Improving Official LEGO® Modular Buildings on a Budget: Set 10278 – Police Station

Reading Time: 4 Min
By Kim
|
Published: 30 November, 2021
Updated: December 14, 2021
We’re reader-supported. We may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through links on our site.
The Best LEGO Deals of September 2023
LEGO Deals

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.

Modular Building Improvement Set 10278 1

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.

Modular Building Improvement Set 10278 2
Modular Building Improvement Set 10278 3

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.

Modular Building Improvement Set 10278 4
Modular Building Improvement Set 10278 5

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.

Modular Building Improvement Set 10278 6
Modular Building Improvement Set 10278 7

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.

Modular Building Improvement Set 10278 8
Modular Building Improvement Set 10278 9
Modular Building Improvement Set 10278 10

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.

Modular Building Improvement Set 10278 11

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.

Modular Building Improvement Set 10278 12

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. ^_^

Modular Building Improvement Set 10278 13

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.

Modular Building Improvement Set 10278 14
Modular Building Improvement Set 10278 15

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.

Modular Building Improvement Set 10278 16

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!

If you haven’t seen the previous post covering Improving Official LEGO® Modular Buildings on a Budget click here!

A Few Essentials and My Recommended DJ Equipment by DJ Ferdi Vol
With so much information on my site I wanted to bring it down to an all in one place where I list my updated personal recommendations for 2021 and popular items that people have used themselves with succes. You can check it all out below.
DJ Essentials
The absolute DJ essentials every beginner has to start with or any advanced DJ has used or is still using.
DJ Controllers
It can be overwhelming to choose the right controller as there are countless things to consider. Having the right experience is key to know what controller someone needs. It's the thing you will use most and you can find the right DJ Controller here.
Headphones
Better headphones results in better overal audio quality as well as easier beat-matching and comfort while using them on the fly. These best DJ Headphones for 2021 are tested first hand.
DJ Gifts
It can be hard to find the right gift to give a DJ but it's also nice to treat yourself with some DJ gifts that you didn't even know existed.
belleve bricks sig fig
Written by Matthew Mitchell
Hey, I am Matthew Mitchell and I am an AFOL from the UK. I have been fascinated by LEGO since I was a child. My two children are in love with LEGO and it's because of them that my interest in LEGO continued to grow, this is how I fell in to the rabbit hole of LEGO MOCs. 

With every new LEGO MOC I saw I became just a bit more addicted to the endless possibilities that LEGO offers. This led me to creating Belle-Ve Bricks, a platform where talented LEGO designers can share their work with the world.
About Matthew Mitchell
Book Now
Start Building Your Dream LEGO® Model With Our Expert Team!
LET'S BUILD TOGETHER
Custom LEGO® Models
LEGO® MOCs
Online Download
Customer Happiness: 4.8 / 5.0
Belleve Bricks FullDark Logo
Subscribe to our newsletter so you can stay up to date with of our news.
LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which do not sponsor, authorize, or endorse this site.
Copyright © 2023 - All rights reserved | 
Sitemap
0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop