In December, I shared drafts of the three remaining chapters of the book: Articulation, DUPLO, and Technic. I also invited Patrons to review a complete beta edition of the book, and offered a chance to order a print version for a reduced price!

2026 Modular

I also just finished building #11371 Shopping Street, the latest addition to the Modular Building Series. I unfortunately wasn’t able to finish the review in time for this newsletter. Since it is now available worldwide, I wanted to share a few thoughts to help you decide if it’s something you want to purchase right away. Without going into too many details in advance of the full review, my overall feeling is that #11371 Shopping Street is a fine addition to the Modular series, but a bit of a disapointment especially on the heels of the excellent #10350 Tudor Corner. At $250, it’s $20 more expensive than the last three normal-width modulars, albeit with around 300 additional pieces.

My main critique is that the overall composition is a bit lacking. The building on the left sticks too far out above the sidewalk and feels out of proportion to the smaller building on the right. There are a number of architectural details that bug me too, such as the arrangement of the windows on the roofline of the taller building, and the flags which hang far too close to the opposing building. It isn’t bad, but it isn’t quite right either. Here’s how it ranks compared to recent additions to the series.

Ranking the eight most recent modulars:

1. #10278 Police Station (2021) – Must Have (5/5 stars).
   $200, 2923 pieces.
2. #10350 Tudor Corner (2025) – Must Have (5/5 Stars).
   $230, 3266 pieces.
3. #10297 Boutique Hotel (2022) – Recommended (4/5 Stars).
   $230, 3066 pieces.
4. #10312 Jazz Club (Jan. 2023) – Recommended (4/5 Stars).
   $230, 2899 pieces.
5. #10270 Bookshop (2020) – Recommended (4/5 Stars).
   $200, 2504 pieces.
6. #11371 Shopping Street (2026) – Good (3/5 Stars).
   $250, 3456 pieces.
7. #10326 Natural History Museum (Nov. 2023) – Good (3/5 Stars).
   $300, 4014 pieces.
8. #10264 Corner Garage (2019) – Good (3/5 Stars).
   $200, 2569 pieces.

As you can see, it sits right on the fence between a good and a great LEGO set. It’s good enough that most fans of the series will want to add it to their collection.

LEGO Parts Guide

The Beta 1 version is now in the hands of my patrons and a few beta testers. It is really satisfying to finally hold a ‘complete’ draft of the book in my hands, with text and illustrations for all 12 chapters! My most recent focus has been to add a few more parts to the guide, since the desire to include even more parts is a consistent point of feedback from beta participants so far.

Updates for patrons this month:

• Patrons: Draft Chapter: Articulation (so many illustrations!)
  This was one of the most complex chapters to write, and involves a ton of intricate illustrations.
• Patrons: Draft Chapter: DUPLO!
  The focus of this short chapter is an explanation of how LEGO and DUPLO bricks work together.
• Patrons: Draft Chapter: Technic
  Technic is central to the modern LEGO building experience, so it deserves a thoughtful explanation of how it works!
• Patrons: ‘Beta 0’ of The LEGO Parts Guide is live!
  An initial “Beta 0” version allowed me to get fresh eyes on the first complete draft of the book.
• Patrons: ‘Beta 1’ contains lots of small fixes!
  I was able to fix a number of small issues for the wider Beta 1 release.

New at Brick Architect

• Review: 2026 Ninjago Mega Review
  Celebrating the 15th anniversary of LEGO Ninjago with a range of good sets containing great minifigures.
• Updated: LEGO Parts Guide
  I made a few improvements to the online parts guide this month:
  • Added 12 parts to the online guide. They will be included in the next draft of the printed guide as well.
  • Added 31 part images including a mix of brand new and retired parts.
  • Renamed and refined several category and part names to increase clarity and consistency.

January 2026 releases for AFOLs

A huge number of new LEGO sets are released every January, although most of them are aimed at younger builders. I dug through the list to highlight a few sets of interest to adult builders.

• #11370 Stranger Things: The Creel House
  A creepy looking house and no fewer than 13 minifigures in this brick-built tribute to the final season of the popular Netflix series. (It also comes with a desirable gift-with-purchase: #40891 Stranger Things: WSQK Radio Station
  2593 pieces, 13 minifigures, ages 18+, $300, Available now at LEGO.com
• #40913 – Vintage Parade Car (Gift-with-purchase)
  If you were considering a large set like the new modular, you will also get this vehicle as a gift-with-purchase.
  243 pieces, 2 minifigs, ages 18+, Available now at LEGO.com.
• #11471 Shopping Street (Modular Building Series)
  Our review is pending, but this is a good (3/5 star) set in a great series.
  3456 pieces, 7 minifigs, ages 18+, $250, Available now at LEGO.com.

#11371 Shopping Street is the latest addition to the Modular Building Series.

• #21064 Paris – City of Love
  is the latest addition to the LEGO Architecture series. While I did not love it in my recent review, it will likely appeal to fans of the LEGO Art series.
  958 pieces, ages 18+, $80, Available now at LEGO.com
• #71861 The Old Town 15th Anniversary
  This sprawling tribute to classic LEGO Ninjago could be a crossover hit with young adults who grew up with the original cast, as well as younger builders more familiar with the Dragons Rising series. The price point is good, too!
  4851 pieces, ages 14+, $300, Available now at LEGO.com
• #71051 Collectible Minifigure Series 28 – Animals
  I will be opening my wallet for a complete set of this series, because I find minifigures dressed as animals to be some of my favorite collectible figures of all time.
  Ages 5+, $5 each, 12 different designs, Available now at LEGO.com

In addition to these sets, you will find 21 new sets in the LEGO City lineup, six new Speed Champions sets, eight Star Wars sets, nine Creator 3-in-1 sets, four botanicals, 11 Ninjago sets, 17 Friends sets, seven Technic sets, and a lot more!

Explore all of the new releases by visiting the lego.com store. (Making a purchase using our referral link helps support this website.)

Best articles from around the web

Learn more about the LEGO hobby with this month’s collection of great articles I’ve collected from around the web…

• Interview: We ring out 2025 with LEGO phenom Paul Hetherington to catch a whiff of greatness- and maybe Old Spice
  Paul is one of the most prodigiously talented LEGO builders in the Pacific Northwest, having won Best in Show at BrickCon several times. This interview offers a great gallery of stories and photos from some of his most iconic works.
  —Brothers Brick
• An excruciating deep-dive into Star Wars Advent Calendars
  This article by Huw Millington offers an unbelievably long and detailed assessment of the entire history of the LEGO Star Wars advent calendars. I especially appreciate that pricing charts are adjusted for inflation.
  —Brickset
• Botanical Insights: Interview and Review – 11501 Tulip Bouquet
  In this interview with LEGO designer Theo Bonner, we get a ton of insights into how old elements are recolored and reinterpreted in the LEGO Botanicals line.
  —Rambling Brick

So one of the other things that we’ve seen evolving is the way that Botanical sets started off as that recoloring old elements, repurposing and just exploiting the shapes to bring us these organic forms. We’ve now started to see a few built-for-purpose elements. I’m thinking particularly of the leaves, the daisies, the tulips over the last 12 months.

Theo Bonner

• New mould analysis: 11501 Tulip Bouquet & 11509 Flowering Cactus from LEGO Botanicals
  In this article, Tom Loftus gives a much closer look at the new parts introduced in recent Botanicals sets.
  —New Elementary
• The Definitive Guide to LEGO Costumed Minifigures I already love and collect most of the collectible minifigures dressed up as animals, as well as the 2×3 brick minifigs, but this encyclopedic article by Brian Hickey highlights the expansive world of costumed minifigures out there!
  —BrickNerd
• Master Chen’s Ferry: A Ninjago Take on the LEGO Ideas Steamboat
  In this article, Isaiah Durand reimagines #21356 River Steamboat in the Ninjago universe, based on images from Season 4 of the original series.
  —BrickNerd

Ninjago Steamboat by Isaiah Durand inspired by Ninjago Season 4. (Photos: The LEGO Group / BrickNerd.)

• Our Boxing Day chat with Moptoptrev – Canada’s busiest, weirdest, and most joyful builder
  This is a fun interview with Trevor Pearson-Jones, a talented builder across a wide and eclectic range of themes, connected only by the desire to keep things weird…
  —Brothers Brick
• LEGO x Nike Air Max 95 Neon announced for 2026 (German) Here’s a closer look at an upcoming LEGO × NIKE shoe for kids. I’m not too sad that it’s not available for adults since it doesn’t have a very strong LEGO brand presence in the design.
  —Promobricks
• Inside LEGO headquarters with its first American head of design
  Speaking of shoes, here’s a short interview with Andre’ Doxey, the new head of design at LEGO. He is the first American in that role, having previously worked at Adidas and Nike.
  —CBS Mornings (YouTube)