Like the previous post I made on the improvement of the modular bookshop 10270, the LEGO® modular Police Station set 10278 is also a very solid and detailed building that can further be improved without having to buy 2 sets and making everything bigger.
The Police Station has a unique façade in that it has 3 buildings and has a feeling of a busy urban street. The main building already has a commanding presence and stands taller than most modular buildings while the medium lavender donut shop shows a more feminine and classy style.
The sand green building which serves as an annex to the police station is a great addition to show diversity in a LEGO® city. So with the front of the building being as detailed as it is, we can focus on adding more details to the interior, the rooftop and the back of the building.
The Ground Floor
The ground floor of the police station seems too simple having only a desk right in front of the entrance and a water dispenser on the side. Some nice additions that I did were to place a food and water dispenser for the K9 unit and some seating on the side. Also, by placing the water dispenser at the corner of the room, it gives a bit more space to hang the radio and handcuffs, making sure the room is properly utilized without making it look cramped.
The donut shop is already quite tall and narrow so placing some seats and tables is not a good way to improve it. One way to break the monotonous wall color is to place wall arts like a dog or swan. This idea which was inspired from a post made by a friend (Aussie_Adam_Bricks) who does mini animal artworks, makes the interior look more interesting without further reducing the space of the room.
The middle floor of the police station has a lot of unused space. The first improvement that can be made is to tile the floor with similar a color scheme as the ground floor. By moving the camera just at the back of the desks, you can free up the small room to be used for another purpose.
The free space in the sand green annex building can then be turned into a CSI room by placing a door and a 1x2x5 clear brick to separate it from the main room. Then by adding a microscope, scissors, syringe, colorful bottles and other small details, you can complete the look of a CSI room despite having a small space to work with. You can also add a small sink with tap and soap to make sure investigators clean up before and after their work.
For the apartment of the newspaper guy, a basic light bluish gray tile to reflect a simple lifestyle works the best. As with most of my MOCs and modifications, I put a small bathroom on any living space/ apartment as much as possible. Using a 4x4x6 diagonal door saves space. By moving the furniture around, you can keep the stove and sink in the corner and the desk beside the bed.
The top floor of the police station, like the middle floor could also be tiled with the dark blue & sand blue combination. The toilet can be further upgraded with a sink, mirror and of course, tileworks.
With the roof, you can place a few solar panels and a small drone landing area. This part of the police station, can still use some work on my part as well. If you have suggestions, you may share them on the comment section. ^_^
The Backyard
The back of the building has a basic clean look but does not have much details and the space can further be used. Being a police station, I put fences to separate it from the access ladder to the newspaper guy’s apartment. Using bar doors and windows instead of bricks help make them look more like electric fences. Also, adding a few plants and stone pathway adds a bit of color to an otherwise gray floor plate.
Like the modification I made with the Birch Bookshop, most of the pieces I used are common and easy to collect. They may already be in your collection and adding them to the police station can make the building more interesting than it already is.
I’m sure that there are more ways to improve its beauty both on the interior and exterior. This is a good way to practice being resourceful and innovative which will lead to you becoming better at MOC’ing and modifying.
If you have your own suggestions, please leave a comment below so others may also get some ideas for their own police station. I intend to post more improvements for the other modulars so be on the lookout for other blogs. I hope this post has been helpful for you. Until next time, keep building and having fun with LEGO!
