Bid Red Barn LEGO Ideas Project Review

Overview
This project travels way out into the country to visit farmer Fred and his Big Red Barn. According to cmortay, the project creator, the iconic red color that is so often associated with barns comes from the old practice of sealing the wood with linseed oil and rust to help preserve the wooden structure. For more information, you can visit this project on LEGO Ideas by clicking here.

Appeals of this Project
This barn is very appealing, in part because of the simplicity of the project, and in part, because of the various little details scattered throughout this build. Barns are generally not too complex, yet they require a certain attention to the minor details because the details seem to stand out more, at least to me. In this model, I see that primarily in the balance of the red and white, and the placement of the white elements throughout the model. Whether that is the white around the doors, or the old window pieces (39) used in white, or the white cattle skull and lamp, they all add just enough white to contrast the dominate redness of the barn making it look really beautiful.

Around one side of the barn, there is a small door that is a bit easier for farmer Fred to open than the heavy doors at the front or the sliding door located around back. I particularly like the tool rack next to the side door as this makes the tools accessible for both the minifigures and for kids as they play with this. Above the sliding door, there is another brick-built cattle skull on the back of the barn, though it has shorter horns and isn't quite as eye catching as the longhorn skull on the front of the barn.

Something that I particularly like about this project, is that it is not just the barn structure, there are also plenty of accessories, from farmer Fred, to the animals, to the tractor and even the hay bales, that complement the barn well. The farm animals include an old barn owl, farmer Fred's trusty horse, a dairy cow and a beef cow. I particularly like the creative use of the croissants as animal business (watch where you step though!). Having this many animals in this project, really adds a lot of playability, as well as adding a great deal of appeal for AFOLs since the dairy cow was only released in one set (7637) and is somewhat of a rare and expensive animal to purchase.

Areas for Improvement
This is a beautiful project, but there are a few changes that might improve this build. First, I would like to see the inside be more accessible for playability purposes. This could be done through removing the roof, or through having the barn (or one of the walls) swing open on a hinge. Second, I would like to see a winch on the pulley arm, just to add a little bit more playability to this. Finally, and this is more personal preference, I am not used to seeing yellow farm tractors. The tractor design is very nice, but a color like blue or green would be more realistic.

Conclusion
The Big Red Barn is a wonderful project with great aesthetic appeal and lots of play value. I think it would make a great set if it reaches 10,000 supporters and passes the Official LEGO Ideas Review Process. To see more pictures and offer your support to help this become a set, you can visit the project on LEGO Ideas here. Not sure how LEGO Ideas works? Click here to find out more.

 Photos used and review completed with the permission of cmortay.