10246 Detective's Office

[craiggrannell]

If it's supposed to be set in the US, the wanted poster shouldn't list the suspect's details in metric units. Also, if it's supposed to be during the Prohibition era (1920s to early 1930s), it's very unlikely that the police officer would be a woman. TLG isn't trying to be politically "correct", is it?

Isn't it more that Lego's trying to evoke a certain old-time feel? It's not trying to be historically accurate, unless people really did think cookie smuggling was once a big problem in the US and elsewhere. As for the female police officer, I was quite happy to see that. Why not mix it up a little?

Does anyone know why all the minifigs have the classic smiley face instead of different face printing? The designer doesn't say in the video why TLG chose to do that.

I rather like that too—it harks back to classic Lego days; also, I guess you can easily enough put whatever emotion you want into such 'generic' expressions during play as a kid, rather than being clearly guided towards "this one's really angry" or something.

As for the set, I think it looks great from a play angle for kids, but less exciting from a display standpoint. On the whole, though, it's good to see Lego trying something different, and there are some interesting ideas in the set.

[Moebius118]

@ Off the wall: The modular line has been taken away from AFOLs and given to rich kids who need TLG to be a substitute for their own imagination

This line sounds more like you need TLG to be a substitute for your own imagination. What kid, be they rich, poor, somewhere in the middle, has the money to use a site like bricklink to make a building like this? The may have the imagination to build it, but not the parts, unless they start taking apart the sets they have bought to make this. Then the other sets are in complete. And as for their own imaginations, these toys are designed by adults, whose cognitive abilities are at a more advanced level than a kids. But really, It's a toy. Your original opinion isn't the problem, you are entitled to that, it's that you keep posting it over and over. The people in this topic don't seem to share your opinion about the Modular line. Move on. Start your own post about the suck that is now the modular line and like minded individuals can flock to that post.

I'm glad the focus is going back to a more kid friendly design. I hate the toy lines that start out as kids toys and as the older crowd starts to take an interest in it, the line slowly becomes less playable, and more of a "let's not take it out of the box and diminish it's value" collectors item. Toys are meant to be played with, comics are meant to be read, music is meant to be heard, movies are meant to be watched, art is meant to be seen.

This is getting ridiculous. OTW may be guilty of crying something sour repeatedly, but other members are just as guilty for suggesting opposing opinions should just leave the forum or even the hobby. This is a place where we are not a singular group think. There is such a thing as a nay opinion. I disagree with him on the sentiment that the modular line is moving away from adults but I do agree with him that the dollhousification of the modular line seems rather unnecessary compared to what the product line originally started off as.

And no, the modular line appeared to be intended for AFOLs as an alternative to LEGO City as suggested by the price point, expert focus and age suggestion. I would assure you the majority of the modular fandom is working adults but that would be an extrapolation based on anecdotal evidence. But it is still kid friendly. And it is still adult friendly. We all need to stop being so hostile over a toy.

And definitely stop telling people they don't belong just because they have a opposing opinion.

[Anio]

Seems MUCH more playable than previous modulars.

That's cool. :)

[Faefrost]

I've tried to figure out what that is but I still have no idea. Does anyone else know?

It probably means Unikitty's tail. Which it 1x1x2 and is in dark bley for the first time.

[hal1979]

I could see someone (maybe me) buying two of these and combining the pool hall/detective office together to make one 32 wide two-storey building and combining the barber shop side to make a funky building with an arched walkway in the middle that leads to a public square or green space in behind it.

[parksroad]

And definitely stop telling people they don't belong just because they have a opposing opinion.

Yes, but insulting the set as feminine and juvenile suggested that Jamie and AFOLs who like his work are failing some age- and gender-appropriateness standard. That's different from simply critiquing the building, which plenty of people do respectfully.

I do agree that I'd like to see a resurgence of complex exterior detail. But I also thought PR had nice exterior features, even if it was smaller. Some things will always get prioritized over others.

[LegoDakin]

This set is fantastic, I think it's got be the best modular

[hal1979]

This is getting ridiculous. OTW may be guilty of crying something sour repeatedly, but other members are just as guilty for suggesting opposing opinions should just leave the forum or even the hobby. This is a place where we are not a singular group think. There is such a thing as a nay opinion. I disagree with him on the sentiment that the modular line is moving away from adults but I do agree with him that the dollhousification of the modular line seems rather unnecessary compared to what the product line originally started off as.

And no, the modular line appeared to be intended for AFOLs as an alternative to LEGO City as suggested by the price point, expert focus and age suggestion. I would assure you the majority of the modular fandom is working adults but that would be an extrapolation based on anecdotal evidence. But it is still kid friendly. And it is still adult friendly. We all need to stop being so hostile over a toy.

And definitely stop telling people they don't belong just because they have a opposing opinion.

I'm not telling him he doesn't belong. Nor was I suggesting he leave the forum. I like hearing his opinion. i'm not new to this forum (I "joined" not long ago, but have been lurking for almost 2 years), but I am not much of a poster either. But his posts on this subject has become just that "crying something sour repeatedly". It's not advancing the conversation.

Maybe I should have put it this way: Off the wall, now that we have seen the official pictures, what elements would you change to make it less of a dollhouse and more in the spirit of the original modular line? I'm not much of a moc'er at the moment and don't have access to as many less common pieces to make my building experience more enjoyable and advance my skills and techniques.

Edited November 21, 2014 by hal1979

[Roger_Smith]

This is one of the only things that bothers me about the Expert line. Given the cost of the sets and all the work they put into it, why not provide a few different facial expressions on the minifigs?

It's the one thing I hope they never change about the modular line. I like the quirkiness of the fact that one of the most evolved and mature lines Lego has uses the simple old smilie face. And of course nostalgia plays a big role in it, too.

[hal1979]

Yes, but insulting the set as feminine and juvenile suggested that Jamie and AFOLs who like his work are failing some age- and gender-appropriateness standard. That's different from simply critiquing the building, which plenty of people do respectfully.

I do agree that I'd like to see a resurgence of complex exterior detail. But I also thought PR had nice exterior features, even if it was smaller. Some things will always get prioritized over others.

Thanks parksroad, you said what I was trying to say in a less confrontational way.

[Professor Brick]

I think the strategy that Lego is using to develop the modular line is really quite smart. Releasing modulars with significant play value works well on a number of levels. AFOLs will continue to buy for display, or city-building. But now parents with slightly older children may be tempted to continue to purchase Lego beyond that 6 - 12 bracket. So TLG extends the window of childhood where Lego is a must-buy gift. Teenage me would have loved the modular line. Further, the play elements give AFOLs with younger children a reason to splash out and spend upwards of $200 on a single set. I know that I personally spend more money on my modular and train addictions by justifying them in this way. I say to myself, 'this is a hobby I can enjoy with my daughter, and I know that she will get a great deal of joy out of it as she gets older.' Lets also not forget that a significant driver of the AFOL market is Gen-Xers reliving their childhoods. This isn't about rich kids versus poor kids. I'm willing to bet there is good evidence to suggest that parents spend more on toys that can be justified in terms of engagement and fun for the whole family. I'm gonna smuggle some cookies!

[Moebius118]

Yes, but insulting the set as feminine and juvenile suggested that Jamie and AFOLs who like his work are failing some age- and gender-appropriateness standard. That's different from simply critiquing the building, which plenty of people do respectfully.

I do agree that I'd like to see a resurgence of complex exterior detail. But I also thought PR had nice exterior features, even if it was smaller. Some things will always get prioritized over others.

I'm not entirely condoning his posts. But I also understand the betrayal people feel when something they are passionate about moves in a unfavorable direction. Just as OTW would have to learn the hobby is not solely guided by his expectations, others need to learn when there is an inflammatory post it may be better just to ignore it rather than a response to hit the road. Let the mods handle it if it is truly something infantile or inappropriate. No need to escalate a passionate opinion into something hostile.

For the record PR is my favorite modular. I personally believe it to be a welcome compromise between the interior and exterior worlds. But in doing so it may have downgraded the size of the overall building in order to maintain a reasonable piece/price/set economics. Can't have it all. Such is life.

[DarthBrickus]

We're really excited to build and display this, hopefully this will be available at tomorrow's VIP-Event.

I'm already looking forward to the next one

[hal1979]

@Professor Brick

I do the same thing!! Especially for these modulars. I have nice little town being built up in my basement. I don't play with it, but I like to watch my kids play with the stuff I build. I also like to have a look at the table after they have gone to bed at night and interpret the scenes they have left behind when their attention was shifted elsewhere and the lego was abandoned. Then I reset the table to how I like it to look. And then wait for the next time the Twinado and the girl come down ( I have 6 year old twin boys and an 11 year old girl) to play. When I spend $200 on Lego it's for all of us, so it's more like I spent $50 on each kid and myself.

Edited November 21, 2014 by hal1979

[PastVPresent]

While I'm a big fan of this set, I am torn on the trade offs between interior and exterior. it does seem like the interior is very interesting here at the expense of a bit plain or cartoony facade...but real life buildings do have the same trade offs, often for similar reasons ($). Like this set, many real city buildings have a base, middle, and top where decoration happens at the base and top but not middle. Also, the part of town where detectives and pool halls can afford the rent often have more utilitarian style buildings. A 32x32 three or four story modular with lots of interior and exterior detail would be great but probably also well over $200 - with so many modulars now you can see the trade offs chosen in each one (interior details, exterior details, or mass/height). For what it's worth, I still like the interior/exterior balance struck with the Fire Brigade but realize using only two floors, one being an open bay (ie less floor area to "furnish"), probably allowed that. Anyway, I'll be getting this one day 1, building it, admiring it, then anxiously awaiting the next likely great modular with a different set of trade offs.

[bjorn77]

I am much more positive now than after seeing the first leaked pictures. This looks pretty great and the colors aren't as crazy as I initially thought.

[Captain Nemo]

I have to say I love this set! The feel of the whole thing is great; I think a cool classic detecitve office is a great addition to the modular line. And even though I don't own any modulars, I could see this being my first one. It just seems to fun!

[VintageLegoEra]

waooooooo,,,the price is sooo reasonable,,,so relaxed...

[finnbricker]

I'm sorry if one opinion is upsetting so many of you. I'll make this my last post on this matter so that you aren't made uncomfortable by any diversity of opinion. Probably a good thing to do since the parrot card has been played, my opinion has been misrepresented by others as a statement of fact and my record of reviewing lego, while largely unknown, has been misrepresented.

It's not your opinion that's annoying me, it's the endless repetition of it.

Actually, as I've said before, I share your opinion on this one, even though I do understand why TLG is moving the modular series in the direction they are.

[Colossus]

Intriguing set. I see the Prohibition theme being expressed, but that cookie room's going the way of the dodo. Epic Squaresville. Yeah yeah, it's a toy. I see a brick built distillery in my future. Glad i invested in a few Lego whiskey bottles over the summer. Also, I would have liked to have seen a more mature color palette being used. When one blows $160 on a modular, it makes customization kind of an expensive pain in the @ss. But don't get me wrong, i love the set as a whole, tho. The architecture is something new.This set of buildings will break up all the storefront facade running down my Lego street. I like the details in the poolhall and the private dick's joint. The ceiling fan and the wall safe are nice touches! Now to get cracking on a brick built bombshell femme fatale for January.

[Capt. Redblade]

Now I'm trying to think which parts would be best for making figs of Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre.

[jodawill]

Isn't it more that Lego's trying to evoke a certain old-time feel? It's not trying to be historically accurate, unless people really did think cookie smuggling was once a big problem in the US and elsewhere. As for the female police officer, I was quite happy to see that. Why not mix it up a little?

I don't mind having a female police officer. When she has her hairpiece on, she looks really good. But every time I see that picture, I think about that face. When she puts that hat on, she becomes a man. You can't see her hair and her face is just the classic smiley face. So it does seem a little silly, and it kind of makes me feel weird because it's almost like they have a crossdressing minifigure.

[Mikuri]

Buy me this set please! :wub: :wub:

[LegoSjaak]

TLG has done a great job on this set!!!... Either you nuy it or not.. it's anyones choice... no-one has to buy it..just doo if you like it........ It is funny to read opinions from old people in this threat which annoy so many.. Obviously this man, that is apparently coming 'off the wall', will need the mirror piece of this set to look in and see he might be getting to old for this....

[imvanya]

Maybe they are talking about the hero factory fist/hand? is it not 1X2X2 designing element? and there is no mention of hero factory parts in press release.

It probably means Unikitty's tail. Which it 1x1x2 and is in dark bley for the first time.

'Faefrost', you might be right. I must have ignored this option because it's one of the first thing I noticed when I saw the first pictures. And then they suggested looking for secrets and clues? so I thought iw would something less obvious