Lego Parisian Restaurant Modular Building (10243) Reviewed by Huw

Huw's Parisian Restaurant 10243 Review

Lego has been steadily releasing new Modular Buildings for the past few years. The recent, Palace Cinema (10232), and Town Hall (10224) have proven extremely popular. The newest set is the Parisian Restaurant (10243) which should be hitting shelves in the near future. Huw, from Brickset, has recently posted an early photo review of this highly anticipated set. The Parisian Restaurant comes with the now standard 3 step instructions. Which, should take anywhere from 5-9 hours to complete.

Huw's Parisian Restaurant 10243 Review Scooter

There are a whole lot of new and rare pieces included this time around. The most recognizable is the new Lego Scooter. This little red Vespa influenced scooter is extremely cute, and fits in perfectly with the Parisian Restaurant. Also included are a whole lot bricks in the new Olive Green Lego color. Since the whole building is based on this rare color, the Parisian Restaurant is probably the best source for these parts.

Huw's Parisian Restaurant 10243 Review Minifigures

Featuring five Minifigures, a chef, waiter, two restaurant patrons, and the female scooter pilot. As usual, these included Minifigs all feature the classic smiling Lego head. I like to think of the blonde man as a Lego Owen Wilson.

Huw's Parisian Restaurant 10243 Review Top View

Huw notes that the increased detail means that the Restaurant takes longer to build. All three floors are furnished, with the bottom floor featuring an impressive amount of details. From the fully tiled flooring, to the full kitchen, everything here looks great.

Huw's Parisian Restaurant 10243 Review Front

The Lego Parisian Restaurant is an excellent new entry in the Modular Building theme. The previous two seemed to be missing a certain spark for some fans, but this set has reignited their enthusiasum. The other good news is that there are no stickers this time around. Everything here is given the premium treatment from Lego.

“Modular buildings have come a long way since Cafe Corner, which was just an empty shell, haven’t they…”

Huw's Parisian Restaurant 10243 Review Back

Make sure to go read Huw’s full review, with many more photos and details over on Brickset:

Part 1: http://www.brickset.com/news/article/?ID=8134
Part 2: http://www.brickset.com/news/article/?ID=8147

More details (including video!) of the Parisian Restaurant can be found on LegoGenre here: http://everydaybricks.com/lego-creator-parisian-restaurant-10243-modular-building-revealed/

Lego Creator Parisian Restaurant (10243) Modular Building Revealed!

Lego Creator Parisian Restaurant 10243 01

During Brickcon 2013 Lego has officially revealed the newest Modular Building, the Lego Creator Parisian Restaurant (10243). This is a very different modular then the recent releases from Lego. The building doesn’t completely fill (vertically) the 32 stud baseplate. Instead having a small outdoor patio on the roof of the first floor. The first floor is an extremely detailed parisian restaurant. With a small apartment (Murphy bed!) on the second floor, and an artist studio at the top. This set will come with 2,469 pieces at a price of $159.99. The Lego Creator Parisian Restaurant (10243) will be available to purchase in January 2014.

Check out the official Lego Design video here:

http://youtu.be/r_VroKcBFqE

The Parisian Restaurant feels like it has been influenced by the rare Lego Market Street (10190) Modular Building. Although this new restaurant seems to avoid the problems that Market Street had. A more standard design that fits in with the other Modulars, and much more carefully thought out features. It looks like this set will fit in nicely with the latest Modular Buildings.
Lego Creator Parisian Restaurant 10243 02

Lego Creator Parisian Restaurant 10243 06

“Have an unforgettable evening at the amazing Parisian Restaurant!

It’s very busy in the Parisian Restaurant. As a scooter zips by, inside the waiter rushes between the tables as the nervous young man gets ready to propose with the ring! It’s just as hectic behind the scenes, with the chef busily preparing the food. This beautifully detailed building is the setting for so many stories and is a great addition to the modular building series. The Parisian Restaurant has a fully-stocked, blue and white tiled kitchen with tableware as well as a cozy apartment with pull-down bed, kitchenette and fireplace. On the top floor is the artist’s room with a studio that includes a cast iron heater, easel, paintbrush and two works of art by the aspiring artist. Outside, stairs lead down to the roof terrace lined with hanging lanterns and flowers where the diners eat alfresco-style. This amazing Parisian Restaurant model even includes a facade with croissants, clams and feather details that recapture the feel of Paris. Includes 5 minifigures: chef, waiter, girl and a romantic couple.”

Lego Creator Parisian Restaurant 10243 03
Lego Creator Parisian Restaurant 10243 04

Lego Creator Parisian Restaurant 10243 05

The Lego Creator Parisian Restaurant (10243) comes with an all new Moped style scooter. This new scooter alone is worth the full price. Vrooom…

Lego Creator Parisian Restaurant 10243 07

Lego Architecture Studio (21050) Review by Jim Butcher @ Eurobricks

Lego Architecture Studio (21050) Review by JimButcher

The LEGO Architecture Studio (21050) is a very mysterious set. Currently only available in the United States, this set can be hard to find. Because of this, the set is wrapped up in mystery. Jim Butcher got his hands on this massive set and broke it open to document and review what he found. The Architecture Studio contains 1,210 pieces and comes in a very unconventional box. Most official Lego sets are released in a flat(ish) rectangle shaped box, not so for the Architecture Studio. This is a huge package. Taking up the space of 3 or 4 normal Lego sets. Inside is a very unique set, that Lego has never produced before.

Besides the 1,210 Lego pieces the set comes with two clear sorting trays. Fun fact: these sorting trays are official Lego pieces. They work well, and help to manage the massive amount of like sized/shaped pieces. Speaking of which, almost every piece is white. With the exception of a handful of transparent pieces. The whole point of the Lego Architecture Studio is to use the included pieces to begin building technically minded architecture models. The monochrome color scheme helps break the Lego models down to their core concept, while reinforcing the minimalistic goal of the set.

Lego Architecture Studio (21050) Pieces by JimButcher

The large Lego piece count and sorting trays are not the main focus of this set. The instruction manual or book is the star. A huge 272 page perfect bound book. Featuring tips, building techniques, styles, history, and general information about Architecture and Lego. The book does not contain standard instructions. No step by step builds of famous architectural models. Instead the book features very general instructions, often showing the building of a model across only 3-4 steps. The Lego Architecture Studio (21050) is an educational and inspirational set, sharing more in common with Lego Mindstorms then Lego Star Wars.

Lego Architecture Studio (21050) Book by JimButcher

Read the full review by Jim Butcher over at Eurobricks: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=85176&st=0

Lego Architecture Studio (21050) Book Download

UPDATE: It looks like Lego has taken the file offline. Lego has offered a .pdf download of the whole 272 page book from the Lego Architecture Studio (21050). This is huge download, at 413 MB. Check it out here:
http://cache.lego.com/bigdownloads/buildinginstructions/6062928.pdf

Amazon has the set for sale, but like other recently popular sets it comes and goes out of stock often. Check it out on Amazon here: LEGO Architecture Studio (21050)