---Buying Context---

(Just a quick context of lego history, necessary for this set's review only because the excitement of it arriving may make me biased. It also spurred a second adult-age lego obsession, which speaks to the set's quality)

So I was super into legos as a kid but stopped for my teenage and adult years outside the occasional small architectural set.

Around mid 2019 I got into them again for about six months. I have no idea what spurred me to reacquaint myself with Lego. I was able to purchase a variety of sets from themes I enjoy, but after I had FINALLY obtained my three "holy grail" sets (UCS Slave 1, Tower or Orthanc and UCS Sandcrawler) all discontinued at the time, and then I stopped. The timing worked as I had filled every inch of our display space in the living room. My wife had no idea that I was a nerd, at least to this degree, but this really clued her in to the depths of my nerdy depravity. I certainly feel for her, we're in our 20s and she ended up with a less competent "model train type guy", but she's very kind and supportive despite the monopolizing of our living room for literal toys.

During this period I dabbled in various themes including the modular buildings. I first got the Downtown Diner and absolutely loved it. I purchased the Parisian Restaurant soon after and loved that also. Roughly around December 2019 (I was 26) I stopped my lego buying rampage, as I felt I had gotten what I wanted.

The other day, I ACCIDENTALLY ordered the Corner Garage on amazon. I was messing around with one of my cards I THOUGHT had no money on it thinking "Lemme test this card online since it declined at a store, may as well test it on something cool".

So when it arrived at my house I was surprised and then excited. I COULD have returned it, but who would expect smeagol to return the ring to the fires of Mt Doom? No chance. So I rushed to my command center (disorganized living room) to begin. I had seen some reviews for this set that seemed to imply people weren't quite as happy with it as the other modulars.

After building the set, I can say that I am not as happy as I was with the other modulars...I enjoyed it a notch MORE than the two I had previously! That's saying quite a bit. The design feels truly novel in terms of buildings, especially with regard to the exterior. There are also some areas with techniques I haven't seen anywhere else, prior or since, although this was only a week ago. The rolling garage door, the lift, the truck (And I'm not usually partial to vehicles) and the second floor vet all come to mind when I think of standout building techniques. The garage door particularly felt unique and I believe that anyone who buys this set will feel similarly.

The price to piece rating is also quite good, roughly 2500 pieces for $199.99 is a far superior brick/cost ratio than I see in a majority of sets I got in 2019 and see online currently. The modular buildings generally seem like they have a better value than other themes. Since then I got the Police Station (2900-3000 for the same price) which has an even better value, but the Garage's value is the first one to really surprise me like it did.

The vet's office was also a standout. We build an eclectic variety of rooms in these modular sets. They seem to run the gamut in terms of quotidian classifications. The vet is in contention for the most memorable modular floor level throughout the five modular buildings I have completed so far. I couldn't tell you exactly WHY it stood out, the most interesting techniques were relegated to the first floor and exterior, but it just did. The details, designs and the 45° angle wall all combine for a sum>parts.

The minifigures are whatever. I couldn't knock any points for that because the modular building minifigures seem ubiquitously average so far (I guess the diner was a notch above). In any popular IP themed sets, the minifigures are a major part of what I buy and why, but they're ancillary on the modular buildings (to me, at least). At least they have variations in the faces now...the parisian restaurant crowd are a bunch of off-putting creeps with those God forsaken smiles and endless staring. In the garage theres two mechanics, some girl with her bunny, the vet and then a strange adult man who loves...ahem..."trucks". Pretty standard obsession for a kid to have, although a bit strangely general. For an adult man it seems extremely odd...liking models or vehicles is pretty normal, but the mini-story that the set tells seems to imply he likes them in the way a child does. Whatever, I am a 27yo man who builds legos, so I am not really justified in judging the lego man. Sorry if I cyber-bullied him too hard.

The roof is also an interesting setup. It isn't something I'd rave about on its own and it is quite simple in its build, but it still offers an engaging look and display utility. The deadeyed truck man's apartment has one of those angled double doors (idk the term) that lead up to the roof where he has the classic suburban mom sunbathing setup, umbrella and fancy tanning lounge chair. Come to think of it, maybe I wasn't being judgy...this guy is an odd duck at the very least.

Overall the set really stood out, even after building the Diner and Parisian Restaurant, both of which I also loved. I only feel the need to write a review for this set because I wouldn't want anyone turned off by it's seemingly slighter lower review scores compared to most other modulars...maybe it isn't for everyone, but I'd encourage not dismissing it too soon. I'm not a car guy and I have no partiality to garages...I doubt anyone has strong opinions on that though...but despite the actual nature of the build being pretty unremarkable to me (which led me to dismiss it for a while) I was very pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable the entire experience was. It's one of those sets that I would have a hard time articulating EXACTLY why I loved it so much, but it just worked. Oh, and it being s corner piece is also a bonus. I didn't realize how helpful and cool that was until after after the build and trying to fit it next to my diner and Parisian. It fits so well with everything and having a corner makes your modular collection feel so much more dense and city-like than a single horizontal row does.

If you're a little unsure because of the slightly lower review scores than its modular brethren, I would encourage you to keep an open mind. There is an intangible "it" factor that the set has, to me at least, that allowed it to spur on a second, potentially debilitating lego buying rampage. I think most people would see what I see in the Corner Garage!