As the LEGO Modular Buildings Collection celebrates 20 years since its debut with 10182 Café Corner, it’s a great time to look back at the sets that have been released to complement the beloved town house builds.
Through the years, there have been free bonus sets designed to fit alongside the Modular Buildings Collection that have added an extra layer of life to the compelling world. Now that it is 20 years since the long-running series launched, it’s a nice opportunity to look at these Modular Buildings Collection sets… that aren’t modular buildings.
The LEGO Group has released gift with purchase sets with some of the modular building sets over the years. The free models are designed to fit with the specific model – they have mainly been vehicles, but there have been a couple of retail outlets too. They add a little bit of extra storytelling to the street and typically come with one or two more minifigures to extend the scene.
40140 Flower Cart
40140 Flower Cart was the first gift with purchase set designed to complement a modular building – specifically 10246 Detective’s Office – and it launched in 2015. The tiny set features a little wagon with a white-and-yellow canopy to protect the fresh blooms for sale. It also builds a barrel with some cookies hidden inside, possibly hinting at the pastry thief who is stashing away snacks for later. While it’s very small and simple, it adds to the liveliness of the street outside Ace Brickman’s office.
40448 Vintage Car
There were no free extras for 10251 Brick Bank and 10255 Assembly Square. It was only with the release of 10260 Downtown Diner that these adjacent sets returned. 40448 Vintage Car creates a sleek hard-top convertible in striking teal and white. It ingeniously uses LEGO surfboards for the doors. It also comes with two minifigures in retro 1960s style outfits, perfectly complementing the vibe of the diner. It’s the only tie-in set inspired by a fan – Arne Jahnke came up with the concept and won the Ideas Build a Vintage Car challenge.
40532 Vintage Taxi
Sticking with the vintage aesthetic, 40532 Vintage Taxi launched alongside 10297 Boutique Hotel in 2022. It has prominent wheel arches and a sloping grille, reminiscent of a Rolls Royce Phantom, so minifigure guests can arrive at the penthouse suite in style. It’s a little snug inside, as it only just about fits the driver,a tourist and a suitcase. A tiny taxi rank also accompanies the set, so hotel guests can either flag one down or ask the front desk to call a cab.
40586 Moving Van
40586 Moving Van is one of the biggest sets that has come with a Modular Buildings Collection set, which has an impressive 301 pieces. It needs all of them to make a sideboard, an upright piano, a jukebox, piece of abstract wall art and the moving truck itself. All of these items are designed to fit within 10312 Jazz Club, so there’s a big focus on music. The art piece uses yellow and pearl gold bricks to suggest the silhouette of a saxophone.
40681 Retro Food Truck
There is a set that is not quite adjacent to the Modular Buildings Collection, but still goes well with one of the models. 40681 Retro Food Truck came out at almost the exact same time as 10326 Natural History Museum, though wasn’t designed specifically to go with the building inspired by the iconic London landmark. They still work together though, as while the museum is filled with art and artefacts, there’s nowhere to grab a coffee or a snack… the vendor serving up hot dogs is going to be kept very busy.
40747 Corner Kiosk
Continuing with the London theme, 40747 Corner Kiosk added some extra charm to the streets of 10350 Tudor Corner. This quaint kiosk comes with a newsstand featuring the latest periodicals and magazines, a vintage gum-ball machine and a public clock if you need to keep an eye on the time during your commute. It features two exclusive minifigures, a shopkeeper to run the kiosk and a woman with an umbrella (definitely prepared for a typical British rainy day).
40913 Vintage Parade Car
This set includes a lovely tribute to the series – there are two lampposts, both using the classic Fabuland element that has appeared in every single modular building set.
Fans who have built 11371 Shopping Street will know that there are two minifigure children eagerly picking out new instruments and accessories for their marching band – 40913 Vintage Parade Car implies that they are preparing to perform at the Annual Silly Hats Parade. Two minifigures wearing very fun and ostentatious headwear are riding in the car – after all, who doesn’t want to wear a cheeseburger hat?
Read more about the Modular Buildings Collection – here is a list of the biggest ever sets in the series.
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