What is Your Favorite Modular Building?

[tedbeard]

I don't think the tribute fan set shall be included.

FYI, Market Street was not a "tribute fan set" - whatever that is supposed to mean. It is in fact the set that defined the Modular Houses Standard. Are you saying any set designed by an AFOL working for LEGO is not a legitimate set?!!?!

That said, I voted for the Green Grocer same as in the previous version of this very same thread. Town Plan was included in error but c'mon... it was the same discussion.

[WesternOutlaw]

FYI, Market Street was not a "tribute fan set" - whatever that is supposed to mean. It is in fact the set that defined the Modular Houses Standard. Are you saying any set designed by an AFOL working for LEGO is not a legitimate set?!!?!

I don't think he's saying that at all. With no discredit to Market Street, this poll is intended to showcase and allow voting for three modular sets designed by Jamie Berard. Each of these sets are very comparabe as all are over 2,000 pieces, intended for builders 16 and over, and have similar price points. Market Street, although a modular set, just doesn't compare as well with these three other sets, and that's why I did not include it in this trio.

That said, I voted for the Green Grocer same as in the previous version of this very same thread. Town Plan was included in error but c'mon... it was the same discussion.

If you have the same thoughts or feel that this is the same topic, why would you even bother responding.

Folks: this is a fun poll intended to promote friendly discussion and opinions from Town & City fans. Some of you just suck the fun right out of it.

Why don't we focus on these three sets that have been included within this topic. Market Street is not, and is a different discussion.

[Perterz]

Well I'm one of the few who voted for the Café Corner.

I'm a fan of the colors actually and general design, especially the corner itself is pretty good.

It's also the set that killed my so called 'Dark Age'. I still stop for a couple minutes to look at it every time I pass the display in my appartment.

My main likings to the Green Grocer are the white windows sticking out on all floors, the dark red curtains on the 1st floor and ofcourse the grocery shop itself filling up the ground level. The fact it's a tiled shop with perfect details makes me giggle!

Market Street is to small and lacks total interior possibilities, while Café Corner has lots of space to add my own interior! But the blue colors and rooftop of Market Street are outstanding.

Fire Brigade is on its way, I gotta love the brick facade and colors the most. Can't say more since I haven't built it yet nor did I see one in real life yet.

Kevin.

[Klaus-Dieter]

That's a great and very interesting topic, TheBrickster!

I voted for the

10185 Green Grocer

Although I'm no fan of CC styled buildings I voted for this option since I think that the Green Grocer ist the best of these three since the Cafe Corner includes no interior and the Fire Brigade includes a vehicle which is much too old if you want to add this set to a nowadays' city.

Plus the Green Grocer is the first (regrettably CC-styled) grocery and even includes a lot of awesome interior downstairs.

Klaus-Dieter

Edited October 21, 2009 by Klaus-Dieter

[tedbeard]

... this poll is intended to showcase and allow voting for three modular sets designed by Jamie Berard.

Then perhaps the thread should have been titled appropriately. Maybe something like "Berard's Buildings Bonanza" or something similar as a title would have avoided the whole issue.

Some of you just suck the fun right out of it.

What "sucks the fun right out" for me is having someone repeat a recent poll/thread and try to pass it off as new and then try to justify it by retroactively adding new information. The original poll and post said nothing about this being limited to one designer's work.

Anyway, it's not really that big a deal so please just move on already. Its not like we are discussing the heretical and offensive practice of "smooth" sidewalks propagated in these Modular Houses series sets which goes against all LEGO tradition.

[legotrainfan]

Cafe Corner ranks first for me. I love the constructions in its corner (entrance etc.). They were made with excellent building skills. That's why I voted for it even though it has no things in its interior. But maybe I'm biased since I neither have the Green Grocer nor the Fire Brigade. And Cafe Corner is a recent purchase. So I'm still excited about this set.

[WesternOutlaw]

Then perhaps the thread should have been titled appropriately. Maybe something like "Berard's Buildings Bonanza" or something similar as a title would have avoided the whole issue.

What "sucks the fun right out" for me is having someone repeat a recent poll/thread and try to pass it off as new and then try to justify it by retroactively adding new information. The original poll and post said nothing about this being limited to one designer's work.

Anyway, it's not really that big a deal so please just move on already. Its not like we are discussing the heretical and offensive practice of "smooth" sidewalks propagated in these Modular Houses series sets which goes against all LEGO tradition.

Tedbeard: you are out of line, and as the board moderator, let me make myself real clear when it comes to this and/or any other topic that you feel that you want to challenge and play moderator. Myself and/or the other moderators will decide what is appropriate and what is not. Obviously, this topic will remain open under its existing title and information provided. If you don't like a topic or disagree with the content, I invite you to simply ignore it, but to challenge and/or insult me or any of the others by your tone will quickly result in you being invited to participate in another forum that better meets your expectations. Have I made myself perfectly clear?

Now this topic may resume where we left off before the interruption. For those of you who have commented in a constructive manner, thank you for understanding the intent of my poll and I invite further discussion.

[MetroiD]

Its not like we are discussing the heretical and offensive practice of "smooth" sidewalks propagated in these Modular Houses series sets which goes against all LEGO tradition.

Now THIS is a point I absolutely agree with. On the one hand, I must admit that smooth pavement does look very nice and is definitely an eye-catching concept which allows for tons of creativity... But on the other hand, street pavement in LEGO world is not supposed to be studless, it's the exact opposite of that - otherwise you get poorly-balanced minifigs slipping all over the place Seriously though, same as the entire city-building concept, the Modular sets did turn around the whole simple concept of pavement as well.

I personally am still considering whether to keep the tiles in our city (when it's built). They sure look lovely, but can be a costly alternative to the simple yet rather effective solution of using the actual baseplates. That, however, poses another big problem - modular sets are not built on grey baseplates per se - the Green Grocer utilizes a green 32x32 baseplate and the Market Street is built on a couple of tan 16x32 baseplates. Displaying that as it is would look downright ugly alongside any street baseplate, so there goes an additional expense for purchasing enough replacement grey baseplates.

In light of that fact, I think we will stick with tiles after all. Of course, putting in a 1x1 plate or a jumper every now and then, so that minifigs can actually feel comfortable walking their own city streets. Besides, the real advantage which comes along with tiling sidewalks is the fact that the extra height does not only look more realistic (Pavement! It's not at street level), but it also provides for a wonderful way of hiding tram/train rails that run alongside the streets (as discussed a few weeks ago).

I'm sorry for the off-topic rant... Just thought that was also an interesting topic to discuss alongside the theme of Modular Sets which has indeed been discussed at length on multiple occasions.

[Svelte]

Tricky topic!

Of the three, I find 10197 Fire Brigade least appealing for a few reasons - having 2 large floors rather than 3 makes it feel a little out of scale compared to 10182 and 10185; the colour palette is much more limited (some dark red and a little dark tan, but the vast majority of the bricks are light bley); I don't think the furniture designs are as clever as the interior details added in the highly original 10185.

Out of 10182 and 10185, it's a tough call. Green Grocer has the better build and the wonderful interior details, as well as the amazing bay windows and a proliferation of sand green. But Cafe Corner has the most original concept - the corner facade, with a warmer and more welcoming colour scheme (rich reds, brown and tan), and is also the only model to feature the double-sided walls, with the interior having a different colour scheme to the exterior facade. For that reason, I chose 10182 - design wise some touches seem a little rough 2 1/2 years later (such as the lack of proper 1x2x window pieces in the parts palette at the time of its release) but the basic concept and execution by designer Jamie Berard is still startlingly original and unsurpassed.

[Legoliner Pilot]

I apologize-- I lost my temper. Sorry.

Edited October 22, 2009 by Legoliner Pilot

[MetroiD]

Calm down, will ya. You are really making a fuss out of something which is supposed to be fun. If you feel you're being treated unfairly, try resolving your issues privately. YOUR poll included Town Plan, which is nowhere NEAR being a Modular Set, and this was never about Market Street being included or excluded from the list. That poll was never "taken over", whatever you mean by that. It was simply an attempt to compare sets, some of which had absolutely nothing in common.

For your information and for future reference - the Cafe Corner, Green Grocer and Fire Brigade are all LEGO Exclusives. The Market Street is a LEGO Factory Set. There is a substantial difference between those and it's like comparing a Creator set to a regular City set - even though they might sometimes look alike. And even though, in this case, the Market Street does define the "modular concept" in its 16x16 implementation. I too am a huge fan of the Market Street and would love it if LEGO continued producing similar sets, but the bottom line is - comparing it to the other three is simply not fair.

That said, the fact that the Town Plan is also a LEGO exclusive does not in any way justify it being called a "Modular Set" - because it's quite clearly not one. Which is perfectly fine and doesn't mean the set is worse in any way...

Edit: Link included

Edited October 21, 2009 by TheOtters

[WesternOutlaw]

Well said Otters - thank you.

I picked up the Fire Brigade over the weekend and had a chance to contribute to an interview with Jamie Berard, designer of the "Big 3".

I was really feeling great having just lined up the three sets side-by-side. It got me thinking, I'd love to have a poll to see what everyones' favorite of the "Big 3" is. Having seen Legoliner Pilot's previous thread that included Market Street and what I though was Town Plan, I thought, "oh, I'll just create a new poll" and got busy.

The last thing that I intended to do was cause an argument or animosity in regard to these superb sets. That's not at all what happened with Modular Madness, rather creating exactly what the topic name implied.

So, what I've done is merge my "Modular Madness" post with the topic started by Legoliner Pilot and have added Market Street to the poll. The down-side, the poll has been reset. The plus, for those of you wanting to vote for Market Street, you can now do so.

Now we can continue our discussion of these 3 4 great LEGO modular sets.

[Bob]

I said Green Grocer.

I liked the food and accesories included with it. The building was very nice as well.

[Legoliner Pilot]

I apologize-- I lost my temper. Sorry.

Now, let us get back on-topic!

Edited October 22, 2009 by Legoliner Pilot

[wooootles]

Wha? Merged topics? Ok, I vote Green Grocer again!

Also, I just got Cafe Corner. Thus it's probably my second favorite

[Rick]

Market Street is built on a couple of tan 16x32 baseplates.

Dark bley base plates (at least in my copy).

I'll just repeat my vote for Green Grocer again, which after reading all the discussion in here, I still favor by a small margin over the other three sets. I hadn't thought about the different interior and exterior walls of Cafe Corner, certainly a big plus for that set. Why do you make me choose?! I like 'em all! Continue the series TLG!!! Let Jamie do what he does best.

TheBrickster: thanks for settling in a bit and bringing this debate to an end.

[MetroiD]

Dark bley base plates (at least in my copy).

Ooops, my bad. For some weird reason I was almost sure that the baseplates were tan... well, doesn't really matter all that much anyway, since dark bley baseplates can't be combined with old classic town street baseplates either.

I hadn't voted in the old poll and I'm still holding off my vote until I receive the Cafe Corner (courtesy of EB member emile who kindly agreed to ship it to me from the UK!). Then, I'd own 3 out of 4 which should give me enough choice, right?

[ILikePi]

Although I don't own any of the sets, my favorite of all of the modular building sets has got to be Green Grocer. There are so many advanced techniques to the front that make the buliding look stunning!

I like how the bay windows (if that's what they are) are jutting out - it makes the set look all the more detailed. The use of the 1 x 2 bricks with grooves are also a great touch.

But most of all, I love the interiors and accessories. Usually those little trinkets are what make me want a certain set. The Green Grocer has a fully stocked fridge (unlike Fire Brigade, which only has two trans-blue 1 x 1 round bricks and two hot dogs ), intricate tiling, and some spectacular mini-models like the radiator and grandfather clock. Also, the mouse hole with mouse and cheese gives it that extra bit of detail that could make the decision of whether or not I would get the set (if I had the money).

Fire Brigade would come in a close second though. It's currently the only other modular building that has an interior, that's a pretty obvious choice for me.

However, if Cafe Corner had interior detailing, it would be second. The outside details of Fire Brigade look to simple when compared to Cafe Corner and Green Grocer.

Edited October 23, 2009 by ILikePi

[Rapseflaps]

I got to build my first Modular today.

I started with Market Street. Very enjoyable, and a nice warm up for the real deals. I love those brickbuilt walls and the weight they add to the set. My favorite parts are the wrought-iron decoration, the fruit crates, the bending stairs and the rolled up sunscreens. Oh yes, and the roof terrace. And the fact that it looks like one of those old-timey Amsterdam houses.

Actually, I like almost everything. :D

Café Corner and Fire Brigade are waiting for me to build them and I just ordered Green Grocer.

Hmm.... Lego...

Who needs money, right?

[lightningtiger]

I voted for green grocer. Beautifully detailed on the outside and my favorite thing the actual green grocers shop down on the ground level. Plenty of room to furnish the next two floors up and I'm planning on doing that shortly. I think if this poll is taken again same time next year March's department store may go number one. We'll just have too wait and see.

[Brick & Mortimer]

I'll go for Café Corner.

It was my first Modular Building, and I really enjoyed working on the hotel sign, the pavement and was amazed by the technique to build the corner .

I agree that GG has the best interior, and I love it as wel (the shop with it's floor and refrigerated shelves etc... ), but CC has a sentimental meaning and cooler building techniques .

The nice thing about MS is that you can separate the two baseplates en combine the "vegetable corner" with the GG. I also like the color scheme with the tan and navy blue.

I'm still saving to buy the Fire Brigade

Edited November 23, 2009 by Brick & Mortimer

[Jasper Joppe Geers]

For me, the Green Grocer still does it.

Basically this piece of excellence set the

standard to compete with.

I was hoping that the fire brigade would be

of such level as well, but unfortunately...

Still, there is enough tweaking to do to

make them beyond interesting don't you think?