Review: MOULD KING 16001 California Restaurant
This California Restaurant model is a recreation of an original design by the MOC expert dagupa.
Dagupa is an outstanding MOC designer who is active on rebrickable.com, and he has created many impressive street scene designs. The California Restaurant is one of his particularly excellent works. MOULD KING obtained the authorization from the author and released this product.
The original building instruction PDF by the author can be purchased on rebrickable.com for only $9. We strongly recommend supporting the author by buying his building instructions. The original instruction PDF is incredibly detailed and provides great assistance in building this product.
The Mould King 16001 California Restaurant model consists of 2,078 brick pieces and includes a lighting component and a battery box. The product comes in sturdy packaging measuring 52 cm in length, 40 cm in width, and 9 cm in thickness. The whole color box package weighs approximately 3 kg.
Upon opening the package, you’ll find 7 bags of bricks, one 32×32 stud beige baseplate, one battery and LED strip pack, one instruction booklet, one sticker sheet, but no minifigures are included.
The instruction booklet is of good quality with beautiful printing and is 197 pages thick.
The lighting component includes a battery box, two LED strips, two sets of lights, an extension board, and the necessary connecting cables.
Please note, the instructions for the lighting assembly are not included in the instruction booklet and must be downloaded separately by scanning a QR code on the lighting exterior packaging. Also, the installation of the lighting component should be done simultaneously with the brick assembly.
Starting the Build
Be aware when you start building the California Restaurant floor, if you plan to install the light set, you should be ready from the beginning. When working on the first bag, you’ll need to extract the street light pieces from the fourth bag.
Assembling the floor is fairly simple, giving you a sense of constructing a skyscraper from the ground up. It’s important to take care of the wiring layout and take out the street light from the fourth bag in advance, threading the first light through.
The first floor of the California Restaurant is rich in details, requiring many parts. Out of seven bags, the first floor occupies four. The main theme is beige, with many transparent and window pieces, offering excellent visual effects.
Inside the first floor, you’ll find a gym area with a fighting ring, barbells, punching bags, arm pull machines, and rowing machines. Thoughtfully, a water dispenser is provided for customers.
Don’t forget to attach the LED strip in the correct place when assembling this floor.
Outside the restaurant door on the street, there’s also a fire hydrant.
After finishing the first floor, we move on to the second. This requires the fifth and sixth bags and is primarily the dining area, equally rich in detail.
The most prominent feature of the second floor is the open kitchen, with a range hood taking up significant space. Below the range hood are two stoves, with a coffee machine and juicer nearby. Various condiment jars are available on the counter for easy access.
On the side near the windows, a dining area surrounded by red seats provides a cozy feeling. Gazing out at the street, sipping a dessert, and enjoying a fine meal, you can savor a pleasant time.
What would a perfect dining experience be without music? On the other side of the restaurant, there’s a guitar, record player, and jukebox to enhance your dining experience.
Decorations on the second floor also include booths for waiting customers and a door leading to the outside balcony. Make sure to stick the LED strips in the right places and properly wire everything.
Finally, the seventh bag constructs the rooftop. Pink pieces form a large “CA” sign, guiding hungry customers to their destination.
There’s also a garden on the rooftop, adding color and life to the entire scene.
The fast-working air conditioner suggests that the restaurant is doing great business.
The entire assembly process is not difficult, and the overall effect is impressive. Not only are the interior details rich, but there are several doors that can be opened on both floors, enhancing the playability of the scene. The side walls also have interfaces, allowing it to be combined with other street scenes.
Personally, I think the lighting system is the biggest highlight of this California Restaurant set. If you choose to assemble it with the lights, the moment they turn on, you will feel incredibly cozy.
The lighting components require three AAA batteries and consist of four sets of lights: a street light at the door, a sign light, and LED strips for the first and second floors. With many transparent parts in the wall, the interior scene is particularly charming under the lights.
As for what I find lacking in the set
1, The quality of the bricks could be better. I found some parts to be severely worn as soon as I started the assembly.
2, The set prioritizes aesthetic appeal, resulting in some weak structural aspects, with some parts loosely attached.
3, A wall is missing parts, leaving a large space empty with no brick closure or transparent parts to fill it.
4, There’s nowhere to place the battery box, and the visible wiring detracts from the viewing experience.
5, The lighting installation instructions don’t follow with the instruction booklet, often requiring reassembly of the lights.
However, despite these issues, the assembly experience, exterior and interior designs are worth purchasing and collecting, especially after the lights are installed, which elevates the scene’s appeal.
This set retails for around $58 online, and promotional events may offer more discounts. Considering it’s a building set with over 2000 pieces and includes lighting, I think it’s pretty good value for money. what do you think about this set?
