Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

[icm]

In a post office, there are many possibilities for the background "story" that goes with the Modular Buildings.  Remember the money launderers next door to the Brick Bank and the smugglers next door to the Detective's Office?  I bet that crime ring has the postal service twisted around its pinky finger.  Plus, there are all sorts of ways to reference the various shops and other establishments at Assembly Square and the Downtown Diner (even the Old Fishing Store) by means of parcels stacked in the back room awaiting delivery.

[Bricked1980]

I agree to an extent that there's not a huge amount of exiting features to include with a post office, probably not enough to fill up 3 floors of a full building.

With my moc I took the approach of designing it a bit like Assembly Square. The Post Office only occupies half of the model and the rest is filled up with a chip shop, cafe and an office.

I'm sure if Lego wanted to make a Post Office they could do a great job of it.

Personally I can't think of a much more dull and boring place to visit than a bank, but they managed to pull that one off by adding the money laundering storyline and features.

[paupadros]

8 hours ago, icm said:

In a post office, there are many possibilities for the background "story" that goes with the Modular Buildings.  Remember the money launderers next door to the Brick Bank and the smugglers next door to the Detective's Office?  I bet that crime ring has the postal service twisted around its pinky finger.  Plus, there are all sorts of ways to reference the various shops and other establishments at Assembly Square and the Downtown Diner (even the Old Fishing Store) by means of parcels stacked in the back room awaiting delivery.

That would be pretty great, actually. A pair of new scissors for Mr. Al!

For a record store, though, they could to mini brick-built recreations of real life albums and let us guess which they are, so it could have very interesting furniture.

Edited August 25, 2018 by paupadros

[The_Nev]

I don't think a post office would be able to fill an entire building, but we have had most of the newer sets where the namesake part is only a small portion of the whole building; the Detective's Office is only one of the five rooms in the building, the Diner has two other unrelated areas, and the Brick Bank has the laundromat in there as well. I'd imagine that the post office would only take up the ground floor, featuring the sorting room, PO boxes and the reception area. The other floors would have a separate entrance (like in cafe corner and pet shop, and maybe they could be a library, with help desk, lots of bookshelves, a computer room, storage room and break room.

But once again, I think we are going to be completely surprised by what it is - just can't wait to find out!

[jonwil]

I see no reason why a record store couldn't be on the second floor of a post office or some other business (after all, the first Virgin store was in a shop above a Shoe Store)

 

[Fuppylodders]

On 8/25/2018 at 10:50 AM, nikhkin said:

 

• Pop to the grocery store to buy some carrots
• Make sure you get your wedding license at the town hall
• Time to check into the hotel!

This theme can do whatever the designer wants. 

Perfectly valid points, and certainly, of course the designer can do whatever they want... But for me personally, probably lacking in imagination, I really can't think how an interesting interior could be done to compliment the exterior (above moc proves exterior isn't a problem). I mean, what else would a post office have? A counter, maybe little grocery bits if it isn't just a post office, and in the back room? Shelves. Lots and lots of shelves for lots of letters. 

I just think there are a lot of other more interesting alternatives. That's great some people like the idea of a post office. Me personally, I dont... Perhaps it doesn't help the majority of post offices I remember going in are just commercialised business buildings with a plain and cheap interior decor. 

I also think I am being a bit narrow minded and applying everyday boring realism to what would be interpreted into a modular, not to mention, as mentioned above, it could only be a small portion of the build. 

@bricked1980 you are correct, a bank could easily be boring... Although they did make a really nice set out of it! 

 

 

 

But... Who am I kidding, if they released one, I'd still end up getting it for addiction reasons 

Edited August 27, 2018 by Fuppylodders

[jaesroe]

On 5/9/2018 at 10:59 PM, Eaglefan344 said:

Probably the worst modular since Market Street

I agree. Probably the first modular set I would never consider of purchasing in the future. Since Cafe corner, I have collected all modular set, except Market street and sold city hall and palace cinema once built it. But this 2018 modular...no..I do hope to see more "European Classic" aspect  than so called 50~60s art deco style. Ok I will accept the no more classic face of minifig....but...the design...please...

[Ogist]

I totally agree with the last comment. Because of last year's experience, this year will not read rumors about new modular. I lost my time hoping to get a great set, but the reality was unfortunately an architectural nightmare. It does not fit with older models. I prefer the European style much more than the US and I believe that this year we will get a nice, classic set like GG or PR.

[Tariq j]

I’d love to see some kind of airport, but how they would implement it into the street I don’t know. That said, I definitely be up for a museum, History on one floor, Science on the next. Maybe a gift shop as well.  

[paupadros]

1 hour ago, Ogist said:

I totally agree with the last comment. Because of last year's experience, this year will not read rumors about new modular. I lost my time hoping to get a great set, but the reality was unfortunately an architectural nightmare. It does not fit with older models. I prefer the European style much more than the US and I believe that this year we will get a nice, classic set like GG or PR.

I like for them to experiment, but DD is just an absurd mess. Mike I think just didn't know how to pull off an interesting façade with nooks and crannies to fill with life. DD to me feels a bit stale.

Edited August 29, 2018 by paupadros

[Lyichir]

3 hours ago, paupadros said:

I like for them to experiment, but DD is just an absurd mess. Mike I think just didn't know how to pull off an interesting façade with nooks and crannies to fill with life. DD to me feels a bit stale.

Really? I was quite impressed with the tiled façade with the inset balcony on the third floor. And it brought some fantastic new techniques to the table, in particular the 1/5 stud offset for both the grey moulding above the front windows (thanks to the aforementioned tiled façade), the similarly deep inset for the side windows, the small circular window to the recording studio... I'd hardly call that "stale" by any stretch of the imagination.

[paupadros]

10 hours ago, Lyichir said:

Really? I was quite impressed with the tiled façade with the inset balcony on the third floor. And it brought some fantastic new techniques to the table, in particular the 1/5 stud offset for both the grey moulding above the front windows (thanks to the aforementioned tiled façade), the similarly deep inset for the side windows, the small circular window to the recording studio... I'd hardly call that "stale" by any stretch of the imagination.

Certainly very good in terms of techniques, them covering the floor gaps for the first time is something pretty amazing, but... architecturally speaking I just find it boring.

[Honbushu]

11 hours ago, Lyichir said:

Really? I was quite impressed with the tiled façade with the inset balcony on the third floor. And it brought some fantastic new techniques to the table, in particular the 1/5 stud offset for both the grey moulding above the front windows (thanks to the aforementioned tiled façade), the similarly deep inset for the side windows, the small circular window to the recording studio... I'd hardly call that "stale" by any stretch of the imagination.

Well said. I like DD. I very much enjoyed building it with some interesting new techniques and I think it looks great next to AS or DO. After 10 years, I'm glad they're moving on to a more modern style of architecture and I hope they will continue on this path.

It was mentioned somewhere that you have to see it as a traditional building that was renovated to house a very modern diner (I think it was in a recent interview with Jamie https://zusammengebaut.com/interview-mit-jamie-berard-achterbahn-diner-taj-mahal-und-co-51257/ I can't listen to it right now).

This mish mash doesn’t seem to appeal to a lot of people, but you do see it a lot in real life.

The beauty of the arches would probably have stood out better if it had been a corner building. Maybe it would have been better to just have a drastically modern building.

 

[Jasper Joppe Geers]

23 hours ago, Honbushu said:

This mish mash doesn’t seem to appeal to a lot of people, but you do see it a lot in real life.

 

Which is quite a compliment i think. Even in real architecture you'll find that strange, unexpected and out of the box ideas spark controversy and discussion.

So therefore well done i'd say!
 

Edited August 31, 2018 by Jasper Joppe Geers

[Lyichir]

3 hours ago, Honbushu said:

Well said. I like DD. I very much enjoyed building it with some interesting new techniques and I think it looks great next to AS or DO. After 10 years, I'm glad they're moving on to a more modern style of architecture and I hope they will continue on this path.

It was mentioned somewhere that you have to see it as a traditional building that was renovated to house a very modern diner (I think it was in a recent interview with Jamie https://zusammengebaut.com/interview-mit-jamie-berard-achterbahn-diner-taj-mahal-und-co-51257/ I can't listen to it right now).

This mish mash doesn’t seem to appeal to a lot of people, but you do see it a lot in real life.

The beauty of the arches would probably have stood out better if it had been a corner building. Maybe it would have been better to just have a drastically modern building.

 

Perhaps that's why it DOES appeal to me... I'm quite a fan of the "mish mash" sorts of buildings like the Downtown Diner, Detective's Office, and Brick Bank. For me having multiple architectural styles blended together and businesses that overlap and interact with one another in organic, interesting ways gives modulars like that a palpable sense of history—moreso than a "pure" architectural style like that of sets like the Town Hall. Architecture that evolves and is adapted over time offers a snapshot of not just when it was first built but also of the intervening years.

[Bricked1980]

I've owned DD since January but due to other projects going on, I've only recently found time to sit down and start building the thing. I have to say I'm very impressed with some of the building techniques that Mike has included. The spiral staircase is ingenious. Also the way the curved canopy is constructed above the ground floor windows is very fun to build and much more complex than I expected it would be.

My main gripe is that although DD features tonnes of clever and original building techniques, like the ones mentioned above and the recessed windows and snotted tiled walls etc, the overall finished result looks quite plain and simple when compared with other modulars. 

Overall I do like DD, I'm really enjoying building it and I'm glad I bought it. Think I prefer the more elegant European style of modulars though.

[paupadros]

2 hours ago, Bricked1980 said:

I've owned DD since January but due to other projects going on, I've only recently found time to sit down and start building the thing. I have to say I'm very impressed with some of the building techniques that Mike has included. The spiral staircase is ingenious. Also the way the curved canopy is constructed above the ground floor windows is very fun to build and much more complex than I expected it would be.

My main gripe is that although DD features tonnes of clever and original building techniques, like the ones mentioned above and the recessed windows and snotted tiled walls etc, the overall finished result looks quite plain and simple when compared with other modulars. 

Overall I do like DD, I'm really enjoying building it and I'm glad I bought it. Think I prefer the more elegant European style of modulars though.

Indeed. I would add that it's so technically ambitious and glorious that it might just take the charm off the other "European" modulars you're mentioning. Note though, that DO to me has a much more American feel and is still very charming.

[The_Nev]

It's not like the Diner is the first one to definitely not be European, I think most of them could fit in in most countries, but the Fire Station has the stars and stripes on its flag, so there's not much left to the imagination concerning its location.. The Palace Cinema has always been reminiscent of Grauman's Chinese Theatre to me, which is obviously American.

Personally, I like that the Diner is different to all the others, sure its nice when they all go together really well, but I think that a bit of variety does not go astray. After all, variety is the spice of life!

[Brick Dangerous]

I wholeheartedly agree on the clever use of building techniques! I've built every one of the Modulars, and this was the most fun and all-around greatest building experience I had by a huge margin. My jaw dropped several times when things came together in totally unforeseen ways. Kudos to Mike, and I hope we'll get many more Modulars from him!

Edited September 1, 2018 by Brick Dangerous

[Bainter-ban]

I liked DD, even though I wont buy it, because it doesnt fit with the other buildings. Im hoping for a more traditional look this time. A library or museum would be great. I havent seen that many mentioning a University, but I think that would be a great addition. The town also needs to offer higher education for the lego people. Another must is a courthouse. The lego crooks cannot be judged or put to jail if they havent been convicted buy a court of law :) so per now all my lego crooks are roaming free in lego city, including those from brick bank.

[SFmuscle73]

I always thought a modular school would look silly with the short leg minifigures standing at their desks, but with the new Harry Potter medium sized legs (that can articulate to sitting) let’s bring on a high school modular LEGO!

[jus1973]

11 hours ago, Bainter-ban said:

. The town also needs to offer higher education for the lego people. Another must is a courthouse. The lego crooks cannot be judged or put to jail if they havent been convicted buy a court of law :) so per now all my lego crooks are roaming free in lego city, including those from brick bank.

First of all then, don’t we need a police station to catch the crooks.  After all, the detective just seems concerned with the cookie smuggling, and there’s money laundering going on over at the bank. Someone Call th cops.

[LegoSjaak]

28 minutes ago, jus1973 said:

First of all then, don’t we need a police station to catch the crooks.  After all, the detective just seems concerned with the cookie smuggling, and there’s money laundering going on over at the bank. Someone Call th cops.

It would be better to do something at the source already... We should no longer buy City police-sets, as they are Always accompanied by crooks...!!!

For the the next modular building i also hope for something traditional... on the other hand, that might look a bit boring and could be not very appealing for people to buy one...

[Honbushu]

In our lakeside town, there isn't a lot of crime. A lot of pets go missing and suitcases get mixed up, but Ace Brickman is really good at solving these cases. The cop isn't much use - she's almost always at the hairdresser's. She does give out a lot of fines to the fancy sports cars that go over the speed limit.

So, thankfully, no need for a police station in this peaceful town. A museum or a garage / car mechanic, though, would be really welcome.

 

 

[Agent 86]

4 hours ago, LegoSjaak said:

For the the next modular building i also hope for something traditional... on the other hand, that might look a bit boring and could be not very appealing for people to buy one...

Me too! I also hope that it is a single purpose building. And that the facade is the highlight (as opposed to the interiors) since that is what you’re looking at 99% of the time.