Should you buy it – 31105 Townhouse Toy Store

What if I told you there was a LEGO set that gave you the modular building experience but at a smaller scale and at a much lower price? An amuse-bouche modular if you will. Well if that has caught your interest then read on while I answer the question…

Should you buy the Townhouse Toy Store?

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If you are looking for a small scale modular experience then yeah I think you should buy it. If you are wanting a great set to give a younger LEGO fan, then again yes you should buy it. If you want to create a large city display without having to try and fill it with full sized modulars? Yes buy it.

To be honest I can’t really think of a circumstance where you shouldn’t buy it.

The set is really structured like a modular in terms of the build. You add in some detailing at street level like some tiled pavement. Then you build up the walls which are topped off with tiles so that you can easily remove the next layer. Before you move on to the next level you do the internal detailing. It’s a really fun little build.

Level 1 – The toy store

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On the outside you get some great details like the striped awnings and gumball machine. To really make it clear that this is a toy store you also get a “big” toy soldier sitting at the door as well as a train over the doorway.

Inside there is a bench with cash register, shelving and two display stands.

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On the display stands there are two great microbuilds – a truck and a yellow plane.

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Over on the back wall there are some printed tile representing LEGO sets. There’s a printed Cafe Corner which is just awesome.

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On the second level is a fairly modest townhouse. Rather than using the full footprint of the lower level for the townhouse one wall is 4 studs in, to create a small balcony/landing.

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Inside there is a bed with blue and green bedspread; two small tables, each with a vase and some flowers; and a lamp. As I said its fairly modest.

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The upper level has some nice external detailing with the window planter boxes and curved elements framing the windows.

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To finish off the build there is a fairly simple roof. Some bracket plates allow for a little extra detailing but it’s overall very basic. Not a bad thing really – it’s just a roof it doesn’t need to be fancy. You do get a brick-built bird perched on the roof which I like. There is also the dark blue peak at the front.

Minifigures

The set includes two minifigures. A female toy store worker wearing a great LEGO shirt, and a young boy. Both are really nice minifigures. A 3rd might have been a good inclusion so it didn’t feel like the kid was an orphan.

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Rocket Ride

To complete the build you also get a mechanical rocket ride. This is a great little build by itself and it feels like a bonus here. It wasn’t necessary but I am super happy that it’s included. The vintage space rocket design is simple but effective. It’s really charming. The ride mechanism is fun with great motion achieved with just a few parts – it doesn’t just go up and down but also rocks.

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Alternate Builds

As a 3-in-1 model this set comes with instructions for two different alternate builds. To be honest I wasn’t blown away by either of them and didn’t take the time to pull the main build apart to attempt them. There is a cake store and a flower store. Both are single story which doesn’t impress as much as the two storey main build.

Buying

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The Townhouse Toy Store has an RRP of $69.99 but can easily be found for cheaper than that. Kmart have it listed for $55 every day price. 20% off RRP at another retailer would just about that match that. The best option (unless you are reading this some time after July 15 2020) is going to be the Big W toy sale, which will feature this set for just $49.00.

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2 thoughts on “Should you buy it – 31105 Townhouse Toy Store

  1. Agent 86 Reply

    I miss the Creator 3 in 1 commercial and residential builds which were fully enclosed. I’ve been tempted to buy two sets of 31105 and combine them, but it would end up being a lot of windows.

  2. sterow Reply

    Great little set with many great parts and sub-builds. I used some of the mini-builds to enhance the rather bare toy store in the Grand Emporium, and the little rocket ride would be great to add to a fairground.

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