![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
gingerwitch.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
acciobrickThere's not a lot going on in the world of JKR's Harry Potter lego right now, so I've been exploring lego representations of a few other authors' works, particularly where I feel they might slot in nicely with the lego Wizarding World. Today the Lego Jane Austen GWP special went live, in honour of the 250th anniversary of her birthday. Sticking with the theme, in the coming days I'll be taking a look at two Jane Austen MOCs from TJBricks - Barton Cottage from 'Sense and Sensibility' and Pemberley from 'Pride and Prejudice' - which have been submitted to lego Ideas, a platform where fans can vote for sets they like and if they reach 10K votes, lego considers them for production. Personally I think that's an excellent way to get people to engage and a great way to showcase fan creativity. It's free to register, and you can vote for as many designs as you like, and there's never any obligation to purchase if it does get released, so support away to your heart's content! And even if lego decides not to release the set? There's still a chance fans will - with official lego pieces and everything - via Bricklink. All very cool, even if not always affordable. 😆
One unfortunate drawback to the Ideas projects is they aren't forced to discuss piece counts or keep potential pricing realistic. Another is that lego generally doesn't rework the sets in a significant way, and as a result some of the design choices are more simplistic or, at the other end of the spectrum, senselessly extravagant than they would be were they projects exclusively from lego's eminently capable hands. Some adjustment of expectations is required due to those aspects. Lego is also perfectly aware of the pricing problems, and support of a project increases the chances that some form of it might see the light of day, so don't let minor quibbles keep you from voting for it, especially as lego remains MOCable. Change at will, my lovelies!
Today I'll be reviewing Barton Cottage...
First a technical gripe, just to get it off my chest: the pictures are from lego Ideas, and it's frankly a PITA to get them on my tablet and thus here. There's a chance that's easier on a laptop, but I wouldn't count on it, and I do think it's a little silly to make it more difficult to share the work and signal boost the projects. I'm not sure who it benefits to do it this way, as bad actors won't have issues visiting the Ideas website or nabbing any desired pictures from there. Hmm. 🤔 Anyway, that's why there aren't more or better quality pix here. Brill. Take it up with lego.
Now on to the first project.
TJBrick's Barton Cottage from Jane Austen's 'Sense and Sensibility'
"I advise every body who is going to build, to build a cottage." - Edward Ferrars
I'm definitely less fond of the novel 'Sense and Sensibility' than I am of 'Pride and Prejudice' (and their corresponding films), no question, but I quite honestly like this build more between the two. Not coincidentally, as it's for many of the same reasons, it's also by far the more reasonable build of the two, increasing its likelihood of ever becoming a set.
The depth of the build is well chosen, deep enough for the things you might wish to include without being excessive (and therefore pricey). The front has some genuinely charming texture to the brickwork that manages not to be too wasteful as the piece count is kept reasonably humane (although I expect some editing would take place, were lego inclined to go there). That texture also allows for perfectly acceptable window treatments, again, a nice compromise between the visible interiors and exterior and what one might expect of the rooms while also being mindful of the space lego solutions require, beyond that pesky piece count issue. (Lego curtains are chunky, yo.) One way or another, you sacrifice space including even the thinnest of them in your build. Do you want them or those paintings and that bookshelf? That said, the bookshelf occludes part of the window, and generally is shunted to the side wall. What I like here is that it's more visible as a result of not doing so, and as it's behind an armchair, there's enough room for it, too. (Although that choice might leave the loveseat too narrow for two minifigs to sit side by side; then again, they may not need to.) The side walls are a little too simple by contrast to the front, and although I applaud the economy, they would usually contain at least some "mortar profile" bricks, for variety, as well as changing up the format of the bricks comprising them. Currently they alternate 1 x 4 and 1 x 3 / 1 x 2s. Given other dimensions are already included in the build, for something less stately and more irregular like a cottage, lego would probably add more variety as it wouldn't increase the unique piece count (always a budget consideration, at the latest off Bricklink).
I like the ivy, which naturally means lego would reduce it by half. *sigh* The rhododendron / hydrangea stand-in is quite nice, so that would be decimated in an official set, ditto the larger bush behind it, and even the second butterfly isn't typical. I'd give the door one less step, shifting it downwards and giving it a little air to breathe above it, and I'm not quite sold on the exterior of the dormer or the portico, but I don't have an immediate "do this instead" suggestion either, so... *shrug*. Alternating the roof pieces with a different format (as has been done in Privet Drive, for example) would add some more variety, but I don't know if that's unfeasible for the dimensions, or design, for that matter. The furniture comes across a little modern, but then sleeker upholstery lines aren't out of place for the time, it's more an issue with everything in sum. I'd have made the rail piece in the upper right bedroom's dresser reddish brown to match the rest and look more like decorative carving, for example. I guess I'm also not entirely convinced with all the pastels, and for once that's not coming from a place of typical loathing. Frankly, that's a gut response; I'd need to spend more time with the film adaptations to better assess that. In the absence of that, when in doubt, I'll bow to the designer. They've obviously put a great deal of care into the piece, all my quibbling aside.
Further niggles... The beds viewed in profile seem a bit flat, which a cheese piece pillow would help solve (unless they need to be flat?). As it would be difficult to squeeze a second minifig in under the eaves, I imagine lego would shrink the beds to two studs' width, three if we're lucky, although I do like the four studs width TJBricks have chosen here instead. Considering how few 4x4 tiles I have, I feel comfortable saying lego rarely resorts to them. Unless it's plot relevant, like how Jane and Lizzy often end up chatting in bed or sharing in P&P adaptations, shifting the beds one stud in also loosens up the lines some. The clock in one room and the dresser in the other is a great choice. (I'm less convinced about the second, smaller, dresser in the left bedroom however, particularly in colour, and as it's viewed more from the side the dimensions feel a little off?) Another option might have been placing the clock behind the armchair a floor lower (it would help reduce the visual impact of the bookcase's side walls), and putting a wardrobe where the clock is for variety. Also reducing the fireplace to two studs' depth, particularly as it's viewed from the side, would help with the spacing in the parlour. The fireplace feels a bit hodgepodge-y with three colours and no mantle, but here again, I'd want to look at the source material to make that call. It can certainly be very difficult getting the details you want into a narrow build with all of two bricks' height to work with. Goodness knows, I've battled with several fireplace builds, which seems funny given how small they are, but then that's most of the challenge.
Some of the furniture is a little high for the minifig scale. The pianoforte, the bench. Tables aren't typically built with the telescope piece (the rim of the teacup is at upper lip height), especially not with two layers of plates / tiles on top, and the kitchen chairs, in addition to being high, are somewhat kludgey. At the least, the bracket needs to be full height for the chair back, and the nozzles are pricier than other leg options while being detrimental to the design. The height issue is solved in the kitchen by adding a rug, so that works well enough. I like the way they've done the oven, and not everything needs to be functional. (If I included a wardrobe, it likely wouldn't be unless I just resorted to a doorframe, which is probably outsized for the room.) Iirc, the cabinet piece isn't available in a colour that would fit the rest (this, too, has plagued me), so you're forced to incorporate the colour elsewhere if it's to match. (Here again, though, I'm unsure how much the source material actually matches.) The faucet would be typically raised so the sink is more fully formed, and the colours of the plates beneath it would match the sink so it looks sink-ier (that's a word if I say so). The abundance of "stuff" in the corner is likely perfect, and I appreciate the unnecessary 1/4 round tile that gives the interior wall more texture, as I do the story relevant easel and pieces of artwork. And of course there's the minifig design. 🥰
As a whole, great job, or I frankly wouldn't bother to niggle. This really gives you a starting point to work with, material to sink your teeth into. Further I'd like to mention the effort they've gone to on social media, reddit, youtube, Jane Austen forums, Ideas subreddits, Classical Lit, Period Dramas, National Trust, etc. interacting with, y'know, people (I know, right?) to promote their work, which is a non-trivial part of launching an Ideas campaign, and something in all honesty I can't see myself ever having the energy to do. (No way, no how. 😐) There's even a little commercial (video) that I'm non-trivially jealous of 😆 that they've made for the Pemberley project, which was ... is there a chef's kiss emoji? There should be. 👩🍳💋 Anyway, phenomenal work all around, and I wish them a boatload of success with it, not the least because I want this set, naturally... 😉
So if you have a moment and are so inclined, you can help support them here by voting for their project on the lego Ideas site.
One unfortunate drawback to the Ideas projects is they aren't forced to discuss piece counts or keep potential pricing realistic. Another is that lego generally doesn't rework the sets in a significant way, and as a result some of the design choices are more simplistic or, at the other end of the spectrum, senselessly extravagant than they would be were they projects exclusively from lego's eminently capable hands. Some adjustment of expectations is required due to those aspects. Lego is also perfectly aware of the pricing problems, and support of a project increases the chances that some form of it might see the light of day, so don't let minor quibbles keep you from voting for it, especially as lego remains MOCable. Change at will, my lovelies!
Today I'll be reviewing Barton Cottage...
First a technical gripe, just to get it off my chest: the pictures are from lego Ideas, and it's frankly a PITA to get them on my tablet and thus here. There's a chance that's easier on a laptop, but I wouldn't count on it, and I do think it's a little silly to make it more difficult to share the work and signal boost the projects. I'm not sure who it benefits to do it this way, as bad actors won't have issues visiting the Ideas website or nabbing any desired pictures from there. Hmm. 🤔 Anyway, that's why there aren't more or better quality pix here. Brill. Take it up with lego.
Now on to the first project.
TJBrick's Barton Cottage from Jane Austen's 'Sense and Sensibility'
"I advise every body who is going to build, to build a cottage." - Edward Ferrars
I'm definitely less fond of the novel 'Sense and Sensibility' than I am of 'Pride and Prejudice' (and their corresponding films), no question, but I quite honestly like this build more between the two. Not coincidentally, as it's for many of the same reasons, it's also by far the more reasonable build of the two, increasing its likelihood of ever becoming a set.
The depth of the build is well chosen, deep enough for the things you might wish to include without being excessive (and therefore pricey). The front has some genuinely charming texture to the brickwork that manages not to be too wasteful as the piece count is kept reasonably humane (although I expect some editing would take place, were lego inclined to go there). That texture also allows for perfectly acceptable window treatments, again, a nice compromise between the visible interiors and exterior and what one might expect of the rooms while also being mindful of the space lego solutions require, beyond that pesky piece count issue. (Lego curtains are chunky, yo.) One way or another, you sacrifice space including even the thinnest of them in your build. Do you want them or those paintings and that bookshelf? That said, the bookshelf occludes part of the window, and generally is shunted to the side wall. What I like here is that it's more visible as a result of not doing so, and as it's behind an armchair, there's enough room for it, too. (Although that choice might leave the loveseat too narrow for two minifigs to sit side by side; then again, they may not need to.) The side walls are a little too simple by contrast to the front, and although I applaud the economy, they would usually contain at least some "mortar profile" bricks, for variety, as well as changing up the format of the bricks comprising them. Currently they alternate 1 x 4 and 1 x 3 / 1 x 2s. Given other dimensions are already included in the build, for something less stately and more irregular like a cottage, lego would probably add more variety as it wouldn't increase the unique piece count (always a budget consideration, at the latest off Bricklink).
I like the ivy, which naturally means lego would reduce it by half. *sigh* The rhododendron / hydrangea stand-in is quite nice, so that would be decimated in an official set, ditto the larger bush behind it, and even the second butterfly isn't typical. I'd give the door one less step, shifting it downwards and giving it a little air to breathe above it, and I'm not quite sold on the exterior of the dormer or the portico, but I don't have an immediate "do this instead" suggestion either, so... *shrug*. Alternating the roof pieces with a different format (as has been done in Privet Drive, for example) would add some more variety, but I don't know if that's unfeasible for the dimensions, or design, for that matter. The furniture comes across a little modern, but then sleeker upholstery lines aren't out of place for the time, it's more an issue with everything in sum. I'd have made the rail piece in the upper right bedroom's dresser reddish brown to match the rest and look more like decorative carving, for example. I guess I'm also not entirely convinced with all the pastels, and for once that's not coming from a place of typical loathing. Frankly, that's a gut response; I'd need to spend more time with the film adaptations to better assess that. In the absence of that, when in doubt, I'll bow to the designer. They've obviously put a great deal of care into the piece, all my quibbling aside.
Further niggles... The beds viewed in profile seem a bit flat, which a cheese piece pillow would help solve (unless they need to be flat?). As it would be difficult to squeeze a second minifig in under the eaves, I imagine lego would shrink the beds to two studs' width, three if we're lucky, although I do like the four studs width TJBricks have chosen here instead. Considering how few 4x4 tiles I have, I feel comfortable saying lego rarely resorts to them. Unless it's plot relevant, like how Jane and Lizzy often end up chatting in bed or sharing in P&P adaptations, shifting the beds one stud in also loosens up the lines some. The clock in one room and the dresser in the other is a great choice. (I'm less convinced about the second, smaller, dresser in the left bedroom however, particularly in colour, and as it's viewed more from the side the dimensions feel a little off?) Another option might have been placing the clock behind the armchair a floor lower (it would help reduce the visual impact of the bookcase's side walls), and putting a wardrobe where the clock is for variety. Also reducing the fireplace to two studs' depth, particularly as it's viewed from the side, would help with the spacing in the parlour. The fireplace feels a bit hodgepodge-y with three colours and no mantle, but here again, I'd want to look at the source material to make that call. It can certainly be very difficult getting the details you want into a narrow build with all of two bricks' height to work with. Goodness knows, I've battled with several fireplace builds, which seems funny given how small they are, but then that's most of the challenge.
Some of the furniture is a little high for the minifig scale. The pianoforte, the bench. Tables aren't typically built with the telescope piece (the rim of the teacup is at upper lip height), especially not with two layers of plates / tiles on top, and the kitchen chairs, in addition to being high, are somewhat kludgey. At the least, the bracket needs to be full height for the chair back, and the nozzles are pricier than other leg options while being detrimental to the design. The height issue is solved in the kitchen by adding a rug, so that works well enough. I like the way they've done the oven, and not everything needs to be functional. (If I included a wardrobe, it likely wouldn't be unless I just resorted to a doorframe, which is probably outsized for the room.) Iirc, the cabinet piece isn't available in a colour that would fit the rest (this, too, has plagued me), so you're forced to incorporate the colour elsewhere if it's to match. (Here again, though, I'm unsure how much the source material actually matches.) The faucet would be typically raised so the sink is more fully formed, and the colours of the plates beneath it would match the sink so it looks sink-ier (that's a word if I say so). The abundance of "stuff" in the corner is likely perfect, and I appreciate the unnecessary 1/4 round tile that gives the interior wall more texture, as I do the story relevant easel and pieces of artwork. And of course there's the minifig design. 🥰
As a whole, great job, or I frankly wouldn't bother to niggle. This really gives you a starting point to work with, material to sink your teeth into. Further I'd like to mention the effort they've gone to on social media, reddit, youtube, Jane Austen forums, Ideas subreddits, Classical Lit, Period Dramas, National Trust, etc. interacting with, y'know, people (I know, right?) to promote their work, which is a non-trivial part of launching an Ideas campaign, and something in all honesty I can't see myself ever having the energy to do. (No way, no how. 😐) There's even a little commercial (video) that I'm non-trivially jealous of 😆 that they've made for the Pemberley project, which was ... is there a chef's kiss emoji? There should be. 👩🍳💋 Anyway, phenomenal work all around, and I wish them a boatload of success with it, not the least because I want this set, naturally... 😉
So if you have a moment and are so inclined, you can help support them here by voting for their project on the lego Ideas site.
(no subject)
Date: 2025-06-21 07:39 pm (UTC)