The Sidewalk LEGO Ideas Project Review

Overview
This project by Tom Gerardin portrays a little bakery and the sidewalk environment around it. The Sidewalk brings together several micro builds into one project, recreating what might be found beside the streets of a major city. For more information, you can visit the project page on LEGO Ideas here.

Appeals of this Project
Although this project is laid out in one continuous scene, there are many things going on along this sidewalk that offer numerous play and display possibilities. Looking at this from the perspective of a minifigure, we start walking down the sidewalk and see a fire hydrant with a dog next to it, and is that a yellow spot under the dog? Better be careful where we step! Just a couple paces farther along we see a mother who is resting in the shade of a nearby tree with her newborn baby all wrapped up in a warm blanket. Looking at the flowers on the tree, we notice that Spring is finally here, and we see a crow just waiting for someone to drop some goodies at the bakery down the street. Next we pass an old payphone and a vending machine where someone is purchasing a drink. Passing the young boy playing with his dog, we reach Eli & Olive's bakery and are faced with the decision of pie of cookies?

Now that we have taken a tour of the sidewalk from the perspective of a minifigure, I want to focus on the Eli & Olive's bakery. I absolutely love the custom stickers for the sign above the awning and the hanging sign, and the gingerbread man's head makes it look very inviting and is a very creative use for that piece. Inside the shop there is what looks to be a brick oven where Eli and Olive make their baked goods, and there is also a small display counter and cash register. Overall, the whole design of this bakery reminds me of a little hole-in-the-wall shop, which usually produce some of the best food.

Areas for Improvement
I could go either way on this, but it might be nice to have something on the other side of the wall, maybe a small city park or something similar. With that addition, I feel that it would be a perfect complement to the modular sets that The LEGO Group has previously produced. One other minor concern is that there may be too many minifigures for a set this size, although the 60134 Fun in the Park People Pack did have a large number of minifigures relative to the set size, so it is possible. But again, this is a debatable topic.

Conclusion
I really like this project, and I think it has great playability and offers several options for AFOLs to use alongside their modular displays, or in an existing city display. If The Sidewalk reaches 10,000 supporters and passes the Officail LEGO Ideas Review process, I believe this would make a wonderful set. To see more pictures and offer your support to help this become a set, you can visit the project on LEGO Ideas by clicking here. Not sure how LEGO Ideas works? You can click here to find out more.


Pictures used and review completed with the permission of Tom Gerardin.