sonicstarlight

I agree completely, as the line since the Cafe Corner has been fairly uniform in size and these help to break the scale of it up a bit. My issues are with the details - those tiles with the studs on each end between floors, the 1x1 round plates as flowers, the flat roofs that are just stuck on rather than being slotted in, etc. As I said before, these are all hallmarks of the Creator Houses, and while I do think that line has improved a lot in the last few years, I don't think they are nice enough to mix in with the modulars. The Grand Emporium may have been simply detailed, but it still felt really solid and substantial in a way the Pet Shop just doesn't for me.

I agree that they should, although I think it might still be a little too soon for a re-release. It would basically be printing money at this point, and I would certainly go and get another one (or two) if they were $150 again. I can understand not wanting more than 3 modulars on the shelves at any one time, so I don't know if re-releasing a set would force them to sell 4 at once or just wait longer between new sets in the line. I do think it is inevitable with this one - the amount of new fans it brought in and old fans it brought back (myself included) has to be more than any other single set.

This is a pretty clever build with a lot of little details! Your method for the CD racks worked out really well, and just the simple act of putting a black visor on a minifig's head to make headphones is genius. Personally, I think the guitar blends in with the building a little too well (maybe dark red or dark blue instead of black?) but the design of it is really great.

I wouldn't trust ebay for an accurate read of what the set goes for - check the Bricklink Price Guide instead. They have been selling for a little less than $600 USD new, $475 used on average. I don't think there has been any really sharp jumps in price lately. Remember this was the first in the line so it is going to be the hardest to get new (besides maybe Market Street), and I know that those dark red slopes on the roof are extremely hard to come by, or at least they were, making it difficult to just buy the bricks off of Bricklink. I'd say that if you still have a sealed Cafe Corner that it would probably not be a smart move to open it for extra parts anymore.

Very nice review - extremely thorough in both the pictures and the text. I think you really hit a good balance of showing enough steps where you really get a feel of the build without showing too much so as to give it all away. I should think anyone still on the fence one way or the other about this set should have their mind made up by the end of your review. I'll admit that the Pet Shop itself fell a bit short for me personally (it feels more like an upscale Creator set than an official modular), but that's another issue...

This is a huge improvement over the stock sidewalks that come with the sets. I didn't even notice at first that your Green Grocer lost a bit of weight - it looks good cut in half.

Nice to see this one find a second wind! Thanks! I patterned this off of buildings that were traditionally built for industrial uses, but it does have some very bank-like details. It's funny because I actually am in the process of repurposing a bank for a modular (the one from Diagon Alley) so maybe all this economic doom and gloom is subconsciously making me turn all financial institutions into something more cheerful.

I don't know how this managed to slip by without me posting until now! Truly excellent build, and extremely faithful to the original. I am always impressed when I see these kind of models based on something in real life - I think I would get frustrated and start improvising if a certain detail wasn't coming out like I wanted.

This building looks really great as part of your little town! As stated, the roof is really top-notch.

I finally got around to taking a few photos of the furniture in the townhouses - it was hard to see some of it in my previous shots. Here is what's in the one above the barber... above the laundromat... and above the butcher. Still not great shots, but hopefully a bit better than before.

I'm just hoping that the modular line will keep the base plates off the chopping block completely, as switching to those new 16x16 plates they've been favoring in the Creator like would mean the pins on any new modular wouldn't be able to connect with any of the previous ones. I used to get the Creator sets just for parts and then use their base plates for MOCs, but that looks to be a thing of the past. Very rarely do I see 32x32 in Lego stores in anything other than blue, which doesn't work for the city sets I make, and Bricklink is about the only place left for 16x32 ones, and they seem to get more expensive by the day. While I am honestly not a huge fan of base plates, with their thinner profiles that often curl up a bit when attaching a bunch of plates and tiles to them, the thought of having to swap out all the ones on the 15 buildings I have for the new plates is even less appealing.

A great build which compliments your previous one very well! Looking forward to seeing your future buildings.

These are truly brilliant! I like that you are mixing up the width of the buildings so it isn't just a series of 16 or 32-wides. Each one compliments the next beautifully, and the interiors are equally great. I can't wait to see the finished scene with your corner building and final foundations!

I was a fan when the first grainy photo leaked, but now that I have seen it in hi-res glory my excitement has shot up ten-fold! The color scheme is wonderful (love all the reddish brown windows) and I have definitely warmed up to the truck. I don't really get why that minifig has a green hood but a gray shirt though - can't be too picky I suppose.

Completed it - as others have said, it was rather short. Here's hoping from more events in the US - the northeast could really use one.

Almost without exception, I prefer the older sets. Some of it is just nostalgia I'm sure, but too many City sets now have overly large and specific pieces compared to the past. That said, the modulars are worlds better than any of the classic sets, and the Creator line has had some great houses in these last few years.

I'm really liking this one! The other two Winter Village sets are the only non-modular sets I've bought that I haven't had the heart to break apart after building them, and I can tell this one will be no different. Not wild about the truck, but the rest looks great.

This is a really nice modular! The exterior was clearly inspired by the Fire Brigade, and I bet they would make a good pair together. The inside has some really clever details - the vending machine is especially well done.

I was a big fan of your first two Deco buildings, and this one definitely keeps the same high level of quality. The exterior is great - the massing is perfect and the details are at just the right level. The interiors are your best yet, and both the flooring and the furniture is excellent. Please don't let this be your last Deco building! I'm with lightningtiger in my love for the style.

First off, thanks again for the compliments! My stairs actually don't attach to the floor at all - your method is very clever, but depending on how many stairs you have it may or may not line up nicely with the studs on the floor. The construction is surprisingly sturdy made out of real bricks, but it might prove tricky in a digital model to line it up with anything. For the landing I also used bricks with studs on one side like your top picture, but mine are turned 90 degrees from yours - I'm not sure if it really makes a difference in the end. The additional three stairs above the landing are attached to the wall above the bathroom door and aren't attached underneath to anything. Again, you may have come up with a better solution to attach them than I did. If you have any more questions just let me know, but at this point I might need to take lessons from you!

This is simply incredible! While the design itself is on par (or better) than the official Creator houses, the fact you also made a full set of professional quality instructions is simply above and beyond. I would also like to know more about the specific process - you mentioned everything you had to learn and use to generate them, but any more insight you would be willing to share, especially a little step-by-step process with either words or images, would be hugely appreciated! Again, really great stuff!

Thanks for the high praise! I just took a few pictures that I hope will help. Step 1 shows the bricks needed in each stair - two are brown just because I had a lot on hand and they aren't visible in the final model. On the first stair, replace the inverted slope with a standard 1x2 brick. Step 2 shows how the panels fit into the slot created - this is purely a friction fit (don't turn your modular upside-down in the end ). Steps 3 and 4 just show the stairs being connected to each other. Let me know if this still isn't clear. Real digitally generated instructions are still a long way off.

My advise is to start small - rather than trying to tackle an entire city, why not just start with one type of building you really want to make and focus just on that. As you learn what your own personal style is and as you slowly amass more bricks, you'll find that what once started as that single project has grown into something much bigger. Also, don't be intimidated, and don't go in with the mindset that you need to compete with anything you see on the boards - just have fun with it. As for vehicles, I actually struggle with this a lot and don't use any vehicles in my town at the moment. If you are going for more of a classic look, the 4-wides Lego puts out are probably fine, but I think they are too small to be used with the modulars. It's really your preference - some people swear by 5-wides or 6-wides, but so long as you are happy with the end result, there are no right or wrong answers.

As a huge fan of diners, both in Lego and the real world, let me say that this is easily the best one I have ever seen! The details are stunning, especially the door and corner window, and you've captured the era perfectly. Blogged on Brick Town Talk.

Well, I took a photo of all my modulars together, but like I said I don't really have the setup for it so it is even less impressive than my standard photography. On a semi-related note, I just became a blogger over at Brick Town Talk so don't be surprised to see your creations featured there in the future.