The newest addition to the cloned Modular building line is a replica of the popular 10260 Downtown Diner set. If you’ve seen most of the previous modular buildings, you’ll know they are mostly built with neutral colours (lots of tan, sand green, and the like). The Downtown Diner is daring in its Art Deco styling with teal and pink colour scheme. When I ordered the set, I was interested to see what those color bricks would look like, as I don’t have any others in my collection. Upon arrival, the blocks gleamed beautifully and it was all I could do to not rip the bags open and start building immediately. But, since my wife and I enjoy building together, I had to wait a few hours. My daughter could barely wait to build the pink Cadillac.

Here’s a sneak peek at the finished product, but just wait till you see what’s inside!

Until the new diner can be built, our minifigures will enjoy some carb love from my daughter’s Cupcake Cafe. Miniature Elvis is all shook up for those pastries:

The bag full of parts was huge and the instruction book thick.

One of the most interesting parts of the build is the brick-built sign reading “Diner”. It’s a bit delicate, as it’s mostly formed of small plates, but the effect is stunning.

Beginning our build, we first need to tile the diner floor, for which I get some expert help:

The diner build features a jukebox, three booth seats, a rounded table (with miniature ketchup and mustard bottles plus a napkin dispenser to wipe all that diner-food grease off the minifigure’s hands, a smooth countertop, and a grill complete with exhaust hood. It’s rounded out with a gumball machine, wall art, and a crystal-clear front “glass” door complete with an open sign (and even printed to say “closed” on the inside. All the printing was clear and crisp.

Our waitress even comes with roller skates to take orders out to the curbside. Our short order cook has a couple steaks on the grill and some massive pancakes as well, for the late-night breakfast crowd. Building the diner level (ground floor) was fun for many reasons, not the least of which was the huge “glass” front windows, and the way bricks are used to make the windows appear curved. You really feel like this diner is straight out of the 1950s. The front of the building utilizes some master-builder SNOT (studs not on top) techniques that I’ve never encountered before.

Second level is host to a gym, complete with a muscleman boxer and his female companion. The boxing gloves are a fun touch, as are the multiple faces on the female minifigure. Complete with weights, a punching bag, a boxing ring, and a water cooler, the gym was fun to build. The boxing ring “ropes” are brick-built, even. A huge smooth red tile plate serves as the ring surface.

I made one minor modification to my weight bench: In order that the minifigures can lie on it without slipping off the smooth tile surface, I traded out the 2×1 tile at the foot for a 1×1 tile and a 1×1 plate. That gives the minifigure’s legs one stud to grip onto, thus allowing our weightlifters more security on the bench.

Finally, the top floor features a recording studio and record executive’s office. Prospective talent and a record exec can share a drink as the company tries to negotiate the highest royalties possible. Then, having gotten a contract, our singer can belt out his tunes inside the sound-foam-lined studio, complete with microphone. Our studio lady can watch the singer, as she sits at a control console whilst the reel-to-reel tape recorder captures the makings of rock and roll. Mini-Elvis also comes with two faces and a guitar.

No review of this set would be complete without featuring the the pink car! It cleverly uses offset plates to seat two minifigures up front, and one in the back, with room for accessories, or in this case, room for our singer to entertain his travel companions:

Once again, our finished product:

This was a brilliant set to build. Each page of the instruction manual held new surprises in store. For those who design MOCs, there are some clever building techniques in the Diner which one could use in their own creations. The Art Deco jukebox-shaped tower of teal, white, and pink is striking for its unique appearance in a brick modular layout, especially for its contrast to the more classical designs. I’m thinking that when I get the Brick Bank modular, these two would look nice on a city block together.

I encountered only two minor problems. One was a quality control matter: the gym lady’s left leg was loose, but a quick application of clear nail polish to the leg-stud on the hip piece solved that easily. The second was more of an issue with the design: the set as built has only one stud on the right side holding the roof in place. I simply substituted a stud plate in place of a tile to help make the roof a bit sturdier. Neither of these was a show-stopper, or anywhere close.

I’d highly recommend the Downtown Diner to anyone with a love of late Art Deco/Streamline Moderne architecture, modular buildings, or 1950’s Americana culture. This was by far one of my favorite builds. The exquisite decor in the interiors, as well as the iron spiral staircase in the back, shows a pleasing attention to detail. Ask our friends at Building Toy Store about getting the 15037 Downtown Diner!

Happy building!

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