Batcave Update!

I've finished my Batcave Inventory List and so now begins the process of picking up all the pieces I need to make it.

That Panel behind Cyclops will be the Command Computer in Batmans control room, as will the swivel chair Magneto is sat on. There are over 780 bricks to find and i have 4 boxes of Lego to search through, any bricks i can't find i'll order from Bricklink, so this project is well under way now I'm looking forward to seeing it assembled.

I'm going to copy and paste the entire Parts and Inventory list here. It should serve as a handy list for any Lego/Batman fan who wants to get to the preliminary build stage without having to spend nearly 2 days compiling the list. If you need the actual building guide you can get this from the Minimate Multiverse in Pdf. http://www.minimatemultiverse.com/

Item	Colour	Quantity
Brick 1x1	Black	2
Brick 1x2	Black	1
Brick 1x3	Black	2
Brick 1x4	Black	2
Brick 1x10	Black	1
Brick 1x12	Black	2
Brick 2x2	Black	2
Brick 2x3	Black	2
Brick 2x4	Black	17
Brick 2x8	Black	1
Plate 2x6	Black	1
Roof Tile 1x2 / 45	Black	2
Roof Tile 1x2x3 / 73	Black	2
Roof Tile INV 1x3 /25	Black	3
Tile 1x2 (decorated)	Black	1
Turn Table 2x2	Black	7
1x1 Traffic Light	Blue	14
Brick 1x1	Blue	14
Brick 1x2	Blue	33
Brick 1x3	Blue	34
Brick 1x4	Blue	13
Brick 1x8	Blue	2
Plate 1x1 Round (translucent)	Blue	1
Plate 2x2	Blue	13
Brick 2x3	Blue	14
Brick 2x6	Blue	1
Brick 2x8	Blue	2
Roof Tile 1x1x2/3 *cheese*	Blue	2
Roof Tile 1x2 / 45	Blue	4
Roof Tile 1x3 / 25	Blue	4
Roof Tile 2x2 / 45	Blue	5
Roof Tile INV 2x2 / 45	Blue	1
Roof Tile 2x3 / 25	Blue	5
Tile 1x1	Blue	2
Tile 1x4	Blue	2
Tile 1x8	Blue	2
Wall Element, Round 5x4x2	Tr.Blue	3
Brick 1x2	Light Blue	10
Brick 1x4	Light Blue	6
Traffic Light 1x1	Brown	2
Brick 1x1	Brown	5
Brick 1x2	Brown	3
Palisade Brick 1x2	Brown	6
Brick 1x4	Brown	1
Brick 2x2	Brown	1
Plate 1x2	Brown	1
Plate 1x6	Brown	1
Roof Tile 1x2 /45	Brown	2
Brick 1x2	Dark Grey	8
Brick 1x3	Dark Grey	1
Brick 1x4	Dark Grey	2
Brick 2x2	Dark Grey	10
Brick 2x3	Dark Grey	1
Brick 2x4	Dark Grey	4
Brick 2x6	Dark Grey	8
Corner Brick 2x2 / 45 *Outside*	Dark Grey	4
Brick 2x2 Round	Dark Grey	4
Brick 4x4 Round	Dark Grey	8
Grill 1x2	Dark Grey	8
Mod.Plate 1x2 with stick	Dark Grey	1
Plate 1x2	Dark Grey	1
Plate 1x3	Dark Grey	2
Plate 1x4	Dark Grey	5
Plate 1x6	Dark Grey	1
Plate 2x2	Dark Grey	8
Plate 2x3	Dark Grey	4
Plate 2x4	Dark Grey	2
Plate 2x6	Dark Grey	2
Plate 2x8	Dark Grey	2
Plate 4x8	Dark Grey	2
Plate 6x10	Dark Grey	1
Roof Tile 1x2 /45	Dark Grey	2
Roof Tile INV 1x2	Dark Grey	3
Roof Tile 2x2 / 45	Dark Grey	12
Roof Tile INV 2x2 / 45	Dark Grey	6
Roof Tile INV 2x3 / 25	Dark Grey	1
Roof Tile 1x1x2/3 *cheese*	Dark Grey	2
Tile 1x2	Dark Grey	11
Tile 1x2 (decorated)	Dark Grey	4
Tile 1x4	Dark Grey	2
Tile 1x4 (decorated)	Dark Grey	3
Tile 1x1 (Translucent)	Green	36
Brick 1x1 Round	Light Grey	1
Brick 1x1	Light Grey	22
Brick 1x1 w.Handle	Light Grey	3
Brick 1x1 w.Holder, Horizontal	Light Grey	2
Brick 1x2	Light Grey	36
Brick Corner 1x2x2	Light Grey	22
Brick 1x3	Light Grey	31
Brick 1x4	Light Grey	12
Brick 1x6	Light Grey	1
Brick Arch W.Bow 1x5x4	Light Grey	9
Brick Arch W.Bow 1x6x2	Light Grey	3
Brick W.Bow 1x4	Light Grey	1
Brick 1x8	Light Grey	1
Brick 2x2	Light Grey	6
Brick 2x3	Light Grey	14
Brick 2x4	Light Grey	11
Brick 2x6	Light Grey	1
Brick Bow 1/4 4x4x1	Light Grey	34
Control / Gear Stick	Light Grey	2
Mod.Plate 1x1 W.Up right holder	Light Grey	8
Mod.Plate 1x2 W.Vertical notch	Light Grey	2
Mod.Plate 1x2 W.Stick/Bar	Light Grey	4
Plate 1x1	Light Grey	4
Plate / Stud 1x1	Light Grey	1
Plate 1x2	Light Grey	8
Plate 1x2 w.Slide	Light Grey	6
Plate 1x3	Light Grey	2
Plate 1x4	Light Grey	2
Mod.Plate 1x4 w.Vertical notch	Light Grey	1
Plate 1x6	Light Grey	3
Plate 1x8	Light Grey	1
Plate 1x10	Light Grey	2
Plate 2x2	Light Grey	4
Plate 2x3	Light Grey	8
Plate 2x4	Light Grey	2
Plate 2x6	Light Grey	2
Right Shell 2x6 W.Bow/Angle	Light Grey	1
Left Shell 2x6 W.Bow/Angle	Light Grey	1
Plate 2x10	Light Grey	5
Plate 2x16	Light Grey	1
Plate 4x4 Round w.snap	Light Grey	1
Plate 4x4 1/4 Circle	Light Grey	3
Plate 4x6	Light Grey	2
Plate 4x8	Light Grey	1
Plate 4x10	Light Grey	1
Plate 6x6	Light Grey	3
Plate 6x8	Light Grey	1
Plate 6x10	Light Grey	6
Plate 8x10	Light Grey	1
Roof Tile 1x1x2/3 *cheese*	Light Grey	4
Roof Tile 1x2 / 45	Light Grey	6
Roof Tile INV 1x2	Light Grey	4
Roof Tile INV 1x3 / 25	Light Grey	5
Roof Tile 1x2x3/ 73	Light Grey	2
Roof Tile 2x2 / 45	Light Grey	5
Roof Tile INV 2x2 / 45	Light Grey	4
Roof Tile 2x2x2 / 65	Light Grey	2
Roof Tile 2x3 /25	Light Grey	2
Roof Tile 2x4 INV	Light Grey	2
Brick Round 1x1	Tr.Red	2
Brick 1x4	Tan	4
Brick 1x1	White	3
Brick 1x2	White	6
Brick 1x3	White	12
Brick 2x4	White	4
Clamp 1x2	White	1
Fence 1x4x2 W.2 knobs	White	4
Flat Tile 2x2, Round *clock face*	White	1

The Joker arrives.. Batcave Parts List

So I thought I'd post another update. For those who actually know me on facebook, will know that I suffer with an Illness called Crohns, unfortunately in the last 2-3 weeks it has flared up, so any projects i have going will be done in time when i'm feeling right to do so.

My first update is the new acquisition of the Joker! ~ this version is different from the Batcave one, the one I have this time round collecting is the release from the 2004 c3 Chemical Warehouse Playset. I still hope to try and acquire the Batcave version, which i had about a year and half ago collecting them, you can see my previous one here: The Joker > Returns to Action ~ a shot from Flickr

My second update is just to let everyone know why I haven't updated the Batcave, as well as the actual Crohns Illness being very problematic, so much so that last Friday I almost ended up in M.A.U (Medical Assessment Unit) at the local Hospital, but mostly because of how fiddly creating a parts list for the Batcave is. On the program i used to recreate it, Lego Digital Designer, there is a building guide that allows you to generate a HTML copy so you can view it as a list or webpage. That being said it also includes every single picture, so printing this out would waste alot of unneccessary paper as well as cost alot from the library, i tried to cut out the pictures from the main page, even tried emailing myself the copy of the document so i could just have the parts list as an Inventory but it's absolutely NO GO. > <

My only option therefore is to write down per step which bricks i'm going to need into an Excel Spreadsheet, whilst this is taking a while, theres 237 steps to build the Batcave and over 700 bricks to list, the printout of the spreadsheet should only be 2-3 pages maximum which will cost me about 30or so pence from the library instead of 147 pages.

This whole issue could be avoided if LDD would have had an option in the tools menu or building menu to generate a proper parts list with descriptions rather than pictures. *Sigh* Ohwel, I can still build it and it justs going to take perserverance on my part to list everything myself first.

Out of the 237 steps or so they all aren't legitimate either, on LDD's building guide print it actually states they aren't always completely accurate, so the program does need some tweaking, one example of this could be, the command module on the second floor, could need say 10-12 bricks to build it and just completed in 4 steps, what it does after that is list an additional step 5 to show you the whole process in one pictoral. So there are probably about 15 steps from those 237 that aren't actually needed.

I'll post up again with an Inventory and Parts list when i've finished. I'm currently on #132 and i want to get this finished by today, I am soon to be expecting a good Minimate Parcel with plenty of Heroes and Villains as well as Bruce Wayne himself.

Batcave Rebuild & Update

I've been busy lately re-creating the c3 Minimate Batcave but in Lego Digital Designer. My idea is to get to a preliminary build stage and scavenge the bricks from my own collection; which is quite extensive (about 7 crates or so). Once i've assembled it in L.D.D i'll create a parts list so that I can hunt for the parts. Any parts I don't find i'll order from bricklink.
I've got past the Preliminary build stage, spent most of my free time on LDD building it and figuring out ways to work around the original c3 parts. Not all of them will be available in Lego form. The building challenge to recreate the lift that takes Bruce Wayne from the 3rd floor to the 2nd floor to change into Batman will be interesting for me, as it involves a technical challenge as well as an attempt by me to be aesthetically good as well.
Some pictures for you to browse. This is the original blue print to the c3 minimate batcave showing the lift. You can see the Great Grandfather clock opens to reveal a secret door to the lift.

You might of also noticed that the lift is operated by a large blue rod from the top of the building spire through the centre of the lift chamber, this piece wont be available in lego form, neither will the lift chamber pieces, which will probably have to be completely rebuilt by me in lego form somehow.

In my preliminary build on LDD, I skirted around these for the time being, it's not so much lazyness on my part but more getting around the building restrictions of the program, whilst its fun to play around with LDD doesn't have every single lego brick available, and on the technical side it's never as good as actually having the bricks in front of you, i think my best attempts and ideas for the lift conversion will come when i've got the preliminary build out of the way. Never the less here is a snap shot of what the batcave looks like in LDD after the preliminary build.

I'm really pleased with how the computer chair and console worked out, aside from the lift being a challenge, i'll also be reworking the stair pieces, I doubt they will be totally accurate to the c3 design but they certainly wont end up looking as blocky or awkward as they do here.

My final extension ideas centre around the ground floor archpiece, when the Batmobile has either been built or acquired (not sure which yet) i fully intend to use the lower archway as the garage/holding area, I also want to extend the 3rd floor to go above the changing area, I might do away with the circular cove pieces and make the changing area from reshaped plastic glass just in that square area on the second floor, above on the 3rd i want to add an extension so that it's a Bruce Wayne Study.
I'll finish by adding that I am well on my way to assembling a parts list of over 770 lego bricks to build it, as well as let you readers know I've recently acquired Ultimate Cyclops Minimate off ebay for just a small £1 bid. = Win!

Minimate Battles: Demitri Vs Morrigan Round 1