LEGO Icons 10362 French Café has started a new collection, so we've been thinking ahead to what assumptions we can make about future additions.
LEGO designer Hoang Huy Dang, who both pitched and worked on 10362 French Café, shared some of the design rules that were established during the process of creating the LEGO Icons set. While these guidelines are certainly still in flux, with Hoang openly asking for feedback from fans, some key points have been established.
The size and level of detail in 10362 French Café, as well as the lack of minifigures, will likely stay the same. These features are part of what sets it apart from other sets, like LEGO Architecture or the LEGO Modular Buildings Collection, and Hoang is clear about wanting to establish something new in the Restaurants of the World Collection, ideally to appeal to a whole new type of customer.
“I have a deep passion for adult products and I wanted to branch out even more to attract different audiences,” he stated. “10362 French Café is something new, something you don’t really expect it. My hope is that it could have a substantial place in the product line.”
With those points in mind, here's some speculation about where the collection could go down the line. Bear in mind that this is all speculation for now and we haven't yet had it confirmed from the LEGO Group that more sets will appear, which will presumably depend on the success of 10362 French Café.
Display, not play
Hoang's goals in making 10362 French Café was to create something with an enticing enough aesthetic and enough details to want to put it up on display, without requiring a ton of space or skill in LEGO building. Ideally, the Restaurants of the World series could be someone's very first LEGO set, meaning they need to be more accessible on a technical level than, for example, a modular building.
That means that future sets in the series will likely keep to the same level of size and detail, as those characteristics appear to be the cornerstone of the fledgling sub-theme. 10362 French Café sits on a eight by 20 stud base, so it seem that we can expect future builds to stay on the same blueprint, especially as Hoang references wanting people to be able to display the entire collection next to one another.
"In the future, if any more products come out, they would stand next to each other," Hoang speculated. "That's why we decided not to include the connector, the technical connector, as you might see in a modular building."
That leaves enough room, as we see in the inaugural set, to provide a facade, a glimpse of an interior, and a pavement. That's plenty of space to offer a taste of culture, which is especially important considering...
Explore the world
The name of the collection, Restaurants of the World, certainly requires visiting a variety of different countries. With 10362 French Café kicking us off in France, proving the potential of the theme requires it to step into something bold for its next visit. Another European restaurant might not stand out enough, so visiting another continent feels like a smarter move.
A Japanese sushi or ramen restaurant, for example, could work as a visit to Asia, or perhaps a trip across the pond to an American diner. South America would also be suitably different to 10362 French Café, offering the chance to visit either a desert or tropical locale.
"[10362 French Café tells] the story of the moment that you landed in a different country," Hoang said while speaking to LEGO Fan Media. "Anybody can relate to that. You go on the trip and you really want to enjoy the day.
"It's coming from my own experience, I wanted to recreate that and hopefully connect to others as well. It's the story of being in a strange new place, experiencing something local."
This emphasis on promoting new experiences and connecting to people means that diversity in the locations selected is an absolute must for future Restaurants of the World sets.
Exterior over interior
While a lot of LEGO fans love minifigures and detail in every place, don't hold your breath for any further detail on the interior or for future minifigures. As already established, Hoang wanted to put something new together and that meant focusing on the facade over the interior.
The idea is to have an aesthetically pleasing set on a shelf, rather than a play model. Expect plenty of true-to-life details, creative building techniques, and colourful elements – but don't expect a hinge revealing a detailed interior to rival the LEGO Modular Buildings Collection.
Take a closer look at the new LEGO Icons set in our initial reveal ahead of 10362 French Café's launch on March 1, retailing for £69.99 in the UK, $79.99 in the US and €79.99 in Europe.
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