Modular Buildings

Bookshop

Two little buildings, one cozy corner shop, and a proper modular bargain per piece.

4.5/5

Set 10270 · 2020

Pieces2,504

Minifigs5

Year2020

Set number10270

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The verdict

If you want a warm, colourful addition to your modular street without paying flagship money, the Bookshop is an easy yes.

It's the 15th modular and the first since the Pet Shop to give you two separate buildings, so you get a townhouse alongside the shop. The interiors are a bit sparse and the back is plain, but the front facades are some of the prettiest in the whole line. A lovely pick if you're starting a modular row or just want something charming on the shelf.

Best for: Newer modular collectors starting their street on a budget

The full review

What it is

The Bookshop is the 15th Modular Buildings set, and it does something the line hadn't done since the 2011 Pet Shop: it gives you two separate buildings instead of one. On the left you get 'Birch Books', a cozy corner shop with a curved nougat arch over the door, and on the right a slim townhouse with its own personality. It's the kind of LEGO® set that just looks friendly on the shelf, all warm colours and little storybook details, and it slots straight into an existing modular street without shouting over the neighbours.

The catch

Now the honest bits, because your mate deserves them. The interiors are on the light side. The shop has a counter, an old-fashioned till and the bottom of a bookcase, but there's a lot of open floor. The townhouse skips a kitchen and a bathroom entirely, which older modular fans will notice and grumble about. The back facades are flat and plain, and there's a completely empty patch of baseplate behind the shop that begs to be filled with your own bricks. And like a few recent modulars, the buildings are a little smaller than the classics, so it doesn't tower the way the Parisian Restaurant or Assembly Square do.

Who it's for

So who should grab it? If you're new to modulars or building a street on a budget, this is one of the best entry points going. At its 199.99 dollar retail it worked out to roughly 7 cents a piece, and the finished pair genuinely looks the part next to the older sets. If you already own a deep shelf of modulars and you're chasing packed interiors and big square footage, you won't miss a huge amount by skipping this one. It retired at the end of 2023, so it's aftermarket only now and creeping up in price, which is worth knowing before you go hunting. For most people wanting a charming, colourful corner for their town, though, it's a really likeable set.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

The build splits neatly into two projects, which keeps it feeling fresh. The bookshop comes together first, and the ground floor is a highlight: it's tiled throughout in a light yellow and gold pattern, with a diamond-patterned pavement outside made from 2x2 triangular tiles. There's some lovely fiddly work up front, like the recessed windowsill built from curved double slopes on headlight bricks sat on a jumper to catch a bit of shadow, and the 1x2 rounded tiles forming that arch over the door. The townhouse is a quicker, breezier build with its own quirks, including a birch tree made from Technic connector pieces with black hot dog elements used as railing. Pacing is comfortable across the whole thing, never a slog.

For parts, medium nougat is the story: this is the first time it appears as the primary colour on a modular structure, so it's a handy haul if you build your own. Every decorated piece here is printed rather than stickered, which fans love. New prints include the 'Birch Books' shop name on black 2x4 tiles, an apartment house-number corner tile, and the standout 'Moby Brick' book cover with a little white brick breaching the waves. You also get a dark turquoise chameleon in its vivarium, a small bird, and a toy plane tucked in the tree branches. At around 7 cents per piece for 2,504 parts, it's strong value for a modular by any measure.

Fun facts

01The Bookshop is the first Modular Buildings set since the 2011 Pet Shop to be made up of two separate buildings rather than one big structure.
02It's the first time medium nougat was used as the main colour for a LEGO modular building.
03Every decorated element in the set is printed, not a sticker, including the 'Moby Brick' book cover and the 'Birch Books' shop sign.
04Hidden touches include a dark turquoise pet chameleon in a vivarium and a little toy plane stuck up in the birch tree.