I converted my Zhe Gao QL0935 Hill Tavern into a modular building

Hey brick fans, welcome back to my blog Bricks and Figs.  Also a very Happy 4th of July to all our American friends to the south.  On my other blog Its-Not-Lego I recently showcased my very first Zhe Gao branded Not Lego building set, called the Hill Tavern.  

This blog post is a part of my Zhe Gao Hill Tavern series, specifically it will look at the conversion to a modular building.   If you just jumped in here randomly, you may want to check out my other blog posts first to get some context.   Here's my list of posts specifically about the Zhe Gao Hill Tavern.

1. A look at the original set

2. Modular conversion         <--- you are here

3. First floor furnished

4. Second floor furnished        

5. Third Floor furnished

6. Bonus Pics (coming soon!)

I was very pleased with the results of the 1367 piece set Hill Tavern and it turned out to be even nicer than I expected for a set that only cost me $50 Cdn on Aliexpress.

For $50, you aren't going to get a full sized modular building.  Those will cost you double the cost.  So I wanted to see if I could make the Tavern a full sized modular using only the brick parts in my stash. I had a navy blue 32x32 stud baseplate laying around and it complements the colouring scheme of the set, so that's what I decided to use for the project at hand.

 After disassembling the building, I started by laying out the outside patio tiles and creating a new sidewalk on the baseplate.  I didn't have enough of the sand blue 2x2 tiles so I just added some extra white ones.  The original building design was 24 studs wide so I replicated the window arch on the new addition.
A lot of dark gray brick were used on the main floor walls.  Since my bricks are from a hodgepodge of different brands, the colour variations are very noticeable, which is unavoidable.  If I had sourced all of my bricks from one vendor, I wouldn't have this problem.

 Here's the preliminary test fit of the second floor onto the first floor to check what plate bricks I need to use to extend the second floor footprint.  Pictured above I put a glass door on the second floor, but later I decided it might look too similar to the front of the Parisian Restaurant, so I changed it to a smaller window instead.

 Here's the completed first floor of the modified Hill Tavern.  I replaced the non standard minifigures from the Zhe Gao set with my own.  I added a barkeeper, a random lady, a janitor and a street musician.  I don't normally use the stickers that come with the set, but this time I did.  Height of the main floor was increased by 2 bricks and that allowed me to add some extra cornice detailing.

Poor guy is not making any money today, he must not sound very good.

 I added a door around back for deliveries.  Empty bottles and trash are picked up here.  I think I need to add an awning over the door in future.

Right now the interior is completely empty.  Furnishing this modular will be another project in itself.  I want to make it like a sports bar with big TVs hanging from the walls with bar counters and stools.

The original tavern set came with stairs to the upper floors so I will need to add those back in also.

 Here's the Tavern's new second floor.  The big white nothingness in the center of the original design has been replaced by this small window.  The patio was moved to the second floor from the third floor.

I guess the second floor could function as a restaurant, if I added a few tables and chairs.  I used the dark orange bricks for the sides of the building but for the back wall I just used light gray bricks.

I like that this side is really detailed with the columns and picture window.  Oops, I forgot to finish off the top of the railing.  I added two extra minifigs to the patio.  One a patron of the tavern, the other could be the server.

First and second floor completed.

There is a lot more useable space on the newly constructed third floor.  Before it was just a patio with a narrow room.

 I'll probably make the third floor an apartment for the barkeeper.  There weren't a lot of sand blue bricks in the set, so I had to use my own here.  I used light gray on the back wall.  To give the third floor a bit more height, I moved the navy blue groove bricks from the rooftop to the third floor.

 I had to use black plates from my stash to make a rooftop big enough to cover the enhanced third floor.

Here's the back of the modified Hill Tavern.  I might add a french balcony to the third floor later because the small windows don't provide enough light.  I completely rebuilt the main floor walls so that the dark gray bricks weren't as blotchy as before.

I hope you enjoyed this look at the fully modularised Zhe Gao Hill Tavern.

And finally, this the how the new Hill Tavern looks placed into a row of buildings.   You can find the Zhe Gao QL0935 Hill Tavern set on Aliexpress by following the link below.

Thanks for visiting Bricks and Figs, and hope you can come back soon!  Bye!

Modified Enlighten 1120 Happy Camper Truck (not Lego)

Hello and welcome back to another post at Bricks and Figs!  It's mid April 2020 and we are still practising social distancing, which means we shouldn't go outside unless it's completely necessary.  That means we have lots of time to build some brick sets or in this case, we can modify an existing set that we already have.

Let's time travel back to April 2017, four years ago.  That's when I first blogged about the Enlighten 1120 Camper Truck.  In that post I complained that the truck was too wide at 8 studs, instead of my preferred width of 6 studs.  Yup, that's the camper truck above, in all it's 8 stud wide glory.  Ok, now let's return to present day and here is the modified Enlighten camper truck.

I decided that we wouldn't compromise the utility and play value of the set by making the living quarters smaller.  In fact, within pretty much the same footprint, I've managed to add a bed to the interior, but I'm getting ahead of my self. Let's take a look at the exterior before moving to the inside of the truck.

Here's the newly modified front cab of the truck.  I've decreased the width to 6 studs and it kinda has a retro ford econoline look to it.  The eight stud windshield has been replaced by the six stud equivalent, maintaining the transparent blue tint of the original.  I didn't have a 6 stud wide slope brick in lime green, so I opted to use the original roof blocks as part of the hood.  I'd much prefer the cab roof to be match the rest of the truck colour, but white is all I have in my brick stash.

Moving around to the side of the cab, you can see how the profile has changed.  There was a toss up about how big I should make the cab portion. I opted to go for the longer cab and use the side window pillar there.  The other option is to shorten the cab by one stud, which will necessitate a different roof over the cab.

Behind the cab, everything else is pretty much the same.  The axe is still there and so is the window.  I added some amber lights where the cab roof meet the rear box.

I got rid of the roof mounted shovel and antenna and moved the solar panel array from mid roof to as far forward as I could.  This gave me enough room to carry two bicycles.  I did manage to retain the roof racks, however.

The bikes are held in place by a clamp, so they don't go flying off during highway driving.  The solar array also helps to deflect the the wind up and over the bikes.

Here's the right side of the truck with retained window and fire extinguisher.

The back of the camper truck sees some significant improvements.  There's a license plate and extra marker and brake lights for safety.  The space that used to be occupied by the bike now has a gas can and spare tire.  The ladder to the roof has not changed.

Enlighten's original concept for the back of the camper was that it was split down the middle and both sides could swing away to access the interior.  In my design I opted to go with the complete removal of the box instead for structural support.

Seating has been reduced from 4 seats to 3, but I did manage to keep the freezer and stove/grill.  Since there's no passenger seat in the cab, I removed the computer screen that came in the original design.  There's now enough room for a decent sized bed and if necessary I could extend the bed width by another stud to comfortably sleep 2 minifigures side by side.

I tossed the minfigures that came with the set into a large box, so I just grabbed some random ones for this photo shoot.

Here's how the camper looks with shell removed looking forward.

As in real life, storage space is at a premium, so I added under the bed storage, accessible by two doors in the back of the camper.

Here's a few extra pictures I took of the modified Enlighten Camper.

Hope you enjoyed the pics!  Thanks for looking!   The original set is available on Aliexpress if you search for Enlighten 1120.

Lepin 15002 Cafe Corner with full interior on every level (not Lego)

Hey what's up brick fans?  Hope you are all staying safe and healthy during this pandemic season.   Right now, the government strongly advises all of us to stay home and self-isolate. If there's a silver lining in all this, it's that I have lots of time to spend working on my modular buildings.

Thanks to COVID-19, I have now finally completed all of the modifications to my Lepin 15002 Cafe Corner modular.  If you're not familiar with this building, Lego designed this building to house a Cafe on the main floor, with the upper floors being occupied by a hotel, as evidenced by the large signage attached to the side of the building.  Well, that's what it was supposed to be, because this building was completely devoid of any interior finishings, so you had to just use your imagination about what it could be on the inside.  You can find my build and review posts,  part one and part two on my other blog Its-Not-Lego.blogspot.com.

Around the time I was building the Lepin Cafe Corner, I was also building the Hsanhe mini shops.  I had the idea to move one of the Hsanhe mini shops - the Sweet Shop, into the main floor.  Here's my build post of the Hsanhe Sweet Shop.  Since then, I've been gradually working towards furnishing the interior of the Cafe Corner, my version now renamed to the Sweet Shop and Hostel.

Change Log

• July 2016 - ordered the Lepin Cafe Corner and Hsanhe mini shops
• Sept 2016 - build Cafe Corner and Sweet shop
• Apr 2017 - disassemble Sweet shop and integrate into Cafe Corner main floor, redesign main floor exterior
• Jun 2017 - furnish second floor with hostel reception and lounge area, rebuild Hotel sign to read Hostel
• May 2019 - replace the 32x32 baseplate of the modular, furnish third floor
• Sept 2019 - third floor gets new bunk beds
• Oct 2019 - add floor tiles to all three floors
• Dec 2019 - revise main floor to include seating area
• Jan 2020 - revise third floor to include 3 piece bathroom
• Feb 2020 - replace all second and third floor windows

Exterior views

The most significant exterior enhancements include re-working the sidewalk area and changing the first floor facade.  The front door was relocated to the side and a circular glass display and signage added in it's place.  All the windows have been updated as well.  

One of the Sweet shop staff is giving out free samples to entice customers to come in and shop.  

Front Left Side View

Changed the Hotel sign to read Hostel.   Normally, there's a hotdog cart parked out front next to the Hostel entrance, but they took the day off apparently.

The famous Hostel sign.

Front Right Side View

The original green baseplate that came with the set was replaced with a brown one.  A covered service entrance provides an alternate access to the Sweet shop.

Rear Left Side view

Rear Right Side View

The second floor footprint is extended to provide an outdoor smoking area that leads back into the hostel lounge.  Trash cans on both first and second floor.

Service Entrance to Sweet Shop,  Second Floor Smoking Patio

Main Floor 

The main floor is now fully furnished with what used to be the Hsanhe Sweet shop.  The interior colour scheme is a nod to the original set, but everything else is pretty much new. That includes the workspace with oven, mixer, sink and drawers.  The circular display in the corner can be rotated to display different sweets.  A custom counter with cash register also houses more sweets.  The floor is fully tiled as well.

Prep Area, Rotating Display, Counter with Cash Register

There are even more baked goods next to the entrance.  The Sweet shop normally employs three to four staff who all take turns in cleaning, making, selling and marketing the wares.

Closer look at Prep Area and Rotating display

Even more baked goods are available next to the comfy seating area.  Each table gets overhead lighting.  Business is good.

Additional Shelves and in-Store Seating for 4 patrons

Second Floor

The hostel occupies the second and third floor of the modular building.  The second floor is fully furnished and tiled with the hostel reception area and lounge.  As you come up the stairs from the street, the reception area is on your left.  There is a water cooler and coffee machine for the customers enjoyment.  A brightly covered rug defines the relaxing lounge area.  Magazines, newspapers and a TV are free to use.  Fresh flowers also help to liven up the lounge.

Today, the hostel manager is using his computer to update the Hostel's website.  At the reception area, a satisfied guest is checking out.  Access to the outside smoking balcony is via the lounge, however Hostel staff kindly reminds their guests that smoking is bad for your health.

The third floor

Stairs lead to the third floor which is furnished with two bunk beds, a dresser and a computer desk.  Access to the communal bathroom is provided with each stay.
The bathroom has a sink with mirror, toilet and toilet paper, and a shower with hot and cold water.

Though it's hard to see, the shower stall has a glass partition wall. Please clean up after yourself when you are done using the bathroom. Thanks.

Maximum occupancy is 4 people.  I would love to be able to add another floor to the hostel so that men and women could have their own floors, but I can't really justify getting another Cafe Corner modular just to add an extra storey.  For now, it's mixed accomodations at the hostel.

How convenient that fresh coffee is just down the stairs.

As I was writing up this post, I wanted to say that I've completed all the changes I wanted to the Cafe Corner, except, now I'm thinking I might add a skylight to the roof to let more light into the sleeping floor.  Oh well!

If you still can't get enough, here's the links to my other posts about the evolution of Cafe Corner/Sweet Shop/Hostel.

Sweet shop moves into Cafe Corner.

Hostel moves into Cafe Corner

Further revisions to the Cafe Corner

Anyways, thanks so much for staying until the end of this post!  I hope you've enjoyed looking at the pictures as much as I've enjoyed sharing them with you.
Stay safe and wash your hands!   Bye!