From an external perspective, the design is very nice. The fact that the floors are modular makes it even better. You can remove the 2nd floor and even rotate the 2nd floor and loft and the model still works well. Of course, you can always change the floors or add your own additional floors as well.

As with the Caf� Corner set, we get a ton of pieces in a wide range of colors. At first glance, you definitely will notice there are a lot of really small (1x1, 1x2, etc.) tiles and plates.

Main Street

The architectural style and the use of the building could not be more different, though. This one comprises a three-storey townhouse on top of a basement, with a small garage on the side. Its distinctive design reflects Eric's Dutch heritage. Although I am sure I would have thought it to be a great set when it was released, I'm not so keen on it now, especially when comparing it with other modulars. When considered in isolation it's fine, but I don't think it's aged well, and it doesn't really match the architectural style or design of the café or subsequent buildings. Of course, it made sense at the time to make it compatible with the café, to help establish the standard and encourage builders to add their own designs to their street, but I think it's best left out of it now. A few months after the first modular building 10182 Café Corner was launched, a compatible set, 10190 Market Street, was released later in 2007. A bright and colourful modular street with a detailed hotel (exterior, at least), and a great minifigure selection.

Inside, the ground floor has a small concierge desk on one side and a row of mailboxes on the other. The first floor sports a tiny kitchen with sink, work surface, fridge, and a table with a single chair all squeezed in. A living room occupies the second floor, with a bookcase, armchair, and keyboard. A set of disco lights runs down the wall near the window. Finally, there's a tiny desk and bookcase on the upper floor. Of course, some of these potential arrangements would be less logical than others — most obviously, the ladder/fire escape above the cafe would hit a dead end if you put the recording studio on top. Conversely if you put the rooftop concert space on the cafe and the second-floor apartment to its left, the ladder can serve as access for both spaces! If you have the time, it'd be neat to see photos of some alternate arrangements!Inside, once again the space is very limited, but they have managed to squeeze in a piano downstairs, and a guitar hangs on the wall. The first floor (second floor for those of you across the pond) features a recording studio with a microphone, acoustic panels, and tiny sound desk. Regarding the set itself: i never realized that the set split, or that the "alleyway" had a roof. always thought it was on one big baseplate with an open alley on the left. guess i'd never looked too closely once i realized the missed modulars were prohibitively expensive. Good review! This set is definitely very impressive, not just in terms of piece count and builds but also in terms of sheer variety of building techniques and architectural styles. And I agree with you that the furnishings are quite impressive as well, despite each room's limited floor area. The set also continues the neat recent trend of mixing and matching minifigure parts to create different characters for each of the three models.

An orange reception desk sits to one side of the door on the ground floor, with an arm chair and table beneath a large lamp on the other. The insides are empty save for a flight of stairs, and at the time of its release there was some criticism that they were in the centre of the floors which limited options for adding an interior. Bike Shop & Café did it better IMHO. The buildings could fold to create complete (small) buildings or open up for a similar street effect. And I can't help but feel that the size here is a bit too large for what is essentially a collection of seperate buildings. At this point you're basically barred from entry if you can't buy a full street instead of the components. And I don't feel the builds are particularly cohesive as a whole. The looks en feel of the main building is definitely original Amsterdam buildings. A couple of streets still to this day hold a daily market. As years passed some of the venders (marketeers?) replaced their temporary stands for permanent ones. Most of them live at the building behind, next or on top of the stand. Why rebuild every day if you can have a permanent stand? The upper floor also features a bed of the same design, and a small bath. A door opens inwards into the tight space, providing access to the very small balcony. The roof is relatively plain on the inside, with a small air conditioning unit.

And yes, this is definitely a modular in the same way that the first year bionicle sets are still bionicle despite _also_ being branded technic. It sort of spun off from Factory whilst Café Corner was already branded a separate subtheme. It's just a holdover from early installment weirdness because they both came out in different ways.

A yellow wheelchair is included for the minifigure in the blue top (although clearly it can be up to you which figure has need of it). It's great to see LEGO continuing to represent diverse characters, with both this and the hearing aid. Inside the shop is a turntable and two containers of records, with a number of 2x2 printed tiles featuring as the record sleeves. There's nothing on the walls. Similar to Cafe Corner as Huw mentioned some of the parts like the white hoses are very expensive and I don't think they necessarily look good to begin with, like the Cafe Corner I made a Stud.io model of this set but modified both to lessen the catalogue of expensive parts but also make some minor aesthetic changes.The barista's apron that the male minifigure is wearing is nothing new, but looks excellent paired with the new (this year) flat cap. He has a slight smile, surrounding by a thin bear and moustache, and is wearing a hearing aid—this particular head print was introduced with this year's modular building, 10312 Jazz Club. LEGO has been producing minifig-scale streets and shopfronts for years, and 31141 Main Street is basically more of the same. I always enjoy the Creator sets, with their unlicensed minifigures and creativity that does not need to be tied into any specific theme—this is no exception. The next floor comprises of a single bed, narrow desk, and a planter in corner. I apologise for the angle of the photos—the large walls make it a very challenging space to access for both photography and play! The second building is two storeys high, with a coffee and doughnut shop on the ground floor next to a small alleyway. I particularly like the tree growing up through the alley, and the basic coffee cup sign is very effective. A pair of chairs with a small round table sit on the narrow pavement in front of the shop window. My biggest complaint is the diminutive size of the interiors, with some rooms only measuring a few studs in either direction. The designers get as creative as they can with such a small space, but it does all start to feel like a rehash of previous designs.