My Custom Not Lego Koban Police Station

 

Hey brick fans!

I just wanted to show you my latest project, it's a small neighbourhood police station called a Koban. It's typically found in many Japanese cities and towns.   My little not Lego Japanese town gets a much needed police station.

Here's the wikipedia page for it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Dban

My model is based on someone's 3D render I found on the internet.  It looked simple enough to replicate with my bricks and blocks.

I copied the location of all the windows that I saw in the pictures and even added bars on the windows.

I added a policeman minifigure and a policewoman minifigure to provide a sense of scale.

There are no pictures of the back of the building, so I just added a door with a covered ledge.

I have a weird sized brick on the back wall which I' need to replace.  I wonder if I should indent the back wall to replicate the design on the sides of the building?  Might give it a bit more visual interest.

I used minifigure baseplates for my rooftop, lol.  Looks crappy doesn't it?

In case, you are wondering if my not Lego police station is a modular building, yes it is.  The roof and the second floor can be separated.

I've even added a stairwell opening on the second floor.   Now I just need to furnish the interior.  I need to add stairs, a front desk, some offices, a break room and a small jail cell.  That will be for the next project. 

This project took me about 20 hours to build using just the spare bricks and blocks I had laying around. That's it, thanks for looking at my custom Japanese Koban police station!  Bye!

I made a Lego compatible Strip (I mean Dance) Club!

 

Hey brick fans!  Earlier this month I picked up some rather risque minifigures from Aliexpress for cheap.  Some of them look like characters from anime and others like exotic dancers.   I think someone on Reddit suggested that they belonged in a nightclub, and that sounded like a good idea.  I just needed to make a modular building, but I wanted an understated building, not a flashy club with neon lights and such.

I planned on having the building sit on my Japan street, so I wanted to make a Japanese themed building.

In the Japanese anime called Initial D, there is a nondescript garage next door to the Fujiwara Tofu shop.  Since I already made my own custom Tofu shop, I somewhat modelled my new building after that.

Here's my version of it.  It sits on a 16x32 baseplate and has two floors.

I think it looks pretty good sandwiched between my custom crab and seafood shop and the Fujiwara Tofu shop buildings.

I had a ton of these corrugated panels in my brick stash, so I figured I'd use them here to make the building look more industrial.

I don't have much going on around back, with only a back door and a case of empty bottles to break up the monotony.

I quite like this ventilation unit on the roof, I don't remember where I copied the design from.

Being a modular building, the roof comes off and so does the second floor.  I've made a  preliminary interior for both floors but that may change in the near future.

On the underside of the roof, I've installed a light brick that gives off a blue light.

Here is the second floor interior.  It has a main stage with stripper pole and a smaller stage in the opposite corner.  I have a bunch of these old dark green tiles so I decided to cover the floor with them.  Maybe I should have washed them first because they look pretty grungy.   Access to the second floor is from the stairwell.  I'll probably add an extra railing so that tipsy patrons don't fall down the stairs.  I've placed a few of the exotic dancer minifigures here.  Looks like the construction guys just got off work.

It's a pretty tight squeeze on the main floor because of the garage door and the staircase.  The same dingy green floor tiles can be found here too. 

There is another stage with pole here too with another dancer and some of her fans.  I added some extra minifigures as servers.

This is the makeshift bar setup by the back door.  It's really cramped so I have to figure out how to expand the bar.

During the day the building doesn't look like much but after hours, things start to get lively.  The main floor is also lit up by a light brick.

I updated some of the faces and hairpieces of the exotic dancers, so they look a bit different now.

And here are some serving staff figures I made.

In addition to the exotic dancers, I made a few extra unsavoury characters to populate the building.  They could be either patrons or the "help".

So after I made my dance club building, I realized I needed some wow factor for inside the club.  I have this old set sitting around and it started life as the Pantasy DJ booth.  I've decided to repurpose it to make it the main stage.  I added some flashing lights but the light string is really messy.   I think the lights are for a Holiday train building block set that I don't have.   Don't ask me how I ended up with the light string.

I made a little video of the flashing lights.

A video test of the lights

There's more I want to add to the dance club, like a DJ booth for real.  And maybe a few tables and chairs for the patrons.   Except I don't have enough room in the current building.   Does it mean I have to already expand the build that I just finished?   Arggh!   I guess we will have to see what I can come up with later.

Let me know what you think of my unassuming strip/dance club!   Thanks for looking, bye!

I completely rebuilt the Cada Japanese Kitty Grocery Store C66015W!

 

Hey there, fellow brick enthusiasts! How's everything going? Today, I'm thrilled to unveil my latest project: a complete overhaul of the Cada Japanese Kitty Grocery Store C66015W.

Intro

The Cada Grocery store marks the newest addition to a series of Japanese-themed shops by Cada, totaling five buildings, or six if we count the Cada licensed Initial D Fujiwara Tofu Shop set C61031W.

The initial trio of buildings, expertly crafted by exesandbox, were a joy to assemble and showcase. You can check out his designs on his instagram page. I've personally constructed all three and shared my thoughts on each:

Japanese Steamed Bun Shop

Japanese Summer Breeze Coffee Shop

Japanese Tea Shop

However, the subsequent two Japanese shops were a tad smaller and lacked the finesse of the first three. The fourth, dubbed the Japanese Canteen, felt a bit lackluster with its sparse and puzzling interior. That one ranked lowest among the five for me. You can read my review of it here:

Japanese Canteen

Finally, we have the Japanese Grocery Store. While the original rendition was quaint, I felt it could use some enhancements. If you're curious to see its original form before my modifications, check out the review here:

Japanese Grocery Store

Now, with that backstory in mind, let's dive into the revamped version of the set. Firstly, despite its name, the grocery store doesn't stock any actual food items, leading me to believe it's more of a thrift shop. It's filled with odds and ends like dishes, mugs, and handbags. I've endeavored to utilize as much from the original set as possible while incorporating additional items from my collection.

One of the primary modifications I've made to each of my modded buildings is placing them on raised baseplates. This not only reinforces the base for easier handling but also allows for the addition of a sidewalk to the front of the set. I've standardized all buildings to fit onto a 16x32 stud baseplate. Initially, this set was about 17 or 18 studs wide and 20 studs deep.

As seen in the pictures, I've extended the building's depth, providing ample space for the main floor thrift shop.

The second floor, originally a tea room with a koi fish pond, lacked sufficient headroom. It seemed odd to have a pond on the second floor, so I've maintained similar dimensions while ensuring enough height for a minifigure to stand comfortably. 

In my redesign, the second floor now serves as Kitty's bedroom, the shop owner, accessible via a new staircase I've added. While I considered expanding the second-floor space, I lacked enough tan bricks in my stash. Instead, I've created a new patio or terrace in front, accessible from the bedroom.

I've made several adjustments to the exterior as well, including removing the sliding door and downsizing the sakura tree while relocating it to the upstairs patio.

The roof remains largely unchanged, housing a fixed roof in place of the original movable awning.

While remaining faithful to the original design, I've made slight modifications to enhance its aesthetic appeal. I've centered the front doorway, removed the plant stand, and relocated the sign post. 

On the second floor, I've retained the original window while adding a new door to the patio.  

With the sakura tree on the left side, I've reversed the location of the leaves and flower petals and moved the sign accordingly.

I've transformed the new thrift store into a modular building, allowing for easy roof removal and floor separation.

Removing the roof reveals a simple bedroom, consisting of a bed and chest with tiled sand green floors and a staircase with railings for safety.

The entire second floor can be detached from the main floor, showcasing the revised layout of the thrift shop, now featuring the staircase at the back and a door under the stairwell.

I've relocated the checkout counter to the back and preserved the wall shelves and turquoise chair, adding a few more items to fill out the shelves.  Note to self:  cash register needs a computer screen.

Pictured above is a new shelf that is a copy of the one that came with the set.  Also added a few more items to fill out the shelf.

Here's the original shelf which I have moved to the other side of the shop.  Whatever is shown above the front door was preserved from the original set.

The floors on the main level also sport sand green tiles, complementing the large sticker on the floor.

And that's a wrap on all the modifications! I hope you've enjoyed this tour of the newly designed Japanese thrift store! I've also started modifying the Japanese Canteen, though I haven't finished the interior yet. Stay tuned for updates on the blog.

Feel free to drop your comments below. Thanks for tuning in!

Pictures of my Sherlock Holmes 221B Baker Street Modular Building MOC

 

Hey what's up brick fans?  Today I'm sharing pictures of my latest project, the Sherlock Holmes 221B Baker Street modular building.   I know my modular building probably bears no resemblance to the 221B Baker Street featured in the TV show or movies since the MOC is more based on the Lego compatible Pantasy brand 86218 set of the same name, so please just assume this particular building exists in an alternate universe.

In December 2021, I did a full review of the Pantasy Sherlock Holmes 221B baker street set which you can find here.   It's a very nice quality set and I was so pleased to have it in my collection.  As you can see from the picture above, the set features the kitchen, a living room and a study.  Each part of the set can be displayed independently or attached together.

Around the beginning of 2023, I suddenly got the urge to turn this set into a full modular building.  I had in mind to build a three storey building but I didn't have enough bricks so I ended up making a two storey building instead.

Here is an early prototype of the main floor exterior.  There are two entrances, one goes to the second floor where Sherlock Holmes resides and the other is a shop entrance which will be the Speedy Sandwich and Bakery.  

And here's what the interior of the first floor looks like.

The Kitchen

The kitchen alone takes up a good portion of the main floor space and is well lit with a large bay window in front and a tall window on the back wall.  The layout and features of the kitchen from the original Pantasy set have largely been preserved but enhanced with floor tiles of black and sand green.  

Some of the cabinets have been relocated to the opposite wall.  A door that accesses a pantry underneath the staircase.  The Pantasy set originally had a microscope in the kitchen, but I don't feel it belongs here so it's gone.  Instead, I've added a wall mounted broom next to the sideboard. 

 I almost forgot to mention that there is an access door from the kitchen to the upstairs stairwell.  This is especially convenient for when Mrs. Hudson brings afternoon tea to Sherlock Holmes parlour.  When things get busy Mrs. Hudson enlists some part time help to work in the kitchen and tend to the shop.

The Sandwich Shop

The kitchen is connected to the Sandwich shop and Bakery via a doorway.  The tiny Sandwich shop also has a matching bay window which displays the daily specials.  Patrons can buy sandwiches and baked goods for takeaway from the counter. 

Additionally, there is a small table and chair outside for those who want to enjoy their food immediately.

Mrs. Hudson's Room

Mrs Hudson  private bedroom is located directly behind the shop.  It's a rather sparse affair with only a bed and a tall dresser.  Her sole luxury is her ensuite bathroom with tub and shower , sink and victorian style toilet.

Here's a quick gander of the rear of the building before we move to the second floor.

Sherlock Holmes Parlour

Sherlock Holmes lives on the second floor of 221B Baker St.   His flat is accessed from the street via the stairs next to Mrs. Hudson's kitchen.

Upon ascending to the second floor, there is a hallway that accesses Sherlock's parlour and a two piece bathroom.  

In between the two doorways I've located the coat rack from the original Pantasy set.

Here is a rather blurry picture of the conveniently placed second floor washroom.

Here is Sherlock Holmes's living room/parlour.   Items preserved from the Pantasy set include the fireplace and mantle, the two armchairs and even the red and gold area rug.  The original chessboard was placed on the coffee table, but I've now made it a focal piece between the two chairs.  The existing floorlamp gets a new lime green lampshade.

The deer head over the entrance way was originally found in the study but is now prominently display in the parlour.  The coffee table was reduced in size from 8 studs long to 6 studs to make it fit into the confines of the living room.   The telephone, the corner liquor shelf and the giant curio cabinet have been preserved from the Pantasy set.   The full length second floor balcony is easily accessed from the parlour.

 

Some more views of the parlour.

The Study

The study is a rather cramped affair but I managed to squeeze in as much of the original furniture as possible.  This includes the desk and typewriter and bookcase.  The violin and sheet music stand have found their way into the study from the parlour.  I moved one of the chairs from the kitchen to the study.

As I mentioned at the start of this post, I had planned to make this modular building three stories tall.  The third storey, if I ever build it, will contain the bedrooms for Sherlock Holmes and Watson and possibly another bathroom.   For now though, I have added an additional staircase which goes nowhere right now.

The Pantasy Sherlock Holmes set included four minifigures.  Aside from Mrs. Hudson who we have seen already, here are the remaining characters.  Professor James Moriarty, the nemesis of Sherlock Holmes.

John H. Watson.

And Sherlock Holmes.

Just for fun, I added a bus stop at the entrance to 221B Baker St.

Hey look, here comes the bus now!

Thanks for looking at my latest project, the 221B Baker Street modular building MOC, largely influenced by the Pantasy 86218 Sherlock Holmes Apartment set.   Bye for now!