Theme: Creator Expert
No: 10264
Release Year: 2019
Cost: AU $299.99
Pieces: 2569 (with six minifigures)
Each and every year for over a decade, in January, The LEGO Group has released a new addition to the Modular Building series. These sets are aimed at the older fan group, and offer more in depth techniques and stunning builds. Last year we saw a dramatic shift in style of architecture, bring in a Streamline Moderne style, as well as moving away from the classic smiley face that has adorned the faces of the minifigure inhabitants since the beginning of the Modular line. 2018’s 10260 Downtown Diner brought in some stunning colours and detailed faces, and while some have not been a fan of the move, others (like me) have loved it.
This year, we were surprised with 10264 Corner Garage, a three storey corner building, with a ground level mechanic shop, a first floor vet clinic and a second floor apartment. Let’s dive in.
The box contains 16 numbered bags, spread out over six steps, as well as a tan 32×32 baseplate.
Also, if you’re wondering why I’ve reverted back to the old review format, it’s because this one was written a while ago, I’ve just been a bit lax in getting the final details added in!
ELEMENTS & MINIFIGURES: 17/20
Six minifigures are included in the set – a male and female mechanic, a female scooter rider, the veterinarian, a girl and a male apartment dweller.
The two mechanics share the same uniform style, which has been seen in abundance over the years. It looks like the female mechanic has been working harder though, as she’s got a bit of grease on one of her faces (yep, it’s a dual head print). This head has been seen before, in 60202 Outdoor Adventures‘ mountain biker as well as a couple of other sets, so it’s good to have another copy. I also love the dual moulded hat and ponytail.
The female scooter rider also shares a torso with a character from 60202, and the medium azure scooter is brand new!
Going up a floor, we have the vet, and his client, the little girl who presumably owns the bunny. It’s good to get another doctor’s outfit – we’ve only had a handful of sets with these so far.
Lastly, living in the apartment at the top floor, we have a man wearing a knitted jumper. This torso has appeared in some expensive sets so far (as well as last year’s City Advent Calendar), so it’s great to see it appearing again!
Like any good modular, there’s a wide variety of elements included, many of which are rare, or unique to the set. Many of these were recolours, but there are a number of brand new parts. There’s a white 2×2 turntable element. It’s a strange one, used to connect the petrol pump ‘island’ to the baseplate. I love the 2×2 round Octan tiles, a recoloured minifigure skate (used in the window cleaner – very clever!). There’s also printed tiles and windows, and plenty of dark orange bricks. I think we also have a new wand sprue – it’s different to other ones we’ve seen before.
One of the interesting ones stems from the new Minecraft big figs, known as Minecraft feet. While it’s not a brand new part, unique to this set, it is the first time that it’s been seen outside of Minecraft sets. Also, there’s the blue and yellow parrot – not new, but certainly rare! Recoloured window frames seen in the first floor, new medium azure scooter, and I could go on, but I wont…
SWOOSHABILITY: 13/20
While modulars are never intended as play sets, they are certainly conducive to it, especially if you have a number of them. There’s a bit of fun to be had with the Corner Garage. To be honest, it’s mostly condensed to the bottom floor, where the garage is. Replacing tyres, jacking the truck up, filling with fuel, towing cars, there’s a lot of fun to have with this set. But don’t worry. If you are one of the extremely rare people that have this set and only this set, then you’ll still have fun.
BUILD: 17/20
The build starts off with a huge amount of tiling. For a build that doesn’t have much of a footprint on the baseplate, there’s a lot of tiles. It’s just a shame there’s no tiling on the inside of the garage. I understand the need for tiles for the road and path surfaces, but surely some could have been spared for the interior of the mechanic.
The tow truck is stunning. It looks retro, and the tow function works really well, with a relatively simple build. It’s quite possibly my favourite part of the whole set.
As the rear walls go up in the garage, the garage door also starts to be crafted. The roller door is an inspired design. It’s simple and very effective. I’ve found that it does happen to catch on something every now and then, but the impact is minimal, and it really does look great. The next major mechanism to be created is the car jack. It’s very simple, but doesn’t appear to be all that smooth when lifting. It’s extremely jerky, given the friction lifting design.
Other smaller details are added around the mechanic including a tool cabinet and tyre fitter. What’s great about this floor is the first look at the addition of the wall built at a 45 degree offset to the standard stud layout. A staircase is also added to the side entrance, ready for the upper floors.
Once the main building is done, the pump island, pump and awning is created. These additions just make the building so much better. There’s an added profile to the building that gives the illusion of a bigger building. The connection mechanism of the island to the baseplate is unique, using the new 2×2 turntable element.
The design of the brickwork around the vet’s door is very simple, and also very effective, using the 1×2 rounded plates as detail.
Heading up to the first floor is the vet, and it’s also time for a colour change. Thanks to the ground floor, there are some interesting angles in the walls, both exterior and interior. There’s a lot of details inside, compared to the internal space available. Couches, tables and flowers in the waiting room (as well as an oddly designed fish tank – I’ll get into this later). Inside the vet surgery are a bunch of different apparatus, including a simple desk lamp.
The best build techniques in both upper floors are the bay windows. It uses an excellent design, using train windows on their sides, and looks like it’s meant to be.
The second floor contains the apartment. There’s not a lot in the apartment, so the build comes together quickly, however the greebling on the front of the building (especially on the top floors) is very repetitive and fiddly, comprising of multiple 1×1 elements. It takes a while, and is a bit of an effort to get straight and lined up.
Lastly, there’s the roof. There isn’t a lot of detail up here, with the access hatch, a very small garden bed, and a chair and umbrella, perfect for a snooze. The greebling on the front is again very repetitive, and tricky to get straight, but it’s worth it.
DESIGN / APPEARANCE: 16/20
It’s great to see new designs in the modular series. Having a garage in the range is excellent, but there are a few things that aren’t ideal. While there’s tiles dominating the exterior floor of the build, there’s nothing in the interior of the garage. I don’t know about you, but the interior of a garage isn’t sand coloured. I’m a big fan of tiled surfaces, so seeing an abundance of tiles on the outside only to miss the smaller section of the interior is a shame. Other recent modulars have all had tiled interior floors (except for Palace Cinema), so why not this one?
The overall colour scheme is great. I like the darker green in the Octan colours on the ground floor, and the combination of sand blue and dark orange looks excellent together. I’m already excited to see what we get next year.
Another very obvious omission is the lack of a car to tow or fix. The tow truck is excellent, but there’s nothing to tow, and you’ll only be able to jack up the tow truck itself.
As we go up further, there’s another problem. For the vet (and his patients) to get to the clinic, they have to take the stairs that go through the garage. There’s no separate wall. For the apartment owner to get to his place, he has to go through both the garage and the vet clinic. For a little more space added in, there should have been a wall separating them. As it is there’s not a lot of build floor space compared to the baseplate, so it couldn’t have been that hard to add in a wall.
That brings us to the upper floors. I’m not sure why the fish had to be added in to the aquarium up-side down. It fits totally fine the right way up. It just looks like a dead fish in the picture!
I think the biggest issue is in the apartment. It’s very sparse, and why is the toilet in the kitchen? The main issue lies in the size of the apartment. There’s just not enough space to properly include an apartment, so they’ve had to do some serious cutting back. No bathroom, shower, bedroom…it’s just a living room and kitchen with a bed and toilet crammed in.
VALUE FOR MONEY: 5/10
Compared to the other modulars, Corner Garage is pricey, set at $50 more than others. At $300, it’s not a cheap modular. There’s a lot of parts in the set, so the price per element is quite reasonable, but it still doesn’t feel right. $300 for essentially half a building? Other corner buildings have taken up a substantial amount more of the baseplate than this.
COLLECTIBILITY: 10/10
10264 Corner Garage is a unique corner modular, so the collectibility of this set is pretty high. Sure it’s not cheap, but it’s a modular. These are known for keeping their sale value, so even if you buy this to sell it later, it’s still worth doing. The inclusion of this in your city is great- we’ve had service stations in the past, but this one is a modular one, with a brilliant looking vehicle.
OVERALL: 78/100
A special thank you to LEGO for sending me a copy to review. All thoughts on this set are my own and are not influenced in any way, shape or form. The provision of sets for review does not guarantee a favourable review.
