10243 Parisian Restaurant

[badbob001]

It's a nice "solution", but not very realistic. The only way to get to the artists studio is by crossing the floor below.

I'm pretty sure this solution is by design. The placement of that false balcony in the back is too obvious to be a coincidence.

Given the size of these sets, there is a compromise between realism, aesthetics, and functionality. I think all the modular sets so far support the cloning of the 2nd floor up. People that care about the outside look will appreciate this feature. Also note that the design also takes into account that cloned floors still maintain a way to travel between floors. People that care about the interior design will appreciate this.

As for realism, that usually gets the most compromised. Missing bathrooms. No stairs in the Town Hall. A possible solution is to make the stairs crisscross, but they may then look dis-proportionally large.

Maybe adhering to this floor-cloning tradition can be a hindrance to the design at times such as the roof-stairs in the Palace Cinema that takes up so much space. Would we trade this cloning feature for attention in other areas, such as more detailed interiors?

Edited October 9, 2013 by badbob001

[Jctriguy]

It's a nice "solution", but not very realistic. The only way to get to the artists studio is by crossing the floor below.

I think it is probably more realistic to have 2 separate apartments above a French café. The 2nd floor is a small apartment, the 3rd floor and attic are a larger apartment/studio that is accessed from the exterior stairs from the 2nd level patio.

[badbob001]

No matter how many times you clone the 2nd floor, you'll realistically still only have two apartments: one apartment on the 2nd floor and all the 3+ floors are for the other apartment. This is because floors 3+ requires one go through the interior to get to the next stairs.

[jfbat]

Yep, that's what I meant. I realise that due to restrictions because of the size of the buildings some realism has to be sacrificed and that this is the best practical solution there is. Because of the placement of the french balcony I also believe that this solution was "designed in". But it still bugs me a bit...

Then again: I'll probably buy only one of these. I love the modulars (own 2 now), but boy, are they expensive. So that's one less thing to worry about...

[CardinalBricks]

After seeing GRogall's line up picture, I never noticed how small this is compared to the rest. Yes, it has more pieces with the details, but it is considerably smaller than the rest. I realize skylines have different heights, but that is almost too jarring since the rest have been relatively close. It doesn't help add to how close it is to the town hall in that picture.

Also, the main level is almost entirely tiled. That adds up a lot of pieces right there. I don't particularly like the dark red carpet on the sidewalk that turns into red-brown the moment you walk in the door. I like the dark red carpet, just not the transition.

Do you remember how small the Palace Cinema looked when it was first photoshopped? Now look at at it. This building probably is the same case.

[badbob001]

Do you remember how small the Palace Cinema looked when it was first photoshopped? Now look at at it. This building probably is the same case.

I'm considering collecting the modular sets and thought I could store them on my bookcase, which allows about 13 inches of vertical space. Now I see that many of the current sets are too tall and only the Pet Shop and the Parisian Restaurant would fit. So they do look deceptively small when viewed from photos or video. Maybe if I take off the roofs from some of the buildings...

I'm glad the rear of this building has some attention to details and is not so bland. I keep thinking to myself that once I have enough of these modular buildings put together, I can create a lively character-filled central courtyard like in the movie 'Rear Window'.

[AndyC]

Can anyone work out what the dark blue piece above and below the windows in the roof is? It looks like a 2 wide version of http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=11477 but that doesn't exist, does it? New part possibly?

[Jasper Joppe Geers]

Looks like a two stud wide version of this one:

http://www.bricklink...tem.asp?P=11477

[Withacee]

It looks more like half of this one, but that doesn't seem to exist either...

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=61068

[LegoSjaak]

Am i mistaken if i say it are two dark blue pieces of these :

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=93273

[Jasper Joppe Geers]

I don't think so. In that case the pictures would be seriously photoshopped.

Maybe it's a new type of brick, only just released?...

[kermit]

Given that modular buildings are usually released in march, does that mean that since the PR will be released in January that the next moduar will be released in January 2015?

[cimddwc]

Given that modular buildings are usually released in march, does that mean that since the PR will be released in January that the next moduar will be released in January 2015?

I guess we'll just have to wait and see. :) Maybe it's January in 2014 because there's another building set (The Lego Movie? Simpsons? other licensed?) they'd rather release in March?

[LegoSjaak]

I don't think so. In that case the pictures would be seriously photoshopped.

Maybe it's a new type of brick, only just released?...

Jasper, i was looking at the wrong piece.. now i see what is meant.. the slightley curved, darkblue 2x2 tile-like, plate-thingy... I do not recognize that one..

I was looking at the two curved darkblue pieces inside the building, above the front of the streetlevelwindows....those are these in darkblue...:

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=93273

Sorry....

[Aanchir]

I'm pretty sure this solution is by design. The placement of that false balcony in the back is too obvious to be a coincidence.

Given the size of these sets, there is a compromise between realism, aesthetics, and functionality. I think all the modular sets so far support the cloning of the 2nd floor up. People that care about the outside look will appreciate this feature. Also note that the design also takes into account that cloned floors still maintain a way to travel between floors. People that care about the interior design will appreciate this.

As for realism, that usually gets the most compromised. Missing bathrooms. No stairs in the Town Hall. A possible solution is to make the stairs crisscross, but they may then look dis-proportionally large.

Maybe adhering to this floor-cloning tradition can be a hindrance to the design at times such as the roof-stairs in the Palace Cinema that takes up so much space. Would we trade this cloning feature for attention in other areas, such as more detailed interiors?

Well, I personally feel like the floor-cloning feature is important even in sets like the Palace Cinema where it reduces the floorspace. After all, just like Grand Emporium, where buying more sets allows you to include more departments, in the Palace Cinema buying more sets allows you to add more screens.

I have never used the floor-cloning feature myself, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't if I were more interested in customizing my modular building display. I know the Grand Emporium was a popular set for AFOLs to buy multiples of specifically because people felt it was not quite as big as they preferred a department store to be.

Edited October 10, 2013 by Aanchir

[Off the wall]

Given that CC was released in 2007, and even if you exclude MS as a modular, then these have been coming out at a rate of slightly more than one a year. If this new offering is as popular as it appears to be, then the sales would drive any profit oriented company to release another one sooner than later.

[BrickBucket]

No matter how many times you clone the 2nd floor, you'll realistically still only have two apartments: one apartment on the 2nd floor and all the 3+ floors are for the other apartment. This is because floors 3+ requires one go through the interior to get to the next stairs.

I think if your going to buy an extra set and extend it by an extra floor, you'll also have enough bricks to widen the building by 4 studs toward the back and have enough bricks to have 2 extra floors, it's certainly what I would do if I got two of these. Maybe tack on a half base plate boulangerie to round out the corner. Just imagining it now, it would be so breathtaking. This is set is must-have for me as I'm a big foodie

Edited October 10, 2013 by BrickBucket

[Johnnhiszippy3]

I've created a rough LDD version...just based off of photos and videos, but I'd say it's about 95% accurate. The most noticable issue is that I can't figure out how the windows on the front of the second floor are attached (and I'm not convinced that they even are attached). Anybody have a suggestion?

http://www.brickshel..._restaurant.lxf

Update: I've updated the second floor windows, with ronenson's help.

Edited October 14, 2013 by Johnnhiszippy3

[glendo]

i raised the issue about height pages ago, and now i have noticed that others have joined me in this concern. The other kicker is the size of the floors or the depth of the building from the street, and how far in it is on the baseplate. i hope this is not a new direction to have thin shallow facade oriented modulars. it is virtually an entire floor missing (considering it is 2/3 the usual depth of the modulars.

2469 pieces.. a lot of these will be smaller than a 1x2 brick.

i still love this building, but in many ways it is the most different modular we have seen, (size, shape, not multi-stackable by default) and i hope that im wrong in assuming that they are shrinking the modulars.

[Off the wall]

i raised the issue about height pages ago, and now i have noticed that others have joined me in this concern. The other kicker is the size of the floors or the depth of the building from the street, and how far in it is on the baseplate. i hope this is not a new direction to have thin shallow facade oriented modulars. it is virtually an entire floor missing (considering it is 2/3 the usual depth of the modulars.

2469 pieces.. a lot of these will be smaller than a 1x2 brick.

i still love this building, but in many ways it is the most different modular we have seen, (size, shape, not multi-stackable by default) and i hope that im wrong in assuming that they are shrinking the modulars.

I agree. Maybe the theme of this building resulted in some of the concerns that you point out. With that said, there is the opportunity to do a few modifications and change it into something more in line with our individual tastes. Of course, given the starting price, it could become an expensive modular with modifications.

[Jctriguy]

i raised the issue about height pages ago, and now i have noticed that others have joined me in this concern. The other kicker is the size of the floors or the depth of the building from the street, and how far in it is on the baseplate. i hope this is not a new direction to have thin shallow facade oriented modulars. it is virtually an entire floor missing (considering it is 2/3 the usual depth of the modulars.

2469 pieces.. a lot of these will be smaller than a 1x2 brick.

i still love this building, but in many ways it is the most different modular we have seen, (size, shape, not multi-stackable by default) and i hope that im wrong in assuming that they are shrinking the modulars.

The building is a brick or two lower than some of the other modulars. Not a big deal at all. I wouldn't make any general assumptions of a trend based on an n=1 assessment. The TH was much larger, that didn't turn into a trend of larger more expensive modulars.

In my eyes, different is good. Something to change things up. I think it also fits in well with the lineup that GRogall has in his sig.

[Aanchir]

The building is a brick or two lower than some of the other modulars. Not a big deal at all. I wouldn't make any general assumptions of a trend based on an n=1 assessment. The TH was much larger, that didn't turn into a trend of larger more expensive modulars.

In my eyes, different is good. Something to change things up. I think it also fits in well with the lineup that GRogall has in his sig.

Yeah. In terms of height, the roof level of the Parisian Restaurant is the same height the Café Corner (minus its tower): 28 bricks. That's a brick and two plates taller than the roof level of the Pet Shop.

Overall, it's still considerably bigger than half-size buildings like the ones in Market Street and Pet Shop, each of which could have a volume of 588 studs maximum, not even considering space that has to be subtracted for stairwells and permanent fixtures.

[AndyC]

I've created a rough LDD version...just based off of photos and videos, but I'd say it's about 95% accurate. The most noticable issue is that I can't figure out how the windows on the front of the second floor are attached (and I'm not convinced that they even are attached). Anybody have a suggestion?

I've been trying to figure that one out myself, it's certainly some cunning piece of SNOT work! No matter how I arrange things I just can't quite make it fit. Those side bits have surely got to be connected somewhere, because there doesn't appear to be any way they could simply be held in place.

Tricksy Mr Berard, very tricksy.

Great work on the rest of it though.

[Jctriguy]

Yeah. In terms of height, the roof level of the Parisian Restaurant is the same height the Café Corner (minus its tower): 28 bricks. That's a brick and two plates taller than the roof level of the Pet Shop.

Overall, it's still considerably bigger than half-size buildings like the ones in Market Street and Pet Shop, each of which could have a volume of 588 studs maximum, not even considering space that has to be subtracted for stairwells and permanent fixtures.

Looking at the images again, I can see some big benefits to having the building not take the full width on the upper floors. The exterior on most other modular is all about the front façade. Very few have anything on the side or back. PR has lots of detail on the 2nd floor patio, stairs, chimney, etc. The exterior stairs to the 2nd floor is a new addition to the theme. Extra lamps on the patio, a larger front patio area, more detail behind the restaurant.

With the PR you get to see a lot more of the details without opening the floors. Basically you lose out on a few basic bricks to cover in the walls, and gain a huge amount in details out in the open. Sounds good to me :)

[fhomess]

I've been trying to figure that one out myself, it's certainly some cunning piece of SNOT work! No matter how I arrange things I just can't quite make it fit. Those side bits have surely got to be connected somewhere, because there doesn't appear to be any way they could simply be held in place.

Tricksy Mr Berard, very tricksy.

On each side of the windows it looks like 3 1x2 rail plates attached to a 1x3 brick (top), 1x2 brick (middle), and 1x2 brick on its side (bottom). The studs are facing out and a 1x6 tile is holding them all together on their stud side. The 1x2 on its side is then attached on the inside to something that looks like a headlight brick without the foot at the bottom. Otherwise, the brown plates that make up the window bench can't sit there. I've just never heard of such a part and it would seem a strange brick to add, but that's my best guess after trying it out. It would also mean that the 1x2 at the bottom is the only thing holding those walls in place other than the frame around them. I'd find that hard to believe, too, as that seems kind of weak, but I can't figure what else it looks like. That dang table and stool are in the way!

Edited October 12, 2013 by fhomess