Five ways LEGO Ideas’ Test Lab sets can integrate into your city

LEGO Ideas’ first Test Lab builds might be designed by fans, but they feel right at home in a wider LEGO collection too.

LEGO Ideas Test Lab is a new program that asks fan designers to use a limited palette of bricks to come up with models sold through Pick a Brick. The wider LEGO Ideas platform usually sees projects transformed from the fan design into the finished set by the LEGO Group, but it’s unclear how much of a hand official LEGO designers had – if any – in bringing these sets from concept to fruition.

Several of the first seven models underwent changes of some kind between selection and release, including Garden Dreams, which now has three plots of land instead of two. That model is also one of two LEGO Ideas Test Lab sets provided to us by the LEGO Group, alongside Modular Racers, and with the builds in hand, it’s clear that they’re geared towards sliding into a wider LEGO collection.

We’ve come up with a few suggestions for integrating the LEGO Ideas Test Lab sets into your collection, but this is LEGO, so the sky’s the limit.

Filling in the gaps in your layout 

No matter how you lay out your LEGO city, you’re likely to end up with a few gaps. Provided you don’t want to see the surface beneath the baseplates, Garden Dreams does a great job of filling in gaps between buildings. 

76108 Sanctum Sanctorum Showdown, which is eight studs deep – similar to LEGO Creator 3-in-1 buildings – is a good example of how this can be achieved. When unfolded with its corner plate, the LEGO Marvel set leaves an angled gap. Switching the provided corner section out for a small green space not only adds some life to your LEGO city but fills up every front-facing gap too

Given that many of the LEGO Group’s plate measurements are divisible by eight, you can rearrange the modules of Garden Dreams to fill in any remaining gaps in your layout.

Kart racing 

Modular Racers’ vehicles may seem simple at first glance. However, the open and interchangeable design of the two cars makes them perfect for a kart-racing display. Whether based on an original idea or inspired by the likes of Sonic Team Racing, Mario Kart or Disney Speedstorm, the shape and features of the two cars are great stand-ins for the fun and crazy proportions of digital karts.

Being able to remove specific parts is also a great way of representing any damage that the vehicles have taken from hostile items or crashes for a dynamic display.

Spacious gardens and parks

LEGO Friends’ 41757 Botanical Garden is a gorgeous indoor garden with some outdoor spaces and it’s been a popular build since it launched. To expand the outdoor section or otherwise decorate an existing park or garden in your LEGO collection, Garden Dreams is ideal. 

Garden Dreams’ modular feature is especially useful in some situations. Removing the Technic pins allows you to space the sections out as walled-off areas of greenery to observe and appreciate, for example. We also tried combining it with the likes of 40236 Romantic Valentine Picnic and 41425 Olivia’s Flower Garden, and the result was a beautiful build taking up a surprising amount of space.

Add a few baseplates and some paths weaving between the builds and you’ll have a full park in no time – without spending a fortune.

More cars for a drive-in theatre

All LEGO cars are good picks for this suggestion. However, it never hurts to have a couple more vehicles in a drive-in theatre. Whether you have an intricate set-up with projections or just space to balance a phone, Modular Racers has two well-sized vehicles to park up and allow minifigures to enjoy the show. 

Of course, they can also be featured on the road, parked up or in other places where cars can be found. It’s a simple idea, but something that every city needs.

Green spaces in your city

As well as filling in smaller spaces in your city, Garden Dreams’ four sections can be used in a square formation to fill in a larger 16×16-stud gap, potentially taking up a full slot for a smaller building. It might break up the pattern of tall buildings on a street, but more dedicated green spaces in a LEGO city can help add some colour to a row of apartments and shops.

The design of Garden Dreams, complete with a pumpkin patch, means that it could also be considered a community gardening plot, offering an option for more small-form stories in your display. Once you’ve tried it in place on a building, it might encourage you to switch out some more for parks, gardens and farms too.

Seven of the first nine Test Lab builds can be ordered from LEGO.com now via Pick a Brick, with instructions available online, and you can find out exactly how to buy them by clicking here. 

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