The Jersey Brick Guy

Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

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On 2/17/2018 at 3:39 AM, Bricked1980 said:

I'd love them to do a "reboot" of cafe corner but only if they released it separately and in addition to the annual modular releases. I'd be pretty disappointed if this turned out to be the main modular release for 2019 next January. I'd rather the next set was a completely new building.

I only want a reboot CC if it looks different; it would be a reboot in the sense of be8ng a hotel. Independent of nostalgia value it’s not that interesting of a design, more like a medium-level MOC. But if it’s not a copy of the original it really won’t satisfy people who missed  it the first time round.

Edited by gotoAndLego

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36 minutes ago, gotoAndLego said:

I only want a reboot CC if it looks different; it would be a reboot in the sense of be8ng a hotel. Independent of nostalgia value it’s not that interesting of a design, more like a medium-level MOC. But if it’s not a copy of the original it really won’t satisfy people who missed  it the first time round.

- little off topic -

Well, i think a reboot of CC and maybe GG would be great for those who still would like to get one without spending the thousands of Dollars/Euro's for it.

It's a pity that money stands in the way like that. These classic modulars should be available at any time for everybody who likes them. Perhaps not as a boxed set,

but as a parts list from TLC.

- back on topic -

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1 hour ago, Jasper Joppe Geers said:

- little off topic -

Well, i think a reboot of CC and maybe GG would be great for those who still would like to get one without spending the thousands of Dollars/Euro's for it.

It's a pity that money stands in the way like that. These classic modulars should be available at any time for everybody who likes them. Perhaps not as a boxed set,

but as a parts list from TLC.

- back on topic -

Well Lego can't just keep producing all of their bricks in all their colors just because some people missed these sets; that's the kind of thing that almost caused the to go bankrupt. Lot really satisfy that need, they would need to perpetually produce all of the modular sets because there will always going to be people who missed them; some folks missed Grand Emporium foe example and if you started recently its as much a classic modular as these two..

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51 minutes ago, gotoAndLego said:

Well Lego can't just keep producing all of their bricks in all their colors just because some people missed these sets; that's the kind of thing that almost caused the to go bankrupt. Lot really satisfy that need, they would need to perpetually produce all of the modular sets because there will always going to be people who missed them; some folks missed Grand Emporium foe example and if you started recently its as much a classic modular as these two..

To a certain extent i agree, but i think the position has changed somewhat over the years. 

I might be wrong, but it seems to me that producing bricks has become easier/cheaper over the years, given the incredible palette and variety of colours and bricks we have today.

It is just a matter if bricks used in those sets can be reproduced in a cost effective way.  

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1 hour ago, Jasper Joppe Geers said:

Well, i think a reboot of CC and maybe GG would be great for those who still would like to get one without spending the thousands of Dollars/Euro's for it.

Here’s an April Fool made by The Brick Fan in 2015. I’m glad this was not real as I would have missed it but I’m sure that a lot of AFOL’s weren’t. I hope they’ll bring back those two modulars!

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19 hours ago, LegoModularFan said:

Would you guys be happy with a design your own modular set? 

Yes, very much so!

I know that others just buy multiples of existing Modulars to build a collection of parts for MOCs, but I'd happily buy a bricks, roof tiles, windows and doors assortment as a starting point for my own MOC.

At the very least, I wish the "Classic" boxes came with FAR less colour variety (e.g. only three or four colours instead of 15+) and that Lego would start selling the old "doors and windows" "roof tiles" and "garden" packs again.

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1 hour ago, Agent 86 said:

Yes, very much so!

I know that others just buy multiples of existing Modulars to build a collection of parts for MOCs, but I'd happily buy a bricks, roof tiles, windows and doors assortment as a starting point for my own MOC.

At the very least, I wish the "Classic" boxes came with FAR less colour variety (e.g. only three or four colours instead of 15+) and that Lego would start selling the old "doors and windows" "roof tiles" and "garden" packs again.

It's actually not that hard to do now. Design your Modular in LDD. Export a parts list. Upload it to Bricklink and use it to create a specific want list. Then just use it to sort and search to get the parts you need.

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1 hour ago, Faefrost said:

It's actually not that hard to do now. Design your Modular in LDD. Export a parts list. Upload it to Bricklink and use it to create a specific want list. Then just use it to sort and search to get the parts you need.

I think he already knows that. I simply had an idea about a new special set and he responded to me. And you, what do you think about this idea? :sweet:

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On 2/18/2018 at 8:35 AM, LegoModularFan said:

The new Brickheadz Set 41597 Go Brick Me has been revealed, that set let you design your own Brickheadz! Really love that idea and think that this is a very good step. It would be awesome if they make a similar modular set IMO, it would be a great way to get a handful selection of parts for a reasonable price and more people would start to make MOCs so the AFOL community would grow! Would you guys be happy with a design your own modular set? 

Good idea! So basically the set would consist of large amount of bricks, tiles, door/window pieces etc which are useful for building modulars. Kind of like a MOC beginners set. They could even provide a booklet with different ideas and inspiration for different buildings that can be created using the pieces. This would be a bit like a Creator Expert version of one of those Lego "Classics" sets that allow kids to either use their imagination or to follow instructions for making several minibuilds. It would be a bit like this concept but just on a much more advanced and bigger scale.

Not sure they'd ever release a set like that, but here's another approach to modular buildings that I could imagine Lego taking at some point in the future...

Rather than the set consisting of the usual 3 floors that have to be stacked up in a particular order, it could instead be made up of lots of smaller modules that can be connected and re-arranged in many different ways so that you can to an extent, create your own look for the building. Not sure exactly how they would make this work and it would certainly be different to the usual style of modulars. This is the sort of path I could imagine Lego taking in a future set though.

How would you feel about a set like this? My big concern is that it could end up being a bit like an advanced version of one of these new 3 in 1 "modular" buildings that they've started doing. I'm not keen on these style of sets at all. :cry_sad:

 

Edited by Bricked1980

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I think the problem with a "design-your-own-modular" set in the vein of "Go Brick Me" is its inevitable SIZE. "Go Brick Me" already costs 3 times as much as a typical BrickHeadz figure just so it can include a decent range of possibilities for colors and content. Would people really pay 3 times as much as a typical modular for a box of loose bricks? Even if it has a lower than usual price per piece I think you'd have a hard time convincing people to drop that amount of money on something that's solely a parts pack.

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2 minutes ago, Aanchir said:

I think the problem with a "design-your-own-modular" set in the vein of "Go Brick Me" is its inevitable SIZE. "Go Brick Me" already costs 3 times as much as a typical BrickHeadz figure just so it can include a decent range of possibilities for colors and content. Would people really pay 3 times as much as a typical modular for a box of loose bricks? Even if it has a lower than usual price per piece I think you'd have a hard time convincing people to drop that amount of money on something that's solely a parts pack.

Exactly. So, if TLC would/could make this a cost effective way of 'Design Your Own Modular' i guess it certainly would be a succes!

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I like those 3-in-1 buildings.  Of course the modulars are a lot nicer - but then it's exactly what you're proposing, a nicer (and larger) version.

While I kind of like the idea, I don't think it's possible to make something like that and keep a wide audience happy with it.  There are so many specific greebly parts (especially in the later modulars) that you couldn't possibly put enough for people to come up with the kind of details they want in addition to enough basic bricks to build a large, modular style building.

Architecture Studio was a start in that direction - the problem is it cost way too much for a white parts pack.

I do wish we could get creator boxes with limited colors.  They are doing that now (with largely useless colors for buildings, in sets too small to be worthwhile).  While he may have some special access to bulk bricks now, I remember reading about Nathan Sawaya buying a huge number of tubs of bricks and separating out the colors he needed - he would end up with huge amounts of bricks he didn't need for the build he was doing, which is probably why his iconic earlier sets (like "Yellow") are monochromatic in colors you wouldn't normally choose to build people.

I'm a fan of castle, and have long wanted a "grays" box, since TLG doesn't really care about classic castle anymore.  A brown box for wooden medieval structures would be nice.  Something with a mix of grays and some other subtle color - olive green, dark red, etc., would be really nice.  The last time they released roof parts as a set, I could never get my hands on it - it was always sold out (while, at the same time their wheels and axles languished on the shelves - so much for LEGO fans wanting more vehicles).  Maybe slopes packs in colors, too.

But I think they do not want us to have a huge number of bricks at reasonable prices.  It suits them, financially, much better if we buy a lot of stuff we don't need in order to get the parts we want.

 

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6 hours ago, Bricked1980 said:

Good idea! So basically the set would consist of large amount of bricks, tiles, door/window pieces etc which are useful for building modulars. Kind of like a MOC beginners set. They could even provide a booklet with different ideas and inspiration for different buildings that can be created using the pieces. This would be a bit like a Creator Expert version of one of those Lego "Classics" sets that allow kids to either use their imagination or to follow instructions for making several minibuilds. It would be a bit like this concept but just on a much more advanced and bigger scale.

Much like the sets for the former Creator subtheme Designer, which were in essence themed part packs with both instructions and inspiration models. Believe it or not, apparently Lego stopped using that model because many consumers complained that the inspiration builds lacked instructions. I don't know if many would still feel that way today, but I'd certainly like to see Lego return to that model myself.

6 hours ago, Bricked1980 said:

How would you feel about a set like this? My big concern is that it could end up being a bit like an advanced version of one of these new 3 in 1 "modular" buildings that they've started doing. I'm not keen on these style of sets at all. :cry_sad:

How about three-in-one narrow half-width modulars? They wouldn't have to be brand store exclusives, with a price tag of between US $70-$90, but they still would be branded as Expert level sets with a three-in-one configuration too. 

1 hour ago, Aanchir said:

I think the problem with a "design-your-own-modular" set in the vein of "Go Brick Me" is its inevitable SIZE. "Go Brick Me" already costs 3 times as much as a typical BrickHeadz figure just so it can include a decent range of possibilities for colors and content. Would people really pay 3 times as much as a typical modular for a box of loose bricks? Even if it has a lower than usual price per piece I think you'd have a hard time convincing people to drop that amount of money on something that's solely a parts pack.

Well, the part pack model has been adopted for two Minecraft "Crafting Boxes" so far, and I wonder how well those sets sold compared to the other playsets within the theme. 

I know, it's Minecraft, where designing stuff is the whole point of the game, but perhaps its popularity has inspired kids to desire the same from other Lego themes. Maybe?

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58 minutes ago, fred67 said:

I like those 3-in-1 buildings.  Of course the modulars are a lot nicer - but then it's exactly what you're proposing, a nicer (and larger) version.

Don't get me wrong, I really like Creator 3 in 1 buildings as well. Especially the small shops and house that you can see in the foreground, left and right in this picture of my layout below.

38551514100_5eef06b348_o_d.jpg

Although they're small I think these buildings compliment the large Modulars quite nicely. Unfortunately they seem to have abandoned this series of creator buildings in favor of the new modular style ones like this...

31081?id=ccWQ70&fmt=jpg&fit=constrain,1&

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2 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Well, the part pack model has been adopted for two Minecraft "Crafting Boxes" so far, and I wonder how well those sets sold compared to the other playsets within the theme. 

I know, it's Minecraft, where designing stuff is the whole point of the game, but perhaps its popularity has inspired kids to desire the same from other Lego themes. Maybe?

The Minecraft Crafting Boxes cost considerably less than even a single modular building, though. That's what I'm getting at with the size issue. It's not a matter of "people won't buy loose brick boxes", it's "people lining up to pay upwards of $150 for a loose brick box seems like a stretch when we hardly ever see them priced above $60."

If it were half-sized modulars? Maybe that's a bit closer to reality. But even then if you're going to brand it as a kit for creating your own you need to offer some degree of variety so you're not locking people into using one specific color scheme or whatnot. And the more options you offer, the more pieces you have to offer and the higher the price point climbs.

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1 minute ago, Aanchir said:

The Minecraft Crafting Boxes cost considerably less than even a single modular building, though. That's what I'm getting at with the size issue. It's not a matter of "people won't buy loose brick boxes", it's "people lining up to pay upwards of $150 for a loose brick box seems like a stretch when we hardly ever see them priced above $60."

If it were half-sized modulars? Maybe that's a bit closer to reality. But even then if you're going to brand it as a kit for creating your own you need to offer some degree of variety so you're not locking people into using one specific color scheme or whatnot. And the more options you offer, the more pieces you have to offer and the higher the price point climbs.

Who says it would have to be marketed as such though? It could just be a classic brick box with colors and parts used in modular's but wouldn't have to be marketed as a "create your own modular" kit 

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3 minutes ago, Nexogeek said:

Who says it would have to be marketed as such though? It could just be a classic brick box with colors and parts used in modular's but wouldn't have to be marketed as a "create your own modular" kit 

So… what's the hook then to sell people on a set that size? Because presently I can't see LEGO just up and releasing a bulk brick set that's over twice the size of their recent brick boxes and has less eye-catching colors. Frankly, given the amount of repetition in most modular buildings, it would make a lot more sense to just sell a $60 brick bucket and let AFOLs who want those bricks in modular-level quantities buy multiples of them. Something like 10703, but two or three times the size and with some bigger parts like 8x16 and 16x16 plates thrown in for good measure.

Ultimately, I'm not sure how much it would make sense to stick with "colors used in modulars". After all, there's really no reason any color is inherently inappropriate for modulars, and offering more variety will inspire more varied builds.

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Yeah, it seems that we will need to continue to gather parts as we’re doing :sceptic: My idea is a bit “too good to be true”... except if it’s “Creator Expert 3 in 1” :classic: I remember that @Digger of Bricks already mentioned this in one of his posts (in another topic), it could have as age range 12 to 16.

9 hours ago, Bricked1980 said:

an advanced version of one of these new 3 in 1 "modular" buildings

 

2 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

How about three-in-one narrow half-width modulars? They wouldn't have to be brand store exclusives, with a price tag of between US $70-$90, but they still would be branded as Expert level sets with a three-in-one configuration too. 

Great idea as written above!

@Digger of Bricks, do you talk about modulars like the PS? There were some listings on BL of the Pet Shop building only and they were between your price tag. The only thing I would have liked for those buildings if they were ever made is that they don’t look like the small Creator 3 in 1 modulars but 16 wide normal modulars such as the PS with enough details so they wouldn’t clash with the normal modulars...

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17 minutes ago, LegoModularFan said:

@Digger of Bricks, do you talk about modulars like the PS? There were some listings on BL of the Pet Shop building only and they were between your price tag. The only thing I would have liked for those buildings if they were ever made is that they don’t look like the small Creator 3 in 1 modulars but 16 wide normal modulars such as the PS with enough details so they wouldn’t clash with the normal modulars...

Like the Pet Shop? Pretty much, with a sixteen stud width and three stories, but retaining the same level of Expert level detailing (and still keeping that label as a result) just at half the price since it's only half a modular. It could be done as a three-in-one, but it's not necessary, yet its price range should be able to give it some shelf room at most retailers.

I also should mention, a half-width modular really needs to be fittingly inspired/modeled after the canal row houses of Amsterdam, given how proportionally perfect they would be for that type of set. Heck, make the first one of these sets a bike shop, given how bicycles are such a big thing over there.

Spoiler

_DSC5347038-L.jpg?resize=730,485

 

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36 minutes ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Like the Pet Shop? Pretty much, with a sixteen stud width and three stories, but retaining the same level of Expert level detailing (and still keeping that label as a result) just at half the price since it's only half a modular.

  Reveal hidden contents

_DSC5347038-L.jpg?resize=730,485

 

Yes please, I would love a 16 wide modular, if only to fill in the awkward gap created by assembly square.

Seriously though, I have a brother who is more of a casual lego fan than myself. He often says he'd love to have a go at building a modular but can't justify spending over £100 on a lego set.

I'm sure there are many people in the same boat so a smaller and cheaper set would appeal to them greatly. Also once they'd built that, the hope would be that they'd enjoy it so much they'd want to buy the bigger and more expensive sets. As I'm sure we all know, once you've caught that modular bug there is no turning back. :laugh:

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Just now, Bricked1980 said:

Yes please, I would love a 16 wide modular, if only to fill in the awkward gap created by assembly square.

And after doing a Amsterdam row house, perhaps the next half-width modular could then take after the row houses of San Francisco, California. :shrug_oh_well:

Spoiler

th?id=OIP.Cm-4pZMzGVpRcWFZcDoX7QHaG3&pidth?id=OIP.MPX45mO5dcircceANx5ejQHaLp&pid

 

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Sure this probably was spoke of before and I just didn't see it or wasn't following this thread at the time but on Ideas there is an arcade and pizzeria modular that is almost to 10k at the moment its sitting at 8,023 and the project was only started December 8th of last years so I would say it grew very fast. Given the fact it hopefully will reach 10k in the 715 days left, do you guys think there is any chance Lego would approve the project now that they have been doing larger sets such as the fishing store or you think they will hold off and produce their own arcade and pizzeria modular in the near future? 

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2 hours ago, Nexogeek said:

Sure this probably was spoke of before and I just didn't see it or wasn't following this thread at the time but on Ideas there is an arcade and pizzeria modular that is almost to 10k at the moment its sitting at 8,023 and the project was only started December 8th of last years so I would say it grew very fast. Given the fact it hopefully will reach 10k in the 715 days left, do you guys think there is any chance Lego would approve the project now that they have been doing larger sets such as the fishing store or you think they will hold off and produce their own arcade and pizzeria modular in the near future? 

I don't know, I'm not confident Lego would approve of an Ideas submission that is part of an existing Lego theme even if the theme isn't explicitly mentioned anywhere on the submission page. There are a lot of submissions that fall into this territory many of which are built to the same standards Lego uses in the applicable themes: Architecture, Brickheadz, City vehicles/Speed Champions, Creator scale model cars, Modulars, Star Wars.

There are some absolutely amazing MOC Modulars on ideas, many of which I was surprised didn't even reach 10K supporters given the fanfare with the theme but I think The Old Fishing Store is about as close to City/Town/Modular proximity that Ideas will ever approve. Ideas seems more geared towards and approving of one-off builds and themes like Shinkai Submarine, Mars Rover, Ship in Bottle, Maze, Yellow Submarine or (and increasingly) new license acquisitions in which they can bank off of the applicable fan base and draw in fans of said license to Lego products (Minecraft, Ghostbusters, Big Bang, Adventure Time) as a sort of gateway-purchase or other than regular-Lego-consumer sales.

That modular Arcade/Pizzeria is fantastic though. Supported, guess we'll see.

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1 hour ago, koalayummies said:

I don't know, I'm not confident Lego would approve of an Ideas submission that is part of an existing Lego theme even if the theme isn't explicitly mentioned anywhere on the submission page. There are a lot of submissions that fall into this territory many of which are built to the same standards Lego uses in the applicable themes: Architecture, Brickheadz, City vehicles/Speed Champions, Creator scale model cars, Modulars, Star Wars.

There are some absolutely amazing MOC Modulars on ideas, many of which I was surprised didn't even reach 10K supporters given the fanfare with the theme but I think The Old Fishing Store is about as close to City/Town/Modular proximity that Ideas will ever approve. Ideas seems more geared towards and approving of one-off builds and themes like Shinkai Submarine, Mars Rover, Ship in Bottle, Maze, Yellow Submarine or (and increasingly) new license acquisitions in which they can bank off of the applicable fan base and draw in fans of said license to Lego products (Minecraft, Ghostbusters, Big Bang, Adventure Time) as a sort of gateway-purchase or other than regular-Lego-consumer sales.

That modular Arcade/Pizzeria is fantastic though. Supported, guess we'll see.

So many great Modulars on Ideas that are so unique and detailed I can't see how they get only a couple hundred not even so i'm pretty surprised by this modular arcade and pizzeria getting so far so soon. Wish more would get 10k, wouldn't mind Lego doing one Ideas modular and one of their own each year for the fact Ideas could lead to very unique looking ones

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If the problem about modulars is their piece count, I wonder if a 16 wide modular would be approved if ever there were one which reached to 10 000 supporters... Let’s say, there are some incredible 16 wide modulars but I’m not sure if I saw any incredible ones on Ideas.

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