Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

[just_one]

To be honest , i would prefer a concert theatre to a police station 

[legotownlinz]

1 hour ago, LegoModularFan said:

I've collected some of the probably best police stations made, posted by several different members (might be of interest to @Marx1989)! What do you guys think about these police stations?

What do you guys think about these police stations? 

This one looks amazing:

[Darnok]

1 hour ago, LegoModularFan said:

What do you guys think about these police stations? 

They are all well done, but my favourite would be the one by Bricky_Brick.

6 minutes ago, just_one said:

To be honest , i would prefer a concert theatre to a police station 

To be honest, I wholeheartedly agree.

[LegoModularFan]

So quite some people (@AntiKragle, @Bricked1980, @Digger of Bricks, @AFOLguy1970, @DeanLearner, @just_one, @Drunknok and myself) like the idea of a concert hall/theater with an elegant façade. Coincidentally, I’ve just remembered that my favorite Art Nouveau building was a theater and a music hall!  

Here’s a website for anybody who is interested in learning more about this old beauty:

http://elyseepalacehistoire.blogspot.com/?m=1

 

Something more related to this topic, didn’t Mike Psiaki mention in the video below that they start to design a modular more than one year before its release date? If I recall correctly, they should have already started working on the 2020 modular and we still don’t have any information about 2019 modular except the Twitter message...  

EDIT: Yes, I recall correctly! See below:

On 3/6/2018 at 1:27 PM, Bricked1980 said:

Last night I was watching over this video again where Mike Psiaki gives a talk about the design process behind DD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9YgzRlUsCk

At around 21:18 in the video he mentions that the design work for DD was completed in March 2017. This made me think that somewhere deep within the Lego HQ the design for next years modular is quite likely already completed or close to completion. That's quite a tantalizing thought. 

 

Edited November 24, 2018 by LegoModularFan

[kodlovag]

I really hope that the new modular will not be a police station. I don't need police station in my city, the only police I have is a guard of honor in front of my city hall. Plus the DO of course.

16 hours ago, AntiKragle said:

Musical clue....I’m still hopeful that it could mean a concert theatre, corner building, with an orchestra. Not long now....

Sound good, but too similar to the Palace Cinema. And what would be the play feature? It is a must have in the new modulars.

What I would like to see is a garage on the ground floor with a mini gas station, and the second floor would be accessible through a hidden staircase, where an illegal casino is working. There could be a jazz band (because orchestra is a good idea) and a gangster/godfather who is running the whole stuff, including the garage, where the mechanic is painting the stolen cars. A towtruck could be added too.

Then in the following year I wouldn't care about a police station... :)

If we don't get this right now, I will built it myself next year. Next year only, because I already spent my 2018 lego budget...

[Hippocampe]

A music school perhaps ? (Hoping...) yes a police station has its place for the community, but what about the limited features (office, interrogatory  room, cell detention and above, a donut shop) ? Too similar IMO to DO

school ! Hospital !

[Digger of Bricks]

1 hour ago, Drunknok said:

They are all well done, but my favourite would be the one by Bricky_Brick.

Despite its lack of a third floor, I'd have to agree! 

[jus1973]

With the reference to music and police it brings to mind a prohibition era speakeasy kinda thing. 

I don’t know how realistic this is but could have interesting ‘play’ features hiding the booze and gambling tables etc. 

[Still Raindrop]

14 minutes ago, jus1973 said:

With the reference to music and police it brings to mind a prohibition era speakeasy kinda thing. 

I don’t know how realistic this is but could have interesting ‘play’ features hiding the booze and gambling tables etc. 

We kind of had that already with the DO, but with cookies instead of booze. I don’t think they’d do such a close repeat.

[jus1973]

Just now, Still Raindrop said:

We kind of had that already with the DO, but with cookies instead of booze. I don’t think they’d do such a close repeat.

Yeah true. But that’s retiring and we’ve got 2 restaurants already. 

Just a thought anyhow. 

[AFOLguy1970]

Not that I would mind a police station, but fully agree that it could be disappointing if it is too predictable (tied in with a donut shop), or worse, they give it the City treatment by devoting a bunch of parts to a breakaway wall.  I dont see how a police station would be "musical".  They would be hard pressed to fit all of the necessary components of a police station (check in area, jail, desks, lobby) and add a donut shop onto a corner building.  It would be too much like the BB.  

While I would hope for a classical concert venue, I could see the possibility of it being a disco sort of thing.  The light brick would obviously be associated with a strobe ball, and Lego has made minifigs that are suitable for a disco theme.  Like a concert hall, this too would require space for a dance floor.  If this is to be a corner building, that should take up most of the space on the ground floor.  Presumably, the next layer would be hollow or mostly hollow to allow for  the strobe ball to be placed.  I do not see the strobe being on the ground floor, thus necessitating the dance chamber extending into upper floors.  Again, you could devote a lot of parts to the exterior for detail.  Yet, I do not know of any disco venues that have an exterior wow factor.  If they go that route and make a modern building with a disco, this could potentially save me a lot of money.  

[Jasper Joppe Geers]

31 minutes ago, AFOLguy1970 said:

Not that I would mind a police station, but fully agree that it could be disappointing if it is too predictable

Predictable yes. On the other hand it would finally put a period after a seemingly never ending discussion. ;)

[ddavid]

Where did you read about the "musical" clue?

I would guess it wouldn’t be the main thing. I’m thinking like a band playing in the attic/ top floor of the building. Or a street performer on the sidewalk.

1 hour ago, AFOLguy1970 said:

I could see the possibility of it being a disco sort of thing

Yeah that is a cool concept but it requires an almost empty (dance) floor and a bunch of minifigs to work. This could also mean we could go to the 80s with vibrant outfits and crazy hairstyles. (But I don’t know about the architecture)

[Glumsfield]

22 minutes ago, ddavid said:

Yeah that is a cool concept but it requires an almost empty (dance) floor and a bunch of minifigs to work. This could also mean we could go to the 80s with vibrant outfits and crazy hairstyles. (But I don’t know about the architecture)

Studio 54.

[Bricked1980]

I still think when the set is finally revealed it will probably be something that none of us would have expected.

Just like last year when the diner was first leaked, it was such a different concept that a lot of people (myself included) thought it was fake to start with.

I would love a classic theatre or art nouveau style design as several other people have said. I think a classical style building is more like the style we could expect if Jamie Berrard was the designer though.

I'm assuming it will be another Mile Psiaki design this year and for that reason I'm half expecting he could take a similar approach to the diner again. Not necessarily art deco, but something that he feels would be pushing the modular series in a different direction.

Anyway lots of assumptions and guesses from me there. Hopefully we will get the answer within the next few days.

[BrickFit26]

8 hours ago, RogerSmith said:

Palace Cinema is the perfect example that grand buildings with huge rooms for an audience just don't work in a standard modular. And that just needed a few seats for the audience, and no stage or space for an orchestra.

Imho, any reasonable attempt at a theatre or opera / concert house in Lego needs a footprint of at least 64x64 studs.

i completely agree. A space for an orchestra or a grand music hall would also work on the size of the Assmebly Square, if we get a new one sometime in the future. Which I think we will.

[badbob001]

With the mention of the police station, I thought of Terry Pratchett's City Watch. Wouldn't it be interesting take the usual archtype building and add some discworld to it to make it more interesting? Discworld had touched upon other area such as banking and postal service.

And Lego still as the Harry Potter license. There are many shops in diagon alley that can be given the creator expert touch.

I think eventually the early-century americana theme will run dry and Lego will need to branch out. Or the creator team will burn out and they need fresh ideas from designers from the licensed branding teams.

[jus1973]

1 hour ago, badbob001 said:

With the mention of the police station, I thought of Terry Pratchett's City Watch. Wouldn't it be interesting take the usual archtype building and add some discworld to it to make it more interesting? Discworld had touched upon other area such as banking and postal service.

And Lego still as the Harry Potter license. There are many shops in diagon alley that can be given the creator expert touch.

I think eventually the early-century americana theme will run dry and Lego will need to branch out. Or the creator team will burn out and they need fresh ideas from designers from the licensed branding teams.

Much as I love Discworld and Terrys work in general, I don’t think it has the draw at the age group Lego is mostly aimed for.  I’m also not sure how well it would work, as in my mind at least, there’s barely a straight edge in Ankh Morpork.  

[LegoModularFan]

I’m not sure if this has been already said before (if it’s, I’m sorry) but I started to wonder if we may get a normal modular and a re-release this year as there are two modulars retiring in the same time...

[Bricked1980]

10 minutes ago, LegoModularFan said:

I’m not sure if this has been already said before (if it’s, I’m sorry) but I started to wonder if we may get a normal modular and a re-release this year as there are two modulars retiring in the same time...

I had wondered this myself too. In fact I'm sure I read a while ago where somebody had uncovered the product numbers for next year's creator expert sets and there appeared to be one extra set than there normally would be. Can't remember if I read that no EB or another Lego site, but who knows, maybe that could end up being a modular re-release.

[antp]

3 hours ago, ddavid said:

Where did you read about the "musical" clue?

Didn't that start with the Twitter post mentioning "the sound of the police"?

[SwissBrick]

5 hours ago, AFOLguy1970 said:

 

While I would hope for a classical concert venue, I could see the possibility of it being a disco sort of thing.  The light brick would obviously be associated with a strobe ball, and Lego has made minifigs that are suitable for a disco theme.  

Fully agree, great idea! Never thought of that, could easily combined with a nice combo - I let you choose - and actually yes, it would fit any age range, depending on how LEGO designs it..

Thanks @AFOLguy1970, at least it illuminated my day and helped to be more patient before the official announcement! I am puzzled between waiting or buying the vestas wind turbine.. but I guess I'll wait

[Kalahari134]

I wouldn't read too much into that tweet. They wouldn't give too much away. 

Why is everyone insisting that a doughnut shop be fitted in to a hypothetical police station? You don't really need much in a police station: front desk, a couple of cells, interview room, line-up/mugshot room, duty room, office. 

Many police stations used to have their cells in the basement so you could even omit the cells and have a dummy basement like with the Pet Shop townhouse. 

[Wesley D]

2 hours ago, badbob001 said:

I think eventually the early-century americana theme will run dry and Lego will need to branch out. Or the creator team will burn out and they need fresh ideas from designers from the licensed branding teams.

The modular theme is broader than that. For instance the corner building in Assembly Square is inspired by an European building.

There is plenty of possible inspirations, as the amazing and still growing amount of MOC modular buildings show. I can imagine a lot of styles and themes that haven't been handled yet in the official line, while it's proven they don't hesitate to use some that have been done before.

Perhaps LEGO could do sets like Ninjago City for licensed themes, but I would absolutely not like to see the modular line turning into another licensed theme!

Edited November 24, 2018 by Wesley D

[Kjellevirus]

12 minutes ago, Kalahari134 said:

I wouldn't read too much into that tweet. They wouldn't give too much away. 

Why is everyone insisting that a doughnut shop be fitted in to a hypothetical police station?

With the couple of last modular buildings, LEGO likes to include a story. Money laundring with the Brick Bank, the mugglar with the sweets/cookies in Dettective Office. So a story between a donut shop and a pollice station would be very a cool story.