07 December 2023

LEGO® Friends: new moulds for January 2024

Posted by Eero

Last year's reboot of the LEGO® Friends theme was received with general acclaim. In this review I'll be exhibiting some of the new moulds found in the upcoming January 2024 wave. The parts are pulled from 42603 Stargazing Camping Vehicle, 42604 Heartlake City Shopping Mall, 42605 Mars Space Base and Rocket, 42608 Tiny Accessories Store (also known as Mini Boutique, apparently), 42620 Olly and Paisley's Family Houses and 42621 Heartlake City Hospital.

 

This examination will focus on the "normal" building parts and figure accessories, while leaving the new mini-doll parts for my upcoming set reviews.

Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.

All sets release 1 January 2024

LEGO® Friends 42603 Stargazing Camping Vehicle
US$29.99/ £24.99/29.99€/ AU$49.99
364 parts

LEGO® Friends 42604 Heartlake City Shopping Mall
US$119.99/ £104.99/119.99€/ AU$199.99
1237 parts

LEGO® Friends 42605 Mars Space Base and Rocket
US$79.99/ £79.99/ 89.99€/ AU$149.99
981 parts

LEGO® Friends 42608 Tiny Accessories Store
US$10.99/ £8.99/ 9.99€/ AU$14.99
129 parts

LEGO® Friends 42620 Olly and Paisley's Family Houses
US$99.99/ £89.99/ 99.99€/ AU$149.99
1126 parts

LEGO® Friends 42621 Heartlake City Hospital
US$109.99/ £89.99/99.99€/ AU$149.99
1045 parts

This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase these Friends sets on LEGO.com.

New moulds

Panel, Curved 6 x 5 x 3 1/3 (5065)

In LEGO Friends, the element will come in the following colours and Element IDs:

Other colours spotted in promotional images:

  • White; 2 in 60433 Modular Space Station
 
This panel is a more compact version of the old Panel 6 x 6 x 9 Curved Top (2572) introduced in 1990. It has only 1 row of studs on the top and totally omits the long vertical section of the old one. The sides are not reinforced, unlike the old one and many modern panels, which makes the edge pleasantly thin. 
 
The comparison pic shows the identical curve - and also demonstrates the blue tint of modern Trans-"Clear" plastic since PC was replaced by MABS. My new elements came from the packaging quite scratched, unfortunately.  

Bunch of leaves (5058)

Plant pieces are popular. This feels like a big sister of Plant, Plate 1 x 1 Round with 3 Leaves (32607), and has connection points of 2 open studs and 2 antistuds on a 1 x 2 rounded plate. I find the pattern and the slight curve pleasant. These pieces looked somewhat flat in the first render images of the set, but I'm happy to say they look much better in person.

In LEGO Friends, the element will come in:

Other known colours:

  • Bright Light Orange; 2 in 42601 Hamster Playground

The piece doesn't have easily defined measurements except for its height when connected horizontally, which is 4 plates. Note that the side of the piece does not touch the 1x3 bricks, as it's slightly thinner than 4 modules; but the tip touched the 2x2 tile.

Brick Round Corner 3 x 3 Macaroni Wide with 2 Studs (5152)

This piece compliments its family and has long been desired by many. Its measures are easy to define - the footprint is same as on a 3 x 3 Macaroni Tile. The Trans-Clear colour recalls the Modernist/ International-style horizontal windows from the old 725 Town Plan set, only its radius is larger, it has the bluish tint, and the innards are full of structures - making them look like prisms!   

In LEGO Friends, the element will come in: 

Plate 2 x 2 with T-Bar Underneath (5066)

Since its introduction in 2018, Minifig Shield Rectangular with 4 Studs (30166) has increasingly been used within sets for its structural or joint capabilities, despite it seemingly being designed as a figure accessory. Now we get a new part more suited to such purposes.

The top of Plate 2 x 2 with T-Bar Underneath (5066) is smaller while still retaining 4 studs for sturdy connections; there are two antistuds for an even stabler sandwich connection; and the open ends of the T-bar permit more connections with open studs, Technic connectors, and so on.

In LEGO Friends, the element will come in:

The piece is perfectly in-System, which allows for nice joint connections. While I doubt this part will became an all-star piece worthy of the original T-bar, it's a cool, sturdy piece to have around.

Aircraft Fuselage Curved Forward 6 x 8 Bottom with 2 Pin Holes (5123)

This is a new version of Aircraft Fuselage Curved Forward 6 x 8 Bottom (11295). 

Aircraft Fuselage Curved Forward 6 x 8 Bottom with 2 Pin Holes (5123) introduces two pin holes on the straight end, enabling connections. It's interesting to see pin holes so close to the slope edge; I suppose this opens a possibility of a 1x2 inverted Technic slope? We can dream.

A similarly treated new 6x8 Inverted Slope with Cut-Out and 2 Pin Holes has been spotted on set 60417 Police Speedboat and Crooks' Hideout by Skye Barnick. This seems to be a larger update to make a modular system for bases for spaceships, boats and other vehicles.

In LEGO Friends, the element will come in:

Bracket 1 x 2 with 1 x 2 Vertical Studs (4585)

The "T" theme continues. This is not a completely new mould - it was introduced in December 2023's 21344 The Orient Express Train - I chose to include it here as we haven't reviewed that set yet.

Bracket 1 x 2 with 1 x 2 Vertical Studs (4585) is a pretty piece, and again fits perfectly into the LEGO System. It feels like a thinner brother of Bracket 2 x 2 with 1 x 2 Vertical Studs (41682). 

In LEGO Friends, the element will come in:

Other known colours:

New accessory parts 

Tent (6468972)

Not technically a new mould as it's not moulded, but a new element nonetheless. This one is interesting for a cloth part, because the top is actually sewn; this makes the three-dimensional shape possible. It's not easy to reuse as something other than a tent, but the colour certainly makes it compelling.

In LEGO Friends, the element will come in:

Mini-doll Hand Prosthetic (5059)

Autumn's new hand prosthetic attracted a lot of enthusiasm at New Elementary when it was unveiled. It's basically a clip with a bar hole, but the clip is a mini-doll (or minifigure) hand. As such, one side of the hand can connect to an antistud as usual.

In LEGO Friends, the element will come in:

What makes this piece exciting (in addition to being a unique mini-doll accessory) is its small size. Greeblers and microscale builders will undoubtedly find it useful.

 A comparison with Bar Holder with Clip (11090) demonstrates its compactness.

Mini-doll Space Helmet (5149)

This is technically a mini-doll part, but I decided to include it here rather than within my set review as it includes many connection points. 

Mini-doll Space Helmet (5149) is not wearable by minifigures, as its more elegant shape doesn't have enough room for minifigure shoulders. The visor (6472517) is new in Trans-Purple.

In LEGO Friends, the element will come in:

Other new accessories

There are also a bunch of newly moulded mini-doll/minifigure accessories and such.

  • Belt Bag (Design ID unknown)
  • Banana Peel (5215)
  • Hedgehog, Small (5153)

The Belt Bag is not the easiest part to re-use, as it doesn't fit traditional minifigures. I'm sure "fig barf" builders will find some use for it though, as its rubbery material makes it flexible. 

The little hedgehog (which, I believe, Is Not Buggered At All) is cute and an improvement over the old, big Animal, Hedgehog (98389), though the accessory plume hole on the forehead is a bit too severe! I think without the print it would also make for a good pine cone from a large conifer.

Here is the other side of the Banana Peel; a neatly shaped piece that will undoubtedly find uses in Botanical Collection sets. It has a bar hole in the middle, so they can be stacked. The shape reminds me of Mario Kart; the peel in general looks way too big for a minifigure to accidentally step on, but it does match the large size of the old banana piece.

Alternatively, Small Barb/"Viking" Horn (53451) matches this piece nicely and can be used as a whole, edible banana.


That's all of the new moulds from the LEGO® Friends January 2024 sets! There's plenty of 2024 content coming up, including my reviews of the sets themselves in the upcoming weeks. As suggested in this article, these sets will take Friends beyond Heartlake City and the Earth itself, to the next frontier of Mars. See you there. 

LEGO Friends sets on LEGO.com

READ MORE: LEGO® Monkie Kid™ review: 80054 Megapolis City 5th Anniversary

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17 comments:

  1. I'm curious if Autumn's hand prosthetic 6467587 also works as a stud. Would put this part in the same league as the d-snot 3386 for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes I’m curious if a stud can fit on the top of it as well. Great new part regardless

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    2. Nevermind, I see where it was written that bar hole can connect to an anti stud so that’s cool

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    3. I think the article is only talking about the "hand" end of it being able to connect to an anti-stud the way minifigure hands do. My guess is that the other end, where it would attach to the arm, is not a proper stud-sized connection, which I think is what you're asking about here. That's only based on looking at it, though, since it has raised text molded into it that would interfere.

      Delete
  2. That's an interesting selection of new parts and I'll be looking forward to bunch of leaves becoming available in a range of greens. Thanks for the Pratchett reference too😉

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  3. Great overview!

    I feel like one great use for the new leaf cluster besides for trees/bushes would be providing dense "camouflage" for hidden features like a cave, burrow, forest hideout, or pitfall trap (sort of like we've seen with more traditional limb elements, finger leaves, and palm leaves in sets like https://brickset.com/sets/70657-1 or https://brickset.com/sets/41756-1). It could also be great for functions like having a little animal burst out of a pile of fallen leaves.

    The 6x8 fuselage piece is more of a surprise to me, but definitely interesting, and should open up new options for reinforcing aircraft fuselages and boat hulls. I wonder whether any other 6-wide fuselage/double curved slope pieces will receive a similar update.

    That new 2x2 plate with handle is gorgeous, and will surely have all sorts of uses in the future. Although we haven't seen much of the road system in the 2024 City sets announced so far, one of my first thoughts is that it could be great for making inclined roads such as for a bridge/overpass, or ramps for a parking deck. And of course the Friends sets put it to great use for inclined roofs as well!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Regarding 5123 Aircraft Fuselage Curved Forward 6 x 8 Bottom with 2 Pin Holes:
    there will surely be a new "Slope, Inverted 45 6 x 8 Double with Pin Holes" also that will perfecly fit with this one, you can see them in the images of set 60417 Police Speedboat and Crooks' Hideout where the police boat is shown from the aft, e.g. here: https://www.brickmerge.de/img/sets/l/LEGO_60417_WEB_SEC05_NOBG.jpg

    And, just a speculation, but in that same set there will probably also be a similarly changed Cockpit 10 x 6 x 2 Curved (47406) mould on which there will be either two more pin holes in the aft of the part, so total 5 instead of the current 3, or it will have the same aft design that this new "Aircraft Bottom 6 x 8" 5123 has now ... Again, this is just some guessing, I'm not really sure, but seems logical.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That 2x2 with T-Bar seems super useful in place of the shield! Having the anti-studs on the underside means it can be very sturdily sandwiched in a plate stack. In your table scrap with two of them connected with rounded 1x2 plates would make an awesome knee joint for a mech, among other things.

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  6. The sewn tent is fun! I don't know how else they would have achieved that 3d shape with a single piece of cloth. I suppose it could have been glued or RF welded or something, but at any rate it needed to have a joint or be built from two separate pieces.

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  7. Finally the other macaroni, and a nice color

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  8. I like the new macaroni brick, don't get me wrong. But it seems like they are teasing us when it comes in trans clear, as trans clear 2x2 ones last came in the super chief train cars. As you can imagine, they are super expensive when not yellowed. I wish they'd re-release them!

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  9. That banana peel piece would be great in a potential Mario Kart theme. Maybe with a theme like that, they could finally give us some proper Mario universe minfigures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There was a rounded plate earlier appearing on Pick-A-Brick, that apparently had the same sides as a Mario Kart underside. Possibly, the plate and the banana peel could be interpreted as hints.

      Delete
    2. The rounded 4x6 plate is in one of the new Classic sets (11038).

      To be honest, if they did Mario Kart I'd half expect those to use the "digi-figs" too—and I wouldn't mind it, either, since I feel like you could get some fun play potential and sound effects with the accelerometer in those.

      Delete
  10. That 4585 bracket made me think of the old 4169 bracket from the 90's, although the new, compact version might perhaps be more useful.

    https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=4169&idColor=1#T=P&C=1

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  11. "A wizard's staff has a knob at the end"

    ReplyDelete