LegoModularFan

Negative views about the Market Street

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Hey guys,

After seeing the poor MS is even not considered like an official modular, I started to make some research about it, what is it’s minus? Perhaps the interior or it’s designed by an AFOL? What’s the problem about it? The only thing I don’t like is it’s windows 1x2x3 pane. Otherwise, I like it a lot and it is a different architecture. Even Jamie says in the 10th anniversary video that it was a very important modular and was encouraged to continue the line.

Edited by LegoModularFan

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The only critique I've seen about Market Street is that some people don't consider it an official modular.

I think that's pretty dumb. It may have been designed by an fan, but it has been made into an official LEGO set that follows the rules of Modular Buildings. Imagine (just imagine, I know they probably won't) if LEGO Ideas were to release a modular that a fan made, would people consider it to be a modular like Cafe Corner or any of the others? I know I would.

Design wise, Market Street is just fine. It's not not one of the best modulars but it fits in quite well with CC and GG.

 

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17 minutes ago, Terrasher said:

The only critique I've seen about Market Street is that some people don't consider it an official modular.

I think that's pretty dumb. It may have been designed by an fan, but it has been made into an official LEGO set that follows the rules of Modular Buildings. Imagine (just imagine, I know they probably won't) if LEGO Ideas were to release a modular that a fan made, would people consider it to be a modular like Cafe Corner or any of the others? I know I would.

Design wise, Market Street is just fine. It's not not one of the best modulars but it fits in quite well with CC and GG.

 

Exactly! Even it is included in the 10th anniversary video and in the mini-modulars (if it’s a reason) so can’t see any reason why it’s not considered...  Waiting for other people’s opinions.

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Good modular. In my opinion, laps Town Hall, Fire Brigade and Grand Emporium. It not only enouraged them to carry on with the line, but also to experiment further along. I doubt there would've been a Pet Shop without MS. And the experimentation with widths and double (even triple) buildings is all thanks to MS. It's on my top five, even above the Diner.

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I didn't buy it at the time. Firstly, I didn't think the design was especially strong, but more particularly, it was the way the Lego Factory theme was marketed that made the final decision.

Lego Factory was not marketed the way Lego Ideas is today. Lego ideas takes a small number of models, brings them up to Lego designer standards, and markets them. A great result in a modular-ish fashion is the Fishing Store. Lego Factory on the other hand was purportedly going to allow you to upload a moc-design, and have it produced as a set with a production run of 1. If this were going to be the approach, I foresaw a lot of poor lego factory sets being produced, and therefore decided that completionism on this line would be silly and futile. As such, I decided not to buy the Market Street.

In retrospect, I regret not buying it (especially as I left it on the shelf at a very low price at a closing down sale); , but it's price now makes it difficult to justify buying it now. I'm happy enough to classify it as a modular, but imagine many who similarly regret not getting the set quietly continue to go on about it not being an official modular so they have a "complete" set of modulars.

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If you want to consider it a modular, that's fine - I think TLG retroactively decided it should be in the modular line, but it actually predates modulars (same release data as Cafe Corner as a set, but was on LEGO factory before that), so it didn't follow any particular set of rules.  I happen to think it inspired TLG to show that such a large set is financially worthwhile.

My opinion is it's only really half a building, if that, compared to "official" modular buildings, and I, for one, thought it was ugly when it was released and didn't buy it.  I didn't like the color scheme, I didn't like the bony look of what should have been black wrought iron railing, I think the decorative part over the walkway was a really cool, ingenious idea, but looks ugly in the context it was used.  If you put it side by side with your other modulars, it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Since I did start collecting modular buildings, I ended up bricklinking my own version of Market Street.  Among other things, I replaced the plain gray bricks that were supposed to be wear on the building with profile bricks, and I used a lot more of them; I made the wrought iron rails in black; I made the "bricked over" windows actual windows.  I still don't think it looks that great, but I didn't want to miss having one of the buildings.

All that said, it's all IMO, and everyone is entitled to theirs.  I wouldn't knock someone for thinking it was a great design, nor would I knock someone explaining why they didn't like a set I liked.

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For me, the issue was mostly about the roofline... that jagged stepped approach just doesn't look right. I live in San Francisco so I am surrounded by Victorians every day, but none really look like this... it feels like a dated technique that was necessary a decade ago but that could be improved upon with more modern pieces/building techniques. Or maybe this style of roofline exists in Europe somewhere... it's just not one I've seen before, so it seems weird to me.

Edited by jdubbs

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Yes - that type of roof line is found in mostly in Europe, but can be found in North America, too.  It's called a "Crow Stepped Gable."  I thought it was odd until I saw pictures of it on actual buildings, at which point I found it actually one of the better points of the building (as you can see from the post before yours, I'm not a huge fan of it overall).

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@paupadros @fred67 @jdubbs @Grrr

Thanks for your opinions guys! But it’s still not clear to me: so everyone has his/her own things he/she doesn’t like? Because as almost everyone hates, I was thinking that there were a particular reason...

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Of course everyone has their own opinion, but sometimes more people lean one way than another - I gave some reasons I thought MS was below modular standards; I still think it pales in comparison to other modulars (even the ones released around the same time frame).  Perhaps just a lot more people felt the same way about it.

But I do think it can be improved (so can other modulars, for the record - you should take a look at this thread, this post even; people bricklinking modular buildings have gotten creative to avoid the high cost of the actual sets); even in my signature is a link to what I ultimately built (although I have made a few changes since then).

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I'll chime in as well, but my opinions are basically the same as those above:  Whether or not I consider it to be an "official" Modular or not (and I'd say that I do, with the asterisk noting that it was an AFOL design), I just don't like it very much.  Overall, it's just too busy for me.  I also don't like the roofline as I think it add to the visual chaos of colors, techniques, and styles going on in that set.  The improvements fred67 made certainly help but, as he noted himself, I still don't think it's great.

There are elements I like, such as the curved stairs (even if a bit too cramped), and the display of the fruits and goods in the market section, and what was attempted to be the ornamental wrought iron.  But I got into Modulars a little late (starting with the Fire Brigade), so for me it comes down to it not being even remotely worth current prices based on my tepid feelings for it, and probably not even worth the bricklinking time.

All things considered and from what I've seen online, I think it's less an issue of everyone hating it and more that, compared to the other Modulars, there are far fewer people that love it, and coupled with the fact that it was an early Modular and now hard to get, it's just not worth it to most people.

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There is only one reason why I am not fond of Market Street's existence.  I really like Dutch gables and the type of architecture you would find in Amsterdam, especially those canal houses.  It would be great to have a modular in this style, but just one problem.  With MS, they have technically already made one, or at least something close to it.  Buying one on the aftermarket would require me having months on end of no life in order to save up for one.  Personally, I would love to have two canal houses done in the style of Pet Shop, but I can hear the criticism already of how it would clash with other modulars.  

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It is hard to say exactly. Everyone touches on different things. But there is just something about MS that doesn't sit right. It doesn't necessarily have to do with the architecture since the modulars have varied. Even the colors are usually pretty random in the sets, so it isn't that.

I definitely don't love the windows. Those stick out more than anything to me. The weathered grill bricks look odd. The market really creates a gap on the side. I don't love the top floor and how they have it situated. It should be overlooking the open side, not the building right next to it (that will inevitably block the view).

I DO like the curved front steps, although I don't like the window in the middle between them. I do like the ornamental ironwork with the owl, but the placement does stand out. And after a lot of deliberation, I started to actually like Dutch architecture style (I didn't at first).

But with all that said, I never felt compelled to bricklink it. I did bricklink CC and GG (although I have since realized how boring and ugly CC actually is also) and then I start to realize the things I'd want to change in GG (which I did in my own MOC up).

 

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@deraven @AFOLguy1970

Thanks for your opinions!

4 hours ago, AFOLguy1970 said:

Personally, I would love to have two canal houses done in the style of Pet Shop, but I can hear the criticism already of how it would clash with other modulars.  

Me too but it seems impossible as it looks like we entered a new era with the DD...

21 minutes ago, TheLegoDr said:

It is hard to say exactly. Everyone touches on different things. But there is just something about MS that doesn't sit right. It doesn't necessarily have to do with the architecture since the modulars have varied. Even the colors are usually pretty random in the sets, so it isn't that.

I definitely don't love the windows. Those stick out more than anything to me. The weathered grill bricks look odd. The market really creates a gap on the side. I don't love the top floor and how they have it situated. It should be overlooking the open side, not the building right next to it (that will inevitably block the view).

I DO like the curved front steps, although I don't like the window in the middle between them. I do like the ornamental ironwork with the owl, but the placement does stand out. And after a lot of deliberation, I started to actually like Dutch architecture style (I didn't at first).

But with all that said, I never felt compelled to bricklink it. I did bricklink CC and GG (although I have since realized how boring and ugly CC actually is also) and then I start to realize the things I'd want to change in GG (which I did in my own MOC up).

 

Yes, finally someone who thinks in a very very similar way with me! I personally always liked the Dutch architecture but the windows and some other things you mentioned really sound not right in the MS. 

Edited by LegoModularFan

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Cost is another factor for me, and probably for others as well. Anyone who wasn't collecting modulars when Market Street came out also missed out on Cafe Corner and Green Grocer, which are — to me at least — much more iconic (and aesthetically appealing) modulars. If I'm going to shell out money to buy any of those at insane aftermarket prices, it's going to be for CC or GG.

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2 minutes ago, jdubbs said:

Cost is another factor for me, and probably for others as well. Anyone who wasn't collecting modulars when Market Street came out also missed out on Cafe Corner and Green Grocer, which are — to me at least — much more iconic (and aesthetically appealing) modulars. If I'm going to shell out money to buy any of those at insane aftermarket prices, it's going to be for CC or GG.

You have always the possibility to BL it with replacing the expensive parts.

Edited by LegoModularFan

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Well, we did bricklink it.
We missed out on CC, MS and GG, since we only discovered the modular line when PS was released. We acquired the parts for the first three through Bricklink, replacing a few parts here and there due to price and/or availability.
Thought not in the top half where favourite modulars are concerned (and of the first three, GG and CC are definitely better), I still like MS. It fits in relatively well with the rest, and I like the fact that the left half sort of creates a nice break when you place more modulars in a row.
No question for me, it's a true modular, and I think LEGO are of the same opinion.

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1 hour ago, Withacee said:

I think LEGO are of the same opinion.

Absolutely, it's a fact, it's mentioned in the 10th anniversary video as one of the twelve modulars :wink: And that's why I'm surprised that the people don't consider it as a part of the line and why I opened this thread! BTW, I'll BL it too with changing the childish windows as I wrote above.

Edited by LegoModularFan

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In my opinion, Market Street is the worst modular building by far. It looks like its design wasn't fully fleshed out when compared to Green Grocer and Café Corner. I'd love to see reissues of Café Corner and Green Grocer as I missed out on the modulars released before the Fire Brigade but somehow couldn't care less about Market Street.

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3 hours ago, TheLegoDr said:

... I don't love the top floor and how they have it situated. It should be overlooking the open side, not the building right next to it (that will inevitably block the view).

 

That's why I built the top floor as a mirror image of what the instructions said to do.

 

18 minutes ago, Dazz said:

In my opinion, Market Street is the worst modular building by far. It looks like its design wasn't fully fleshed out when compared to Green Grocer and Café Corner. I'd love to see reissues of Café Corner and Green Grocer as I missed out on the modulars released before the Fire Brigade but somehow couldn't care less about Market Street.

Since this was a factory set (I get it's now retroactively an "official" modular), I feel like the designer wanted something on a big scale, but was mostly just hunting for a lot of parts in certain colors.

I want to make it clear I don't "hate" it, it's just not all that great, even with all the modifications I did to try to make it better.  I may tear down the "garage" part to make it a corner.

 

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1 hour ago, fred67 said:

Since this was a factory set (I get it's now retroactively an "official" modular), I feel like the designer wanted something on a big scale, but was mostly just hunting for a lot of parts in certain colors.

I want to make it clear I don't "hate" it, it's just not all that great, even with all the modifications I did to try to make it better.  I may tear down the "garage" part to make it a corner.

 

I don't "hate" the set either. It's just that it's the only one I don't care about in the history of modular buildings. Despite certain shortcomings like their interior GG and CC are appealing enough that I really miss not having them in my collection.

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43 minutes ago, Dazz said:

I don't "hate" the set either. It's just that it's the only one I don't care about in the history of modular buildings. Despite certain shortcomings like their interior GG and CC are appealing enough that I really miss not having them in my collection.

Well... not to derail the thread (not that it's really going anywhere, anyway), but I prefer the larger, more substantial buildings with no interiors (they're just going to sit there in my city, with trains and such going around them - it would be hard to even get to one to open it) than smaller buildings with interiors no one will ever see.  I feel like interiors are the kinds of things both kids and AFOLs can add on, if they want.  So when they started adding interiors, the building sizes seemed to start shrinking.  These are modulars, not Friends or traditional City sets.

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33 minutes ago, fred67 said:

So when they started adding interiors, the building sizes seemed to start shrinking.  These are modulars, not Friends or traditional City sets.

Agree that the size of a modular is really small compared to a real building, but it would not be as fun without interior as it is now. TLG can’t make too big modulars as a lot of people will not be able to afford it, but I just love the modulars as they’re :wub:

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I wasn't comparing to a "real" building, I was comparing modulars without interiors (CC and GG) with newer modulars - the more they added interior features, the smaller the overall builds became.  Roughly the same number of pieces, but with so many of them dedicated to little detaily things inside the buildings (which I don't care about), the size of the building itself suffered.

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