10278 Police Station

[Aanchir]

1 hour ago, CopperTablet said:

I wonder if Lego doesn't want to market a modular post office due to their partnership with FedEx?  Companies can be fussy about perceived competitors.

I don't think the lack of a modular post office really needs any further explanation than "the designers have always settled on other types of building instead". After all, there's nothing about a post office that would make it fundamentally more appealing addition to a modular street than most of the sorts of buildings LEGO HAS already focused on. And even now, there are plenty of other potential Modular Buildings besides a post office that could still appeal to lots and lots of people — like, say, a clinic, a museum, a newspaper press, a hotel, a pharmacy, an electronics store, or a toy store.

I also feel like post offices often lack a distinctive architectural style that might help make them a standout choice from a visual or structural standpoint. The nearest post office to the house where I grew up is in the back room of a building which was built as a supermarket, but converted to a hardware store the same year that I was born. Other post offices in that area include one in a rather bland-looking brutalist building, one in a shopping center, and one in a shopping mall.

Needless to say, even though post offices serve a tremendously important function, their exteriors often fail to make a strong visual statement. Honestly, as much as I'd love to see a post office in a future modular building set, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it ended up being a "secondary" property like the laundromat in the Brick Bank set, the barbershop in the Detective's Office set, or the donut shop in this latest set.

1 hour ago, Vilhelm22 said:

On a different note, I find the use of 1x2 jumper plates on the front facade of the police station really interesting.

It's definitely very cool! LEGO previously used the same technique for the bas relief panels in 21036 Arc de Triomphe from the LEGO Architecture line.

I saw somebody comment either here or on Brickset (don't have the patience right now to dig back and remind myself who posted it where) that they felt it would have worked with the old-style jumper plates but is uglier with the new style, but I feel the opposite — the gentler angles and more varied degrees of projection from the inner surface to suggest the appearance of a relief sculpture, whereas I feel like the older style's simpler geometry would look less decorative and more utilitarian.

[JintaiZ]

21 hours ago, lifeinplastic said:

I really don't like this at all. The worst modular building in the series for me (with the possible exception of Market Street, if included). Really hope Jamie B returns to designing them next year as I didn't buy the previous two either, which is a shame as I always used to get the modular building.

I do find some places where it could have done better after taking a closer look at it... however, I think it's a major step up from the previous modulars in both level of detail and color scheme. I also hope Jamie Berard would go back to designing the modulars, but what we're given right now is great.

[Blazej_Holen]

I think that JB says his goodbye to the modulars through AS. It makes sense since he is a design lead and now he has other project to do. He still supervises those new modulars and I bet that some ideas are his suggestions. Its time to move on :)

[Aanchir]

Honestly, I don't get why everybody seems to imagine that bringing Jamie back as the designer would resolve some of their current frustrations, when a lot of those frustrations (interior walls not reaching the ceiling above, properties 10 studs wide or narrower, smaller properties unrealistically carved out of larger ones, heavy emphasis on storylines/mystery scenarios, etc) are traits that first began showing up in sets that Jamie himself designed!

After all, Jamie was the lead designer of both Detective's Office and Brick Bank, the two sets with the most similar design philosophy to this one. In fact, this is the first time characteristics like narrow facades have shown up in a set that Jamie DIDN'T design. So what reason is there to think that these traits are a product of his absence, rather than a product of the influence he's had as the forerunner and design manager of the more recent Modular Building designers? It's entirely possible that having him as the designer of future buildings could result in MORE of these traits people have been criticizing, not fewer.

Make no mistake: the admiration that AFOLs (myself included) have for Jamie's brilliance as a designer is very well deserved, and this post is not in any way intended as a criticism of the caliber of his work. That said, the characteristics of the Modular Buildings he worked on are not as different from those of the past few years as a lot of people often seem to imagine. And in fact, he has spoken in several different interviews about how much criticism some of his buildings like Fire Brigade originally got (despite how popular they would end up being after their release), as well as how similar many of those criticisms have been to the way fans have criticized more recent buildings.

Edited November 30, 2020 by Aanchir

[scottwb2010]

1 hour ago, Aanchir said:

I also feel like post offices often lack a distinctive architectural style that might help make them a standout choice from a visual or structural standpoint. The nearest post office to the house where I grew up is in the back room of a building which was built as a supermarket, but converted to a hardware store the same year that I was born. Other post offices in that area include one in a rather bland-looking brutalist building, one in a shopping center, and one in a shopping mall.

Needless to say, even though post offices serve a tremendously important function, their exteriors often fail to make a strong visual statement. Honestly, as much as I'd love to see a post office in a future modular building set, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it ended up being a "secondary" property like the laundromat in the Brick Bank set, the barbershop in the Detective's Office set, or the donut shop in this latest set.

I know what your saying regards the Post Office in your area, as this is quite the norm in many areas nowadays where the Post Offices have downsized. But myself and I think many others (although can't speak for them) who would like to see a Post Office, are thinking of the post offices of the past that tended to be in grand buildings that were around in the era that the modular series are perceived to be in. 

here is an example of a the former Post Office style i mean

 

[Aanchir]

12 minutes ago, scottwb2010 said:

I know what your saying regards the Post Office in your area, as this is quite the norm in many areas nowadays where the Post Offices have downsized. But myself and I think many others (although can't speak for them) who would like to see a Post Office, are thinking of the post offices of the past that tended to be in grand buildings that were around in the era that the modular series are perceived to be in. 

here is an example of a the former Post Office style i mean

Very fair! Even my old hometown that I mentioned used to have a fancier post office building itself, but it was converted into the City Hall. That particular building was an example of American neoclassical/"federal style" architecture which would be much too similar to the Town Hall set to really be viable for a new Modular Building, but there's definitely a lot of ways that the renaissance revival style in that photo you shared could be adapted into something very fresh and striking!

I'm not too familiar with how a post office building that grand would be furnished aside from the public office and sorting facility, since obviously none of the post offices I've been to within my lifetime would require a three-story building to handle their operations. I went ahead and read a little more into the history of that particular building, and a few particularly exciting features it mentions are a telegraph room and an instrument room, which are connected via pneumatic tube.

But as awesome as that would be to see realized in a set, I have to wonder how many buyers would be familiar enough with those technologies to understand and relate to the function they perform within a post office. Speaking as a 29 year old (which I know is probably very young compared to some of us here), the only context in which I'm used to seeing pneumatic tubes is in the drive-thru lane at certain banks.

Most previous instances of technology in the modular buildings are simply "vintage" equivalents of technology buyers can still recognize from today's world — cars, trucks, refrigerators, cash registers, microphones, jukeboxes, gumball machines, parking meters, etc. If I'm not mistaken, the typewriters, record player, and reel-to-reel tape recorder in the Police Station set are the first example we've seen of technologies that have been almost entirely displaced in the digital age. Would pneumatic tubes for inter-office communications be a bridge too far?

[The Island Chronicles]

@Aanchir If the Lego line is geared towards primarily adults, I think any type of city establishment that can meet the standards of a modular deserves a fair chance. That is why I approve of things like the Bookstore and Assembly Squad. And the same with the new police station. If only I started collecting those during my TFOL years (2005 to 2011) instead of City sets. I would've had an entire town of modulars by now. 

I hope they look at this amazing bus terminal for a future modular. If not in 2022, maybe a year following. Of course in order to fit the piece count, they may have to remove one of the buses. 

Edited November 29, 2020 by Brandon Pea

[Kalahari134]

23 minutes ago, Aanchir said:

Most previous instances of technology in the modular buildings are simply "vintage" equivalents of technology buyers can still recognize from today's world — cars, trucks, refrigerators, cash registers, microphones, jukeboxes, gumball machines, parking meters, etc. If I'm not mistaken, the typewriters, record player, and reel-to-reel tape recorder in the Police Station set are the first example we've seen of technologies that have been almost entirely displaced in the digital age. Would pneumatic tubes for inter-office communications be a bridge too far?

You are mistaken, this isn't the first set to have contained a typewriter. Film projectors are also obsolete as digital has taken over. But yes, pneumatic tubes aren't exactly widely known to the public.

I think that a post office would be best suited to a half-modular along the lines of Pet Shop or Bookstore. Post Office downstairs (including telegraph room if you like) and an apartment upstairs. The other 16w building would be some new kind of townhouse. For something different, why not make it a 16w corner shop? This has some interesting exterior features: Bailgate Post Office, Lincoln, UK

Not everything in the Modular Street has to have a grand façade, there's nothing wrong with having a few simpler shops for the slightly cheaper end of the High Street. Detective Office, Pet Store etc. do this well.

[LegoDW]

2 hours ago, scottwb2010 said:

I know what your saying regards the Post Office in your area, as this is quite the norm in many areas nowadays where the Post Offices have downsized. But myself and I think many others (although can't speak for them) who would like to see a Post Office, are thinking of the post offices of the past that tended to be in grand buildings that were around in the era that the modular series are perceived to be in. 

here is an example of a the former Post Office style i mean

 

Late to this discussion.  This new modular from the outside is very generic, could easily moc into a post office or whatever.  If any complaints regarding this set feel should be toward the small building on the right, 6 by 6 inside...what you going to do with that?  Wish they had put that space into the bakery.

[Aanchir]

46 minutes ago, Kalahari134 said:

You are mistaken, this isn't the first set to have contained a typewriter. Film projectors are also obsolete as digital has taken over. But yes, pneumatic tubes aren't exactly widely known to the public.

Which other Modular Buildings had a typewriter in them? I've definitely forgotten and it wasn't one of the first few I checked after reading this post (Detective's Office or Town Hall). That's not to say I'd be at all surprised if I misremembered that detail.

And fair point about the film projectors, too, though like typewriters, film is still fairly ubiquitous in media (both as an object and as a symbol associated with video and motion pictures in general). That definitely does a lot to ensure that adults of any age will recognize what a film projector is for (though I have no idea whether the same is true of younger kids).

56 minutes ago, Kalahari134 said:

I think that a post office would be best suited to a half-modular along the lines of Pet Shop or Bookstore. Post Office downstairs (including telegraph room if you like) and an apartment upstairs. The other 16w building would be some new kind of townhouse. For something different, why not make it a 16w corner shop? This has some interesting exterior features: Bailgate Post Office, Lincoln, UK

Not everything in the Modular Street has to have a grand façade, there's nothing wrong with having a few simpler shops for the slightly cheaper end of the High Street. Detective Office, Pet Store etc. do this well.

Oh yeah, I definitely agree. I was just mentioning that I had a hard time imagining what you'd put inside one as big and majestic-looking as the one in the photo that @scottwb2010 shared.

But a 16-wide downstairs post office with an apartment or even some other type of business upstairs could work quite well. And the post office in your link definitely has the sort of look that would be lovely to see in a set! While it doesn't look like any of the post offices I grew up seeing, it definitely brings back memories of at least a few different souvenir shops or stationary stores I've been to, which I suppose often stock similar enough sorts of products that it's not hard for me to imagine how the interior might be furnished.

You certainly don't have to tell me twice that smaller, cozier sorts of homes and businesses can still make for a lovely modular building in their own right! In fact, the sets that are broken up into smaller properties like the ones you mention often tend to be some of my favorites. At its best, a set with that format functions as sort of a microcosm of the entire neighborhood, and a glimpse into the lifestyles of the people who live there.   

[AFOLguy1970]

7 minutes ago, Aanchir said:

Which other Modular Buildings had a typewriter in them? I've definitely forgotten and it wasn't one of the first few I checked after reading this post (Detective's Office or Town Hall). That's not to say I'd be at all surprised if I misremembered that detail.

 

Brick Bank has one on the upper level in the receptionist area next to the bank manager office.  It is basically a printed keyboard with an envelope clipped to it.  The one in the police station looks much better with its printing.  

[Aanchir]

23 minutes ago, AFOLguy1970 said:

Brick Bank has one on the upper level in the receptionist area next to the bank manager office.  It is basically a printed keyboard with an envelope clipped to it.  The one in the police station looks much better with its printing.   

Right! Thank you for the reminder. I'm surprised I forgot so easily, because I was looking at interior pics of the Brick Bank only a couple weeks ago to refresh my memory about how the chimney and fireplace were constructed.

Edited November 30, 2020 by Aanchir

[Vindicare]

8 hours ago, CopperTablet said:

I wonder if Lego doesn't want to market a modular post office due to their partnership with FedEx?  Companies can be fussy about perceived competitors.

Anyway, one thing I like about this relative to the bookshop is how modular it is, in terms of expansion.  If you want a bigger building, you can buy a 2nd set and the extra floors incorporate naturally into the facade.

I would say no. They’re just weird when it comes to post offices it seems. The last one we got was the WV one over a decade ago I believe.  We did get a mail plane....this year(last?), but that’s about it lately. 

[SollX]

Could you shut up about the postoffices.

Make a toppic about not getting one, 

Go protest outside of LegoLand

Or... just know they wont be that exciting and there for we get other modulars.

Back to the PD:

Want! Day one for me

[Roebuck]

15 hours ago, DimiNi said:

Off topic: there will be diagon alley extensions next year? confirmed? I thought only one Gringots Bank extension? :)

15 hours ago, Blazej_Holen said:

As far as I know there are 2 rumored sets. Gringots and some shops (1-2). It was an intense discussion on HP forum few weeks ago...

Nothing is confirmed, but a Gringotts is highly likely. It we get more sets next year or in the future only time will tell, but personally I do not think Lego will miss that opportunity when several of the most famous shops are still missing

Sorry for the OT

[MAB]

On 11/28/2020 at 11:31 PM, Shiva said:

I would upvote the above, if I could.

I'm adding an European narrow building to this list. In Valencia,Spain. https://travelwithintent.com/2020/02/16/narrowest-building-in-europe/ https://secretvalencia.com/en/the-narrowest-building-of-europe-in-valencia/

Or maybe a slightly wider in Amsterdam. https://www.hetkleinstehuis.nl/en/content/11-the-smallest-house

As I see it, the police station, or whatever it was before it was a police station, expanded to the right and took over the small building next to it Or maybe the house right to it was on sale and the police station bought it and expanded.

Or you could go for something like this one ...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-51310566

 

[JintaiZ]

19 hours ago, Aanchir said:

Honestly, I don't get why everybody seems to imagine that bringing Jamie back as the designer would resolve some of their current frustrations, when a lot of those frustrations (interior walls not reaching the ceiling above, properties 10 studs wide or narrower, smaller properties unrealistically carved out of larger ones, heavy emphasis on storylines/mystery scenarios, etc) are traits that first began showing up in sets that Jamie himself designed!

After all, Jamie was the lead designer of both Detective's Office and Brick Bank, the two sets with the most similar design philosophy to this one. In fact, this is the first time characteristics like narrow facades have shown up in a set that Jamie DIDN'T design. So what reason is there to think that these traits are a product of his absence, rather than a product of the influence he's had as the forerunner and design manager of the more recent Modular Building designers? It's entirely possible that having him as the designer of future buildings could result in MORE of these traits people have been criticizing, not fewer.

Make no mistake: the admiration that AFOLs (myself included) have for Jamie's brilliance as a designer is very well deserved, and this post is not in any way intended as a criticism of the caliber of his work. That said, the characteristics of the Modular Buildings he worked on are not as different from those of the past few years as a lot of people often seem to imagine. And in fact, he has spoken in several different interviews about how much criticism some of his buildings like Fire Brigade originally got (despite how popular they would end up being after their release), as well as how similar many of those criticisms have been to the way fans have criticized more recent buildings.

I understand how the similarities in Jamie Berard's modulars disappoints many people. However, modulars with different styles doesn't fit together on a street as well and I find it more disappointing to modular fans. Yes, some of his designs received criticisms, but I can guarantee EVERY set would receive at least some criticism...

[Aanchir]

6 minutes ago, JintaiZ said:

I understand how the similarities in Jamie Berard's modulars disappoints many people. However, modulars with different styles doesn't fit together on a street as well and I find it more disappointing to modular fans. Yes, some of his designs received criticisms, but I can guarantee EVERY set would receive at least some criticism...

I wouldn't even say that Jamie's modulars are any more similar to each other in style than to those that came after them. I mean, Parisian Restaurant, Detective's Office, Grand Emporium, and Fire Brigade are every bit as different from each other as they are from the Downtown Diner or Police Station.

And as Jamie has mentioned, some of his Modular Buildings like Fire Brigade and Detective's Office got heavy criticism specifically because fans felt they DIDN'T match the style they'd come to expect from the rest of the series.

The long and short of it is that there aren't really any characteristics which clearly and consistently differentiate Jamie's Modular Buildings from those of other designers. One of Jamie's strengths as a designer is in his creative versatility and ability to defy expectations. So I don't think there's any reason to assume that a diner, garage, bookshop, or police station designed by Jamie would have "fit together" with the other modulars any better than the ones that actually ended up getting released.

[koalayummies]

[Writers Blocks]

I love it! It looks like a municipal building, and if you don’t like the Police theme (which I don’t), then it could easily be converted into a library, hotel, or town hall.

[RichardGoring]

5 hours ago, JintaiZ said:

I understand how the similarities in Jamie Berard's modulars disappoints many people. However, modulars with different styles doesn't fit together on a street as well and I find it more disappointing to modular fans. Yes, some of his designs received criticisms, but I can guarantee EVERY set would receive at least some criticism...

And yet I think that it reflects real life far more accurately, so there's always that to look to. Other than very, very old cities (but even then, they're updated), or very, very new cities, you do get an eclectic mix. May not be want you want in your model city, which is fair, but could be another reason they choose to do it.

[JintaiZ]

1 hour ago, RichardGoring said:

And yet I think that it reflects real life far more accurately, so there's always that to look to. Other than very, very old cities (but even then, they're updated), or very, very new cities, you do get an eclectic mix. May not be want you want in your model city, which is fair, but could be another reason they choose to do it.

Good point, not all buildings look similar in real life. Though I must say, when it comes to modular buildings, most people would prefer looks over accuracy and I think Jamie's designs does that better.

But this set is easily on a par with Jamie's designs, at least in my opinion.

[ExeSandbox]

4 hours ago, koalayummies said:

(If only posts have a like button...Here's three.   )

[MT480]

I can't wait to find out more about the little crack outside of the building that is connected (I assume) to the jail cell.  If you look on the main floor of the police station, there appears to be stairs leading to a lower level. I wonder if they are all connected?

[Shiva]

On 11/30/2020 at 11:59 AM, MAB said:

Or you could go for something like this one ...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-51310566

 

Oh my!

 

On 11/30/2020 at 12:44 AM, Kalahari134 said:

You are mistaken, this isn't the first set to have contained a typewriter. Film projectors are also obsolete as digital has taken over. But yes, pneumatic tubes aren't exactly widely known to the public.

I think that a post office would be best suited to a half-modular along the lines of Pet Shop or Bookstore. Post Office downstairs (including telegraph room if you like) and an apartment upstairs. The other 16w building would be some new kind of townhouse. For something different, why not make it a 16w corner shop? This has some interesting exterior features: Bailgate Post Office, Lincoln, UK

Not everything in the Modular Street has to have a grand façade, there's nothing wrong with having a few simpler shops for the slightly cheaper end of the High Street. Detective Office, Pet Store etc. do this well.

As soon as I saw that, I thought of Brick, Arch 1 x 5 x 4 - Continuous Bow. That Bailgate Post Office does look interesting.