Click Together: Modular LEGO Builds

LEGO has increasingly become a collector’s item that the community is tracking with great interest. It seems that the brick-building brand is no longer just for kids.

Adults are just as involved in the fan base, and LEGO is now creating exclusive kits for over-18s. Traditionally within the LEGO space, the highest-value collectors items happens to come from specific franchises.

However, it is one of the most modern lines in LEGO’s archives that seems to be rising rather rapidly. The modular building range was conceived as a fun adult line, which includes buildings that can be slotted together in various setups, to create an entire high street.

What first seemed like a novel idea has snowballed into a range of high-quality, limited edition builds, which highlight LEGO’s changing market.

LEGO’s modular sets are suddenly becoming high sellers, and once they are out of circulation, fans begin to hunt them down on the collector’s scene.

But why has this particular line become so popular, and is there room for this space to grow further in the coming years?

Building a Novel Concept

The very idea behind the modular series originated from a range of fan interviews back in the mid 2000s. LEGO had its sights set on creating a range of products that the fans themselves had influenced.

Speaking with a teen and an adult research group, LEGO came to the conclusion that what both communities wanted was exactly the same.

So, in 2007, the brand introduced the modular line. The concept was genius. To be able to completely create this LEGO world, builders would need to keep buying the products year-on-year. Each set also incorporated design elements that couldn’t be seen anywhere else.

The concept ensured that there was always a fan base for these sets. While they were slightly more expensive than normal and aimed at a building age of 16+, with often over 2000 pieces per box, the concept really caught on.

The series launched with Café Corner (10182) and developed from there. In total, there are 20 sets within the range, with a yearly reveal now almost guaranteed.

 

The basic premise has been extended beyond that initial idea, though, because these modular builds have also been miniaturised. Sets from the past that had made an impact were re-released as smaller builds.

Some of these went to market as part of single kits, while others were introduced as individual sets. Those mini versions of the major buildings have become collector's items unto themselves. They are pretty rare finds today.

The Limited Range

The key to making the modular line a success was in its limited availability. Looking across the history of these models, it quickly becomes apparent that many of them have a very short shelf life.

LEGO likes to host a couple of key sets every year, before moving on to the next. That means that this is an ever-evolving line.

There is always at least a year to grab a kit before they are removed from circulation entirely. That’s not a new concept for LEGO, and many of its mainstream sets are also only available to buy for a limited time. However, considering the scale of these builds, it’s unusual that their time on the market is so short.

Some, like the Market Street (10190) and Town Hall (10224), are given such limited releases that it is clearly an intentional move based on the popularity of the product.

LEGO started to create sets that took specific influence from both real-world locations and fictional buildings. The recent Natural History Museum (10326), for instance, takes its cues from the London and New York equivalent.

Meanwhile, LEGO has also released Ninjago, Marvel and DC Comics sets, which include the same modular connective points, allowing them to be linked up to the collection.

Batman’s Arkham Asylum (76300) feels right at home next to Downtown Diner. At the same time, Marvel’s Daily Bugle (76178), Avengers Tower (76269), Sanctum Sanctorum (76218) and X-Mansion (76294) can be included in the range to create a city ripped straight out of the comics.

Suggested article: The LEGO Gift Guide for Collectors

Basic Bricks at High Prices

As LEGO fans have become accustomed to, many of these prior sets have been found in the collectable community at increasingly high prices.

While the modular range wasn’t cheap to start, with LEGO charging upwards of £250 for some of their most recent installments into the series, the drastic rise in those price tags at auction can be attributed to the sets’ limited availability.

The LEGO Market Street (10190) set, for example, which is a bit of an oddity as a fan-made piece under the LEGO Factory branding, has sold for upwards of £3,000!

The short-selling Green Grocer (10185), by comparison, has auctioned up to £1500. Then there’s the very first entry into the series, the Café Corner (10182).

By comparison, some older products that were sold over a longer period or simply weren’t as popular are valued at a drastically lower price.

The Pet Shop (10218), which doubled as a 3-in-1 set, has been sold not far above its market value, at around £300. Likewise, Assembly Square (10255) is more likely to be found at the £250 range. But the longer this series runs, the more competitively priced this collectable will become.

LEGO’s New Audience

This modular line was built on the back of a focus group in the mid 2000s, which essentially predicted where the LEGO space would go over the next 20 years.

There are more adult and teenage fans of LEGO than ever, partially because of the work of the modular series, in creating a more mature style of product. Without its success, especially among collectors, perhaps LEGO wouldn’t quite have evolved to where it is now.

So now, fans look ahead to the coming years and what new modular buildings could be expected for this collection.

With The Shopping Street (11371) acting as the 2026 entry into the franchise, speculation turns to what else may be in store. Other current sets available for purchase are Tudor Corner (10350) and The Boutique Hotel (10297).

Expect further branded tie-ins with the likes of DC Comics and Marvel, as well as some new potential product concepts that will appeal to collectors everywhere.

The modular line won’t be going anywhere, and if you already have a sealed edition from the collection, then keep it safe. You never know when it might quickly shift in value!

For now, though, have fun slotting together those incredible buildings that boast intricate designs and building techniques rarely seen in any other model.

Because if there is one thing this series is expected to do, it is to continue innovating for builders looking for a challenge and a finish that can be proudly displayed.