2019 Modular Rumours

klatu003

@TheBigLegoski - Glad you like it.  The lights are small LED under cabinet lights (EShine) just laid on the shelf behind the buildings.  The angle of the photo is probably why you don't spot the wires.  Also, I had a brain-fart and said the shelves were IKEA.  They are ELFA.  This is my favorite set-up for TH.

Aanchir

Re: the size of the new building, I was actually calculating the amount of interior floor space and height of the new building compared to others based on the official pictures and Brickset’s review pictures, and was interested to see that unless my math is wrong, the Corner Garage seems to have the most interior floor space of any standard-size Modular Building set since Pet Shop, and has the highest roof line since Town Hall (not counting stuff like clock towers, bell towers, chimneys, and the Downtown Diner’s domed roof that that rise above the main roof line):

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Uvy5XSmGY_8Y9iPLYTtqNEsbbF0acRgY0MEhH1RMbhI

The main reason for this seems to be that most corner buildings either have only two floors, big gaps in the upper floors that overlook lower ones, or both. This is the first in quite some time that has three floors that are all close to the full size of the ground floor. Even many of the mid-street buildings like Parisian Restaurant, Downtown Diner, and Detective’s Office have floors with very uneven amounts of indoor space (side note, I remember when Parisian Restaurant was the building people complained about being too short and having too little interior space for its price).

@Matt89190 , I’m interested that you refer to the Parisian Restaurant as when the European style buildings you like kicked off, since I remember a lot of people complaining about Detective’s Office and Brick Bank both looking too modern and/or American-looking as well. Particularly regarding the laundromat in the latter case, since America got its first self-service laundromat in the mid-30s, and the UK didn’t get it’s first launderette until 1949 (which, best I can tell, is around when coin operated washers were first invented — earlier American laundromats simply charged by the hour for access to the machines).

Lyichir

youtube_blockhead said:

Lyichir said

They do have some resemblance, insofar as one of them features a garage with a yellow sign and the other one uses Dark Orange in its color scheme. Beyond that? Nada. 

nada? well except for the use of the light blue door piece which was the original bone of contention,

is it fair to call someones opinion "stupid" when they have given several examples of evidence to support their opinion? only donald trump is allowed to do that when disputing the scientific evidence for climate change 

Oh, I'm sorry. Make that three incredibly shallow similarities. That's just enough to tip it over from looking like an expert-level set to a 3-in-1 set. Just like how highlighting the absurdity of that comparison makes me look like a climate change denier.

youtube_blockhead

aanchir, i have to ask, how is the info you have just paraphrased from Wikipedia regarding the history of laundrettes relevent to whether matt89190 considers the brick bank to be European or north american?

can you please be concise, one or two sentences. i dont want a debate i just dont understand the point you are making regarding earlier american laudrettes were not coin operated 

JudgeChuck

Like others, I'm not immediately blown away by it, but I felt the same about DD when it was first released, but I got it anyway and really like it.

I'll definitely get it, as I do like the overall look, but I am a little disappointed by the floorspace and the lack of tiling in the workshop.

The tiling can probably be easily rectified, although it looks like you'd need a few angled ones to get round the cash register area.

I don't mind the bed; it looks utilitarian. Perhaps it could do with modding, so that it sits on four tubular iron legs, rather than sitting flat on the floor.

I'm looking at my current modulars (PS, PC, DO, PR, BB, AS, DD) and it is going to stick out. It is *very* bright-looking! Far more so than even the DD, with its pink sign and teal "tower"!

While I've been writing this, I've been having another look at the pics and, overall, I think it's going to be an excellent addition: The forecourt looks great and I really like the Octan colours as well.

Aanchir

youtube_blockhead said:

aanchir, i have to ask, how is the info you have just paraphrased from Wikipedia regarding the history of laundrettes relevent to whether matt89190 considers the brick bank to be European or north american?

can you please be concise, one or two sentences. i dont want a debate i just dont understand the point you are making regarding earlier american laudrettes were not coin operated 

youtube_blockhead, I have to ask, how are my reasons for including particular details in responses to somebody else's comment at all relevant to you?

Nowhere did I say @matt89190 was wrong or shouldn't think what he does, just that it surprised me to hear him describe the post-PC, pre-DD buildings as 1930s European style after hearing other AFOLs criticize them for not looking European or 1930s enough. The paraphrase was just to contextualize why a laundromat might seem too modern or too American for those people's tastes.

Honestly, it's starting to feel like you are upset at me for responding to other people's posts at all, even when I don't bring up any conflicting opinions of my own!

CaptainRogers

*screams and bangs hands on table*

Astrobricks

DeMontes said:

youtube_blockhead said:

forumers one of you must be able to help.. 

has there ever been a definitive (or as close to definitive) poll amongst fans or builders to decide what was the best or most popular modular? 

I believe a website called Brickset did a poll ;-)

https://brickset.com/article/26202/modular-building-poll-results

I feel like a poll that involved ranking them would be even more interesting.

Muftak1

CaptainRogers said:

*screams and bangs hands on table*

*Passes the Ibuprofen*

SumoLego

Muftak1 said:

CaptainRogers said:

*screams and bangs hands on table*

*Passes the Ibuprofen*

I'm taking my ball and going to the Flat Earth meeting.

Astrobricks

SumoLego said:

Muftak1 said:

CaptainRogers said:

*screams and bangs hands on table*

*Passes the Ibuprofen*

I'm taking my ball and going to the Flat Earth meeting.

Shouldn’t you be taking your disk?

SumoLego

Astrobricks said:

SumoLego said:

I'm taking my ball and going to the Flat Earth meeting.

Shouldn’t you be taking your disk?

Shhhhh... Don't be appling logic to silly statements.

youtube_blockhead

if you didnt want anyone else to read or comment maybe you should have sent it privately rather than posted in a public forum. so youre allowed to comment on others comments, but no one is allowed to comment on your comments, is that what you want? 

you didnt seem to have a problem when lyichir quoted my comments in reply to yours yesterday or when oddtodd33 did the same so please tell me what are the (your) rules. 

but my comment was mostly because you waffled on about "earlier American laundromats simply charged by the hour for access to the machines" just golden

you realise that you can have a modern laudrette in an old building, buildings are repurposed all the time so what difference does it make when coin op washing machines were introduced, unless modulars are set in a specific era

and your tag team partner lyichir im not going to respond he/she lost track a while back, but its cute he/she 'likes' your comments and badgers anyone who has a different opinion to you, 

madforLEGO

Let me paraphrase this quote to sum up this whole messy exchange in the past couple of days: "Strange game, the only winning move is not to play."

So do not play the pedantic's game.

MrJackson

Paperballpark said:

I'd guess it'll go on the front page at 2pm UK time.

Just think, Huw will probably already have seen it!

At the time, I didn't realize how prescient this comment was - not only did he see it, he built the thing!

Aanchir

madforLEGO said:

Let me paraphrase this quote to sum up this whole messy exchange in the past couple of days: "Strange game, the only winning move is not to play."

So do not play the pedantic's game.

Fair enough. Usually I try to give folks the benefit of the doubt but I think it’s clear at this point that this person’s only interested in scoring a symbolic victory against some imagined, coordinated assault on all negative opinions.

I’d much rather discuss the set than waste time defending my dignity from somebody who’s just being obstinate at this point.

On that note, I’ve seen a lot of praise for the tow truck, but although it looks great and authentic to the era, I have to admit I’m not as impressed with it as with the car from the downtown diner. Having two front seats is always a big plus in my book, since it’s so common in real life cars and trucks but so rare in LEGO, even in highly detailed themes/subthemes like the Winter Village and Speed Champions sets.

Even in my own MOCs that has often been a big deal for me, though it was made easier by the fact that the vehicles I tried to MOC most often as a kid were rather large ones like my mom’s old Ford Crown Victoria or my dad’s Ford Excursion, both of which can easily be realized at a scale big enough to accommodate two minifigures without looking too big or boxy compared to their real life equivalents.

This tow truck is still a major step up from the limo in Palace Cinema, though, since that was dragged down by its low side walls and wheels that didn’t seem to match the size/shape of the wheel arches.

madforLEGO

Aanchir said:

madforLEGO said:

Let me paraphrase this quote to sum up this whole messy exchange in the past couple of days: "Strange game, the only winning move is not to play."

So do not play the pedantic's game.

Fair enough. Usually I try to give folks the benefit of the doubt but I think it’s clear at this point that this person’s only interested in scoring a symbolic victory against some imagined, coordinated assault on all negative opinions.

I’d much rather discuss the set than waste time defending my dignity from somebody who’s just being obstinate at this point.....

I think most of what you are quoted on above can be said by others about you as well. No offense, but you seem to take any criticism toward LEGO/ LEGO designers as a personal slight against you. Why? I have no idea.

However, often your responses, while a bit long winded (IMO), seem to be even keeled and informative. That is, until you throw a subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, digs/insult at others in your response. Then you seem to act surprised by this and sometimes play the victim (usually hypocritically) when they appear to respond in kind or at least stand up to you. Then it does not stop; it escalates and becomes more hypocritical on both sides of an argument (or discussion if you want to look at it that way). Sorry, but you have been on the forum long enough that if you start poking at people personally, they will take it as such (especially when you make such claims about others, so I know you know that when you see it)

And before you start 'the pot calling the kettle black' argument, I admit I have not been perfect in the past. We all have our moments with our commenting, but I think you can still learn just as much as the people you are saying are 'being obstinate' as to how to deal with differing opinions without the appearance of belittling others with little 'digs' at their expense. Just like people new here can learn not to be so critical in their opinions, or they knowing that you are going to run into unstoppable force vs immovable object type of situations. in which case someone has to blink. Just realize that sometimes it can be you as much as anyone else and you can do it much more gracefully instead of seemingly claiming you are the better person in the argument as you appear to do above.

msanders

Wow, there`s been a lot of debate going on since I last checked the thread......

I kinda can see some people`s points about the modular and that there appears to be something not quite right - colour, shape, details. For me there are things that I really like and things that I`m not so blown away by but that can be said about any set and any modular. The thing that I find amusing is the criticism by people that the interior is lacking, when people have been complaining that they want less interior details and the pieces put into making larger buildings. 

What I`ve enjoyed in the past is the inventive use of pieces in generating interesting details. I can`t seem to find that so far for this modular, which could be the reason for part of the criticism that its currently receiving from some people. 

I will definitely pick the set up because I enjoy building the modulars - its an annual tradition in my household that I build the modular with the wife and my son plays with the sets. We always discover interesting details and techniques that aren`t always captured in the images and I`m looking forward to continuing this tradition for years to come. In our household we all have our favourites for different reasons so its not surprising that there is always a continuing debate each year with each modular release. 

Baby_Yoda

The inability to understand an opposing view does not make one correct. Please, keep it civil. If someone's clearly being unreasonable, do not engage. And more importantly, don't be unreasonable yourself.

Bumblepants

Baby_Yoda said:

Has anyone expressed shock, disgust and outrage at the Australian price yet? Perhaps you need to take up that mantle!

Baby_Yoda

^ As Anakin said in Episode III, "It's outrageous! It's unfair!"

CCC

Bumblepants said:

Baby_Yoda said:

Has anyone expressed shock, disgust and outrage at the Australian price yet? Perhaps you need to take up that mantle!

This was Steve Smith's reaction to the price of the Corner Garage.

youtube_blockhead

over here its £160 for the 2600 piece set,DD is £130 fir 2500 AS is £180 for 4000 pieces, its all relative but its a significant increase in penny per piece

BiggiSnibbiBigg

I'm surprised the brickset review justifies the price increase. It's a fairly expensive piece of a toy set, and was even before the price increase relatively expensive. 

TheBigLegoski

I had to DDG that 'obscure' athlete; one more trivial pursuit completed!

  @CCC 

Are there also Curling celebs who feel the same way?

Ayliffe

My first impressions from the press release pics and Huw's excellent review mostly fall under the "hey, that's pretty good actually" category - not the best modular by a mile, but still a pretty solid entry. There's definitely some weird decisions here and there I'd like to modify a tad - that oddly plain roof exit looks too plain from this angle in Huw's review so I'll prob add some of the striped (is that the correct term?) 1x2 bricks into the mix, and the fuel pump will probably gain the stickers from the pump in Emmet's Thricycle since I kinda like the look of that one better - but all in all I'm pretty satisfied with the end result overall. Good stuff!

However, having said all that I definitely feel a lot less excited about the new modular's announcement compared to previous years - it's not that the new one's bad by any stretch of the imagination, it's just that I feel my attention's been stolen moreso by the outstanding wonderfulness of Ninjago City and it's lil' bro Ninjago City Docks. Modular buildings are pretty cool an' all, but modular buildings with twice the amount of detail and a blend of japanese architecture, cyberpunk, bladerunner and ninjas? Now that's what I call right up my proverbial alley! I mean, the chances of us getting more are probably pretty slim but I'm grateful for the two we got and it still sets up a nice new modular standard for new MOCs an' such, which is also right up my proverbial alley. It's like a series of modular buildings made just for my interests, except not because other people exist!

So in short: the Ninjago City modulars spoiled me and now I'm more interested in those compared to the original modulars, whoops! Still gonna buy the garage though, staff discount ain't gonna use itself innit.

vwong19

@Ayliffe - Ninjago City and Dock are the closes Modulars not classified as a Modular. I have those in my wantlist and plan to buy before the Garage (I’m assuming shelf life is in that order).

CCC

^^ If Ninjago City has done well, it may be that they release a similar size set for TLM2. I guess it depends if they have a good location they can fit into one great set.

Aanchir

madforLEGO said:

Aanchir said:

madforLEGO said:

Let me paraphrase this quote to sum up this whole messy exchange in the past couple of days: "Strange game, the only winning move is not to play."

So do not play the pedantic's game.

Fair enough. Usually I try to give folks the benefit of the doubt but I think it’s clear at this point that this person’s only interested in scoring a symbolic victory against some imagined, coordinated assault on all negative opinions.

I’d much rather discuss the set than waste time defending my dignity from somebody who’s just being obstinate at this point.....

I think most of what you are quoted on above can be said by others about you as well. No offense, but you seem to take any criticism toward LEGO/ LEGO designers as a personal slight against you. Why? I have no idea.

However, often your responses, while a bit long winded (IMO), seem to be even keeled and informative. That is, until you throw a subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, digs/insult at others in your response. Then you seem to act surprised by this and sometimes play the victim (usually hypocritically) when they appear to respond in kind or at least stand up to you. Then it does not stop; it escalates and becomes more hypocritical on both sides of an argument (or discussion if you want to look at it that way). Sorry, but you have been on the forum long enough that if you start poking at people personally, they will take it as such (especially when you make such claims about others, so I know you know that when you see it)

And before you start 'the pot calling the kettle black' argument, I admit I have not been perfect in the past. We all have our moments with our commenting, but I think you can still learn just as much as the people you are saying are 'being obstinate' as to how to deal with differing opinions without the appearance of belittling others with little 'digs' at their expense. Just like people new here can learn not to be so critical in their opinions, or they knowing that you are going to run into unstoppable force vs immovable object type of situations. in which case someone has to blink. Just realize that sometimes it can be you as much as anyone else and you can do it much more gracefully instead of seemingly claiming you are the better person in the argument as you appear to do above.

Fair enough. I recognize that sometimes I can be a little irritable or condescending when it doesn’t help matters for anyone and it’s something I need to get better about. Apologies to youtube_blockhead and anyone else I may have snapped at.

Although, to clarify, it’s not criticisms of LEGO in general that really tend to bother me, so much as when people couch those criticisms in some unfounded assertion about the care/effort that went into it or the age it’s suitable for.

Treating a set or theme that features lots of advanced building techniques as basic or childish feels on some levels like trying to attribute one’s personal aesthetic or conceptual preferences to their own maturity or building ability, and consequently, insinuates that people who like that set or theme have less mature or sophisticated tastes as builders. It frustrates me that more people can’t simply say “I don’t like this because I prefer when sets are more like this” without implying there’s something intellectually or technically superior about those preferences.

There are numerous criticisms in this thread that I’ve disagreed with but had no real issue with because they are honest about what parts of those criticisms are based on objective characteristics of the design and which parts are based in subjective preferences, which feels more respectful and open to differences of opinion than asserting that those preferences dictate what is or isn’t an expert level build.

youtube_blockhead

aanchir, you do not need to apologise to me, we're allowed to disagree, 

biglegoski, the story of steve smiths tears is comparable to the story when the american footballers deflated the ball a bit. the aussies rubbed their balls with sandpaper then had a cry (as you would with red raw balls).

Brickfan50

madforLEGO said:

I think most of what you are quoted on above can be said by others about you as well. No offense, but you seem to take any criticism toward LEGO/ LEGO designers as a personal slight against you. Why? I have no idea.

However, often your responses, while a bit long winded (IMO), seem to be even keeled and informative. 

I generally sympathyse with the (lengthy) posts made by Aanchir. It’s rather typical for people who ‘are on the spectrum’, like myself. (Asperger syndrome). 
And nothing is wrong with that!

CM4S

This is my favorite thread on this site hahaha

daewoo

Ninjago City and Ninjago City Docks are good sets, but they are expensive.  I would rather Lego NOT go down that road for the official modular line.  As it stands, $200 is steep, so I'll only get it if I can find it on discount or if I get double VIP points.  I'm a patient man though, so I can wait.

Craig_B

CCC said:

Bumblepants said:

Baby_Yoda said:

Has anyone expressed shock, disgust and outrage at the Australian price yet? Perhaps you need to take up that mantle!

This was Steve Smith's reaction to the price of the Corner Garage.

That was my reaction to half the thread

Fauch

after comparing with pictures of other modulars, I think it looks like one of the best, at least in the better half of the modulars, but the first floor interior is too simple and the staircase should be enclosed and considering it is 30€ more expensive than previous ones, having 3 floors as detailed as the 1st floor in PR or BB may not be asking too much.

Lyichir

Regarding the staircase not being enclosed, a part of me wonders if that was to keep it accessible for play. It's a tall staircase and a four stud wide space can be hard to reach that far down. I suppose there might have been other remedies for that, though, such as a partially removable wall like the one in the back of the florist's shop in Assembly Square.

That said, I wouldn't consider the unenclosed staircase to necessarily be unrealistic, either—I've been in stranger spaces in real life. The ways that buildings, especially older buildings, get adapted for future use and changing occupants can be strange and unpredictable, almost like they have a life of their own. It's one of the things I love about some of the recent modulars, where multiple types of businesses share a building. In this one, the story I envision is the gas station owner in a low-rent part of town having sympathy for a local animal welfare organization and offering the office space above his garage for a clinic (the modest apartment on the third floor, with its cheap cot and open plan interior, also fit this sort of storyline).

Baby_Yoda

Aanchir said:
Although, to clarify, it’s not criticisms of LEGO in general that really tend to bother me, so much as when people couch those criticisms in some unfounded assertion about the care/effort that went into it or the age it’s suitable for.

I definitely agree with this. There is a huge amount of effort that goes into every Lego set, even more so for modular buildings. A set of such a scale would never be subject to inattention, just perhaps compromise, such as with @Lyichir's theory about the stairs. I, for one, don't like the use of dark orange here (or in Town Hall), but I know that it's not necessarily a objectively bad choice of colour and I don't think the designers chose it out of foolishness. It's just a matter of preference. I'd actually quite like to see this model in a different shade. Perhaps the pink/teal of Downtown Diner? :)

youtube_blockhead

the problem i have with GC is that i like enough about it to buy it, but not enough about it to leave it alone

ill inevitably try to customise it, which will end a plastic mess and the slow realisation that the designers knew best and i should have left it alone. 

but ill convince myself that some day soon ill finish it off, and it will look something like this for four years. .. 

Paperballpark

^ Interesting! I particularly like the stairs leading directly to the back wall, which looks like it'll be significantly higher than the top of the stairs!

I hope you're not an architect? ;)

youtube_blockhead

Paperballpark said:

I hope you're not an architect? ;)

escher was my teacher

RogerKirk

Lyichir said:

Regarding the staircase not being enclosed, a part of me wonders if that was to keep it accessible for play. It's a tall staircase and a four stud wide space can be hard to reach that far down. I suppose there might have been other remedies for that, though, such as a partially removable wall like the one in the back of the florist's shop in Assembly Square.

That said, I wouldn't consider the unenclosed staircase to necessarily be unrealistic, either—I've been in stranger spaces in real life. The ways that buildings, especially older buildings, get adapted for future use and changing occupants can be strange and unpredictable, almost like they have a life of their own. It's one of the things I love about some of the recent modulars, where multiple types of businesses share a building. In this one, the story I envision is the gas station owner in a low-rent part of town having sympathy for a local animal welfare organization and offering the office space above his garage for a clinic (the modest apartment on the third floor, with its cheap cot and open plan interior, also fit this sort of storyline).

Or a story about where the vet lives above their business? Could work if you create a younger very just starting out in life in their new practice and this was the only space they could afford.

Aanchir

Baby_Yoda said:

Aanchir said:
Although, to clarify, it’s not criticisms of LEGO in general that really tend to bother me, so much as when people couch those criticisms in some unfounded assertion about the care/effort that went into it or the age it’s suitable for.

I definitely agree with this. There is a huge amount of effort that goes into every Lego set, even more so for modular buildings. A set of such a scale would never be subject to inattention, just perhaps compromise, such as with @Lyichir's theory about the stairs. I, for one, don't like the use of dark orange here (or in Town Hall), but I know that it's not necessarily a objectively bad choice of colour and I don't think the designers chose it out of foolishness. It's just a matter of preference. I'd actually quite like to see this model in a different shade. Perhaps the pink/teal of Downtown Diner? :)

The Creator Expert site seems to imply that for the brownstone in the Pet Shop set, they may have been initially considering using Nougat as one of its colors. That could be interesting to see as a modular building color at some point, though perhaps not one with this sort of design.

MrJackson

Interesting conversation about color choices.  I don't mind dark orange at all, but I wonder why we don't see more of Dark Red as a facade choice - it has basically been limited to the Fire Brigade to this point.  Especially since the 1x2 Brick bricks are available in Dark Red. 

pharmjod

Or sand green? We need to see sand green again, with some 1x8 bricks and the 1x2 modifed with groove...

Or sand red... 

CCC

Aanchir said:

The Creator Expert site seems to imply that for the brownstone in the Pet Shop set, they may have been initially considering using Nougat as one of its colors. That could be interesting to see as a modular building color at some point, though perhaps not one with this sort of design.

Now medium nougat (or BL dark flesh) has grown in number of parts quite significantly (especially bricks) I hope they stick with that for the majority of the nougaty type colours. I remember buying about 100 of the arches, I guess from Prince of Persia sets, on BL for about £1 back in 2011 hoping the bricks would follow.  It took a while to get a decent assortment.

MrJackson

pharmjod said:

...

Or sand red... 

I could not agree more with this.  Sand Red is one of my favorite Lego colors, made hard to work with due to the limited number of elements made in that color. I also don't understand the reluctance to include the sand green grooved 1x2 in literally any other set besides the Grocer....

Fauch

the dark orange and sand blue colors are the best things about this model as they seem so rare overall. sand green is becoming pretty common. maybe dark red wasn't chosen because it was used for WV fire station.

FollowsClosely

Designer Video

LegoPegasister2015

FollowsClosely said:

Designer Video

So is this set not a Mike Psiaki design? Interesting to see an architecture designer work on this project if Lars Joe was the one who did it, but I could've sworn the triangles were his trademark.

FergH0va

I'm not a fan of the grooved brick. While it is able to add texture and making structures appear taller, it also makes things (to me, at least) appear thin. It just doesn't appeal to me. 

I love the sand colors. I've only ever seen pictures of sand red. I didn't even know it existed until I stumbled upon it somewhere. I hope to have some some day.