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10185 Green Grocer Review

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Green Grocer Reviewed by Dunamis

Set 10185

2,352 Pieces

$149.95 from The LEGO Store (Glendale, CA)

Build time 6.5 hours

Holy guacamole! Almost exactly one year after Caf� Corner was released we get the third installment in the increasingly popular LEGO exclusive town series. Combined with the famous 10182 Caf� Corner and its trusty companion 10190 Market Street this trio makes the foundation for an amazing city block of LEGO goodness.

For those new to this series of sets, check out my reviews of the two previous sets in this line:

Cafe Corner

Market Street

I would not necessarily recommend reading too many of my reviews in one setting as you might experience loss of brain cells and/or drowsiness. You have been warned.

So, how does Green Grocer stack up to the two previous sets you ask? Well, follow along kind reader and I shall attempt to unravel this question.

The Box:

The gigantic box is pretty standard and looks amazingly similar to the Caf� Corner box.

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The back of the box shows some of the features of the green grocer as well as a lot of the cool interior that was absent from the previous sets.

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In addition, we are shown an image of the three sets together and a small insert image showing how they connect together (as if we could not master that difficult maneuver�)

Opening the box is a matter of breaking two seals. As it seems to be the norm now, we have the reusable cereal box type tab system that we saw so often in 2007 sets. However, upon opening the tabs we are pleasantly surprised to find a cardboard tray! Have not seen one of those in a while.

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As you can see in the photo, we have two 32x16 green base plates, three instruction manuals and a bunch of bags that are broken into four groups:

Group 1 has 12 bags and goes with the first manual and builds the first floor.

Group 2 has 9 bags and goes with the second manual to build the second floor.

Group 3 has 14 bags and goes with the third manual for the top floor and roof.

And one bag that is not numbered and hence you can open it whenever you feel like it.

There are no stickers � Yay!

Moving right along, we get to the three instruction manuals.

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The Manuals:

The three manuals are 55, 47 and 47 pages in length. They are laid out well and are pretty standard with all the usual trimmings:

- Piece call outs for each step

- Parts inventory at the end of the second manual

- Page numbers

Color separation in these manuals was fine for me except dark bley and black.

We get a nice photo of all three sets together:

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Plus, we get a nice tip showing how to split up the bags and what goes where. Those additional pieces you see in the photo just below the numbered bags are the pieces that come from the single un-numbered bag (along with the base plates).

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Parts list

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Random manual shot

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The Pieces:

Upon opening the first set of bags, one thing is clear; there are a TON of little tiny pieces! The minifigs are included in this first section as well. Interesting to note that there are a handful of printed pieces and as I mentioned previously, no stickers.

We also get a host of new and exciting pieces to add to our collection. Keep in mind my scope of LEGO sets is generally centered around Star Wars, Technic, Creator and the occasional racer set so what is new to me might have been around 15 years. At any rate, here are some of the more interesting pieces:

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Again, note the printed tiles.

This time around, LEGO has decided to include 33% more minifigs than the Caf� Corner and Market Street sets. Yes, we get four minifigs instead of three! Here are the cast of characters:

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Pictured (left to right) is Sir Top Hat, Miss Jenny Blue Overalls, Patti O� Furniture and little Timmy Cub Scout. I�ll leave it up to the minifig aficionados to decipher which torsos are new and to tell us all about the hairpieces. I can say with reasonable certainty that the four yellow smiley heads are not new (somebody check that�)

Don�t forget the lovable little cat named �Tom�. He is the arch-rival of the mouse �Jerry� that lives downstairs:

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Overall, there are a lot of pieces, large variety and wide range of colors.

The Build:

If you have either of the two previous sets, you will feel right at home here. Just like in the previous builds, it seems like the first ten build steps are consumed with laying a bunch of 1x1, 1x2 and 2x2 tiles everywhere. Almost feels like 30% of the pieces are used up right away (see below).

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There are several sections where you build various parts of the interior. Take a look at the cash register/counter below:

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And the beverage cooler:

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And the produce stand and everything that goes in it:

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Looks like someone has mail:

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Looks like someone just had a baby:

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This set is incredibly well done and gives inspiration to go back and add similar items to Caf� Corner and Market Street.

As before, the average builder is introduced to some new building techniques like using the hinge plates to make the angles on the front of the building as shown below:

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Also the top of the roof shows some interesting ideas:

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Overall, it is a really fun build that kept me entertained the whole way.

The Design:

This is a great set with lots of little details. I especially like the little mouse hole in the wall leading to the Jerry the mouse�s area. They even included a little slice of cheese!

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It seems the designers can�t get away from the �usual� staircase which I always feel is way too big. Maybe future designs can incorporate a spiral staircase to save room for other things in the model. One welcome addition is the fire escape as seen below:

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I�m going to show a bunch of examples of various items in the set so you can get the feel of the amazing detail in this design.

Take a look at the lamps (torches?) just outside the door:

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And the streetlight with fire hydrant:

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Brickwork and archway:

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Awning:

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Here is the back side of the building. Note the trashcans and yard tools:

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Here is a close-up of the railings on the second story balcony and the second photo is the finished product with curtains in the window.

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Nice use of cups to make the banister on the second floor:

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Here is the fireplace on the second floor:

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Second floor staircase with Tom�s hiding spot:

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Check out the radiator on the third floor:

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More third floor:

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Nice grandfather clock and rug (third floor)

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Check out the deck that is up on the roof. Complete with two chairs, table, umbrella, flower pots and grill:

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Interesting use of minifig hammers on the roof:

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Finally, here is what is left over when we�re done:

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A couple of shots of the front:

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A shot of the back:

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And here are all three together:

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Overall Thoughts:

This is an incredible set and the best of the three in my opinion. It is hard to top Caf� Corner but I believe Green Grocer just did. I absolutely love all the details and building techniques that went into making this set. There is a ton of different parts and wide color selection. As usual, we get a bunch of tiles and small plates, but that goes with the series. Also, we get four minifigs and lots of minifig accessories.

I�m giving this set a score of 100%! I thought about it and I really don�t know how they could have made it any better. In short, RUN don�t walk to go pick this set up!

Final Rating: 100%

Build 10/10 (Excellent - Lots of nice interiors, details and accessories to build.)

Functionality 10/10 (Outstanding. Raises the bar with interior and detail. Think Caf� Corner on steroids.)

Design 10/10 (Excellent � can�t say enough good things about it.)

Parts 10/10 (Great selection and diverse colors. Great minifigs.)

Price 10/10 (Price ratio is excellent but lots and lots of little parts. Well worth the price.)

As alway, feel free to comment, complain and question what you see here. I'd like to hear your feedback on this amazing set.

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Wow! That's a great review I'm glad you took so many pictures, this set is far better than I ever expected it to be, the detail inside is great. Is it the first set you'e given 100% to?

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A great reveiw dunamis *y* . You have only backed up what i thought when the pictures first appeared, if you are a lego fan there is no excuse not to buy this set. It is a must have! I love the mouse hole and the mouse and his cheese *wub* .

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Damn you to hell Dunamis >:-(

Now tks to you I really want the 3 sets put together X-D

Wow that is what I call a sweet review 8-

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Very nice. Very nice, indeed. Lots of lovely, little details, even at the back.

This review hasn't changed my opinion one bit, I'm still looking forward to when I can finally pick up mine at the post office.

I'm crossing my fingers that there will be more buildings following after this one. I'm guessing that LEGO's just testing the waters to see how far AFOL's are willing to go regarding price vs. details. Green Grocer is still epic, though.

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For some silly (and quite delusional) reason I thought that I had a chance to review this first... :-D But yours is at your house, and mine is (hopefully) winging it's way to me... :'-) Thanks for the review! It will help me survive until mine arrives. I love this set. *wub* Hopefully there will be many more stunning sets like this to come. *sweet*

I didn't know Green Grocer had a rodent infestation !!
Neither did I and I have looked through the instructions at least three times... :-$

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What a beautiful set, TLC give the designer a pay rise immedietly. I was lucky to order one of these while they were on sale to us aussies ;-) but dont worry lego the $100 you saved me will be spent on more sets like this.

Carn't wait to watch my kids rescue residents in distress from those upper level windows with the fire fighters.

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Man, these sets are so awesome. Incredible work done by the designers there, must have took a long time to get all this ogether. if they weren't too expensive i would go and buy them all 3 right away *wub*

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damn it !

what a great great review !

I definitly love this set !!!! burn credit card, burn !

you're the must in there Dunamis ! many thanks !

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Like the set, this review also deserves a 10/10.

I've ordered this set yesterday on S@H.

Seeing and reading this review, I'm convinced it will be worth the money.

So, Bonaparte is finally entering the City theme !!!

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Truly an awesome review. Thanks Dunamis.

I ordered my two copies (one to build, one to store in the "vault") last week. Can't wait to get this one!

The attention to detail here is what makes the set great. There's nothing to criticize about this set. It's really the closest thing to perfection that I have seen from TLC. The difference between this set and CC is the interior detail, and because of that, GG now become (in my opinion) the best set EVER released by TLC.

Do the CC/GG/MS sets fit well with the 50th anniv. town plan? My impression is that out of the box, at least, they don't. Which is too bad. However, I don't think it would be hard to mod the Town Plan so it looks like it belongs in the same town as CC/GG/MS.

These sets, to me, are what I have always wanted from TLC as an adult. I hope they keep up the line, and add more elements to this excellent lineup.

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wow,, thanks for the nice review! I have the other 2 sets and waiting for this to come to our shores. Stupendous Design and Details! I really like the "hammer-rails" on the roof.

CANt wait!!! *wub*

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Thanks for all the feedback. As you can tell, I really enjoyed building it.

Is it the first set you'e given 100% to?

Yes, it is. I gave Cafe Corner a 96% and I felt this was a better set and improved on the things that I dinged Cafe Corner on (lack of minifigs was one thing.) That's why I enjoy reading the comments so I can see if my ratings are in line with what everyone else thinks and to see if I missed anything.

I can't wait for some of you to build it and share your thoughts as well.

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A very fine review with great and informative pictures, thanks dunamis! *y*

And what a wonderful set, a masterpiece and far beyond everything I would

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O. M. G. I MUST HAVE THAT SET!! :'-) *y* *wub*

I remember you telling me that you were going to do a review of this set, and I was so anxious! I love these reviews! Thanks so much! Great pictures. *wub* *y* *y*

This will dent my wallet. 8-|

I am so envious!

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A very informative review, indeed. Thank you so much for doing so. Now I know that the price is worth every penny leaving my pocket. ;-)

What do you guys think is TLC putting up as the next modular set? Is it asking too much of TLC to produce 1 modular set each quarter (4 times a year)?

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A million thanks for this review. This is greater than I thought. I especially like that clock. I'm going to get this set as soon as possible.

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:-) AMAZING!!! Great Review!!! :-D U have totalyl convinced me to get this set! Its so wonderful, filled with great details. What a waste, i can't order it in S@H because i am from Singapore :'-( I hope it will come to my country, so i am able to buy it!!! :-)

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Thank you for the amazing review Dunamis! This set looks amazing *wub* I won't be able to afford it though :'-(

Congrats! This is on the frontpage *y*

*sweet*

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A very informative review, indeed. Thank you so much for doing so. Now I know that the price is worth every penny leaving my pocket. ;-)

What do you guys think is TLC putting up as the next modular set? Is it asking too much of TLC to produce 1 modular set each quarter (4 times a year)?

I would vote for a bank next.

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Great review. Thanks for taking the time to do this. This has been a great line. At the risk of abandoning my Castle/Adventurer loyalties. I've got to say this is rapidly becoming my favorite line and this set looks to be the best of the lot.

While it still hurts to shell out $150, I think I'll still be happy to do so.

Steve

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Thank you sooo much for this amazing review Dunamis! i absolutly adore this set and you've review has prompted me to certainetly start saving!

(i have a bit left over form christmas that will come in handy! :-D )

I love the little fridge downstairs, the fire escape and the mouse hole, alot more good ideas that we can all use in creating our own buildings!

This line is by far my favorite lego line ever! (yes even beats starwars, but only just ;-) )

Hooray for Dunamis! X-D

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