Another Cheap way to light-up your Lego/Lepin modular sets

Hi friends,

Welcome back again. Today when i was at shop for some milk i noticed at the cashier desk small LED Christmas light with battery box. My first idea was that i will used it for my Grand Carousel. Since it is not delivered yet I give it a try at my Detective office set. I would like to share this idea because it is really cheap (cost me 1€) and you do not need any special skills to perform it. All you need is just a patience and small tools and your imagination. So let´s start.

LED Christmas lights with battery box. Powered by 3x AA batteries.

Since detective office got a lot of small rooms i decide to change colour of lightning at the bar. I have used small round one by one transparent bricks. This will change a colour and make some mood. I was thinking you can also use some stickers to lights (red, green) if you do not have those as spare. Lets start with first floor.

1st floor
All you need is to be patient here and just stick the lights with tape to walls. I used black paper tape since i have´t another one in my house. In the bar i used red/pink transparent bricks to change colour.

2nd floor
I have to modified window wall to be able get cables trough the floor. Do not worry much about it. You will get it when you get there :).

3th floor
This take me a while to figure out how to place battery box. As i said not much to worry about.

And after 30 minutes job is done. Enjoy the rest.

Lepin 15005 Grand Emporium 2182 Pcs Review

Hello Lepin my old friends,

Good to see you once again. This is my second modular Lepin set i have ordered from AliExpress. In this review i would go trough building steps and share my thoughts about it. Gran Emporium is an 3 floor shopping center. Quite a number of mini-figs included (including mannequins of a groom and bride). Let`s start from the beginning.

Manual and Base plate

Building instructions included in this set got same issue as Green Grocer set. Some of the colors are just not clearly representing real color of brick. Not big issue but could be confusing sometimes. About the base plate... This is weakest part of this set in my opinion. If you want to display this set be prepared for little bending. This does not look good at least for me. Since bending it is quite regular on all Lepin sets i would recommended use original Lego base plate. Even regular Lego plate is bending a bit but not so much.

Mini figures
I have to say just two words. Well done ! Well done Lepin, you really heard the voice of your customers and mini figures are getting better and better. I have to say all mini figures are done correctly. Hair pieces are fitting well all hands are moving smooth.

Mini figures are great. No complain here.

First floor
This part of modular set is in my opinion the best looking and have a nice play-value. There are two faceless mannequins of a groom and bride behind the window. Cashier desk with nice display self. Testing cabin with half naked customer and some shelf's with clothes. You can see some small detailed crafted perfumes all over the tables.

Mannequins of a groom and bride

Second and Third floor
I will review both floors in one section because the differences are very small between them. Second floor contains glass shop or i don't know what could it be. There are just some glasses on the table. This floor contains a lot of window pieces but half of them is covered by outside structure pillars. It is making a good looking and very believable construction style. Third floor contains toy shop. There are some small models of toys and 2 balls. I will modified it with more stuff for sure because i think all attention focus only on the first floor in this set.

Rooftop

Nice skylight windows on the top. Window cleaner hanging from roof at platform. One huge billboard with advertising. Simple and I like it. My wife said that billboard smiley is kind of scary for her, so I turn it around facing her bed now. ha-ha-ha. Building process took me about 6-7 hour total. It was enjoyable but second and third floor a bit repetitive.

Looking great at display

Final score: 9/10

This is a great set for display. The warm tan bricks combined with that corner design is great showing off to visitors. Looks even better with another modular buildings next to it as it creates a real street scene. I think LEGO has done a superb job so far as each modular set is quite different but at the same time ties in together very well. LEPIN on other side did a good job for making this available to people who don`t want to spend over 350 $ for original one.

Pros:
- Quality of mini figures
- Great set for display,
- First floor play value
- Lot of space for custom parts

Cons:
 - Base plate
 - Repetitive second and third floor