ReplicaOfLife
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Everything posted by ReplicaOfLife
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I bricklinked Café Corner and a sand blue version of Green Grocer back in the day. In the end, it all comes down to how true to the original you want to go. For me, it was more about the overall look, I replaced many rare/expensive parts with similar ones (e.g. I used 1x2x3 windows on Café Corner instead of the panel, and I replaced the invisible dark blue arches beneath the stairs (which were frighteningly expensive) with whatever was cheapest on BL. If I was to do it all over again, I'd start by checking what pieces I have on hand and how far they'd get me. E.g., you can build the walls pretty much any way you like, as long as you stick to the color scheme it will look similar even if you use totally different brick sizes. Palace Cinema shouldn't be too hard, I don't think there are any crucial rare parts in that one except for the baseplate (where I'd just use any one I have on hand, regardless of color) and the dreadful sticker sheet.
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Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion
ReplicaOfLife replied to The Jersey Brick Guy's topic in LEGO Town
Yep. This is also what I like most about the building - it really is something new. And it's done well (imo at least). And while it can be seen as just another ploy to shrink down the floorspace (which it undoubtedly is ), it also adds a new voice to the modular chorus. Most previous buildings had either a distinct middle european or north-american style, while the BH has more of a mediterranean/cuban feel to it. Really looking forward to building this one. Won't be getting it on day one (I have too many unopened sets already, plus I'm working on my next modular MOC), but as soon as it is discounted somewhere, or 2x VIP rolls around, it's mine :) -
Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion
ReplicaOfLife replied to The Jersey Brick Guy's topic in LEGO Town
It doesn't. As usual on the internet, the negative voices are just much louder and more persistent than the positive ones. -
Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion
ReplicaOfLife replied to The Jersey Brick Guy's topic in LEGO Town
No thanks. Very glad they abandoned that. -
Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion
ReplicaOfLife replied to The Jersey Brick Guy's topic in LEGO Town
That would've been very cool. Imho, you have to have that second full builidng for the angle on the hotel to really make sense. But Lego will propably never give us a four storey building in the modular series. Or if they did, it'd be 300€. But if the art gallery was there before, why build that with the wird angle? I mean, yeah, you could construct a narrative to make it work, but those things are rare in real life for a reason. Having an alleyway leading somewhere, like that prototype, just makes it all so much more logical. -
Those are some great buildings you designed over the years, well done. Lots of different architectural styles, but they all work well together anyways. The waterfront section especially looks great. Looking forward to see more!
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Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion
ReplicaOfLife replied to The Jersey Brick Guy's topic in LEGO Town
Still besotted with the exterior of this set. But, after seeing several pictures where different people placed it next to existing modulars, I have to say that it doesn't really work with the older modulars, when the others are placed to the left of it. The only reason you would build a building with such an acute angle in real life is because the street grid forced you to. So putting this on a regular 90° corner looks awkward, because the building's shape suggests something that is not there. I will get it anyway, of course, but I'll either put it somewhere entirely on its own, or on the left end of a row of modulars. Tending towards putting it on its own, because I do want to be able to see both sides of it. Another solution would be modding it to be a regular 90° corner building, but that would kinda defeat its point -
Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion
ReplicaOfLife replied to The Jersey Brick Guy's topic in LEGO Town
For the first time in a very long time, I'm genuinely positively surprised by the new modular. The exterior of this one is easily the best we got since Parisian Restaurant. Love pretty much every detail of it. Interior is ok, the hotel foyer especially feels very empty, and the first floor is like that a bit, too. It's not quite as empty as Corner Garage, but still, there could be way more going on - like in the art gallery or the top floor, whch both manage to feel a bit more detailed on the inside. Nougat as a dominant color on the facade is unusual, but it works, because it fits the style of the building somehow. Will definitely get it with the 2x VIP, or the first good offer by other retailers, whichever comes first. -
Great build - and I'm saying that even though I usually dislike open-backed buildings ;). But it makes sense if you want to have a better chance at getting a set through the Ideas review stage. :) Love all the small details and the color scheme is perfect. Only thing I don't get is the inverted white tile on the facade of the upper floor - what's that supposed to represent?
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Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion
ReplicaOfLife replied to The Jersey Brick Guy's topic in LEGO Town
I'd hope they simply just forgot the pins, and somehow the error slipped by all quality control steps. Modulars switching to regular plates for me would mark the end of the line. I hate that everything is plate-based in City and pretty much all the rest of Creator already. I would solely concentrate on moccing then, modular-wise. -
Good looking car. I agree that the surfboard should be higher up, though. Does anyonme know how it was supposed to attach in the original Ideas submission? I'd suspect it was done using a 1x1 brick with studs on adjacent sides., breplacing the one used to fit the panel acting as a door.
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Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion
ReplicaOfLife replied to The Jersey Brick Guy's topic in LEGO Town
When I started with the modulars back in 2013, it was the 'rule' that there were three buildings on the market. Each was available for about 3 years, and when a new one came out, the oldest of the three retired shortly before or after. They now had several sets that stuck around way longer (most notable the Pet Shop, which was available for 5 years or even longer), but when we postulate a regular run for a modular to be about three years, the Diner was due to retire this year, and Assembly Square is overdue. They propably kept it around longer either because it was the anniversary set, or maybe the stock just sold more slowly as it was more expensive. -
Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion
ReplicaOfLife replied to The Jersey Brick Guy's topic in LEGO Town
Yep. I get why some people want one, but as a set, they are just not feasible. The closest I could see TLG getting towards one is by doing a regular corner building that has a more detailed than usual back with another sidewalk. -
This looks rather brilliant. Very realistic looking building. Looks like there's some nice snot-work hidden in the facade. Well done! Oh, and the usage of that Harry Potter Window print in the phone booth is strikingly simple yet utterly brilliant.
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Nice work. Love the rounded shapes, and the concave glkass front is a real eyecatcher. And finally a good use for that overpriced piece of wood wooden Lego figure.
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LEGO's inexplicable design decisions
ReplicaOfLife replied to AmperZand's topic in General LEGO Discussion
I could imagine that it is to do with some in-house rule regarding the strength of connections. When using the 2x2 plate with wheel holders, the two 1x2 plates that serve as connection points for the hand/upper arm are clamped inbetween two 2x2 elements. Maybe Lego found that using two 1x2 plates side by side is less stable in extended play or something. Or maybe it really just had to do with production logistics. I read an article (or maybe it was in a yt video, don't remember) that described the design process a bit, and from what I understood/remember, designers have a budget for their builds: Using a piece that already has to be produced for another set takes up less of that budget than using one that would have to be produced exclusively for the set. -
Of course it's all my opinion Just because something is common does not mean I have to like or accept it (I'm not surprised by it, btw, just sad that we get another set with this flaw after the last couple ones did not feature it). 'Finish it with your own bricks' is an easy but hollow argument - I don't think it is asking too much to get a finished product from Lego, and not one I have to add stuff to to make it complete. They could just add the few more pieces needed to create full-height walls - heck, they could even set them on jumpers so you could take part of them out and still get good access to the interior. Well, it isn't :). That was my whole point when I said they should have left the green portion out and used that space to make the Donut Shop wider. The Police Station is 18 studs wide, which leaves 14 studs. You can pull off a nice looking building on 14 studs, but two will almost always look squashed.
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Well, a Police Station should've been a slam-dunk for Lego. Unfortunately, it is not. But it does has some redeeming features, so let's get into those first: 180€ for almost 3000 pieces is propably the best value for money we've gotten in the modular line in a long time, if not ever. Heck, Town Hall was 180€, had fewer pieces and came out like ten years ago! And this set has some real bulk, with the Police Station portion being the highest structure (not counting spires and such) since Town Hall. It also checks some boxes again that they missed in some of the last installments: The entire ground floor is tiled, and the bulk of the building mostly extends beyond the technic brick connection points. Stairs seem to be constructed similar to what I did in my Bakery & Toy Store, which gives them a smooth appearnce, too. General Detail level is ok, too. Escape tunnel from the prison cell is cool. But then things go wrong: The first point is obvious: After getting it right for four sets in a row, they returned to the idiotic idea of a modular needing 'multiple' facades that DO NOT MATCH UP with how the insides are structured . I really had hoped that they had abandoned that notion after Brick Bank. I mean, the dividing wall between the donut shop and the Police station randomly moves inward two bricks half of the way, wtf? The sand green addition is as unnecessary as a fifth wheel on a car, and looks really out of place even in the best pictures. It's just too narrow to have any kind of presence. But at least it's really just an addition to the Police Station. Still, they could've dropped that and just made the donut shop wider. Then we wouldn't have to deal with that nonsensical dividing wall, either. Speaking of that nonsensical dividing wall: Yet another thing I had hoped we would never have to see again is the dividing walls not being the full height of the respective floors. I mean, yeah, who wouldn't want to live in an apartment next to a Police Station with the topmost metre of wall just missing, so you can hear anything that goes on over there...? Sarcastic tip for Lego designers: If you need to make a wall lower so humans can get their hands inside...then your building propably isn't wide enough. The color scheme of the donut shop is jarring. It kinda works for its facade, actually, but on the sides and back it looks horrible, that color (whatever it is...dark lavender? dark pink?) is way too bright to use on entire walls. I obviously could do without the 'donut stealing' play feature, but as it does not take up much space or many pieces, I actually don't mind it. The sad thing is, the Police Station itself looks good, as does the front of the Donut Shop. If they had just concentrated on those two, this would be a great set. But it all get's ruined with how they tried to squeeze in three facades, so now we get an imposing Police Station with random bits of other buildings sticking out left and right . It just looks ridiculous.
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Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion
ReplicaOfLife replied to The Jersey Brick Guy's topic in LEGO Town
Looks interesting. Police Station has been requested heavily for ages, and, if done well, could be the next 'Fre Brigade', so a set that the adults enjoy building, but that kids will also enjoy to play with. I'm curious what's under the blanket, and if it's really that big. From the looks of it, it could be the second highest after Town Hall, but it seems to be a bit bulkier toward its top that that one. It's clearly NOT a corner - the bit you can see jutting out to the right is just the back half of the baseplate. The thing protruding to the left could be a car, which would fit perfectly, since a Police Station without one would be weird. Yep, that's the thing most people easily forget - with putting anything on Lego Ideas, Lego has all the rights to it, no matter if it makes the 10.000 and no matter if they make it a set or not. As designer, you cannot reuse that design commercially afterwards. -
Steam-locomotive DR BR 38.2-3 XII H2 and custom 3D-printed rods
ReplicaOfLife replied to Bricks-on-Rails's topic in LEGO Train Tech
Brilliant design! Looks absolutely astonishing! I'm not the OP, but since I happen to know this: Mainly, it's the fact that the XII H2 had smaller driving wheels (at 1.59m diameter) than comparable locos that were built by other german state railways at the same time. The most famous one among those is the prussian P8, which had driving wheels 1,75m in diameter. Having smaller driving wheels means that the locomotive is less likely to stall on tracks with steeper gradients. These locomotives had two cylinders, one on each side. When the wheels are smaller, it does not take as much power to turn them round, especially on a gradient. Downside is that the maximum speed is smaller with smaller wheels. The 'things' between the two front axles are the cylinders. It is not realistic that the bottom half is attached to the front bogey, that's most likely done so that the model can get around the tight Lego curves. On real locomotives, they are one block and always are in line with the driving wheels. The lower part is the actualy cylinder driving the locomotive, the upper part are the valves which steer in which half of the cylinder the steam is routed. -
Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion
ReplicaOfLife replied to The Jersey Brick Guy's topic in LEGO Town
One of those three wheeled PIaggio vehicles would be great. A building as botched as the Detective's Office wouldn't be. -
Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion
ReplicaOfLife replied to The Jersey Brick Guy's topic in LEGO Town
This. The upstairs interior of the blue building in DO makes no sense at all. It's basically a facade with a toilet and a kitchen inside. Just one staircase up from the entrance to the Detective's Office. Makes no sense whatsoever. The entire build of that set does not make much sense. Apart from the kitchen and toilet, the blue building pretty much only serves as the staircase for the DO. Maybe without the storyline, they could've at least included something that made it worthwile. A tiny apartment for Mr. Brickman would've been nice indeed. I actually don't mind having the launderette next to the bank. But I don't need the 'launderung' play feature. Or the chimnes. Another thing I don't like is that, again, the 'separate building' of the launderette is just facade on the upper floor. All the bricks wasted on the extra large chimney could've gone into more interior detail, more external flourishes etc. -
Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion
ReplicaOfLife replied to The Jersey Brick Guy's topic in LEGO Town
Hard pass on that kind of stuff. Very glad that only lasted for two sets. It's great when a modular contains 'story starters', but these dedicated play features for a prefabricated storyline were utterly unnecessary and felt very forced and out of place in those sets. IMO, of course :) -
Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion
ReplicaOfLife replied to The Jersey Brick Guy's topic in LEGO Town
So far, we had six modulars not designed by Jamie: Market Street was a fan design, and being from the era without interiors it's hard to compare it to the later ones. Town Hall was pretty dull, both in terms of looks and in terms of building techniques. There are few exciting techniques used in it, most of it is regular studs-on-top-construction (which I often quite like, but it's more calmiong than exciting) Palace Cinema was a good effort that imo always got a bit too much flak from the fan community for being a bit smaller (personally, I'd easily place it above some Jamie sets like DO or BB on my list) Downtown Diner was one of the best in the entire series. As @koalayummies already mentioned, some of the techniques Mike used were simply amazing. For me, that set propably had the biggest WOW-factor of them all. And despite it being a decidedly american design, I also love the way it looks. Just a big win all-around, imo Corner Garage was quite a let-down after that. While it boasted some nice techniques (rolling up garage-door, the way he used those train windscreens as windows, filling up the gaps in the angled facade (not the angled facade itself though, that's a pretty basic thing, all-in-all) and was a full three-storey building, it just...didn't look too good. The facade details feel uninspired ('just stick a lot of small tiles on there'), the untiled ground floor is a shame (especially with the 30€ price increase), and the interior is lacking throughout. BS was a step up again. While the buildings weren't too detailed aswell, they just looked good. Interior detail was ok for me aswell - sure, we had much more intricate ones, but the BS's still falls on the side of 'detailed enough' for me. Only criticism here from me is the incredibly small footprint of the buildings. So, all in all, I'm all in favor of other designers trying their hand. Maybe we'll get another eye-opener like DD, or just well-thought out sets like BS. There's always the possibility of a miss, of course, but then not all of Jamies' sets are without flaw either (and, no, I won't repeat my broken record piece about DO and BB's play features and nonsensical floor arrangements) -
Very well done! Love the interiors, especially in the tan buillding. The kitchen looks amazing!