Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

[Faefrost]

On 2/7/2019 at 1:18 PM, Herky said:

I think DD gets the bad rap and rep is due to the odd use of the floors.  A boxing ring on top of a diner?  Makes no sense.  Corner Garage is a little weird too, a garage with a vet above it.  Not exactly something you find, well pretty much anywhere.  I like the idea of multiple use, but Brick Bank was another example of "play".  Instead of making a full bank, they put a laundry in it.  I am not sure you will ever see that combination in the real world.  It would be good if they did it all somewhat realistic vs just cramming multiple things together for the sake of creating a multi use building.

I can't help but think that the Vet's office would have worked better above the Diner, and the Boxing gym above the Garage.

[jus1973]

4 hours ago, Faefrost said:

I can't help but think that the Vet's office would have worked better above the Diner, and the Boxing gym above the Garage.

That does seem more logical, but I wonder if the boxing gym would fit.  Perhaps one to try to MOD, although the noisy recording studio/radio station might not make for a quiet recovery for all the sick fluffy bunnies.  

[ReplicaOfLife]

2 hours ago, jus1973 said:

That does seem more logical, but I wonder if the boxing gym would fit.  Perhaps one to try to MOD, although the noisy recording studio/radio station might not make for a quiet recovery for all the sick fluffy bunnies.  

So just swap the Record Studio with the apartment, too :)

Diner / vet / apartment and garage / gym / record studio go together pretty well. The first three are all quieter establishments, while the last three are not, or at least aren't negatively impacted by noise (I imagine there'd be music playing in the gym).

[Fenghuang0296]

Actually, I'd think that background noise would be a massive detrac from the functionality of a record studio. 

[BrickFit26]

So, after missing out on the Brick Bank when it retired this last December, Amazon had it available in late January at regular price and not those inflated scalper prices. So glad I got it because it was sold out fast.

[BrickBuilder1]

On 2/23/2019 at 8:42 PM, BrickFit26 said:

So, after missing out on the Brick Bank when it retired this last December, Amazon had it available in late January at regular price and not those inflated scalper prices. So glad I got it because it was sold out fast.

Same! I was so glad I did too, because I needed another corner building for my city.

[Digger of Bricks]

By the way, this summer's Three-In-One Townhouse set may be of interest to you guys, as a preliminary catalog image has leaked of it alongside two other Three-In-One summer releases! 

[Jerry McGlade]

@Digger of Bricks 

photos? or links

Edited March 31, 2019 by Jerry McGlade

[Digger of Bricks]

Just now, Jerry McGlade said:

@Digger of Bricks 

photos? or links

Just search #legoleaks over on Instagram. 

[ReplicaOfLife]

On 3/30/2019 at 2:56 PM, Digger of Bricks said:

By the way, this summer's Three-In-One Townhouse set may be of interest to you guys, as a preliminary catalog image has leaked of it alongside two other Three-In-One summer releases! 

Thanks for the heads-up.

Looks like a step back in the right direction, but I'm not sold yet. Of course it's hard to tell from such a small, pixelated image, but it seems a bit cluttered.  And it may use too many different colors to be of real use as a parts pack, unlike most of the old 3-in-1 townhouses

(I count at least four main colors for the exterior walls - tan, dark red/reddish brown (?), medium nougat and what I fear is medium azure or something horrible like that. Could be medium blue, though)

Edited April 1, 2019 by RogerSmith

[Aanchir]

On 4/1/2019 at 11:24 AM, RogerSmith said:

Thanks for the heads-up.

Looks like a step back in the right direction, but I'm not sold yet. Of course it's hard to tell from such a small, pixelated image, but it seems a bit cluttered.  And it may use too many different colors to be of real use as a parts pack, unlike most of the old 3-in-1 townhouses

(I count at least four main colors for the exterior walls - tan, dark red/reddish brown (?), medium nougat and what I fear is medium azure or something horrible like that. Could be medium blue, though) 

I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out what possible reason a person could have to think that medim azure is "something horrible" and not just a normal color like any other? Is it just the same irrational Friends-phobia we saw with the Downtown Diner? If that is a concern for anyone here, then I advise them to clutch their precious "man card" tightly, because while it's hard for me to identify the blue at a glance,as far as I can tell the "tan" you're seeing might very well be Cool Yellow (Bright Light Yellow).

Or, you know, you could just accept that there's no arcane reason why one type of blue or yellow would be "good" and another, ever-so-slightly different type of blue or yellow would be "bad". After all, colors like Medium Azur, Cool Yellow, Lavender, etc. that frequently show up on LEGO Friends buildings are certainly a whole lot more subdued and less ostentatious than the Bright Yellow from the LEGO Creator Beach House and Beach Hut, or the Bright Red from the Hillside House and Small Cottage.

I don't think four main colors is an outrageous number to use across two buildings. I mean, Detective's Office had at least six: Light Royal Blue (Bright Light Blue), Medium Blue, Earth Blue, Medium Nougat (Medium Dark Flesh), Reddish Brown, and Brick Yellow (Tan). For that matter, Cafe Corner had different main colors for each individual floor! And even in the 3-in-1 category, Bike Shop & Cafe, Park Street Townhouse, Toy and Grocery Shop, and Corner Deli were far from restrained in their color choices!

Note also that this set is substantially bigger than many of those were. The rumored price is €79.99 (twice that of Corner Deli or Toy and Grocery Shop). Also, each of the two buildings has an 8x12 footprint and each story is about 7 bricks tall. By comparison, Park Street Townhouse and Corner Deli both had 10x10 footprints when closed, and Toy and Grocery Shop had two buildings with 6x6 and 6x8 footprints. The Townhouse had three stories at around 5 or 6 bricks tall, and the others had two stories at around 7 bricks tall.

IDK what this set's piece count will be, but I suspect it will be high enough that the sheer number of colors won't diminish its value as a parts pack. After all, designers aren't just choosing those colors for our sake, but also to ensure there's enough bricks in each color to create lots of variety for the B and C models.

[icm]

^ I don't think RogerSmith was making any grand pronouncement about the absolute worth of Medium Azure as a color, just saying he doesn't like it.  That's OK.  We're each allowed to like and dislike different colors, and to like them more or less in different contexts!  For instance, I like yellow-orange shades in brick but I think they're awful in carpet.  Back on topic, I've avoided getting any of the Modular Buildings because I don't have a lot of display space, and it takes a lot of time to assemble and dismantle each of them.  At thirty to fifty percent the size of a Modular Building, the upcoming Creator set looks like something I could probably handle and like something that would fit in with my childhood town a lot better.  Maybe I'll get it?  That decision will have to wait for better pictures.

[Stash2Sixx]

23 hours ago, Aanchir said:

I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out what possible reason a person could have to think that medim azure is "something horrible" and not just a normal color like any other? Is it just the same irrational Friends-phobia we saw with the Downtown Diner? If that is a concern for anyone here, then I advise them to clutch their precious "man card" tightly, because while it's hard for me to identify the blue at a glance,as far as I can tell the "tan" you're seeing might very well be Cool Yellow (Bright Light Yellow).

Or, you know, you could just accept that there's no arcane reason why one type of blue or yellow would be "good" and another, ever-so-slightly different type of blue or yellow would be "bad". After all, colors like Medium Azur, Cool Yellow, Lavender, etc. that frequently show up on LEGO Friends buildings are certainly a whole lot more subdued and less ostentatious than the Bright Yellow from the LEGO Creator Beach House and Beach Hut, or the Bright Red from the Hillside House and Small Cottage.

And I’m wracking my brain why you would jump to conclusions about why RogerSmith dislikes a color?  How about before you go off making assumptions, maybe ask RogerSmith (politely) why he dislikes that color?

Please, all of you, think before you post. There is way too much nasty behavior on this website when someone disagrees with another person...  There is plenty of this in the real world, it doesn’t need to be here as well.

 

NO MORE!!!

[Brick Dangerous]

^^^ It's called taste. Sheesh.

[Digger of Bricks]

Heh, have any of you guys here checked out @koalayummies' Town Hall Spaceship submission to @Bob De Quatre's contest?  

 

[GeoBrick]

Fabulous! 

It could easily double as a train station.

[koalayummies]

2 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

Heh, have any of you guys here checked out @koalayummies' Town Hall Spaceship submission to @Bob De Quatre's contest?  

Oh ahhh, you gotta warn me first! Now all the passionate modular fans are going to destroy me for what I did! Quick, outta the universe! Chewie hit the hyperdrive!

:clunk, screech, fizzle, various breaking sounds: Um. So, how are all the modular fans doing today?

[ReplicaOfLife]

13 hours ago, Stash2Sixx said:

And I’m wracking my brain why you would jump to conclusions about why RogerSmith dislikes a color?  How about before you go off making assumptions, maybe ask RogerSmith (politely) why he dislikes that color?

Please, all of you, think before you post. There is way too much nasty behavior on this website when someone disagrees with another person...  There is plenty of this and the real world, it doesn’t need to be here as well.

 

NO MORE!!!

Thanks :)

16 hours ago, Aanchir said:

I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out what possible reason a person could have to think that medim azure is "something horrible" and not just a normal color like any other? Is it just the same irrational Friends-phobia we saw with the Downtown Diner? If that is a concern for anyone here, then I advise them to clutch their precious "man card" tightly, because while it's hard for me to identify the blue at a glance,as far as I can tell the "tan" you're seeing might very well be Cool Yellow (Bright Light Yellow).

Or, you know, you could just accept that there's no arcane reason why one type of blue or yellow would be "good" and another, ever-so-slightly different type of blue or yellow would be "bad". After all, colors like Medium Azur, Cool Yellow, Lavender, etc. that frequently show up on LEGO Friends buildings are certainly a whole lot more subdued and less ostentatious than the Bright Yellow from the LEGO Creator Beach House and Beach Hut, or the Bright Red from the Hillside House and Small Cottage.

I don't think four main colors is an outrageous number to use across two buildings. I mean, Detective's Office had at least six: Light Royal Blue (Bright Light Blue), Medium Blue, Earth Blue, Medium Nougat (Medium Dark Flesh), Reddish Brown, and Brick Yellow (Tan). For that matter, Cafe Corner had different main colors for each individual floor! And even in the 3-in-1 category, Bike Shop & Cafe, Park Street Townhouse, Toy and Grocery Shop, and Corner Deli were far from restrained in their color choices!

First off: I sometimes use hyperbole when talking about stuff that I feel passionate about - which I do, regarding Lego. I get why this might come across the wrong way sometimes, but that's really not the way it was or is meant.

 

I'm a MOCcer of modular buildings, For that reason, I like sets that have a good selection of pieces in colors that I find suitable to use in one of my MOCs. I generally like to use somewhat realistic tones on the exterior of my buildings. Thus I wouldn't use most of the brighter colors Lego has (which, btw., includes classic bright yellow, blue and red aswell).

You may have gleaned from the context in my post that I purchase sets like this mainly as parts packs for MOCing, because they are one of the few cases where one can get 1 x X bricks in significant numbers, plus other useful bricks for buildings, at relatively low-cost. I got at least 3 copies of Bike Shop, Park Street Town House and Corner Deli each and (with discounts) got a better price per piece ratio each time than on a modular! I really want more of this type of set.
But I don't need or want large quantities of bricks in colors I wouldn't consider using visibly in large quantities in a build. If I had them, they'd propably end up buried somewhere where you can't see them (and I have more than enough old bricks for just that purpose), or would very occasionally be used for some minor interior detail. But when buying sets for parts, I want to get as many 'good' parts as possible. In that regard, medium azure bricks are pretty 'bad' for me. 

And I also really just don't like medium azure when used en masse. It's fine when used as accent (e.g. for bathroom floor tiling), but when used on walls or for larger floor areas, it just feels garish and - yep! - horrible to me. But, disclaimer: That's just my personal taste, and there's no reason to get worked up about it

 

And, yes, some of the other 3-in-1 Creator houses also had 3 or even 4 main colors. But they all were colors I like or am ok with.

And, no, this has nothing to do with medium azure being a 'Friends' color, what crazy idea is that?!?!
I hardly would've built an entire modular in cool yellow if I was on some kind of weird crusade there, wouldn't I? I also really like teal - see the roof on one of my other MOCs, which was built before they even brought that color back. It took me several BL orders to amass all those slopes. Though I propably wouldn't use it as the dominant primary color in a build. But I loved it's use on the Diner, for example.

[Aanchir]

2 hours ago, RogerSmith said:

First off: I sometimes use hyperbole when talking about stuff that I feel passionate about - which I do, regarding Lego. I get why this might come across the wrong way sometimes, but that's really not the way it was or is meant.

Apologies. I need to keep in mind that for a lot of people, just matter-of-factly saying "X sucks/is bad/is horrible" to describe their dislike of it is seen as just an ordinary way of stating a subjective opinion and not trying to make some blanket statement about its worth. I am generally not so comfortable doing so myself — maybe because growing up a picky eater, some of the things that were most outrageously nauseating to me (like, say, tacos) were foods that most people around me thought of as perfectly normal, and I had to be very careful about how I phrased my dislike of something to avoid insulting the people who prepared or served it.

I also wrongly assumed your comments about the set's usefulness/value as a parts pack were speaking for that value on a larger scale, not just for your individual projects, and subsequently interpreted your follow-up comments in that frame of mind.

It doesn't help that aversions to "girliness"are far from uncommon in AFOL circles, and as such I'm often a little on edge when a subjective opinion happens to align with those types of all-too-common biases. Far too many of the bad takes I've seen about The LEGO Movie 2 sets and the movie itself tend to generalize them as less sophisticated than those for the first movie, but then pin that almost exclusively on the more feminine motifs, characters, and story elements while treating the more masculine ones like Apocalypseburg or Rex's whole persona as isolated strong points. Never mind rabid misogynists like this guy who not only see fairly gender-neutral sets like the Disney Castle as inherently "girly", but also believe that negates the set's AFOL appeal, and launch into homophobic/transphobic rants when questioned about their bizarre insistence on those supposed truths.

That said, I should definitely try and get in the habit of waiting for clarification about statements like that which confuse me before assuming the worst. Sorry again. :(

[fordtruckin]

Wow, there has been a whole lot of talk about things that have nothing to do with Lego and not much really to do with modulars in general since @Digger of Bricks posted about the Creator 3 in 1 on Saturday. Maybe we should start playing guess the next modular really early this year.  I will just throw a crazy idea out there and guess a planetarium. (I know nothing about the next set for anyone who might think this is inside info)

[Digger of Bricks]

8 hours ago, fordtruckin said:

Wow, there has been a whole lot of talk about things that have nothing to do with Lego and not much really to do with modulars in general since @Digger of Bricks posted about the Creator 3 in 1 on Saturday. Maybe we should start playing guess the next modular really early this year.  I will just throw a crazy idea out there and guess a planetarium. (I know nothing about the next set for anyone who might think this is inside info)

I myself I'm still waiting for something else Art Deco more in the way of BioShock's Rapture rather than Fallout (just as one way of putting it). 

[Overcold]

4 hours ago, Digger of Bricks said:

I myself I'm still waiting for something else Art Deco more in the way of BioShock's Rapture rather than Fallout (just as one way of putting it). 

I'd like this architectural style too, it would fit in perfectly with the rest of the line. I like how we have been getting a good variety of architectural styles blended in with more classic styles, everything from Miami-inspired Art Deco to Egyptian Revival.

Romanesque-Revival architecture (below) has a lot of variety of form that could create good visual interest, and would be amazing to see this done with modern Lego pieces. Plus gabled dormers are always a for me.

 

Art Nouveau is also always something I would like to see:

 

Some speculation on my part:

It's been several years since a building was released with an international style roof, such as in the Pet Shop. That was the laundromat. Other than that we have had two Haussmann style roofs in the Parisian Restaurant and Assembly Square. And all other rooftops have been flat since Jamie began a new era with the Parisian Restaurant. I'm guessing we will be seeing a roof with a pitch of some kind in the near future.

If the designers continue the 1950s Americana Art Deco scheme from the previous two and make it a trilogy, I suspect we will be seeing a bowling alley next. I'd buy that in a heartbeat.

The police station is pretty much confirmed, having been foreshadowed by the Detective's Office and by Jamie Berard himself. If it is not the next release I suspect it will be within the next 3 years.

Given the release schedule of the Town Hall and Palace Cinema around the development of the first Lego Movie, and the release schedule of the Downtown Diner and Corner Garage around the second Lego Movie, it is highly likely that Jamie is the lead designer behind the 2020 modular release.

What do you think?

[jonwil]

In terms of architectural styles, one thing I wan to see LEGO do is something in Googie/Raygun Gothic style. Such a style could work great for a bowling alley (the bowling alley in The Simpsons is in that style for example).

The other thing I want to see LEGO do is the style of architecture often seen on banks or government buildings (courthouses etc) that copies from ancient Greek/Roman buildings (not sure exactly what its called). Might work for an older style police precinct (something in the style of the Springfield PD in the Simpsons could work)

Oh and something in Brutalist style would be great as well.

 

[ReplicaOfLife]

On 4/5/2019 at 12:10 AM, Aanchir said:

Apologies.

(...)

That said, I should definitely try and get in the habit of waiting for clarification about statements like that which confuse me before assuming the worst. Sorry again. :(

Thanks!

And no worries - we're good! After all, it's all about having as much fun as possible with Lego - and talking about it, about what we love and what maybe we don't.

 

[Digger of Bricks]

On 4/5/2019 at 11:44 AM, Overcold said:

I'd like this architectural style too, it would fit in perfectly with the rest of the line. I like how we have been getting a good variety of architectural styles blended in with more classic styles, everything from Miami-inspired Art Deco to Egyptian Revival.

Romanesque-Revival architecture (below) has a lot of variety of form that could create good visual interest, and would be amazing to see this done with modern Lego pieces. Plus gabled dormers are always a for me.

What'd you think about the Arts & Crafts/Prairie/Frank Lloyd Wright style being adopted by the Modular Building subtheme? Could it work or not? 

On 4/5/2019 at 11:44 AM, Overcold said:

Art Nouveau is also always something I would like to see:

As would both @LegoModularFan and I!   

Perhaps a Botanical Shop/Greenhouse would be best fitting for that style?