The last set I reviewed was a DUPLO set and now I'm going to the complete opposite end of the LEGO spectrum with a Creator Expert set review. The LEGO 10264: Corner Garage set contains 2,569 pieces and is part of the aforementioned Creator Expert line of modular buildings. The set retailed originally for $199 which was about $30 more than the previous modular building (Downtown Diner which had 2,480 pieces).
The big question that I had when I bought the set is why the price increase? While I'm going to go into the full build in a moment, I think the price increase is the biggest question mark for the set - certainly an extra 89 pieces wouldn't justify a price increase of $30 in a single year. Unfortunately, I cannot figure out why LEGO decided to up the price so substantially other than the fact that company probably figured that adult collectors will buy the set regardless (obviously that's what I did). Truthfully, if price is your number one concern then I wouldn't recommend buying the Corner Garage. That said, if you are willing to stomach the price increase then read on for my full review!
Before I get to the individual floors and mini builds within the model, I have to begin with the best part of the entire set which is the overall look of the model. The set simply looks amazing from top to bottom. I love the garage level with the dark green and white motif - and you'll notice a dark red stripe as well...a nice update to the classic Octan colors that LEGO uses for many of its City models. The gas pump, the angled building front, and even the upper level color scheme all go together to create a great looking whole.
For a model like this, having a gorgeous exterior is important since the vast majority of people will probably only view it from the outside. That said, LEGO modular buildings are also known for their detailed interiors and that's where the Corner Garage begins to fall a bit short.
Before I get to the interiors, I should mention that the set does come with a nice tow truck to build as well. Personally, I could do without the vehicles in the expert modular sets but I understand why LEGO sometimes includes them (the fire truck for the Fire Brigade set was probably necessary, for example)!
As with all of the other modular buildings, each level of the building pops off so that you can see (or play) with the interior of each floor. As such, it's worth taking a look at each level beginning with the roof top.
LEGO usually goes to some effort to make the rooftop of each modular building look unique and have some sort of visually interesting element. For the Corner Garage, there's a "can't miss" bright colored umbrella and lounge chair. There's also a nice roof access entryway and a small flower garden with new (to me at least) red flower pieces.
Heading down to the top floor of the building, we see a person's apartment.
While the owner of the apartment isn't totally clear, to me it would only make sense if the apartment belonged to the veterinarian who works on the second floor. The reason being that the only way to get to the third floor is to go through the vet's office! As you can see from the above photo, the apartment is very small - there's a red sofa with a television, a small kitchen, and an even smaller bathroom (that's what the blue door is hiding). There's also a bed and a cute little mini build of a truck on sitting on a shelf on the wall.
It's here that the first instance of a rather sparse interior shows up - you'll notice the kitchen has no fridge and I'll note that the small bathroom has no sink. There's no wall separating the bedroom from the kitchen/living room and, perhaps worst of all, the entire apartment is left with gray studs rather than tiles. Unfortunately, this isn't the only floor of the building that suffers from gray stud syndrome.
Moving down a floor, we find the veterinarian's office. Much like the apartment above it, it's a cramped space with lots of gray studs but at least this does have some interesting mini builds.
My favorite mini build might be that desk light but also enjoyed the cute little frog habitat. Again, the entire look of the floor is "ruined" somewhat by the gray studs - especially for a medical office, you'd expect it too be all white and sterile looking!
I do have to give credit for the funny vet sign that is printed on the window.
Apparently the vet is either Indiana Jones or someone who really loves Indiana Jones!
That leads us to the final floor of the model which is the bottom floor of the building - the garage itself.
The first thing you'll probably notice about the garage is that is way too clean for a working garage (you'll also notice all the uncovered studs I'm sure). The garage has a few interesting builds (the mechanic's lift actually does go up and down thanks to a clever build in the back of the building and I like the red tool chest a lot). That said, it's still way too sparse on the inside.
It seems clear to me that LEGO took the majority of their "piece" budget for the set and applied it to the outside of the building - a smart move since that is the part that everyone will see first!
The best part of the outside of the building is probably the rolling door (that actually rolls up if you spin the upper tire on the side of the wall). That was a fun surprise when building the set!
I also really like the vet's office door - it opens directly to a stairwell but the outside of the building looks great (and the paw print piece is a nice touch for the door).
All the complaints of sparseness aside, what is present in the build is wonderfully done and the set itself was a lot of fun to build.
Overall, I give the LEGO 10264: Corner Garage set the following rating:
The Bottom Line (out of 10):
Fun: 8
Play Value: 5
Kid Value: 7
Adult Value: 7
Overall: 7
While I greatly enjoyed the building process of the set and I think the overall look of the building (from the outside) is incredible, it's impossible to not consider the $30 price increase when trying to objectively assess the Corner Garage set. This is the first modular set since the Pet Shop was released where I felt like I ought to add a bunch of extra details to the interior of the set. For a set as pricey as the Corner Garage is, that's obviously a disappointment. However, all that said, I still recommend the set if you don't mind it not being a great deal from a money standpoint. The build itself is as fun, interesting, and inventive as you'd expect from a modular set and ultimately that's what it's all about!
The big question that I had when I bought the set is why the price increase? While I'm going to go into the full build in a moment, I think the price increase is the biggest question mark for the set - certainly an extra 89 pieces wouldn't justify a price increase of $30 in a single year. Unfortunately, I cannot figure out why LEGO decided to up the price so substantially other than the fact that company probably figured that adult collectors will buy the set regardless (obviously that's what I did). Truthfully, if price is your number one concern then I wouldn't recommend buying the Corner Garage. That said, if you are willing to stomach the price increase then read on for my full review!
Before I get to the individual floors and mini builds within the model, I have to begin with the best part of the entire set which is the overall look of the model. The set simply looks amazing from top to bottom. I love the garage level with the dark green and white motif - and you'll notice a dark red stripe as well...a nice update to the classic Octan colors that LEGO uses for many of its City models. The gas pump, the angled building front, and even the upper level color scheme all go together to create a great looking whole.
For a model like this, having a gorgeous exterior is important since the vast majority of people will probably only view it from the outside. That said, LEGO modular buildings are also known for their detailed interiors and that's where the Corner Garage begins to fall a bit short.
Before I get to the interiors, I should mention that the set does come with a nice tow truck to build as well. Personally, I could do without the vehicles in the expert modular sets but I understand why LEGO sometimes includes them (the fire truck for the Fire Brigade set was probably necessary, for example)!
As with all of the other modular buildings, each level of the building pops off so that you can see (or play) with the interior of each floor. As such, it's worth taking a look at each level beginning with the roof top.
LEGO usually goes to some effort to make the rooftop of each modular building look unique and have some sort of visually interesting element. For the Corner Garage, there's a "can't miss" bright colored umbrella and lounge chair. There's also a nice roof access entryway and a small flower garden with new (to me at least) red flower pieces.
Heading down to the top floor of the building, we see a person's apartment.
While the owner of the apartment isn't totally clear, to me it would only make sense if the apartment belonged to the veterinarian who works on the second floor. The reason being that the only way to get to the third floor is to go through the vet's office! As you can see from the above photo, the apartment is very small - there's a red sofa with a television, a small kitchen, and an even smaller bathroom (that's what the blue door is hiding). There's also a bed and a cute little mini build of a truck on sitting on a shelf on the wall.
It's here that the first instance of a rather sparse interior shows up - you'll notice the kitchen has no fridge and I'll note that the small bathroom has no sink. There's no wall separating the bedroom from the kitchen/living room and, perhaps worst of all, the entire apartment is left with gray studs rather than tiles. Unfortunately, this isn't the only floor of the building that suffers from gray stud syndrome.
Moving down a floor, we find the veterinarian's office. Much like the apartment above it, it's a cramped space with lots of gray studs but at least this does have some interesting mini builds.
My favorite mini build might be that desk light but also enjoyed the cute little frog habitat. Again, the entire look of the floor is "ruined" somewhat by the gray studs - especially for a medical office, you'd expect it too be all white and sterile looking!
I do have to give credit for the funny vet sign that is printed on the window.
Apparently the vet is either Indiana Jones or someone who really loves Indiana Jones!
That leads us to the final floor of the model which is the bottom floor of the building - the garage itself.
The first thing you'll probably notice about the garage is that is way too clean for a working garage (you'll also notice all the uncovered studs I'm sure). The garage has a few interesting builds (the mechanic's lift actually does go up and down thanks to a clever build in the back of the building and I like the red tool chest a lot). That said, it's still way too sparse on the inside.
It seems clear to me that LEGO took the majority of their "piece" budget for the set and applied it to the outside of the building - a smart move since that is the part that everyone will see first!
The best part of the outside of the building is probably the rolling door (that actually rolls up if you spin the upper tire on the side of the wall). That was a fun surprise when building the set!
I also really like the vet's office door - it opens directly to a stairwell but the outside of the building looks great (and the paw print piece is a nice touch for the door).
All the complaints of sparseness aside, what is present in the build is wonderfully done and the set itself was a lot of fun to build.
Overall, I give the LEGO 10264: Corner Garage set the following rating:
The Bottom Line (out of 10):
Fun: 8
Play Value: 5
Kid Value: 7
Adult Value: 7
Overall: 7
While I greatly enjoyed the building process of the set and I think the overall look of the building (from the outside) is incredible, it's impossible to not consider the $30 price increase when trying to objectively assess the Corner Garage set. This is the first modular set since the Pet Shop was released where I felt like I ought to add a bunch of extra details to the interior of the set. For a set as pricey as the Corner Garage is, that's obviously a disappointment. However, all that said, I still recommend the set if you don't mind it not being a great deal from a money standpoint. The build itself is as fun, interesting, and inventive as you'd expect from a modular set and ultimately that's what it's all about!
Very cool set. The garage floor is my favorite, but there are little things to enjoy on every floor.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the modular buildings are super cool overall!
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