Are Modular Buildings Money Makers...or Takers?
Wow...How time flies. Ten years of LEGO Modular Buildings. While the 10030 Imperial Star Destroyer from the STAR WARS Ultimate Collector Series was the reason I came out of the LEGO Dark Ages, it was the Modular Buildings that made me expand my LEGO collection to Earth-based models. Long before BrickPicker.com or the term "LEGO Investing" was created, the LEGO Modular Buildings were developed. Starting with the iconic 10182 Cafe Corner in 2007, the Modular Building theme was the perfect LEGO collectible. By design, each Modular building could stand on its own, but was better suited to be paired with other Modular Buildings. The "completionist" in all of us has driven the Modular theme to the top of the LEGO food chain. The original 10182 Cafe Corner was a beautiful gaudy creation, but few people at the time realized its importance or how future LEGO Modular Buildings would interconnect to create city blocks and landscapes.
Fast forward ten years to today and LEGO is celebrating a decade of magnificent Modular Buildings with the 10255 Assembly Square. The 10255 Assembly Square is the largest and most expensive Modular Building ever created, coming in at 4002 pieces and £179.99 / $279.99 / 239.99€ respectively. When I first heard of rumors of the 10255 Assembly Square, I imagined some sort of large U-shaped building surrounding a courtyard or "square." A parklike setting with fountain or flea market type shops crossed my mind, but I was expecting to be impressed. After seeing the finished product, I was honestly a little disappointed...until I examined it closer. Huw over at Brickset.com did an in-depth review of the 10255 Assembly Square and the LEGO designer video and found similarities between the earlier Modular Buildings and the 10255 Assembly Square. The following design elements were creatively added to the 10255 Assembly Square by the set's designer, Jamie Berard. Each of the previous eleven Modulars had a few key components included in the 10255 Assembly Square, and these were broken down by Huw below:
10182 Café Corner
Café on corner of plaza w/coffee mug sign
Yellow and white striped awnings
Micro version of CC on apartment shelf
Printed tile to represent CC Box
Corner door built using turntables
Cherries in trash
Green Baseplates
10190 Market Street
Micro version of MS on apartment shelf
Bakery is linked to croissant sign from MS
**10185 Green Grocer **
Micro version of GG on apartment shelf
Rooftop BBQ
Sand Green color of mid-building
Updated baby pram (now including baby!)
10197 Fire Brigade
Rooftop door access
Kitchen in apartment
10211 Grand Emporium
Detailing around roof above Dance Studio
Wedding cake to go with wedding outfits in GE Window
10218 Pet Shop
Parrot in flower shop & Chihuahua
Sand Blue color of Music/Dance Studios
Windows for Music/Dance Studios shared with PS
10224 Town Hall
Tower roof style shared with TH
Wedding cake for married couple in TH
Flower shop for married couple in TH
10232 Palace Cinema
Center of pattern in front of Cafe shared with PC
Vertical line wall texture from PC is used for interior of Music/Dance studios
10243 Parisian Restaurant
Black roof of middle building in similar style to PR
White Croissants in Bakery
Fold out sofa similar to fold down bed
Greenery on pergola between café and flower shop
10264 Detective's Office
Mirror
Candy/cookie source is Pastry Shop
Nougat color of Dentist office
10251 Brick Bank
Portrait of Bank Manager in photo studio
Trans-Green and clear glass in Flower Shop
At first glance, the 10255 Assembly Square is a hodge podge of ideas, but as I figured out, that was by design. By incorporating all these key components into one set was a perfect way to pay homage to the Modular theme. While not the most impressive looking Modular building in my opinion, I respect the idea and think it will be a successful LEGO set as a collectible. How successful? Well, that will depend on many factors. Length of production run and popularity being the two main factors. But the 10255 Assembly Square has large shoes to fill. Some of the earliest Modular Buildings are some of the most valuable and collectible LEGO sets of all time. Let's take a quick glimpse at the values of the first eleven Modular Buildings on secondary market sites...
As the reader can see, the earliest Modular Buildings have appreciated very, very well. Even recently retired Modular Buildings like the 10197 Fire Brigade and 10211 Grand Emporium have doubled in value after long production runs, with the 10224 Town Hall exhibiting excellent growth because of an early retirement. The fly in the ointment, though, is that half of all Modulars are still available at retail as of this writing. The 10218 Pet Shop is finally retiring after six years. Many are still being stockpiled and have had longer than usual production runs for a LEGO set. Many LEGO investors think these are guaranteed winners as collectibles, but that might not longer hold true. With so many of the Modular Buildings bought as an investment, the secondary markets will be flooded with Modular Buildings, thus reducing appreciation. LEGO is also extending production runs of Modulars because of their popularity, exasperating the stockpiling situation. Rare, with any collectible, means valuable, so massive amounts of Modulars being sold is a double-edged sword. On one hand they are extremely popular; on the other hand they are owned by many, with some LEGO collectors with multiples of the sets. Fact is, they are some of the best LEGO sets ever created by LEGO designers, thus their success. But along with their success, their potential as investments could be dampened by being heavily collected. The two most stockpiled sets in our database is the 10211 Grand Emporium and the 10218 Pet Shop. Will the 10255 Assembly Square be as popular and stockpiled as earlier Modular Buildings? Time will tell. Until then, every LEGO fan who is a fan of the Modular Building should buy one. It is subtle in its styling and a highly detailed and playable set that blends right in with any LEGO fan's Modular city street display. The price tag might scare some, but it also might keep tire kickers away, making it rarer than other Modular Buildings, thus potentially more valuable. Personally, I'm going to need a bigger room to display all of these marvelous Modulars.
