The LEGO Creator Fire Brigade 10197 is a fun build and an excellent set for any LEGO builder or collector. This is especially true when you reach the second floor of the build which comes with many fun micro-builds like a sink, kitchen, and fire pole. Check out our best LEGO sets list to find even more great sets.
Related: You may also read the LEGO 1022 review
Why We Like It – LEGO 10197
The LEGO Creator Fire Brigade 10197 set is a fantastic addition to your Lego city (after all, every city needs a fire department, right?). It comes with 2,231 pieces, which is the highest number of pieces we’ve seen from a modular building set to date and its retro design is a fantastic throwback.
- Visual checklist at the bottom of the box
- Amazing second floor design
- Rare fire truck LEGO piece
- Only 4 LEGO people
- Expensive
- Fire dog isn’t a Dalmatian
Related: Check out the LEGO Grand Emporium 10211 review
Performance
This LEGO modular building is only 2 stories tall (compared to the pet shop which is three), but the finished product should be higher than most modular buildings. The bottom of the box has a sort of visual checklist of all the included pieces. It can be a little hard to miss, but it’s still a nice touch. The set contains many bags labeled 1 or 2. Bags labeled 1 form the base and first floor of the set and bags numbered 2 combine to form the second floor and roof. You get 4 LEGO people and a fire dog which isn’t a Dalmatian for some reason. If 4 LEGO people seems a little stingy, consider the LEGO Star Wars Republic Frigate 7964, which comes with 5.
Design
The design of the fire station itself is based on fire stations from the 1930’s. To be exact, this fire brigade set is based off of American fire stations from the 1930’s (hence the American flag waving outside the station). The first floor of the LEGO Fire Brigade isn’t all that exciting considering it only houses the fire truck, like most stations, but the second floor contains many fun micro-builds and that cool pole firemen get to slide down. While we’re on the subject of cool, check out the LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon 7965 for a cool build all the way through.
Value
Like the pet shop, the fire brigade set belongs to the modular buildings family and is quite a large LEGO set at 2,231 pieces. This is almost 200 more pieces than the pet shop. If you’re looking for even more pieces from your LEGO set try the LEGO Star Wars Death Star 10188 which has an enormous 3,803 pieces. The core of this fire brigade modular building is two-fold. First, the fire truck, which is a single piece that comes with the set (which is nifty. How many sets do you know come with a fire truck?) and then the actual building itself.
LEGO 10197 Wrap Up
Unfortunately, LEGO has discontinued this Fire Brigade set and so it’s officially entered collector status. You’ll only be able to get one from a third-party or a collector. A plus side, there are many people selling the set on Amazon. A down side, the cheapest you’ll be expected to pay for a new set is $470.00.
