I don’t usually talk a whole lot about the LEGO Creator theme here, as the mass-release LEGO Creator sets tend to not be very hyped or popular (in general). But every once in a while a LEGO Creator set comes along that you can instantly tell from the preview photos is going to make a huge splash and be super-popular with LEGO collectors. And as luck would have it, such a set is due out in stores in just a few months! The Summer 2014 LEGO Bike Shop and Cafe 31026 is on the way!

One of the most popular non-licensed things that LEGO has going these days is the outrageously popular series of LEGO Modular Buildings that are only available from the LEGO Stores and that tend to retail for $150 and up. But not every LEGO fan (and collector!) can afford to drop 150 bucks and up for a single set, leaving many folks without a LEGO modular building in their life.

Luckily, LEGO is stepping in later this year, as the LEGO Summer 2014 sets will include the attractive LEGO Creator Bike Shop and Cafe 31026, which is basically a cheaper baby-brother to the LEGO Modular Buildings! This will make a terrific stepping-stone set for those not old enough to build the full LEGO Modular Buildings, or who can’t afford to do so.

The LEGO 31026 Bike Shop and Cafe is a pretty adorable set that includes two separate buildings (a bike shop and a cafe, obviously), three minifigures (two generic male minifigures and one generic woman minifigure) and a yellow car with a bike rack (that you can really snap the LEGO bicycle onto). Other accessories included with the set include LEGO muffins (no, really), a very cool buildable LEGO bird, a LEGO money bill and more.

As the set is a LEGO Creator 3-in-1, you can also alternatively rebuild LEGO 31026 into a LEGO flower shop or auto repair shop! I usually dislike alternate LEGO builds like this, but the 31026 LEGO Auto Repair Shop build is actually looking really snazzy! I might like as much (or more) than the main build!

The LEGO 31026 Bike Shop and Café set will include 1,023 pieces and retail for $89.99 in the United States (£64.99 overseas). That’s less than nine cents per piece, and an overall outstanding value for a set that’s packed with play value! I’ll post pre-order links once the new Bike Shop and Cafe LEGO Creator set is up for order, and you can ‘Like’ Bricks and Bloks on Facebook to have LEGO news, images and order alerts sent right to your Facebook Newsfeed!

What do you think of the 31026 LEGO Bike Shop & Cafe set, LEGO fans? Does this set strike you as a worthy, cheaper alternative to the amazing LEGO Modular Buildings series, or does the lower detail and price drop the LEGO Creator Bike Shop and Cafe 31026 set off of your wish list?