Each year Lego puts out an exclusive modular building and they are always pretty special. In January of 2015, Detective's Office (10246) hits the shelves. Pricing is set at $159.99 for this 2,262 piece kit that measures over 10" high and is packed full of awesome play and gorgeous design. The set is split into six distinct areas over three floors of building: This area features some really special stuff like an awesome ceiling fan that can be rotated out of the way so you have better access to the brick built pool table. There is a 2x2 round tile with a printed dart board as well; this is a brand new element. I believe that the window elements for the front also have The Highlander printed on them as there is no mention of stickers for this set. This is a very small but functional barber shop with one really cool secret. There is a secret door behind the cabinet leading to the rear of the building for smuggling contraband through, then another secret passageway under the stairs leading to the pool hall to deliver the smuggled goods to the party on that side.
We also get some scissors as a new minifigure accessory and an actual element with a reflective surface for the mirror in the shop, not a sticker as we originally thought. On the left side of the second floor is the office of Ace Brickman, Private Detective. The first thing to notice here is that the walls on all sides are created with profile bricks or "brick bricks" as many in the AFOL community call them. There is a lot of printed tile in here as well: a wanted poster, map, ship painting, newspaper and a few different letters, one of which is hidden in the wall. Also on the second floor, across the hall from the detective's office, is a bathroom with a pull chain toilet, a Lego first. I'm glad they've started including restrooms into more sets. On the third floor, right side, we have a kitchen complete with some cabinets, a stove and a gigantic rolling pin. This is apparently where the illegal "cookies" are made before they are smuggled down to the pool players. On the roof we have a big water tower and a skylight which looks into the detective's office so that the baddies can keep dibs on his whereabouts during their smuggling operations.
As always, this set will snap together with previous modular buildings via some Technic pins at the base. It looks right at home next to the Parisian Restaurant (10243) and Palace Cinema (10232). I'm really looking forward to adding it to my city street and helping Ace Brickman solve some crime in my little Legopolis. Lego has added the designer video to their YouTube channel now as well. Jamie Berard goes over the entire model.Grand Emporium228 ReviewsFIND MORE PRODUCTS LIKE THISBuildingsWelcome to the grand opening of the Grand Emporium!LEGO is keen to hear your views on their packing. Here’s a copy of their invite: We are a team of packaging designers belonging to the LEGO product development department. Our key mission is to design packaging that supports a strong LEGO product experience. We are conducting this survey among RLUGs/RLFMs since we know that you have a great deal of experience with our products and packaging! To achieve our mission it is important for us to get an understanding of how you perceive the LEGO packaging experience.
Please complete the survey before March 6, 2017. Thank you in advance for your feedback – it is highly appreciated! The LEGO Packaging Experience Design Team I did a bunch of BrickLink orders last weekend for my contribution to the Eurobricks collaboration for Brickworld in Chicago in June. I can’t give you a sneak peak of that. However, it did remind me that I hadn’t yet uploaded the little MOC that I entered (unsuccessfully) for the event kit contest for the convention. This MOC of a TV studio camera and lighting truss was inspired by the theme for Brickworld Chicago 2017 – “Lights, Camera, Action”. You can download the instructions from the Downloads page. Snaillad (Andrew Tate) has again shown us his exceptional design skills with the headquarters for the Astrid and Associates Architecture firm. The 1930’s building has been renovated inside and out to showcase the architectural firm’s skills. Judging by the results, I expect they will have plenty of new clients to keep them busy!
My favourite detail on the outside is the way that the ground floor windows on the left have been framed by the arches, followed by the tall window above the entrance. The interior features a modern decor, with a funky meeting table and clever storage for all the architectural drawings. Head over to the Flickr album for more shots of this beautiful building. Thanks for the inspiration, Snaillad! Hope everyone gets to spend some quality time with their loved ones today! I did a review of Heartlake Cupcake Cafe (41119) for Friends Bricks back in April 2016. At that time, I had a fairly clear vision of what the modular version would look like. It’s only taken 10 months to finally get around to turning the vision into an actual building! I’ve called this one Naomi’s Place, since Naomi runs the cafe. I loved the entrance for the Heartlake Cupcake Cafe, especially the stained glass window above the front door and the windows framed using the ornamental arches.
This section of the building was 16 studs wide and was therefore a natural starting point for the conversion to a modular building. There was the matter of the gaps on the sides of the arches, but I filled those using a technique similar to that used by LEGO in the Winter Village Toy Shop (10199). I also loved the outdoor seating area and was able to incorporate a similar structure in the rooftop terrace. My daughter also decided that this was the perfect place for the rotating cake display. So, while it lost the round windows, it didn’t lose the whole display! The ground floor and rooftop are furnished with the fittings from the official model. The first floor remain empty, but this could readily be converted to more seating (maybe move the couch there?) or the bakery / kitchen for the cafe. You can find more images of Naomi’s Place on flickr and you can download the instructions for the structure here. I don’t normally showcase other building scales, but I couldn’t go passed these Mini Modulars by de-marco.
The level of detail that de-marco has captured in these four buildings is awe-worthy. My favourite is the bank, followed closely by the second from the left, which I’m guessing is a townhouse. Although small in scale, de-marco has made the bank look like a grand building with an imposing entrance. I also love the shop front on the bakery. Head over to the Flickr album for a closer look at these pint-sized perfections! Designed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of modular buildings by LEGO, Assembly Square (10255) stands out in terms of design, size and parts selection. Let’s take a closer look why. Read the full review here. carebear has created stunning corner modular building to provide a garage, storage area and general workshop for his museum. The Garage features a striking facade and three fully furnished floors for parking museum vehicles, storing artefacts and museum staff to prepare, maintain and repair museum exhibits. One of my favourite details on this building is the way that the roof is done, especially the inclusion of the skylights and the use of the sloped grill pieces:
The Garage is as beautifully done on the inside as it is on the outside, so make sure to check out the whole building in high-resolution on Brickshelf, and then head over to Eurobricks to join the conversation about this stunning building. Thanks for the inspiration carebear! Hope everyone has a very happy and prosperous 2017! Eliza (Elizabeth Nevermind) has hit all the high notes with the four storey Music Store. Dark Red and Dark Blusih Grey are one of my favourite combinations for modular buildings. Eliza has taken this a step further, with depth in the facade created by the colour and texture variation in the brick work. I love the details on the cornices, especially the use of the bow and arrow pieces and the 1×2 Technic bricks on their side. Other details that caught my eye were the fire escape on the side of the building and the “Music” sign. On the inside, the ground floor of the Music Store has a range of instruments on display.