Last summer, we discussed a custom LEGO Modular Building by British LEGO fan Bricked1980, featuring a late 1950s post office, a fish & chip shop, a mail sorting room, a café, and a business office. (You can read more about the project and see lots of pictures here and here.) There has been a great deal of interest in getting building instructions for this beautiful model both in our community, and also through social media. Since then, Bricked1980 teamed up with another LEGO fan, camsbrick, to produce professional building instructions, which are now available! 🙂
Many LEGO fans (including myself) have been in love with this project, so when I heard that the instructions were available, I purchased them immediately. The instructions are not cheap ($20 at the time of this writing), but – at least to me – they are well worth it. It saves me time from trying to reconstruct the project from pictures (although that should also be possible if you are strapped for cash but have the time). You can check out, purchase, and download the instructions at Rebrickable: LEGO BRICK SQUARE POST OFFICE BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS
I have already scrolled through the instructions, and they are definitely high quality. They are not just auto-generated steps you find in LEGO Digital Designer, but actual, logically arranged building steps you find in LEGO’s own instructions. To be easy on the eyes, each page has the same light-blue background as LEGO instructions. And there are little boxes for the parts needed for each step. The instructions are 265 pages long, and also include templates for the post office sticker you see over the door of the post office (this is the only sticker in the project).
The British-style building has a split layout, with two structures sitting on a 32×32 baseplate (standard for the LEGO Modular Buildings). In between the buildings, there is a shared stairwell, which can be accessed from the street (this is how minifigs can reach the upper floors). There is also a small square at the front with sitting arrangements and a flowering tree. Both buildings follow similar designs as the official LEGO Modular Buildings; decorative stonework, windows with white frames, window box planters with flowers, and lovely colors. The post office is the main attraction, but there is also a fish & chip shop, a mail sorting room, a café, and a generic business office. They are spread out between the three floors of the two buildings. While the spaces are small, they are tastefully decorated with realistic details. Here, I included some pictures, and you can find a lot more at Bricked1980’s flickr gallery. Also, there is an old style mail van that can pull up to the post office to pick up mail and packages.
A nice feature of Rebrickable is that you can check out the parts-list even before you purchase the instructions. Thus, you can see what parts you already have, and what you would still need. (Rebrickable allows you to create your set/part inventory at their website, or sync your inventory from Brickset. Once your inventory is uploaded, you can look at what official LEGO sets and custom projects can be built from the parts you already have.) This project uses 600 parts with a 3449 total quantity, similar to the size and piece-count of official LEGO Modular Buildings.
I plan on building this project later this year, and add it my own LEGO Modular Building layout, similarly as in the image above. I just need some time to gather all the necessary parts and begin building! Again, if you are interested, and would like to purchase the instructions, or just want to check them out, go to the project’s page at Rebrickable. And, if you are looking for any of the official LEGO Modular Buildings, they are available at the LEGO Creator section of the Online LEGO Shop.
What do you think? How do you like this custom LEGO post office? Would you like to build it? And are you planning to purchase the instructions? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below! 😉
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So, basically we get to build it our self. That’s great because some of us ( me in particular) can’t build building from scratch very well. I mean can only do a “first floor open at the back end” kind of build . Like my post office. It also means I can fit my big figure hand/ fingers in it .Lol.
Better than this year’s official modular. So beautiful! I will check if I have the bricks. If I have like 50% I would like to build it.
Thanks, admin, for sharing this. I don’t know if I have the patience to source the parts, but I appreciate the builder sharing instructions.
Yes, sourcing the parts is part of the challenge. 😀
Ohhh!!! This is awesome! Thank you! I was really hoping to get instructions for this! Admin, when you build it can you share pictures?
Sure thing! But it will be a while as I have other projects going on right now. 🙂
Oh, finally! I’m really happy to see this. How long are the instructions going to be available? Do you know, admin?
Since they are for sale, I’d guess they’d stay up for a while.
The build requires 3449 pieces, though.
Yes, the instructions should be available for as long as the website is there to host it.
I remember seeing this before. Very beautiful build. It’s great that the creator is now sharing the instructions. I hope he will build and share many more.
Wow! This is great news!! I love this modular. I am off to buy the instructions, check my inventory, and get my parts order together. Thanks for the info, admin!
You’re very welcome! Have fun building! 🙂
With my inventory, I found I had 70% of the parts. I’ve ordered most of the others and have started the build. It is fun, and the detailed outfitting is outstanding (although there really are a LOT of clocks). There are a couple issues with the parts list. For one, the minifigures are not listed on it. They are on the last page of the build manual, and you will have to add them to your Wanted List yourself. The part number for the folded umbrella is incorrect. It should be 27150, and the part number for the head of the second minifig (the guy with the beret) should be 3626bpx301.
Su, thanks for sharing and being a pioneer in building this set! I plan to do mine this summer, so your notes are super helpful. Keep us updated on your progress! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this. This might be my project for the year.