In case you didn't know, there's a Lego forum with Singapore's very own lego fans discussing about all things Lego, and its known as the Singapore 0937 Fanatics Group. I've done a few reviews of the sets I've owned, and with this new set I've done the same. It's actually a very enjoyable experience to be able to build your own Lego and tell others what you find good about it and hopefully those who do not own it get to share your joy. And you might play a big part in influencing those who are undecided on whether they should part with their money if your review is actually good! (no lego does not pay me for doing reviews, they only make me pay them) So for those of you reading my blog you get to see what I post there! Hahaha.
6 months have passed since the Fire Brigade was made available in Singapore and half a year on, Lego has released the fifth modular building and the fourth by the same designer who brought us Cafe Corner, Green Grocer and Fire Brigade. As the name implies, Grand Emporium is a shopping mall and similar to the Cafe Corner it is also a corner building. How does it stack up against its neighbours, and is it really a good addition to the town? Let's find out!
Name of set: 10211 - Grand Emporium
The side of the box reveals the whole mall and its escalators in action!
As with other sets, the top of the box gives a breakdown of what parts we'll find upon opening.
Number of minifigs: 7
These are the 6 minfigs that I initally thought were included, but I left out the last one that was only in the bags used to build the top floor.
The mannequins that are essentially our normal mini-figs with the faces turned over. Haha.
And of course our last minfig that's the window cleaner.
Building Experience:
At 2182 pieces, Grand Emporium has a lower brick count than Green Grocer or Fire Brigade. Packed into 29 bags labelled 1,2 and 3 to be built according to the 3 instruction manuals building is fairly efficient with no need to go through all the 2000+ bricks.
As shown, these are the parts needed to get us started from the ground floor of the emporium.
As with modular buildings, the pavement tiles are usually most time consuming. But probably having already built these a few times it has gotten easier, and I really like the ground patterns of the emporium with the navy blue tiles.
Initially I was quite curious and assumed that there have been stickers, but these turn out to be the canvas for the changing room which will go into the showroom.
And yes our customer about to try his trousers behind a rather makeshift changing room. In the yellow 'pants' it actually means he's in his underwear! Hahaha. The curtains, instead of an actual changing room doesn't really fit the bill of 'Grand' emporium, does it?
There is also a selection of other trousers as well as a mix of other goods (pardon me but I can't really figure out what they exactly are, clothes/shirts ??)
There has been alot of clear bricks in this set, these are the first used at the cashier.
Just when building got a bit messy as some angles were difficult to observe from the instructions, the building instructions gives a top view of how and what goes where. I found this very useful.
Halfway through with the mannequins, hats, cashier in place.
The canopy of outside the building which comes in this emerald colour. It looks good though I felt something like grey would have been nice too.
There has been a fair amount of reptition in some parts of the building of the emporium, and one of them comes in the form of the external pillars.
But the end product is very pleasant and puts a great amount of detail on the exterior.
The revolving doors are another nice addition, its one of the many techniques that is really impressive about this set.
Another equally impressive aspect is the escalator!
As with the '1932' alphabets built with bricks in Fire Brigade, Grand Emporium has its 'SHOP' letters carved out in bright yellow bricks.
In this set there has been at least 5-6 very interesting and refreshing building techniques, and I don't know why but I was particularly impressed with how the potted plant was actually made.
maybe I'm too easily impressed..
And that was about it for the ground floor. More pictures!!
A view from the escalator..
With that, we proceed to building the second and third floors of the emporium. The build is fairly similar with the emphasis on emerald green windows and tanned walls.
Parts for the second floor.
With this building, I felt Lego moved backwards with a compromise on the interior. It's definitely way less detailed than Fire Brigade. However I guess we need to understand that this has 3 storeys with really a great attention to the detail on the exterior which I will show in photos to follow.
All that is on offer on the second storey of the emporium are plates and glasses. :o
New clear colours for 1x2 bricks which adds a touch of class as you move up the levels.
Another reptitive build of the set is these window panes. 19 of them for the second floor and another 19 for the third floor.
And with that the second floor is completed as the easiest part of the building.
Flags to add a bit of festive/sales touch to it.
An update of the building so far.
Alright, now with the third and rooftop of the Grand Emporium. There are a few other elements here which have made the top floor a very enjoyable building experience and it goes to show that the designer paid alot of attention to exterior details through this top floor.
Parts.
Bicycle anyone?
Looks like the top floor is a kids toys sections with a selection of bicycle, houses and balls.
I have not seen these balls before. Are they new elements?
Notice the gap between the wall? Its made way for...
A chandelier!
The technique and clear parts used to build this chandelier is another refreshing and impressive thing of this building, and yes it gives the place a much more posh touch.
And of course there is a rooftop as well.
The idea of incorporating the clear roof and the way its implemented... another plus!
We're almost coming to the end of the build, what's left now is the billboard, a very common feature in the shopping malls overseas (we don't have this here in SG)
The stand for the billboard.
Lights..
What better than the trademark mini-fig head for a posterboy?
As a finishing touch, a window cleaner and a scaldfolding is added, giving yet another extra detail to the overall appearance of the building. Its very subtle but when you look at it, we do see this form of window cleaning very commonly with beautiful buildings.
So, after some 5 hours of building. The grand emporium is complete!
Some spare parts left. I found it abit puzzling to see the 2 white 2x8 plates and I thought I might have missed out on using, but turns out there really is no indication of where these were to go on the instruction booklet.
And now the final product!!
The escalators as shown!
[b]Overall rating[/b]:
Gameplay: 10/10. There are just so many techniques used in this set that had me smiling at myself just to think about how clever and effectively bricks were used to achieve the effect. Just like the escalator, the chandiler or the potted plants.
Minifigures: 10/10. 7 figures with elaborate and unique torsos. Can't ask much more can we!
Overall: 10/10. I was initially not very impressed by the pictures of the set before I saw it for myself. I had really liked the bolder colour schemes used in the previous sets (like blue in Market Street, dark red and brown in Cafe Corner, green in Green Grocer and grey and maroon in Fire Brigade) I actually didn't quite like the tan color. But as I built it, the scheme of the tanned colour and the emerald green windows contrast to form a classy exterior, not to mention the host of other 'decorations' added for the extra touches. If there is one small thing to complain about in this set, it will be the slightly dull interior. Of course there's always a compromise like I mentioned earlier, so for the features we've been given this is only fair. A set not to be missed by fans of the modular series!
So now, as with the other modular buildings, its time to play around and try all sorts of arrangement. This part is quite fun, especially now there are 2 corner buildings of different designs to play with, though it should be much better to place them on the floor. I figured its too much trouble trying to move the buildings on a small tabletop! hahaha. Enjoy some of the pictures!
And yes when its finally all done, its time to put them back into my shelf. And looks like some of my books will have to go elsewhere. I'm really starting to feel like I'm studying Lego.
Reviewed by: Guohong
Wahahaha, its seriously a very fun job being a reviewer. Man if only I could do this full time and get paid. (well i hope Lego you're reading this. please hire me i promise to do my best!, hahaha)
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