Mini BBQ Bar Lego Play-set for a 7 Year Old Girl

What do you get for a 7 year old who loves Lego and whose mother owns a Texas style BBQ Bar?

A Mini Lego version of the full size Bar!

This is not a "How To" of how to build this Bar as no one else would want to do that, it is meant to stir your imagination on what can be done with some Legos, time & trial and error (I tore this down and rebuilt it about 4 times when I thought of a better way to do something or acquired more needed bricks (thank god for eBay!).

I hope you enjoy!

Step 1: The Front Facade

The front facade of the bar is rather unique it is set back under an overhang with a large main window the entrance door and a door to the apartment above. There is a metal mailbox with vintage tin under the window & a red tile floor. On the front wall is also a neon sign with the bar name "AAA".

Much of this was duplicated in Lego from the red tile to the mailbox and the tin below the windows. Two entrance doors were added as well at the red brick walls on the sides. In order for the little girl to access the inside the front wall does not go as high as the original (the bar is in a two story building).

The only thing that was not "Lego" in the custom play-set was the Bar sign, I used a lapel pin that displayed the Bar logo "AAA".

Step 2: Custom Front Window

One of the main features of the real bar is the front window. This was hand crafted so that it would open inward and sit on a shelf inside the bar. They open completely out of the way which gives an airy feeling to the bar on warm days yet close to completely cover the window. There is a shelf below the window and the whole front is recessed into the building.

In the Lego version I was able to find large windows in a similar color. In order to make them able to open I places a 1x1 block on the top and the bottom of the one side of each window to act as a hinge. I was able to find a block that acted as a stopper so the windows would only open inward. And as in the real bar I built a "shelf on each side for the windows to sit on when opened.

Step 3: The Horseshoe Bar

The inside of the bar contains a grey metal horseshoe shaped bar with a large "Pipe" which holds the Beer taps. Behind the bar there are wooden crates which hold the liquor bottles and it has a nook for private seating below the staircase to the upstairs apartment. There is also a TV mounted on the wall.

The Lego version has a similar layout with the Bar stools, Beer taps and even a slanted roof where the seat under the stairs is placed. As a nod to my god child I used a black window on the wall and placed an image from the movie "A Dolphins Tale" (her favorite movie) behind it to mimic a TV. Do to the size of Lego blocks some things are not absolutely correct such as there being two tables under the front window instead of three as in the real bar. But that is only a minor difference that does not distract from the custom play-set.

As this is for a 7 year old girl I replaced the bar patrons with a mini-fig that resembled her mom and assorted Lego pets for her to play with.

Step 4: The Present

As a final step as this was for a birthday present I used Photoshop to create an "Lego Play Set Box" image which I put on the top of the box in which I placed the Play-set. When she unwrapped her present she thought for a split second that it was a real Lego play-set then she recognized the Bar and laughed!.

P.S. 6 months later when I went to visit her she had the play-set on the kitchen table and was playing with it, remarkably it was still in tact!.