September 1, 2020 marks the official release date for several LEGO® sets. Among them is Main Square (60271). The LEGO® Group gave official word of the set in mid-August. Subsequently, they offered me the set as a pre-release review. I jumped at the opportunity for a few reasons. First, these big City sets give me a lot of inspiration for custom builds. Second, they tend to include a lot of Minifigures to populate my city. Third, Main Square is the largest City set of the year. Finally, it is the second largest City set ever produced. How does it hold up? Buckle your seats belts, this is going to be a long ride!
NOTE: The LEGO® Group provided this set for review. However, the provision of products does not guarantee a favorable review. I will use my usual rating system (click here to learn more) and provide my honest opinion.
MAIN SQUARE (60271) SUMMARY
- NAME: Main Square
- SET #: 60271
- THEME: City
- COST: $229.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 1517
- MINIFIGURES: 15
- RELEASE DATE: September 1, 2020
MAIN SQUARE (60271) QUICK REVIEW
- VALUE: 70% (Satisfactory cost-per-brick, but only barely passable build-time value.)
- BUILD: 85% (More detail than similar past sets, good for generating ideas, few useless builds).
- MINIFIGURES: 89% (Loads of minifigs and accessories, several are unique to the set.)
- ENTERTAINMENT: 95% (Family friendly build that offers something to AFOLs and KFOLs alike.)
- OVERALL SCORE: 85%
MAIN SQUARE (60271) REVIEW
VALUE: 70%
Main Square is one of the biggest City sets ever made and it has the price tag to match. The set costs $229.99 in Canada. Additionally, the kit contains 1517 pieces. That equals a cost-per-brick of $0.152. Comparatively, my average across all LEGO® themes is currently $0.14. Therefore, Main Square is a touch on the expensive side. However, the overall value-per-brick is satisfactory. The value is even better when compared to other sets from the City theme. As it stands, my average cost-per-brick for City alone is $0.17. In the end, the cost-per-brick of this set does not blow me away. However, I am not disappointed by it either. I rate the value-per-brick at 76%.
Main Square took me three hours and 18 minutes to build (198 minutes total). At full price, each minute of build time boils down to $1.16. That is expensive for a set this big. Comparatively, my average cost-per-minute is $0.83. There is a lot going on in this set, but it is a lot of small, uncomplicated builds. For me that went relatively quickly. The build-time value is passable in this case, but not what I would expect from a large set. I rate it at 63%. Averaging this score with the value-per-brick gives an overall value rating of 70%.
BUILD: 85%
As with many large City sets, Main Square comprises several small builds. With the first instruction manual you build a handyman wagon and four-wheeler. Sadly, neither is an impressive start to the set. I could do without these builds entirely. Especially the handyman wagon. The design seems confused. The four-wheeler is what you expect from a $4.99 polybag. It is not the worst I have ever seen, but I have gotten nicer builds in those polybags. The brick count that went into these builds costs detail elsewhere. Luckily, they represent only 98 bricks. That is 6% of the entire set.
The second manual is for the fire rescue helicopter. What would a big City set be without another small helicopter? Once again, it would be more detailed elsewhere. As far as helicopters go, there is nothing wrong with this one. However, it is remarkably similar in style to every other small City helicopter that came before it. Again, I have truly little use for this build. It represents 71 bricks, or 5% of the set.
There are too many un-detailed little vehicles in this set.
Luckily, my major issues with Main Square end there. You build a limousine with the third manual and it is nice. It is typical City-fare in that the car is only four studs wide. The car would be nicer at eight studs wide. However, the driver fits nicely in the front and one passenger gets loads of space in the rear. Additionally, the back houses a table and TV. This is one build that would benefit from the 169 bricks lost in manuals one and two. In the end, I will keep this one in my city for a while. At least until something nicer comes along. The limousine consists of 105 bricks and represents 7% of the set.
Next up, you build a diner. It is a cute build from the exterior. Additionally, it comes equipped with nice signage (stickers). I love the giant burger on the roof. It uses a new brick from the Super Mario theme as a beef patty. Otherwise, the restaurant interior is a little cramped. There is only one table and the cooking area does not give Minifigures much space. However, this build offers inspiration. I got a few ideas for my own custom builds from this little one. The diner consists of 105 bricks, representing 7% of the set.
The park features an odd statue choice.
Manual five gives instructions for a park. I am not planning to keep this in my city. However, much like the diner, it did give me ideas. I like the round, grassy patches surrounded by “concrete”. This set has some trees on the grass that need a redesign. But, like I said, the idea is a good one. Additionally, the park has a fountain with an interesting statue. This is a solid grey Minifigure with a Robin-Hood-esque hat. It is reminiscent of the forest men from the ‘80s and ‘90s. However, this one has his hands cuffed behind his back. To me, that sadly implies that the forest men did not win against the knights of old. This statue seems to celebrate their defeat. Part of me likes the throwback. However, part of me does not like the suggestion of oppression. I might be reading too much into this…
The sixth manual is for a small stage. I like this build. It is simple but detailed enough to look good. Additionally, it is a stage for a small park. Therefore, it does not need to be big. This build comes ready to insert into your own small city park. This was a highlight of the set for me. 99 bricks make up the stage, which is 6% of the set. Incidentally, the park itself is 108 bricks (about 8% of the set).
The stage and tram are highlights of this set.
The next build is the tram. There has been some confusion surrounding the tram online. People are wondering if it comes with tracks. It does not. In fact, the product images do not show tracks. They show the tram on an illustration of a monorail-type structure. The fact that it is an illustration should tell you there are no tracks in this set. The LEGO.com description even calls it a “trackless tram”. In any case, you build a tram and a small stop for it. I like the tram stop. It is bright and has nice signage. My only issue is the screen at the ticket terminal. It is a blank window piece. There needs to be a sticker.
The tram itself is sleek and modern looking. It uses actual train cockpit pieces on either end. The front and back cars each have a conductor’s chair, two passenger seats, and two swing-open doors. The roof of each comes off to facilitate Minifigure placement. The small car in the center is only accessible by pulling off one of the larger cars. However, that is easy to do. This build is another highlight of the set for sure. The tram consists of about 267 bricks while the station is 38. Collectively they represent 20% of the set.
Town Hall inspires me to customize this set.
The main build in this kit is the town hall. It represents close to 40% of the set. I say close because I have not accounted for Minifigures or their accessories in the counts for this set. Regardless, this is the largest part of Main Square. The façade of the building is nice. Additionally, you build it in three modules. They join by Technic pins. Therefore, you can also redesign this into a narrower building on your own using largely included parts. Just sitting here and looking at it right now, I can visualize a lot of potential for a custom redesign.
Inside the town hall, the décor is a little spare. The bottom floor is museum-like with three displays. The main display houses the key to the city. Rotating “lasers” guard the key. The mayor’s office is upstairs. It consists only of a desk and chair with some accessories placed around the room. Finally, all the main windows on the building pop in and out of place easily. This allows the set’s criminal to yank them off with his motorbike and tow chain as he robs the joint. Overall, I like the exterior design of this building. It inspires me to customize.
Looking at the set as a whole, I only dislike 11% of it in terms of brick allotment. 26% is amazing. The stage and tram are both well designed and a lot of fun. The remaining 63% is good remembering that is not a set geared for AFOLs. I did not learn any new techniques, but I did gain several new ideas for my own custom projects. I greatly appreciate that. This set certainly has more substance than its processor of similar scale, Capital City. I rate the overall build experience at 85%.
MINIFIGURES: 89%
LEGO.com advertises that Main Square (60271) comes with 14 Minifigures. In truth, it comes with 14 characters and 15 Minifigures. The park has a Minifigure statue that is completely grey. Of the characters, only two are stumpy children with unbending legs. The rest are a decent assortment of townsfolk and characters from the LEGO® City Adventures TV show. Eight of them feature double-sided faces. Additionally, all have front and back torso printing. However, only one character has any leg print. Of interest is the new Minifigure sporting a hearing aid. This is the latest move by the LEGO® Group to create an inclusive Minifigure world. It is also the first time that I have seen printing on the side of a Minifigure’s head.
Of all the characters in Main Square, Freya McLoud is my favorite. I do not know anything about the show. However, I love her flaming marshmallow mug. Additionally, her alternate expression with coffee splashed all over her face is amazing. A close second is Poppy Starr due to her unique torso printing. Her design is exclusive to this set as far as I know. Finally, the other major minifig highlight for me was the mayor. He comes in a corncob suit like the one from series 17, but different shades. What is great about him is he still features torso printing under the costume. Overall, you gain a lot of Minifigures to populate your city. Most are somewhat generic, but that is okay. In addition, you get 44 accessories. Consequently, I rate the design of these characters at 88%.
Main Square comes with fifteen Minifigures!
15 Minifigures in a kit containing 1517 pieces is good. It works out to a brick-to-fig ratio of 101:1. Comparatively, my average is currently 151:1. Therefore, for a set this big, you get a great number of Minifigures. I rate the ratio at 90%. Averaging this score with the design scores gives the Main Square denizens an overall rating of 89%.
ENTERTAINMENT: 95%
I wanted this set the moment I saw the first pictures. I like these large City sets because they often come with a lot of Minifigures. However, more importantly, they tend to inspire me to build. I do not often keep the structures as they come. However, I do maintain recognizable elements from the original designs that I enjoyed in custom builds. This set is no different. The tram might remain as designed in my city. The stage could potentially find a home too. However, I will modify the rest over time.
From a kid’s perspective, Main Square offers a lot. I do not watch LEGO® City Adventures. However, the characters from the series appear in this set and others from the 2020 City selection. The show likely makes the characters more relatable to kids. Additionally, the buildings in this set will supplement a KFOL city well. My own childhood city was small but lined with buildings like this that offered little more than facades. It made me happy.
I avoided giving an AFOL and KFOL score before this point. The reason for that is family build time. The advertising for this set really pushes a group build. The instructions divide up so that several people can work on the same set together. Some builds are easier than others for varying levels of expertise. In truth, this set will not challenge AFOLs. However, if you have kids, you can get quality building and bonding time with them through this. I was inclined to rate the entertainment at 4/5 for AFOLs and 5/5 for KFOLs. However, the communal build experience surely increases the value for AFOLs as well. Overall, I rate the entertainment score at 95%.
OVERALL SCORE: 85%
Main Square (60271) is a huge set. However, the value of the set is only satisfactory when compared to sets overall. City sets tend to be pricier than other themes though. Once you get past the price, the set is a lot of fun. I enjoyed several of the builds because they look good or provide me with inspiration. Additionally, the set has 15 Minifigures, some of which are currently unique to the kit. Finally, Main Square is also a family friendly experience. Each build has its own manual, and there are varying levels of difficulty. Therefore, you can easily sit down and have a family build night with this set. I enjoyed this set more than Capital City and City Square from years past. What are your thoughts? Feel free to comment below or reach out on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
What do others think of Main Square (60271)?
Brick Insights is an awesome site that aggregates LEGO® set review scores from around the web. Based on their statistics, you can see what other reviewers think of the Main Square (60271) below.
Want to support True North Bricks?
If you like the content at True North Bricks, please follow on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter for regular updates. Additionally, you can support True North Bricks by making your LEGO® (and other) purchases using the links in the menu to the right. These affiliate links earn me a little commission at no extra cost to you, thus helping to manage the cost of running this blog. Thanks for your support!