Read the previous post - finishing the buildings - here.

The buildings being finished, I proceeded to glue the top floor down onto the sides of the box, and the balsa pieces on the bottom floor.

As mentioned above, the jackhammer was attached to a long rod that went through the floors and underneath to the back of the box. Attached to the end is a red wooden bead, making it easier for the puppeteer to hold in their hand. The jackhammer Lego man attached to both the floor covering/foam and his hand to the jackhammer; that was easy!

Using some coat-hanger wire, I then attached the loving couple. The rod actually inserts into their leg (the hollow in Lego legs makes it ideal), and then glued into place. As with the jackhammer, there is a bead attach at the end of the wire. Because the couple move from upstage to downstage, their rods are longer to allow them to easily move along the track without having to get your hands underneath the floors (into the gap between the floors and the base plate).

I initially planned to have one rod stuck to the bottom of the donut, but this didn’t work out. I glued the centre circular piece to the donut - no longer making it a donut, but just a circle. I had to unglue the fur a bit, and cut two small holes two thread some wire through. Finding it difficult to rotate the piece, I added another wire to the opposite side of the circle. So for example; the front hand turns the circle to the left, while the back hand turns the circle up to the front. I had to insert some small balsa pieces in between the two floors at the sides of the track, as the circular piece kept getting stuck in the gap when it rotated. Finally, I just glued my Lego people onto the circle.

The cop was attached the same way as the loving couple was: with a long piece of coat hanger inserted into his leg, and running under the floors.

Finally, I made the elevator. Initially I wasn’t going to have a person in it, but one of the cast made a fleeting suggestion, which I ran with. The elevator is actually quite simple - although because I forgot to include the depth of the elevator between Building A and Building E, it was a tough squeeze.

The elevator has three sides: the top, the bottom/floor, and the back. But on the back I glued another two thin sides, and another back piece. By inserting a piece of wire into this new back piece, I could have an ‘invisible’ rod - because all the audience sees is the old back piece. By painting the inside white, and the outside black, I had a nice contrast with the building colours, and then I glued a spare Lego man inside to the floor. Getting an old plastic pocket (for A4 paper), I cut out a piece and glued it to the edges of the top, sides, and bottom of the elevator. So now the Lego man is encased in a clear ‘glass’ elevator!

You can also see in the picture one of the bud lights sticking out of the slot where Building F goes.

So now all the people are on the city - next step is to add the other moveable parts!

Read the next post - adding the garden - here.