Modular Building Sets - Rumours and Discussion

[Mellish]

3 hours ago, RichardGoring said:

I got the instructions and placed orders for the pieces for the Bricklink MOC Pop-up Store Glass Studio modular last night. There are several modulars on there, but this one looks so lovely. I like the colour blocking, height variation, shaping, and all the details in it. I hope that the building experience holds up to the aesthetics.

[Glass Studio] [BrickLink]

I also very much like this, mainly for the different angle shape, I kind of wish the boutique hotel angle was more like this so it fits better in my street. 

I have not got the Jazz Club, mainly due to the colour. 

and not sure the size of the museum suits my street, I actually like it but not enough to have to have.

Now starting to think that MOC instructions like this might be the future of my Lego collecting and can see the extra fun of figuring out which parts I need and adapting them. 

Please let us know how your build experience goes, I will be interested.

I will hold out hope that next years Modular is a post office, maybe the museums post box, is a clue. 

[RichardGoring]

1 hour ago, Mellish said:

Please let us know how your build experience goes, I will be interested.

Will do! It will probably be a Christmas project, so may take a while.

[BrickFit26]

DuckBricks has a a good interview with the designer. What kept throwing me off was that Chris kept saying that this was the 19th modular, which made me think OMG, we're almost at the 20th anniversary. But it's still a long way. So does that mean they'll do something special for the 20th modular too?

[Lion King]

59 minutes ago, BrickFit26 said:

DuckBricks has a a good interview with the designer. What kept throwing me off was that Chris kept saying that this was the 19th modular, which made me think OMG, we're almost at the 20th anniversary. But it's still a long way. So does that mean they'll do something special for the 20th modular too?

Uhh… I don’t know? I mean Boutique Hotel is the 17th modular and it celebrated the 15th anniversary in 2022.

2027 will be 20th anniversary for modular building.

plus, there is a rumor about second modular. I don’t feel like it will be a celebration for 20th modular as Natural History Museum is a big one. 

Edited November 2, 2023 by Lion King

[Yoggington]

I also bought the instruction for the Glass Studio last week. I have yet to assemble the bricks - I want to build it out in stud.io and perhaps do some palette swaps before I tackle it over christmas - but looking through the instructions I am very impressed by @MingBrick's work here. The flooring angles have some elements we've seen in the Boutique Hotel, and some we've seen in that clever angled tower on the Lion Knight Castle, and some I've not even considered of being possible.

The Museum is a little lacking, - a little boxy, - a little empty, - a little .. whatever the opposite of 'cleverly designed' is. It is by no means a bad set - I'll definitely pick it up. But for what I think should be Lego's flagship series, you would hope that we get improvements year on year, and every year's model becomes a new contender for top three in that series. And this doesn't do that. Sure it's bigger, but not particularly better.

 

I've been of the opinion for a while now that Lego seem to invest more in their Chinese New Year sets (Spring Lantern is my favourite modern set), maybe trying to capture the lucrative Chinese market? If they did focus that budget and design team on a Chinese style modular, I'd be a very happy camper.

Edited November 2, 2023 by Yoggington

[Lyichir]

I mean, there are potentially also ways to have a "celebratory" modular that's not substantially bigger than the others. For example, one subject commonly explored by fans that Lego still hasn't done would be a Lego store, which could probably fit on a single baseplate.

That said, previous celebratory modulars have typically been based on the anniversary dates (the fifth, tenth, and fifteenth anniversaries of the modular buildings series) instead of numerical milestones. So considering that the next major "milestone" would probably be 2027.

[Yperio_Bricks]

4 hours ago, Mellish said:

[...] MOC [...] like this might be the future of [...] Lego [...].

That's how i feel. When i left my dark ages at the end of 2018/beginning of 2019 there was so much to discover, i bought random sets from various themes and when i first saw a modular building it blew my mind. I had never heared of them before, never seen any and instantly bought the Downtown Diner twice. I love the concept of modular buildings ever since i learned about it and i am dreaming of a modular city, even with other themes in mind. But with the years i loose more and more interest in Lego sets because it feels like i have seen hundreds of mocs that i like more than any official Lego Modular. There seem to be so many constraints that are holding Lego designers back that today it is almost impossible for them to design a modular that is on par with the mocs.

The aforementioned Glass Studio is stunningly beautiful, the Natural History Museum is not. Just my 2c.

[RichardGoring]

17 minutes ago, Yperio_Bricks said:

...instantly bought the Downtown Diner twice...

Downtown Diner was what got me into the modulars too. It's so well done in many different ways. I have a lot of them now, and do enjoy the official sets. The price point compared to the cost of MOCs is very appealing too. But the variety that MOCs give you is excellent. I've done:

LEGO MOC Botanical Garden by Berthil | Rebrickable - Build with LEGO

LEGO MOC The University - Alternative to 71043 by BoltBuilds | Rebrickable - Build with LEGO

LEGO MOC Gas Station by BrickAtive | Rebrickable - Build with LEGO

And I've bought two of most of the other modulars as they are primate candidates for Rebrickable MOCs at a much more reasonable price than piecing together complete custom things like the Botanical Garden and Glass Workshop. At some point I may even try to do my own, but for now I'm happy to enjoy to creative genius of others.

I also did a version of Bricky_Bricks' Car Wash from LEGO Ideas, which was a fun challenge to put together and it's definitely not nearly as stable as an official modular.

[The Jersey Brick Guy]

11 hours ago, RichardGoring said:

I got the instructions and placed orders for the pieces for the Bricklink MOC Pop-up Store Glass Studio modular last night. There are several modulars on there, but this one looks so lovely. I like the colour blocking, height variation, shaping, and all the details in it. I hope that the building experience holds up to the aesthetics.

[Glass Studio] [BrickLink]

That's a great looking modular.

11 hours ago, Lion King said:

So…it looks like BrckClicker reported that there is a Chinese New Year set (80113) and it said it would be a building. I wonder if it’s a modular-style building? It’s only $130.

Your thoughts?

Thanks for the updates! :) 

The lantern festival Chinese new year set fits perfectly with the modular line. I would argue that it could be included with the others.

[Pirate_King_1982]

8 hours ago, Mellish said:

I also very much like this, mainly for the different angle shape, I kind of wish the boutique hotel angle was more like this so it fits better in my street. 

I have not got the Jazz Club, mainly due to the colour. 

and not sure the size of the museum suits my street, I actually like it but not enough to have to have.

Now starting to think that MOC instructions like this might be the future of my Lego collecting and can see the extra fun of figuring out which parts I need and adapting them. 

Please let us know how your build experience goes, I will be interested.

I will hold out hope that next years Modular is a post office, maybe the museums post box, is a clue. 

I wanted to buy some of these. Are they  plans that you buy like on Rebrickable? Originally I though the were kits that provided all the parts, but buying the plans is far more appealing as it means you can pick up parts over time meaning less up front and also make part substitutes as you see fit. Do they ever plan on making these available to Australians? What regions actually are allowed to buy these?

[Wesley D]

The Natural History Museum looks amazing!

The sober color scheme just adds up to its majestic grandness.

At first I thought it could have been a bit taller, but then again I appreciate the modular line always tries to make as much as possible from as little as possible parts.

I think it's fantastic they dared to use one and a halve baseplate and so many pieces for a one purpose modular. I thought it was something that could never happen!

If it wasn't for the hot dog truck GWP, I would buy it on the first day!

[PK82]

If only there were half roadplates.

[Yoggington]

7 hours ago, Pirate_King_1982 said:

I wanted to buy some of these. Are they  plans that you buy like on Rebrickable? Originally I though the were kits that provided all the parts, but buying the plans is far more appealing as it means you can pick up parts over time meaning less up front and also make part substitutes as you see fit. Do they ever plan on making these available to Australians? What regions actually are allowed to buy these?

Yes, you can buy the PDF instructions on Bricklink.

Their idea for the MOC Pop Up store is that they'll create cart(s) for you, including the instructions, and all the pieces you will need. I see a lot of people on there asking for just the instructions.

As a workaround, you can then remove the items/carts you don't need. For example, I removed everything bar the instructions, and just bought those.

 

[Lion King]

3 hours ago, PK82 said:

If only there were half roadplates.

Huh?

EDIt: Never mind. 

[RichardGoring]

I also bought just the instructions from the Bricklink MOC Pop-up Store, so I could take my time seeing what parts I already have. I need to do that with a few more, as the program will end in a week or so. It's somewhat frustrating that you can't get a CSV of the parts or add them to a wanted list, but they've said it's something they'll work on in the future, based on this pilot.

Edited November 3, 2023 by RichardGoring

[westracing01]

I quite like the Museum. The size of it caused me to rethink it's placement... That in turn caused a rather large rebuild of over half of the layout so I could free up room for future Modulars (my thread will be updated momentarily.) 

December 1st is a Friday... If I'm working at home that Friday I may take my lunch break and run down to the Lego Store to get that day 1.

[Silverhurst]

5 hours ago, PK82 said:

If only there were half roadplates.

A tablesaw and fine blade for plastics will easily fix that issue and actually give you 2 for 1. Some fine grit sand paper for the edge and some buffing compound would take care of the sharp edges too. Not recommending this, but it can be done if you don't care about offending purists or destroying the road plate's value.

On one white Ikea bookcase where I display my modulars for a few months before taking them back apart (I don't have an actual city), I just used a black shelf and cut non-glossy decals for the road details to match the general Lego style instead of using road plates. This also allowed me to fit everything to wider cars and trucks, and add other road details as desired. This is an older deep style Billy bookcase, not the regular depth one, so not sure how this would work on the regular shelves (I think deep might still be available in birch?).

For modulars I display elsewhere I use mils plates and the new road system.

[Lion King]

I just finished reading reviews on this amazing museum set. 

I really don’t understand why most of AFOLs saying that it’s “boxy” or “blocky”. Generally, buildings are blocky… I have no problem with shapes of different buildings, I really don’t complain about how blocky modular buildings are. I have Police Station, Boutique Hotel, Jazz Club, Downtown Diner, and Bookshop. I will build Parisian Restaurant and Corner Garage when time allows me (since Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up the alley). The buildings I finsihed are not bothering me about their shapes, I just like them. 

And I could see olive green as a natural/earthly color for Natural History Museum. It’s making a perfect sense to me. But I get that olive green color is gloomy or dull to other AFOLs here. White pillars are really nice, mimics as marble.  I saw the museum sits next to other previous Modular’s and it doesn’t look that bad at all!

The size of Brachiosaurus fossil doesn’t bother me at all. It’s clearly a young sauropod, rather than a colossal adult one.  Have you ever seen a teenage T-rex in museum close to you? Or a small Triceratops fossil? Anyways, I love that Brachiosaurus’ skull pops through the 1st floor, taking a peek around - it’s cute! 

I think it’s cool that museum has divided exhibits into time periods. The ground floor focuses on primitive past as we learn about how the nature shaped Earth and how life found its way. On the first floor, we start to look into the bright future - Middle Age, Pirate Age, and Space Age that pay tributes to Castle, Pirate and Classs Space aka “Big Three”. 

Oh yeah, and I’m really glad that the museum has a lovely cherry blossom. I could see why Chris McVeight included it in this - he rid on other set -  Himeji Castle - that was released in August this year. I appreciate that a slice of nature is added to our streets. More greenery for next modular buildings, please!

I will not buy this beautiful set until I can buy it in order to get a hotdog truck GWP. Assembly Square is on my Christmas wishlist before it’s gone ffor good. 

[Arjo]

My initial reaction, and post, was pretty lukewarm. Whilst I am still not a fan of the colour scheme overall, I think it will be easier for me to “acquire this particular taste” than Jazz Club’s. I do stand by my comment re. Building techniques. Going by Police Station, a small sample admittedly, Chris is an efficient designer but not the flashiest, which is fine I guess if one is content with the end product. Still unsure whether I will take the plunge, particularly at this price point, but it stands a better chance than JC so at least that’s that.

Parting note as I read and hear so many comments touting BH as the cream of the crop… I don’t get it (I have it and built it but don’t feel there is anything that special about it). Oh well, the beauty of the modulars is in the eyes of the beholders.

[Jdrewg]

11 hours ago, PK82 said:

If only there were half roadplates.

You mean these?

https://www.lego.com/en-us/pick-and-build/pick-a-brick

[Lego Nostalgia]

Wouldn't it be funny if Lego decided to release a modular in December and January.

[Lion King]

52 minutes ago, Lego Nostalgia said:

Wouldn't it be funny if Lego decided to release a modular in December and January.

Not sure what you mea. 

[Murdoch17]

5 minutes ago, Lion King said:

Not sure what you mea. 

I think @Lego Nostalgia means the rumored modular Avengers tower. I could be wrong, though!

Edited November 4, 2023 by Murdoch17

[Silverhurst]

27 minutes ago, Lion King said:

Not sure what you mea. 

 

My take is that they were thinking that since Lego usually releases the modular in January, it would be cool if the museum were to not be the regular modular, but a special one to replace AS, and that on January 1st everyone would wake up to find the actual annual modular released, and without any spoilers having been leaked! Surprise! 

[Lego Nostalgia]

I meant that it would be interesting  if they would release a modular in December and January. Basically 2 in 1 year