Review – Modular Modern Home [31068]

My hopes were pretty high when I first heard of this modular series of Creator homes. I guess I imagined a series of buildings with interchangeable parts that were designed similarly to the Expert series of modulars. I have to say, that is not what I got with this first foray into the series. Without going into much detail just yet, I have to say that I am disappointed. But, let’s take a closer look at why.

SET SUMMARY

NAME: Modular Modern Home
SET #: 31068
THEME: Creator 3-in-1
COST: $49.99 CAD
BRICK COUNT: 386
MINIFIGURES: 2
RELEASE DATE: May 29, 2017

SUMMARY REVIEW: 61%

VALUE: 80% ($0.13 per brick is fairly average.)
BUILD: 50% (I am not a fan of the new modular design of this building.)
MINIFIGURES: 74% (Somewhat bland design, but good brick-to-fig ratio.)
ENTERTAINMENT: 40% (Terrible build-time value, I will re-purpose the parts.)

REVIEW

VALUE: 80%
The Modular Modern Home costs $49.99 in Canada. It also comes with 386 pieces, meaning each brick will cost you $0.13. That is pretty average, and I give this set 4/5 (80%) for value.

BUILD: 50%
I only built the model depicted on the front of the box, but it is a 3-in1 set. I like the overall, exterior look of the building. That is what drew me to this set to begin with. I was pretty excited about modifying this building for use in my LEGO® city. But, on building it, I was very disappointed with the construction. It is modular, but not all in the sense that I was expecting. There are two basic structural units that are used to build all three possible variations of this 3-in-1 kit. Everything else is built to be popped into place. Imagine those City or Super Heroes sets that have walls that can be popped out of place to simulate explosions or break-ins. All of the walls on this set are like that. Every modular component of this set is very loosely attached to the two main structural units. As I was putting the whole thing together, many of the parts popped out and had to be replaced. This says to me that the Modular Modern Home will not withstand much rough play… unless you are aiming for blowing things up…

I expected this set to be made of complete structural units, like the floors of the Expert modular buildings. I did not anticipate the two base units into which everything else loosely clips. Personally, I feel like this takes some of the joy out of building. Say, for example, you want to build all three possible models. It cuts corners in building to have these base units. I don’t have any other sets from this modular series, so I don’t know how well each of these sets can be interchanged. But, I don’t think I like this concept.

As I mentioned earlier, I do like the overall look of the building. I also like the little electric car and charging port on the side of the building. The interior of the building is a little empty. You get a chair and couch on the ground floor, and two little beds upstairs. The upstairs is pretty small, so only the beds are up there. The downstairs is pretty empty. Overall, I don’t like the modular aspects of this set, and I find the interior of the main build a little bland. I give this set 5/10 (50%) for its build score.

MINIFIGURES: 74%
There are two Minifigures included with the Modular Modern Home. You get one adult, and one child. If you have read many of my past reviews, you already know that I don’t like the child Minifigures. I am not a fan of the un-moving legs. The arms are also regular Minifig arms, which look disproportional to the stumpy legs. So, these characters already lose some points there. Neither has any leg printing, nor do they have double sided faces. One comes with hair, the other a hat, and both have front and back printed torsos. The only accessories included in the set are two pairs of scissors. I give these characters 20/30 (67%) for design.

With two Minifigures and 386 bricks, the Modular Modern Home has a brick-to-Minifigure ratio of 193:1. That is not the best I have ever seen, but I would still rank it as good. In that regard, I give this set 4/5 (80%). Averaging the design and ratio scores gives the Modular Modern Home an overall Minifigure score of 74%.

ENTERTAINMENT: 40%
The Modular Modern Home took me 48 minutes to build. At a price tag of $49.99, that means that each minute of build time cost me $1.04. That is a terrible value. I am not entirely sure why this set was priced at $49.99, to be honest. The Sunshine Surfer Van, for example, has almost the same number of parts, but is priced $10.00 cheaper. It is also a more elaborate build, taking longer to complete, and with more detail. While the Sunshine Surfer Van is more of an exception than a rule in terms of price, it just goes to show that there are much nicer sets in this piece range that come at a better value. I give the Modular Modern Home 1/5 (20%) for build-time value.

As for my enjoyment of the set… I am not really feeling it. I mentioned earlier that I like the exterior look quite a bit. But, the rest of the set leaves a lot to be desired. I will be taking this one apart and re-purposing the parts. On that front, you do get some nice pieces to use in other projects, such as windows and doors. The light blue and white are also colors that I need currently. I may try to develop a more sturdy MOC using the the exterior look of this set in the future though. The Modular Modern Home earns 3/5 (60%) for my enjoyment of it. Averaging this with the build-time value score lands this set a total entertainment rating of 40%.

OVERALL: 61%

While the cost per brick for the Modular Modern Home is ok, and the exterior design is nice, the rest of this set just doesn’t do anything for me. The interior of the building is pretty bland. The modular construction comes apart too easily, and it feels like a cop out in terms of design to use the same basic structure for all three possible builds. You also don’t get much build time at all for a really high price tag. I was really looking forward to this set, and I really feel let down by it. Maybe I will try to keep the exterior design alive in a custom project some day, but I will certainly do away with the pop-in wall design.

I don’t generally read too many other reviews of a set before I review it myself so as not to bias my opinion. But, now that I have seen and built this set, I am curious if anyone else feels the same about this type of modular design as I do. Feel free to constructively comment in the space below.

Until next time,

-Tom