Number: 10243
Official Theme: Creator Expert
Unofficial Theme: Modular Buildings
Release Date: January 1, 2014
Piece Count: 2,469
Minifig Count: 5
Age Rating: 16+
Cost: US $159.99 - CA $189.99 - DE 149.99 € - UK 132.99 £ - DK 1299.00 DKK
Since its unveiling this past October at BrickCon in Seattle and the subsequent press release sent out to major news outlets and LEGO fan sites, it seems popular opinion is that Creator Expert 10243 Parisian Restaurant is a winner. The LEGO Community Team has graciously supplied Toys N Bricks with a preview copy to review. Bienvenue à Chez Albert!
The front of the box, emblazoned with the Creator theme branding and "Expert" corner badge, features a main image of the front of the building at a slight angle. Additional smaller images display the rear of the building, the stacking floor feature and the height and width dimensions.
Creator Expert 10243 Parisian Restaurant Box Art
Inside, you will find 18 bags of pieces, a 32x32 Medium Stone Gray baseplate (as is standard for this series) and an 8x16 Dark Stone Gray plate. The bags are numbered with a 1, 2, 3, or 4, denoting the order in which the set is built. The bags marked 1 and 2 are used to build the ground floor, totalling 10 bags (four bags for "Part 1", and six bags for "Part 2".) "Part 3" builds the second-floor apartment above the restaurant with another four bags while "Part 4" rounds out the build with a thid-floor art studio, comprised of another four bags.
10243 Parisian Restaurant contents
There are three instruction booklets - one for each floor. You could easily split the job up between three people simultaneously without getting mixed up (provided you have the space.)
10243 Parisian Restaurant instruction booklets
10243 Parisian Restaurant bag breakdown
Part 1
The first set of bags builds the base of the first floor atop the 32x32 baseplate. Comprised mostly of Black, Medium and Dark Stone Gray and White pieces, rare colors here include Brick Yellow, Sand Yellow, Dark Red, Earth Blue and Metallic Silver.
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 1" sorted
Notable pieces for this part of the build include the all-new Motor Scooter body in Bright Red, the Inverted 2x2 Dome in Dark Red and the 2x2 Round Tile w/Hole in Dark Stone Gray, as well as the "One Ring" from Lord of the Rings, reappropriated here as an engagement ring! There is, of course, a spare included.
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 1" notable pieces
Mid-build during Part 1, you can see the detail in the flooring - the tiles in the kitchen, the wood floor in the eating area, the tiles for the sidewalk and entryway carpeting, as well as the somewhat cobblestone-styled outdoor eating area which spells out "CHEZ" (which is French for "at" or "to" which makes it a strange choice.) Still, the level of detail is impressive, and evocative of last years' Winter Village Cottage.
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 1" mid-build details
At the end of "Part 1", the foundation of the building is firmly set and most of the interior furniture is complete. You can already see how the new 2x2 Inverted Dome has been used twice here - as a flowerpot outside, and upside-down as a lampshade inside!
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 1" complete
Part 2
The six bags comprising Part 2 of the build include the rest of the first floor walls and interior/exterior decoration. Compared to Part 1, the amount of pieces here is quite a bit greater. The breakout star in this pile is, naturally, the Olive Green - found here in various lengths of 1x brick and plate.
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 2" bags heap
When sorted, the amount of Olive Green is readily apparent. Other notable colors here are Earth Blue, Dark Red and Dark Reddish Brown. Various translucent colors of the bottle first found in Pirates of the Caribbean are also included.
10243 Parisian Restaurant "part 2" bags sorted
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 2" Olive Green pieces
This set of bags includes three printed tiles - a new Black 2x4 tile with the text "CHEZ ALBERT RESTAURANT", a new White 2x2 tile featuring the menu, and a 2x2 Sand Yellow tile with a painting of a sailing ship on it, which we've seen before.
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 2" printed tiles
I had an apprentice builder throughout the process of building the first floor, my daughter's friend and brother from another mother AND father. Look at the shine coming off my head! Also, LEGO obviously saw my dining room walls and were inspired to create Olive Green!
10243 Parisian Restaurant apprentice builder
Despite being half the "recommended age" printed on the box, he was very impressed with the set, and I quote "It's really cool, and very detailed." He had no problem keeping up and only had an issue with the complex way the Earth Blue curtains were built.
By the end of "Part 2", the entire first floor is complete, including the kitchen counters, complex curtains and detailed sideboard inside, as well as the awning, sign, bench, lamp post, and stairs up to the second floor outside. At this point, if there is one criticism I could lob, it's that the back portion of the baseplate looks relatively barren compared to the highly detailed and tiled front and interior.
10243 Parisian Restaurant at the end of "Part 2"
10243 Parisian Restaurant, first floor rear
10243 Parisian Restaurant first floor complete
10243 Parisian Restaurant awning and "CHEZ ALBERT" sign
10243 Parisian Restaurant rear details
10243 Parisian Restaurant interior details
10243 Parisian Restaurant kitchen details
10243 Parisian Restaurant curtain details
Part 3
The second floor is comprised of four bags, marked with a "3". There are two distinct builds here, another outdoor eating area at the top of the stairs, and a second-floor studio apartment, as denoted at the beginning of the second instruction booklet:
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 3" builds
The pieces this time around are slightly less than those found in "Part 2" but have a similar over-all makeup, particularly the compliment of Olive Green bricks and plates.
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 3" heap
When sorted, the piles of Medium and Dark Stone Gray dominate, followed closely by White, Black and Olive Green. Rare colors are represented by smattering of Brick Yellow, Dark Brown, Dark Reddish Brown, and Dark Red.
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 3" pieces sorted
Notable/new/rare pieces in Part 3 include these three gems: A new style 2x2 Round Tile featuring the center tube (as opposed to the X) in white, a 2x2 Inverted Tile in Brick Yellow and a new 2x2 Bow in Brick Yellow. This was a surprise to me, at least. We only just received the 1x version of this piece this past year! There are also three more of the 2x2 Inverted Domes in Dark Red (not pictured below.)
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 3" notable pieces
Of course, again, the Olive Green is the star of the show here:
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 3" olive green
Once complete, the second floor studio/economy apartment and outdoor dining area are two separate parts that cover the first floor.
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 3" complete
The detailing on the windows is particularly impressive, with SNOT/Sideways-building techniques on either side of each as well as the arches and an inspired use of technic bricks and pins as decorative elements rather than hidden support/connectors as they are generally used! The stonework pattern along each corner of the building is also very noticable here. The central balcony and windowboxes full of plants round out the details here.
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 3" exterior window details
The second floor outdoor dining area is also nicely detailed with two light fixtures adorned by hanging potted plants:
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 3" exterior details, upstairs outdoor dining area
Inside, the studio/economy apartment features a small table and stool, and kitchenette at one end, a swivelling armchair and fireplace at the other.
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 3" interior kitchenette details
In the middle, a hide-away "Murphy Bed" transforms the living space to a sleeping space:
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 3" interior murphy bed details
The area may be small and the accommodations spartan, but it perfectly illustrates the type of apartment that a starving artist might occupy. Besides, who needs anything more than a kitchenette when you live above Chez Albert? Life is wonderful!
By the end of book 2, the building is really starting to take shape. And a unqiue shape it is, too. The way the second floor is offset by the outdoor dining area adds visual interest to the building in a way none of the previous offerings in this line have save for the theme initiator, 10190 "Market Street" which was actually released under the FACTORY brand. This set breaking the mould of the full-width, straight-walled footprint could be a sign of things to come.
10243 Parisian Restaurant full result at the end of "Part 3," front view
10243 Parisian Restaurant at the end of "Part 3," front 3/4 view
10243 Parisian Restaurant at the end of "Part 3," rear view
All that said, the only criticism I could lob at this stage is how unadorned the floor is on the second level in comparison to the first. While the first level has tiles or small plates covering every inch of exposed floor inside as well as the sidewalk and outdoor eating area outside, the second floor is a series of plain, large Dark Stone Gray plates both inside and out. A missed opportunity to cover the floor at least inside the apartment with some wood floorboards and perhaps a nice rug would have really pulled the room together, man.
Part 4
The final leg of the build features the third floor art studio:
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 4" build
Similar to the previous floors, the dominant colors are Dark and Light Stone Gray, White, Black, and Olive Green. However, the amount of Earth Blue, used to form the roof, is in larger abundance here than in previous steps.
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 4" heap (semi-sorted)
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 4" sorted
Notable pieces this go-round are a handful of the new 2x2 Bow Bricks (this time in Earth Blue) and 1x3x3 Inverted Bow Bricks in White (previously only found in two sets). Not pictured (because, quite honestly, I didn't realize how rare they were) are the 27(!) 1x4 Bow Brick in Earth Blue, also only previously available in two sets, and the four Croissants in White.
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 4" notable pieces
Once complete, the very ornate third floor is really impressive by itself. The largest amount of detail is found in the sculpting of the architectural adornments on either side of the central window, featuring the aforementioned White Croissants as well as White Sea Shells. Additionally, the use of 18 Dark Stone Gray "Indian Feather w/Pin" as an ornamental detail along the bottom edge of this level is incredible. Also of note is how the roof features 1x3 and 1x4 Bow Bricks in Earth Blue in an alternating pattern to create a banded effect, as opposed to a completely uniform surface.
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 4" complete, front 3/4 view
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 4" exterior details
From the back, this level features three skylights (necessary for natural light to allow the artist's true vision to come to life), two planter boxes and the entry door with yet another 2x2 Inverted Dome in Dark Red used to house a potted plant.
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 4" complete, rear 3/4 view
Another exmaple of this sets' kinship with the Winter Village Cottage from last year is the magificently detailed chimney. A liberal sprinkling of both 1x2 Masonry Bricks in Dark Stone Gray interspersed with 1x1 Headlight Bricks with 1x1 Tiles in Light Stone Gray applied to their fronts definitely gives the impression of old-world masonry work.
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 4" exterior details, chimney
Inside, accessible by a smart hinged connection for the back half of the roof, you will find another fireplace with a hinged door, as well as the artists' easel, paintbrush and palette and two paintings:
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 4" interior details, fireplace
10243 Parisian Restaurant "Part 4" interior details, art easel and palette
Again, on this level as with the previous, the floor is rather bare and could do with some tiling. The piece budget was definitely weighted towards exterior details rather than interior ones for the second and third floors.
The completed model is astonishingly beautiful, with the Earth Blue roof contrasting the Olive Green walls and scattered greenery of windowboxes and other plantlife.
10243 Parisian Restaurant complete, frontal view
10243 Parisian Restaurant complete, front 3/4 view
10243 Parisian Restaurant complete, rear view
10243 Parisian Restaurant complete, rear/side view
Over-all this set is a masterpiece, and easily deserves its seat as the next installment of the "Modular Building" theme. The exterior details, from the first floor up are the most impressive features, but the interior of the restaurant/kitchen on the first floor is easily the runner-up. As stated earlier, the only criticism that can be leveled is the relative lack of details in the interior of the second and, particularly, third floors.
The amount of rare and/or new pieces and colors is another major attraction, with the wealth of Olive Green and Earth Blue parts as well as the new Motor Scooter body.
While the Modular Building theme in general and this set in particular are mainly targeted at the T/AFoL market, the building process is easy for younger experienced builders to work in conjunction with a more experienced supervisor to help with the more advanced techniques (such as the curtains on the first floor.)
Even though the main focus of this theme is display, it is still a construction toy. From the perspective of my 7y/o daughter in respect to play features, the interiors are still too tight for even little hands to play in, and the vast majority of the details are inaccessible unless removed - particularly in the kitchen. Play, therefore, is better relegated to the exterior of the building, the more easily-accessible second floor and possibly the third-floor art studio.
Design: 10/10 - As primarily a display model meant for older audiences, the design and details are the star of the show.
Build: 10/10 - While a lot of the build are standard brick walls, obviously all that detailing is the result of intricate advanced techniques.
Minifigures: 8/10 - With five minifigures of relatively standard design, the minifigures are primarily more decorative pieces.
Playability: 6/10 - There are quite a few play features, particularly on the second floor, the spaces are tight even for small hands, so playbility suffers a bit.
Parts: 10/10 - Rare and new pieces and colors galore!
Price: 9/10 - Compared to previous offerings in this line, the price is actually more reasonable.
Overall rating: 8.8/10
Check out all the pics on Flickr.
So, now that you've seen it, what do you think? Please add your comments below, and don't forget to chime in with your opinion in the poll added to the top of this review.
The options are:
- C'est Magnifique (It's Magnificent)
- Comme Ci Comme Ça (So-So)
- Très Mauvais (Pretty Bad)
