Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

[HibiscusDrive]

I've really enjoyed the doors opened by boutique hotel and tudor corner to build things at odd angles. There have been more and more mocs on Rebrickable that are built this way and I really love the look of it in a town. Interestingly, my brain typically works in very straight blocks without angles or curves, so being drawn to this has been a fun experience for me.

[BrickFit26]

Someone on YouTube posted a video with new info, basically saying the 2026 modular isn't a furniture/music record store. Apparently from the info it's a Shopping Center. Not sure how true his info is.

But I do remember years ago that they did try to make something similar with different shops and I believe an alleyway, but it was scrapped. Maybe they revisited the idea.

 

Edited November 22, 2025 by BrickFit26

[Westbrick]

2 hours ago, BrickFit26 said:

Someone on YouTube posted a video with new info, basically saying the 2026 modular isn't a furniture/music record store. Apparently from the info it's a Shopping Center. Not sure how true his info is.

But I do remember years ago that they did try to make something similar with different shops and I believe an alleyway, but it was scrapped. Maybe they revisited the idea.

 

Was it Brick Reporter? I saw on their Instagram they’d said ‘Shopping Street is the name of the 2026 LEGO ICONS modular building’

[Roebuck]

Any fool can post a YouTube video, so the only thing that matter is if they have a proven track record 

[BrickFit26]

1 hour ago, Westbrick said:

Was it Brick Reporter? I saw on their Instagram they’d said ‘Shopping Street is the name of the 2026 LEGO ICONS modular building’

No. It was Brickington on YouTube. I guess we just have to wait and see. But it wouldn't surprise me that they took concept they tried to do a few years ago and finally made work this time.around. 

[dariomatzke]

There is a 2025 employee-only modular style set that includes a holiday-themed post office and toy shop. It's like a smaller modular building that has an alleyway in the middle so both sides can used as display.  I'm assuming this is what is causing confusion with the 2026 modular name, since 'Shopping Street' could refer to this set instead.

[BrickFit26]

@dariomatzkethat could be a possibility too. I also remember that the modular with a bunch of stores that was scrapped also had an alleyway but they couldn't make it work and I forget which modular we got that year. I have to look back.

[hikouki]

2 hours ago, dariomatzke said:

There is a 2025 employee-only modular style set that includes a holiday-themed post office and toy shop. It's like a smaller modular building that has an alleyway in the middle so both sides can used as display.  I'm assuming this is what is causing confusion with the 2026 modular name, since 'Shopping Street' could refer to this set instead.

Do these employee gifts usually contain exclusive parts? I wonder if I can brick link the parts to make it?

[RichardGoring]

2 hours ago, BrickFit26 said:

@dariomatzkethat could be a possibility too. I also remember that the modular with a bunch of stores that was scrapped also had an alleyway but they couldn't make it work and I forget which modular we got that year. I have to look back.

It was the Boutique Hotel and is the reason why it's at an odd angle. They closed up the alleyway, but kept the shape.

1 hour ago, hikouki said:

Do these employee gifts usually contain exclusive parts? I wonder if I can brick link the parts to make it?

Only stickers and prints usually, so it should be possible. I'm certainly going to look into it if it's a good model.

[BrickFit26]

@RichardGoringthank you. I was starting to go back through the pages here. You're right it was the BH. Looks like they made alleyway work this time around for the employee gift modular. 

[Lion King]

13 hours ago, RichardGoring said:

It was the Boutique Hotel and is the reason why it's at an odd angle. They closed up the alleyway, but kept the shape.

Only stickers and prints usually, so it should be possible. I'm certainly going to look into it if it's a good model.

Ew to stickers

12 hours ago, BrickFit26 said:

@RichardGoringthank you. I was starting to go back through the pages here. You're right it was the BH. Looks like they made alleyway work this time around for the employee gift modular. 

I wonder if Lego will do An official Modular Building with alleyway in future? As well as the newspaper press.

[BrickFit26]

I think they'd revisit past concepts to try to make them work in future modulars.

[Lion King]

2 minutes ago, BrickFit26 said:

I think they'd revisit past concepts to try to make them work in future modulars.

Yes. We will see what will happen  in 2026, 2027 and 2028.  I don’t think we will see an alleyway in a corner building until 2028. Otherwise, they can put alleyway in a straight building.

[Steilanor]

16 hours ago, Lion King said:

Ew to stickers

I wonder if Lego will do An official Modular Building with alleyway in future? As well as the newspaper press.

GG, DO and AS each have alleyways, depending on what you consider to be an alleyway. AS is open to the sky and definitely a traditional alleyway. The other two go through the building. GG's is slightly cornered which adds a nice organic touch. None of them lead to anything exciting at the back of the model, so probably aren't utilised in the way that you have in mind.

[Lion King]

4 hours ago, Steilanor said:

GG, DO and AS each have alleyways, depending on what you consider to be an alleyway. AS is open to the sky and definitely a traditional alleyway. The other two go through the building. GG's is slightly cornered which adds a nice organic touch. None of them lead to anything exciting at the back of the model, so probably aren't utilised in the way that you have in mind.

Oh but we were talking about Boutique Hotel  being suppsoed to have an alleyway originally but they closed up and kept the shape. It makes me wonder if we will see that alleyway type in future set, not in the past sets.  The current employee-only gift is implied to be successful with alleyway after the failed attempt with Boutique Hotel set. 

[RichardGoring]

I think the problem with the Boutique Hotel alley is the angle. It made the buildings too small for internal details and still would on a corner module. And it would be far less noticeable on a straight/full baseplate I suspect, so less chance of it happening.

[Lion King]

@RichardGoringNah, i think Lego will find one way or another to pull alleyway out on a corner building someday, in my opinion.  Otherwise, if I was a designer for Boutique Hotel, I would include a breezeway instead of actual alleyway.  Growing up, I have seen several breezeways between rowhouses down streets that lead to alleys.

 

[Pauolo]

Hello, this is my first time posting on Eurobricks, although I've been visiting the forum when I started completing my collection of modulars.

I wanted to say, regarding the potential of a modular with an alleyway, here's a concept I've yet to see a MOC of: a straight modular with a shopping street in the middle and a glass roof on top, the kind you'd see in Paris for example. Think something like the recent Sherlock Holmes book nook, but with a front street side to align with other modulars and a glass roof on top of the alleyway.

The main problem with this concept is that a lot of the details of the shopping street (the shops' façades in the alleyway for example) might be lost from view. Unless the modular sits on two 16x32 baseplates with the shopping street in the middle, and thus can be split and aligned differently.

Edited November 26, 2025 by Pauolo

[HibiscusDrive]

A glass-topped alley would definitely be difficult to see inside of, and difficult for play, if that's your thing. 

One of the sets I'm thinking of an alleyway is Diagon Alley. I incorporated it into my town, with the buildings facing each other and made a 12-16 wide cobblestone street with no vehicle traffic. Put the fountain in the middle. Very happy with the results. But that's a wide area: buildings on left, 12-16 wide alley, buildings on the right.  And that was a $400+ set too.

One thing that I think about with all this alley discussion is how the alley can be lost space, and how some people will invariably complain about paying for a set with lost space, complaining it's incomplete or something. Then again, whatever the topic is, some will praise it, others complain. 

[RichardGoring]

The Sherlock Holmes book nook looks great as an alleyway, but the access is tricky when it's all together.

[badbob001]

On 11/26/2025 at 5:10 AM, Pauolo said:

I wanted to say, regarding the potential of a modular with an alleyway, here's a concept I've yet to see a MOC of: a straight modular with a shopping street in the middle and a glass roof on top, the kind you'd see in Paris for example. Think something like the recent Sherlock Holmes book nook, but with a front street side to align with other modulars and a glass roof on top of the alleyway.

Not exactly as you described, but there is a MOC with a covered alleyway:

https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-206123/SleeplessNight/art-nouveau-market-street/#details

It's actually a re-imagining of the Market Street modular set.

[HibiscusDrive]

That is a really good covered alley of sorts. Maybe this moc has it, but any covered alley would need to have built with the ability to remove the roof for accessibility. 

[RichardGoring]

I'm not a massive fan of Market Street, but I have been pondering whether to build that version or the Market Street 2.0 by PH-VAP - LEGO MOC Market Street 2.0 by PH-VAP | Rebrickable - Build with LEGO - which is closer to the original, but I do love the alley in the SleeplessNight version, which is more of an arcade given the grandeur of it.

[Pauolo]

10 hours ago, badbob001 said:

Not exactly as you described, but there is a MOC with a covered alleyway:

It's actually a re-imagining of the Market Street modular set.

I remember checking this remake. Yes, this kind of covered alleyway is what I had in mind. It's well executed here too, especially if it can be removed effortlessly.

6 hours ago, RichardGoring said:

I'm not a massive fan of Market Street, but I have been pondering whether to build that version or the Market Street 2.0 by PH-VAP - LEGO MOC Market Street 2.0 by PH-VAP | Rebrickable - Build with LEGO - which is closer to the original, but I do love the alley in the SleeplessNight version, which is more of an arcade given the grandeur of it.

I've been looking up this MOC as well for inspiration. I think it enhances well the original model without changing too many of its initial concepts. But I did keep a bakery on the first floor in my MS remake, since for me AS has a cake shop.

I do like that both of those MOC understood that the smaller building was a covered market. I've yet to fully fledge it on my remake of the set though.

[mintgreenbird]

Pretty sure the reveal is Monday.