This is a very good set. The primary model is nice for display and I can see many people bought the set simply because it looks nice.

The alternate models are ok too so it provides a good building experience.

Parts wise, there are windows and trans parts which are useful for city building. The tan bricks are good too.

For a small set, only 31050 Corner Deli beats this so far.

This was one of several sets my daughter got for Christmas and we finally got around to putting it together. It is a cute set overall, but imho not as exciting as the earlier offering in this line: #31026 Bike Shop & Cafe. I have only completed the main build so far so that's what I'll be reviewing.

Pieces

The lower story of the building is sand green, and the roof is fabby earth blue, but there are actually fewer pieces in these scrumptious colors than it might appear: the lower floor is mostly windows/doors, so there are really only a few small brick-built columns of the green. The tiny handful of earth blue pieces is used to great effect as a false-front mansard style roof, which makes the color seem more represented than it is. It is an effective design use of these colors with minimal pieces, but disappointing for those who may have wished for more bricks in cool colors.

There are two nice tinted trans pieces used to make the sunroof, and lots of windows and doors. Other than that nothing too interesting.

Minifigures

There are two: a little boy (wearing the classic and really cute "rainbow spaceman" shirt and ball cap), and a woman who apparently is a shop worker. (I guess she must run BOTH shops, because there is only one adult.) To really play with this set you would want to have some LEGO neighborhood children/parents available who could visit too do some shopping (and perhaps man the second shop). There is also a little scooter with wheels that do not turn!

The Build

Very straightforward and easy. The bags are not numbered, but it's not really necessary, since there are not many pieces. One wall of the toy shop is set at an angle, so that's a bit fun, but otherwise it is basically two boxes with windows and doors.

The Finished Model

I think the set is quite attractive due to its pleasing color scheme, open, airy design, and grand looking false roof fronts. The white molding is also well done, and I like the white brick-built arch connecting the two shops, and the angled wall with clear door into the toy shop, which gives a nice view of the interior. The numerous tan windows, and the brown doors look nice. However, the set is definitely a bit thin on details.

Inside the toy shop there are only two toys: a train and a Wall-E looking robot. Both are quite cute, but this seems like a pretty limited selection to choose from. Even though space is limited, some additional small toys could have been included such as a little bear, wands or something else small and molded. The train is the front window display, and does not work very well here. The display window is tall and narrow while the train is short and long, so the front part of the train is cut off, and most of the display window ends up looking bare and uninviting. When compared with the excellent use of display windows in #31026 (where a bright red bike was perched at a jaunty angle in the bike shop window, and lovely blue curtains surrounded a cozy table setting in the cafe), this seems very awkward. Something big and bright would have been more eye-catching, such as a colorful toy castle, little doll, or brick built dragon or something. Additionally, above the door of the toy shop hangs a robot (?) like creation that also does not make a very striking display. The little gumball machine on the sidewalk is super cute though.

The grocery store has even more paltry offerings for its customers - in fact, there are no groceries inside at all, only one newspaper and a map. There are also two mysterious looking bottles (potions?) on the wall - not sure if this is really a grocery store or a pharmacy. The very large display window here features nothing but the newspapers. The only food available is some brightly colored produce which is nicely displayed outside.

Upstairs there is an apartment, featuring a bed in one room and a table with a small lamp in the other. Letters are inexplicably strewn on the floor near the bed. The bedroom is very bright and airy, featuring a lovely wall of windows, and a nifty sunroof.

The model can be closed using hinges, creating a square balcony for the apartment. Or if the buildings are hinged open, the balcony acts as a connecting walkway between the two rooms. (One would have to climb in through the window to get into the living room this way though, since the only door to the balcony is on the bedroom side....) There are small gate pieces on the balcony that swing open to connect the separate rooms of the apartment across the balcony, or closed to make a safe railing when the model is closed. One thing that is QUITE annoying is that the door to the balcony will not open fully, since the balcony railing is positioned right in front of it!

Playability

Playability is somewhat limited, since there are no cool "functions" other than doors that open and close. The interior of the shops is so small it's difficult to fit much actual merchandise - much less shop workers and consumers - inside. It would have been nice to add something movable, like a small spinning ferris wheel toy, or opening refrigerator case..., or really anything a bit more interactive inside, or at the very least more shelves with some toys and food for sale.

Alternate Builds

I have only done the main build, but in looking at the pictures, the alternate builds do not hold much appeal for me so I probably will not do them. One is a post office and the other is a news stand. Both are smaller than the main build, much less aesthetically pleasing in my view, and seem to offer even less detail and interest.

Value

The price per piece is quite good at retail price, and discounted it could become great. There are not that many interesting pieces, but if you're in the market for a bit of green-white- and earth blue plus lots of windows it's actually quite nice.

Overall

For a small set, I really love the color scheme and overall look of this model, but think it lacks detail and playable features. Perhaps the best approach would be to buy two, and expand it by adding more stories and/or additional depth! Then additional interior detail could be added - you could easily build a slew of cute little toys (from advent calendars, etc.) and add in some more grocery items and furniture to the apartment.

Lego follows up on last year’s Bike Shop and Café with another town building in their Creator series. Creator being Creator I have decided to stray slightly off the beaten path in this review and focus on the three main uses of such a set rather than the suggested review structure. I have focused on the major of the three builds in the following.

Overview of the set

Unlike last year’s offering this is a single building, the set name notwithstanding. However, by cleverly making it fold open on the balcony side, it presents two separate facades when opened up. The left side being the toy shop, the right the grocery store. The store’s interior is taken up by a small till and a newspaper stand. The toyshop comes with a micro scale train and a small robot. The first floor the building has a small apartment with a bed, a small chest of drawers and a table lamp. There’s also a couple of printed letters lying on the floor. The roof has a skylight above the bed and two faux roof ends. On the sidewalk the set features a bubble-gum dispenser and some produce on display.

As a playset

The interior’s only accessible when the buildings folded open. Unfortunately this means that the stairs leading to the second floor are on one side of the building whereas the door from the apartment to the balcony, now transformed into “a smart connecting bridge”, is on the other. Admittedly, anyone in the intended age range playing with the set is undoubtedly in possession of enough suspension of disbelief to make this a rather moot point. A bigger problem is that the items for sale in both shops are rather inaccessible. The two toys are difficult to get to and the newspaper stand night impossible. The same holds for the letters next to the bed. Prying loose flat 2x1 tiles from an enclosed plate is no mean feat for small fingers. This is not to say that the set doesn’t offer lots of possibilities for play. The bubble-gum dispenser and produce display makes for a lively sidewalk. Some of the interior execution could, however, have been better.

As a lesson in construction techniques

The set obviously takes it visual cue from the range of modular buildings. Gone is the utilitianism of Le Corbusier, here is opulence reminiscent of the Fin de Siècle (in Lego terms, that translates to more interesting facades). Considering the intended age group I think the set does a rather decent job tutoring some of the techniques that make the modulars stand out. It illustrates the improved aesthetic achieved by inserting a band of a lighter/darker colour when going from one major wall colour to another (e.g. dark grey wall/ white band/ sand green wall). It showcases how to use “funny” bricks in an unusual way to achieve a 3D effect (for example some rather clever use of plate 1x2 w. stick in conjecture with plate 1x2 w. shaft). It teaches how those round plates 1x1s and cheese bricks can be SNOTed for decorations. It demonstrates how to construct and anchor a door at an angle. And lastly it instils the lesson that a building does not have to be large to contain a plethora of details. Given its size and price I would say this is one of the better introductions to improving Lego house building skills available.

As a source for bricks

New, and so far exclusive, to this set is the Brick with bow, 1x5x4 inverted in earth blue. You only get two of them, however. It is a decent, but not great, source for sand green 1x1 and 2x1 bricks (14 each). The ten telescope pieces in black are always useful for railings. The frames in brick yellow are also bound to be of use. It features 15 1x1 round plates in silver if that’s your thing. Unfortunately the main colour used in the set is white, making it a lot less desirable from an MOC point of view than last year’s bike shop & café’s abundance of new dark red, brick yellow and md.blue bricks. It is by no means a bad offering, but it would have been so much better if the 29 white 1x2 bricks had been of a less common colour.

After purchasing the Bike Shop & Cafe, I was excited to get another Creator building. I had to wait for a sale because $40 was a bit steep for what you get with this set.

PROS:

- Interesting colored pieces. The sand green and white building with dark blue works pretty well overall.

- The gumball machine is fun. The little scooter is creative.

- I like the dark blue roof design and the tan windows.

CONS:

- Reused figures again.

- Small lamppost.

- Too many small pieces. The set has 466 pieces overall, but hardly any white or sand green bricks. I was surprised at how limited the selection was.

OVERALL OPINION:

While I like the idea of this set, I do not think it was executed properly. After the excitement of the previous building, this was a must have. After owning it, it is a must not have. I'm glad I found it on sale, but long term, I wouldn't be too upset had I not purchased it.

Box/Instructions

Same as most creator sets for the last couple of years.

Parts

This is one of the few aspects of the set where I will say I was partially pleased. LOTS of tan windows, and doors. The few sand green bricks you get are nice, but there are not too many. Further, many of the 400+ piece count are smaller parts.... obviously gone are the days of a $45 dollar Appletree House #5891, for instance. If one does not have too many other Legos with which to utilize, after play with these pieces will be limited.

Minifigures

They're okay. Not entirely original with little variation.

The build

So-so. Not much Lego fans have not seen before. Unfolded, it looks nice, When folded up, it's kind of a mismatch, in that it makes more sense as a structure, not two. The stairs have no railing, the proportion of the stair top to the door is silly... it's just an overall kind of boring build, to be honest.

The completed model

Average. Has some nice architectural details, but not much else. As many have observed, the scooter is a joke. Play would grow old quickly.

Overall opinion

A fairly disappointing set, unless one is just out for the some window/door pieces. Lego really should have risen the price point on this set by $20 or so dollars and created something more worthy. If you can pick it up at a great discount, sure... otherwise, not too much positive to say.