The Jersey Brick Guy

Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

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Do you guys think that the Cinema will be retired anytime soon? I've been wondering whether I should get it or not. One nitpick I have with it though is that it uses almost the exact same parts for a figure in it as one in the Pet Shop, which I already have. But if this isn't actually a big deal I'd like to pick it up before they stop selling it and the price becomes ridiculously high.

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I'm new to collecting the Lego Modular Buildings - is there a regular, annual date for the announcement of the next release in the Lego Modular Buildings series?

It seems as though the Detective's Office was announced in November 2014. Is that the common announcement date for the Lego Modular Buildings?

I'm personally hoping for a bank, hospital/medical centre, police station, museum, library, courthouse or, although unlikely, apartment building.

I'd also be interested in two releases per year, although to keep things affordable, maybe the second release needs to be smaller, like one half of the Pet Shop. It would be great to be able to add more townhouses to the series.

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There is pretty much no regularity whatsoever to the timing of announcements. I can say that the first vague rumors of the Detective's Office started swirling around this time last year, so just keep your ear to the ground and some scrap of news is sure to come along fairly soon.

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My wife has the most recent 4 modulars and I was considering buying the Grand Emporium because I found a good deal but watching a video of it, the inside seems pretty boring. :(

I may have to buy it anyway just because it will only get more expensive.

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Please no one quote me on this, but I have a feeling the next modular building could be a museum. Someone earlier was speculating a museum, and I'm thinking the Lego Ideas museum was rejected because maybe they already had one designed already. What better time to release one right after the Lego Ideas museum reached 10,000 supporters.

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same thoughts as what I had..

only just got back into lego modular last month and purchased DO, PR, PC and PS from lego. subsequently looked at the rest and now have GE, FB and TH from ebay with GG and CC bricklinked as prices are sky high..

GE interior does look sparse in comparison to the later releases...

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I'd snatch up the GE if I found a good deal. The inside might be bare, but you can fix that yourself. Plus the outside is on display much more often than the inside anyway.

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I think there has been good precedent that the next modular will be a corner building based on the pattern of previous releases. I guess I just don’t think of a Museum working as well as a corner building than say a Bank. If we take the leap of faith the next modular will be a corner building, what building type do you think would be well suited for that condition. I am sure there are exceptions, but most Museums that I am familiar with have a more frontal approach as the Town Hall did. I am interested in hearing everyone’s thoughts on what building type Bank, Post Office, Hospital, etc. would be best suited for a corner building style.

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I am interested in hearing everyone’s thoughts on what building type Bank, Post Office, Hospital, etc. would be best suited for a corner building style.

When I think about corner buildings two things quickly come to mind:

A Bank (example http://www.phillyliving.com/images/blogs/2013/01/DSCF1999.jpg) - could be different styles too, maybe art deco

A Corner Store (example http://sametomorrow.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/corner-store.jpg) - could be deli/grocery/convenience store with anything above like apartments or offices

Whatever Lego goes with, I cant wait!

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If it's a corner, a bank, police station or corner grocery store all seem possible.

I'm not sure a museum, hospital, library, courthouse or many other buildings would suit a corner. Then again, I wouldn't have ordinarily thought of a cinema as being a "corner" building.

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I could see it being a post office with parking for a mail van on one side. A gas station would be cool, but probably too small for an official modular. I'm just glad that they're almost guaranteed not to produce the building I'm currently designing!

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If it was a Museum it would work better as a front modular rather then a corner - and something of the size of the Town Hall would be nice.

A Bank would make a great corner building and is high on my wish list.

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I think a corner building with entrances on both sides could be interesting. This is something I see in some buildings in my city, but all official modulars have had just one door on the corner. Although I suppose Cafe Corner did have one door on the side. Still.

Edited by Mariko

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June 5th 2014 was the date for the first mention of the Detective Office in this topic. So hopefully we will get our first idea of the next modular soon.

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A corner building seems likely, given that the pattern thus far has been 'corner, straight, straight, corner' etc.

Also, bear in mind that for the last few modulars they've very much gone for something that tells a 'story'. The cookie prohibition with the DO, the engagement with the PR, for example. Even the PC had the opening night of a film, and the TH had the wedding, although those last two it was less obvious.

So, bearing in mind there's a story to construct, how would you fit that in with a Museum? I can't think of an obvious way. A bank, on the other hand, could be getting robbed...

Just something to think about when speculating - what 'story' would the building have?

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So, bearing in mind there's a story to construct, how would you fit that in with a Museum?

A new exhibit being presented to the press or a film crew, maybe.

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While not being the ultimate in authoritative sites, Wikipedia reads (in part):

Modular Buildings

Availability 2007–Present

Total sets 10 (as of 2015)

Modular Buildings is a series of Lego building toy sets introduced in 2007. Created in response to feedback and suggestions from the Adult Fans of Lego (AFOL), and the Teen Fans of Lego (TFOL) community, the sets in this series are generally intended for more advanced builders with most sets containing more than 2,000 total pieces and making use of unorthodox building techniques which have not been tried before in official Lego sets. In contrast to most LEGO sets which are aimed at children and adolescents, the suggested age of most sets in the Modular Buildings series is 16 years or older. The Modular Buildings sets have been received with positive reviews, being considered by Lego designers and fans as "toys for adults".

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think the ship has pretty much sailed on that analysis, as least as far as the 'toys for adults' part is concerned. I look for another set that wastes resources on non structural pieces, has a child oriented story and moves modular closer to being a child's toys. No complaints, just saying that's the trend I see.

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A new exhibit being presented to the press or a film crew, maybe.

Or it could be a new dino exhibit since there are some new dino pieces with the Jurassic World sets.

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I think the ship has pretty much sailed on that analysis, as least as far as the 'toys for adults' part is concerned. I look for another set that wastes resources on non structural pieces, has a child oriented story and moves modular closer to being a child's toys. No complaints, just saying that's the trend I see.

Oh, I disagree. I know from your several posts on this same topic that you hate things like story and interior design being in your modulars, but I'm an adult and I like those elements quite a bit--as do most of the other adults I've talked to. In fact, most modular MOCs I see include an interior, and many include story.

Official modular buildings still have lots of pieces, use advanced techniques, cost lots of money, etc.--things that make them less appealing to children. Sure, as a kid I probably could have built the Detective's Office--but I also could have built the Cafe Corner. Modulars were always geared more towards adults, but that doesn't mean that there's no room for fun--especially when the medium is still a toy.

So maybe they're not as suitable to you--but that doesn't mean they're not designed with adults in mind, or that they're childish now.

Edited by Mariko

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Im 100% completely with Off the wall on this...

Unless they return to the standard seen with 'Gen 1' Modulars, (remove the childrens's storyboards seen in the city range, return to respectable sized buildings, and stop manipulating the part count) I will walk away from Modulars. The next one will be a make or break for me. The last two releases are my least liked releases thus far.... strike 3 and i walk.

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Re: "Story" for a museum

A new exhibit opening would be fine. Or maybe a robbery. Or maybe some hijinks cause by a new artefact that has gone on display.

Re: Gen 1 Modulars

I'm new to collecting the Modulars, so I only have Generation 2 models. Is there really a significant difference? Is that part of the reason why the older models are so expensive - because AFOLs consider them to be superior to the more recent models?

Did the Town Hall constitute the start of Generation 2 because of the story element?

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(one more time....)

I consider CC-TH as Gen 1, and PC-now Gen 2 (I do consider MS a modular although it's a Factory labelled box).

a significant shift is obvious between the 'generations'. Cost cutting became physically obvious, downsizing began and stories started being included.

Newer Packaging was released, Creator Expert was incorporated into the labelling.

Hardcore shrinking began with PR. The adult modelling element is dying off, and a shift towards 'playsets' has begun.

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