an (operable!) hot-air balloon take-off station, and the whole of the MOC sports some fabulous interiors as well! My favorite has got to be the observatory with the massive telescope and superb dome technique, although the greenhouse comes in as a close second.
Max Brich was also kind enough to share some extra information with us and answer a few of our questions.
Isaiah: Why steampunk? This isn’t y’all’s first rodeo, of course, but what pushed you and Castor to head into that genre with this project?
Max: We both love this theme. We also felt it was underrepresented on LEGO Ideas. There are a few great steampunk projects, but not that many. Yet we know that there are many steampunk fans out there! So we wanted to try our best to make a beautiful, large steampunk set.
Isaiah: One thing we appreciate at BrickNerd is when a LEGO Ideas project can stand on its own as a fantastic MOC. But collaborating on LEGO Ideas projects is something I don’t think we see very much of, but I know Castor and you have done it a number of times (congrats on making it to 10,00 supporters on your last project!). Why is that? Can you tell us a bit about how that came about?
Max: We met on LEGO Ideas! Back then, Castor-Troy had only one LEGO Ideas project. It was awesome, but the renderings did not really do it justice. At that time, I was experimenting with some ways to improve renderings on one of my own projects. I had learned a few tricks already, so I offered Castor-Troy my help. It all started that way. What was supposed to be no more than a kind gesture to promote his project turned into a full-scale collaboration.
I think part of what makes it successful is that we have complementary skills. Castor-Troy, obviously, is extremely good at designing models, while I’m more specialized in renderings. But we both intervene in both aspects of our projects. Other than that, Castor-Troy does the advertising, and I draw the minifigs and the decorated parts.
Isaiah: The dome technique is something Castor-Troy came up with for a previous build, and you’ve incorporated it beautifully here as well. Can you tell us a bit about how that came about?
Max: Octagonal buildings are tricky. As soon as there are 45° angles, you are guaranteed that the diameter of the building will not be a whole number of studs. So you need a few tricks to make it work. We benefited greatly from Castor-Troy’s previous experiments on that matter. In particular, we could ensure that the build was sturdy enough, which is not always easy to tell just by looking at a digital design (check out this recent BrickNerd post to read more about the difficulties of digital building!).
We believe incorporating cool techniques in our model makes it more fun and interesting. And of course, we like the visual result very much.
Isaiah: Definitely agreed! And great job both of you in doing it. The number of play features in this thing looks like tons of fun. How important is incorporating those details and functions in your builds for you and Castor, and how much did the fact that you’re hoping to get this turned into a LEGO Ideas set have to do with that?
This two in one exploration device looks like a lot of fun to poke around with!
Max: Yes, playability is very important to us! We both have kids, and we believe playability is a big part of the LEGO experience. We feel like the global tendency on LEGO Ideas is to make more adult “display sets” but that’s not what we prefer. So we just do what we like, no matter what the trend is.
Isaiah: Last but not least, what’s your personal favorite detail in the build?
Max: Castor-Troy’s favorite part is the hot air balloon. He had this great idea, that the dome of the main building could also be the tip of an air balloon. There is a mechanism to slide the balloon up and down, and of course, the balloon can also be separated from the building.
My favorite part is the telescope. The final result was the fruit of many iterations! It can be rotated sideways and up and down. And the chair rotates at the same time. It also fits beautifully with the style of the building.
Isaiah: A couple of my favorite details as well! Thank you for spending time with us and all the best to Castor-Troy and you with your project!
Be sure to follow Max and Castor on their Flickr and Twitter accounts, and if you’d like to see this made into a set, you can also support it on LEGO Ideas.
If you’ve enjoyed this MOC and article you’ll probably also enjoy some of the amazing steampunk MOCs we’ve featured in the past, including this massive steampunk layout by a different pair of collaborating builders. And this isn’t the first time we’ve featured Castor’s steampunk creations either—check out his huge steampunk city too!
What makes something steampunk in your opinion? Should LEGO Ideas sets have play features? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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