Sunday, May 11, 2014
LEGO Graduation
I earned my Bachelor's Degree on Saturday, so this week I'm taking a break from the LEGO Zoo. Playsets will hopefully resume next weekend.
Monday, May 5, 2014
LEGO Zoo #0015: Bison Paddock
This week's playset features another constructed animal, similar to the Chilean flamingos. This one is a little less robotic looking, since the base figures is one of the pre-existing animal models. Start with the cow figure from the Medieval Market playset...
...and with a few modifications you have a decent looking American bison:
The American bison is a large bovine species that used to roam the Great Plains of North America in herds of millions. Overhunting in the nineteenth century nearly drove the species into extinction, but the species has since become protected and has rebounded to a stable level.
The LEGO Zoo has recently acquired a small herd of four bison. The zoo administration plans to make this species the centerpiece of the North American zone. The herd is staying in a temporary quarantine paddock while their new enclosure is under construction:
The purpose of a quarantine area is to allow animals to acclimatize to a new environment and to screen them for disease before they go on exhibit. Guests can view the bison from an observation platform adjoining the paddock:
Today the bison are being watched by Milton and his wife Edna. Milton is a retired professor of zoology at a nearby university, and the couple sometimes volunteer as docents for the zoo:
It's often difficult for the elderly to climb a steep stairway, but the observation platform can be easily accessed with these sloped ramps:
This was actually the hardest part of the playset design, as the angles made it difficult to align the ramps:
Here is a full view of the paddock. You may see it again if another new species is brought in:
I've realized that LEGO playsets are usually displayed with a computer-generated background, which I've normally skipped over for my playsets. I've only got Microsoft Paint, but I do have some extra time on my hands now that classes are finished for the semester. Here is the the same scene contextualized by an eight-year-old with crayons:
...and with a few modifications you have a decent looking American bison:
The American bison is a large bovine species that used to roam the Great Plains of North America in herds of millions. Overhunting in the nineteenth century nearly drove the species into extinction, but the species has since become protected and has rebounded to a stable level.
The LEGO Zoo has recently acquired a small herd of four bison. The zoo administration plans to make this species the centerpiece of the North American zone. The herd is staying in a temporary quarantine paddock while their new enclosure is under construction:
The purpose of a quarantine area is to allow animals to acclimatize to a new environment and to screen them for disease before they go on exhibit. Guests can view the bison from an observation platform adjoining the paddock:
Today the bison are being watched by Milton and his wife Edna. Milton is a retired professor of zoology at a nearby university, and the couple sometimes volunteer as docents for the zoo:
It's often difficult for the elderly to climb a steep stairway, but the observation platform can be easily accessed with these sloped ramps:
This was actually the hardest part of the playset design, as the angles made it difficult to align the ramps:
Here is a full view of the paddock. You may see it again if another new species is brought in:
I've realized that LEGO playsets are usually displayed with a computer-generated background, which I've normally skipped over for my playsets. I've only got Microsoft Paint, but I do have some extra time on my hands now that classes are finished for the semester. Here is the the same scene contextualized by an eight-year-old with crayons:
Minifigures:
Milton, Edna
Created with LEGO Digital Designer
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