Just got this from LEGO.com right as it came back into stock. It's still on there as far as I can tell so if you're reading this review soon after its writing I recommend heading to LEGO.com (US) and grabbing it before it goes back out of stock.

I have mostly corner modulars in my collection (I'm only missing Brick Bank) so I'm always interested in seeing how they are designed and I'm always impressed at the differences in approach to the corner walls. I was definitely impressed by this set which makes extensive use of the rounded 1x2 plate with open studs (surprisingly sturdy) to hinge walls into place.

The bottom floor is the garage naturally and due to the gas station drive way, about half of the plate is dedicated to the sidewalk which is a pleasant change of pace from previous corner sets. The interior of the garage is filled with many detail choices that are clever (the rolling door, the wall facing the gas pump) ...interesting (the space directly behind the cash register is partially obstructed by the tire window display, the bottom of the steps to go upstairs are a little wonky) and functional (the lift--see below). Honestly, I thought the slanted wall was going to be extremely flimsy during the entire build and I was waiting for it all to snap into place which it did after some mild suspense. It holds together quite well despite really only being held in by a few pieces. The exterior is also nicely detailed with the safety poles on the sides of the garage, the windshield scraper in the water bucket, and the various tires on the wall. The gas pump looks elegant and the Octan logo was a nice reference to the City sets I used to play with as a kid (I also remember some sets that had the Shell logo). It's a little curious that the pump faces the street despite the driveway presumably being for gas customers. The awning that covers the driveway is an interesting build; much like the slanted wall it's pretty fragile right up until the last few steps. Getting the base of the gas pump to snap into the 2x2 plate with large hole took some doing without feeling like I was going to break something but once it gets in there it's not going anywhere--it feels much stronger than the old school turntables from Cafe Corner and the tower on Palace Cinema.

There's some significant play functions in the garage compared to previous modulars. Unlike Downtown Diner where the car is built last (or first, like in Palace Cinema) the tow truck is built after the completion of the first floor. It's definitely a highlight of the build; watching it come together is great and at first glance the technic pieces for the crane seem complicated to anyone unfamiliar with building technic stuff but it's pretty straightforward. I tried placing the cars from previous modulars on the lift as well as the tow truck and they sit somewhat lopsided on it--the part touching the wall holds up better than the far side. The function to move the lift is also not the smoothest and if it's feeling stuck it takes some minor finesse to get it working. A similar sticking issue happens with the rolling door (the design of which is incredible) albeit in a much lower capacity that's hardly noticeable. The door works great with cars in the garage except the towtruck which necessitates some fiddling with the crane to fit inside properly with the door down. The sheer presence of these functions in the set compensates for their shortcomings in my opinion and I'm sure more adventurous builders than me could correct the problems with the lift. I've tried using the crane for the towtruck on both the pink Cadillac from Downtown Diner and the Buick from Palace Cinema in multiple ways and it works great any way you choose--either clipping one side of the chain to the stud on the crane hook and the other chain stud under the car, or both chain studs under the car and hooking the chain onto the crane--and holds up when towing across distances.

The second floor is the vet, which features not one but two angled walls utilizing the 1x2 rounded plate. Like any slanted wall in the set it's flimsy during much of the build but comes together at the end. The bay window in the vets actual office is cleverly designed using some SNOT techniques that reminded me of the HOTEL sign in Cafe Corner and parts of the windows on Downtown Diner. It doesn't leave any awkward gaps or anything and looks awesome once its completed. The interior details are great--my favorite is the aquarium (this set has a lot of pets). The desk is appropriately messy and has a cool looking but fragile lamp on it. The frog pen and microscope are fun mini builds. I think the detail on this floor exceeds the detail in the garage downstairs and offers some pretty good playability if that's your thing.

The next level is very similar in structure but has some ornate tiling below the windows that was more limited on the level below. I'm a fan of these particular parts of the build because it really gives me time to slow down and enjoy the build by focusing on the particulars of the tiling. I like placing them so they look perfectly aligned which often takes up a good chunk of time. The interior of the apartment is great. I love the TV (the first in the modulars if I'm not mistaken) even if it's not entirely realistic for the era. The bed is cool (the blue/teal pillow is fun detail) and the kitchen has some actual utensils. The bathroom is just a water closet in the corner; I personally can take or leave the minifig bathrooms especially since they're not particularly realistic in my opinion (no sink or even TP) but they're good for a laugh. Overall I think this apartment is an improvement over the AFOL apartment in Assembly Square (which inexplicably had a larger bathroom), a large part of which has to do with the bigger space and lack of microscale LEGO sets. I know apartments in modulars are somewhat controversial but I enjoy them and this one in particular. The lack of walls between the stairs and the rooms on each level is a point of contention for some with this set but it's not out of the ordinary for modulars going all the way back to Cafe Corner (the upper floors were supposed to be a hotel with no lobby or doors) and would only make the interiors feel more cramped--which they don't feel in this set. Despite the fact that the building utilizes less space on the baseplate than previous corner sets, each floor feels pretty spacious, especially the apartment.

The roof has some fun detailing along the edges and building the little hatch for roof access was fun for me. There's a lounge chair, flower bed and umbrella that offer some nice detail and one of the few acknowledgements that minifigs are making the most of their roof access in the modular series. They are small enough details to not feel like they are overwhelming the roof. I would love to see more small things like this on modular rooftops because roof access seems a little pointless without them.

The minifigs are great. I especially enjoy the fact that there are two people staffed at the mechanic shop. Most modulars only seem to have one minifig working at any given place of business and having two minifigs allows for more versatility, especially with the towtruck. The moped minifig is too cool for school (never takes her sunglasses off; probably could've used a dual sided head) and has a somewhat anachronistic appearance but so do the gym folks in Downtown Diner so it's a minor quibble. Not sure where the little girl's parents are--there's not really anywhere for her to sleep if the guy upstairs is her dad--but I don't have many modulars with children minifigs so the few I do have will get a new friend (and bunny) to play with. I like the sweater minifig's hair and the sweater torso seems relatively new and a little unexpected in a good way. Plus there's pets! A dog, bunny, bird, frog, and fish. For anyone like me who doesn't own Pet Shop (at the moment) this is definitely a plus.

Overall, I wasn't blown away by it but it's still a very nice modular. The architecture follows Downtown Diner into the 50s yet it still looks good next to the older architectural style of previous modulars as well as it does next to the diner. The building techniques are interesting and clever but not flashy. The towtruck and pets are definitely a welcome addition. The rolling door is super fun (as far as I can tell Fire Brigade did not have a rolling door feature but I could be wrong) and allows for more playability. I don't think the garage would work nearly as well if this weren't a corner building. Without any particularly mindblowing moves (the garage door is the most impressive thing, with the towtruck crane a close second) this set doesn't entirely stack up to the truly great modulars like Grand Emporium or Assembly Square but it's by no means a bad set at all. The price is a little high in my opinion, especially considering how much smaller the building is compared to other corner sets but it has quite a few small pieces which might account for the pricetag.

If you're a diehard completist modular fan I'd recommend if you don't already have it. If you like fun lowkey but long winded builds I'd recommend. If you're a Creator Expert fan I'd recommend. I'd say this set is definitely one of the most kid friendly modulars, though depending on age they may need help with one or two sections.