The LEGO 10185 Green Grocer is like the holy grail of brick modular buildings. It was the second official modular, coming out over a decade ago. Unfortunately, not everyone who loves modulars either a) was into them back then, b) knew there’d be a whole series of increasingly better designed and attractive buildings, or c) took notice of this set way back then. I wasn’t actively building back then, and now, my wife and I want to build a cool display of fancy buildings that will all be lighted in a display case in our home. The modulars are classy enough to be used as a form of decor, though many who build them like to make huge layouts spanning an entire room.

A new-in-box set can sell for more than 1200 USD. A used set will easily cost 500 USD. Enter the infamous Chinese cloners. This was actually the very first set my wife and I bought from them.

This set is a replica of the original major brand set, and as far as I can tell from the parts list, it’s entirely the same. The major difference is that this massive set will cost you 38 USD on the street in Hong Kong, or as little as 65 USD shipped to the USA (no box, just pieces packed in a bag). Yes, you could buy twelve of these sets and still have money left over compared to one of the major brand. This inevitably brings up the question: what is quality like? I’ve bought all sorts of clone brands and they run the entire range of barely usable to near-perfect. This one is on the near-perfect end of that scale. You’d never even know these weren’t the major brand unless you noticed the missing logo on the studs.

We set off to build our Green Grocer and were delighted throughout the process with the quality and the design. Features such as the coolers in the market, and the various fresh foods add great details. There’s also a cat, and a mouse for her to chase into the hole under the stairs. We get four mini figures: a mother with a pram, a man with a top hat, a shopkeeper in dungarees, and a Boy Scout with neckerchief and cap.

Unfortunately, the early modular buildings were fairly sparse in their furnishings. Compare this set to say, the Downtown Diner, which is also reviewed here on AltBlocks for a comparison. So it’s not the fault of this replica set that the top two floors (which could be a flat or two flats) have minimal decor inside. What’s there is nice though, and shows a growing list of evolving master-builder techniques. We get curtains built of bricks, and a radiator built from small Technic bits, as well as a fireplace with two orange flames. The stage is certainly set for us to add our own touches to these rooms. Something like Xingbao’s custom room sets could serve as an inspiration, perhaps (photo at bottom of post).

Building-wise, you’ll love the 8×1 sand green bricks that make up so much of the structure here. The colour is beautiful and classy. The white bay windows with their angles add a Victorian look. As you can see from the photos, the window clarity and quality is pretty good. The panes come packed in their own small plastic bags to prevent scratching whilst in transit, which is a nice touch. The snake-printed tiles surrounding the door look great and really add to the aura of this as a classic building.

No problems were encountered during the build. Everything’s as solid as you could ever want. I do like the way the upper floors nest into the tops of the walls of the floor below. It’s a technique that the newer modulars have done away with (preferring instead to use a stud in roughly each corner amongst a perimeter of tiles in order to make the removal of each floor easy). If you build this modular first and go on to build more, you’ll appreciate the techniques it uses as you see them developed over the newer sets. Even though it was the first modular we ordered, it was not the first one we built, so it was fun to see it in context having built newer sets already.

There’s a reason the Green Grocer is so highly sought after, and why the cloners made it one of their very first replicas. It’s a very attractive design, and it’s got some playability as well. This can just as easily be part of my decor as it can be a street scene my children can play with (my daughter, for example, loves the fruit and the cat, as well giving each of the mini figures a chance to push the pram.

Check out the photos and consider adding this cloned modular to your collection. It may get you hooked for good!

Fresh apples. Cherries. Bananas. Massive carrots! Even croissants!Let’s get started! Lots of parts means lots of bags. Luckily, like parts are generally bagged with like parts, so I did not have to open and empty every bag at once.

The instruction book is of good quality. Just pay close attention to the subtle shading differences between light grey, dark grey, and black; this same issue exists in many of my major-branded instructions as well. Hint: black pieces are shown with a thin white edge. Nice detail in the ground floor tiles.

The first floor (second floor in America) is a spacious flat waiting to be furnished. It comes with this toasty warm fire and two sets of brick-built curtains.The top floor contains this clock, a carpet, and a Technic-pin-and-bushing-built radiator. The rooftop terrace features a barbecue grill. Perfect for cooking carrots from the green grocer. Veggie dogs anyone?The scout opens a door for our mother and her pram. Mind the steps!Our Grocer carries not only fresh produce but a good supply of refrigerated food as well. This entrance leads to the stairs and the mailboxes. There is also a hidden mouse hole under the stairs, which is accessible through this hallway as well as through a hole behind the shopkeeper.From the rear, we can see the rooftop dining terrace and the fire escape.The shopkeeper, ready to serve!Our billiards champion from the next door pool hall is off to spend his winnings at the green grocer’s.The baby pram actually does not come with a baby, but I fashioned one from a small yellow round tile and a white conical piece. The neighborhood at nightfall. Green Grocer and the Detective’s Office with optional lighting kits installed.Doing his good deed for the day: our scout cleans up the fruits spilt by the tiger cub. That little scout boy is on his way toward earning his merit badge!All lit up with optional lighting kit. The lack of furnishings in the top two floors is even more evident with the lights on. I’m considering getting the Xingbao 01401 home furnishings set to make my flat less austere. The furniture is scaled appropriately, and would just require a bit of rearranging to make these rooms comfortable for our top-hatted man, his wife and baby (or whoever you decide lives there).

You can add the Green Grocer to your collection today, including the beautiful light kit and USB hub from our friends at Building Toy Store. I’m confident you’ll enjoy the building aspect and the final results. Happy building!

Our friends at Building Toy Store have offered a $5 off coupon for readers of Alt-Blocks.com. Simply enter the coupon code WY5UGBJZ at checkout to automatically deduct $5 (USD) from your order, in addition to any other coupons offered on their site.

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