The Dome

When I thought about the dome, and the accompanying globe at the top of the building I knew in advance that I wanted a Chrysler-esque arched dome. Initially, I imagined it to be gold itself, but after figuring out the parts I’d need to build it I realized a single color, especially one with few parts made in that color would be hard, if not impossible to pull off. Next I considered making it in sand green, another of my favorite colors for elements, but that color also has a relatively small number of parts available.

It seemed for a while I was going to be stuck with a tan or dark tan dome, until it occured to me to use two colors for the dome. A few different experiments led me to the final design of a mostly dark green dome with tan details. I had hoped the tan inlay design reinforced the art deco elements of the building, but in reality, they reflected elements I could get in one color or the other. That being said, I’m really pleased with how it all came together and interestingly the dome was the first complete portion of the model that I built in real bricks. After adding a smooth turning turntable and discs and cone, I was ready to tackle what I believed would be the hardest part to design – the large globe at the top and the accompanying lettering spelling out The Daily Planet.