I’ve got a real soft spot for realistic town dioramas and this LEGO version of a Norwegian city center has realism in spades. Built by members of Brikkelauget it’s had pride of place in the window of Riktige Leker toy shop in Oslo. The walls of the metro are a particular highlight for me. If I were a minifig I’d be pretty happy to live there.
Oh, wow, this is lovely! Thank you for sharing this, Tim. This is exactly the sort of thing that I would never have found on my own.
Along with all the great architecture, there are some great little details. I love the cellist near the fountain. Also, a pair of clone troopers waiting for the train and a hand-cart operator just noticed the train bearing down on him!
There is a motorcycle on the road, but I can’t identify the body or the wheels. Any ideas?
^ There’s a fabuland one and another that I think is a custom scooter I’ve seen around about here and there.
Ah, I should have been more specific. I was referring to the motorcycle with the bearded driver. I believe that must be the fabuland one, since the custom scooter is the police officer and the third motorcycle is the same model as the recent CITY Police motorcycle set.
Comment from Matija Puzar
Anyway, I just wanted to add a short comment to your blog entry – glad liked our diorama! Here are some more points to it, feel free to add them if you feel like it:
– the diorama has working lights, which play quite an important role, and which seem to be turned off at the moment (I have to contact the store manager and ask what happened). Anyway, you can see them in action in this gallery:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=4517337
(the street lights and fountain also feature lights, but it’s hard to see
in this diorama)
– the motives are based on several places in Oslo center. Apart from those already shown in the gallery you pointed out, the metro station is also based on a real station in Oslo:
http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/196793
– the “cellist” is actually an upright bass player, more precisely myself ;)
http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/96650
– the design for the yellow car in the street is originally that of
Pierre Normandin:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=145837
– the shop, station and street names are puns on real names, targeted to Norwegians who immediately catch them.
– the window will be set up for a few more months, in the case someone plans to visit Oslo, it’s just next to the Oslo city hall