Review : LEGO Bricklink Designer Program Series 1 910032 Parisian Street

Today we are quickly interested in the set LEGO 910032 Parisian Street, a creation by Nicolas Carlier who is currently a finalist of the Bricklink Designer Program Series 1. With its 3532 pieces, its 7 minifigs, its 18 stickers and its price set at €289.99, this model deserves in my opinion that we linger on it for the time of a review to check if the proposal is up to the level of the amount and patience needed to obtain it.

For those who don't know Nicolas Carlier (CARLIERTI), this is the one who submitted several times in the company of his brother Thomas (BRICK PROJECT) the now as famous as it was rejected Ratatouille project on the LEGO IDEAS platform. Having left through one door and entered through another, Nicolas Carlier submitted a new creation as part of the Bricklink Designer Program and this Parisian street has now been honored by the program with its pre-order.

LEGO sent me a very preliminary copy without box or instruction booklet, with an inventory sorted in ordinary bags, unfinalized instructions in digital format and a sheet of temporary stickers. I was therefore able to assemble this 51 cm long by 12.5 cm deep model in the company of Chloé, who those who follow us on social networks already know.

The instructions were already at a sufficiently advanced stage to limit errors and other sequence reversals, although there is still work to be done and we had to use a bit of deduction for some steps. There were also a few pieces missing from the hand-sorted bags we were provided with, but nothing serious.

The 18 stickers included in the temporary version are not printed on the usual paper but they do the job well once in place. They adorn the signs of the various businesses, the street signs and the painter's painting with the Eiffel Tower on the floors. It's graphically nicely executed, nothing to complain about.

Assembling the model is very pleasant, we start as if for a Structure through the base plates with their sidewalks and we gradually climb the floors, alternating the sequences of construction of walls, furniture and various and varied accessories. I am not giving you a detailed list of what you will find throughout the different sequences, the photos which illustrate this article speak for themselves.

It is important to note that LEGO did not intervene in the construction itself and that the product remains that imagined by its designer except for a few parts replaced for questions of logistics and availability.

I did not notice any particularly hazardous or risky techniques, the Carlier brothers are not novices and they know their ranges. They are therefore capable of offering an experience very similar to that which would be offered by an "official" product of the brand passed into the hands of experienced designers and this is excellent news for all those who might have been worried on this specific point .

Regarding the choice to offer a "doll's house" with facades on one side and furnished and fitted out alcoves on the other, Nicolas confirms that this is a deliberate choice. There was never any question of aping the principle of Modulars usually closed on all sides and the product was deliberately designed from the start as it will be delivered to the lucky purchasers.

Possible playability was one of the important criteria for its designer who therefore allowed himself to reserve one side for playful possibilities. The whole could therefore end its career by serving as a background layout in a diorama based on Modulars classics, the finish offered here being largely up to the standards offered at LEGO.

We also get here a real street, with several aligned buildings, the presence of a narrow alley with a staircase as well as a passage under one of the buildings. I find it all very successful with a nice mix of different architectures actually visible in the streets of Paris and the feeling of being in a real neighborhood, a point on which the set 10243 Parisian Restaurant left me hungry.

The colors used here are well chosen, the walls have character, the roofs are legible thanks to the contrast between beige and blue and the storefronts know how to stand out with their signs and their equipment which are also quite contrasting.

Nicolas Carlier was not stingy with the various internal arrangements, the furniture is very well designed and of the usual LEGO production level, the accessories are numerous and each space is therefore logically easily identifiable. The regulars of Modulars will be here on familiar ground with furniture of very good quality and a fairly successful use of the different spaces available, some of which are really very cramped.

All the alcoves are framed by an arch which guarantees exemplary solidity of the entire model, without the risk of the intermediate plates bending under the weight of the construction. For those wondering, the different floors and roofs are not designed to be separated from the model, with access to the interior spaces being defined on the rear side of the street.

The construction is accompanied by a large handful of figurines which brings a little animation to this shopping street, the different characters are well chosen and their accessories are matched. It's always a good idea for lovers of dense dioramas to find what they're looking for.

You will have understood, I find this product sufficiently accomplished to deserve our interest. It remains to accept the idea of ​​spending €290 on a set which is ultimately not an "official" product in the usual sense of the term.

We can obviously consider that the Bricklink Designer Program is a direct extension of the LEGO inventory, the platform having been bought by the Danish manufacturer, but I know that some fans remain resistant to these products and it is up to everyone to evaluate the relevance of the price in relation to the positioning of the sets concerned.

If you like the aesthetic and artistic touch of the Carlier siblings, don't hesitate to take a look at their site Brick Valley, you will find the instructions for other proposals of the same barrel as well as those for a series of mini Modulars which I find very successful. The two brothers also released two books on the theme of minis Modulars, you will find them on sale at Amazon:

LEGO Mini Modulars: Around The World

24.25 €

BUY

LEGO CITY - Mini Modulars book (Volume 2)

26.36 €

BUY

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at February 16, 2024 next at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid “I’m participating” or “I’m trying my luck”, we suspect that this is the case.
Please note, I can only provide the complete inventory without instructions for the moment, you will have to wait for LEGO to officially make the relevant file available.

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.