2019 Modular Rumours

gmonkey76

Due to a trip to the emergency room and a small stay in the hospital my LEGO purchases will have to be severely cut back, for awhile. It would be nice to know what it is so I can plan accordingly. I know I should have a year to get it, but somethings are just a day one purchase. I was hoping to pick up a few of my older wanted sets with double points and the frame promo, but maybe if I'm lucky I can get two frame promos in.

veritas313

To keep in line with the actual thread I decided to google Lego modular 2019 and an image of 10265 - Post office came up. It looks really authentic - box only. The set is absolutely beautiful - has anyone else seen this or is this fake news?

fourstud

It's fake.

veritas313

I won't post the pic as I know it would just get removed.

Astrobricks

veritas313 said:

To keep in line with the actual thread I decided to google Lego modular 2019 and an image of 10265 - Post office came up. It looks really authentic - box only. The set is absolutely beautiful - has anyone else seen this or is this fake news?

I did the same and the first thing that comes up for an image search is on brickpicker and it says right in the caption/subject, whatever, that it’s a MOC.

stlux

We have already had that picture up. By the talented @Bricked1980 (member of this forum) but obvious fake.

BiggiSnibbiBigg

I wish they would return to the habit of showing pictures - or at least teasers - a good amount of time before release, like they used to do before DD last year, which was unveiled late november... Too. Long. Must. Have. Info. Now. Or. My. Mother. Will. Freeze. Me.

The_Stud

I've got a feeling that the Brick Bank will be next to go. Amazon puts that set on sale pretty consistently, which they normally don't do for D2C sets like the Modular Buildings. Remember that Lego doesn't always retire the Modulars based off of which one has been around the longest, like in the case of the Town Hall retiring before the Pet Shop.

If I recall correctly, it was around this time last year that pictures of the Downtown Diner leaked. Maybe within the next couple weeks, we will see a similar occurance with the 2019 Modular Building.

Pitfall69

All these comments and there was no mention of MS not being a Modular? ;)

I am a fan of the interiors, but I would much rather not have the interiors finished. When on a display shelf or even in a city set up; you can't see most of the interior of the Modular Buildings anyway. If you must have an interior, you can easily make one :)

When I build my Modular buildings for my display, I don't build the minifigures or the vehicles (if included) and I some of the time; I don't even finish the interiors. I have thousands of extra minifigures to populate my city and there are plenty of stand alone vehicles to add. 

datsunrobbie

BiggiSnibbiBigg said:

I wish they would return to the habit of showing pictures - or at least teasers - a good amount of time before release, like they used to do before DD last year, which was unveiled late november... Too. Long. Must. Have. Info. Now. Or. My. Mother. Will. Freeze. Me.

Reduced lead times may have to do with getting product to market before cloners. 

ReesesPieces

I would also say the brick bank or the detective's office due to the recent discounts.  However, the detective's office seems to be MIA in the most recent catalogue so....

Aanchir

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.

Perhaps I should have been clearer — for a REAL apartment building there’s nothing at all unrealistic about that. But LEGO buildings in general tend to have far less spacious interiors. The Big Bang Theory set requires a 16x28 space (448 studs) for just the living room, and that’s more floor space than some LEGO City/Friends/Creator sets get for an entire 2–3 story house!

One of the smallest LEGO house/apartments we’ve seen that still feels livable, Koko and Lloyd’s apartment from Ninjago City, has an 8x8 (64 stud) interior floor plan — and that’s an apartment INTENDED to feel small, cheap, and cramped. Green Grocer, a much fancier-looking building by comparison, has about 230 free studs per story (assuming walkways a minimum of 3 studs wide set aside for stair access), but I think you'll find that fitting two 64-stud apartments without any walls bisecting the windows, fireplace, and/or fire escape is no small feat. Most Green Grocer interior mods I've seen don't even manage to fit more than one bed and one kitchen, let alone four separate apartments!

Brickchap

Sadly, the post office is fake. Its an awesome MOC but there's pictures of it next to Brickpicker's steam tractor. I would really like an official modular post office though. And an old postal van would be nice too.

Say, previously on forums people have found a rough pattern of what modulars are 'themed' as. Such as Retail, Government/official and food/restaurant. Since we had DD this year, obviously something like an Italian restaurant is extremely unlikely next year. Plus we definitely know its a corner building (or corner style). So, if anyone can remember the pattern, whats the next one? government maybe? Residential? (i.e hotel)

It's pretty likely that 2019 will be another 50s streamline moderne modular, otherwise DD would be too out of place. I'm thinking a car dealership, petrol station or maybe even a retro style hotel. Or a dance hall. Not sure what else they could do for something uniquely '50s' as a diner.

CCC

Pitfall69 said:

I am a fan of the interiors, but I would much rather not have the interiors finished. When on a display shelf or even in a city set up; you can't see most of the interior of the Modular Buildings anyway. If you must have an interior, you can easily make one :)

Why not take that further?

If it is on a display shelf, you cannot see the back. So the backs could go. In fact, if on a display shelf connected to neighbouring buildings, you cannot see the sides. So they can go as well. If you must have sides for the end two buildings, you can easily make them :)

Modular facades.

Bumblepants

^I do make a lot of shortcuts like that in some of my modular mocs. I have made plain backs, ugly colors where bricks won't be seen, lack of interior or stairs between levels. I would be deeply disappointed in an official set doing that though.

msanders

CCC said:

Pitfall69 said:

I am a fan of the interiors, but I would much rather not have the interiors finished. When on a display shelf or even in a city set up; you can't see most of the interior of the Modular Buildings anyway. If you must have an interior, you can easily make one :)

Why not take that further?

If it is on a display shelf, you cannot see the back. So the backs could go. In fact, if on a display shelf connected to neighbouring buildings, you cannot see the sides. So they can go as well. If you must have sides for the end two buildings, you can easily make them :)

Modular facades.

I think it's a very good point. The argument that you can make your own interiors is valid but I think much harder for people to achieve - I love seeing what the designers come up with and I'm not good enough to be able to achieve such great results. Plus they often introduce recolours of pieces which may not have been released without creating these interiors. 

On the flip side also, surely it's much easier for people to add additional floors or extending the height of each floor - the existing instructions will be easy to follow to achieve this. 

omnium

msanders said:

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. 

This. Absolutely this. I also build modulars with my wife, and we really enjoy all the details, whether they are inside or out.

We've often commented how it would be nice if the interiors were 100% complete: fully tiled floors, etc... But realise this would drive the price up more.

More than anything, the introduction of toilets, with proper doors, made my wife happy :-)

Boardshorts85

Brickchap said:

Sadly, the post office is fake. Its an awesome MOC but there's pictures of it next to Brickpicker's steam tractor. I would really like an official modular post office though. And an old postal van would be nice too.

Say, previously on forums people have found a rough pattern of what modulars are 'themed' as. Such as Retail, Government/official and food/restaurant. Since we had DD this year, obviously something like an Italian restaurant is extremely unlikely next year. Plus we definitely know its a corner building (or corner style). So, if anyone can remember the pattern, whats the next one? government maybe? Residential? (i.e hotel)

It's pretty likely that 2019 will be another 50s streamline moderne modular, otherwise DD would be too out of place. I'm thinking a car dealership, petrol station or maybe even a retro style hotel. Or a dance hall. Not sure what else they could do for something uniquely '50s' as a diner.

I will be curious to see if it is in fact a corner this year.  Yes its "due" on the rotation, but so many people turned DD into a de facto corner that I'd leave open the possibility of getting something else. 

playwell

I think we will get a corner and I dont think Lego will view the dinner as a corner but Assembly Square could be seen as a one off that has a bit of a inverted corner about it and Lego might not think of it as one of their two straights. I hope we do get a proper corner, the brick bank didn't really make full use of it.

PapaBear

They should give us a drive in movie with an elongated baseplate.  It could double as a parking lot.  I need somewhere to store all the cars they've been giving us.

SumoLego

I'd still be examining buildings in Hill Valley for inspiration.  Maybe someplace I can buy a sports almanac...

fourstud

SMC said:

I think we will get a corner and I dont think Lego will view the dinner as a corner but Assembly Square could be seen as a one off that has a bit of a inverted corner about it and Lego might not think of it as one of their two straights. I hope we do get a proper corner, the brick bank didn't really make full use of it.

DD literally isn't a corner building either soo..

MrJackson

yea but the cool thing about DD is that it can function as an endcap similarly to the PR. The Parisian has the windows on the side where the kitchen is so it lends itself to being joined to another modular, or being an endpiece. Problem is, it has to be an end, not a corner. And both the Diner and the Restaurant suffer the same issue of what to put on the shorter, non-structural side. 

Paperballpark

^ you put the other one, of course!

Brickchap

@MrJackson

Yeah, while I love PR, it is probably one of the most difficult buildings to place in my city due to the 'corner/end' design. It really needs to be looking out on a park or something. And the 'walled, building side' (opposite side to balcony) is also too thin to match perfectly with any of the other modulars I own so it always is inset a bit which I don't like because it looks bad with the front outdoor seating area (the chained off area).

DD is a similar story. Its a lot easier to put alongside another building but personally I think it looks bad when the 'non structural side', as you put it, is up against another building. It looked alright next to the cafe building in AS but currently I have it on its own with a road on the 'non structural side' and a petrol station on the other side.

Poor old PR has to sit all alone next to a park and obscure the view of the railway station.

Does anyone else like to 'match up' modulars? I find that the laundromat of BB and detectives office look really really good together, as does the bakery of AS next to Grand Emporium, so I always put those two next to each other. Town Hall and PC are another two modulars that are difficult to 'match up'.

Still waiting on an official 16x32 modular to fix up that pesky gap from AS...

A modular construction site (like the Lego Ideas project) would fix that problem, especially if they made the under construction building less built to save the parts needed for the extra 16x32 of space.

Baby_Yoda

^ My Detective's Office pool room is currently adjacent to my Palace Cinema. When I get Brick Bank in the next few months, I'll have to consider how the laundromat looks there instead. That is, if it doesn't retire this year like the rumours say...

I was crushed when the Modular Construction Site didn't make it, but in my heart I knew it never would. It wouldn't be very difficult to mod, though - after all, it's just a half-finished building, so you don't need particularly good MOCing skills to create your own. Damn, now I'm inspired...

Astrobricks

Baby_Yoda said:

I was crushed when the Modular Construction Site didn't make it, but in my heart I knew it never would. It wouldn't be very difficult to mod, though - after all, it's just a half-finished building, so you don't need particularly good MOCing skills to create your own. Damn, now I'm inspired...

Me too! Maybe I’ll turn my second BB into a construction site where they’re expanding the bank. 

Astrobricks

Speaking of matching up modulars, does anyone ever just leave a skinny gap between them and build a creepy alley with some dumpsters and stray cats in it? That might help use up some of the space that AS leaves.

J0rgen

The fact that DO and BB match up so well is the reason those are the two modulars I own :) I like that shabby, old American street feel they have. Perfect for super heroes!

CCC

Astrobricks said:

Speaking of matching up modulars, does anyone ever just leave a skinny gap between them and build a creepy alley with some dumpsters and stray cats in it? That might help use up some of the space that AS leaves.

Careful, or a developer will come and build an "alley house" in that gap.

SumoLego

CCC said:

Careful, or a developer will come and build an "alley house" in that gap.

Huh.  That looks more like Urban Toejam.

Aanchir

omnium said:

msanders said:

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. 

This. Absolutely this. I also build modulars with my wife, and we really enjoy all the details, whether they are inside or out.

We've often commented how it would be nice if the interiors were 100% complete: fully tiled floors, etc... But realise this would drive the price up more.

More than anything, the introduction of toilets, with proper doors, made my wife happy :-)

I don't mind the lack of fully tiled floors in a lot of cases because sometimes the varied textures can serve an illustrative purpose… for example, differentiating smooth, shiny. slippery tiles from areas that are meant to be a more textured real-life floor material like carpet or unfinished concrete. From more of a practical perspective, it also means more places where minifigures, animals, etc can be securely fastened, which both increases some of the play/display options and means that figures in the higher stories won't be as likely to tumble about if you remove the higher stories to access the interiors of the lower ones.

Boardshorts85

Brickchap said:

@MrJackson

Does anyone else like to 'match up' modulars? 

I try to group mine by relative scale.  The 16w (or less) variation created by the BB w/ laundry, DO, PS and AS creates a pretty vibrant street wall to my eye

Aanchir

As far as "matching up" modulars goes, one of the bigger considerations I try to keep in mind is that the chimneys of one building shouldn't be lower than the roofs of an adjacent building — otherwise it's a potential fire hazard. Considering how varied the heights of the modular buildings are and how many have chimneys, finding layouts that can adequately account for this can be easier said than done.

Alleys are generally a good idea, and in a lot of cases it makes sense to include them anyhow — do you think that when new deliveries arrive to the Grand Emporium, etc, they want the delivery trucks parked right out front and potentially blocking access to the building for customers (if the deliveries arrive during business hours)? Some of the buildings like Market Street, Assembly Square, Green Grocer, and Detective's Office have built-in alleyways, but most of these are suitable only for pedestrians, not trucks or cars.

That said, I generally think that 8x32 alleys feel more suitable than a 16x32 alley unless you really fill them out with dumpsters, street vendors, and/or a covered walkway like the one in Market Street. Because LEGO buildings in general, even the Modular Buildings, tend to be heavily compressed in size, and an alley as wide or wider than some of the smaller buildings on a modular street feels a bit too large by comparison.

omnium

Aanchir said:

omnium said:

msanders said:

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. 

This. Absolutely this. I also build modulars with my wife, and we really enjoy all the details, whether they are inside or out.

We've often commented how it would be nice if the interiors were 100% complete: fully tiled floors, etc... But realise this would drive the price up more.

More than anything, the introduction of toilets, with proper doors, made my wife happy :-)

I don't mind the lack of fully tiled floors in a lot of cases because sometimes the varied textures can serve an illustrative purpose… for example, differentiating smooth, shiny. slippery tiles from areas that are meant to be a more textured real-life floor material like carpet or unfinished concrete. From more of a practical perspective, it also means more places where minifigures, animals, etc can be securely fastened, which both increases some of the play/display options and means that figures in the higher stories won't be as likely to tumble about if you remove the higher stories to access the interiors of the lower ones.

Valid point. I avoid the problem by strategically placing studs where I want a minifig/animal/whatever to be placed.

Eg, if you look closely in this shot, you can see that under "my" right foot, instead of a 1x2 yellow tile, I have a 1x1 yellow plate and a 1x1 yellow tile:




note, I chose purple and yellow for my duvet because of available colours in my parts collection, not because that's what I have at home :-)

Pitfall69

I chose to place a road plate between my PR and PC. It gets to still be attached to a row of buildings and still looks like it belongs where it is.

Pitfall69

CCC said:

Astrobricks said:

Speaking of matching up modulars, does anyone ever just leave a skinny gap between them and build a creepy alley with some dumpsters and stray cats in it? That might help use up some of the space that AS leaves.

Careful, or a developer will come and build an "alley house" in that gap.

In the US; we refer to these types of buildings as "Spite Houses" 

Bumblepants

@Pitfall69 where did you put the other half of green grocer?

brianoblivion

Bumblepants said:

@Pitfall69 where did you put the other half of green grocer?

i was about to ask the same thing. Where did you put the other half of green grocer?? And don't try and lie about it, you will only make things more difficult for yourself.

Boardshorts85

Pitfall69 said:

I chose to place a road plate between my PR and PC. It gets to still be attached to a row of buildings and still looks like it belongs where it is.

That is an excellent little GG build.  I may have to steal that...

natro220

It reminds me of Grimmauld Place in Harry Potter, I half expect it to expand to its full width while looking at it.

BiggiSnibbiBigg

datsunrobbie said:

BiggiSnibbiBigg said:

I wish they would return to the habit of showing pictures - or at least teasers - a good amount of time before release, like they used to do before DD last year, which was unveiled late november... Too. Long. Must. Have. Info. Now. Or. My. Mother. Will. Freeze. Me.

Reduced lead times may have to do with getting product to market before cloners. 

I’m a bit skeptical that such a strategy actually works. Those who want the original set buys that one when it comes out just a few weeks after the release of a replica. Those who buys the replica wouldn’t have bought the original one anyway. I doubt that having a replica a few weeks before having the option to buy the original is decisive for people who usually buys the original set. It’s a different story when it comes to retired sets, because they’re no longer available/too expensive on the private market.

Bricked1980

Looks as if Detectives Office might be the next modular to get the chop. In the new Lego store Christmas catalogue it is listed on the page with sets retiring soon.

SumoLego

Fire Station retiring soon!  I wonder if there will be another one in the future...

PJ76uk

I, wrongly, assumed the oldest would go first. So in the last double points event I picked up Parisian Restaurant. Guess I will have to order Detectives Office now! Hopefully a nice promo is forthcoming....

Paperballpark

Detective's Office may be on the page where it says 'many retiring soon!' (i.e. some of them aren't), but at least it's in the catalogue, unlike the Brick Bank!

SumoLego

PJ76uk said:

I, wrongly, assumed the oldest would go first.

Never make that assumption!  If you want to join the 'AFOLs Burned by the Non-Sequential Retirement of the Town Hall' we meet alternating Thursdays in the  shopping cart return at the abandoned TRU on Route 78.

Switchfoot55

^I must have a local chapter of said group. I drove through a TRU parking lot to get to another store last week and there were four cars parked by a shopping cart return with the drivers and passengers out with lawn chairs and side tables having a meal together. Looked like a nice garden salad and some pasta from what I could tell? 

I thought it was strange. But it all makes sense now. 

madforLEGO

I guess people should listen to the catalog because that has always been proven to be a reliable source of information. ;-)

Where does it say the Detective office is specifically being retired soon? I do not see that. I see the top of the page saying 'many are retiring soon'... 'many' does not equal 'all'.  I'm would say that the Slave 1 UCS and Ferris Wheel are more likely to retire soon; not the Detective office. Detective office will still be around I believe. Parisian restaurant however is likeliest next to go (based on history of the Mods).

I also wish people would stop pointing to Town Hall as an example that mods can retire early. It was not a typical mod (dictated by pricing and it being larger than typical mods) and it going after two years should not have been a complete shock. Now, based on that, I would be more concerned about someone who has been waiting on buying the Assembly Square as I would not be surprised if that one goes after 2 years.

SumoLego

Switchfoot55 said:

I thought it was strange. But it all makes sense now. 

No, you were right the first time.  It is strange.  Bring some hummus and kale next time.