 The Mainz Cathedral is the second BlueBrixx set I've assembled, following the Ulmer Munster, which I assembled over a year ago. I discovered both cathedrals thanks to BlueBrixx, whose catalog includes many architectural sets, especially German cathedrals and castles. In the Ulmer Munster post, I explained how I discovered this brand, what I liked, and what I wasn't sure about, such as the fact that these sets come in unnumbered envelopes, meaning you have to organize the assembly yourself. This, combined with the fact that many of the joints in the only set I'd assembled, led me to choose other brands over BlueBrixx, as they're more challenging to assemble and therefore less relaxing. However, the final product is pleasing, both the one I assembled and the photos of the other sets, which is why, even after more than a year, I decided to make my second purchase: the Mainz Cathedral. This structure immediately struck me, both for its orange color and its slightly asymmetrical shape. Unlike other cathedrals, it lacked a clear distinction between the front and back. I immediately added this cathedral to my wishlist, and taking advantage of a temporary discount, I couldn't let it slip away. Beyond the set itself, however, I want to emphasize that if it weren't for this brand, I probably wouldn't have known about the existence of these two structures. Like all cathedrals from a certain period, they fascinate me because their nature is much more mysterious and different than the official narrative would have us believe. Unfortunately, I haven't yet had the opportunity to see either of these two cathedrals I mentioned in person, but I hope to see at least one in a few years. As for this set, I'll dedicate more space to the assembly phase, which was the real challenge with this of BlueBrixx set. To assemble this cathedral set, I needed eight days out of a total of thirteen, two days more than I needed for the BlueBrixx Ulmer Munster. More than the 300 additional pieces compared to the Ulm Cathedral, the problem was related to a particular mistake I made that cost me an entire session. On the first day, after placing the perimeter, I began construction, focusing mainly on the central sections. I stopped assembly at step 24, in the middle of assembling a wall. The main problem with the BlueBirxx is that since they don't have numbered envelopes, especially at the beginning, you have to do a sort of "treasure hunt" to find the pieces. The structure itself was simple, but if I don't manage to organize the pieces in a certain way first, the work progresses slowly and distracts from the set. On the second day, I finished assembling and then fixing the left aisle and then began assembling the right aisle. The work began to flow more smoothly as I gradually organized the pieces. On the third day, I finished the right nave, secured it, and then built and secured the rear part of the apse. I also assembled a central arched block, which I then secured to the center of the structure. On the fourth day, I began the very slow and meticulous stages of assembling two long internal walls and then the entire structure above the apse, topped by the rear dome. On the fifth day, I first assembled the two towers alongside the dome, followed by the laborious assembly of one wall, which was slow and, above all, difficult to secure because it wasn't very stable. The problem I encountered with this set was that one wall, in particular, was built horizontally rather than vertically, so it tended to break until secured to another component. To secure some parts, I had to use glue, which, unfortunately, I've found to be essential with these sets. After securing the wall, I had doubts about the stability of the other, mirroring wall. Assembly on day six actually began with a disassembly. While packing up the set, I accidentally dismantled a wall, which made me realize a part wasn't properly secured. I dismantled part of the central column and properly secured some parts before reassembling everything. This made the structure more linear than before, and I began assembling the next steps. After assembling the opposite, mirrored wall I'd assembled the day before, I made the structure even more stable and then focused on assembling the roofs, the lower and upper ones. This stage was easy to assemble, but remembering the assembly of the BlueBrixx Ulmer Munster, I realized that the roof wasn't stable and there had been problems with the fastening. Here too, I used glue again to assemble the roofs, which were divided into four parts, not only strengthening the pieces but also allowing them to be attached more easily and more securely. On the seventh day, the work focused on building the large, very long central dome, with several parts that were unstable or moving after assembly. Unfortunately, the fastening proved equally imprecise and not perfectly aligned. I dismantled the part and, after a few small adjustments, managed to fit everything together better. Then, just a small movement in moving the structure was enough for one of the two square walls near the roof to come loose, making the structure unstable. I had to dismantle the dome again, and then, in attempting to reattach the detached piece, I broke the wall I'd already broken several times. It was the famous, poorly designed, horizontal wall. Normally, I assemble sets in the morning, but that day, after this mishap, I had to continue assembly even after lunch because I couldn't leave the set dismantled in separate blocks. Fortunately, I was quick to reassemble the pieces and even added some glue, especially to the famous wall. I decided to assemble the two small side roofs because they were just a few steps away and because I believed they could somehow stabilize the structure. After assembling them, I noticed one of the two roofs wasn't fitting together properly. Trying to figure out the error, I even glued some pieces that kept coming apart. Only later did I realize those pieces were supposed to be placed on a three-piece brick. At that point, I had to dismantle one of the walls again, separate the two glued pieces with knives, and after smoothing them, I placed them on the three-piece brick, then reassembled the wall. Applying glue was my mistake, but it was born out of the need to permanently secure pieces that would otherwise remain unstable. On the last day, I assembled three different parts to attach to the structure. The steps focused on the exterior of the apse, building a stained-glass window and its roof. The other parts consisted of a low L-shaped structure and a small tree. Unfortunately, during step 317 of the stained-glass window construction, a three-piece brick was missing, so I temporarily abandoned the stained-glass window and started on the other parts to see what extra pieces would remain and fill the gap with another. At the end, I was also missing four more components; I replaced one by literally inventing a piece, while I completely avoided adding the decorative antenna panels for the towers. Then, using one of the remaining pieces, I continued the stained-glass window and then reassembled everything. Despite having dozens of various extra pieces, I still had some missing pieces, which I managed to replace with others by adapting them. The construction of this set, which began in a straightforward manner, proved to be a multifaceted challenge. While the BlueBrixx are unstable, and many pieces fit together wobbly, the use of glue to hold them together requires careful consideration. My oversight in gluing a piece in the wrong place lengthened the construction process and made simple disassembly dangerous. There's one positive aspect to these sets, and I learned it primarily through mistakes. This cathedral, like Ulm Cathedral, is made up of modular parts. The fact that I was able to disassemble and reassemble entire blocks multiple times undoubtedly made the assembly process simpler and less constrained by irreversible interlocking joints. This detail allowed me to correct both structural errors and those I made, without going crazy with reassembly. I certainly had moments of difficulty, but I always approached them with the excitement of a challenge, not of defeat. I'll definitely buy more of the larger BlueBrixx sets I've already identified, but next time I'll approach building as a real challenge. It'll just take a shift from my time spent relaxing to a time of challenge that will ultimately lead to my undisputed victory. Assembly Progress Day 1  Day 2  Day 3  Day 4  Day 5  Day 6  Day 7  Day 8 Gallery    Details        A.M.
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