Review: 10312 Jazz Club
Posted by Huw,
For a large proportion of AFOLs the release of the new modular building is a highlight of the year, so there are always high expectations for it.
10312 Jazz Club is the 18th in the collection, and the second to be designed by Anderson Ward Grubb, who provided a lot of insightful information about the set in our recent interview with him.
His first, 10297 Boutique Hotel, is an exceptional model that will be difficult to surpass, so read on to find out whether I think this one does so.
Summary
10312 Jazz Club, 2,899 pieces.
£199.99 / $229.99 / €229.99 | 6.9p/7.9c/7.9c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A competent entry to the modular building series but it lacks a 'wow factor'
- Crams a lot into the space
- New and attractive colour scheme
- Toilet is hidden away once model is completed
- Not enough minifigures
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
The completed model
The structure is divided into two sections, with the titular live music venue and associated rooms above it occupying around two-thirds of the width, and a pizzeria and tailor's workshop in the smaller section on the right.
Cool yellow pieces have become more readily available in the last few years and this is the first time the attractive colour has been used extensively on the facade of a modular building.
The right-hand section is only two storeys high but a greenhouse on the top helps elevate it to almost match the height of the adjoining building. Hanging baskets add colour and interest to the first floor of it, while the colours of the Italian flag on the awnings above the windows of the ground floor provide a clue as to what's sold inside. Stained-glass windows add interest and colour to the solid-looking jazz club building.
All the decorated pieces are printed, which include the jazz club sign, the signs above the entrance, the poster on the wall, and the tailor's sign above the purple door.
Anderson Ward Grubb explained in our interview that he wanted to keep the back and sides as uniform, colour-wise, as possible and as you can see he has achieved that admirably. There are very few odd blocks of colour and the demarcation between the two halves is precise.
A small balcony adds visual interest to what is otherwise a plain back. The storage box by the back door, used to store firewood for the pizza oven, hides a join between the buildings.
A brick chimney rises from the oven to the top of the building, and on the side of pizzeria's entranceway a small trellis with climbing plant adds interest to the front of the model and also ensures that the structure has sufficient depth to join to adjacent buildings using Technic pins inserted into the two holes at the bottom.
Ground floor
As is always the case nowadays the entire ground floor is tiled, although this time not particularly elaborately.
There's an arched opening between the pizzeria and the jazz club, and a small toilet under the stairs. This is the only point of the build that you can see inside it properly, and I'm sorry that I didn't take a better photo of it when I had the chance!
The club itself is very intimate, with just six seats!
The stairs in the centre are accessible only via the purple door on the side of the club building. They lead to the tailor's workshop and also provide the only way to get to the rooms on the first and second floors above the club.
Curtains and a lighting rail with three spotlights surround the stage, This assembly clips onto the wall so can be removed easily to allow access to the stage.
The stage, set at 45 degrees in the corner, has a drum kit, saxophone on a stand, and barely enough room for the performers!
The pizzeria is dominated by the oven in the corner which utilises a new 2-wide wheel arch piece. It's also used in a 2023 Ninjago set and can be seen in New Elemetary's look at the new and rare parts in the set.
There's a till, pizzas in various states of completion, and ingredients on the counter, and jars on the shelf.
The club's entrance, which has a ticket booth and door, is set at an angle of 45 degrees. It adds considerable interest to the building, but it does take away from the available space inside.
First floor
The stairs from the ground floor lead to a landing and more stairs to the second floor. The jazz club manager's office is directly above the club and a balcony allows her to view the stage from above. That's a nice feature, but it doesn't leave much floor space.
Nevertheless, everything you'd expect to find in it is there, including a curved 'L' shaped desk with a rotary-dial phone and green lamp on top, and a gramophone player behind for playing the latest 78s.
The tailor's office above the pizzeria contains a sewing machine on a workbench by the window, a standard lamp, a fireplace...
...reels of cloth and a tailor's dummy. It does not look like the arched windows allow much light into the room!
Second floor
A well-appointed dressing and rehearsal room occupies the top floor of the main building, and a door on the right of the landing leads to the roof of the tailor's workshop.
Inside there's a couch, music stand, artwork purchased from the gallery next to the Boutique hotel....
... and a dressing table with a mirror, which is a drum-lacquered tile. It's not very effective as a mirror but preferable to a sticker, which functionally isn't much better.
This picture gives a good view of how the stained-glass windows and front face of the building are constructed. Anderson is particularly proud of the use of the ancient 'space handles' piece for the windowsills which have not been used in this way before on a modular building.
Roof
A greenhouse on the roof is certainly a first for a modular building, and it adds both interest and height to the right-hand half of the structure. It's built using four 1x4x6 windows on their sides. The top two are hinged so can be opened to reveal what's growing inside.
Carrots, tomatoes and maybe basil but certainly not enough to keep the kitchen stocked!
The club's roof is accessible by climbing a ladder in the hallway and going through the trap door. The squirrel's nest in the corner is a lovely addition.
The central section of the front is partially constructed studs down to enable a wheel arch to be mounted upside down.
Minifigures
Eight minifigures are provided, which is more than most modulars, but a couple more would have been welcome because they all depict professional roles associated with the building: there are no customers, bystanders or passers-by.
Performing tonight at the club are a jazz trio which comprises a drummer, a double bassist with a case on his back, and a singer/saxophonist. The former two are attired in a smart waistcoat/bow tie combo. The singer is wearing a black full-length elaborately decorated dress. The bassist has a hearing aid.
The evening's warm-up act is a black-suited magician who comes with a number of props for her show.
The pizza delivery guy is wearing the same jumper as the lighthouse keeper in 21335 Motorised Lighthouse. His bright green moped is new in that colour.
The club manager, who looks to be a lady of advancing years, also has a torso that is new this year.
Finally, the tailor is a suitably snazzy shirt and elderly pizza chef completes the selection. The latter figure includes no new parts.
As I said, that is a lot of figures for a modular, but it would have been nice if there were also some pizza customers and club clientele. Their omission was explained by Anderson in our interview: he suggested that perhaps the place is shut at the moment in time depicted! You can of course populate it with figures from other sets. Off-duty policemen or hotel porters, perhaps.
Verdict
Jazz clubs and pizza restaurants go hand-in-hand here in the UK, with the Pizza Express jazz clubs on Dean Street and Holborn in London being two of the top venues for the genre, so the combination makes sense.
Splitting the model into two smaller buildings has certainly made it more visually appealing than a monolithic structure, but it has meant compromises have had to be made inside, particularly in the club area, which is miniscule and unlikely to be sustainable with a 1:2 ratio between performers who can fit on the stage and the number of paying customers it can seat!
The arrangement of the stairs is somewhat unconventional, too. If the band use the dressing room they'll need to exit the purple door onto the street then enter the club by the front door!
Internal details are of course expected nowadays and considered important by many, and in that regard the model does not disappoint: there are some delightful features within the building's walls to discover and admire.
However, the front facade is by far the most important aspect of any modular building. This one is well-designed and incorporates several new building techniques and parts usage. I think the overall colour balance works well with the bright paintwork around the ground floor of the club and yellow finish of the right-hand-side contrasting pleasingly with the dark brick-built facade of the old building.
But, I also feel that it's lacking something: it doesn't have a 'wow-factor', a certain je ne sais quoi, that some of the others have. Last year's Boutique Hotel has unusual geometry and was dominated by a rare and sought after colour, so looked spectacular on first sight. I don't think that this one does the same. The modular building bar has been raised so often and is now so high that it's not easy to surpass it.
That said, it is a lovely model that fits in well with the rest of the modular street, and fans of the series will find much to like.
It'll be available from 1st January at LEGO.com priced at £199.99 / $229.99 / €229.99.
Check back later today for photos of it lined up next to other recent modular buildings.
204 likes
103 comments on this article
The picture right above when you go into details about the first floor (the one with the building's entrance) is giving me a 404 when I click on it, @huw
Just thought you'd want to know!
I like it and I think it looks really nice between the police station and the boutique hotel judging from the box image.
This is just meh. Considering the steep price hike, the clashing colours, and the lack of originality (if you have Fire Brigade and Palace Cinema you don't really need this in your city) this is the first Modular I very well might be buying from Aliexpress simply for completeness sake.
The squirrel's nest looks totally out of place.
So, I said the same thing on the reveal article, this makes me want to mod it to my personal tastes.... turn the bottom floor into a sit down restaurant (then the stairs accessible directly from outside make sense), jazz club 1st floor with dressing room replacing the tailors (and balcony to banish the smokers too, these days!), office on the second floor, outdoor bar replacing the greenhouse.
I think, on reflection, I will be buying this set! Not one of the top 3 modulars,but a solid design with interesting pieces, and I look forward to playing with it.... I mean, applying my own unique touches to the design!
Like it, but agree its not the best modular ever and it really does suffer in comparison with last years. Its still a must buy for me and also its crying out for it be MOC’d and split into 2 separate buildings
The first Modular I won't buy. I've sold almost all of them during the last few months. Though is does look nice! Not collecting them anymore isn't the only reason for not buying this one. The price tag is also one.
I really like it. I see that it doesn't have a very high wow factor, but as part of a series that may or may not be meant to be part of a street, I think it's good to have more normal looking buildings in the lineup. If too many modulars were very spectacular, like Downtown Diner and Boutique hotel, then the street would look odd.
This is why I think sets like Petshop, Bookstore, and this one, are important.
It’s a shame that the jazz club part isn’t larger. For example, it would’ve been nice if a piano, another band member and a bar were included. The office on the second floor seems like a wasted opportunity to include balcony seats. Of course it’s possible to modify the set, but the placement of the stairs (with the street entrance) makes it a bit clunky.
I’ve played jazz for about ten years so this set should’ve been much more of a given purchase for me I think. Maybe I’m a bit picky though!
- Not enough minifigures
how many minifigures did you want in this set?
Man you guys get reviews out at lightning speed.
@ac_pt said:
"- Not enough minifigures
how many minifigures did you want in this set?"
"As I said, that is a lot of figures for a modular, but I think three more are needed: a pizzeria customer and at least two club clientele. " He says it in the review.
I think the jazz club might have been better as a full width building, instead of including the pizzeria. Won't stop me getting it though!
Yeah, this is crying out to be modded. Really looking forward to seeing what the community can do with it.
As a fan of jazz and bricks, excited to add this to my modulars. Love the details...the sewing machine! Always like cool yellow. Nice to have more of them.
Niiiiice.
@eth6113 said:
" @ac_pt said:
"- Not enough minifigures
how many minifigures did you want in this set?"
"As I said, that is a lot of figures for a modular, but I think three more are needed: a pizzeria customer and at least two club clientele. " He says it in the review. "
he wanted 11 minifigs in this set!?
those blank spaces (customer and clientele) are for us, LEGO fans to fill with other sets.
at least that's how I see it.
Can the lack of customers/mini figures be explained by no one really liking jazz?
Thank you for the excellent review.
But it just confirms what I already felt about this Modular. To me it's totally Meh and a definite no buy.
For a start I dislike the colour scheme, which looks garish to me. I think it's too small as well, especially compared to the other sets in the series.
It doesn't help that I absolutely dislike Jazz, and the combination with a pizzeria seems odd to me as well.
If I had to find any redeeming features, it would be the minifigs and their accessories, as well as the beautiful little sewing machine.
But that's just not enough for me to justify the extremely overpriced RRP.
Total shame, since in the past the Modular was always one of the highlights of the year for me. Not this time. Definitely not worth the extremely long wait for the reveal.
The club really needed to be full width. A jazz club without a bar? Really?
The two pros are "Crams a lot into the space" and "New and attractive colour scheme".
I would say two cons are "Crams too much into the space, and clashing, unattractive colour scheme.
The blue on the club is wrong, and the yellow, while it might look nice on a Pizzeria on its own, doesn't work along the dark red.
Undecided for now, but certainly not buying at full price.
Pretty mediocre and underwhelming overall. Not at all what I would expect from a Jazz club. Given the crazy prices LEGO are asking for these days this can only be considered a fail.
Huw, you might want to re-edit the first paragraph under the minifigures heading.
@Huw said:
"Anderson Ward Grubb explained in our interview that he wanted to keep the back and sides as uniform, colour-wise, as possible and as you can see he has achieved that admirably"
Except some off colour stripes of tiles and plates as usual...
Not impressed by this at all, I can't seem to find anything special about it, it's just another building. It'd be the sewing machine then, that looks nice.
The ticket entrance and door reminds me of a jazz bar I visited in New Orleans.
I don’t think a lack of patron minifigures is a big deal - buyers of this are bound to have more minifigs in their collection to populate the crowd.
"Jazz clubs and pizza restaurants go hand-in-hand here in the UK, with the Pizza Express jazz clubs on Dean Street and Holborn in London being two of the top venues for the genre, so the combination works well here."
I thought that was a joke at first! Not sure I'd pick an example from the UK to highlight _jazz_ OR _pizza_. Maybe it would have made sense to focus on representative architecture from either Italy or the US?
@dja said:
"Can the lack of customers/mini figures be explained by no one really liking jazz?"
Ha! No. Jazz is awesome.
It's sad that they charge such a premium price yet when compared to something like the Parisian restaurant the quality, detail, and spaces are so reduced and compromised. The pizza shop side of the building is teeny and about 1/3 of the whole model is taken up by...stairs. This feels like a Juniors Modular despite maintaining a huge piece count through hundreds of added on 1x1 pieces. A shame. Not horrible...but still a shame.
Great review!
I personally prefer this to the Boutique Hotel, which was a little too extravagant for my tastes. I think this will go nicely with the modulars I currently own.
My favorite would still be the Parisian Restaurant. But I think the Jazz Club, though lacking a little je ne sais quoi, I think could grow on me. We'll see - may need to see it in person.
But I'll definitely get it as I love so much about it. And when I do, I'm might try to see if I can turn that lavender door to face the inside whilst also mirroring the build, so the the cool yellow building is on the left of the Jazz Club. I think the recessed Pizza place could work really well next to the Police Station modular so the Soap & Suds sign becomes more prominent.
And @Huw, thanks for the review, but have you lost your tailor? That might make it eight minifigures! And does that satiate your need for more minifigs? ;-)
Looking at jazz clubs here in NYC, I think they could've went in another direction design wise to get off the 'firehouse' look.
They could've done a large tenement/apartment spanning the whole base plate.
Then below to the right ground level a seedy nyc type restaurant, then to the left ground level seedy jazz club. Center stairs of the tenement as the center of the whole model.
Or they could've mimicked the Blue Note here with a piano awning jutting out at the entrance, then ground level black exterior and the rest above in dark blue. Very striking with gold accents.
Really would've been unique to the modular's.
Oh, the bassist is wearing a hearing aid? At first glance I thought that was a monitor earpiece.
Looks good! Although I have to agree that it lacks the wow factor. I appreciate how color conscious he was on the sides and back of the building.
@SillyTwig said:
"I think the recessed Pizza place could work really well next to the Police Station modular so the Soap & Suds sign becomes more prominent."
Exactly what I was thinking. I have Police Station next to Parisian Restaurant for exactly that reason.
The greenhouse on the roof and the seating outside make that yellow building seem 'juniorized'? Like they're out of scale of one another.
@SillyTwig said:
"Thanks for the review, but have you lost your tailor? That might make it eight minifigures! And does that satiate your need for more minifigs? ;-)"
Blimey, I did as well! I took photos of the figs in various combinations and somehow omitted to include a photo with him in it. I've added him to the last one. Thanks!
@SmilingCyclops said:
"Oh, the bassist is wearing a hearing aid? At first glance I thought that was a monitor earpiece."
Judging by the lack of PA or foldback monitors, it could well be an in-ear monitor!
@SillyTwig said:
" @SmilingCyclops said:
"Oh, the bassist is wearing a hearing aid? At first glance I thought that was a monitor earpiece."
Judging by the lack of PA or foldback monitors, it could well be an in-ear monitor!"
In such a small venue I doubt either are needed!
I think this building, I mean the Jazz Club part, not bad at all.
The problem is with the modulars that we have not received full building since the Diner.
In case of the garage, half bilding was missing and interioir was not detailed enough, the Book Shop was same as the Pet Shop but much smaller, the Poice was 2/3 building with pointless side buildings, the Boutiqe Hotel was the lowest point in history of modulars (the frist building which was no go for me for a long time).
This one is the same, missing 1/3 of building. We have decent Jazz Club, I like the details but side build as a pizzeria is pathetic. The part count is higher and higher in every years but if you put an Detective Office next to a modern modular you don't understand where the lot's of parts go.
But I still think it ismuch better than last few buidings that we got. I will MOC the pizzeria, maybe to a ice cream shop, that is much more realistic for this small building (and still italian).
Definitely agree with the first line of the review. As an AFOL, the modular release is indeed the highlight of the year for me.
Agree with a lot in this article and the comments. As always, will reserve full judgement until I have it in hand and built. However, initial thoughts are that it’s ok. It hasn’t made me go wow. That said, I equally don’t understand some of the hate I’ve seen online for it. It’s certainly not bad. I mean, it’s a modular after all.
I’ll be getting for sure (more so as I’m a dedicated collector of the modulars). Only missing the first three (which I doubt I’ll acquire now due to insane prices). If I was someone just getting into the theme however, I’d certainly be looking to pick up one of the others currently on sale first - the hotel, police station or bookshop. If being really honest, I advise getting Assembly Square over all of them. Not only has it been around for ages (so surely must be retiring at some point soon), but in my personal opinion, it’s the best out of all the modulars.
I agree that it doesn't have the wow-factor at first glance. But I do think that when it is incorporated into the modular street, it will come to it's right. I expect it to grow on me.
Besides, not buying it isn't really an option if you want to keep your set of modulars complete right? XD
You know, upon looking at the Jazz Club/Pizzeria being flanked by the Boutique Hotel to the right and the Bookshop, it actually works quite well. The colors break it all up, looks interesting with various depths of the building and that red firehouse gets subdued.
With that set up, bookshop/jazz club/boutique hotel, it'll look great on display.
The only really stand out issue I feel is the repetitive colors already used in other modular buildings. The dominant red and gray reminds me very strongly of the Fire House, while the light blue is evocative of both the Detective Office and Pet Shop, and the yellow is recently used in the Book Shop. All of those had a wow factor from the color palate that this model does not produce.
@ac_pt said:
" @eth6113 said:
" @ac_pt said:
"- Not enough minifigures
how many minifigures did you want in this set?"
"As I said, that is a lot of figures for a modular, but I think three more are needed: a pizzeria customer and at least two club clientele. " He says it in the review. "
he wanted 11 minifigs in this set!?
those blank spaces (customer and clientele) are for us, LEGO fans to fill with other sets.
at least that's how I see it."
Yeah, I agree. Plenty of customers for this in other sets. This modular has more than enough minifigures already. I'll never understand why some people seem to want every single set to have a ridiculous amount of minifigures. 76178 was a bad influence and has set unrealistic expectations for other sets since then.
On another note, while looking at the back of the set I realized it's been a while since we've had a modular with a fire escape. It seemed like it was essential on all the early models.
If I was going to list a negative for this set, it wouldn't be about the minifigures. They're fine. It would be that this is the 3rd modular in a row in which they've crammed some other building into the side of the set and the 4th in a row in which the focus of the modular isn't the entire first floor. (Bookshop being half isn't bad...but you've got to go back to the 10264 Corner Garage to find a modular where the business occupies the entire first floor!)
The only recent sets to have the focus business occupy the entire first floor are 10264 Corner Garage and 10260 Downtown Diner. Going back as far as 10243 Parisian Restaurant, the practice was commonplace. I want to see Lego go back to this. Please stop cramming in other businesses on the first floor!
Would love to see it next to the Palace Cinema! 10232 The signage might either complement very well or clash badly. Would be interesting to see
I am conflicted because this was probably going to be the only set I buy next year.
I wasn't 'wowed' by the reveal, and unusually, the review doesn't sell it to me either - which I was hoping for really. The price as well - LEGO, it is too much!
Maybe, someday. Hopefully Argos or John Lewis will carry it as an exclusive, and with a % sale.. but certainly not one I am in a rush to get.
As a music venue the size / layout makes no sense at all. Here's what I'd do differently:
1) Makes the stairs completely internal
2) Change the pizza place into the bar / ticket office of the club
3) Get rid of the tailor's. Move the office into the tailor's space and have the mezzanine for customers
Like Huw said, needed like 3 more minifigs. A couple of patrons for the jazz club, and one customer for the Pizzeria.
Not amazing but pretty decent. A little under-detailed, especially the roofline, but that's easily improved. The interior looks great.
Not a day 1 purchase, but definitely once there's a good GWP or 3 ... i.e. anything other than Blacktron or Bionicle!
It still to me looks like someone set a 3-in-1 building next to a modular. Some of the elements are nice, but I’m not feeling the buy button calling this year.
@craiggrannell said:
"It still to me looks like someone set a 3-in-1 building next to a modular. Some of the elements are nice, but I’m not feeling the buy button calling this year. "
Exactly. That's what I wanted to answer to
@Buddylove1788 who can't understand the hate this set gets. He says it's a Modular. To me it looks like a Creator 3-in-1. It's so tiny compared to the other Modulars. Plus it doesn't have the wow factor other Modulars usually have. It looks so plain and boring. Also, why two buildings again? This never leaves enough room in either one for what they're supposed to contain.
If this was 150 Euro or 160 like Modulars used to be, perhaps people would be more forgiving.
But 230 Euro for this is just ridiculous. Almost insulting.
@legoDad42 said:
"Looking at jazz clubs here in NYC, I think they could've went in another direction design wise to get off the 'firehouse' look.
They could've done a large tenement/apartment spanning the whole base plate.
Then below to the right ground level a seedy nyc type restaurant, then to the left ground level seedy jazz club. Center stairs of the tenement as the center of the whole model.
Or they could've mimicked the Blue Note here with a piano awning jutting out at the entrance, then ground level black exterior and the rest above in dark blue. Very striking with gold accents.
Really would've been unique to the modular's."
This suggestion is awesome. Mimicking the Blue Note would have been brilliant. They could have called it the "Blue Brick". I may be making some major modifications when I get this set...
@SmilingCyclops said:
"Oh, the bassist is wearing a hearing aid? At first glance I thought that was a monitor earpiece."
I totally thought it was an in ear monitor, not a hearing aide.
I don't know much about modulars, but I like this! Thanks for the review @huw.
Do you think there is any decent way of representing The Spirit of Jazz in minifig-form? I thought initially a Ghost Rider head might work, but no hat...
@Huw: I read in another review that there are 420 steps in the instruction booklet? Can you confirm? If so, that is a hilarious joke for us jazz musicians...
Honestly I'm lukewarm on this one, but LEGO has me in their grasp so I can't not buy it. How could any self-respecting AFOL and modular fan leave one out in the collection? :) They could literally sell a brick built garbage dump and I'd still buy it.
The real reason there are no minifigures to represent club customers and so on is that nobody actually likes jazz
@ComfySofa said:
"I don't know much about modulars, but I like this! Thanks for the review @huw.
Do you think there is any decent way of representing The Spirit of Jazz in minifig-form? I thought initially a Ghost Rider head might work, but no hat..."
Great idea!
You need the white tux from Indiana Jones or Bruce Wayne and the head from the cannibal from Pirates of the Caribbean. The hat and hair are tougher. Don't know if they ever made a white top hat.
The most disappointing detail for me is that the "Jazz Club" sign is not brick built. Printed lettering is out of form for the more important details with many other sets. Feels cheap and easy
@Denver_80203 said:
"The most disappointing detail for me is that the "Jazz Club" sign is not brick built. Printed lettering is out of form for the more important details with many other sets. Feels cheap and easy"
Printed signage really isn't that out of the ordinary for the modulars—the Parisian Restaurant, Bookshop, and Corner Garage all have printed signage, as does the art gallery in last year's hotel. Brick-built lettering can be fun but it's hard to do compactly or with certain letters, and a lot of the better techniques for it have already been used in other modulars.
A lot of praise for the sewing machine, I guess Lego should look into making a full-size one for their next household item. Is there an Ideas submission with enough votes yet? If not, get designing it and put it out there! :)
broken dark red brick above the mirror ?
Good review! I'm really pleased with this set, even if it doesn't feel as groundbreaking in its look and composition as sets like Downtown Diner or Boutique Hotel. It definitely still innovates in a lot of neat ways like the diagonal entrance and ticket counter, the corner stage flanked by tables and chairs, and the rooftop greenhouse. Some smaller details also demonstrate clever building techniques, such as the SNOTted front window frames, the compact drum set, the club manager's curved desk, and the tailor's sewing machine.
The club's colorful window panes and signage and balance of warm and cool colors really do a great job evoking a lively nighttime setting. Even the pizzeria, while much smaller and more traditional-looking in structure, really sells the Mediterranean vibes with its Italian flag colored awnings, warm stuccoed walls, and stately columns and cornices. After all the great examples of this sort of Italianate influence in LEGO Friends restaurant and pizzeria sets, it's great to see it find a place in the Modular Buildings Collection.
Regarding the Dark Red walls of the Jazz Club's upper floors, there have already been multiple Modular Buildings with exterior wall colors like Medium Nougat, Sand Green, Sand Blue, Sand Yellow, Brick Yellow, and Dark Orange — whereas the Fire Brigade was previously the ONLY one with Dark Red exterior walls. So I don't think this one ends up looking nearly as repetitive or redundant as some folks are suggesting.
I'm surprised at the number of comments about the amount of space taken up by the stairwell, considering that the stairs are considerably narrower than in early Modular Buildings like Cafe Corner and Green Grocer. I mean, Cafe Corner's stairwell was six studs wide from wall to wall! What's more, the second and third floor landings ensure the tailor shop and greenhouse are accessible from the street without passing through other businesses — unlike how minifigures in Assembly Square would have to pass through the bakery to get to the dentist's office or third-floor apartment!
My own biggest gripe with the design is that the back looks very plain compared to the front (though of course, I realize this is often the case with Modular Buildings). The ground floor in particular is REALLY begging for some details to break up those smooth, solid fields of color — perhaps some crawling ivy, some drainpipes, a fire escape, or another trellis like the one in front of the pizzeria. Features like that could also give the squirrel nesting on the roof an easier way of climbing up and down the building!
@eth6113 said:
" @ac_pt said:
"- Not enough minifigures
how many minifigures did you want in this set?"
"As I said, that is a lot of figures for a modular, but I think three more are needed: a pizzeria customer and at least two club clientele. " He says it in the review. "
Honestly, I think that's somewhat understating the versatility of the figures already included. Just as the jazz singer in the fancy dress can double as a patron of the tailor shop, I see no reason the tailor can't likewise close up shop to buy dinner at the pizzeria or attend a concert. And the inclusion of two separate acts on stage means that each act's performers can always go enjoy some pizza while the other act is on stage.
In fact, that interplay between the different businesses included is one of the things that impressed me about this set from the get-go! Even without any guided "storylines" like in the Detective's Office, Brick Bank, and Police Station sets, it manages to offer characters that can be used for different stories in each portion of the set.
Plus, as part of a larger collection, it goes without saying that the pizza delivery guy can deliver pizza to residents and workers from other modular buildings, and that those other townsfolk can come to see a show at the Jazz Club during their leisure time!
As always, I'll probably buy 2 sets so I can expand each section out to a respective size. Thanks again for taking more of my money lego! ??
@Darth_Dee said:
" @Huw: I read in another review that there are 420 steps in the instruction booklet? Can you confirm? If so, that is a hilarious joke for us jazz musicians..."
Yes, 420 steps. Please enlighten us on the the joke!
@Darth_Dee said:
" @legoDad42 said:
"Looking at jazz clubs here in NYC, I think they could've went in another direction design wise to get off the 'firehouse' look.
They could've done a large tenement/apartment spanning the whole base plate.
Then below to the right ground level a seedy nyc type restaurant, then to the left ground level seedy jazz club. Center stairs of the tenement as the center of the whole model.
Or they could've mimicked the Blue Note here with a piano awning jutting out at the entrance, then ground level black exterior and the rest above in dark blue. Very striking with gold accents.
Really would've been unique to the modular's."
This suggestion is awesome. Mimicking the Blue Note would have been brilliant. They could have called it the "Blue Brick". I may be making some major modifications when I get this set..."
Thx Darth. I might do the same. I'm definitely going with swapping out the dark red for dark blue.
@Huw said:
" @Darth_Dee said:
" @Huw: I read in another review that there are 420 steps in the instruction booklet? Can you confirm? If so, that is a hilarious joke for us jazz musicians..."
Yes, 420 steps. Please enlighten us on the the joke!"
In the US, 4:20 used to be code for when schoolage children would meet up and smoke weed (i.e. "hey mom, I have to go meet Chucky at 4:20"). Most jazz musicians have always enjoyed weed so intentional or not, it's a good joke.
I came to pretty much the same conclusion in my review of the set. It is an excellent LEGO set, but it has to compete with some amazing modulars int he past couple years, like the Police Station and Boutique Hotel. That's a tough act to follow!
You can read my in-depth review with some additional context on the new set at: https://brickarchitect.com/2022/review-10312-lego-modular-jazz-club/
If I had to rank the past seven modulars, I would order them as follows (from best to worst):
- 2021 - 10278 Police Station, 5/5
- 2017 - 10255 Assembly Square, 5/5
- 2022 - 10297 Boutique Hotel, 4/5
- 2018 – 10260 Downtown Diner, 4/5
- 2023 - 10312 Jazz Club, 4/5
- 2020 - 10270 Bookshop, 4/5
- 2019 - 10264 Corner Garage, 3/5
—Tom
Not sure what most of you do, but 99% of the time my modulars are set to "display mode" on my layout. That means that I don't care a lot about the inside as about the outside.
Most modulars have a great/interesting front facade, but I find this one to be lacking. 10246 is a great example of a building with interesting front facade. This Jazz club is a bit boring to look at, even on the box art, and nothing about it "invites" me to step inside the club. The "Pet Shop" one had the same problem, it was just a boring looking building. The "Brick Bank" and "Bookshop" are much more inviting, as a counter example.
In addition, I can't ignore the $340 CAD asking price as I don't see $340 worth of a model there. Soon new modulars will reach the price point of retired ones, it's just silly.
I don't get every modular as I'm not a purist collector, so it's not that big of a deal, but I will be lying if I won't admit was hoping for a better set since learning about it from leaks.
Since I already have a jazz venue, this will become a comedy club. The small stage is more suited for that, I feel. I’ll change the marquee in the front to LAFF IN or some other variant with typewriter tiles.
Would it be possible tochange the ticket ”booth” and entrance to be on the ”outher” så or bottom sides (when seen from above) of the diamond shaped part on the front facade? That would give some more space inside….Or would it look weird that the tickets are sold around a corner from the entrance?
Im thinking of closing of between the businesses and turrning the pizzashop into a ”take out chinese fast food” since i have to many pizza related businesses in my lego city already. A wall between businesses may also give some more ”seating/standing space” for customers to the jazz club.
@Fauch said:
"broken dark red brick above the mirror ?"
Damn, your right! Any comments on that @huw ? it seems to be a 1x1 brick.
@Murdoch17 said:
" @Fauch said:
"broken dark red brick above the mirror ?"
Damn, your right! Any comments on that @huw ? it seems to be a 1x1 brick."
It is a 1x1 and In hadn't notived it until it was pointed out here. I will investigate more thoroughly tomorrow (it's late here now).
@StyleCounselor said:
" @ComfySofa said:
"I don't know much about modulars, but I like this! Thanks for the review @huw.
Do you think there is any decent way of representing The Spirit of Jazz in minifig-form? I thought initially a Ghost Rider head might work, but no hat..."
Great idea!
You need the white tux from Indiana Jones or Bruce Wayne and the head from the cannibal from Pirates of the Caribbean. The hat and hair are tougher. Don't know if they ever made a white top hat."
I had to look it up, but there was a white top hat on the Gentleman Ghost from the Lego Batman Movie. I'd be happy to modify it to include Capt Sparrow's hair and some flames on top :)
@ComfySofa said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @ComfySofa said:
"I don't know much about modulars, but I like this! Thanks for the review @huw.
Do you think there is any decent way of representing The Spirit of Jazz in minifig-form? I thought initially a Ghost Rider head might work, but no hat..."
Great idea!
You need the white tux from Indiana Jones or Bruce Wayne and the head from the cannibal from Pirates of the Caribbean. The hat and hair are tougher. Don't know if they ever made a white top hat."
I had to look it up, but there was a white top hat on the Gentleman Ghost from the Lego Batman Movie. I'd be happy to modify it to include Capt Sparrow's hair and some flames on top :)
"
Perfect!! I thought they made one, but couldn't remember where I had seen it. Man, the Boush helped me through the aughts. I laugh thinking about how much I laughed! Olllld, Greeegg!
@Darth_Dee said:
" @Huw said:
" @Darth_Dee said:
" @Huw: I read in another review that there are 420 steps in the instruction booklet? Can you confirm? If so, that is a hilarious joke for us jazz musicians..."
Yes, 420 steps. Please enlighten us on the the joke!"
In the US, 4:20 used to be code for when schoolage children would meet up and smoke weed (i.e. "hey mom, I have to go meet Chucky at 4:20"). Most jazz musicians have always enjoyed weed so intentional or not, it's a good joke."
That’s a huge generalization.
So, this and last year modulars are ok, but definitely not an instant buy for me. I feel that the designer experimented too much with the form and colours in them. I do like the thematic, but there are just too many questions here, and the biggest one for me is: What's with that arc between Jazzclub and pizzeria? That doesn't make ANY sense!
Whilst this isn't a spectacular modular, I do like it. I don't have the Boutique hotel because it won't really work well in my city and doesn't fit the architecture I imagine for it. I like the less showy style in this set.
The designer said in his interview that they have avoided having full width buildings and I can see why, if all the buildings in a street are the same width it looks very unnatural. Of the 17 Modulars I can count 8 where the ground floor was fully used by the one business/purpose, so that's not the dominant pattern which the Jazz Club is deviating from.
Also, people throw around 'Juniors' as an insult around here and it's ridiculous, it's not like this set uses simplified building techniques, it's just a colour scheme that you're not a fan of.
Is $230 really that expensive? I don't think it's the best modular building but I certainly expect to enjoy the build.
@Paperdaisy said:
"The designer said in his interview that they have avoided having full width buildings and I can see why, if all the buildings in a street are the same width it looks very unnatural. Of the 17 Modulars I can count 8 where the ground floor was fully used by the one business/purpose, so that's not the dominant pattern which the Jazz Club is deviating from."
@Paperdaisy Thats really sound logic and really made me rethink my (generally negative) view on squeezing multiple buildings onto a single 32x32.
In this case I still feel that doing it has forced comprises into both the Jazz Club and Pizzeria. I guess overall as long as LEGO keep a good blend of single use, multi use and half/half (e.g bookshop) that will keep the streetscape varied and interesting.
"Attractive colour scheme", maybe if you're colour blind. This is perhaps the weakest modular to come out. The idea behind is nice but the buildings are just too mediocre.
@Huw:
Regarding the mirror, a tile is a brick, and can't be chromed. In 10246 Detective's Office, the element used for the mirror was classified as "fabric", so the designer was free to have it chromed for some weird reason. 21330 Home Alone had a stickered mirror that is far more effective than silver ink, but they had to have a shiny metallic sticker sheet to accomplish this. 21326 Winnie the Pooh also had a shiny metallic sticker sheet to produce a mirror-like mirror. This is one instance where the avoidance of using stickers has resulted in an objectively inferior result.
There are so many weak points in this set. Of course it is lego so you can alter sets as you wish, but it is definitely a weak set if most people think that they need to adjust something in it.
What i would change: for starters, the whole pizza joint has got to go. I mean the building can stay, but not in Friends/kiddy yellow. Why can’t it be just the same building? The pzza place will be where the bar is at and the stairs just start inside the building so you need to go outside. The heavy light blue i can live with. I even like it. The stage could be bigger (maybe some rounded corners will suffice already for more musicians) and there is something about those chairs as well.
The tailor should come in a different modular. It feels out of place. That would have been the changing room, and on the top floor should have been the directors office.
Also it needs way more tiles with prints (or stickers) to add in some details. Posters of artists that have played there for instance.
The JazzClub sign isn’t that great either. Brick build would have preferred.
If anything i hope people would change it into a nightclub with dancing people in it and no other offices
A few years ago, my dad bought my mom 10246 for their wedding anniversary, I volunteered to build it for her and then just sort of kept it ever since. After two years or so, it's starting to look a little lonely in my room, as it's my only modular so far.
Point being, I'd like anything to go next to it and sort of make that bit of my display a bit more substantial.
This set would occupy a lower position on my wishlist of modular buildings, but certainly, as Huw mentioned, that'd be because the bar for modular buildings is raised with literally every new one. Can't say this one's bad, but compared to the others, it does look a little duller than I expected. Still, while it doesn't stand alone as strongly, the exterior does make a nice display when combined with other ones.
an easy pass:
1. there are already too many bars, venues and restaurants in the modular line-up
2. unnattractive color-scheme
3. odd use of space; a lot of room is wasted
4. no new or interesting building techniques used
5. way too expensive
6. the dark-red will make your building look like a rainbow ;)
People which complain about colours: it's not designer fault that LEGO is producing those parts so it's cost effective to use them. Don't think they are so bad.
About theme: well they are trying make new things, I'm not into jazz, but someone can be.
What the real problem is: shape and details are SO BORING! Best modulars like Bank or Parisian restaurant have amazing architectural details.
On other hand Police station is simple building but has gems like awesome donuts shop, leaves, commercial banner. Here there is nothing, You cant even tell that there is pizzeria by looking at it!
@LegoBoi69 said:
"Still waiting for a proper lego shop modular.... "
Bricklink Design Program had an excellent version
While the set is very interesting, I agree that the colour scheme is not convincing at all. Too much contrast between the warm dark red and cool colors (blue on ground floor and yellow). I think using dark blue (which is also easily available) instead of dark red would have made the set more visually attractive. Dark blue is also a colour that fits better to the jazz/blues theme.
is that a cracked dark red brick in the top right corner of the dressing table? lol
@monkyby87 said:
" @Darth_Dee said:
" @Huw said:
" @Darth_Dee said:
" @Huw: I read in another review that there are 420 steps in the instruction booklet? Can you confirm? If so, that is a hilarious joke for us jazz musicians..."
Yes, 420 steps. Please enlighten us on the the joke!"
In the US, 4:20 used to be code for when schoolage children would meet up and smoke weed (i.e. "hey mom, I have to go meet Chucky at 4:20"). Most jazz musicians have always enjoyed weed so intentional or not, it's a good joke."
That’s a huge generalization.
"
It’s pretty tenuous too.
I like it… is it my favourite? No. I’d say architecturally the police station is best from the last 5 or 6 years.
The interiors are nice while building but I rarely look at them once on display.
I’m tempted to add an extra storey to the pizzeria/tailors (even if there’s no minifigure access to that floor). And I want to redesign the greenhouse and make a pizzeria sign (maybe just the black 1x1 lettered tiles spelling pizza vertically on a hanging sign)
A plus over the Hotel: it will not have a price hike later in the year.
@MonsterFighter said:
" @monkyby87 said:
" @Darth_Dee said:
" @Huw said:
" @Darth_Dee said:
" @Huw: I read in another review that there are 420 steps in the instruction booklet? Can you confirm? If so, that is a hilarious joke for us jazz musicians..."
Yes, 420 steps. Please enlighten us on the the joke!"
In the US, 4:20 used to be code for when schoolage children would meet up and smoke weed (i.e. "hey mom, I have to go meet Chucky at 4:20"). Most jazz musicians have always enjoyed weed so intentional or not, it's a good joke."
That’s a huge generalization.
"
It’s pretty tenuous too.
"
In Colorado there have been huge spontaneous (now, somewhat sponsored) gatherings on April 20 at 4:20 p.m. for what the old hippies call 'tea time.'
Perhaps jazz musicians smoking pot isn't a thing in the UK/Europe. But, it is heavily intertwined with the true history of jazz and the birth of cool- where it began- in the USA.
@StyleCounselor said:
" @MonsterFighter said:
" @monkyby87 said:
" @Darth_Dee said:
" @Huw said:
" @Darth_Dee said:
" @Huw: I read in another review that there are 420 steps in the instruction booklet? Can you confirm? If so, that is a hilarious joke for us jazz musicians..."
Yes, 420 steps. Please enlighten us on the the joke!"
In the US, 4:20 used to be code for when schoolage children would meet up and smoke weed (i.e. "hey mom, I have to go meet Chucky at 4:20"). Most jazz musicians have always enjoyed weed so intentional or not, it's a good joke."
That’s a huge generalization.
"
It’s pretty tenuous too.
"
In Colorado there have been huge spontaneous (now, somewhat sponsored) gatherings on April 20 at 4:20 p.m. for what the old hippies call 'tea time.'
Perhaps jazz musicians smoking pot isn't a thing in the UK/Europe. But, it is heavily intertwined with the true history of jazz and the birth of cool- where it began- in the USA. "
that might be so, but the origin of "420" has got nothing to do with jazz, so in this case it is most likely a coincidence.
@BelgianBricker said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @MonsterFighter said:
" @monkyby87 said:
" @Darth_Dee said:
" @Huw said:
" @Darth_Dee said:
" @Huw: I read in another review that there are 420 steps in the instruction booklet? Can you confirm? If so, that is a hilarious joke for us jazz musicians..."
Yes, 420 steps. Please enlighten us on the the joke!"
In the US, 4:20 used to be code for when schoolage children would meet up and smoke weed (i.e. "hey mom, I have to go meet Chucky at 4:20"). Most jazz musicians have always enjoyed weed so intentional or not, it's a good joke."
That’s a huge generalization.
"
It’s pretty tenuous too.
"
In Colorado there have been huge spontaneous (now, somewhat sponsored) gatherings on April 20 at 4:20 p.m. for what the old hippies call 'tea time.'
Perhaps jazz musicians smoking pot isn't a thing in the UK/Europe. But, it is heavily intertwined with the true history of jazz and the birth of cool- where it began- in the USA. "
that might be so, but the origin of "420" has got nothing to do with jazz, so in this case it is most likely a coincidence."
Yes, one would assume that Lego is not purposely adding drug use symbols into a play set. Perhaps it's ironic or just a happy coincidence.
@Mr_Hankey said:
"I like it and I think it looks really nice between the police station and the boutique hotel judging from the box image."
I agree I am excited to get one
On the minifigure selection: While I agree that it would've been better to include customers, I think the choice to fully staff the place was very respectable, considering the LEGO store sets are rarely if ever staffed (I had to pick up 31105 just to get a LEGO employee minifigure, with the Café Corner print as an added bonus), and some other sets featuring businesses are missing employees as well. It's unlikely that someone owning a modular would have no other minifigs to populate them with, so I consider the inclusion of only personnel an acceptable compromise.
Isn't the staircase actually too narrow for a minifig? As far as I can tell a minifig is just a smidge over 3 studs wide measuring from hand to hand, so they wouldn't actually be able to fit in the stairwell without causing stress on their arms and hands, in spite of the presence of 1x3 jumpers on the steps.
@LegoSonicBoy said:
"Isn't the staircase actually too narrow for a minifig? As far as I can tell a minifig is just a smidge over 3 studs wide measuring from hand to hand, so they wouldn't actually be able to fit in the stairwell without causing stress on their arms and hands, in spite of the presence of 1x3 jumpers on the steps."
A minifig’s armspan becomes narrower if you angle their arms forward or back, so it shouldn’t be an issue regardless.
I'm a big modular fan & to me the recent modulars from corner garage onwards have been pretty uninteresting. Sadly this set is no exception.
The architecture style here is like corner garage & police station had a baby & nicked Palace cinema's sign on the way home from the hospital!
But in all seriousness lego should have the courage to return to either one larger structure or two decent sized buildings in the modular set. The recent trend of a tiny, tack-on buildings to the main building is not as satisfying & can be to the detriment of the overall set. In this set, this certainly would've opened up the club area more, which currently feels more like a karaoke area than a proper jazz club.
On the plus side the greenhouse on the roof is cute & does its best with the available space. But overall to me, the set is mainly mostly show & little substance.
Imho it suffers the most damning of remarks in that its "OK".
The Jazz Club is the least interesting modular since probably the Pet Shop. The lack of ambition clearly suggests this was put together at the last minute. I feel bad for everyone involved because they are quite talented :(
I wish they would have put a 6-8 stud width tailor shop next to a 24-studs-width jazz club to give that some room for a bar and stage, and do the pizzeria in some other modular where it could breath on its own. that wide+narrow split worked great with brickbank+washsaloon ... here it's all cramped in with nothing left to stand out ...
Good review. Will be getting it as Im a slave to Complete-ism.
I do like that most, if not all, the parts are printed and not are stickers (not sure about the 'record') .
Great looking design, it’s hard to live up to the wow factor that the Hotel had, but the Jazz Club is a great idea. Price per piece and price per weight are in line with the last few Modulars too. I’ll definitely be picking this up!
Personally I would like to see a return to more 'European' influence Modular buildings, in the vein of say 10243 Parisian Restaurant, 10270 Bookshop, and even 10281 Cafe Corner to some degree.
European cities are densely packed, with narrow streets and buildings that are typically 2-6 stories high. Hence it makes a lot of sense to pack multiple smaller 'buildings' within a baseplate, thus creating a densely packed city-feel without the need of a huge amount of space. Most people won't have a lot of space at home for a big Lego City! I think Lego is well aware of that hence many modular building pack more than one 'function'. Best example of this is probably 10255 Assembly Square, where it's effectively got 8 or 9 different user groups.
The architectural style of 10312 Jazz Club seems more North-American, and so is 10278 Police Station, 10264 Corner Garage, 10260 Downtown Diner, 10251 Brick Bank, 10246 Detective's Office, etc. Nothing wrong with them, and I very much like them in their own way. But there is something about the European style architecture that is particularly charming, which blends well with the charm of the Lego minifigures.