Review:10251 Brick Bank/CM4Sci

Introduction[edit | edit source]

I would like to start off this review by giving a big thanks to Meiko and The LEGO Group for providing me with this set to review. This is the first time I've actually written a review for a set as well, so I am glad I have been given the chance to try this out and hopefully write out more in the future. I hope you enjoy it as much as I had fun doing this! I do apologize in advance for the inconsistency in the photography.

This is 10251 Brick Bank, the 11th set in the Creator Expert Modular Buildings series. Released in January 2016, this set comes with 2,380 pieces and 5 minifigures. The price is $170.

Opening the box and spilling out its insides shows 20 bags of pieces, mixed with both the newer and the old style of wrapping. A single, thick, 172-page instruction manual is included as well. The 5 minifigures are - a bank manager, a bank teller, a secretary, a child, and a mother. All four use the classic generic minifigure face as all modulars have in the past. They all include back printing as well. Accessories included are a stamp, a camera, a check, and a rope with robber headwear. I should note the secretary is wearing an updated version of the generic suit and tie torso we have been getting for years, and I, for one, am glad we have gotten an update!

The Build[edit | edit source]

Bag 1[edit | edit source]

Onto the set, Build 1 has the first 5 bags. This assembles the first "half" of the ground floor of the bank. Some interesting pieces to note are the NEXO Knights shields in Medium Stone Grey and Sand Blue. The finished build shows the ground. The street along with the small rows of flowers line the inside, which include a curved staircase, a vault which can be locked and opened with a turn, a bank teller area that uses an amazing building technique including glass doors, and a vase of flowers. Off to the corner is a small table with a feathered pen and a letter.

Bag 2[edit | edit source]

Build 2 has the next 5 bags. This finishes off the ground floor by completing the laundromat and adding a chimney onto the bank. More interesting pieces include multiple printed windows and a door, a 2x4 tile with a check print, and a small bag containing a gold ingot and coins.

The first floor is done and it's amazing! The pillars on the outside use a whopping 42 Medium Stone Grey ingots. The lamps at the enterance are another clever and minimal build. Above the doors there is another nice and small build of a microfigure with wings and claws that were used in the Price of Persia sets along with The Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Running across the top are pieces first used for cupcakes in the Friends line to give a nice design.

The laundromat is a small inclusion yet an important part of the story behind this set that will be explained later. The neon sign is a nice inclusion along with the extra pair of pants and washing machine above the enterance. Inside is a nice tiled floor that has a seat with a light and clock above. On the other side are four washing machines, one which seems to be broken for some odd reason... On the left is a small table with laundry detergent.

Bag 3[edit | edit source]

Bag 3 makes the second floor of the bank. This build has 6 bags instead of the previous 5! A lot of sand green windows and white pillar pieces are sure to be useful in your own personal creations. Also we get four of the new [PIECE NUMBER] in gold. Also included is what I believe is a new print of a portrait that goes in the bank manager's office. We also get two of the newer fence pieces in black!

The second floor is complete! Inside is a giant hole surrounded by a railing to give people upstairs a nice look below. Arriving on this floor you see a small desk and a very nice espresso machine next to a fireplace. A nice typewriter build sits on the desk and a clock rests on the wall. Walking past the fireplace leads you into the bank manager's office, where a rounded desk sits in front of a chair. Another chair is next to the desk (which holds a candy and a letter) where there is also a small pair of drawers with a stone bird on top. The outer wall has dark orange column pieces and more flowers. A big clock is added to the corner of the outside where there was previously two clips.

Bag 4[edit | edit source]

On to the final part of the set, the roof (and finishing touches!) Bag 4 has the last 4 bags and inside contains more sand green windows, and a new arch window piece introduced last year. Inside a chandelier is built to light up the inside of the bank. There are also a ton of zipline handles which are used to make a nice design that runs around the outside of the roof. The middle in front has a nice build that uses key pieces from the Elves line with a shield in the middle. The small area above the office of the bank manager has a pulley that can raise items. On the "back" of the roof is the door that leads to the top along with a chimney top. The absolute top of the set has a nice rounded skylight.

The finishing touches include a nice bench using elephant trunks to go in front of the adjacent side of the entrance to the bank. Also built are a ladder, a lamp, and a small bucket of water with a broom to clean the black clock on the corner. One final thing, a small tree in front of the bank.

Completed model[edit | edit source]

After a few hours of building, The Brick is open for business! The completed model stands 10 inches high and 25 cenimeters long and wide.

But we're not finished yet! The vault can be broken into by lowering the mother (in full robber gear) down the chimney, past the raised vault gate, and into the vault. There are dollar bills piled up, cabinets filled with coins, jewels, and gold. Behind that wall is the laundromat, and the broken washing machine can actually slide the gold and dollar bill inside! No money is safe in LEGO City! Like last year's Detective's Office, I appreciate the hidden story and functions LEGO is putting into the Modular Buildings.

Conclusion[edit | edit source]

Wow, what a build. Jamie Berard has yet again exceeded my expectations with this set. The exterior and interior are both incredibly beautiful with so many creative builds and a sleek design. This is a great addition to the Modular Building series and an even better addition to your LEGO City! I absolutely recommend this set. At $170 for 2,300+ pieces, it's a great deal, and overall a great model.

Value for Money:	4½ / 5
Minifigs:	4½ / 5
Build:	4½ / 5
Overall:	4½ / 5

Thank you for reading my first review on here and I hope to see you again very soon with another set! :)

Comments[edit | edit source]

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Jack PhoenixBricktastic

93 months ago

Score 0

Nice review and cool pics, thanks for sharing. :)

It is somewhat expensive but also far more impressive than my previous favorite bank set, 6566 Bank. Lots of bills, coins and even a gold bar here — wow! Not to mention the very thick instruction book required for building this beautiful set.

Few questions regarding the photos:

Do you have the original, non-resized versions somewhere that you could upload? I really like your photos and I think they'd be a fantastic addition to the mainspace page, except that right now at 640 × 429 pixels they're somewhat small, given that full HD (1920 × 1080 pixels) is a relatively common display resolution these days.
Can you please please please use more descriptive file names (at least in the future)? :) We have almost 100k files currently and of these, way too many use cryptic and/or otherwise non-descriptive file names; such as File:0000001224-L-52d7434.jpg, which is used on Indiana Jones (Minifigure) and is captioned "Indiana Jones getting the Golden idol of fertility"; the file name doesn't make any of this obvious, and if it weren't used on the page, it'd be pretty tricky to find that file.

Thank you again for the review and the pics; hoping to see more reviews and awesome pics from you!

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