Jiestar 89100 European Jazz Cafe Set Review

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I had the opportunity to pick up this latest modular building, which is called the European Jazz Cafe, set 89100 from the Jiestar brand.   

I just finished building it and I can tell you this is unlike any other modular building I've built before.

The European Jazz Cafe is an alternate build of the Assembly Square.  This version has 3369 pieces.  It is a corner modular building and comes with a unique vehicle, a three wheeled stroller and eight Lego style minifigures.  The set design can be found on the rebrickable site as MOC 32576, the original designer is Inyong Lee.  Jiestar has copied it and made some minor changes to the original design.

Here's a fun fact:  In December 2016, I made the original jazz cafe by customizing my Hsanhe 6410-1 corner coffee set.  Follow the link to see more pictures of it.

The Exterior

The modular building consists of a cafe on the main floor and a stage on the second floor where patrons can listen to live music.  The third floor overlooks the stage and has extra seating.  

The interesting thing about this design is that it's schizophrenic.  It has two completely different facades depending on which side you are viewing it from.  Which do you like better, the left side or the right side?

Here's an overhead shot so you can see the rooftop.  There's a lot of great building techniques in this building.  The sloped roof on the third floor is an example of that. I'll probably employ this design in a future modular build.

Just some views of the backside of the Jazz Cafe.  It should be noted that the clutch of the bricks is extra tight, that's why you see a lot of gaps between the bricks.  I didn't press down too hard because it will be difficult to separate them in future.

I wasn't really a fan of how the back walls are put together, but I guess the original designer had to use what bricks were available to him.  I really want to rebuild parts of this building using normal building techniques.  The main floor walls in the rear  is also a hodgepodge of colours.  I'd want to fix that.

Thankfully the pretty front facade makes up for the ugly backside.

First Floor Interior

The first floor is a masterpiece.  I like the use of colours, and the fact that it has a bathroom conveniently under the stairs.  Each floor has a little micro build. On the main floor stair wall, there is a little red train.

This coffee counter looks amazing and is probably my favourite part of this set. I don't have enough words to describe all the little details, so just look at the pic.

Here's the seating area by the windows.

The entrance to the Cafe is on the corner of the building.  But it looks like there's also an emergency exit near the stairs, which take you up to the second floor.

Second Floor Interior

The second floor consists of a large stage with a drum set and upright piano.  The VIP seating is closer to the stage.  Regular seating is by the windows.

I probably didn't build the drum set properly.  Looks a bit wonky.  The drumsticks are located on the wall.

Those blue tables are crucial in securing the triangular shaped windows to the wall. This was probably the most challenging part of the build.

The second micro build can be found by the corner window of the second floor.  It's a tiny representation of the Assembly square modular building.

Third Floor

The third floor mezzanine can be reached by the stairs.  There's more counter seating and lighting for the stage located here.

The last micro build can be found on the third floor, it's the tower bridge.

Here's the modular building deconstructed into it's various floors.

My favourite things

This coffee sign.

The folded patio umbrella.

The design elements.

The dark tan accents along the turret window.

The triangular windows that stick out.   The Jiestar version uses different pieces to secure the window.  The original design uses thor's hammer.

Here's a screen grab of the original building technique used.

Here's the oddly looking vehicle. It probably didn't need to be made, in my opinion.

The three wheeled stroller and a bike with no tires.

These are the minifigures that come with the Jiestar version of the Jazz Cafe.  You'll definitely see some differences between the these ones and the figures depicted on the rebrickable website.  I wouldn't have expected minifigures to be included on a MOC design building, so this was a pleasant surprise.

I can say honestly that this set is for advanced builders only.  Anyone else might get frustrated at some of the techniques used, but if you are looking for a challenge, this set is definitely for you.

You can also find the Jiestar Jazz Cafe on Aliexpress.  Search for  other modular buildings by using the search term: streetview.

I'll be doing a separate post highlighting the build process of the Jiestar jazz cafe.  Look for that one soon!   Bye for now.