"Build your own city!" is how the motto of the Lego® Creator Expert Modular Buildings can be described. Completely individual and adapted to the wishes of the fans, the buildings can be put together to form an overall picture, detailed and full of lively scenes. The Lego® 10255 Assembly Square continues the popular Modular Buildings series and uses components from all the predecessor sets: Nostalgia is pre-programmed for fans of the clamp building blocks.
In this review we will find out if the Lego 10255 Assembly Square is suitable as an investment and what makes it stand out.
Lego® Modular Buildings - A wish of the AFOLs
An official survey by Lego® in the AFOL (Adult Lego Fan) community in 2006 revealed that the majority of adult fans wanted a detailed and realistic city to build themselves.
Lego fulfilled this wish already one year later and presented the Creator Expert Modular Buildings series, which started with the 10182 Cafe Corner. The Modular Buildings are one of the most popular Lego series among many AFOLs.
Assembly Square in 2017 was followed by two successors which were launched in 2018 10260 Downtown Diner and 2019 10264 Corner Garage, these are already EOL. However, Assembly Square is not yet.
When do Modulars go EOL?
On average, modular buildings remained on the market for 3 years and 4 months until they went EOL. Lego® 10190 Market Street stayed on the market the shortest at 1 year and 6 months. The 10243 Parisian Restaurant, on the other hand, was on the market the longest at 5 years and 11 months.
In terms of value increase, all Modulars have performed well without exception, the first models like the 10185 Green Grocer are worth more than 1,000€ today and are also sold at these prices.
This development can only be observed in the first modulars. More recent examples like the 10243 Parisian Restaurant have doubled in value. The 10260 Downtown Diner, which went EOL at the end of 2020 with an RRP of €149.99, now has a market price of around €240.
Lego® 10255 Assembly Square: Numbers, Dates & Facts
The set is the 12th set of the Modular Buildings.
With 4002 parts it is the largest kit of the series, with an average parts price of 6 ct/part it is one of the cheaper sets of recent times. The 10255 Assembly Square is built on 1 ½ base plates, all other modulars have only 1 base plate as foundation.
The POV of the set for the last 6 months on Bricklink is 466,05€, which is a good value for investments. It is a D2C (Direct to Customer) set, so it is only offered at Lego and exclusive partners like Müller or Galeria and for this reason it is rare to buy it with discounts.
According to Brickfact, the 10255 Assembly Square had a low price of €184.67 in the past 12 months, so keep an eye out for offers.
A set with diversity
The Assembly Square consists of 3 building parts, whereby one stands alone. The 3 buildings contain: Café, bakery, flower shop, music shop, photo studio, dental practice, dance studio, flat. The facades have different designs.
The Lego® 10255 Assembly Square draws on components of its predecessors in its construction and design, this is obvious, for example, in the café, which is based on the 10182 Cafe Corner from 2007.
10225 Assembly Square: The Best Lego® City Centre?
The Modular Buildings series is based on the fact that Lego fans want to design their own, realistic city. The different sets can be individually combined to form a whole. Previous sets always had exactly 1 function and were adapted to this function on the outside (e.g. restaurant, town hall, fire station, etc.). The 10255 Assembly Square, on the other hand, has 3 main parts: Café, Flower Shop and Bakery. These facilities are directly visible on the outer façade of the buildings. Previously, other facilities were located on the other floors of the modulars. This is particularly interesting for Lego fans, with only one set they get three separate building parts with different functions.
First forecourt of the Modulars series
There had not been a forecourt before either. This has been designed with a fountain in the City Life set. If you want to add a "main square" to your miniature city, you will not get around the City Life Set.
The AFOL community is the target group
Like the other kits in the Modular Buildings series, the 10255 Assembly Square has no licence. A licence is interesting because it increases the target group of a set. With the City Life set, this is mainly limited to the AFOL (adult Lego® fan) community. Even though this sales market continues to grow and already in 2019 every tenth euro of the company's turnover was attributable to this target group, this is not optimal from the point of view of a Lego® investor.
Anniversary set: 10 years of Modulars
The Lego® 10255 Assembly Square is the 12th set in the Creator Expert Modular Buildings series and is not only an official anniversary set, but also one of the most popular in the Modular Buildings fan community. The official "10th Anniversary" seal on the packaging increases the collector's value of the kit. Thus, the set is and will remain unique in the long run, even though there might be later remakes, for example, but this has never been the case in the Modular series. This makes it particularly interesting for investors.
The Best of 10 Years & Easter Eggs
The Lego® 10255 Assembly Square draws on the previous sets of the last few years in its construction and details.
Reverting to the previous sets
- Roof and façade construction of the 10182 Café Corner
- Oven of the bakery from the 10243 Parisian Restaurant
- Details in the flower shop from 10218 Pet Shop
The throwbacks to previous modulars make the 10255 city life attractive for fans. Especially the replica of the 10182 Cafe Corner is an alternative if you want to complete your own city. This is now priced at over 1000€ and is too expensive for many fans, the city life is a good alternative.
Easter Eggs
Fans of the Creator Expert Modular Buildings will not only be reminded of previous sets, but can also discover little Easter Eggs.
- Flat of the 10255 City Life is based on a Lego playroom
- Packaging of the 10182 Café Corner as a miniature
- Other modulars abstractly represented as bricks
- 10181 Eiffel Tower as a miniature
- Portrait of the director of the 10251 Brick Bank in the photo studio
These small Easter Eggs of the kit create an emotional value that has not existed in this form before. Fans can discover the sets of the past years in a larger form or as small Easter Eggs. The 10255 Assembly Square could become indispensable for fans of the Modulars in the future. It is something unique, which is also important from an investment technical point of view.
Comparable Lego® Sets to the 10255 City Square
The past has proven that all Modular Buildings have always increased in price after they went EOL. However, the sets of the first years should not be taken as a reference. The 10182 Café Corner appeared almost 15 years ago and is worth over €1000 today. Comparisons with sets from previous years are more interesting and realistic.
Long dwell time
The 10243 Parisian Restaurant was released in 2014 and went EOL at the end of 2019, just like the City Life set, this was richly detailed and popular with the fan community.
The Parisian Restaurant was on the market for 5 years and 11 months, making it the Modular Building that was on sale the longest. The Assembly Square set has also been on the market for over 5 years (as of 14.04.2022).
Performance: 10243 Parisian Restaurant
With 2469 parts, it has less than ¾ of the number of parts of Assembly Square. The parts price of the RRP is comparable at just under 6 ct/part. Despite the long availability of 5 years and 11 months, the Paris restaurant is now sold at prices of over €270.00, and the trend is upwards.
Despite its long availability, the 10243 Parisian Restaurant has performed very well so far.
The Lego 10255 Assembly Square has been on sale for over 5 years, and its popularity is comparable to that of the Paris Restaurant. It is also the largest Modular Building to date and has the "10th Anniversary" seal. After EOL, a similar performance of approx. +70 to 100% can be expected.
Lego® Assembly Square EOL 2022?: Probably not until 2023
At Brickfact, a low price of €184.67 is given for the past 12 months (as of 12.04.2022). There are currently no signs from Lego that City Life will still go EOL in 2022. On the retailer lists it is still listed for 2023 and we expect the end of life to be in 2023.
Conclusion
The Lego® Modular Buildings series is excellently complemented by the Lego 10255 Assembly Square. It is the set for the 10th anniversary of the series and is reminiscent of its predecessors due to many details. Hidden Easter Eggs provide an emotional connection and make it particularly interesting for fans. The smaller target group of the AFOL community reduces the potential sales market, but the number of sales to this target group is steadily increasing and already accounts for 1/10 of total sales.
The average parts price of 6 ct/part is favourable compared to other sets and the POV of 466.05€ is considered acceptable. With a good purchase price below the RRP, a solid increase in value can be expected after EOL. For example, the 10243 Parisian Restaurant can be considered as a reference. The popularity, part price and dwell time are similar.
Offers and promotions
At the end of the life cycle, the prices usually increase, so if you are interested in an investment, a purchase in the near future would be recommended. Especially at Easter and during Black Week, Lego® offers interesting GWP and VIP promotions, in this combination the purchase price of the set can be reduced.
In the deals section of the Brickfact app, you can be notified when new deals at best prices appear.
Download the Brickfact app for iOS or Android here.
