10264 Corner Garage

[AllanSmith]

A great video with Mike. I love the solution to the roller door. I have built a Speed Champions workshop/garage and agree that the current roller door set up gets in the way of my hands when putting my SC cars on the pneumatic hoist. The lack of inside tiles does not worry me as I know how many tiles it takes to cover base plates. My two SC car showrooms are 48 stud x 48 stud and totally covered in tiles. It cost a fortune on bricklink to do it. Looking forward to getting this modular when it arrives in New Zealand.

[Aanchir]

56 minutes ago, chezzymann said:

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.

I am counting interior walls and stairwells, but I am not counting the huge area with dark tan tiles on the right, which is not enclosed from the outside in either the front or back, and is more of a covered walkway or alleyway like the one between the pool hall and barbershop in Detective's Office, the one between the cafe and florist's shop in Assembly Square, the one that forms the left side of Market Street, or even the covered portion of this newest building's driveway.

Could all of these things be considered part of the building/property? Sure! But I wouldn't count them as part of the interior floor space any more than I would count a rooftop, balcony, porch/deck/patio, or outdoor dining area.

6 hours 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.  

Interesting perspective! I wonder if that might also be another reason besides nostalgia that so many AFOLs often refer to modern sets/themes as too "childish" for them even when they're more detailed, complex, or sophisticated than sets they enjoyed as kids. After all, if you enjoy "kid stuff" that you can frame as a throwback to the stuff YOU grew up with, people aren't as likely to ask you for any other excuses beyond that. Whereas some people's adult peers might have higher expectations for whether stuff you like is believable, sophisticated, or "makes sense" when it's intended for today's kids (even when that kind of scrutiny is uncalled for).

Edited December 10, 2018 by Aanchir

[BrickFit26]

21 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. 

Speaking of the Brick Bank, I'm so mad I missed out on it and the secondary markets are just brutal. Why LEGO why! 

Edited December 11, 2018 by BrickFit26

[Faefrost]

18 hours ago, jonahtron said:

Just in case anyone missed this:

 

 

Wow! That is a really fantastic video. A true must watch. It tells so much about the elements of the design process and decisions that we always seem to question. Things like they did think about the tiling, and the decision was made to leave the interior untiled for texture not simply parts count. Or how and why things work the way they do. One neat thing that I had not noticed until the interviewer asked about the grey floor color. Am I wrong, or is this the first modular where the upper story floor colors do not show through on the front facings? Normally we have a subtle color stripe that is the floor plate of the upper floors. But it's completely masked here. Brilliant! I'm also liking the toy truck much more now that I see you can open the hood to work on the engine. 

One other neat thing that I just noticed. He mentions that you can repeat the middle floor, like you can in all Modulars. But interestingly, it looks like you could repeat either the middle or the upper floor in this one. So you could leave out the Vet and have a few floors of apartments. Or just put in office space. There are no interfaces or elements of the roof on the upper floor assembly. I think the only other building that does that is the Grand emporium. But that cheats it as the middle and upper floors are pretty much the same. Maybe you could do it with the right hand building in Assembly Square? 

There are really a lot of subtle neat design things in this one once you actually get a good look at it. 

[icm]

From a perspective of color theory, I agree with the choice to use gray floors in the upper stories of the building, but I sure wouldn't want to live there!  That poor guy has to suffer through the sounds and smells of the vet just beneath him and the garage beneath that.  There's traffic noise from the gas station at all hours, or well after usual business hours anyway.  He's got a bare concrete floor, a bare steel bedstead, and a cramped toilet stall where the kitchen pantry should be.  To top it all off, the lack of window shades or a door mean that he has neither privacy nor the ability to effectively control the temperature of his apartment.  I don't mean this as criticism of the set designer, because I think I understand the reasoning behind the design choices, but man - what a low-rent apartment! It's a good thing everything is awesome in Bricksburg, because otherwise that young man would move out as soon as he could scrape up the cash for a better place.

Edited December 11, 2018 by icm

[Vindicare]

9 hours ago, RuffDraft said:

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. 

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. 

I believe the designer in the official video is the Octan designer. My terrible memory thinks it remembers him talking about the Octan logo in it, with paper overlaps of the two sides of the Octan circle. 

[antp]

15 hours ago, AllanSmith said:

The lack of inside tiles does not worry me as I know how many tiles it takes to cover base plates.

I also find that ok without tiles inside, but they should have at least used half-tiles (new 2x2 triangle) for a better finish, as here there are corners of tiles peeking through the wall.

[RuffDraft]

13 hours ago, Aanchir said:

Interesting perspective! I wonder if that might also be another reason besides nostalgia that so many AFOLs often refer to modern sets/themes as too "childish" for them even when they're more detailed, complex, or sophisticated than sets they enjoyed as kids. After all, if you enjoy "kid stuff" that you can frame as a throwback to the stuff YOU grew up with, people aren't as likely to ask you for any other excuses beyond that. Whereas some people's adult peers might have higher expectations for whether stuff you like is believable, sophisticated, or "makes sense" when it's intended for today's kids (even when that kind of scrutiny is uncalled for).

Yes, I definitely agree. I think we're all a little protective of our hobby, and so often when I express my love of LEGO to other adult friends, they'll say, "LEGO?! Are you serious?!" and you'll have to explain to them that it's actually really relaxing past time, and you can create really wonderful things etc. but then when I take them to my mini-city, they'll be like, "That is really cool," but it's not unusual to have them question certain things, and I would definitely have a hard time explaining the Corner Garage... even though I love it as a set and I'm willing to look past the 'real world interpretation'. I love in the video that he talks about the LEGO Universe... I think that's a powerful interpretation, and one perspective that more AFOLs should try to look at LEGO sets from.  

14 hours ago, AllanSmith said:

A great video with Mike. I love the solution to the roller door. I have built a Speed Champions workshop/garage and agree that the current roller door set up gets in the way of my hands when putting my SC cars on the pneumatic hoist. The lack of inside tiles does not worry me as I know how many tiles it takes to cover base plates. My two SC car showrooms are 48 stud x 48 stud and totally covered in tiles. It cost a fortune on bricklink to do it. Looking forward to getting this modular when it arrives in New Zealand.

Definitely agree about the roller door - it's an epic design! When sets are smaller and lack space, AFOLs tend to say, "I can't get my hands in," etc. and people have those types of complaints. With the CG, there's definitely no complaint to be made. Also, it makes total sense, as you say, for the ground floor not to be tiled. I've never been in a working garage that had a nice floor. A showroom, definitely, but not otherwise. Looking forward to NYD too! 

6 hours ago, Vindicare said:

I believe the designer in the official video is the Octan designer. My terrible memory thinks it remembers him talking about the Octan logo in it, with paper overlaps of the two sides of the Octan circle. 

Ohhhh I must have missed that! I'll go back and watch it again - very cool! 

[ReplicaOfLife]

11 hours ago, Faefrost said:

One neat thing that I had not noticed until the interviewer asked about the grey floor color. Am I wrong, or is this the first modular where the upper story floor colors do not show through on the front facings? Normally we have a subtle color stripe that is the floor plate of the upper floors. But it's completely masked here. Brilliant!

Downtown Diner did not have it showing through, too.

One other neat thing that I just noticed. He mentions that you can repeat the middle floor, like you can in all Modulars. But interestingly, it looks like you could repeat either the middle or the upper floor in this one. So you could leave out the Vet and have a few floors of apartments. Or just put in office space. There are no interfaces or elements of the roof on the upper floor assembly. I think the only other building that does that is the Grand emporium. But that cheats it as the middle and upper floors are pretty much the same. Maybe you could do it with the right hand building in Assembly Square?

Market Street allowed for that aswell, but other than that, yeah, I think it's the two you mentioned and Corner Garage.
Town Hall might allow for it, too, but since I sold mine, I can't verify that.

 

I have to say, I quite liked the look of CG with just one upper floor in the video. Somehow seemed like an even better fit for this type of building. With one upper floor, it would feel right at home in the center of a rural city in the US...I'm suddenly thinking of the town in Back to the Future, for some reason

That would be a first, me liking a modular better if it's smaller

 

[chezzymann]

On 12/10/2018 at 4:41 AM, jonahtron said:

Just in case anyone missed this:

 

 

Kinda weird that he uses the tiling on the gas station as a reason for not tiling the inside of the first floor. Brick bank had a fully tiled up baseplate. Yes this has three floors versus brick banks 1 1/2, but its also $30 more so thats not really an excuse in my opinion. 

[Lyichir]

10 minutes ago, chezzymann said:

Kinda weird that he uses the tiling on the gas station as a reason for not tiling the inside of the first floor. Brick bank had a fully tiled up baseplate. Yes this has three floors versus brick banks 1 1/2, but its also $30 more so thats not really an excuse in my opinion. 

I mean, an extra floor could easily be assumed to be worth well over 30 dollars.

I think a fix I'd prefer would just be to tidy up the tiles underneath the ground floor diagonal window with parts like the 2x2 triangular tile and 2x2 angular macaroni tile. There are some of the former used underneath the counter anyway... wouldn't have minded a few more just to clean up that edge a little.

[Aanchir]

I still don't get why anybody thinks that a tiled interior would even make sense in this set, since literally every Modular Building set that's had tiled interiors used them primarily to represent patterned floor tiles or patterned carpet, neither of which makes sense for a dirty garage/workshop interior. It feels a lot like the complaint that was frustrating me so much on Brickset that because none of the Modular Buildings since Pet Shop used the same front door piece as the one on the left side of this set, that means it can no longer be considered appropriate for Creator Expert builds (when really, it's just about design choices according to what makes sense for what each particular set is depicting, and it's been a while since there's been a building where this door style might have made this much sense for the front entrance).

I do think a different baseplate color could potentially be better. Maybe Medium Stone Grey (like the upstairs interior), Dark Stone Grey (like the Fire Brigade's downstairs interior), or even Sand Yellow (Dark Tan) if the designers had the budget for a new recolor. The Brick Yellow (tan) floor is a bit bright for my tastes and I'm not sure I agree with that choice, which is more than I can say about the ground floor having studs exposed.

[Vindicare]

9 hours ago, chezzymann said:

Kinda weird that he uses the tiling on the gas station as a reason for not tiling the inside of the first floor. Brick bank had a fully tiled up baseplate. Yes this has three floors versus brick banks 1 1/2, but its also $30 more so thats not really an excuse in my opinion. 

He said why they chose not to tile the garage floor...because tiles give it “too clean”of an appearance, which would be strange for a garage. I believe he likened the seemingly lack of tiles inside to all of the outside being done in an amount different from the others. 

[Johnny1360]

It really doesn't bother me at all that the garage interior has no tiling. The argument that it would'nt look right though just doesn't hold water to me though, here in the racing capitol of the world many, many garages have nicely epoxied floors a lot even have designs in them, even the  regular type garages. Again though to me it's not an issue. Maybe it's because there are so many companies that specialize in that sort of thing around here, I don't know. 

[Wesley D]

45 minutes ago, Johnny1360 said:

It really doesn't bother me at all that the garage interior has no tiling. The argument that it would'nt look right though just doesn't hold water to me though, ...

I don't think his arguments should be taken serious. If there aren't flat tires because the modulars are located in the utopian LEGO universe, like he responds improvising, then why would we need a veterinarian? There wouldn't be sick animals.

A tiled ground floor would be nice, but would have driven the part count up. I don't mind tiling it myself, it was a part of the fun of the first modulars!

[Faefrost]

50 minutes ago, Johnny1360 said:

It really doesn't bother me at all that the garage interior has no tiling. The argument that it would'nt look right though just doesn't hold water to me though, here in the racing capitol of the world many, many garages have nicely epoxied floors a lot even have designs in them, even the  regular type garages. Again though to me it's not an issue. Maybe it's because there are so many companies that specialize in that sort of thing around here, I don't know. 

Yeah, but there is a difference between a racing garage, which often looks cleaner than the average hospital OR, and a working city repair garage. Which tend to be somewhat filthy inside, even the neatest of places. I think the studded textured floor is more an attempt to convey the mess via texture. I'm not saying that I agree with the decision, just that I understand what they were going for. 

[Still Raindrop]

On 12/12/2018 at 1:56 PM, Aanchir said:

I still don't get why anybody thinks that a tiled interior would even make sense in this set, since literally every Modular Building set that's had tiled interiors used them primarily to represent patterned floor tiles or patterned carpet, neither of which makes sense for a dirty garage/workshop interior.
...
I do think a different baseplate color could potentially be better. Maybe Medium Stone Grey (like the upstairs interior), Dark Stone Grey (like the Fire Brigade's downstairs interior), or even Sand Yellow (Dark Tan) if the designers had the budget for a new recolor. The Brick Yellow (tan) floor is a bit bright for my tastes and I'm not sure I agree with that choice, which is more than I can say about the ground floor having studs exposed.

Tiles are also used in literally every Modular Building to represent pavement (both the sidewalks and, in this set and the Fire Brigade, as driveways for vehicles). The driveway in the Fire Department is tiled, and that doesn't represent either patterned floor tiles or patterned carpet. It represents pavement. I haven't been to every garage in my own city, but all the ones I have visited have had paved concrete floors. To me, the use of brick yellow in this set makes the floor look like bare dirt or sand.

I do think it would be easy for me to overlook if they had taken your suggestion and made it a medium stone grey or dark stone grey. Because of its color, the un-tiled portion of the ground floor of the Fire Brigade looks just fine to me--it calls to mind a rough concrete floor.

Edit: I hope I don't sound unkind. I understand your point of view, and I don't particularly think a tiled floor would have worked all that well, since it would have given it a neat, more sidewalk-like look (and larger tiles wouldn't really be an option here). I just don't think it's quite fair for you to assert that everyone who wanted or expected tiles is unreasonable or asking for something unprecedented, since the only other Modular Building to have room for a vehicle inside the building used tiles (well, a tile) to create this effect.

Edited December 13, 2018 by Still Raindrop

[Anonknee Muss]

Thanks @Faefrost! Really interesting reasons behind the choices they made. Such a relaxed interview, I love this so much. Mike is so relaxed and just being himself. So wholesome imo.

[AFOLguy1970]

On 12/10/2018 at 12:51 PM, 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.

This.  

I have been into modulars since FB was on the shelves.  Of the ones released since then, there were only two I did not buy, so I have been impressed with the majority of them.  I did not buy TH because I could not afford it at the time and did not realize it would retire "out of order".  I also never got around to getting DO.  It just never felt like something I just had to get.  CG will be my third pass.  I have to shake my head every time someone simply cannot believe that a Lego fan might not like a modular.  And no matter what, their reasons liking it or not liking it is valid, because we all see things differently and have different tastes.  Absolutely no problem until someone thinks we do not have a right to an opinion simply because it does not match theirs.  Then we get accused of whining, complaining, having too high of an expectation, etc.  But yes, what you said probably states it more eloquently than I could.  

[Vindicare]

5 hours ago, AFOLguy1970 said:

This.  

I have been into modulars since FB was on the shelves.  Of the ones released since then, there were only two I did not buy, so I have been impressed with the majority of them.  I did not buy TH because I could not afford it at the time and did not realize it would retire "out of order".  I also never got around to getting DO.  It just never felt like something I just had to get.  CG will be my third pass.  I have to shake my head every time someone simply cannot believe that a Lego fan might not like a modular.  And no matter what, their reasons liking it or not liking it is valid, because we all see things differently and have different tastes.  Absolutely no problem until someone thinks we do not have a right to an opinion simply because it does not match theirs.  Then we get accused of whining, complaining, having too high of an expectation, etc.  But yes, what you said probably states it more eloquently than I could.  

What do you mean you don’t like ALL the Modulars?!

One thing I am baffled by, is people saying they don’t like it, but are going to buy it anyways. I mean, I get being a completionist(I bought the “golf cart of doom” from Iron Man 3...but that wasn’t $200) but man, that’s dedication. Maybe it’s a good value for a parts pack...I don’t know. 

Edited December 14, 2018 by Vindicare

[snefroe]

hmmmm... not so fond of this set, really... quite disappointed, even. it just doesn't look as great as previous modular buildings

[darkhorse00]

I feel that TLG might have failed this time in getting new buyers into this line with this set. Unlike older modular sets, I don’t think one would be impressed and decide to buy this from the shelf, given that the list of modular choices available. Only existing collectors, like me, will still get it, despite being not impressive.

[Aanchir]

2 hours ago, darkhorse00 said:

I feel that TLG might have failed this time in getting new buyers into this line with this set. Unlike older modular sets, I don’t think one would be impressed and decide to buy this from the shelf, given that the list of modular choices available. Only existing collectors, like me, will still get it, despite being not impressive.

I dunno… honestly, the fact that so many existing collectors are disappointed with it (as with the diner before it) leads me to believe it’s strengths might be best appreciated by those who HAVEN’T previously been enticed enough by the previous buildings to begin collecting.

Like, most of the criticisms here in one way or another boil down to “it doesn’t measure up to previous buildings”, but people who didn’t have that kind of love of previous buildings might be drawn to this one specifically because of the things that set it apart, like it having more “blue collar” vibes than a lot of the fancier Main Street/downtown style buildings, having a gas station and tow truck, being taller than usual, etc.

I certainly saw plenty of positive feedback to this set on LEGO’s Facebook page, which is heavily frequented by the sorts of more casual fans who aren’t dedicated to following all the news about particular sets or themes like we do in more AFOL-centered communities like this one.

[AnnaBuildsLego]

I understand the reasoning behind not having tiles inside the garage, but I understand why it irks some people. If the first floor couldn't be tiled, for the price you're paying, could the vet's office have been tiled up instead (although I understand that the angled nature of the building could make that challenging)? Or even a few tiles in the apartment, to represent a little rug or something? I suppose details like that can be added with bricks of your own --- part of the fun of the older Modulars was customising the interiors --- but the price is pretty high already to justify that for a lot of people.

The thing with Modulars is that if they lack interior detail, the exterior has to be widely appealing enough to justify that. The possible problem with the Corner Garage is that the exterior and general look of the building has proven to be pretty divisive in its own right; which doesn't help with the lack of interior and the rise in price. Some people will love the look of the exterior and therefore be fine with the sparse interior; but those who aren't really impressed with the facade won't find much else in the set. 

Personally I think it's a decent set, but it's not for me. I understand why some people love it, and that's fine! And I also understand why some people really don't like it. I'm probably not going to buy it, but I'm going to just enjoy the Modulars I have and let other people enjoy this one. 

[nana]

I have all modular buildings from Cafe Corner to Assembly Square. After seeing this one, I decided to stop my collecting of modular buildings. The Downtown Dinner and Corner Garage are still great sets. I think they started a new period of modular buildings by having normal minifigures and different styles. The main reason is I am out of space. 12 large buildings are enough for me to enjoy. Thanks to LEGO, Assembly Square is a perfect end of my collection.