Using Leftover Signs from the Lumibricks Bodega to Make Papi's Mobile Deli

 

Hey brick fans!

I recently converted the Lumibricks Bodega set into a custom modular building, which left me with some extra signage. The original kit featured a built-in deli window, but my new modular MOC didn't have the space for it.

Instead of letting those parts go to waste, I decided to build a mobile deli truck! I had a Happy Build Kebab Truck (YC-QC009) lying around, so I repurposed it into Papi's Mobile Deli.

Here is what I changed to make the conversion work:

• The Awnings: Swapped the original red and white pieces for contrasting yellow to match the main grocery store storefront color scheme.

• The Hot Side: Kept the original grill element but swapped out the kebabs for hot dogs.

• The Cold Side: Added a brand-new service counter on the opposite side to serve fresh sandwiches and baked goods.

• The Functionality: Engineered the counters to fold inward seamlessly so the awnings can close completely when the truck is on the move.

Here's the mobile deli truck parked outside the Bodega.

What do you think of the final look? I’m really happy with how this impromptu build turned out, and it just goes to show that you should never throw away your leftover parts or overlook an old set in your backlog!

Let me know in the comments below: Have you ever repurposed a completely different set to fit into your brick city layout? What kind of custom food trucks are rolling around your modular streets?

P.S.  Don't forget to use my code itsnotlego to save 10% on the Official Lumibricks site!

https://www.lumibricks.com/?ref=tN9EBQmQ

Until next time, happy building!  Bye!

How I Redesigned the Lumibricks Bodega 19017 (Part One)

 

Welcome back, brick fans! Today, I am excited to show you how I took the original 618-piece Lumibricks Bodega set and completely transformed it into a custom modular building.

Before we look at the modifications, here is a quick reminder of what the original Bodega set looked like right out of the box. The storefront featured the vibrant "Papi's Grocery Store" sign alongside a fantastic collection of street-level details, including an ATM and a corner entrance. 

On the side of the building, you'll find a deli window, specialized signage, and a detailed menu. 

If you want to check out my comprehensive thoughts on the unedited build, you can read my full review of the Lumibricks Bodega here: its-not-lego.blogspot.com/2026/08/why-lumibricks-bodega-26-is-must-have.html.

For this modification, I decided to restrict my custom Bodega to a width of 16 studs so it could sit perfectly next to my custom Lumibricks Newsstand modular building. (You can see how I highlighted that updated Newsstand project here: bricksandfigs.blogspot.com/2024/12/welcome-to-my-custom-funwhole-newsstand.html). Side-by-side, both buildings seamlessly share a single 32x32 stud baseplate.

Step 1: The Exterior Shell

The process began by constructing the building's exterior walls while keeping the front and back fully open for accessibility. 

To ensure the overhead clearance was exactly right, I did a test fit with the original "Papi's Grocery" sign. 

On the inside, I laid down long tiled pieces across the floor and secured a long plate across the top structure—this is where I mount the interior LED light strip. 

Step 2: Refining the Storefront

Next, I built two structural pillars using 1x2 wine-coloured masonry bricks, anchoring the ATM machine directly onto one of them. 

For the entrance, I swapped out the original corner door frame in favour of a regular door frame. I also managed to replicate the set's signature removable front window feature for my custom version, though I reduced its width slightly to fit the new 16-stud footprint.

Step 3: Designing the Pull-Out Interior

Because I felt the original interior layout left room for improvement, I decided to engineer a self-contained, pull-out tray. This removable tray houses its own floor, walls, and all the store's extra detailed fixtures.

Inside, you'll find a dedicated counter area positioned at the rear of the store right next to a convenient back door, complete with a security camera mounted overhead.  The Bodega now has a lot more product offerings.

 I made sure to preserve some of the best elements from the official Lumibricks set, including portions of the original tiled flooring, the store fixtures, and the cooler fridge. However, I did make one small aesthetic tweak: replacing the set's digital clock with a classic analog clock face.

The entire interior tray smoothly slides right into the main building structure, thanks to those tile pieces I added initially. To make access completely effortless, I added a small, discrete handle on the back wall so the tray can be pulled out in seconds.

Step 4: The Upper Floors

To complete the multi-story modular look, I repurposed the upper two floors from a modular building I previously used in my custom Starbucks build. If you want to see where those pieces originally came from, you can check out that older project here: bricksandfigs.blogspot.com/2019/10/custom-modular-building-using-hsanhe.html.

As of right now, the upper floors are empty shells, but I plan to fully furnish their interiors in an upcoming project!

Update:  Peter Parker has moved into the building!

I didn't want the extra printed pieces to go to waste, so ....

Papi got a new mobile Deli truck!

What do you think of the new modular Bodega layout? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! If you enjoy seeing these custom builds and alternative brick reviews, don't forget to bookmark my blog and subscribe for updates

👉. Don't forget to check out my other Lego compatible building set reviews at bricktoyreviews.blogspot.com. Thanks for looking, bye for now!

Sidewalk modification tutorial for the Lumibricks/FunWhole Gelato Store F9078

 

Hey brick fans!

I just recently built and reviewed the Lumibricks/FunWhole Gelato Store set and it was definitely unique and interesting in it's construction.  It has all the similarities of a traditional modular building but it can also be unfolded so that the entire exterior and interior can be displayed dollhouse fashion.

As you can see from the above picture, the Gelato store is comprised of three different levels, all of which can be separated.  The ground floor is the gelato store, the second floor provides seating for the patrons and the rooftop is a garden/artist retreat.   The sidewalk is an extra piece that clips into the building while it's in it's modular form.

Alternatively, the gelato store is hinged such that it can be opened to maximize the visibility of it's exterior and interior spaces.  This method allows easier access to the rich interior details and facilitates play.

There is one drawback though.  When it's time to open up the Gelato store for interior access, sidewalk removal is not so straightforward.  In fact, it's a bit of a struggle to switch between modular building mode and dollhouse mode because of said sidewalk piece.

The Issue

Herein lies the problem.  Above I've taken some screenshots of the instruction manual that shows you the sidewalk attachment process.  From the first picture (ie pg 202), there are a total of four connection points  as depicted by the dark gray studs at the front of the building.  The sidewalk is then slid into place and tiles are then placed on top of those connection points to secure it as shown in the bottom pic (ie pg 204).

To switch to dollhouse mode, you have to remove four or more tiles to disengage the sidewalk piece, so that the building can be unhinged.  A further complication is that the leftmost connecting tile is placed immediately under the doorstep, meaning that piece has to be removed as well.  All of this limits the immediacy and excitement of play.

The Fix

I wanted to retain the ability of sidewalk attachment but make it quicker and easier to remove it or add it back.   I decided that the four connection points was excessive and the same thing could be accomplished using only two connection points.  Also I didn't want to remove the doorstep each time.

My solution involves reworking some of the tile placement on the sidewalk and at the front of the building.  Specifically, I wanted to eliminate the connection points at the far right and far left of the sidewalk, ie the 2x3 tiles near the front door and the nearest the bench.

While I was figuring out how to arrange the sidewalk tiles, I realized I should also place some studs to allow the set's four minifigures to be displayed as well.

To make the fixes, I used a handful of extra spare tiles consisting of some:

1x1 tiles, 1x2 tiles, 1x3 tiles, 1x4 tiles, 2x2 tiles and some studded plates including a modified 4x4 plate.

I recognize that not everyone will have the exact tiles I have so hopefully you can use whatever you have on hand to redo the sidewalk.  The objective is to keep as much of the original sidewalk design intact but just alter it enough to provide the two connection points and the mounting studs for the display of the minifigures.

Step One

The first objective is to eliminate the two connection points previously occupied by the 2x3 tiles on both sides of the building  by two 1x3 pieces.

Here's the door side.  Notice the grill piece under the black column details.  I've repositioned it from it's original location.  The two studs below it will be one of the new connection points.

Similarly, we have replaced the 2x3 tile with a 1x3 tile at the edge of the baseplate.  And the grill piece moved under the black column defining the other connection point below it.

After a bit of tile rearrangement, here is the look of my modified sidewalk.  As you can see from the picture above, the mount points for the railing, table and two chairs, as well as the balcony theatre signpost have been retained.  The mount point for the ice cream structure has been shifted a bit.   Additionally I have relocated and added some studded plates for minifigure display.  Of course, you can adjust the stud placement to your own liking.   The most important detail to note is the two gray studded connection points that will line up between the sidewalk and the building.  

After you are happy with the tile arrangement of your sidewalk, slide it back towards the gelato store.

Place two 2x2 tiles on top of the connection points (located next to the grill pieces).

Return the accessory pieces back to the sidewalk, ie. the doorstep, railing, table and chairs.

And the ice cream fixture and sign post.

Attach the minifigures as desired!

Now to switch into dollhouse mode, simply lift up on the sidewalk and it should come right off.  To return to modular building mode, again just slide the sidewalk up against the building and snap the two 2x2 tiles back into place.

Hopefully this fix to the sidewalk makes it more convenient and enjoyable to play with and display the Lumibricks/FunWhole Gelato store!

👉. Don't forget to check out my other Lego compatible building set reviews at bricktoyreviews.blogspot.com. Thanks for looking, bye for now!

#lumibricks #gelatostore #lumibricksmoc

How I Made an Animated Billboard for my Lumibricks Cyberpunk City (Part Two)

 

Hey brick fans, welcome back!

This is the second part of my mini tutorial on how I made an animated billboard for my Lumibricks Cyberpunk city.   If you missed the first part of the tutorial, you can find it here: https://bricksandfigs.blogspot.com/2025/08/how-i-made-animated-ai-billboard-for-my.html.

In my previous blog post, we looked at image and video generation using the free AI tools like Dreamina and Canva.  At this point, I have the saved video as an mp4 format file on my laptop.  So now I need to create the actual display which is what we will address in this blog post.

Using an old cell phone as a display

Some of you might have guessed correctly that I'm serving up the billboard video from a cell phone.   I've gone through a lot of cell phones over the years and when they get too slow, I replace them with the latest and greatest.  All these old phones inevitably end up in a drawer where they collect dust.   It occurred to me that I could give them new life and purpose by serving as the billboard displays for my cyberpunk city.

I don't have to buy new LED/LCD display panels, I just reuse what I already have.  I'm sure most people will have an old phone somewhere and even if you don't you probably know someone that will give you their old phone.

It doesn't even matter if the screen is cracked or whatnot, as long as the phone will power on, you are in business.

To prep the phone, I did a factory reset on them just to clean them up.   Most phones will include a video app by default and this is what we will use to display the video, which you will recall is in mp4 format. The format is pretty standard across all video players, so you shouldn't have a problem to display the custom video.

Copy the video to the phone

After prepping the phone, you'll need to copy the video file from your laptop over to the phone.  You can either transfer the file via WiFi / shared drive or via a physical USB cable to do a file transfer.  I imagine the process is pretty much the same if you copy files from phone to phone.  I won't go into that too much, as there are lots of resources on the web that address that.   Put the video file where ever it's meaningful to you, such as a Download or Gallery folder.

You should be able to launch the video automatically just by clicking on it, and it should use the phones default video player to play it.   You can either display your video in either landscape or portrait mode as the picture above shows you.

To get the best effect, I crank the phones display brightness to the max.  You want the visual to be as bright as possible, especially if you are displaying it in a cyberpunk city, where you want to achieve the maximum effect. Because we've created a loop file, when you launch the video it should play for the full duration that you set it at.

If you have multiple old phones like I have, you might consider running different videos on each phone.  It's really up to you, how many videos you want in your city.

Creating a brick built stand for your phone

In this next section, we will look at creating the stand for the billboard.  There is no one size fits all stand, so each one that you make is custom fitted to your own phone.  The design is also completely up to you, but I will discuss some of the technical considerations here.

The first thing is the cradle or box, as I like to call it.  That's the brick built part where the phone will sit into.  It should fit the dimensions of the phone and should be bricked on three sides leaving the back and bottom open.  The back is open for ventilation. Not saying your phone will overheat, but just in case. The bottom of the box should be accessible if you want to run a charging cable into the phone as an option.

This is what the back looks like.  I just used whatever spare plates and bricks I have on hand.

My Samsung J6 phone inside the box.  The dimensions are 11 studs wide and 20 studs long.

At the top of the box, I've placed some plates to stop the phone from toppling out when I put the stand upright.  Also it will hide any of the phones top widgets.  Towards the bottom of the box, I've used 2 1x4 jumper plates.  This not only holds the phone in, but makes it hides the bottom widgets and makes it easy to pop off, so I can access the phone.

I will typically turn on the phone, launch the video, get it into the desired orientation, then put the phone into the box and secure the plates.

I further customised the bottom plate just to match the Coke ad that is playing.

Finally I constructed the stand in which the box will sit atop.  Additionally, it serves to elevate the billboard. Make sure that it is sturdy enough so that the phone box doesn't topple over.

This is just an example of what I've done, but yours can be whatever design you like. 

Ok that concludes our little tutorial of the animated display.  Hope you've found this blog post useful!

If you'd like to get any of the cool Cyberpunk Lumibricks sets, don't forget to use my affilliate code itsnotlego to save on your purchases from their website:  https://www.lumibricks.com/?ref=tN9EBQmQ

Thanks for looking, bye!