Oh man, I am soooo interested in getting all of the Modular Buildings sets but I need to move to a bigger house with way more display space before I can give in!* The Jazz Club – my ninth set, the 2023 announcement of which is what sparked my Lego addiction – will remain my only Modular Building for the time being.
*Same with the bigger Harry Potter sets. I won’t let myself buy any of those yet…giving in to Star Wars was bad enough. The only HP I’ve let myself get so far has been the new Hogwarts Express Book Nook (pre-ordered; it releases on 06/01, along with the Sherlock Holmes Book Nook that I’ve also pre-ordered).
I hope you can find the space— it’s a lot of fun and the quality is very nice especially after you put a couple sets together. The out of date sets can get very expensive. Sometimes I rearrange the little people around the city “block” in funny places or situations. Surely not an “adult” thing to do (and some friends do question the hobby, haha).
One thing, theyre tricky to dust. The palace cinema and carousel are particularly fragile
Indeed. The most expensive new set I’ve bought was $400 (the Grand Piano), but a couple months ago I spent $1100 on the retired Ghostbusters firehouse headquarters. It was a splurge to celebrate getting a promotion, but I definitely thought twice before pulling that particular trigger! I only started buying/building sets in March 2023, and I estimate that there is currently $7000 in Lego displayed in my house.
It ain’t a cheap hobby by any stretch. Hence, why many people turn to knockoffs.
A few months ago I bought a microfiber duster — made for dusting delicate items — that seems to be doing a good job. Some of the sets are quite persnickety, though!
That’s how I got the Ghostbusters Firehouse. It cost me $150AUD. It’s not exactly the same, there are some substitutions, but the build experience and end result are a match.
Do the clone sets match in scale and /or color? There are some nice looking sets but some seem a little too detailed or the colors look slightly brighter or different. E.g. you probably know the City lego sets will not scale to the creator modulars, although one could fit them in some cases… I would be most interested in matching the creator modulars in my town.
If you’re getting an exact replica, the scale and colours match. The issues with quality are now outdated, they have improved year on year. Originals are technically not allowed to match with official modular sets, but you can adapt them easily enough.
Going back to my comparison with jigsaw puzzles:
The process of building the puzzle is fun. You know you’ve completed it successfully when you see the finished product (and don’t have any pieces left ).
Then you can proudly show off your work.
But there isn’t really any issue of “quality” . It is the same for anybody who worked the puzzle. (Although in my family, it was kinda fun to tease each other about how fast you were )
Most Lego sets you may remember from childhood were designed for play. You build something fun and ramshackle, then afterwards you dismantle them and build something new.
But now there are Premium sets, intended for Display. You build them once, they have complex techniques and unique pieces giving them tiny and exacting detail, and they fit perfectly on a shelf like a sculpture or figurine.
Here is one I purchased for my collection, a recreation of the boat from the movie Jaws.
I inherited a small collection of lego at age 5 or so, and eagerly awaited every birthday and Xmas. It’s not cheap, so a real treat.
I’m not in the “build once and display” camp. I am in the “build once and then… inspiration!” side.
My brother and I built a self-designed variable pitch helicopter because we had heard that was how helicopters maintained altitude - ages 13 and 11. Techno lego was a godsend to boys that age.
I’ve given my collection (some of it now over 40 years old) to my own kids, and I have spent many happy hours with them building… well, anything. Marble runs. Aeroplanes. Boats. Spaceships.
It is probably the most iconic toy - and fun lessons - of my life.
I’ve been playing with Lego since I was tiny - maybe 1st grade or so? It was something that entertained Dad as much as it did me, and we spent hours building and playing. I still have every single set my parents gave me, although unfortunately most of them are packed away due to limited display space.
My main interest is in the modular sets; I have all of them except for the Market Street set (and a quick look around the internet tells me that lots of AFOL don’t consider this to be a “real” modular set anyway). I have five of those that are still in boxes, since I need to do a bit more rearranging to make space for them. I enjoy modifying the modular sets, even if it’s something that won’t be seen without removing each layer. The early sets were the best in this regard, since most of them were pretty much unfurnished. I’ve also really gotten into the botanical sets; the detail in those is really something.
My slippery slope is any of the medieval/castle/forest-themed sets. The somewhat recent update to the medieval village, along with the way it could be integrated with the big castle set, was especially tempting, but I really don’t have the space.
Has anyone tried Bricklink’s Studio app? I used it recently to mock up some modifications, and produce a little inventory of the required bricks; I really like it.
I just ordered another retired set: the 2021 Typewriter (from Amazon), which has been on my wish list for a while. Only $80 more than it originally listed for, which I feel isn’t bad at all. It should be delivered on Sunday…hopefully in the afternoon, so I’ll have most of that day + all of the Monday holiday to build. The Sherlock Holmes and Hogwarts Express book nooks will arrive about a week later.
I have no idea where I’m gonna display the typewriter. I’ll start thinking today/tomorrow, but I likely won’t decide until it’s built. Often I need to see the finished set before I really know where I want to put it (and figure out how to do so).
What a perfectly wonderful circle!
Jealous. (someday…)
I’m not one for mods – I’m a “follow the BI then display” person – so I’ve never tried the Studio app.
I have used it a little bit. When I first began exploring Lego as a proper hobby, I mocked up a house to build, based liberally on a pre-existing MOC* I found online, and rendered this:
So I gathered what pieces I could, and with adjustments to strengthen the structure, made this:
I was quite happy with it, but my plan to expand it into more, to make a full village, got unwieldy and a bit boring, so I abandoned that for a more interesting project as my next MOC, which is the Wizard Tower I showed earlier.
*a MOC is ‘My Own Creation’ a way to differentiate your own build from an official set
I finished the tower at last (the roof was tricky), and I have also made the neighbouring section with a waterfall. I am very happy with the progress. Now onto the next stage!
I second what Die_Capacitrix said! Very impressive!
You’d think I couldn’t possibly have any Lego-related news this soon, but on Friday I discovered that a THIRD book nook was released today: the Balrog from Lord of the Rings. Of course, I ordered it immediately! I’ve gotten shipping notices for the Sherlock Holmes and Hogwarts Express book nooks, which should both arrive tomorrow; I haven’t gotten a shipping notice for the Balrog yet, but I expect to see that soon.
Meanwhile, I thought I’d share photos of my three displays (all in the living room):
Hence, why many people turn to knockoffs.
)
(someday…)
