The Lego Madhouse and Me


Welcome to The Lego Madhouse,

My name is Christopher Pearce, perhaps better known as CapnRex101 throughout the online Lego community. I am based in the UK and recently decided that I would embark on a somewhat ambitious project, that being to create my own MOC of Arkham Asylum.

On this blog I will document my progress surrounding the MOC, from initial designs to build pictures right through to the finished article, as well as giving some of my views on more general Lego news and sets.

Sunday, 20 January 2013

Arkham Asylum - Initial Concepts Part Two...

My second concept drawing was probably most significantly inspired by Arkham Asylum as it appears in Batman: The Animated Series. The towers are something I really want to include in my final model, and I think that the wrought iron 'ARKHAM' sign over the gates is a feature which has to be included, as it has been one of the few mainstays of just about every incarnation of the asylum. If I were to construct this particular design I would want to add a couple more stories to the model as at the moment I don't think the intimidating feeling I am hoping for is quite captured. Finding a compromise between the height of my design and the footprint will be a key element to look at later on I think.

Arkham Asylum - Batman: The Animated Series Inspired Design

At this point I should explain that the only element of the design which I am certain will be included is the fact that I want the asylum to be located on an island as it was in the Batman: Arkham Asylum game. This has heavily influenced many of my initial ideas and there are many aspects of that design which I will look to include in the final version I decide upon. The building itself however will likely be an amalgamation of my concept designs, all of which have advantages and flaws in my opinion.

Tomorrow I will present the penultimate of the four initial concepts I have produced, and after that I will introduce a poll to see which of the four is your favourite and what elements I ought to bring forward from each model to the next stage of the design process.
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4 comments:

  1. Unknown27 January 2013 at 13:37

    I think I'll put my thoughts on both of the first two sketches, as I really don't have very much to say, otherwise.

    So, first the animated series design:
    Yes, the Arkham gate is indeed a must. And if you decide to do fencing, it should be at, least on some parts, broken or bent. And some of the buildings could be right on the edge of the island, and therefore being between the fence, so that the island doesn't look too confined.

    The lifting bridge isn't necessary, in my opinion.

    The main building reminds me more of a small town hospital than a Gothic asylum so yeah, it should be quite tall with multiple floors inside.

    And now the realistic one:
    This one has a pretty decent height, but it looks a bit too modern and lacks towers, which would make the look more intimidating.

    The skylights are good, but I think triangular cone shapes would better match the Gothic feel.

    A statue (of Amadeus Arkham, perhaps?) at the main entrance is a nice touch and a dirt track could go around the statue.

    A small part of the city on the other side sounds to me a bit overly ambitious, but if you're really up to it...

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    1. Unknown27 January 2013 at 13:46

      The Arkham gate has been a source of great discussion over on the Brickset Forum. Achieving the wrought-iron look is tricky to say the least, but there were some great ideas, the best of which I think was to use Minifigure hands and cut hoses. Unfortunately the 'S' of asylum is probably too difficult even for that technique, so I think just the word 'ARKHAM' will have to do.

      The statue was something which came to mind very early on, so I think whatever direction the design takes, that will be included, as will the gates.

      I will need something at the other end of the bridge to support it, and I think that a tiny area of Gotham itself is the best way to do this, however I may simply use bridge supports and have nothing at the other end, we will see. On the bridge itself I plan to have a kind of Police barricade scene with various emergency vehicles etc. besieging the asylum.

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  2. Unknown27 January 2013 at 14:17

    Yes, hands were the first thing to come to my mind, too. Just 'ARKHAM' would be enough, since the text could otherwise become too wide, making the gate wider, as well. I did have an idea for the 's' but I just briefly tried my method, and it just didn't look right. In addition to hands, you could also try to utilise battle droid arms and such to make it work.

    The blockade sounds like a good idea. Reminds of the one part in the Arkham City's DLC "Harley Quinn's Revenge", if you have played it.

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    1. Unknown27 January 2013 at 14:25

      Somebody tried doing the 'A' for me (I haven't bought the parts yet) and it looked great: http://www.flickr.com/photos/67446715@N05/8370191424/in/set-72157630657149262/

      That is exactly where I got the idea from! Well, that and the ending of Arkham City.

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