JMBricklayer, a newcomer in the building set scene, has released several incredible products with a wide range of themes from medieval to modern, from vehicles to buildings, and even some sci-fi themed sets. There new series of modern buildings not only look great, but they are filled with details. I had the opportunity two build two structures from this series: the Coffee House and the Ecological Park.
The Coffee House building set comes with over 1500 plastic building pieces which can be assembled into a detailed structure. The set even includes a string of LED fairy lights which you can string around the interior or exterior to light up the model. The Ecological Park building set also consists of over 1500 pieces and comes with the same lighting as well. The sets are suggested for builders ages 14 years and up and made by JMBricklayer. They are currently available directly from JMBricklayer as well as the JMBricklayer store on Amazon for the suggested retail price of $54.99 for each set. However, the Coffee House is currently on sale for 10% off at both sites.
When you first open the box, you will find the pieces divided into many smaller bags numbered 1-3 to let you know which bags you need to open for each of the three main parts of the full color instruction manual. I like the way the instructions are organized. Each step in the manual lists the parts needed for that step and then shows where those new pieces go with the pieces for the step illustrated in color while the rest of the build is grayed out. This helps you see exactly where each new piece goes as you progress step by step.
The Coffee House has a very modern look with lots of windows and brick textured blocks. The exterior features plants in pots as well as growing along a wall. The structure has hinge pieces at the back so you can open it to explore the interior. There are tables for customers complete with coffee cups with logos and even baked goodies. The counter has a cash register, a coffee maker, espresso machine, sink, and even cartoons of milk. Pieces of art hand from the walls and a turntable jukebox is included to entertain customers. There is even an HVAC unit on the wall near the ceiling and a tree grows inside the shop right up to the top. All of the floor, both inside and out are tiled with smooth pieces so no studs are visible.
The Ecological Park is also designed to open up with hinges along one side. Part of the structure is a brick building while the other half is like a greenhouse with windows for the walls and roof. the entire exterior is surrounded by greenery and flowers as well as animals. Opening the building reveals a terrarium of frogs in the bricked site of the structure. Bird houses hang from the walls. The greenhouse side has a small pond and several types of plants.
As I was constructing these buildings, I was impressed with the amount of detail in each set. While the Coffee House has so many objects inside, I also liked the little features that make a difference on the overall structure. For example, the brick exterior walls also have small, square smooth pieces that really add to the texture. The shelf of plant pots sits at an angle in front of the shop with each of the five pots having a different type of plant in it. While the Coffee House has a very clean look, the Ecological Park almost looks like nature has taken over. Every square inch of the ground, both inside and out, is covered with plants or animals including cats, mice, and frogs with birds perched near the bird houses and along the exterior. The roof even has the appeared of tiled shingles. To light up the buildings, there is a brick with the batteries already inside and a switch. A wire with 10 embedded LED lights extends from the brick, allowing you to position them around the interior of the buildings as you wish. When lit up at night, these buildings with lots of windows look great.
Over the past several months, I have built nearly a dozen different sets by JMBricklayer and have really been impressed by each one. They all look great and were fun to build. Just like these two sets of modern buildings, all of their products have an impressive amount of details. While I built the Coffee House and Ecological Park by myself over the course of a few relaxing evenings, I have also enjoyed building other sets with my children. If you have not tried any of the building sets by JMbricklayer, I recommend getting some. Plus, they are priced less than other name brand building sets, so you get a lot more for your money.
The Coffee House and Ecological Park are part of a series of modern buildings by JMBricklayer which includes a Beauty Shop and a Flower Shop. For more information, check out these modern building sets at the JMBricklayer website or on their Amazon store.
Disclosure: GeekDad received a sample of this item for review purposes.
Click through to read all of “Build Some Modern Buildings with Impressive Details” at GeekDad.If you value content from GeekDad, please support us via Patreon or use this link to shop at Amazon. Thanks!
