Tag Archives: Modular

LEGO released 10182 Cafe Corner in 2007, setting a new standard for large-scale modular buildings. Since then, LEGO has continued to release new structures in the modular building series — 10190 Market Street, 10185 Green Grocer, 10197 Fire Brigade, 10211 Grand Emporium, 10218 Pet Shop, and 10224 Town Hall as of 2012. Meanwhile, LEGO fans have adopted the “Cafe Corner standard” and built hundreds and hundreds of beautiful buildings that fit with the official sets. See some of the best here on The Brothers Brick.

Mini modular LEGO Ramen shop is very tasty.

This cute build by Dutch Thriceman is packed with delicious LEGO details inspired by many sources, and it all comes together beautifully. From the stacked angled roofs to the utility pole and air-conditioning unit, to those two birds on the top, it feels like something right out of a Studio Ghibli movie. The wandering vine, and the clothes drying on a rack are also nice touches. And what a satellite dish!

Ramen Shop - 16x16 Modular

But the fun details don’t stop with the outside…. This model features detailed interiors as well. Looks like this ramen shop is secretly serving Pigsy’s famous longest noodles from LEGO’s Monkie Kid. Pull up a stool if you like; I’m just about to tuck into a bowl.
Ramen Shop floor 1

LEGO Creation of the Week (#18): Wild West by W. Navarre

Every week readers of the The Brothers Brick Telegram channel choose the Creation of the Week: one project that impressed all of us the most. Something unimaginable happened last week. This competition is too small for seven builds… this is why only one stands! And it’s ilive with stunning Wild West diorama! Seriously, take a closer look if you are in search of some Western inspiration…

Meanwhile, the new vote is already on! Join our Telegram channel to follow all the best LEGO creations, latest news, and, of course, vote for your favorites. See you there!

How the Wild West was won

I don’t know why but I seem to love the Old West. No, seriously, I can’t explain why. It’s not like I dress like a gunslinger or watch Westerns or anything like that because really I don’t. So you can imagine how (unexplainably) pleased I was to see this amazing LEGO Wild West town built by ilive. This has everything you can expect from a booming Old West town: horses, train tracks, stagecoaches, even one of those western windmill dealios. You can get lost in all the amazing details. A layout this good makes me wish LEGO would bring back the Western theme from 1996. I mean, seriously, who didn’t lose their gunslinging, horse riding, cow rustling minds when Fort Legoredo came out?

Wild West

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LEGO Icons 10312 Modular Buildings Collection – Jazz Club : A great night out on the town modular [Review]

LEGO recently announced that it’s time to expand the Modular Buildings Collection with a new set of storefronts! The 2899 piece LEGO Icons 10312 Jazz Club will be available January 4th from the LEGO Shop Online for US $229.99 | CAN $299.99 | UK £199.99. This 18th set of buildings features not only the jazz club, but also a pizzeria, tailor’s shop, rooftop greenhouse, and eight exclusive minifigures. But is it a good fit for your neighborhood? Come along as we take a close look at this musical destination!

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Be Bopping right along

A micro modular build for all your space saving needs

Want a LEGO modular set, but don’t have the room for a large set? Jelle ter Veer has you covered with this micro-scaled version of the 10255 Assembly Square set. Same buildings, but in a smaller format that’ll easily fit on a desk. I always enjoy seeing large building sets made at a smaller scale because it’s always a treat to see how the builder realizes the defining details. Here, Jelle gives us the same shapes for the buildings, so right away we can tell where everything is. The signs for the base shops stand out with their hinted at shops: the café, the flower shop, and the bakery. And if the signs weren’t enough, the defining decorations of each shop are clearly present. The canopies and outdoor seating for the café, the flowers in the window for the flower shop, and the large display window of the bakery. And the fun doesn’t stop there! There’s also the fountain, surrounding street lights, and sidewalks in microscale. Using those little trophy figures, you can play and interact with the whole micro assembly much the same as the original.

Micro assembly square

This mini Brick Bank won’t break the bank

Back in 2015, LEGO came out with 10251 Modular Bank set. It retailed for $170 back then but, like most good investments, it appreciated in value and you’d have to shell out more than twice as much nowadays to get your greasy mitts on one. Or, adversely, you can do what Marion Weintraut has done and build a scaled-down version of it. Whether it be the archways, the corner clock or the little ladder out front, she doesn’t miss a detail with this tiny bank. There’s been a slew of microscale set remakes lately and we’re a little thrilled about it. Actually a lot thrilled, but the retro set remakes are still little. That came out weird but you know what I mean!

Mini Brick Bank 10251

The corner bookstore on Modular Street

If you’re in search of some excellent LEGO literature, then head on down to this corner bookshop modular by Flickr user thilo.schoen. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but this build reminds me of my many shopping trips through downtown Minneapolis in college. The façade of the building makes excellent use of depth. The insets of the arches, the windows set a half-stud in from the wall, and the grooved sand green bricks help break up the monotony of those repeated patterns. I love the detailing on the fire escape, displaying some strong work with bars and clips. But my favorite detail in the build has got to be the lampposts. Such a simple design, and yet it feels unique, and especially fitting given the style of the bookstore in the background.

City Books

The builder also provides some shots of the interior, showcasing the details of the bookstore, art gallery, apartment, and rooftop garden. The use of the art gallery’s logo on the interior and exterior is a great touch.

City Books

This is how the prose build

This modular LEGO bookstore from Lorddan413 is one I’d love to spend some time in! The unassuming storefront welcomes you in with the bright flower barrels and lit sconces. Once inside, the store expands and envelopes, not unlike a story at the opening of a book. The many windows give plenty of light for exploring the shelves full of books and knick-knacks. The books! Were this a shop I could visit, I’d be looking through each and every one of them. Lorddan413 creates the motley tomes by varying the use of plates, tiles, and slopes. The cat in the basement and the mouse hole it watches are a nice touch! In fact, the whole basement area is intriguing, what with the private stash of books and those bottles that seem rather scientific–or even magical. Maybe the shop owner dabbles in arcane physics? A mystery to explore with future visits. As if I needed an excuse to return to a bookstore!

8x32 Modular Bookstore

Taking nice part usage a bridge too far

Eero Okkonen isn’t a stranger when it comes to using LEGO parts in an interesting way. For this episode of LEGO nice parts usage the star is the rope bridge. A part first used in 1989 that only appeared in 13 sets. In this case, Eero used the rope bridge as an architectural detail over a gateway. Using trans clear 2×2 slopes for windows is a really smart little detail. We often see trans bricks used for windows but never slopes. Mostly because the side of the slope that is placed at an angle isn’t as clear as the rest of the brick due to its texture. Also, the tube in the middle of the brick is quite noticeable. Something you do not want if you are looking for a piece to represent glass. But not all glass is transparent and smooth. Sometimes glass is textured and semi-transparent or decorated in one way or another. The brown tower rooftop looks like an absolute hell to construct and it is nice to see how it matches the other little turrets with its sand green tip. I can not finish this article without mentioning the ingot bars used for brickwork.

Mesilinna

LEGO Monkie Kid 80036: The City of Lanterns – The Monkie Kid city we’ve been waiting for [Review]

Ever since the Monkie Kid theme first launched, there have been many amazing sets, featuring huge mechs and mech-like figures, bright and colorful fully over-the-top vehicles and accessories, and a whole host of villains and minions. But aside from a few small buildings, and a headquarters on a cargo boat, there has not been much in the way of shops or restaurants to populate the world the characters live in. All that is about to change with LEGO 80036: The City of Lanterns. A stacked city scene consisting of eight individual buildings attached to a two-level structure complete with an elevated train. I am super excited about this set, and can’t wait to break it all down for you.

The City of Lanterns comes with 2,197 pieces and will be available on January 1st, for US $149.99 | CAN $179.99 | UK £114.99

The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Read on for our full review of this dazzling city set

Maybe it’s a Donut Shop franchise.

I think it’s cool when LEGO builders are inspired to take elements of existing sets and spin them into their own creations. Alex Eylar began by surgically removing the Donut Shop from the 10278 Police Station, striving to keep the modular aspects intact. They then added an adorable bookstore to make the place even more inviting. It feels like the perfect corner to spend a chilly autumn morning exploring. Even if the replication of the Donut Shop suggests it’s more of a chain than a mom-and-pop operation.

Donut Shop & Bookstore

The interior of the bookshop is worth a closer look, too. Can you almost smell the scent of used books mingling with the baking from next door? I know I can.

Donut Shop & Bookstore

I was amused to find we had a tag for “donut” already – why not take a moment and check out how to make a donut from LEGO bricks? (Probably not how you’re thinking.)

Jazz to your next trip to the bank

This latest creation by Andrew Tate brings some 1920s style to a staple modular of any LEGO city. Standing at four stories tall and topped with a clock tower, Andrew’s Art Deco bank has both the perfect color scheme and expertly designed architectural details. The light bluish gray concrete facade flaunts a variety of textures and geometric patterns, ranging from your standard 1×2 grille and log bricks to 1×1 pyramids and angled tiles. The use of SNOT with tiles achieves a sturdy look fit for a bank, while techniques like the slightly offset dark green cheese slope detailing and gold accents around the windows break that monotony.

Bank

Click here to see get a closer look at the details of this Art Deco beauty