Which Modular Set?

Mosdvs

So I have a slight dilemma on my hand....I want to purchase a modular set but not sure which one. I have narrowed it down to The Brick Bank and The Detective's Office. Should I get the detective's office since its older more likely to be retired before the brick bank?

I know some of the response is going to be buy both but unfortunately due to my many hobbies...games, motorcycle, guns, having a 2nd child on the way and building a house just recently my funds are a bit stretched. (1st world problems at its finest folks.)

DeMontes

yes.... :-)

Speedman29

I own both as of Saturday when the Brick Bank turned up. The build for both is fun (only finished half the ground floor of the bank so far) but I would go with the Detectives Office personally. The Banks top floor is only really half a floor with the high ceiling of the front portion. Whereas the Detectives office has five different sections of floor space to build. I also like the two different heights of the office compared to the flat roof with skylights of the Bank.

akunthita

From those two choices I would suggest the Detective's Office. The Brick Bank is a corner building, so unless you can put it in a corner somewhere, all corner buildings look weird on their own. The Detective's Office is a middle-of-the-street building, so it looks better by itself.

I would also add that if you do plan to collect more modular buildings in the future, I would suggest to get the Pet Shop first because it is way past due its retirement date, and can be pulled from the market at any time. Besides being a really fun and great looking set, it is the only modular with a split design of two separate buildings, which makes it very versatile if you display the modular on a shelf with a certain length. The Detective's Office and the Brick Bank will be around for a while.

Bricklover18

From collectors point of view instead of those two, you might want to look at the pet shop and palace cinema. 

mustang69

Like @akunthita and @Bricklover18 said, if you are planning on trying to collect the Modulars then you should start with the oldest that is still available. That being the Pet Shop or Palace Cinema. If you're looking at only getting the two you mentioned then start with the Detective's Office as that is the oldest. So far they are all fun builds, though I havent started on the Brick Bank yet.

Mosdvs

Thanks everyone for their feedback....I got into the AFOL game a bit late...

Looks like the Pet Shop is marked sold out on the lego store....the palace cinema on the other hand still shows as available...

Is the actual Lego Store inventory different than the website?

Pitfall69

Yes.

CircleK

Mosdvs said:

Thanks everyone for their feedback....I got into the AFOL game a bit late...

Looks like the Pet Shop is marked sold out on the lego store....the palace cinema on the other hand still shows as available...

Is the actual Lego Store inventory different than the website?

Yes. Also, Petshop is currently available from Amazon.

Bricklover18

Detectives office is a great build though, there are a lot of hidden little details.  I haven't built brick bank yet so I can't help you on that one. 

Rainstorm26

I would like someone to keep a running total of these types of threads. 

CCC

If you have to ask, then neither.

Mosdvs

Again thanks to everyone who gave a positive response. I just ordered the pet shop from amazon!

TigerMoth

Rainstorm26 said:

I would like someone to keep a running total of these types of threads. 

Well volunteered!

Pitfall69

You are right. Corner buildings look awful by themselves ;)

TigerMoth

Pitfall69 said:

You are right. Corner buildings look awful by themselves ;)

And you post a picture of two buildings - inseparable in the normal way of thinking, but Brick Bank nevertheless has two buildings.

CircleK

Mosdvs said:

Again thanks to everyone who gave a positive response. I just ordered the pet shop from amazon!

Congrats and welcome to the world of Modulars. If you catch the bug full on then you will no doubt find yourself lusting for the buildings that are no longer available. After stalking eBay for a few weeks and crunching the numbers you will start searching for another way to acquire them. A cheaper way. Or perhaps just a way where you can buy a few hundred bricks at a time as finances allow. This will lead you to threads where other AFOLs just like you have acquired the bricks in separate orders from places like Bricklink and have maybe even made substitutions in order to help drive the cost down by avoiding more expensive elements. It's at this point that you will ask yourself a very important question. Maybe even the most important question of your entire life: 

"If I build a Modular this way then do I truly own the actual set?"

There has been much written on this topic. Too much. I'm here to help you answer that question without spending a quarter of your life buried in countless threads. The answer to your important question is:

87 x Orange + Tuesday.

In time this will all make sense, but for now - Enjoy your Pet Shop ;)

Pitfall69

^Ok. Pet Shop is 2 buildings. Detective's office is 2 buildings. One could easily argue that they are joined, so they would be the same building, but two separate structures. Brick Bank is NOT 2 buildings. The Laundrymat/Upper office side is just a different facade. The Brink Bank has one complete roof and share a fireplace. Again, it is one building. Of course, I am not a architect like my cousin, so maybe I am not allowed to comment on what is a whole building and what is part of a building ;)

Pitfall69

@CircleK , so do I own just one Brick Bank or 1 1/3 Brick Banks?

"If you build it, he will come."
"Who is he and does he own it?" ;)

SumoLego

Pitfall69 said:

^Of course, I am not a architect like my cousin, so maybe I am not allowed to comment on what is a whole building and what is part of a building ;)

I can't spell, and you don't know anything about architecture.  Are you Harry or am I Lloyd?

Hurry up and answer, I have some boogers I need to eat.  And I'm meeting Sea Bass at 7:30.

Pitfall69

I do make the most annoying sounds...and comments ;)

SumoLego

Fair enough.  I look better in powder blue anyway.

TigerMoth

Pitfall69 said:

The Brink Bank has one complete roof and share a fireplace.

C'mon. The two roofs are different in style, and even the flat bits are different colours.

As for the fireplace, if this was a real building, what is now the laundromat would've originally extended the full depth, with the chimney in the middle, and then the bank expanded into the other bits. As it is, the bank hasn't even extended its styling above the laundromat.

I do make the most annoying sounds...

And I thought that was the dog - although it doesn't explain the smell.

Pitfall69

It certainly explains the smell...I haven't showered yet :) 

Bosstone100

I'm starting to wonder if this guy has Asperger's. Can't ever be wrong. 

mustang69

CircleK said:

Mosdvs said:

Again thanks to everyone who gave a positive response. I just ordered the pet shop from amazon!

Congrats and welcome to the world of Modulars. If you catch the bug full on then you will no doubt find yourself lusting for the buildings that are no longer available. After stalking eBay for a few weeks and crunching the numbers you will start searching for another way to acquire them. A cheaper way. Or perhaps just a way where you can buy a few hundred bricks at a time as finances allow. This will lead you to threads where other AFOLs just like you have acquired the bricks in separate orders from places like Bricklink and have maybe even made substitutions in order to help drive the cost down by avoiding more expensive elements. It's at this point that you will ask yourself a very important question. Maybe even the most important question of your entire life: 

"If I build a Modular this way then do I truly own the actual set?"

There has been much written on this topic. Too much. I'm here to help you answer that question without spending a quarter of your life buried in countless threads. The answer to your important question is:

87 x Orange + Tuesday.

In time this will all make sense, but for now - Enjoy your Pet Shop ;)

I can vouch for this 100%, as this is the boat I am in now after having collected the other modulars.

monstblitz

CircleK said:

Mosdvs said:

Again thanks to everyone who gave a positive response. I just ordered the pet shop from amazon!

Congrats and welcome to the world of Modulars. If you catch the bug full on then you will no doubt find yourself lusting for the buildings that are no longer available. After stalking eBay for a few weeks and crunching the numbers you will start searching for another way to acquire them. A cheaper way. Or perhaps just a way where you can buy a few hundred bricks at a time as finances allow. This will lead you to threads where other AFOLs just like you have acquired the bricks in separate orders from places like Bricklink and have maybe even made substitutions in order to help drive the cost down by avoiding more expensive elements. It's at this point that you will ask yourself a very important question. Maybe even the most important question of your entire life: 

"If I build a Modular this way then do I truly own the actual set?"

There has been much written on this topic. Too much. I'm here to help you answer that question without spending a quarter of your life buried in countless threads. The answer to your important question is:

87 x Orange + Tuesday.

In time this will all make sense, but for now - Enjoy your Pet Shop ;)

Spot on. 

I bought Pet Shop and Parisian Restaurant 3 weeks ago. 

A week later I bought Palace Cinema.

This past weekend I worked out a trade with Sumo for Grand Emporium (Thanks again Sumo!)

I've got a bead on a local Fire Brigade and Town Hall, just waiting on my tax return. 

I've been researching bricklinking some of the older sets...

Modulars = Lego in crack form.

Mosdvs

LOL totally feel you on that....I'm already thinking about selling games I no longer play with so I get another modular set.....I'm scratching my neck as we speak... sigh*

TheLoneTensor

From the deranged minds that brought you these historic debates...

Is 10188 a UCS set?
and
Is Market Street a Modular?

Comes this year's greatest thriller, sure to incite riots amongst Lego nerds worldwide...

Is the Brick Bank 2 buildings?

Let the bodies hit the floor.

SumoLego

Better yet, is @Pitfall69's Brick Bank 1.5, 2 or 3 buildings?

@monstblitz - Is it bad that I felt an overwhelming sense of relief that hoarding an extra GE finally paid off?

Mosdvs

@sumolego did you happen to hoard extra of any other sets? LOL

monstblitz

SumoLego said:

@monstblitz - Is it bad that I felt an overwhelming sense of relief that hoarding an extra GE finally paid off?

Not at all!  The relief was mutual.  Wife almost killed me when she saw that second Tumbler purchase confirmation show up in her email.  The Prime is on her account so I can't be stealthy with my Lego purchases.

SumoLego

Mosdvs said:

@sumolego did you happen to hoard extra of any other sets? LOL

Um.  Yes?  A lot of sets?

I've got a Triple-E,  Mini Cooper and Fairground Mixer if you're interested...

monstblitz said:

Not at all!  The relief was mutual.  Wife almost killed me when she saw that second Tumbler purchase confirmation show up in her email.  The Prime is on her account so I can't be stealthy with my Lego purchases.

Now you can say - I'm grabbing an extra for that guy in Rochester - he'll trade me something from his hoard...

Pitfall69

^Ohhhh. That's a good one.

"That's not for me; it is for someone else...I mean...someone I have haven't met...yet. If they want it..."

SumoLego

...prospectively, of course...

Bumblepants

SumoLego said:
Now you can say - I'm grabbing an extra for that guy in Rochester - he'll trade me something from his hoard...

I have already used this excuse multiple times with good results.

CircleK

Pitfall69 said:

You are right. Corner buildings look awful by themselves ;)

Extended Modulars usually look odd to me, but I have to admit the extra floor on BB looks really good. I may have to do this myself. 

Pitfall69

^I totally agree. Most of the Modulars look weird. This is the only one that looks good to me :) The GE would be my second choice to add another floor.

sweetness34

Pitfall69 said:

^I totally agree. Most of the Modulars look weird. This is the only one that looks good to me :) The GE would be my second choice to add another floor.

I agree. The GE would look good with two next to each other both with an extra floor. That would be an impressive city block. 

Mynatt

I have to extend my modulars to have competition for the Town Hall. Not even just that, but each year the modulars are getting shorter and shorter as more pieces are used for the interior rather than exterior. Don't get me wrong, the interiors look great in recent modulars but I would much rather have a taller building than a play feature for robbing a bank or hiding cookies.

SumoLego

^ I'm on the fence.  Fundamentally, these are playsets - and the focus on the 'right' concept that these are toys should probably supersede my preference for a larger sized facade.

The TH is a large structure.  And those of us that want taller buildings can just MOC the middle sections.

tecjam

SumoLego said:

(...) Fundamentally, these are playsets
(...) And those of us that want taller buildings can just MOC the middle sections.

Personally I'm not too sure that modulars started off as playsets, considering the bare-bones interior details of all but the last 3.
Alternatively, those that want a playset could always moc the interior.

Do I prefer the large, bare-bones older modulars or the small, but more detailed (with hundreds of tiny pieces instead of an extra floor) new type of modulars?

SumoLego said:

I'm on the fence.

Agreed. But I do have to say, while the new modulars are not impressive size wise, they do look a lot better, no matter if the designer had in mind that it should be a 'playset' or just decided that more detail was what people wanted.

I guess times have changed and nowadays we don't really expect a boring 4 walls and a roof anymore from Lego, but something which from afar could be a real building.

SumoLego

I have no doubt that the playability features supersede the largeness of the facade.

I have to say the sheer joy of the design and build videos from TLG bolster their focus.

gmonkey76

This is still a work in progress but it will get finished eventually. Two official #10197 and many a bricklink order. So it's only two floors but extended wide and deep.

sklamb

^Awesome--especially the way the building dates back to the era of horse drawn (or man-powered?) fire fighting machines, but has been able to keep up with the times!

CCC

Pitfall69 said:

You are right. Corner buildings look awful by themselves ;)

That display stand is awful though.

Pitfall69

^My daughter was actually playing with it on the floor while I was reading the comments and I just grabbed a box to put it on to take the picture. No wonder I have been having a hard time selling stuff; my presentation needs some work ;)

monstblitz

Snagged Brick Bank today.  Another "banged up" box with 500 extra VIP points.  Only Detective office left of the current models.