2019 Modular Rumours

CCC

I still don't see them re-releasing a modular. If they did, I think it would take the slot of the (regular) modular, not as a mid-term re-release. The Taj Mahal and Vestas don't really compete with other similar things, as they are not part of an existing line. The same would be true of re-releases of things like IF or EN, we don't have ships or steam tranis, so there is no competition with existing sets. Whereas a re-released modular would be competing with the existing retail modulars. So I'd imagine if they did a re-release, it would be in the standard modular slot not an extra one. But I'd prefer to see a new corner cafe than the old Cafe Corner. Even if it shared a lot of the parts, something new rather than something old.

natro220

CCC said:

I still don't see them re-releasing a modular. If they did, I think it would take the slot of the (regular) modular, not as a mid-term re-release. The Taj Mahal and Vestas don't really compete with other similar things, as they are not part of an existing line. The same would be true of re-releases of things like IF or EN, we don't have ships or steam tranis, so there is no competition with existing sets. Whereas a re-released modular would be competing with the existing retail modulars. So I'd imagine if they did a re-release, it would be in the standard modular slot not an extra one. But I'd prefer to see a new corner cafe than the old Cafe Corner. Even if it shared a lot of the parts, something new rather than something old.

The rerelease of Winter Toy Shop says they’re willing to do whatever they want and it’s foolish to say they’ll never do something. They could reason that they don’t have time or money available to design a new modular. However, I doubt they would do a straight up rerelease, and add an interior.

CCC

natro220 said:

The rerelease of Winter Toy Shop says they’re willing to do whatever they want and it’s foolish to say they’ll never do something. They could reason that they don’t have time or money available to design a new modular. However, I doubt they would do a straight up rerelease, and add an interior.

I didn't say they'd never do something (re-releasing a modular), but that I don't see them doing it.

We obviously don't know the reasoning behind the Winter Toy Shop, whether it was bad planning and not being ready with a new design, running out of ideas, possibly considering ending the line then deciding against it and redoing an old one to keep the theme going, deciding it would be a popular re-release as the first one of the series may have been missed by some buyers and the parts were available without a redesign, something else ...

The Modulars line is very different to the Winter Village, although some similarities. While CC and the toy shop were both the first of their lines, there has now been a large gap between first and last for modulars in time and development. Many of the parts are not available so a redesign is likely. The modulars have changed in style with interiors and storylines, lacking in the original CC. To fit in with the current line, a new CC would need an interior and a storyline to go along with it plus a way around the out of date parts. If they are going to redesign it bottom up to get an interior in, they might as well design a new cafe on a corner to today's standards rather than retro-fit one into an old design. Of course, colours could be the same or something new.  They could of course re-issue an exact replica of the CC if they wanted to. I expect it would take some sales from existing modulars, or replace a future one completely. It would not be so useful for older collectors (and investors would probably have no interest in it). I still wonder how many people really want CC due to what it is rather than its value. If you could buy an exact replica of CC or a new modular at the same price and could buy only one, I wonder which most people would go for?

daewoo

I would buy the new modular as recent designs are far superior to the originals.

MrJackson

^ I think that depends on what you're looking for.  Cafe Corner has a heft to it that doesn't seem to be matched by the newer modulars, with the possible exception of AS - but that's a baseplate and a half. If you're someone that has the modulars on a shelf as display pieces, than you would probably rather have the large facade of the Green Grocer over the play features of the DO and Bank.  Personally, I'd go with the former.  I don't need play features in my modulars - I have tons and tons of other sets for that purpose. Though I appreciate the detail that has been put into the interiors - I consider the Parisian the pioneer of this generation of modulars, and that was my favorite set all time until I built the Assembly Square.

PapaBear

Cafe Corner really isn't that impressive, it's symmetrical and boring.  The build is not that enthralling and it has zero interior.  The new modulars far outmatch it on so many marketable levels.  After getting Cafe Corner in the aftermarket I realized it really was just a collector's piece and I decided to not waste my money chasing Market Street.

SumoLego

There isn't anything stopping them from doing a completely different hotel.  Obviously, there is a wide variety of architecture and style that the designers can draw from.  A modern hotel or something art-deco could be interesting and unique.

Additionally, the CC is somewhat iconic to a certain segment of the LEGO community, so I think the closest they were going to get was the AS building.

ReesesPieces

MrJackson said:

^ I think that depends on what you're looking for.  Cafe Corner has a heft to it that doesn't seem to be matched by the newer modulars, with the possible exception of AS - but that's a baseplate and a half. If you're someone that has the modulars on a shelf as display pieces, than you would probably rather have the large facade of the Green Grocer over the play features of the DO and Bank.  Personally, I'd go with the former.  I don't need play features in my modulars - I have tons and tons of other sets for that purpose. Though I appreciate the detail that has been put into the interiors - I consider the Parisian the pioneer of this generation of modulars, and that was my favorite set all time until I built the Assembly Square.

I totally agree.  It is kind of sad that the grand size of the older modulars might be gone.  The play features are cute and creative but I will never use them or even see them again after the initial build.  I just built the brick bank.  Not only is the overall size smaller but the bank robbery feature also wastes the interior space.  I'm sure there are people that appreciate these features but just not me.

graphite

ReesesPieces said:
I totally agree.  It is kind of sad that the grand size of the older modulars might be gone.  The play features are cute and creative but I will never use them or even see them again after the initial build.  I just built the brick bank.  Not only is the overall size smaller but the bank robbery feature also wastes the interior space.  I'm sure there are people that appreciate these features but just not me.

Same for me.  I like them as display, will never use the play features and actually like the symmetry on the corner buildings.  I hate that Brick Bank has the laundry mat attached.  Eventually I'll get around to rebuilding it where the bank is a corner on its own and I'll convert the laundry to its own 16 wide building.

I would love to see the buildings go back to the larger sizes.   Never understood the play features on "Expert" sets.  Yes kids may want the buildings, but it doesn't seem the features match the target customer when it comes to that stuff.

Lyichir

graphite said:

ReesesPieces said:
I totally agree.  It is kind of sad that the grand size of the older modulars might be gone.  The play features are cute and creative but I will never use them or even see them again after the initial build.  I just built the brick bank.  Not only is the overall size smaller but the bank robbery feature also wastes the interior space.  I'm sure there are people that appreciate these features but just not me.

Same for me.  I like them as display, will never use the play features and actually like the symmetry on the corner buildings.  I hate that Brick Bank has the laundry mat attached.  Eventually I'll get around to rebuilding it where the bank is a corner on its own and I'll convert the laundry to its own 16 wide building.

I would love to see the buildings go back to the larger sizes.   Never understood the play features on "Expert" sets.  Yes kids may want the buildings, but it doesn't seem the features match the target customer when it comes to that stuff.

I think the sales figures probably say more about what the "target customer" wants than mere assumptions. Keep in mind that Creator Expert sets aren't just aimed at adult hobbyists putting together permanent displays—they're also very popular with families as something that parents and children can build and enjoy together. As such, interior features (including play features) provide moments of wonder for both the kids and adults and, additionally, an actual incentive to continue pulling the set down from the shelf and opening it up to show off the features rather than merely letting it collect dust.

As an adult fan without kids, I for one still much prefer the modern modulars with detailed interiors and complex built-in play scenarios to the old ones, which offer remarkably little draw to me once the building experience itself has concluded. I also appreciate the more complex layouts without symmetry to the older ones, since the newer ones feel more real and "lived in" thanks to the way their layouts imply a sense of community and history.

BiggiSnibbiBigg

Yes I also miss the big modulars, why not have both :)

oldtodd33

Lyichir said:

graphite said:

ReesesPieces said:
I totally agree.  It is kind of sad that the grand size of the older modulars might be gone.  The play features are cute and creative but I will never use them or even see them again after the initial build.  I just built the brick bank.  Not only is the overall size smaller but the bank robbery feature also wastes the interior space.  I'm sure there are people that appreciate these features but just not me.

Same for me.  I like them as display, will never use the play features and actually like the symmetry on the corner buildings.  I hate that Brick Bank has the laundry mat attached.  Eventually I'll get around to rebuilding it where the bank is a corner on its own and I'll convert the laundry to its own 16 wide building.

I would love to see the buildings go back to the larger sizes.   Never understood the play features on "Expert" sets.  Yes kids may want the buildings, but it doesn't seem the features match the target customer when it comes to that stuff.

I think the sales figures probably say more about what the "target customer" wants than mere assumptions. Keep in mind that Creator Expert sets aren't just aimed at adult hobbyists putting together permanent displays—they're also very popular with families as something that parents and children can build and enjoy together. As such, interior features (including play features) provide moments of wonder for both the kids and adults and, additionally, an actual incentive to continue pulling the set down from the shelf and opening it up to show off the features rather than merely letting it collect dust.

As an adult fan without kids, I for one still much prefer the modern modulars with detailed interiors and complex built-in play scenarios to the old ones, which offer remarkably little draw to me once the building experience itself has concluded. I also appreciate the more complex layouts without symmetry to the older ones, since the newer ones feel more real and "lived in" thanks to the way their layouts imply a sense of community and history.

   That's funny, as many times as I've been in a Lego store I've never seen anyone but an adult without children present buy a modular. Usually mid-twenties on up males. Nor have I ever seen a child walk out with one that they or their parents bought for them. Nor have I seen any child looking at them on the shelves while looking for something they want. 

tamamahm

^ So... someone that is buying a modular for a family build may be there without a kid or buying online. 

The HH, while technically not a modular, was a set I bought for our family to put together. The other modulars... the ones I have bought have been online. When we pull them out, they will be for family builds.

It would not surprise me that in a store one mainly sees adults buying them, but that does not mean that kids are not involved with the builds or that families may be buying them online. 

As an adult, I personally want high interior details and special features, but I am one that loves vignettes. 

I will say of the sets.. my one kid did spend a fair amount of time looking at the Parisian. My son, when he was 8 really wanted Town Hall or Pet Store. The elevator was a huge selling feature for him. 

oldtodd33

^ The post I quoted is trying desperately to insinuate that most modulars are sold to families to put together as a family. It is my belief that they are completely wrong in their ASSUMPTION. The poster is also trying desperately to some how prove the need for an interior for modulars. Just because I buy a modular with an interior doesn't mean I want an interior, I can't buy it without one. Personally an interior is just wasted bricks. I don't play dolly houses. I like them for display and for the most part I'm none too concerned about the build quality. I'm sure some people do buy them for the whole family but MOST people are adults who like to build but no longer play with Lego. That's where the target market is. My three children were NEVER interested in having a modular for their own. Mostly Star Wars sets for my son and MineCraft and general city sets for my daughters. Never Friends, they didn't like the dolls. All my children LOVED the collectible minfigures. They were the last point of interest for each of them. They are all older now and have matured out of Lego as they should for now. 

Lyichir

oldtodd33 said:

^ The post I quoted is trying desperately to insinuate that most modulars are sold to families to put together as a family. It is my belief that they are completely wrong in their ASSUMPTION. The poster is also trying desperately to some how prove the need for an interior for modulars. Just because I buy a modular with an interior doesn't mean I want an interior, I can't buy it without one. Personally an interior is just wasted bricks. I don't play dolly houses. I like them for display and for the most part I'm none too concerned about the build quality. I'm sure some people do buy them for the whole family but MOST people are adults who like to build but no longer play with Lego. That's where the target market is. My three children were NEVER interested in having a modular for their own. Mostly Star Wars sets for my son and MineCraft and general city sets for my daughters. Never Friends, they didn't like the dolls. All my children LOVED the collectible minfigures. They were the last point of interest for each of them. They are all older now and have matured out of Lego as they should for now. 

Where did I say most? My point is that the market for modular buildings is nowhere near as narrow as you seem to be making it out to be. Just because that is the way that you enjoy modular buildings doesn't make that indicative of the entire target market—not by a long shot.

You are the only one making assumptions about what "most" of the market for modulars is like. And it's not borne out by any sort of evidence I've seen.

I also didn't say modulars NEED an interior, just that I like them that way. If that's "playing dolly houses" then at least I'm not so insecure that I feel threatened by that.

Aanchir

FWIW, I am an AFOL who hasn't been 16 in over 10 years, and as such, have long been part of the target audience for not just the modular buildings but also other high-detail, high-complexity D2C sets like Ninjago City that put an even greater emphasis on storytelling and world-building. There's no reason a set aimed at AFOLs has to be a boring, superficial waste of space that fixates on avoiding forms of building and play that kids (particularly girls) tend to enjoy — even if there are a good number of AFOLs who could themselves be described in all of those ways.

MrJackson

Let me put a couple of assumptions to rest. 

Most of the people who bought modular buildings were adults. I would say around 25-30% of those adults were buying them for their kid or as a family project.  That included sets for display shelves, display setups, or people building a city (not as many of those as you might think). The most common modular requested by kids was the Palace Cinema, believe it or not. The price of Assembly Square turned off a lot of people, with purchasers mainly being people who already had most if not all of the recent ones (I'm going to interject that my average customers were genuinely surprised when they proudly stated "I have all of them!" and I'd respond "All ____?" and they had no idea about the earliest 3 or 4). 

A lot of the younger kids who bought city weren't cross-shopping it with modulars because A. modulars were out of budget and B. "They're big boring buildings." Yes, I heard that. Kids wanted play features in a play set, not in a modular building. Most of the kids who ended up getting the modulars were older (early teens or so) who were beyond the easier builds and needed something more challenging.  Kids (or their paying parents) who were cross-shopping Modulars did so against other Expert level sets or builds of that caliber, not against your more standard-fare sets.

twoeyesgirl

I’m an adult (or so they say) and I love the playing features, they make the building process extra fun. I also have minifigures doing their thing inside the buildings. A empty building is just so sad! And I have way too many minifigures anyway. 

However, for those who are just interested in the facade, I’d say nobody is stopping you to put those bricks from the interior to a better use -or even getting rid of them!

oldtodd33

Lyichir said:

oldtodd33 said:

^ The post I quoted is trying desperately to insinuate that most modulars are sold to families to put together as a family. It is my belief that they are completely wrong in their ASSUMPTION. The poster is also trying desperately to some how prove the need for an interior for modulars. Just because I buy a modular with an interior doesn't mean I want an interior, I can't buy it without one. Personally an interior is just wasted bricks. I don't play dolly houses. I like them for display and for the most part I'm none too concerned about the build quality. I'm sure some people do buy them for the whole family but MOST people are adults who like to build but no longer play with Lego. That's where the target market is. My three children were NEVER interested in having a modular for their own. Mostly Star Wars sets for my son and MineCraft and general city sets for my daughters. Never Friends, they didn't like the dolls. All my children LOVED the collectible minfigures. They were the last point of interest for each of them. They are all older now and have matured out of Lego as they should for now. 

Where did I say most? My point is that the market for modular buildings is nowhere near as narrow as you seem to be making it out to be. Just because that is the way that you enjoy modular buildings doesn't make that indicative of the entire target market—not by a long shot.

You are the only one making assumptions about what "most" of the market for modulars is like. And it's not borne out by any sort of evidence I've seen.

I also didn't say modulars NEED an interior, just that I like them that way. If that's "playing dolly houses" then at least I'm not so insecure that I feel threatened by that.

   I made no assumptions in my post if you will re-read it. I based my comment on real life observations based on the HUNDREDS of times I have been in a Lego store. 

   Your entire first paragraph is spent arguing against a comment about the target market and you stated adults aren't the only target market like you had some sort of information about all of the families that buy them for family projects. If you will read the post two posts up I think you will find your assumptions about the actual buyers are completely wrong. 

oldtodd33

Lyichir said:

I also didn't say modulars NEED an interior, just that I like them that way. If that's "playing dolly houses" then at least I'm not so insecure that I feel threatened by that.

   That's the problem here. You are trying to berate me for being insecure about doll houses. I have no insecurity, I simply have no interest in an interior to play with where as you want an interior to do what ever it is you do by yourself. I have no desire for pretending, I am living an adult lifestyle, you know, marriage, career, children, etc. I don't need pretend anymore. 

Astrobricks

I kind of like how children remind one how to pretend from time to time :)

Paperballpark

Children, children! Play nicely! 😂

Brickchap

Interiors are a very important part of all Lego buildings, especially modulars.

Yes, most adults just put em on a shelf and boast about them to other people, :look at my dusty facade." Lucky FOLs like me can put them in a city.

No, I do not 'play' with modulars, which by the way, aren't bloody dolls houses for having interiors. Newsflash, that's how its a modular ITS NOT OPEN AT THE BACK. (although the colours of DD certainly suggest a dolly house).

The interiors are my favorite part with all the little details and things like furniture are much more fun to build rather then just repetitive building to make a column or something, which yeah, looks awesome when completed but is extremely annoying to build. Interiors are where the fun happens, for both the designers in the design process and FOLs (of all ages) seeing details or, if they so wish, playing with them.They also hugely contribute to the story of the building, which doesn't necessary have to mean, O you have to act like a 6 year old and 'play' out a story, just creates an interesting scene.

While I love the architecture in modulars, particularly PR, and while yes, the interiors are rarely seen, I cannot believe that it was even suggested that interiors shouldn't be liked.

As for children not liking modulars, well, if there's one thing I've learnt from Brickset Forum with discussions about historical themes and Creator Expert trains, kids these days only like stupid, unrealistic or too realistic things, fueled by a lot of fanboy parents who never got past the 80s.

BiggiSnibbiBigg

I’m an adult and I like interior - as long as it doesn’t get too childish. But I also like exterior. I would gladly pay a bit more to get both in modulars, like AS (which in Norway right now is only $15 more expensive than DD - can you believe that??)

Aanchir

oldtodd33 said:

Lyichir said:

I also didn't say modulars NEED an interior, just that I like them that way. If that's "playing dolly houses" then at least I'm not so insecure that I feel threatened by that.

   That's the problem here. You are trying to berate me for being insecure about doll houses. I have no insecurity, I simply have no interest in an interior to play with where as you want an interior to do what ever it is you do by yourself. I have no desire for pretending, I am living an adult lifestyle, you know, marriage, career, children, etc. I don't need pretend anymore. 

For someone who’s not insecure you’re being awfully defensive about the idea that an adult in your position would have anything to be insecure about. 

Nobody’s questioning your observations in LEGO stores but anecdotes like that are basically worthless when it comes to making sweeping statements about what most modular building buyers are like or what they would prefer — let alone for contesting the idea that ANY meaningful population of AFOLs enjoys them togethet with their families.

And anyhow, as many have stated, your pretentious “play is for kids” stance that you’re weirdly proud about passing on to your own children is hardly universal among AFOLs. A lot of AFOLs do enjoy LEGO in similar ways to when they were kids, albeit with a greater taste for complex building techniques.

kbw

 As an adult that started out with the modulars, I’m a fan of the play features. My son is about to turn 5 and they are fun for him too. I suppose most adults keep them on display, but I take them down and my son and I play with them. He has a few police sets and loves the idea that people can break into the Brick Bank. For whatever reason, he also loves the Parisian Restaurant. He’s named the figures and has a good time imagining ridiculous scenarios for the characters while they are eating. While technically not a modular, Ninjago City is a huge hit for him too. 
Personally I think the play features add to the overall build. It’s cool to see how everything comes together while working through them and it makes the finished product more fun. Part of the enjoyment with the modulars for me are the rooms and seeing how the space is used. The micro builds for various appliances, beds, etc are always really enjoyable for me too. All that said, I’d never consider these play sets, but having a few of those features is fun and adds a bit more to the whole experience. 

Aanchir

Brickchap said:

As for children not liking modulars, well, if there's one thing I've learnt from Brickset Forum with discussions about historical themes and Creator Expert trains, kids these days only like stupid, unrealistic or too realistic things, fueled by a lot of fanboy parents who never got past the 80s.

Hang on, are you trying to argue that kids being overly influenced by parents who grew up in the 80s… somehow caused kids' tastes in toys to be vastly different than the generation that grew up in the 80s? I think you're being unfair not just to today's kids and today's sets but also to past generations' diversity of interests.

Like, who's to say that kids back in the 80s who enjoyed such brands as Polly Pocket and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Dungeons and Dragons and Super Mario Bros would not have enjoyed themes like LEGO Friends and LEGO Ninjago and LEGO Elves and LEGO Minecraft, had they been available at that time? LEGO was a LOT more conservative in their subject matter back then than other major toy companies, and I see no reason to think that there weren't large swaths of children whose business they might have been missing out on because of that.

Like, back in the 80s LEGO designers had a hard time convincing higher-ups that things like cartoon skeletons or black spaceships or astronauts in black spacesuits wouldn't be too grim and scary for kids! Designers and marketers also had to play dumb about the idea that kids enjoyed spaceships and astronauts with laser weapons, even when many of the Space sets of the time were bristling with them. Do you really think that speaks to a company that had their finger on the pulse of what kids of that generation actually liked?

What's more, from a quality standpoint, even something as cheesy as the Ninjago storyline tends to be head and shoulders above a lot of the merchandise-driven cartoons of the 80s, which frequently featured poorly motivated heroes and villains, mediocre production values, minimal continuity between episodes or seasons, and clumsy moralizing to help convince parents that the shows had any redeeming value whatsoever. Now, I'm not saying Ninjago is alone in having more sophistication than the crap that was churned out to sell toys back then — the quality and production values of cartoons in general have risen considerably compared to back then — but the intense popularity of shows of such low quality back then certainly seems to challenge the idea that prior generations of kids had smarter or more sophisticated tastes than today's kids.

Never mind that even a lot of the more sci-fi leaning LEGO sets back then were not particularly more intelligent or realistic than those today. Like, do you really think there's a credible case to be made for stuff like #70611 and #70615 being stupid and unrealistic compared to stuff like #6940 and #6951?

There are definitely a LOT of ways that generational tastes have shifted, but I don't think they can be chalked up to today's kids liking stupider stuff or more/less realistic stuff than their parents' generation. And also, I think a lot of people in general tend to overstate how much things have changed, both with the types of sets LEGO offers and the types of stuff today's kids enjoy.

Like, a lot of the types of sets popular with past generations like castles and spaceships are still extremely common, just not as consistently branded as LEGO Castle or LEGO Space. Hospitals in LEGO City are infrequent by comparison, but no more infrequent than they were in LEGO Town. System zoos and circuses are practically unheard of (while their Duplo equivalents are much more common), but that's been the case almost without exception for the entire history of LEGO.

As the cliche goes, "The more things change, the more they stay the same…"

pharmjod

Tl:dr

:)

msanders

For me, my vote goes with the newer Modulars with interior details. I have built CC and GG and they just don't do it for me. Having said that, I think Lego made a huge step forward with the exterior detail with the inventive use of pieces from the Parisian restaurant onwards. 

I love the interior details as it adds to the build experience for me and how the designers use pieces to create these features. 

I have fun building Modulars with my wife and she much much prefers these interior details. Also, I've had so so much fun with my son playing with the Modulars. Everytime I look at the Modulars I remember the great memories of the fun build experience and the time spent with my wife and son enjoying the details. Even without my wife and son involved, I hugely appreciate and love the interior details and hats off to the designers for some creating great art with Lego. 

So, massive vote for buildings with incredible exterior and interior details. 

bluedragon

I have a confession to make: I still play with Lego with my kids and enjoy the play features. If I move minifigs around, I bounce them just like they do. Don’t judge!

Pepster64

I personally would like to see a skyscraper modular building or maybe just a tall building (mostly like the route LEGO would go) with 6 or 8  or 10 floors (a tall hotel for example). 

Baby_Yoda

If I had a dollar every time @oldtodd33 described @Lyichir as "desperate" or "assuming"...

I think the argument that "real" adults should grow out of such childish things as "interiors" is ridiculous on a forum about adults playing with Lego. I think I speak for most people here when I say that I don't give a crap if others think my interests make me childish.

oldtodd33

^ You would have about two dollars. 

oldtodd33

But I will admit collecting Lego is inherently childish. And I really don't give a crap what others think about me either. 

SumoLego

That's it, I'm going to start collecting 'adult' things like licensing certificates, insurance statements and issues of the Economist.

pharmjod

You'll run out of space pretty quickly with those issues of the Economist.

SumoLego

That's it, I'm going back to collecting a highly sophisticated inter-locking brick system.

560Heliport

For me, it's all about building- even as a small child, I spent more time building than playing with what I'd built... I built a house? Well, it needs a garage, and a car, etc. Then it's time to modify- how would it look if the roof were blue instead of red? And anything that I'm not especially interested in- play feature, interior, whatever- heck, it's still something to be built... and more pieces! 

Aanchir

Another thing I like about the interiors of the Modular Buildings (and also about other divisive aspects, like the car in Downtown Diner) is just the way they further extend the level of authenticity and detail we're used to seeing in the exterior designs of the Modular Buildings. Sure, you COULD populate your modular town with regular City buildings, but City standards tend to be both more simplistic and less authentic. City vehicles, even those with a six-stud-wide chassis, tend to have no doors and only one front seat. City furniture tends to be downright plain, with most beds little more than a 2x6 plate with a 1x2 or 2x2 tile as a pillow (LEGO Friends, to its credit, tends to have a much higher standard of detail for its furnishings and interiors, often almost on par with the modular buildings).

The very idea of what each building is meant to represent also becomes that much more believable when you can clearly see how the interior details associated with a particular business can actually occupy that space. As many MOCists have realized, Cafe Corner's premise of a downstairs cafe and upstairs hotel is somewhat challenged by the difficulty of fitting a believable hotel lobby and rooms into two floors, each with fewer than 220 studs of available floor space. Likewise, Green Grocer's mailboxes imply at least four upstairs apartments, which seems rather implausible with only two floors of space. While the modular buildings do take a lot of creative liberties what with toilets and beds often being optional even in residential spaces and showers/bathtubs basically non-existent, the pressure of creating interiors does force designers to plan the exterior shapes and sizes of their buildings more realistically according to the practical needs associated with that type of building.

Not to mention, LEGO has a heck of a lot more exterior options with their buildings when interiors are a given. Can you imagine how preposterous the giant front windows of Grand Emporium, Downtown Diner, Assembly Square, etc. would look if the interiors were completely empty? Even Cafe Corner's windows were pushing it, particularly since the first floor interior didn't even have a finished floor! High-detail display pieces like the Creator Expert Landmarks Series certainly have their value, but even if a set does nothing but sit on a shelf, you should still be able to look at it closely without noticing parts that are so blatantly unfinished and lacking in detail!

madforLEGO

So tons of comments, hopeful it was a leak of the mod ...but no leaks, just a debate storm...

Given the state of my finances right now and all of the other expensive LEGO sets for me to still purchase, I have no problem waiting for the next mod release.

BiggiSnibbiBigg

We need some pictures... now

tamamahm

Interiors and play features are not even necessarily about play. For me the details are what sells a piece to me.

The old fishing store, HH, Ninjago City, The Docks, Winter Village line, Temple of Airjitzu

Those have all been buys for me because of the details both on the inside and on the outside.
The modulars I have gravitated the most to have also been those with the most interior details.

brianoblivion

Aanchir said:

 ...Green Grocer's mailboxes imply at least four upstairs apartments, which seems rather implausible with only two floors of space. 

I take it you've never lived in a NYC apartment building.

brianoblivion

I too appreciate the detail of the interiors and the various story lines that accompany some of the newer modulars. I'll never actually "play" with any of them but if they weren't there i'd feel like i was missing something integral.

Jern92

brianoblivion said:

Aanchir said:

 ...Green Grocer's mailboxes imply at least four upstairs apartments, which seems rather implausible with only two floors of space. 

I take it you've never lived in a NYC apartment building.

Come to Malaysia where some landlords divide a single house into 8 separate rooms, or more. 

jnscoelho

More than knowing what's coming, I'd like to know what's going... Especially now with the 2x VIP Points, it would be great to know for sure which modular is retiring at the end of this year, as I can only afford to buy one.

CCC

Pepster64 said:

I personally would like to see a skyscraper modular building or maybe just a tall building (mostly like the route LEGO would go) with 6 or 8  or 10 floors (a tall hotel for example). 

Some people did that reusing the middle floor of the CC or the top two floors of the GE. The problem with 8-10 stories is the price. Whereas buying multiples means people can do it while others can still afford the basic set.

Baby_Yoda

If a modular is retiring, and one likely will, it'll probably be #10243 Parisian Restaurant. It's the oldest one that Lego still sell.

jnscoelho

@Baby_Yoda That I know and that's usually the logic, from what I've read, but there have also been some rumours around the forum that this year might be different, that LEGO may not retire the oldest one but a less popular one... Like the Detective's Office or the Brick Bank.

pharmjod

I wouldn't wait for either detectives office or brick bank.