Time to welcome 2018’s very first Creator Expert Modular Building – 10260 Downtown Diner!
The latest addition to LEGO’s flagship AFOL theme pays homage to the American Diners of the 1950s, blending delightfully retro architecture features with highly detailed interiors that the modular buildings are known for.
10260 Downtown Diner weighs in at 2,480 pieces and has a release date of 1 January 2018. Unlike previous D2C (Direct to Consumer) releases, there will be no VIP access.
Good news is that this set will probably be a good way to spend your Christmas money (is that still a thing?).
Here’s the pricing information for 10260 Downtown Diner and the respective links to the LEGO.com product page:
- LEGO 10260 Downtown Diner [US] – US$169.99
- LEGO 10260 Downtown Diner [AUS] – AU$249.99
- LEGO 10260 Downtown Diner [UK] – £129.99
- LEGO 10260 Downtown Diner [EU] -149.99€
- LEGO 10260 Downtown Diner [CA] – CA$219.99
I’m a huge fan of the Downtown Diner’s aesthetic. While it doesn’t seem like the largest modular on the street, it more than makes up for it with its amazing facade.
Taking cues from Streamline Moderne design, the teal arch immediately catches your attention, before your eyes wander towards the curved window that’s just oozing with retro-style.
While recent modular buildings had great architecture and facades, I’ve felt that the colour blocking has been a little lacking. I really love the use of teal, pink, white against a teal structure. Outside of the orangey goodness that is the Town Hall, the colour scheme of the Downtown Diner has to be my favourite one yet of all the modular buildings.
To give you a sense of its size, the Downtown Diner measures over 13” (34cm) high, 9” (25cm) wide and 9” (25cm) deep.
The Downtown Diner is also a remarkable set, as it will be the first post-1oth anniversary modular (Assembly Square celebrated a decade of modulars), ushering a whole new era of… minifigures with faces?
In every modular before this, every LEGO minifigure had the default classic smiley face which was in some ways, one of the calling cards of modular sets.
I really don’t like this change and I think LEGO is making a big mistake switching over to regular faces. Sure, some of the faces are neat little additions… but I’m going to swap these out for the classic faces as soon as I get this set. It only seems right.
Update: LEGO have released an official statement on the evolution of minifig faces and why the decision was made to shift towards expressive faces.
Over the past 10 years our modular buildings have evolved in many ways. We’ve added more interior details, more story-telling and more emotional triggers such as unique decorations on windows & Minifigure torsos. We now feel the time is right to bring the Minifigure expression in line with all the amazing details now offered throughout our models. We have always loved the classic smiley face for its versatility and nostalgia value, but are now excited to explore the new possibilities expressive faces will offer us.
The Downtown Diner features 3 levels, which you can see above.
The ground floor features the diner, complete with roller waitress (or Carhop) and era-appropriate checkerboard tile flooring. The diner has all the signature elements you’d expect from a 1950s themed restaurant, with bright red booths and barstools, a jukebox, burnished steel counters and of course milkshakes or floats. 
On the middle level, we have a small gym where a bodybuilder and boxer work out on weights, a boxing ring complete with punching bag.
Finally, on the top floor, we have a recording studio for a budding rock star with a really cool vocal booth complete with soundproof walls.
Last but not least, we have a pink convertible in the style of the Cadillac which is a neat little bonus addition to complete the 1950s look.
In terms of new parts and elements, we can expect new decorated elements include a decorated door, album cover, lots of teal-colored and pink-colored elements, and a dual-face minifigure with singing and smiling expressions.
Special elements include new flower stalks and flower heads, plus 1×3 ‘jumper’ plates, 2×2 plate with 2 studs and a minifigure torso with boxing gloves.
I’m really excited about Downtown Diner. Unlike previous modulars which have been kind of dull (like the Detective’s Office and Brick Bank) from a thematic standpoint, this set knocks it out of the park in terms of flavour and character.
It’s a really promising start to 2018 and will undoubtedly please many modular fans. The price seems just about right for a set with this many pieces, which is a good thing as I’d hate for the modular to get priced out of most LEGO fans’ budgets.
If there was one thing I’d change, it’d be the minifigure heads, but otherwise, I think LEGO have another hit set on their hands!
So yeah, that’s my thoughts on 10260 Downtown Diner! Would love to know what you think of this set, let me know in the comments!
PS: Yes, I think it’s time for me to get out of my hiatus. A blog post with a proper explanation of my whereabouts and why I’ve fallen off the face of the Earth is coming soon.
I love the brick bank. It was my first set. The vault details, the cash machine, and the robber storyline were all great! But then, the laundry mat, with a machine that launders money?? Awesome. After 4 more sets, the detective’s office became my favorite. The secret passage, the fire escape, and the hiding spot behind the picture frame all sparks my imagination. Im afraid I wont like the diner, given we dont seem to have the same taste in modulars!
Yeah, it definitely doesn’t have the same cheekiness and fun with the Detective’s Office and Bank with the cookie smuggling operation.
To me, the exterior is still quite amazing and unique, and one of the standout features of the set! Looking back the Detective’s Office’s facade does come across as one of the more boring ones in the series.
in Tasmania myer is the only retailer that sells the modular buildings but I was wondering if there is any news on when it will be in australian retailers,
It’ll probably arrive at Myer sometime in April. Modulars are usually the hero item in Myer’s toy sale catalogue.
Yeah i kinda disappointed on the minifig heads and do we have a relewase date?
Release date is 1 January 2018 on LEGO.com as well as LEGO Brand Retail Stores!
Well I don’t want to be negative, but this set looks to much like City set. I really don’t like the whole vibe with it, especially the new faces. It doesn’t fit the Modular Building theme in my opinion.
I agree, looks cheap and out of place compared to the other sets
I am so excited for this one! I love all things retro and I’m already working out where to fit this in with our City!
It’s a huge departure from the original modular theming but I really think it’s going to work well. It will kind of help bridge the gap in our City between my modulars, and the smaller buildings (houses, cafes, fire station etc) the kids have been collecting over the years.
And if you think about it, a lot of cityscapes do have newer buildings which replaced those that were bombed or burnt down; or there are newer hubs alongside the older areas due to expansion, so I’m excited to incorporate this one!
I’m in love with this set (not literally lol)! I feel the style is fantastic, the colors go together so well, and it’s nice to see a design change! All Pros but one.. My only Con about this set as many have said, is the decision to change the faces. I mean, why mess with something so iconic? It looks out of place to have a smile, the a bearded guy on the same sidewalk…, and I will for sure be swapping them out for classic grins.
Welcome back Jay, and I hope this post is the first of a lot more to come! I love reading your views about things, and hearing about news from you!
Ps, Christmas Money is still a thing! 🙂
-Josh
Hey Josh, you pretty much summed up my thoughts! Definitely getting back to the swing of things, sorry for being away!
I swear he is Elvis Presley
Well no one said he wasn’t Elvis… so you could be on to something 😉
I agree… challenge accepted
I must be the only one who likes the new faces. I’ve been swapping out heads on all the other sets since I jumped on board with Grand Emproium.
The one thing I’m a little iffy on is the big, pink Diner sign. It’s not the colour I mind, but the size of the lettering. I’m thinking I might try to work a little mod (don’t have much in the way of talent for that sort of thing, though) to mount the converible where the Diner sign is supposed to go.
Like others though, I love the detailing on the diner, especially the window.
I think it’s pretty even between those that prefer the classics and those that have welcomed the new faces. Personally, it’s a really minor issue as they’re so easily interchangeable, but I still have to give props to LEGO for taking it in a new (hopefully better direction).
The cadillac on the roof would be a sight to behold! Shouldn’t be too hard to do… whether you can make it pretty or not is a different thing!
Welcome back, Jay, hope you’ll have more posts coming up.
The set is awesome, can’t wait to get it!
Thanks, Levi! And yes, have a slew of posts coming up. Just have to get back into the rhythm of things 🙂
I love the window, it looks stunning.
Yep!
I think it would be nice if this is the start of a new line of modulars, based on a different time period. For one thing, the designers now have a whole new pool of ideas to pull from, so it should help the theme from becoming stale (even if it wasn’t stale yet, it was getting close IMO)
I definitely agree that this is the prime time for LEGO to shake up the formula. I’m with you on this being the impetus of a new, bolder era of modular designs. Bring on some awesome modern architectural marvels in the second decade of modulars.
Yay, Jay is back!
Back with a vengeance
Hey Jay, welcome back! The Diner looks great as a stand-alone but I’m not sure how it will look in the landscape of the current modulars. I’m happy to be proven wrong.
Thanks Mark! Like I said, with the new faces and the fact that we’re in the second decade of modulars, I think (and hope) LEGO are taking the theme in a whole new direction. Would love to see bolder design choices and for them to really flex their architectural design/muscle.
Not a fan of modulars, but this looks like a good set.
More importantly, welcome back Jay!!!! 😀
Thank you! Feels good to be back 🙂
Welcome back Jay! I was getting worried.
This might be heresy, but I think getting rid of the classic smiley heads was a good idea. But I hope they include some for those who prefer them.
Heresy! I like the smiley faces because I think it’s a classic standard of the Modular Buildings.
Thanks Tim. I had to take a self-imposed hiatus/dark ages as I was not in a great place mentally, but I’m much better now so I hope to get back into the swing of things!
It’s definitely a new era for the modular theme – like I said, the smiley faces are a minor and an easy fix. I am a fan of the variety that comes with the new faces, though! I really hope we get an extra set of classic faces, but I doubt LEGO will be so generous, heh.
The diner looks awesome. Will definitely buy it, although I might wait until I get home to Australia next august. Once you factor in the 13% extra tax here in Canada, Australia’s prices aren’t too bad. Just showed my 3 kids (12, 10 and 8) and they all want the diner too.
Yeah, not to mention all the 20% and upwards sales we get here, which means it’ll come down to at least $200 for those that have the patience for it to arrive at retail! Glad to hear that the kids are excited for it!
I’m not a fan AT ALL. Why mess with the classic faces and pre-war theme if it didn’t need to be changed? It’s going to look so out of place between the likes of the Parisian Restaurant and Assembly Square. I will definitely not be buying this, and if 2019 doesn’t get any better, then I will not be supporting them for any longer.
I agree. We wait every year for the modular and even made a few of our own additions but this one looks horrible, small, and out of place. Last year was so great. What happened?
Jamie Berard did not work on it this year (like he usually does). I believe he moved to the Architecture line. This could have something to do with building style, and also after the 10 year anniversary, maybe LEGO decided an update was necessary-hence the face print change.
Classic faces are an easy fix – they’re relatively cheap on Bricklink, so it’s a minor issue. As for the theme… I think the Modular Theme has expanded so much in its 10 years that I think it’ll be a breath of fresh air to go beyond the pre-war theme. Make no mistake, the new faces are symbolic in a sense that LEGO are going to take the theme towards a new direction post-Assembly Square.
Really sorry to hear that you’re not a fan, but I totally understand where you’re coming from. Hopefully you’ll change your mind when you see it in person or when reviews come out.
This looks so awesome! PleasepleasePLEASE don’t do another update on your whereabouts post, just post a awesome set review!!!!! I’ve been waiting 3 months. 🙁
I’m so sorry that I was away, but yes, already working on my next review!