LEGO knows that every year is they keep producing awesome looking modular buildings that I’ll shell out whatever price they set and this year is no exception. #10326-1: Natural History Museum was released on 1 December 2023 for $299.99. It contains 4,014 pieces which works out to $0.075 per piece. This one is bigger than past sets as it includes a 32x32 baseplate and a 16x32 baseplate. Lots to dig into so let’s go…
The box is pretty standard. The front shows the full set with a set name logo and mentions the modular building collection. It also has the Icons branding on the bottom. The back shows the other modular building sets available now along with some of the features of this set.
The box contains the parts bags for bags 15 through 33 and then another box. When you open that box, you get the remainder of the parts bags, a bag that isn’t numbered, the base plates, and the instructions.
The instruction book is pretty hefty as you would expect for a set of this size. You also get the banners to hang on the outside of the museum advertising exhibits.
The first bag adds the flooring to the 16x32 baseplate. You also get a female minifigure that works at the museum.
Bag two adds some of the flooring to the 32x32 baseplate and connects the two together. I like the addition of some bones in the floor that are eventually covered up to be found at some later date.
The third bag adds in more flooring. You also get some plants on the outside, and a toilet in the back. There are also some tile pieces on the floor that end up being a clay pot that has fallen over. There’s also another surprise under one of the floors that I’ll save for when you build it or another reviewer spoils it for you.
Bag four adds tiling on top of some of the raised floor areas and adds in the front steps to the museum.
Bag five starts to add in some more details including more to the bathroom, a small lab area, some steps, and finishes off the flooring patterns.
The sixth bag makes the walls higher and adds in some doors.
Bag seven starts to add in some of the displays at the museum along with the front desk area. I won’t go through each of the displays so you can have fun figuring them out when you build the set (or just read the captions in the instructions that describe each one). You also get another minifigure who is a worker at the museum.
The eighth bag builds up some of the front of the building.
Bag nine starts to build up the olive green walls. You get railings at the entrance of the building and some windows as well.
Bag 10 builds up more of the details of the front and the walls of the sides of the building.
Bag 11 continues to finish off the front of the building with windows and some more olive green pieces.
Bag 12 tops off the whole floor with tiles so it can be connected to other floors. You also add in a set of stairs to go to the second floor.
Bag 13 finishes off the first floor. The front of the building gets some columns on each side of the door and then some minifigure statues as well. There’s some additional plant life too. Since I haven’t shown the back yet, there are a few details including a pipe which leaks water to let a plant grow, and a dog checking out the trash to see if there are any bones. There is a door in the back as well.
Bag 14 builds the dinosaur skeleton. As shown on the front of the box, the skeleton is not permanently fixed to the floor so you can pick it up and move it elsewhere as desired. It’s a pretty decent build considering the size and where they had to fit it. It does have some non-white pieces for attachments, but the light gray works.
Onto the second floor…
Bag 15 assembles the plates that make the base of the floor with two spots to look down and also let the stairs connect and dinosaur skeleton peek through.
Bag 16 builds up some of the wall and adds the base for where the model of the solar system is placed.
Bag 17 adds in some railings around the holes in the floor so no minifigures fall down. You also build the model of the solar system which is a great design at such a small scale. This bag comes with a boy minifigure.
Bag 18 adds some displays to the floor and adds a female minifigure with a camera. This minifigure has a prosthetic leg.
Bag 19 builds up the walls around this floor.
Bag 20 adds in some windows, more walls, and a few more displays to include a map with a rocket zooming by (Classic Space symbol???).
Bags 21 and 22 build up the wall structures and add in more windows.
Bag 23 finishes the floor with tiles on the top and you add on the plastic banners.
Bag 24 adds to the columns that match and fit right in with the first floor despite the break between the two floors.
Bag 25 attaches the plates that make up the third floor/roof.
Bag 26 begins to build up the roof area with a few plants and the start of some of the decorative architecture.
Bag 27 adds in more of the roof walls and the door to the stairs to the second level.
Bag 28 starts to add more detail. The roof level includes a small office and you build out some of the details of the office. This bag comes with the museum curator minifigure.
Bag 29 adds the structure around the office area which actually looks pretty good considering there is an office inside.
Bag 30 builds up more of the architectural details for the roof.
Bag 31 finishes off the structural details, adds in a telescope for the curator to use and then adds in some sky lights that open up to both levels of the museum below for some natural light.
Flipping the set around, bag 32 adds in the roof/awning section of the front of the building that covers up the stairs leading into the museum. Now that I’ve flipped it around, you can see on the left and right side, there are some arch/window pieces. It’s hard to tell from the picture I used, but there are microfigures inside as miniature statues which is a fun detail.
Before wrapping up the build, here are the seven minifigures you get with this set minus the two statues. You get a good mix of workers and museum goers. It’s always great to have more, but I can’t complain with the offerings that come with this set.
Bag 33 adds some final details to include a park bench, a mail box, the blossoming tree, a lamp post, some birds, and the stand for the window washer to use to clean the windows.
Overall, it’s another great modular building to build. Someday I hope to assemble all of my modulars in one place, but for now, you get just an individual picture. The price continues to go up on these, but the piece count on this one is higher and it is larger so not too many complaints there. There are plenty of great pieces inside too so if you’re a MOC builder, you won’t be disappointed. If you’re a fan of the modulars, definitely look for an opportunity to snag this one. Maybe with a good GWP or double VIP points. I think it’ll be a while before we see a sale on this one.
Happy building!
