Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

[Yperio_Bricks]

12 minutes ago, Silverhurst said:

Totally unrelated to the Jazz Club, I've been racking my brains out trying to remember if there was a dark red minifig that matched the bellhop and clerk in the BH. Thought it was a collectable minifig, but haven't been able to find it anywhere. Am I crazy, or does anyone know the fig I'm thinking of?

Check the 2022 Lego city advent calendar!

[crowe-k]

7 hours ago, BrickFit26 said:

In the interview he says that going back to one business is possible and still talked about. It just has to be the "right" thing.

School...

[hikouki]

23 hours ago, Silverhurst said:

Thank you so much. Nice crop job too. I thought the yellow might look good next to the purple, but it feels a bit clashy. Also, placed like that the difference in floor heights between JC and both the others becomes more noticeable. 

The Book Shop somehow looks out of place in the lineup as it appears more belonging to a "residential" street. I think that modular looks best with the Pet Shop and the Green Grocer.

Is it a tradition to have some "easter egg" on modulars for future projects? Was there anything referenced in this modular?

I have long been wanting a modular of a hospital but I think Lego will not make one for as long as they have it in the regular Town/ City line.

What business or establishments could the modular line feature next?

Zoo or Park: there was a CNY set that came out some years ago which was a Chinese park, but was in "modular form"

Hospital/ Clinic: there is one in City

Newspaper/ Printing Press: will conflict with the Daily Bugle

School?

Farmer's Market?

Circus/ Opera house/ Theater?

 

[Lord Insanity]

This looks amazing.  This might replace the Police Station as my second favorite non-corner modular.  Detective's Office still holds the top non-corner spot for me.  It's about time we got another building in dark red.  Sounds like we dodged a bullet with the color.  Dark blue would have looked terrible.  If the modular town was even remotely "realistic" half the buildings would be dark red because real life brick is one of the most common building materials.

The only minor issues I have the is lack of any real signage for the front of the pizzeria.  The the jazz club being open to the inside of the pizzeria is odd but that is hidden inside the building so it doesn't really matter.

Jazz Club is probably going to go between Brick Bank (with the laundry mat face forward) and Detective's Office with Cafe Corner on the right end (so the hotel sign is facing correctly)  That will look great as the seedy downtown portion of the modular city.

[Maple]

4 hours ago, Yoggington said:

this is as good as the Police Station was.

I agree. It's fine, nothing special, could have been better. 

Does anyone light up their modulars? I'm building the Daily Bugle and I think it would be amazing with some third party lighting. Any suggestions?

[RichardGoring]

13 hours ago, Maple said:

My favorite movie theater is black, all black tiles. It was built in the 1920s and has that style and feel that blues clubs have. I think changing the color from dark blue will really lesson the JC in the future. Like you said LEGO could have kept it dark blue and added some gold.

That looks awesome! I bought a large cup full of 1x2 trans dark blue tiles ages ago on the PAB wall and have been wanting to use them as the facade of a building for a long time. I wonder if I should try with the jazz club, to give a similar, albeit more blue, feel to that theatre.

 

2 hours ago, hikouki said:

The Book Shop somehow looks out of place in the lineup as it appears more belonging to a "residential" street. I think that modular looks best with the Pet Shop and the Green Grocer.

I have long been wanting a modular of a hospital but I think Lego will not make one for as long as they have it in the regular Town/ City line.

I agree that the Bookshop residential house doesn't really fit. Even less so than the Pet Shop townhouse. But I'm glad they made it, because it's a cool house, and the setups you see where people have recoloured them in a variety of shades look awesome.

I would love them to do a hospital, but I wonder if they will, given that the modulars often seem set in the 30s/40s/50s, and it's probably not very LEGO to replicate the kind of healthcare they offered back then. 

 

Back to the Assembled interview, he talks about trying to figure out what the lack of wall/doorway between the pizzeria and jazz club is. I was hoping he'd have mentioned it was there for greater access/playability (which they said for the Police Station lowered walls, and I was fine with, and he said about the jazz club stage lighting), so I was disappointed. It suggests a more cynical view that it's cost cutting, which is a real shame, as it's pretty odd and hard to suspend your disbelief for.

[hoppa]

In the written article he also talks about that, but more in a way that suggest he would like to have people come up with their own stories and ideas. I thought an interesting modification to it could be to straighten the pizza counter and then create a bar in the arch. So the pizzeria becomes bar/snack kitchen to the club that also sells pizzas for pick up or delivery to make some more money.

[Maple]

48 minutes ago, RichardGoring said:

That looks awesome! I bought a large cup full of 1x2 trans dark blue tiles ages ago on the PAB wall and have been wanting to use them as the facade of a building for a long time. I wonder if I should try with the jazz club, to give a similar, albeit more blue, feel to that theatre.

Yes! I think that would be a lovely and would love to see it.

[jonahtron]

6 hours ago, hikouki said:

The Book Shop somehow looks out of place in the lineup as it appears more belonging to a "residential" street. I think that modular looks best with the Pet Shop and the Green Grocer.

Is it a tradition to have some "easter egg" on modulars for future projects? Was there anything referenced in this modular?

I have long been wanting a modular of a hospital but I think Lego will not make one for as long as they have it in the regular Town/ City line.

What business or establishments could the modular line feature next?

Zoo or Park: there was a CNY set that came out some years ago which was a Chinese park, but was in "modular form"

Hospital/ Clinic: there is one in City

Newspaper/ Printing Press: will conflict with the Daily Bugle

School?

Farmer's Market?

Circus/ Opera house/ Theater?

 

I often think about what businesses the town needs, and I base it partially on what amenities are suggested by existing Prints/accessory moulds/ costume CMF's etc.

• School- Covered by friends too often.
• Farmers Market - Similar to 2022 City lineup.
• Theatre - nope, see Friends.

It’s a real shame we won’t see a newspaper business for a few years now, (and maybe never as the designer wouldn't have broken NDA in those interviews). From a completionist POV my line of thinking is that IF there is a widely circulated print or mould of something like food or an often used accessory e.g. pizza, newspaper, cupcake, or a posted letter THEN I want to know where it came from… 

It's satisfying to me when there is a costume minifig to go with an often used print. E.g The Popcorn guy now stands outside my Palace Cinema, the pizza suit guy can now stand outside the pizza place as a mascot etc. 

It's bugging me that we won't know where 'all' the newspapers are coming from, also where all the post goes, and I'd love a record store for the hundreds of unused but awesome Video tiles. The Doughnut shop was very satisfying in that regard- in my headcannon ALL doughnuts ever in all Lego sets now come from this one shop, same as ALL croissants come from the bakery in AS;

• All vehicles get serviced in the CG
• All musical instruments come from that one shop in AS
• all mini figs wash their clothes at soap and studs 
• all mini figs get their coffee at Cafe corner
• hot dogs, burgers etc from the Diner
• all books come from the BS... which is why there are none left in the shop! 
• And so on and so on…

So what’s left: newspapers, music/records, sports gear, post, computers, Gems/Crystals, power tools... Anyone care to play this game with me?

 

 

Edited December 16, 2022 by jonahtron

[Withacee]

5 hours ago, Maple said:

Does anyone light up their modulars? I'm building the Daily Bugle and I think it would be amazing with some third party lighting. Any suggestions?

One could have a look at https://www.lightmybricks.com, they do a lighting set for the Bugle.
Problem is, they are ridiculously expensive. good quality, though. And tailor-made for the set.

[PK82]

34 minutes ago, jonahtron said:

It's satisfying to me when there is a costume minifig to go with an often used print. E.g The Popcorn guy now stands outside my Palace Cinema, the pizza suit guy can now stand outside the pizza place as a mascot etc.

 

 

I agree. The spot in front of Green Grocer is getting a bit crowded though.

[badbob001]

16 hours ago, DBlegonerd7 said:

I am just curious what GWP would look like. 

Ideally, a wall section that fills that hole between the club and the pizzeria. Maybe a mini bar counter there?

[jonahtron]

2 hours ago, PK82 said:

I agree. The spot in front of Green Grocer is getting a bit crowded though.

Hah, indeed it is. 

At least Peas, Sweetcorn and hot dogs are being well promoted. 

The Crayon girl might need an art supplies shop?

[Citromon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnvPysHC8Gc - here is a speed build of the set from BrickDepot

[Borex]

5 hours ago, jonahtron said:

I often think about what businesses the town needs, and I base it partially on what amenities are suggested by existing Prints/accessory moulds/ costume CMF's etc.

• School- Covered by friends too often.
• Farmers Market - Similar to 2022 City lineup.
• Theatre - nope, see Friends.

It’s a real shame we won’t see a newspaper business for a few years now, (and maybe never as the designer wouldn't have broken NDA in those interviews). From a completionist POV my line of thinking is that IF there is a widely circulated print or mould of something like food or an often used accessory e.g. pizza, newspaper, cupcake, or a posted letter THEN I want to know where it came from… 

It's satisfying to me when there is a costume minifig to go with an often used print. E.g The Popcorn guy now stands outside my Palace Cinema, the pizza suit guy can now stand outside the pizza place as a mascot etc. 

It's bugging me that we won't know where 'all' the newspapers are coming from, also where all the post goes, and I'd love a record store for the hundreds of unused but awesome Video tiles. The Doughnut shop was very satisfying in that regard- in my headcannon ALL doughnuts ever in all Lego sets now come from this one shop, same as ALL croissants come from the bakery in AS;

• All vehicles get serviced in the CG
• All musical instruments come from that one shop in AS
• all mini figs wash their clothes at soap and studs 
• all mini figs get their coffee at Cafe corner
• hot dogs, burgers etc from the Diner
• all books come from the BS... which is why there are none left in the shop! 
• And so on and so on…

So what’s left: newspapers, music/records, sports gear, post, computers, Gems/Crystals, power tools... Anyone care to play this game with me?

 

 

- It’s missing a Video Rental Store. There you can use your Vidiyo tiles as movies. Should include some movie-posters and cardboard cut-outs and fashion of the 80’s outfit. 
 

- Comic store. With a lot of comics, some pop culture toys and a back room (or upper floor) where they can play D&D. Maybe a small novelty shop next to it where you can buy all kind of weird and old stuff like a sword, an old book, a pixie in a cage. 
 

- an office space. Modern style, maybe skyscraper with cubicles. Maybe as corner building. The people of Octan can work there, or maybe some real estate agency with tiles of some apartment from older modulars. On the top floor lives a rich family. Randos need to work in an office somewhere

- a game hall full with games. Old skool games, air hockey, pin ball, these sort of things. Full 80s vibe in this one
 

Other ideas:  a Laboratory, ghost house, a factory, a museum (art), another museum (dinosaurs, stuffed animals), a Mech workshop/garage/hangar with big doors, 

[Silverhurst]

6 hours ago, jonahtron said:

So what’s left: newspapers, music/records, sports gear, post, computers, Gems/Crystals, power tools... Anyone care to play this game with me?

There was Joe the Plumber's truck, and the plumber CMF, so a plumbing shop or hardware store might make a good secondary location. 

I turned the middle floor of my CG from a vet into an auto parts store. Vet never made any sense to me in that location. The top floor became warehouse space for the auto parts store. I  suppose an auto parts store could also make a good secondary location in an official set.

[Lion King]

I am hoping for an abandoned, run-down building with a few ghostly minifigures and a writhered front yard. 

[Maple]

10 hours ago, Withacee said:

One could have a look at https://www.lightmybricks.com, they do a lighting set for the Bugle.
Problem is, they are ridiculously expensive. good quality, though. And tailor-made for the set.

That look AMAZING but it's $190! I only paid $225 for the set. 

Post Office. I think the next one should be a post office, and if they need a secondary thing, a cupcake shop / bakery. There are plenty of things LEGO can do. Even if it's just an apartment building with a store or two on the bottom floor.

[Vindicare]

On 12/15/2022 at 6:41 AM, Maple said:

I wish LEGO would go back to one business every once and awhile. The Police station should have been the whole block. The Jazz Club should have been the whole block. Then LEGO could have made a split of the Donut shop and the Pizza Shop into it's own. However hindsight is 20/20 and that's not how LEGO does things.

My favorite movie theater is black, all black tiles. It was built in the 1920s and has that style and feel that blues clubs have. I think changing the color from dark blue will really lesson the JC in the future. Like you said LEGO could have kept it dark blue and added some gold.

 

Just noticed the lavender door on the first floor. What? Why? I don't get that. That's TERRIBLE!

I wonder if the jazz club being smaller took a hit because they don’t do bars. I feel like a 32x32 would’ve been hard to fill without a bar. I mean, just more tables & chairs? Even though they’ve done pubs before...but those were fantasy types. A bigger stage with a more filled out band could’ve been good. 

Nonetheless, I like your idea of having the donut & pizzeria being together as split buildings. It’s definitely time we see a true single use building again. 

On 12/15/2022 at 1:45 PM, Shiva said:

Hospital, wouldn't that need 1,5 base plates?

The City one from a few years back was really well done & it wasn’t even a full baseplate. A three story, single use 32 baseplate would work great. 

21 hours ago, Silverhurst said:

Totally unrelated to the Jazz Club, I've been racking my brains out trying to remember if there was a dark red minifig that matched the bellhop and clerk in the BH. Thought it was a collectable minifig, but haven't been able to find it anywhere. Am I crazy, or does anyone know the fig I'm thinking of?

The dark red bellhop came in 60200 Capital City set. 

[Hippocampe]

I really think we should get a school AND also a hospital as a single use modular. Even if those two types of buildings have been created under the City collection, the target audience for City and Modular isn’t necessarily the same. How many Police stations were sold under the City banner - it didn’t hinder PS to reach the market as a Modular set; IMO, the argument “ it has already been released as a City set” doesn’t stand anymore. We could use a school for all the children we get in some sets. A kindergarden ?  With all the restaurants we now have, a culinary institute could be useful. A post office, a media building (radio, newspaper, television) are mandatory for a respectable city ! The JC has also expanded the possibilities for Modulars for more “mature” themes; a jewelry, a shop for sporting goods,…

[BrickFit26]

@jonahtron  a farmers market would work great. Going back to the interview, his original idea was too have like shopping stores with a middle alley but he couldn't make it work, and said it could happen in the future. A farmers market could work with a middle alley. But I'd imagine something bigger. 

The 20th anniversary modular has to be as big as Town Square. 

[Maple]

19 minutes ago, BrickFit26 said:

@jonahtron  a farmers market would work great. Going back to the interview, his original idea was too have like shopping stores with a middle alley but he couldn't make it work, and said it could happen in the future. A farmers market could work with a middle alley. But I'd imagine something bigger. 

The 20th anniversary modular has to be as big as Town Square. 

I agree. Assembly Square is 1.5 wide and I think would be perfect with a farmers' market in the middle. The Friends Taco Truck and market stands is a wonderful set.

[Agent 86]

I’m still okay with the exterior - I don’t mind the “homage” to the classic Lego colours (red, blue and yellow), although there’s some baffling details (omission of pizza sign, lavender door for the tailors, the entire greenhouse).

The interior … does not work for me. I guess it doesn’t matter that much, since I rarely look at the interiors, but it’s a shame that cost-cutting measures are so obvious in merging the jazz club and pizzeria without even trying to have it make sense (pizzeria serving food and drink to patrons of the jazz club after dark).

I’m looking forward to more single purpose buildings and I hold out hope that we’ll see a museum, school, library, post office, hospital / cottage hospital, apartment building and the scuppered newspaper HQ.

[hikouki]

21 hours ago, jonahtron said:

I often think about what businesses the town needs, and I base it partially on what amenities are suggested by existing Prints/accessory moulds/ costume CMF's etc.

• School- Covered by friends too often.
• Farmers Market - Similar to 2022 City lineup.
• Theatre - nope, see Friends.

It’s a real shame we won’t see a newspaper business for a few years now, (and maybe never as the designer wouldn't have broken NDA in those interviews). From a completionist POV my line of thinking is that IF there is a widely circulated print or mould of something like food or an often used accessory e.g. pizza, newspaper, cupcake, or a posted letter THEN I want to know where it came from… 

I...

 

 

I have to say, and this will be a bit off topic, that I am beginning to have some negative feelings for that Friends line - we don't get Disney princesses because they have them there, and if they are also what's keeping certain themes in the Modular line, then I will go on a rampage! LOL

14 hours ago, Borex said:

- It’s missing a Video Rental Store. There you can use your Vidiyo tiles as movies. Should include some movie-posters and cardboard cut-outs and fashion of the 80’s outfit. 
 

- Comic store. With a lot of comics, some pop culture toys and a back room (or upper floor) where they can play D&D. Maybe a small novelty shop next to it where you can buy all kind of weird and old stuff like a sword, an old book, a pixie in a cage. 
 

- an office space. Modern style, maybe skyscraper with cubicles. Maybe as corner building. The people of Octan can work there, or maybe some real estate agency with tiles of some apartment from older modulars. On the top floor lives a rich family. Randos need to work in an office somewhere

- a game hall full with games. Old skool games, air hockey, pin ball, these sort of things. Full 80s vibe in this one
 

Other ideas:  a Laboratory, ghost house, a factory, a museum (art), another museum (dinosaurs, stuffed animals), a Mech workshop/garage/hangar with big doors, 

I think an office space would be a great idea! Although I do not think they would allow that now that there is the Daily Bugle.

I think a Video Rental would be more for adults. I have not seen one in years! I do not think kids and teens these days would have an idea.

6 hours ago, Hippocampe said:

I really think we should get a school AND also a hospital as a single use modular. Even if those two types of buildings have been created under the City collection, the target audience for City and Modular isn’t necessarily the same. How many Police stations were sold under the City banner - it didn’t hinder PS to reach the market as a Modular set; IMO, the argument “ it has already been released as a City set” doesn’t stand anymore. We could use a school for all the children we get in some sets. A kindergarden ?  With all the restaurants we now have, a culinary institute could be useful. A post office, a media building (radio, newspaper, television) are mandatory for a respectable city ! The JC has also expanded the possibilities for Modulars for more “mature” themes; a jewelry, a shop for sporting goods,…

Ditto. Ditto. Ditto.

Conservatory of Music. Or a Dance Club - poor ballerina was crammed in a small space at Assembly Square! Music Store with Recording studio.

How do minifigs repair their buildings if they don't have a handyman shop/ hardware store?

Edited December 17, 2022 by hikouki

[Silverhurst]

On 12/15/2022 at 4:44 PM, Yperio_Bricks said:

Check the 2022 Lego city advent calendar!

That's the one, thanks. This year is the first year my kid said he didn't want an advent calendar, otherwise I would have already had it, lol. Picked up a set today at Walmart for $25, which was cheaper than their online price. My hotel now has a proper doorman!

Thinking about the Jazz Club pizzeria, I got wondering why they gave us the cruddy old radar dish for the table umbrella instead of a nice print on the much better umbrella piece that came in the pizza van set. That would have been an OK place for the pizzeria logo to go as well if they really didn't want it on the building. One way or another there should be some kind of signage.

I ordered a couple QE sets on clearance the other day, I'm thinking about using the 3-pane glass doors from those sets in place of all 3 current street facing doors on the ground floor, especially the lavender one if nothing else.

As to redoing the blue fascia in dark blue, I just realized that the door frame has never been done in dark blue, so that may not work. I'll have to mull that over a bit.