10264 Corner Garage

[Aanchir]

Just now, jfbat said:

It's mostly to do with economical brick use, I think. As do a lot of things that are not realistic in the modulars. And I have no problem with that. It's almost impossible to make Modulars more realistic without hiking the cost to an unrealistic level, if at all because of space constraints. For this set - as I mentioned in my previous post - I would customize it by adding a wall separating the stairs to the Vet from the garage, but not in the Vet waiting room, because it's not even that unrealistic to have it like it is, apart from the fact there's no door to the apartment on the top floor.

Something to consider about putting a wall between the staircase and the rest of the building, especially on the ground floor, is that it could make it very difficult to reach your hand in to make a minifigure climb the staircase. As often tends to be the case in the modular buildings, the ground floor of the Corner Garage is the tallest of the three (11 bricks tall), which is a long way to reach into a four-stud-wide corridor, especially with adult-sized hands.

With this in mind, I suspect it's no accident that in Cafe Corner and Green Grocer, the ground floor stairwells were six studs wide even though the staircases themselves were only four studs wide (leaving a 1 stud wide gap on either side). Even just a little bit of added width makes it that much easier to reach inside, although it also creates the risk of accidentally losing small parts or accessories into the gaps on either side of the stairs.

[paupadros]

22 hours ago, Aanchir said:

The Corner Garage not only has three floors, but the two upper floors are each only around 12% smaller than the ground floor due to the garage door sticking out about four studs further than the right front wall of the upper floors. It’s probably for this reason that despite complaints about the footprint or interior being too small compared to past buildings, it actually has the most floor space than any standard-size building since the Pet Shop! I wrote out that and other comparisons with past modular buildings (piece count, height of the main roof line, price with and without inflation adjustments, minifigure count, etc.) in this spreadsheet.

Super intersting spreadsheet! I couldn't resist a subtle grin when I read the latter modulars at the bottom of the height chart . From my experience I realised that furnishing onto a 45-degree wall takes up a lot more space than on an ordinary wall. The figures I'm certain are like this, but in real life it gets filled up more easily than normal 

22 hours ago, Aanchir said:

On the Brickset forums I got into an argument that ran far too long with somebody who was extremely disappointed with the door that opens to the stairwell, because doors that shape hadn’t appeared on the front of a modular building since Pet Shop, which to them meant that piece was no longer suitable for front doors in expert level sets.

That's a bit stupid. In fact, I for some reason connect those doors to modulars than the regular transparent ones. The whacky, unrealistic things also make these buildings fun. I mean, a vet on top of a garage surely is not a good combo in real life but it can work in Lego. The old smileys to me added to the utopian atmosphere. Maybe boy maybe girl, who knows? 

[AnnaBuildsLego]

I've never ordered anything on Bricklink before --- does anyone think that the reuse of Dark Orange might bring down the cost of Bricklinking the Town Hall? I'm still not enamored with the Corner Garage, but I've always desperately wanted that Town Hall! Missed it because of my dark ages. 

1 hour ago, paupadros said:

The old smileys to me added to the utopian atmosphere. Maybe boy maybe girl, who knows? 

That's what I love about them too, the gender ambiguity was really freeing. But at least Benny's Space Squad will have some classic smileys for us. 

[AFOLguy1970]

44 minutes ago, AnnaBuildsLego said:

I've never ordered anything on Bricklink before --- does anyone think that the reuse of Dark Orange might bring down the cost of Bricklinking the Town Hall? I'm still not enamored with the Corner Garage, but I've always desperately wanted that Town Hall! Missed it because of my dark ages. 

That's what I love about them too, the gender ambiguity was really freeing. But at least Benny's Space Squad will have some classic smileys for us. 

It is likely dark orange will be in greater supply on Bricklink because it is in production again for CG.  Also, it might be a good idea to check Bricks and Pieces on the S&H site to see if it makes it in their inventory.  

[RuffDraft]

On 12/7/2018 at 9:37 PM, ColletArrow said:

This is certainly an interesting Modular, probably one of my favourites already; purely because it's a building with functions! The garage door isn't something I'd have thought to do, even if it makes the side walls a bit ugly. The Tow Truck has some excellent parts usage around, making a beautifully compact design. And the car lift...

...I'm in two minds about. It's nice they included it, and the mechanism for actuating it from outside the building is good, but on the whole it's underwhelming. To me at least, it looks quite thin, weak and wobbly, exactly what you DON'T want in something you're going to be working underneath! I would have at least provided another vertical rail on the "open" side, but that might get in the way of the interior play space.

Other things I don't like so much about the model include those deep gaps down the front, and how the pavement would match up to adjacent buildings. However, I love the colours (of the ground floor section at least), and it's interesting to see LEGO stepping away from the city-centre high-street and going on a tour of the back roads.

Overall I'm pleased with this addition to the line-up.

 

23 hours ago, Aanchir said:

It certainly might still be a slight challenge to make the most efficient use of all that floor space using conventional building techniques since the walls are not all aligned with the studded grid, so it might (for example) make it a little more of a challenge than usual to attach additional furniture in a way that it's flush with the 45 degree angled walls. But these are hardly insurmountable challenges or ones that outweigh the opportunities that come with being able to work with a building that has such an interesting floor plan.

Honestly when you start to pick the modular buildings apart on a real-life practical level, you can start finding these kinds of omissions and impracticalities all over the place. For example

• Fire Brigade has no clothes for the firefighters to wear when not wearing their fire suits. If you've ever seen a real fire suit, you know it's not something you'd want to live/sleep in when not responding to a fire! I guess you can pretend they're in the nondescript brown dresser, but that doesn't really suffice from a role play perspective. Also, the only sleeping accommodation is a couch. Another thing that strikes me as odd after seeing the Winter Village Fire Station is that there is no radio or telephone. How exactly do they hear what's going on outside the immediate vicinity of their fire station? Finally, of course, no bathrooms at all, though I guess in this case you can pretend the firefighters are rowdy folk who simply hose down in the garage after fighting fires.
• Grand Emporium, of course, has just ONE escalator connecting every two floors, which doesn't make much sense if you know how escalators work. For a store its size, it would also be surprising in real life for it to have no stockroom, manager's office, bathrooms, or any sort of rooms or facilities where employees can go that isn't right out in the public where people are shopping. And again, no bathroom, but that was normal for when this set came out. Also, there's no way to get onto the roof except from the window washer's platform, which raises the question of how he connects the platform to the roof or gets onto the platform in the first place. Maybe from an adjacent building…
• The Pet Shop set introduces the first bathroom and telephone in the series… but in the vacant and otherwise largely unfurnished apartment next door. The Pet Shop itself and the upstairs apartment have no bathroom or phone. The upstairs kitchen has an oven, stove, sink, coffee machine, and dining table, but no drawers, cabinets, fridge, or pantry for dining implements and food. The only food item in the official photos is… whoops… the fish from the pet shop downstairs (I guess the dead fish in the vet's office photos is part of a larger trend of wanton cruelty to goldfish)! It has a loft-style bedroom, but no dresser for clothes. It makes the Corner Garage's bachelor pad feel downright luxurious!
• Town Hall has, again, no bathroom (although I suppose the expectation in most LEGO sets is that buyers typically tend to associate bathroom-related storytelling with homes or schools, not businesses and civic centers). While the secretary's computer has been criticized for seeming out of place for the supposed pre-1940s setting, it at least helps excuse her lack of a telephone or other means of communication. I'm not really sure enough about what other practical stuff a Town Hall is supposed to have that it doesn't accommodate for, and I suppose that perhaps the designers were counting on that. :P
• Right from the start, Palace Cinema lacks any bathrooms. What it also lacks are curtains to cover its many windows while showing a film, which has got to be inconvenient with so many lights outside shining directly towards the building (although I suppose it could be argued the open windows are to enhance its value as a display piece by letting you see what's happening inside without removing the roof). The theater has a projector, but also no obvious speakers (even if it's a silent film it should have either pre-recorded or live music to accompany it).
• Parisian Restaurant has the most well stocked kitchen yet, as well as a fairly serviceable kitchenette for its apartment tenant upstairs, but alas, still not another bathroom (also, have you noticed at this point that there hasn't been a fire hydrant since the Green Grocer? That's going to remain the status quo for the foreseeable future. Must make things hard for the firefighters, since their truck is plainly not a tanker vehicle).
• Detective's Office has the first public bathroom we've seen! But the apartment above it has no obvious amenities except the illicit cookie kitchen: certainly not a bed, shower, or even armchair in sight. The pool hall's lack of obvious snacks or drinks can be forgiven due to what was almost certainly a purposeful attempt to downplay its resemblance to a bar/pub, even if the style and storytelling are an obvious wink and nod to that association. The barbershop and detective's office, at least, seem adequately furnished for what they are.

I could go on but there's not much of a point. Suffice to say, generally the way things work out in practice is that buyers will shape the types of scenarios they imagine inside a set around what the contents of the set allow, and if there's enough of those to keep their imaginations active, then they won't be so worried about what kinds of scenarios it DOESN'T allow for.

Your list just ruined modular buildings for me, forever! Haha! :) I guess with the dual modulars, like the bank and the laundrette, or the Diner and the music recording studio etc. all of them combinations are totally believable and non-jarring. I think we know that not every modular can have all amenities needed to make it realistic, but the combinations of different businesses included in a single building should make sense... I can't help but feel sorry for the animals with the CG. 

21 hours ago, koalayummies said:

There are a myriad of car lifting options with a huge range of rise capabilities/options. The one in this garage is more like the easy to set up and install scissor lifts, they're among the more affordable powered vehicle lifts but they don't go very high.

As a garage that is part of a fuel station this looks like the type of establishment that might be restricted to flat tire repairs and oil changes as opposed to major mechanical work like transmission rebuilding and major suspension replacement where a two post lift would be superior. Picturing the building of a two post style lift that maintains the functional play/operating features like this one in minifigure scale might become a tad bulky in construction.

 As a mechanic who's used hydraulic lifts I think they did a good job. There's not stuff in the way like there would be modeled on other lift types, it allows the vehicle to be 'driven' onto and played with and it works via external control.

Flat tyre repairs and oil changes sounds like a good way to look at this garage. It's great to have a mechanic's opinion on their build, as I do feel that it's super basic, and more could be achieved, but if it is just for basic repairs, then they've done a decent enough job... it's just a shame that the car bounces around so much... I would like a softly rising car lift... I think that would have buzzed a lot of people out, as it's very much what an AFOL would love to see vs the unrealistic action of holding the car as your raise it... but never mind... we can't have all things, and what this modular has is done to a reasonable degree of success in line with most of the other modulars... even if it's one of the more disappointing modulars of recent years going by all opinions. 

20 hours ago, BrickFit26 said:

Yea. It looked more stable in the desginer video when the designer was doing it.

One thing that I keep coming back that bothers me is the bathroom in the kitchen. I hate it. That space is better as a refrigerator or a pantry.

He cheated! Haha! The firm hand on the top made a world of a difference! 

I agree about the bathroom too... for the door to have windows is really confusing too. 

9 hours ago, jonahtron said:

Does anyone know if there is going to be/has already been a 'Julefrokost Event' at Lego house this year. Last year we got to hear Mike talk about the process for the DD. It'd be VERY interesting to hear the process for this years CG as it seems so empty. I'd be surprised if they didn't use the event to win people over a little bit to the building...

I believe this was just a channel recording the conference, and I wasn't entirely certain they had permission to do so, either? It would be great if we got that video though - I'd love to hear their thoughts and see the design process... 

Edited December 8, 2018 by RuffDraft
Missed a reply to one of the quotes.

[Factioneer]

Starting to gather some accessories to 'junk up' and fill the garage ground floor and make it a bit more my own.

 

- f

[Follows Closely]

Nice gas can.

[Factioneer]

15 minutes ago, Follows Closely said:

Nice gas can.

Thanks! I couldn’t find a gas can (or jerry can) build on the web so I came up with this. If I can find a yellow tooth, I think that will work better than the gold. Seems to me, old barns and mechanics garages often have a stray cat hanging around. And mismatched rims hanging up as spare parts.

[BrickFit26]

A couple of old LEGO tires would fot perfectly too. And we all have them. 

7 hours ago, RuffDraft said:

 He cheated! Haha! The firm hand on the top made a world of a difference! 

I agree about the bathroom too... for the door to have windows is really confusing too. 

The Detectives office bathroom has windows too. It is weird. 

[Maartenh]

I have seen plenty of houses with glass in the bathroom door (maybe it's a EU thing?), but these are always tinted glasses and high up, say above 70% of the height of the door from the ground. Does not bother me too much. 

[Aanchir]

10 hours ago, Maartenh said:

I have seen plenty of houses with glass in the bathroom door (maybe it's a EU thing?), but these are always tinted glasses and high up, say above 70% of the height of the door from the ground. Does not bother me too much.  

I've also sometimes seen it in the United States. In some cases it's because the bathroom used to be something different but was converted into a bathroom. A solution I'm used to seeing besides frosted glass is small curtains over the windows.

[RuffDraft]

17 hours ago, Factioneer said:

Starting to gather some accessories to 'junk up' and fill the garage ground floor and make it a bit more my own.

Nice! I just picked up the Series 11 welder to go with the garage too! 

14 hours ago, BrickFit26 said:

A couple of old LEGO tires would fot perfectly too. And we all have them. 

The Detectives office bathroom has windows too. It is weird. 

Haha! I hadn't noticed that!!! 

The LEGO tyres would be a great addition... they'd fit in a pile underneath the staircase too, though I doubt that's the best way to present them! 

[Faefrost]

On 12/8/2018 at 5:33 PM, RuffDraft said:

 

Your list just ruined modular buildings for me, forever! Haha! :) I guess with the dual modulars, like the bank and the laundrette, or the Diner and the music recording studio etc. all of them combinations are totally believable and non-jarring. I think we know that not every modular can have all amenities needed to make it realistic, but the combinations of different businesses included in a single building should make sense... I can't help but feel sorry for the animals with the CG. 

Flat tyre repairs and oil changes sounds like a good way to look at this garage. It's great to have a mechanic's opinion on their build, as I do feel that it's super basic, and more could be achieved, but if it is just for basic repairs, then they've done a decent enough job... it's just a shame that the car bounces around so much... I would like a softly rising car lift... I think that would have buzzed a lot of people out, as it's very much what an AFOL would love to see vs the unrealistic action of holding the car as your raise it... but never mind... we can't have all things, and what this modular has is done to a reasonable degree of success in line with most of the other modulars... even if it's one of the more disappointing modulars of recent years going by all opinions. 

He cheated! Haha! The firm hand on the top made a world of a difference! 

I agree about the bathroom too... for the door to have windows is really confusing too. 

I believe this was just a channel recording the conference, and I wasn't entirely certain they had permission to do so, either? It would be great if we got that video though - I'd love to hear their thoughts and see the design process... 

Stupid honest question? Why does everyone think that the bank and a Laundromat are somehow something you would never find? I’m mainly asking because there was in fact a corner bank next to a laundromat just up the block from my Grandmother. There are far weirder combinations in the real world. The Gas Station/Vet is a little strange by modern standards. But likely would not have been even noticed a few decades ago. 

[Johnny1360]

I realize it's not really the same but literally across the street from where I live there is a vet next to a gas station, in the same building and for what it's worth I live in a small apartment above a computer store and a barbershop. 

[jonahtron]

Just in case anyone missed this:

 

 

[DeanLearner]

5 hours ago, Johnny1360 said:

for what it's worth I live in a small apartment above a computer store and a barbershop. 

Any chance they’re dealing in illegal cookies?

[BrickBuilder1]

1 hour ago, DeanLearner said:

Any chance they’re dealing in illegal cookies?

Haha, yeah, you might want to find out.

[Pioupiou]

I really do like this one. I would appreciate that they continue in this fifty's style for the next modulars (after the dinner and this garage).

[RuffDraft]

10 hours ago, Faefrost said:

Stupid honest question? Why does everyone think that the bank and a Laundromat are somehow something you would never find? I’m mainly asking because there was in fact a corner bank next to a laundromat just up the block from my Grandmother. There are far weirder combinations in the real world. The Gas Station/Vet is a little strange by modern standards. But likely would not have been even noticed a few decades ago. 

Hmmm I'm not sure this is directed at me, as I completely agreed with this in my initial post. I think the laundromat goes well with the bank. 

In terms of the gas station / vet, I do think it's strange by all standards because of the difficulties it would present. E.g. my girlfriend's dog is a bullmastiff, and weighs nearly 60kg. I couldn't carry him up the stairs to the vet. No chance. No way. I'd also be unhappy taking him to a vets where he'd smell petrol the whole time, but I agree that it's picking small parts with an otherwise fantastic set. 

9 hours ago, Johnny1360 said:

I realize it's not really the same but literally across the street from where I live there is a vet next to a gas station, in the same building and for what it's worth I live in a small apartment above a computer store and a barbershop. 

That's good to know - glad to see that it happens in the real world. 

5 hours ago, jonahtron said:

Just in case anyone missed this:

 

 

This. Was. Awesome. They should announce their sets like this, as it instantly extinguishes most complaints that AFOLs have with the set. 

I think the reason people are so finicky when it comes to Lego "making sense" it's because AFOLs are aware that their hobby is going to be questioned. If I'm showing off an amazing set to someone, I know that they'll ask questions or make fun of it, like, "I wouldn't take my pet there." etc. and we always feel the need to protect LEGO. So, when we're unable to do so, it looks like we've made a silly decision by backing such a model etc. 

I can't wait to get this model now... it's grown on me loads. I think it was great to hear that the designer worked on the coolest parts of this build, but it's a shame that they never brought up the car lift... instead making the jokes on the Ghostbusters' vehicle... kind of a wasted question, but he was great at asking the difficult questions. I really enjoy his interviews. 

[Brick Dangerous]

1 hour ago, RuffDraft said:

I think the reason people are so finicky when it comes to Lego "making sense" it's because AFOLs are aware that their hobby is going to be questioned. If I'm showing off an amazing set to someone, I know that they'll ask questions or make fun of it, like, "I wouldn't take my pet there." etc. and we always feel the need to protect LEGO. So, when we're unable to do so, it looks like we've made a silly decision by backing such a model etc. 

Either that or just, you know, common sense.

As far as I'm concerned, the need to "protect LEGO" is an alien concept to me. They have to convince ME with their product. This attempt failed to pique my interest, so I'll have to pass on it. They want my money, they better up their game, that's all there really is to it. But that's just me, and people are different. And then fanboys are even more different, I guess ... Oh well. Horses for courses and all that.

[Vindicare]

That video was great, it made me love the set even more. I didn’t like the darker tone to the Octan colors, but now that I know the man who created Octan is responsible for it, I’ll allow it.  

[Boettner Builds]

What a fun, informative video!

[RuffDraft]

2 hours ago, Brick Dangerous said:

Either that or just, you know, common sense.

As far as I'm concerned, the need to "protect LEGO" is an alien concept to me. They have to convince ME with their product. This attempt failed to pique my interest, so I'll have to pass on it. They want my money, they better up their game, that's all there really is to it. But that's just me, and people are different. And then fanboys are even more different, I guess ... Oh well. Horses for courses and all that.

Hopefully it'll grow on you over time... it's like people say, sometimes, you have to build it to enjoy it. I found the video posted insightful with the designer, and the way the interviewer placed him at #2 of favourite designers after building the CG gives me hope that it's a really great build. I do love a lot of things about it, and I will be picking it up on NYD as my Christmas present. Looking forward to it! Hopefully next year's will be more to your tastes. 

34 minutes ago, Vindicare said:

That video was great, it made me love the set even more. I didn’t like the darker tone to the Octan colors, but now that I know the man who created Octan is responsible for it, I’ll allow it.  

Same here! It's great to get up close and personal and see the awkward questions answered too. The Octan guy working on it is a massive part of the selling point. People love stories. It's weird that they haven't made more of that fact. He's worked there for 20 years - you'd think he'd be in the designer video etc. 

[Johnny1360]

8 hours ago, DeanLearner said:

Any chance they’re dealing in illegal cookies?

 

6 hours ago, BrickBuilder1 said:

Haha, yeah, you might want to find out.

I ask no questions, in return they allow me to use their high speed Wi-Fi for no cost. 

[chezzymann]

On ‎12‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 12:08 PM, Aanchir said:

 

The Corner Garage not only has three floors, but the two upper floors are each only around 12% smaller than the ground floor due to the garage door sticking out about four studs further than the right front wall of the upper floors. It’s probably for this reason that despite complaints about the footprint or interior being too small compared to past buildings, it actually has the most floor space than any standard-size building since the Pet Shop! I wrote out that and other comparisons with past modular buildings (piece count, height of the main roof line, price with and without inflation adjustments, minifigure count, etc.) in this spreadsheet.

 

Just curious, how does green grocer have only 262 on its first floor, but 388 on its second? They're the same size. Are you not counting interior walls? I don't think that's fair. I could see 362 since theres that extra bit of space on the second floor by the windows. 

Either way, for $200, I do think it should have had at least 1,000 for the room interior and 30 bricks high. Just being about the same size as older modulars isn't warranted that price increase. $150 from 2009 is $180 now. I guess there is all that interior detail though, but it just isn't a good value to me especially considering how its not that much bigger than downtown diner. I tend to stay away from any lego set that's $200 and above so I probably wont get this. Its a shame, both their modular line and creator expert cars were relatively cheap expert sets to get, and now they're both increasing by $50. The past two cars were $140 and $150. 

Edited December 10, 2018 by chezzymann