 This is the fifth Wange I've assembled, and it wasn't even on my wishlist. I had bookmarked this set on eBay completely by chance after seeing it listed by a seller I'd already purchased from. As luck would have it, the seller sent me a private discount, so I decided to buy it. Another reason I bought it was my impression of the set's size, which I personally thought was roughly the same size as the Wange Flatiron Building. In the end, not only did the discount the seller gave me not work, but when the set arrived, I realized it wasn't small at all. Of all the Wange architectural sets, I've never seen the Arc de Triomphe in Paris as a particularly important or detailed reproduction, despite its beauty as a monument and its popularity. It's strange that there are so many arches like the one in Paris around the world, but for some reason, this one holds the record for popularity. I believe this has to do with a certain narrative that has established, according to rules unknown to us, what should be popular and what should remain in the shadows, even if perhaps more beautiful and majestic. The Arc de Triomphe in Paris is undoubtedly majestic and iconic, but personally, like others, I believe that this type of monument had a specific function that goes beyond aesthetics. Some argue that these arches scattered around the world are actually giant magnets, structures designed to generate a form of force and energy. As I've written elsewhere, I don't believe in the history written in the twentieth century by the elite that governs the world, but I prefer to trust my instincts and feelings, especially when I encounter such structures, because our senses reveal a much more reliable truth than the official one. Regardless of presumed or absolute truths, it goes without saying that, regarding this set, I began assembling it without great expectations, but rather as an object of secondary importance. I must say that, as often happens, and I have no problem admitting it, this Wange turned out to be much more interesting and revealing than I imagined. This set was built in six phases, and I assembled it in four days. The first and last days were the only days I assembled a single phase. The set could easily have been built in three days, but my philosophy is to enjoy the set, especially during construction, where I also enjoy photographing the details of the progresses. With the first phase, I reached step 11, assembling the four separate corners for different levels. As usual with Wange, the part that requires attention and takes a bit of time is placing the first bricks on the base. After that, everything proceeds in an almost linear way. In phase 2, at step 14, I was missing the first piece, which I had to take from one of the bags in phase 4. In this phase, I raised the structure with very technical steps, while in phase 3, still continuing to raise, at step 21 I built the arches that gave the structure strength by pushing the blocks outward. In these steps, I noticed how this structural principle is always valid, even in a plastic structure. In phase 4, I first attached the four decorative pieces on the wide side and then finished the upper frames all around. The piece missing from step 14 was left over in phase 4. In phase 5, I essentially continued the intricate, layered decoration of the perimeter frame. The symmetry of the reproduction was incredible, following the logic of the original structure, making the construction repetitive but requiring dedication. Finally, in the final phase, I finished the upper parts before assembling and attaching the roof, and then, finally, I installed the railings all around. The structure, which I thought would be structurally simple, proved to be simple to assemble but it clearly revealed the construction principles of arched structures. The Wange Arc de Triomphe, besides being a relaxing assembly process, proved instructive and educational. I was familiar with the principle of the arch, which, at the very moment of joining, creates a force that pushes the entire upper structure toward the sides and downwards. Seeing this principle in action and actually applying it myself in the construction process was a completely different and, in some ways, magical experience. Even before assembling the roof, I tried applying force to the central part of the arches, and I must say that the structure held up perfectly, considering we're still talking about a material like plastic, albeit a fairly durable one. Assembling this set, which I bought out of curiosity, underestimating and snubbing it, revealed new construction techniques to me and sparked my curiosity about other similar structures. It goes without saying that, in the Wange scene, I'd like to find other, even larger arch structures, but if I'm not mistaken, there aren't any other sets like this. However, my experience with this latest Wange set has put me in a positive mood, and I will undoubtedly purchase at least two of the sets I had on my wishlist, even though I have no idea where I'll put them once they're finished. Without a doubt, with these sets, Wange is helping to spread the word about world architecture in a creative and educational way, and I'm convinced that before long, I'll personally own more Wange architecture sets than Lego.  Day 1  Day 2  Day 3  Day 4 Gallery         A.M.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |