Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

[BrickFit26]

They did the white trim on the back door of the backside of the modular. It looks good.

[The Reader]

1 hour ago, RichardGoring said:

He's a stickler for the rules and runs a tight ship. He insists on everyone following the proper procedures - and he leads by example.

🤣

But this ID batch ruins that cool retro torso. 🤬

[ReplicaOfLife]

Took some time to let it sink in, but I have to say: Not very excited about this.

On the plus side, it's big enough to be somewhat credible as a museum. Like that it takes up most of the baseplate. And finally, we get a building without unnecessary small pseudo-buildings attached to it again! It's been a while...

But on the other hand, I find the design of it a bit lacking. Again. Just as with the Jazz Club, most building techniques seem to be rather straight-forward, the proportions feel just a tad off and the exterior design - while checking most of the classic museum boxes - looks a bit unimaginative to me. Regarding proportions, I feel that the roof should be higher. Both the dome and the smaller roofs over the wings to the far left and right seem too small for the overall building size.
Design-wise, the cornices beneath the roof look rather bland, as does the detailing around the windows. Also, the capitals of the big white columns feel too small - ionic style capitals usually protrude to the left and right, here they sit pretty much in line with the column itself.
And the interior seems mostly empty, with relatively few and mostly smaller exhibits dotted around in a lot of empty space. And most of the upper floor literally is empty space where the huge openings to the ground floor are. The one for the dino skeleton makes sense, obviously, but overall it still feels way too empty. It's missing at least two or three more sizable, imaginative exhibit builds there to give the place some more life.

So, certainly no Day 1 purchase for me. Might wait to pick up a used one for cheap once the excitement dies down.

[Aanchir]

12 hours ago, The Reader said:

Yeah, me too, but this ID batch ob his torso is just ridiculous. He is the director, he doesn‘t need an ID batch. 🧐

I mean, maybe he wouldn't need an ID badge for ordinary office work. But for public-facing work like exhibit openings, fundraising events, or VIP guided tours, it doesn't seem odd for him to wear a name tag so he can be recognized by people who don't regularly work with or under him.

For that matter, it wouldn't surprise me if this museum's ID cards are also used as key cards for access to otherwise restricted areas of the building (like the curator's office or exhibit storage room. That would explain him wearing it on a lanyard instead of on his lapel.

Edited October 31, 2023 by Aanchir

[Lion King]

I hae an interesing thought…. Instead of a straight stree, would a museum with double corner? 

[Agent 86]

I’m interested to see how people mod the Museum. In particular, I’d be keen to explore having the dinosaur in the central section with the stairs winding around it to try and maximise the space in the “wings” on their side and include some more exhibits, the curator’s office, etc.

[Aanchir]

1 hour ago, Lion King said:

I hae an interesing thought…. Instead of a straight stree, would a museum with double corner? 

That could be an interesting layout, although the museum building in that sort of layout would still be more or less the same size as in the official set (since despite adding 16 additional studs of baseplate width, those studs would be completely taken up by the sidewalks wrapping around the building). Still, if anyone ends up doing that, I'd love to see it!

EDIT: I was just looking at some more of the lifestyle photos from the press kit. This one nicely showcases the garden and first floor from above, including how the tree in the garden is attached and how the exhibits on the first floor are arranged. Meanwhile, this photo offers a good look at the gift shop, archive/storage room (that's actually a microscope in there, not another fossil as I'd previously assumed), and bathroom. And this one offers a close-up of the ceramics exhibit including the shattered pot, bench, and bathroom door.

All in all, the ground floor isn't nearly as empty-looking as some folks have made it sound, although the second floor does have a fair amount of open space between the orrery and the big map of the Earth which could have maybe been filled with another table of museum pieces, or perhaps some seating to turn it into a space for science or history presentations.

Edited October 31, 2023 by Aanchir

[Yperio_Bricks]

2 hours ago, Lion King said:

I hae an interesing thought…. Instead of a straight stree, would a museum with double corner? 

 

18 minutes ago, Aanchir said:

That could be an interesting layout, although the museum building in that sort of layout would still be more or less the same size as in the official set (since despite adding 16 additional studs of baseplate width, those studs would be completely taken up by the sidewalks wrapping around the building). Still, if anyone ends up doing that, I'd love to see it!

Now that is an interesting idea! Would love to see that!

[Lyichir]

4 hours ago, Aanchir said:

That could be an interesting layout, although the museum building in that sort of layout would still be more or less the same size as in the official set (since despite adding 16 additional studs of baseplate width, those studs would be completely taken up by the sidewalks wrapping around the building). Still, if anyone ends up doing that, I'd love to see it!

If you were to do that I'd also recommend adding side windows to the building since modulars typically aren't designed with the prettiest side profile.

By the way, I saw somebody mention that a museum of natural history wouldn't have a space exhibit and I'd dispute that slightly, since things like the formation and composition of the solar system definitely fall under natural history, and while a little more tangential it wouldn't be totally out of place to go into some detail about the space exploration programs that we've learned about our planet and universe's history from as well.

[jonwil]

12 hours ago, Aanchir said:

I mean, maybe he wouldn't need an ID badge for ordinary office work. But for public-facing work like exhibit openings, fundraising events, or VIP guided tours, it doesn't seem odd for him to wear a name tag so he can be recognized by people who don't regularly work with or under him.

For that matter, it wouldn't surprise me if this museum's ID cards are also used as key cards for access to otherwise restricted areas of the building (like the curator's office or exhibit storage room. That would explain him wearing it on a lanyard instead of on his lapel.

Workers in a museum wearing a  badge (that is also an access card) absolutely makes sense. The security guy in "night at the museum" has a set of keys (that both open secure areas and close/lock things at night) so it's logical to assume that a real museum could have the same thing but with swipe card badges and that someone like a curator would have such a badge.

 

[Lion King]

11 hours ago, Lyichir said:

If you were to do that I'd also recommend adding side windows to the building since modulars typically aren't designed with the prettiest side profile.

That’s exaclty what I’m imagining - a double-corner museum with side windows. 

It wold be a nice end block!

[Pirate_King_1982]

Saw this on my daily trawl through Rebrickable https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-162743/Brick Artisan/souvenirs-tours-compatible-with-set-10326/#details . I’m keen on building this annex when I get around to building the museum. With regard to the actual modular the only things I’ll change would be to tile the second floor and add some more exhibits to what’s already on show. Also I think I’ll be adding the janitor CMF to the set.

[BrickRally217]

2 hours ago, Pirate_King_1982 said:

Saw this on my daily trawl through Rebrickable https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-162743/Brick Artisan/souvenirs-tours-compatible-with-set-10326/#details . I’m keen on building this annex when I get around to building the museum. With regard to the actual modular the only things I’ll change would be to tile the second floor and add some more exhibits to what’s already on show. Also I think I’ll be adding the janitor CMF to the set.

That's a brilliant build! It adds a nice corner while making the overall footprint of the build an even 2 baseplates instead of 1.5. I also can't believe how much better the color scheme looks on that build compared to the museum. Maybe I'll have to see it in-person before coming to any negative conclusions.

[thminigab2]

4 hours ago, Pirate_King_1982 said:

Saw this on my daily trawl through Rebrickable https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-162743/Brick Artisan/souvenirs-tours-compatible-with-set-10326/#details . I’m keen on building this annex when I get around to building the museum. With regard to the actual modular the only things I’ll change would be to tile the second floor and add some more exhibits to what’s already on show. Also I think I’ll be adding the janitor CMF to the set.

thia is beautiful!, i hope that one day we will have set simiiar to this build

[BrickFit26]

Has anyone else seen the new LEGO Jurassic Park Fossil set of a T Rex head and foot print? They look amazing. I wonder the print of the skull can somehow fit in the modular museum. 🤔 

[The Jersey Brick Guy]

First post has been updated to reflect the new modular.

[Dufflefan]

I agree with others who see the Natural History Museum as rather lacking in overall appeal.

I don't wish to be overly negative, and I think there are a few good aspects. I like the tree, the roof is interesting, and the set back small plants and statues are generally decent. I genuinely hope others who choose to buy it enjoy it, and I hope it meets the expectations of those who were eagerly awaiting this addition to the modular buildings line.

That said, I am disappointed that this only seems to support my view that it is time Lego ended the modular building series. I want to like it, and I'll keep trying to see it in new ways. Equally, maybe once I see it in person my opinion might also change. Nonetheless, I feel it lacks charm, that the story and humour is uninventive, and the design lacks spark. Overall, it feels generally very flat and rather uninspiring.

Perhaps more than anything, it seems the major departures from the generally dominant design formula have at best not been used to their fullest potential, and at worst feel like an attempt to distract from a lack of creative thinking. The 48-stud width creates too much negative frontal space which is made more obvious by a poor choice of dominant colour. Additionally, the interior feels somehow incoherent (despite having a reasonable logic) and provides too many background elements for the story and/or humour to work effectively. Moreover, it seems like the earlier-than-previous release date is also another tool which generates excitement without any real rationale.

I do want to like it. It does break some of the formula. But, for me it does so for the wrong reasons with the wrong results. I know I'm very much alone in thinking the modular building series should be retired, but hard as I try to find reasons to believe otherwise, this edition has sadly only confirmed how I feel. If the formula was stale, the Boutique Hotel at least added some life again, but then the Jazz Club seemed to prove the formula was past its best. Now the formula has been changed to some degree, and the result seems so lacklustre, as much as I really don't want to admit it, I think the modular buildings line should end.

All this said, I absolutely hope - like any set - this is fun to build, own, and display for anyone who does like it. That, ultimately, is most important.

[RichardGoring]

37 minutes ago, The Jersey Brick Guy said:

First post has been updated to reflect the new modular.

Can you imagine someone starting at post #1 and reading all the way through to catch up?! 

Thanks for updating it though.

[The Jersey Brick Guy]

9 minutes ago, RichardGoring said:

Can you imagine someone starting at post #1 and reading all the way through to catch up?! 

Thanks for updating it though.

This topic has more replies than I have total posts.

[Sunseeker21]

9 hours ago, RichardGoring said:

Can you imagine someone starting at post #1 and reading all the way through to catch up?! 

Thanks for updating it though.

Haha. I did check out his #1 post (thanks for updating) and now I wonder if the gift shop (counter) is a unique business or part of the Museum business…

[Lion King]

So…it looks like BrckClicker reported that there is a Chinese New Year set (80113) and it said it would be a building. I wonder if it’s a modular-style building? It’s only $130.

Your thoughts?

12 hours ago, The Jersey Brick Guy said:

First post has been updated to reflect the new modular.

Thanks for the updates! :) 

Edited November 2, 2023 by Lion King
Fixed the se number error.

[RichardGoring]

I got the instructions and placed orders for the pieces for the Bricklink MOC Pop-up Store Glass Studio modular last night. There are several modulars on there, but this one looks so lovely. I like the colour blocking, height variation, shaping, and all the details in it. I hope that the building experience holds up to the aesthetics.

[Glass Studio] [BrickLink]

[Kallego]

1 hour ago, Lion King said:

So…it looks like BrckClicker reported that there is a Chinese New Year set (80113) and it said it would be a building. I wonder if it’s a modular-style building? It’s only $130.

Your thoughts?

Thanks for the updates! :) 

The following are my arguments to justify my wishful thinking ;-)

I think with the rumored price of 130$ a piececount of around 1500 can be assumed.

10270 bookshop has 2500 pieces. Half a bookshop is one 16*32 modular.

So a 16*32 modular could be possible with the given piececount.

Lego is willing to put modular compatible sets on the shelves in the Chinese New year line (80107).

There have been rumors of a second modular in 2024 a while ago and it maybe could explain the early release for 10326.

 

 

[Lion King]

33 minutes ago, Kallego said:

The following are my arguments to justify my wishful thinking ;-)

I think with the rumored price of 130$ a piececount of around 1500 can be assumed.

10270 bookshop has 2500 pieces. Half a bookshop is one 16*32 modular.

So a 16*32 modular could be possible with the given piececount.

Lego is willing to put modular compatible sets on the shelves in the Chinese New year line (80107).

There have been rumors of a second modular in 2024 a while ago and it maybe could explain the early release for 10326.

I was thinking about the modular Bookshop set before you posted here - I agree with you that the bookshop has about 1,400 pieces while other half building has remaining pieces to make the “whole” set. 

So…You could be right about a 16x32 modular building. 

Plus, there are no Asian archiecture in the Modular Building Collection as of Nov 2. I feel it’s a long overdue. I’m tired of seeing American and European archiecture throughout the collection. 

 

[Toast]

The thought of a Chinese building modular is very exciting and before I checked this thread I told myself to keep my expectations low, but it would be a great 16x32 set. Either way I'm sure someone will be making a rebrickable model of it so it can fit in with the modular street. The rumors keep getting better and better!