Review : LEGO Creator Expert Modular 10270 Bookshop

Today we are talking about the set again LEGO Creator Expert Modular 10270 Bookshop (2504 pieces - 159.99 €), a set of two constructions that will probably join the streets of the majority of fans of this range from January 1st.

You have had plenty of time and the elements to get a very precise idea of ​​the contents of this box with the official announcement which took place a few hours ago, so I will content myself with giving you as usual some very personal information about this box.

Don't be fooled by the official visuals, this set is "only" 29cm tall. For reference, the construction of the set 10264 Corner Garage measures 32 cm high and the highest point of the set 10255 Assembly Square is 35 cm from the ground. Here no antenna or pointed roof, the whole is relatively compact.

Walls, cornices, roofs, furniture, as usual we assemble here a dollhouse for adults, s with its different more or less playable spaces, which will end up on a shelf alongside the other products of the range and which will delight all those who regularly exhibit urban dioramas all over France.

The set consists of two separate buildings logically placed on their respective 16x32 base plates, a solution that has disappeared from the range since the set 10218 Pet Shop marketed in 2011. You can also arrange the two constructions in any order you like, it works. By reversing the placement from the solution presented by LEGO, the floor lamp ends up under the birch but it is easy to remove or move.

When it comes to tiling, you shouldn't be too demanding with this set: only the floor of the bookstore is tiled, the other parts are in "visible tenons". It is convenient for planting furniture or minifigs in it, but in my opinion it is not up to the level of finish that one can expect from a product of this range. You will tell me that anyway, apart from the window of the bookstore, you can't really see the inside of the different rooms from the outside. And that's true, but I would have liked to have had smooth floors, a floor, etc ...

On the other hand, the exterior finish of the two constructions is impeccable. The ornaments on the facade are nicely done and the two buildings display very different styles and colors. We dream of a street complete with facades in the same style. The sides and the back of the two buildings are as usual more basic, we can detect here and there some differences in color between the parts in Medium Dark Flesh which make up the walls of the bookstore, but it's more homogeneous than usual and it seems to me that LEGO has made some progress on this point. On the other hand, I am not a fan of the bricks of different colors which are visible on the outside of the walls, in particular at the level of the chimney of the blue building.

The sign of the bookstore is pad printed and it will be necessary to be satisfied with an English version. For those who are wondering what "Birch", it is the English translation of the word birch, the tree which is just in front of the shop. This tree also takes advantage of the white notches present on the parts which constitute the trunk: no more the trouble of turning them to Conceal them, they perfectly embody here the variations in color of the bark characteristic of this type of tree.

A few yellowed leaves on the branches of the tree and on the ground and the autumn atmosphere of a street in a quiet residential area of ​​London or San Francisco is there. Good luck to integrate this new Structure in a street where buildings with very different architectural styles already rub shoulders. The most judicious seems to add the set 10243 Parisian Restaurant whose facade seems to me rather to match that of this new set. On the other side, the set 10255 Assembly Square will do.

The bookstore is obviously filled with ... books. Or rather small assemblages that reproduce the presence of books on the shelves of the store. It's a shame, we get here only one "real book" LEGO, a copy of Moby brick whose cover is also nicely pad printed. In the end, for a set called Bookshop, there are not many books in this box even if the substitute assemblies are largely illusion on the shelves.

The floors of the two buildings are more or less attic rooms, there is not much except a double bed and a chest of drawers on one side and a single bed with an aquarium on the other. No sink, bathroom or toilet. The blue house benefits from a cellar which lacks a little depth but it is an interesting detail which also makes it possible to raise the construction to justify the very successful staircase placed at the entrance. There you will find a mousetrap, a folding ladder tucked away in a corner, and a hobbit gate in the back.

I tried to turn the first floor of the building which houses the bookstore 180 ° and it also works with a balcony which therefore overlooks the street. It's a detail, but it will allow an interesting variation if you install several copies of the set in your LEGO town.

The other rooms are loosely furnished, and the stairs, including a rather successful spiral version, take up a significant portion of the available space. I would gladly exchange these for some extra furniture and some real chairs. At LEGO, we almost sit on the floor and that's a shame.

The endowment in minifigs is very correct here with a handful of ordinary civilians to stage. The little boy plays with his plane which ends up in the tree, the bookseller comes to help him, his wife is busy in the shop while the parents of the reckless kid are gardening. Forward the stories.

In the end, I think we get here a very nice Structure more generic than the gas station or the typical 50s Diner of the last few years and that's a good thing. The business on the ground floor is discreet and we really have the impression of having residential buildings.

Those who will acquire this box will not be disappointed by the many techniques used here to refine the facades of the two constructions. They will get their money's worth both during the assembly process and afterwards with a superb display set, although one can still regret the lack of finish and furniture on the floors.

Note: The set presented here, supplied by LEGO, is as usual in play. Deadline fixed at December 18, 2019 next at 23pm.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.