About the Parisian restaurant, here in Europe it is quite normal to have an open kitchen in a restaurant. So being a Parisian restaurant it is just super okay.
@Mel J Yes, I know, it's a huge amount. But if you can't afford it, you can have them for less than half the price as very accurate chinese copies, but the the company that was producing them has been sued by Lego. Si it doesn't exist anymore, but you still can find theire products online
@@littlemissgiggles165 In my opinion, the book shop doesn't deserve to stand along those 2 sets. The interiors are poor, and the price per brick is relatively high. There are other Creators sets that are much more interesting and beautiful. But yes, after all, it's a question of personnal tastes
@@ulysse21 I love the look of the outside of the book shop but not a huge fan of the inside. I think I like it as when I was younger I used to spend all my time with my head in books or in book shops but now I spend a lot of time with lego so incorporates both
I love how subjective the Modulars are for people. No two lists of favorites are the same. Every one of them is somebody’s favorite. They are all so well done. One thing I have noticed. I recently started lighting my city. How the buildings are lit, and how they are displayed makes a huge difference in your subjective opinion of a given building. My City is a shelf setup that runs around three walls of my small office at shoulder height. So you largely view my city at Street level. With lighting the Downtown Diner, the Palace Cinema, and the Corner Garage are astonishing at how they change and come to life at that viewing angle. The Diner especially becomes something akin to an Edward Hopper painting.
Great list, though I was surprised about pet shop ranking so low. It’s not as detailed in the interior as some newer sets, but it just oozes a cozy charisma. It does feel like and end to an era set.
That was a neat little rundown of all the modulars, thanks for that! The Bookshop is my very first modular, and I adore it. I will probably pick up the Downtown Diner next, though I don’t think it will look right next to the Bookshop, so I guess I’ll have to get Assembly Square soon after that. All the older modulars do look great from the outside, but Lego sure seems to have raised the bar with the interiors with the last half dozen or so, and I like that the newer ones come with fancier minifig faces. They better keep these coming for another decade or so. I’m hoping for a chocolate shop eventually.
It's the Palace Cinema that will hold a special place for me...I had just paid off my student loans and finally had extra money burning a hole in my pocket. The set was just released, and I had never seen any of the modular sets before it...it was just so much different/mature than other Lego sets I was familiar with from my childhood. I have 6 other modulars, only one of which - Assembly Square - made your top 5.
Ranking these buildings is so subjective. My order changes heavily on my mood. Cafe corner is one of my favorites too. I hardly ever look inside them so the exterior is the biggest factor in my rankings. Thank you for posting.
I just found the Detectives office and Parisian restaurant at our local antique mall. They were complete sets with everything in the box. $200 each plus the booth had 15% off. I think my son is going to be excited for these on Christmas 🎄 🤞🏼
It is my second favourite modular after Assembly Square. I like it fot the story, details and plain, yet very structural facade. Walls made of gold bricks are so great!
For me: 1. Detective's Office: This has always been my favorite. For me (as you can probably tell), interior is important, and I think this has the best interior. I dislike the third floor, though. 2. Assembly Square: The size is awesome; the biggest modular ever. The price seemed like a lot, but after building it, It seems okay. I love all the little references. 3. Parisian Restaurant: This is a common choice for #1, but I think it would be a little overrated at that spot. The design is great. The interior is great. This is a great building. 4. Corner Garage: I surprisingly like this one. I love the color and the interior is superb for the subject manner. The first TV in a modular is also cool. The tow truck is also great. 5. Downtown Diner: I like this modular. The car is nice, the first floor is my favorite. The other floors are just okay. The switch to non-classic faces haunts me to this day. 6. Fire Brigade: My favorite of the early modulars. It has a great truck, a cool second floor, a gold bell, and a really nice brick design. The big black doors in the black are also great. 7. Brick Bank: I like the design for this one. I love the laundromat and vault. Also, the storyline is great and the building feels realistic. 8. Bookshop: The exterior is amazing, but the interior is bad; especially for 2020. It also feels small for $180. It does split into two buildings, though. 9. Town Hall: It was cool seeing a massive building, but the interior was just okay. It feels plain, but I think they did the best they could for a town hall because they should look plain. 10. Green Grocer: I had this one, and sold it. It was a great successor to the Cafe Corner. The lack of a full interior really hurts this one, but the price is great. 11. Grand Emporium: Great value, but I don't really like the design. It just feels unrealistic. I do love the billboard and window washer details. 12. Cafe Corner: I never owned this one, but the lack of an interior really hurts it. Its great exterior and nostalgia puts it above a couple other buildings. 13. Pet Shop: Small, not a great interior, basic, and the brown building just feels like a missed opportunity. But, at least they split apart I guess. 14. Palace Cinema: Decent exterior, but disappointing interior and only two floors. 15. Market Street: Small, no interior, doesn't look the greatest. (I never owned it though)
I bought and build all the modulars. My score is based on the feeling I had building them at the moment they were released: 1. Green Grocer 2. Cafe Corner 3. Town hall Keep on doing the great work on your channel!
In 2008 (at the ripe age of 11) I bought both the Green Grocer and Cafe corner, still have these two sets in pristine condition all these years later. Even brought these two sets with me to uni abroad. Now that Im working, finally bought my third ever modular set, boutique hotel, and boy do those three sets looks beautiful 😍
Can you add captions. For deaf and hard of hearing people like me who enjoy legos and want to see your opinion. Thanks! Edit: 1+ weeks seriously Alex I would like to be able to understand what is your opinion as I’m very curious and been coming back to this video daily.
I remember staying up building cafe corner way back in 5th grade and being so proud of it. I definitely feel the emotional connection and was super happy to see it land first on the list.
I've been collecting them since the Palace Cinema! I'm 14 now! I always saved through the year and asked for money instead of presents at Christmas so I could get the new set. Over the years, I have bought from a few private seller and I'm only missing the Cafe Corner and Market Street.
@@theminesweeper1 they were a nightmare to find! I managed find someone who had both sets and it was roughly £1000 but I certainly felt that price because I did all sorts of chores and chipped in the money I'd saved over a year to eventually be able to afford them. Do you have any of the modulars?
Great video Alex, I've been an avid lego star wars collector and now i am building all the modulars. I was so excited to build the fire brigade but the dark red pieces were so brittle that alot of them broke so it kinda ruined the enjoyment for me. I'm saving cafe corner and green grocer for the last builds. Keep up the great work, god bless
Here's my top 5 starting with the best. 1. Parisian Restaurant. This is the masterwork of the series. I won't go into all the reasons why, but I can't think of any aspect I wish they did better. 2. Detective's Office. The room on the third floor is a bit odd because it obscures some of the windows, but the depth of the set and the pure fun of the detective office and pool hall make up for that. 3. Brick Bank. At first glance, I agree with the comments Alex provided about the exterior, but it wears better over time and closer scrutiny. The interior is tight but well crafted, and it's the only set heavily themed around a fun story. 4. Fire Brigade. Excellent brick work on the second level, a lot of nice touches on what could have just passed as a functional building. 5. Palace Cinema. There are a few too many stickers on this set, and what theater has windows around the screening room, but putting those issues aside, the set clearly has strong character and has all the elements you expect in a movie house. I should point out that my list is heavily biased on the building exteriors, with the interiors being considered secondarily. One last point, I too was not enamored by the birch tree when I first saw it. However the way I display my models (in a line on a book shelf which I look up to when I am at my desk), the tree actually adds a depth to the sidewalk which actually makes the models surrounding it look better. So honorable mention to the bookstore!
So I recently got back into Lego after a lone time, and thought to make a mini city. So I bought the Assembly Square and the BookShop.They honestly pair up really great together and look amazing on a shelf as display
I like how different people's opinions can be about the modulars depending on very personal experiences. I would rate them: 1 Assembly Square 2 Parisian Restaurant 3 Bookshop 4 Brick Bank 5 Detective's Office 6 Pet Shop 7 Green Grocer 8 Corner Garage 9 Downtown Diner 10 Grand Emporium 11 Fire Brigade 12 Town Hall 13 Palace Cinema 14 Café Corner 15 Market Street
Its great to watch your ranking of the modulars. I wish I had of known about Lego back then as I need the Green Grocer and Cafe Corner (not keen on Market Street). I only started with the BookShop and realised what I've been missing so now have from the Fire Brigade on. Great video 😁
I just finished Assembly Square. It was my first Lego set in more than 10 years (and first modular ever), and it resparked my love of Lego. I just cant decide which modular should be next!
1 downtown diner 2 Parisian restaurant 3 assembly square over all love the list gives good opinion for ppl new to modular. Guess we just have different tastes but nice list
Our top 15 is very different, but that's why it's your list :) haha. I was very suprised that the brick bank was so low I have to say, and parisian. Parisian is my #1 and bank is #3. I find the bank so underrated. I personally love the exterior. I think it's very classy and clean and the interior is just super detailed and clever story involved. Anywho, still very much enjoyed your detailed list.
My top 15 15 market street 14 pet shop 13 book shop 12 firehouse 11 grand emporium 10 palace cinema 9 Town hall 8 green grocer 7brick bank 6 cafe corner 5 detectives office 4 corner garage 3 Parisian restaurant 2 diner 1 assembly square
Personally I have pretty similar, I really like diner and surprisingly Corner Garage which I feel nobody likes. I just would put maybe Cafe corner and Green grocer lower, I don't like them that much
I did a ranking on my IG (jdbrickcity) and while our list is vastly different, I appreciate the time, effort and opinions. After all, we all have different reasons why we like some over others. I will say however I feel everyone sleeps on the Brick Bank. I have it very very high. Under-appreciated imo. Thanks for making this fun video.
The Brick Bank is my 2nd favourite - I love how it revolves around a central theme (like the Fire Brigade) and doesn't have unrelated rooms just tacked on (Detective's Office - I'm looking at you!) as filler because they didn't know what to do with the rest of the building.
Awesome Vid Alex. The funny thing is that the only ones I don't have is no. 15 and no. 1 on your list. I might rearrange a few on your list but I can't quibble too much. Fun video. Thank you
I totally agree. The Parisian restaurant is an extraordinary set, both inside and out. For anyone interested, search the internet for the 2nd and 3rd floors, where one is a bedroom with a Murphy bed and the other is a attic art studio. Architecturally, this set never gets boring to look at, and the outside seating gives dimension to the set that many of the other models lack. Considering the tight spaces to work with, the interior is a masterpiece. The one thing I agree with Alex on this particular set, is that while the restaurant isn't technically a corner piece, it works best serving as one.
The only thing I’m surprised about is the Parisian Restaurant being so low down. Don’t have the first three released and haven’t built the last four yet, but Parisian restaurant is by far my favorite of the ones I have. I agree with the look of Cafe Corner, I’m just never going to own that one unless they re-release it. And I just can’t bring myself to buy a fake. Sigh...... Great video as always.
Surprised to see town hall at #2. That was the easiest set for me to sell. I just always thought it wasn’t up to par with the sets that followed. I think I purchased at the time for the piece count. Nothing else impressive.
I quite enjoyed your honest rather than subjective ranking, you can't argue with someone's opinion when it's not based on something empirical, I must admit that I really enjoyed building the brick Bank I can't explain why I just enjoyed it, A good video.
Thanks, like I said, I love them all. It's tough to actually rank them like this. I am sure my list would be different if I did it next year, but not too much. Brick Bank is solid. Wish I had got another as a collectors set.
i was surprised when he was talking about how they usually cost about $180 when he bought them. nowadays they range from $200-$400 secondhand. i can understand why the christmas sets (e.g. the winter village cottage) go up in price, since they're only available for a short time, but modulars, although big, shouldn't cost heaps.
I’m so happy to see Town Hall at number two on this list, especially as it is rated poorly everywhere else on TH-cam. As far as I’m concerned, it is not only the biggest but also the best modular building. It’s the heart and soul of my LEGO City and we will never see anything like it again.
@Gustavs Prindulis i think its a very good modular. I don't think it was fair of Alex to judge it like that. Then again, he did state that it was just his opinion.
Cafe corner is my favorite too, even if I don’t have it in my lego city yet. It’s my biggest problem to purchase the set due to the high price that people are asking for. Hopefully some day it will be part of my city.
I am still missing a few of the modular buildings. Saving up!! I think my favorite personally (out of the ones I have built) is the Parisian restaurant but I also really love the new bookshop so its a very hard decision! Next on my list to get is the Town square and the corner garage! Thanks for sharing!
#1 Bookshop #2 Pet Shop #3 Assembly Square #4 Parisian Restaurant #5 Palace Cinema #6 Detective's Office #7 Town Hall #8 Grand Emporium #9 Fire Brigade #10 Green Grocer #11 Brick Bank #12 Cafe Corner #13 Downtown Diner #14 Corner Garage #15 Market Street (Just to note the difference between #13 and #12 is very large)
Really Enjoyed this video! My Rankings would probably be 1. Assembly Square 2. Parisian Restaurant 3. Town Hall 4. Cafe Corner 5. Green Grocer 6. Brick Bank 7. Detectives Office 8. Grand Emporium 9. Downtown Diner 10. Fire Brigade 11. Pet Shop 12. Bookshop 13. Palace Cinema 14. Corner Garage 15. Market Street
It would be nice to see a followup video containing all of the sets that are not considered part of the modular family. Like the Old Fishing Store and similar sets.
my number one is definitely the book shop. I just love all the detail in it and I felt like it was fully complete and did not need anything else for it.
There was a 3 building set that was a “50 year anniversary” that came with an auto repair shop, movie theatre & town hall. It also feautured a fountain with 3 golden bricks.
I too am lucky to own them all, though haven't built the Book Shop yet. Personally, my order would be entirely different - I'm not too fussed about internal detail as once they are on display, I never open them up. So for me, it is all about the external architecture. The Parisian Restaurant is beautiful, but Cafe Corner will always have a special place in my heart. Oh, and I also love Market Street!
Don’t know if anyone else noticed it, but the building with the helicopter pad sticking out of it reminds me of a building in HoChiMinh City in Vietnam. Been there twice to visit my now wife who was born and lived there.
Alex, this is a fantastic video. Easily one of my favorites, not only from you but in general. I always love to see people’s perspectives in these buildings. And I especially appreciate yours given the length of time you’ve been collecting and your dedication to your city. I don’t have the first three sets released (and I don’t think I ever will due to price) and still have some to build, but I’ll get there at some point. I think my only surprise was that the Parisian Restaurant wasn’t higher. I love that thing. I do have a curiosity question for you though, that doesn’t have much to do with this building in particular. Have you ever considered adding lighting sets to some of your buildings, especially downtown? Just curious.
Nice video. I might not love all the modulars but when I got the detectives office in 2018 and built it in 4 days I decided to get 1 modular a year starting with the 2 most wanted ones that I could still get last year was the perisan resturant which I love for the apartment and that I can recreate a scene from one of my favorite scooby doo movies in lego. Also the detectives office which are my top 2 favorites ever out of all 15. My modular for this year will be the book store since it solves a space problem I have in my city and it is also $100 cheaper then the assembly square which is nice but the big reason I like that is the musical instruments included. Book store can clean up 2 places in my city with 1 set so I will get that over the assembly square diner and garage no problem. The only modular I missed was the palace cinima from 2013 my favorite corner modular.
If Lego wasn't so damn expensive, they could make the buildings larger, which would make them look so much better, cause you could fit more into the interior, making them more realistic.
Yeah I agree that both the diner and the Parisian restaurant suffer the same problem. I never display mine with another modular next to the odd looking sides.
I don't own any Modulars, but I might buy one of my 3 favourites in the future if I find a decent deal. Those are Brick Bank, the Diner and the Parisian Restaurant.
I have 11 modulars, soon and Green grocer 15 market street - lack of main details 14 cafe corner - no interior 13 green grocer - lack of second and third floor interior 12 corner garage - so expensive 11 book shop - lack of books... and ideas... good exterior 10 brick bank - plain exterior design... 9 detectives office - good details 8 Town hall - great exterior but flatscreen computer in 1930-1950... why? 7 pet shop - great exterior, lack of animals 6 assembly square - one of the best set 5 firehouse - great design, but no toilet or bathroom :( 4 Grand emporium - cool, but interior again 3 palace cinema - one word - amazing architecture, but so so weak interior 2 Diner - one of my favorite art styles, so much nostalgia 1 Parisian restaurant - amazing details and architecture
Cool video, thank you for making it! I definitely disagree pretty strongly with some of your opinions here, but they were well articulated and it was a super fun video to watch regardless! The differing perspective is always interesting, anyway. I'll throw down my own ranking with a 1 sentence review for the heck of it. N/A. Market Street: Probably shouldn't be ranked at all given how its development history. 14. Palace Cinema: Horrible trends like stickers, unfinished floors, and poor immersive design plague this one. 13. Cafe Corner: Completely unfinished, some weird scale issues with the upper floors. 12. Grand Emporium: Big empty box, aggressively bland. 11. Corner Garage: Unfinished ground floor, overpriced, somewhat underdeveloped facade and fascia, asymmetry distract from some honestly outstanding design work on the windows. 10. Town Hall: Impressively dense, but its only curb appeal is scale, and it spread itself too thin so its many features feel underdeveloped. 9. Pet Shop: Lacking in polish and features, but has its moments, like the clever doorbell. 8. Fire Brigade: Honestly quite lovely except for the very empty, bland ground floor. 7. Bookshop: Better than Pet Shop in all regards, and the details that ARE there are fabulous, but it just needs more (size and detail). 6. Brick Bank: Gorgeous color blocking, fun story and great usable features, ultimately just missing that "wow" factor. 5. Downtown Diner: Amazing charm, style, and design, stellar interiors, left side feels underutilized and compromises space. 4. Green Grocer: Unbeatable style and visual impact, colors, and design, just missing too many interior details to crack the top 3. 3. Detective's Office: A bounty of details and storytelling, lovely colors and concept execution. 2. Assembly Square: Perfect homage to the history of the series, dense with things to discover, everything placed and detailed with care. 1. Parisian Restaurant: best-looking as a standalone model, incredible details, techniques, and color, gorgeous curb appeal, great use of interior space, and exterior open space is actually used effectively this time.
Oh no, Pet Shop - my second-favorite modular! We are agreed, however, about Café Corner. It is the most beautiful of all the modulars to look at. I rate modulars by their exterior, which is how they are ultimately used by adults. Pet Shop has an awesome Brownstone building (I am not American) and was the first that was separable to give extra flexibility in deployment. Two modulars that should have been separable but weren't were the Detective's Office (due to a puerile child's game that was built into it) and Assembly Square. The other modular that was compromised by a puerile and even immoral child's game (how cool is money laundering, hey!) was Brick Bank. For me, the weakest modulars are Market Square, Brick Bank and Downtown Deli (due to the dreadful teal colouring that makes it stand out in the worst of ways). Brick Bank is too short yet it has a particularly beautiful exterior. Banks are supposed to be imposing. I bought three sets of Brick Bank and created a fully detailed three-floor bank without a laundromat but features its lovely white architectural lines, running along both upper floors (with the spares I built a museum for leftover minifigs). Placed side by side, the two separable modulars Pet Shop and and its little sibling Book Shop - well, no contest! We had enough Dutch architecture with Market Street.
It's pretty amazing how opinions on these differ from one person to another. I'll admit, if I did the rank by exterior only my list would be pretty different. And yes, Pet Shop would move up my list for sure. haha!
Couple things that bother me about the Bookshop are; 1. Looks strange having a tree with fall leaves, a child with a scarf on and then two convertibles driving by (Palace and Diner sets) and; 2. the grandfather clock is nice, but the time doesn't match the clocks used for the other 14 sets. I guess the best place for the bookshop in a LEGO city is several times zones away in another hemisphere....
To make the diner and Parisian restaurant look good put the diner on the right and the Parisian restaurant on the left. It will allow both to breath and it will look pretty good. I did it and recommend to all with this problem
I live in a country where the I inflation rate is high. So where as a set could cost $100 it would cost around 1300 in my currency and money like that isn't easy to get. So, all Legos are out of the question for toys and gifts
Hi Alex, i would like to ask if like other Authentic lego. The module buildings are worth the investment will they go up in value. Or will they only gain significant value if in the original boxes. I am planning to save up for some sets and keep the original box and instructions etc. But I plan to open them up which is part of the fun I guess.
I have many pictures of my older cities. Not as a kid, but when I fist got into my first home. I may have to dig them out to show it from its humble beginnings.
“The detectives office doesn’t really fit in”
The diner: 👁👄👁
About the Parisian restaurant, here in Europe it is quite normal to have an open kitchen in a restaurant. So being a Parisian restaurant it is just super okay.
Planespotter Patrick good point, I love open kitchens
Old days was kitchen not part of restaurant. Now days is more common.
It's a common thing stateside nowadays, too.
In amsterdam we have a restaurant where everyone sits around the kitchen while watching the food being cooked
@@LuCreates_stuff benieuwd wanneer we eindelijk weer eens een tafeltje kunnen reserveren😕😉
They shouldn’t retire modulars
I agree
They didnt
Only now it’s not called expert but just 18+
@@vincentsgames9876 They mean individual modulars. Like how they stop selling some
I agree. I only just recently rediscovered Lego and would love the whole modular series but all the early ones are retired.
I'm so mad at myself for selling my Town Hall and Fire Brigade at a garage sale when I was younger. They were such good sets
Lol, why did you do that? :D
NEVER SELL LEGOS!
Glenn Jenkins rip
@@martintillemann Plural of LEGO is LEGO. ;-)
@Glenn Jenkins how much money do you make for selling it? :/
I hope he doesn't put the Market Street in the bottom 5.
"#15, Market Street"
*Loud screaming*
lol, sorry!
erik goble... you into ytpmvs? ;)
@@割 Yeah, why?
your profile pic gave it away lmao
also a quick ask man, but have you got any of these modular sets at all?
@@割 Not yet, but I hope I can get one soon!
1. Assembly square
2. Parisian restaurant
3. Detective office
A very solid top three.
@Mel J Yes, I know, it's a huge amount. But if you can't afford it, you can have them for less than half the price as very accurate chinese copies, but the the company that was producing them has been sued by Lego. Si it doesn't exist anymore, but you still can find theire products online
I have just bought Assembly Square, want to get the book shop and Parasian restaurant but this is my first set in this group.
@@littlemissgiggles165 In my opinion, the book shop doesn't deserve to stand along those 2 sets. The interiors are poor, and the price per brick is relatively high. There are other Creators sets that are much more interesting and beautiful. But yes, after all, it's a question of personnal tastes
@@ulysse21 I love the look of the outside of the book shop but not a huge fan of the inside. I think I like it as when I was younger I used to spend all my time with my head in books or in book shops but now I spend a lot of time with lego so incorporates both
Brick Bank is underrated imo, I love how it looks abd the interior is awesome
I have a brickbank and its not that short or small compared to another modular building. And the interior is pretty good too!
yeah I like it alot
I love how subjective the Modulars are for people. No two lists of favorites are the same. Every one of them is somebody’s favorite. They are all so well done. One thing I have noticed. I recently started lighting my city. How the buildings are lit, and how they are displayed makes a huge difference in your subjective opinion of a given building. My City is a shelf setup that runs around three walls of my small office at shoulder height. So you largely view my city at Street level. With lighting the Downtown Diner, the Palace Cinema, and the Corner Garage are astonishing at how they change and come to life at that viewing angle. The Diner especially becomes something akin to an Edward Hopper painting.
Me: tell me something about this house.
Realtor: 15:48
Uh I think it’s 15:49 but still lol
😂😂
14:55
“I’d also like to add that THIS building looks great from the back as well...”
*red arrow pointing at attractive blonde lady*
😂
Great list, though I was surprised about pet shop ranking so low. It’s not as detailed in the interior as some newer sets, but it just oozes a cozy charisma. It does feel like and end to an era set.
That was a neat little rundown of all the modulars, thanks for that! The Bookshop is my very first modular, and I adore it. I will probably pick up the Downtown Diner next, though I don’t think it will look right next to the Bookshop, so I guess I’ll have to get Assembly Square soon after that. All the older modulars do look great from the outside, but Lego sure seems to have raised the bar with the interiors with the last half dozen or so, and I like that the newer ones come with fancier minifig faces. They better keep these coming for another decade or so. I’m hoping for a chocolate shop eventually.
It's the Palace Cinema that will hold a special place for me...I had just paid off my student loans and finally had extra money burning a hole in my pocket. The set was just released, and I had never seen any of the modular sets before it...it was just so much different/mature than other Lego sets I was familiar with from my childhood. I have 6 other modulars, only one of which - Assembly Square - made your top 5.
Ranking these buildings is so subjective. My order changes heavily on my mood. Cafe corner is one of my favorites too. I hardly ever look inside them so the exterior is the biggest factor in my rankings. Thank you for posting.
As a person who has JUST started collecting these, thanks for the list.
I just found the Detectives office and Parisian restaurant at our local antique mall. They were complete sets with everything in the box. $200 each plus the booth had 15% off. I think my son is going to be excited for these on Christmas 🎄 🤞🏼
Very nice find!
13:12 the blue building in assembly square is clearly missing a piece
epic noob that’s annoying
That is annoying
"The Designer did not cut any corners"
I see it
@@tlazo3627 well, the builder did.
I really like brick bank. Especially for the details!
And that includes the in-joke reference with the bank and laundromat.
It is my second favourite modular after Assembly Square. I like it fot the story, details and plain, yet very structural facade. Walls made of gold bricks are so great!
For me:
1. Detective's Office: This has always been my favorite. For me (as you can probably tell), interior is important, and I think this has the best interior. I dislike the third floor, though.
2. Assembly Square: The size is awesome; the biggest modular ever. The price seemed like a lot, but after building it, It seems okay. I love all the little references.
3. Parisian Restaurant: This is a common choice for #1, but I think it would be a little overrated at that spot. The design is great. The interior is great. This is a great building.
4. Corner Garage: I surprisingly like this one. I love the color and the interior is superb for the subject manner. The first TV in a modular is also cool. The tow truck is also great.
5. Downtown Diner: I like this modular. The car is nice, the first floor is my favorite. The other floors are just okay. The switch to non-classic faces haunts me to this day.
6. Fire Brigade: My favorite of the early modulars. It has a great truck, a cool second floor, a gold bell, and a really nice brick design. The big black doors in the black are also great.
7. Brick Bank: I like the design for this one. I love the laundromat and vault. Also, the storyline is great and the building feels realistic.
8. Bookshop: The exterior is amazing, but the interior is bad; especially for 2020. It also feels small for $180. It does split into two buildings, though.
9. Town Hall: It was cool seeing a massive building, but the interior was just okay. It feels plain, but I think they did the best they could for a town hall because they should look plain.
10. Green Grocer: I had this one, and sold it. It was a great successor to the Cafe Corner. The lack of a full interior really hurts this one, but the price is great.
11. Grand Emporium: Great value, but I don't really like the design. It just feels unrealistic. I do love the billboard and window washer details.
12. Cafe Corner: I never owned this one, but the lack of an interior really hurts it. Its great exterior and nostalgia puts it above a couple other buildings.
13. Pet Shop: Small, not a great interior, basic, and the brown building just feels like a missed opportunity. But, at least they split apart I guess.
14. Palace Cinema: Decent exterior, but disappointing interior and only two floors.
15. Market Street: Small, no interior, doesn't look the greatest. (I never owned it though)
I second that. It is my first modular and it still my number 1. Brickbank is my nr 2 and Assembly Square 3.
I like that you got Corner Garage in the Top 5, lots of people like the past but not me.
Zav S TV with TOY & GAME - LECTION me too, my favorite sets are new ones, 1. Downtown Diner 2. Corner garage 3. Book store
Ben Myers That's great! But it's not Book Store, it's Bookshop.
100% agree on number 1 especially with its cool smuggling feature
I have the Parisian Restaurant at a very clear #1. I like just about everything about it.
I agree it's such a great set, wish they didn't retire it😔
Hey, I can see my house from here!
gta?
Rukkus rukkus
Rukkus rukkus
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Ruqqus
As much as it stands out, I think the Diner is the best modular. It makes a really nice display with the garage next to it.
I bought and build all the modulars. My score is based on the feeling I had building them at the moment they were released:
1. Green Grocer
2. Cafe Corner
3. Town hall
Keep on doing the great work on your channel!
In 2008 (at the ripe age of 11) I bought both the Green Grocer and Cafe corner, still have these two sets in pristine condition all these years later. Even brought these two sets with me to uni abroad. Now that Im working, finally bought my third ever modular set, boutique hotel, and boy do those three sets looks beautiful 😍
Can you add captions. For deaf and hard of hearing people like me who enjoy legos and want to see your opinion. Thanks!
Edit:
1+ weeks seriously Alex I would like to be able to understand what is your opinion as I’m very curious and been coming back to this video daily.
AncientZoned well, I don’t know if that’s a joke, but if you are deaf you can definitely not hear his opinion
pignna28 I mean see what he has to say...
AncientZoned yeah i know what you mean, i just thought it was funny the way you formulated that sentence
Turn it up
Captions have been added. Thanks for letting me know.
I remember staying up building cafe corner way back in 5th grade and being so proud of it. I definitely feel the emotional connection and was super happy to see it land first on the list.
I've been collecting them since the Palace Cinema! I'm 14 now! I always saved through the year and asked for money instead of presents at Christmas so I could get the new set. Over the years, I have bought from a few private seller and I'm only missing the Cafe Corner and Market Street.
Have you gotten the two missing ones yet?
@@theminesweeper1 Yes I have! I also have the new police station
@@Alex-vm6gy Congrats! how much did you pay for the missing discontinued ones?
@@theminesweeper1 they were a nightmare to find! I managed find someone who had both sets and it was roughly £1000 but I certainly felt that price because I did all sorts of chores and chipped in the money I'd saved over a year to eventually be able to afford them. Do you have any of the modulars?
@@Alex-vm6gy I have grand emporium, green grocer, pet shop,and fire brigade
Great video Alex, I've been an avid lego star wars collector and now i am building all the modulars. I was so excited to build the fire brigade but the dark red pieces were so brittle that alot of them broke so it kinda ruined the enjoyment for me. I'm saving cafe corner and green grocer for the last builds. Keep up the great work, god bless
Here's my top 5 starting with the best. 1. Parisian Restaurant. This is the masterwork of the series. I won't go into all the reasons why, but I can't think of any aspect I wish they did better. 2. Detective's Office. The room on the third floor is a bit odd because it obscures some of the windows, but the depth of the set and the pure fun of the detective office and pool hall make up for that. 3. Brick Bank. At first glance, I agree with the comments Alex provided about the exterior, but it wears better over time and closer scrutiny. The interior is tight but well crafted, and it's the only set heavily themed around a fun story. 4. Fire Brigade. Excellent brick work on the second level, a lot of nice touches on what could have just passed as a functional building. 5. Palace Cinema. There are a few too many stickers on this set, and what theater has windows around the screening room, but putting those issues aside, the set clearly has strong character and has all the elements you expect in a movie house. I should point out that my list is heavily biased on the building exteriors, with the interiors being considered secondarily. One last point, I too was not enamored by the birch tree when I first saw it. However the way I display my models (in a line on a book shelf which I look up to when I am at my desk), the tree actually adds a depth to the sidewalk which actually makes the models surrounding it look better. So honorable mention to the bookstore!
So I recently got back into Lego after a lone time, and thought to make a mini city. So I bought the Assembly Square and the BookShop.They honestly pair up really great together and look amazing on a shelf as display
I like how different people's opinions can be about the modulars depending on very personal experiences.
I would rate them:
1 Assembly Square
2 Parisian Restaurant
3 Bookshop
4 Brick Bank
5 Detective's Office
6 Pet Shop
7 Green Grocer
8 Corner Garage
9 Downtown Diner
10 Grand Emporium
11 Fire Brigade
12 Town Hall
13 Palace Cinema
14 Café Corner
15 Market Street
Its great to watch your ranking of the modulars. I wish I had of known about Lego back then as I need the Green Grocer and Cafe Corner (not keen on Market Street). I only started with the BookShop and realised what I've been missing so now have from the Fire Brigade on. Great video 😁
I just finished Assembly Square. It was my first Lego set in more than 10 years (and first modular ever), and it resparked my love of Lego. I just cant decide which modular should be next!
Bradley Estus Downtown Diner OR Detective's Office
i would say downtown diner
Detective's office and bookshop look good next to the right side of assembly square
1 downtown diner 2 Parisian restaurant 3 assembly square over all love the list gives good opinion for ppl new to modular. Guess we just have different tastes but nice list
Our top 15 is very different, but that's why it's your list :) haha. I was very suprised that the brick bank was so low I have to say, and parisian. Parisian is my #1 and bank is #3. I find the bank so underrated. I personally love the exterior. I think it's very classy and clean and the interior is just super detailed and clever story involved. Anywho, still very much enjoyed your detailed list.
My top 15
15 market street
14 pet shop
13 book shop
12 firehouse
11 grand emporium
10 palace cinema
9 Town hall
8 green grocer
7brick bank
6 cafe corner
5 detectives office
4 corner garage
3 Parisian restaurant
2 diner
1 assembly square
A good and solid rank there. Thanks for sharing. Some similarities with mine.
Personally I have pretty similar, I really like diner and surprisingly Corner Garage which I feel nobody likes. I just would put maybe Cafe corner and Green grocer lower, I don't like them that much
I did a ranking on my IG (jdbrickcity) and while our list is vastly different, I appreciate the time, effort and opinions. After all, we all have different reasons why we like some over others. I will say however I feel everyone sleeps on the Brick Bank. I have it very very high. Under-appreciated imo. Thanks for making this fun video.
Glad to know it s very different. One thing's for sure though, these are all great sets and each offer a unique play experience.
The Brick Bank is my 2nd favourite - I love how it revolves around a central theme (like the Fire Brigade) and doesn't have unrelated rooms just tacked on (Detective's Office - I'm looking at you!) as filler because they didn't know what to do with the rest of the building.
totally agree！
The best part is everyone has their own list. Each one has different connections. LEGO is just awesome!
Assembly square is my favoutrite!
Thanks for your top, great job!
My top 6:
1. Green Grocer
2. Grand Emporium
3. Town Hall
4. Fire Brigade
5. Cafe Corner
6. Palace Cinema
1. Assembly Square
2. Detective's Office
3. Parisian Restraint
4. Brick Bank
5. Grand Emporium
Awesome Vid Alex. The funny thing is that the only ones I don't have is no. 15 and no. 1 on your list. I might rearrange a few on your list but I can't quibble too much. Fun video. Thank you
Wow you’re almost at 59K subs great job my favourite is Parisian restaurant
I totally agree. The Parisian restaurant is an extraordinary set, both inside and out. For anyone interested, search the internet for the 2nd and 3rd floors, where one is a bedroom with a Murphy bed and the other is a attic art studio. Architecturally, this set never gets boring to look at, and the outside seating gives dimension to the set that many of the other models lack. Considering the tight spaces to work with, the interior is a masterpiece. The one thing I agree with Alex on this particular set, is that while the restaurant isn't technically a corner piece, it works best serving as one.
Jeffrey Moss yeah
To be honest, I love brick bank
The only thing I’m surprised about is the Parisian Restaurant being so low down. Don’t have the first three released and haven’t built the last four yet, but Parisian restaurant is by far my favorite of the ones I have. I agree with the look of Cafe Corner, I’m just never going to own that one unless they re-release it. And I just can’t bring myself to buy a fake. Sigh...... Great video as always.
Surprised to see town hall at #2. That was the easiest set for me to sell. I just always thought it wasn’t up to par with the sets that followed. I think I purchased at the time for the piece count. Nothing else impressive.
I quite enjoyed your honest rather than subjective ranking, you can't argue with someone's opinion when it's not based on something empirical, I must admit that I really enjoyed building the brick Bank I can't explain why I just enjoyed it,
A good video.
Thanks, like I said, I love them all. It's tough to actually rank them like this. I am sure my list would be different if I did it next year, but not too much. Brick Bank is solid. Wish I had got another as a collectors set.
I wish they'd re-issue some of these. The aftermarket is brutally stupid on cost.
The aftermarket is really clever on cost. But brutal, though.
I really don’t get why the ninjago city is already retired and their selling it for 700!
i was surprised when he was talking about how they usually cost about $180 when he bought them. nowadays they range from $200-$400 secondhand. i can understand why the christmas sets (e.g. the winter village cottage) go up in price, since they're only available for a short time, but modulars, although big, shouldn't cost heaps.
lego may start doing it to put an end to the people buying and selling for ridiculous ammounts. think the re released taj mahal
I’m so happy to see Town Hall at number two on this list, especially as it is rated poorly everywhere else on TH-cam. As far as I’m concerned, it is not only the biggest but also the best modular building. It’s the heart and soul of my LEGO City and we will never see anything like it again.
"The yellow tiles of the book shop remind me of my school days" 😂😂
@Gustavs Prindulis i think its a very good modular. I don't think it was fair of Alex to judge it like that. Then again, he did state that it was just his opinion.
@Gustavs Prindulis It’s my only one too but I will get the Assembly Square. I am not reminded of my elementary school days. I find it great.
Cafe corner is my favorite too, even if I don’t have it in my lego city yet. It’s my biggest problem to purchase the set due to the high price that people are asking for. Hopefully some day it will be part of my city.
I am still missing a few of the modular buildings. Saving up!! I think my favorite personally (out of the ones I have built) is the Parisian restaurant but I also really love the new bookshop so its a very hard decision! Next on my list to get is the Town square and the corner garage! Thanks for sharing!
#1 Bookshop
#2 Pet Shop
#3 Assembly Square
#4 Parisian Restaurant
#5 Palace Cinema
#6 Detective's Office
#7 Town Hall
#8 Grand Emporium
#9 Fire Brigade
#10 Green Grocer
#11 Brick Bank
#12 Cafe Corner
#13 Downtown Diner
#14 Corner Garage
#15 Market Street
(Just to note the difference between #13 and #12 is very large)
Both my modulars made the top 3 :)
VERY well made video! Good job
14:54 *i would also like to add that this designer looks great from the back as well
Really Enjoyed this video!
My Rankings would probably be
1. Assembly Square
2. Parisian Restaurant
3. Town Hall
4. Cafe Corner
5. Green Grocer
6. Brick Bank
7. Detectives Office
8. Grand Emporium
9. Downtown Diner
10. Fire Brigade
11. Pet Shop
12. Bookshop
13. Palace Cinema
14. Corner Garage
15. Market Street
Nobody:
LEGO head quarters: we have the main idea (shop/pet store/cinema etc) but need something else!
One random man: tOwNhOuSe?
I started building the modular sets and I when I went to order another one I was so sad when it was retired these are like the best sets😢
All it needs is for the car radio to play "Everything Is Awesome" and then I'm sold.
I have a few ideas for future modular buildings:
Courthouse
Schoolhouse
Hospital
A theatre for doing plays
Great job providing a brief history. I’m just getting into modulars so this was helpful
Parisian restaurant will always be my favourite. It's just such a nice build overall, both in its interior and exterior.
It would be nice to see a followup video containing all of the sets that are not considered part of the modular family. Like the Old Fishing Store and similar sets.
my number one is definitely the book shop. I just love all the detail in it and I felt like it was fully complete and did not need anything else for it.
There was a 3 building set that was a “50 year anniversary” that came with an auto repair shop, movie theatre & town hall. It also feautured a fountain with 3 golden bricks.
Asdf Jkl And......? What about it? 🤔
I too am lucky to own them all, though haven't built the Book Shop yet. Personally, my order would be entirely different - I'm not too fussed about internal detail as once they are on display, I never open them up. So for me, it is all about the external architecture. The Parisian Restaurant is beautiful, but Cafe Corner will always have a special place in my heart. Oh, and I also love Market Street!
I absolutely love how you built the pet shop set! I love how you build the mirror image of each section. How did you do that?
Just got Assembly Square for my mother for her birthday. These are such great Lego sets.
Don’t know if anyone else noticed it, but the building with the helicopter pad sticking out of it reminds me of a building in HoChiMinh City in Vietnam. Been there twice to visit my now wife who was born and lived there.
Alex, this is a fantastic video. Easily one of my favorites, not only from you but in general. I always love to see people’s perspectives in these buildings. And I especially appreciate yours given the length of time you’ve been collecting and your dedication to your city. I don’t have the first three sets released (and I don’t think I ever will due to price) and still have some to build, but I’ll get there at some point. I think my only surprise was that the Parisian Restaurant wasn’t higher. I love that thing.
I do have a curiosity question for you though, that doesn’t have much to do with this building in particular. Have you ever considered adding lighting sets to some of your buildings, especially downtown? Just curious.
I dream of a setup like this for my kids. Each one of these lego owners have to be a millionaire. The envy. :)
The green grocer will forever be my number 1, it changed my perspective on how some unimaginable things could be built with lego bricks.
Love to own them all however the price of many now is way to high! Happy to own many of the newer ones though.
I wish I had Cafe Corner! It is the only missing Modular in my collection :'( Great review and I totally agree on Market Street... urgh
Bookshop is top 10 easily. Otherwise you got it mostly right! Nice job!
Great review - Thanks
Nice video. I might not love all the modulars but when I got the detectives office in 2018 and built it in 4 days I decided to get 1 modular a year starting with the 2 most wanted ones that I could still get last year was the perisan resturant which I love for the apartment and that I can recreate a scene from one of my favorite scooby doo movies in lego. Also the detectives office which are my top 2 favorites ever out of all 15. My modular for this year will be the book store since it solves a space problem I have in my city and it is also $100 cheaper then the assembly square which is nice but the big reason I like that is the musical instruments included. Book store can clean up 2 places in my city with 1 set so I will get that over the assembly square diner and garage no problem. The only modular I missed was the palace cinima from 2013 my favorite corner modular.
If Lego wasn't so damn expensive, they could make the buildings larger, which would make them look so much better, cause you could fit more into the interior, making them more realistic.
Yeah I agree that both the diner and the Parisian restaurant suffer the same problem. I never display mine with another modular next to the odd looking sides.
I don't own any Modulars, but I might buy one of my 3 favourites in the future if I find a decent deal. Those are Brick Bank, the Diner and the Parisian Restaurant.
You might wanna hurry with Brick Bank, as it has already been retired by Lego and is over 700 USD, while just 3 years ago it was around 150 USD.
Watched the whole thing. I just got my first 2 modulars and will put it together with my family. Thanks for sharing!
Brilliant overview!!!
I have 11 modulars, soon and Green grocer
15 market street
- lack of main details
14 cafe corner
- no interior
13 green grocer
- lack of second and third floor interior
12 corner garage - so expensive
11 book shop - lack of books... and ideas... good exterior
10 brick bank
- plain exterior design...
9 detectives office
- good details
8 Town hall - great exterior but flatscreen computer in 1930-1950... why?
7 pet shop - great exterior, lack of animals
6 assembly square - one of the best set
5 firehouse - great design, but no toilet or bathroom :(
4 Grand emporium - cool, but interior again
3 palace cinema
- one word - amazing architecture, but so so weak interior
2 Diner
- one of my favorite art styles, so much nostalgia
1 Parisian restaurant
- amazing details and architecture
Great list. I agree with all your reasons too.
Re number 8, I don't really think these are set in the past. I think of my modular street as just a classic Main Street precinct of old buildings.
@@sterow Yeah, that's a good way to look at it.
Which Modular should I buy and build first?
Cool video, thank you for making it! I definitely disagree pretty strongly with some of your opinions here, but they were well articulated and it was a super fun video to watch regardless! The differing perspective is always interesting, anyway. I'll throw down my own ranking with a 1 sentence review for the heck of it.
N/A. Market Street: Probably shouldn't be ranked at all given how its development history.
14. Palace Cinema: Horrible trends like stickers, unfinished floors, and poor immersive design plague this one.
13. Cafe Corner: Completely unfinished, some weird scale issues with the upper floors.
12. Grand Emporium: Big empty box, aggressively bland.
11. Corner Garage: Unfinished ground floor, overpriced, somewhat
underdeveloped facade and fascia, asymmetry distract from some honestly outstanding design work on the windows.
10. Town Hall: Impressively dense, but its only curb appeal is scale, and it spread itself too thin so its many features feel underdeveloped.
9. Pet Shop: Lacking in polish and features, but has its moments, like the clever doorbell.
8. Fire Brigade: Honestly quite lovely except for the very empty, bland ground floor.
7. Bookshop: Better than Pet Shop in all regards, and the details that ARE there are fabulous, but it just needs more (size and detail).
6. Brick Bank: Gorgeous color blocking, fun story and great usable features, ultimately just missing that "wow" factor.
5. Downtown Diner: Amazing charm, style, and design, stellar interiors, left side feels underutilized and compromises space.
4. Green Grocer: Unbeatable style and visual impact, colors, and design, just missing too many interior details to crack the top 3.
3. Detective's Office: A bounty of details and storytelling, lovely colors and concept execution.
2. Assembly Square: Perfect homage to the history of the series, dense with things to discover, everything placed and detailed with care.
1. Parisian Restaurant: best-looking as a standalone model, incredible details, techniques, and color, gorgeous curb appeal, great use of interior space, and exterior open space is actually used effectively this time.
Oh no, Pet Shop - my second-favorite modular! We are agreed, however, about Café Corner. It is the most beautiful of all the modulars to look at. I rate modulars by their exterior, which is how they are ultimately used by adults. Pet Shop has an awesome Brownstone building (I am not American) and was the first that was separable to give extra flexibility in deployment. Two modulars that should have been separable but weren't were the Detective's Office (due to a puerile child's game that was built into it) and Assembly Square. The other modular that was compromised by a puerile and even immoral child's game (how cool is money laundering, hey!) was Brick Bank. For me, the weakest modulars are Market Square, Brick Bank and Downtown Deli (due to the dreadful teal colouring that makes it stand out in the worst of ways). Brick Bank is too short yet it has a particularly beautiful exterior. Banks are supposed to be imposing. I bought three sets of Brick Bank and created a fully detailed three-floor bank without a laundromat but features its lovely white architectural lines, running along both upper floors (with the spares I built a museum for leftover minifigs). Placed side by side, the two separable modulars Pet Shop and and its little sibling Book Shop - well, no contest! We had enough Dutch architecture with Market Street.
It's pretty amazing how opinions on these differ from one person to another. I'll admit, if I did the rank by exterior only my list would be pretty different. And yes, Pet Shop would move up my list for sure. haha!
You have an amazing channel keep on doing your thing.
Awesome story at the end, respect dude
Love this video
Great video! Very informative.
16:10 Bruh that passenger airplane. That's the first Lego I ever bought.. The memory.
Couple things that bother me about the Bookshop are; 1. Looks strange having a tree with fall leaves, a child with a scarf on and then two convertibles driving by (Palace and Diner sets) and; 2. the grandfather clock is nice, but the time doesn't match the clocks used for the other 14 sets. I guess the best place for the bookshop in a LEGO city is several times zones away in another hemisphere....
To make the diner and Parisian restaurant look good put the diner on the right and the Parisian restaurant on the left. It will allow both to breath and it will look pretty good. I did it and recommend to all with this problem
I live in a country where the I inflation rate is high. So where as a set could cost $100 it would cost around 1300 in my currency and money like that isn't easy to get. So, all Legos are out of the question for toys and gifts
Same :(
Hi Alex, i would like to ask if like other Authentic lego. The module buildings are worth the investment will they go up in value. Or will they only gain significant value if in the original boxes. I am planning to save up for some sets and keep the original box and instructions etc. But I plan to open them up which is part of the fun I guess.
Really good video, amazing editing and makes me want to get some sets of my own
Do you have any more pictures of your old LEGO city? Also happy ya got a better job and are not pour anymore :D
I have many pictures of my older cities. Not as a kid, but when I fist got into my first home. I may have to dig them out to show it from its humble beginnings.
Alex Nunes you should would make for a great video!
Decent video! My favourite is the Parisian restaurant
Great video, thank you for posting
The rationale for #1 is personal. My favorite is the Diner.
Detectives Office, is my only modular, and I love it.
As a fan of 20s, and 30s Americana, and Britishcana?