Showing posts with label LEGO® Friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LEGO® Friends. Show all posts

14 March 2024

LEGO® Friends review: 42620 Olly and Paisley's Family Houses

Posted by Eero

Houses of the main characters have always been prominent in the LEGO® Friends line. The theme was rebooted last year, and the new style has been generally acclaimed. 42620 Olly and Paisley's Family Houses is the first LEGO Friends main cast set to feature two different houses, both in unusual colour schemes, yet feeling architecturally coherent.


16 February 2024

LEGO® Friends review: 42604 Heartlake City Shopping Mall

Posted by Eero

The LEGO® Friends theme was rebooted last year and in addition to brand new set concepts like 42605 Mars Space Base and Rocket it has brought many new takes on sets from earlier years. During its 12 year run, LEGO Friends has given us 41058 Heartlake Shopping Mall in 2014 – remembered for its Pearl Gold palm leaves, and 41450 Heartlake City Shopping Mall in 2021 – a surprisingly recent model that shares the same name, layout and escalator system as the new mall I'm reviewing today: 42604 Heartlake City Shopping Mall.

 

All of the rebooted LEGO Friends sets seem to be large improvements over their predecessors; so how does this mall fare?

05 February 2024

LEGO® Friends review: 42621 Heartlake City Hospital

Posted by Eero

While the LEGO® Friends theme often portrays small, independent businesses, it also gets a fair share of public services. The health services take place in 42621 Heartlake City Hospital which is a name that might sound familiar to you as there is a LEGO Friends set from 2020 with the exactly same name - 41394 Heartlake City Hospital. Comparisons with it show just how far the LEGO Friends theme has come; not only during its 12-year run, but also just within this decade. Heartlake City has been rebooted, so let's find out how its hospital has changed with it.

28 January 2024

LEGO® Friends review: 42605 Mars Space Base and Rocket

Posted by Eero

A Space subtheme – or should that be supertheme? – has been spread across several lines in January 2024 sets, and LEGO® Friends get their fair share with sets 42605 Mars Space Base and Rocket and 42603 Stargazing Camping Vehicle. I've posted my review of the latter on New Elementary's Patreon and social accounts, but first let's look at the Mars base, which features a unique design with two large quarter-dome modules along an airlock; a semi-realistic design with some amusing details. Step aboard!


31 December 2023

LEGO® Friends build review and interview: 42639 Andrea's Modern Mansion

Posted by tobymac

With 2275 parts, 42639 Andrea’s Modern Mansion is the largest LEGO® Friends set to date. These parts include a lot of interesting new elements which we’ve already taken a look at, but now it’s time to start building!

18 December 2023

LEGO® Friends parts review: 42639 Andrea's Modern Mansion

Posted by tobymac

LEGO® Friends celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2022, and in 2023 we saw a relaunch of the theme. The Heartlake City Universe made a time jump, introducing a new generation of characters. But the old friends were not forgotten! The original group is meeting up in 42639 Andrea's Modern Mansion for a reunion and catching up on adventures since their ‘split’. We’ll join the party soon, but first we’ll be taking a look at all the new elements found in the set. And there is a new color!

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.

21 November 2023

LEGO® Friends Sea Rescue sets review & MOC: 41734, 41736, 41752

Posted by Tom Loftus

Earlier this year the environmentally conscious Heartlake City received a revamped sea rescue sub-theme in the form of LEGO® Friends sets 41734 Sea Rescue Boat, 41736 Sea Rescue Center and 41752 Sea Rescue Plane. Today I'll be taking a look at the noteworthy parts and builds of all three sets before attempting an alternate build using their combined inventories.

 

20 September 2023

LEGO® Friends review & MOC: 41760 Igloo Holiday Adventure

Posted by Caz Mockett

You know summer is officially over when The LEGO Group starts releasing winter-themed sets! Today I take a look at the smaller of two September 2023 LEGO® Friends sets: 41760 Igloo Holiday Adventure. For a set of modest size, it offers us a healthy number of recolours, rare parts and even two fascinating new moulds!

06 September 2023

LEGO® Friends review & MOC: 41747 Heartlake City Community Kitchen

Posted by Caz Mockett

The June 2023 wave of LEGO® Friends releases continues to fly the flag for thoughtfully-designed sets in vibrant colours, and 41747 Heartlake City Community Kitchen is no exception. It includes four characters from the theme's reboot, plus everyone's favourite grumpy kitty, Churro, who all love hanging out in a community-run café.

 

The set features an interesting selection of new, recoloured and rare elements, so let's take a look at them to see what's cooking in the kitchen.

24 August 2023

LEGO® Friends review: 41744 Sports Center

Posted by Tom Loftus

Continuing our look at the June 2023 wave of  LEGO® Friends sets, 41744 Sports Center offers a small range of new recolours, a colourful selection of lesser-seen elements and a build that makes great use of all 832 parts.

 

26 July 2023

LEGO® Friends review: 41757 Botanical Garden

Posted by Caz Mockett

One of the most keenly-awaited sets in the June wave of LEGO® Friends releases, 41757 Botanical Garden features a stylish butterfly house with cacti and succulents growing inside, along with an outside pond, overhanging cherry tree and three minidolls. It already seems to be a popular set with the AFOL community, so let's dive straight into the interesting parts included.

26 June 2023

LEGO® Friends review + MOCs: 41759 Heartlake City Bus

Posted by Tom Loftus

Beginning our look at the June 2023 wave of  LEGO® Friends sets, 41759 Heartlake City Bus offers a modest range of new and recoloured elements. Today I'll be discussing them all, as well as the build itself and some MOCs I made inspired by the new moulds.

15 March 2023

LEGO® Friends 41711 Emma's Art School

Posted by Caz Mockett
After all of our recent LEGO® Friends 2023 set reviews, today we are going "old skool" and looking back at one from 2022. 41711 Emma's Art School was one of five sets released last year which told the story of where the original five Friends characters would be furthering their education; the others being 41713 Olivia's Space Academy, 41714 Andrea's Theatre School, 41716 Stephanie's Sailing Adventure and 41717 Mia's Wildlife Rescue.

 

08 March 2023

LEGO® Friends review: 41728 & 41733: Thought for Food

Posted by tobymac

I’ve reviewed so many sets from the January 2023 wave of LEGO® Friends, I’m in need of some food and a drink... which these two sets will provide.

41728 Heartlake Downtown Diner has some great sandwiches for me, and 41733 Mobile Bubble Tea Shop serves a refreshing beverage which, according to my children, is made of a combination of milk, tea, flavored syrup and tapioca pearls for a chewy texture. I’ll have a coffee, black.

01 March 2023

LEGO® Friends review: 41730 Autumn's House

Posted by tobymac

The buildings I have reviewed so far in the January 2023 wave of LEGO® Friends sets are all located in Heartlake City. Time to take a trip to the countryside and pay a visit to Autumn, who lives with her family on a ranch just a bike ride’s distance from the city.


The original 5 friends all got their own set showing their house, and it seems the new friends group is continuing that tradition. Join me as I build set 41730 Autumn’s House, where we run into a familiar face.

03 February 2023

LEGO® Friends review: 41727, 41738 & 41741: For the Love of Dog

Posted by tobymac

Today's review is for all dog-lovers! Join me on a journey through Heartlake City in search of canines in need of rescue.


The January 2023 wave of LEGO® Friends sets includes 3 sets focused on dog rescue: 41727 Dog Rescue Center, 41741 Dog Rescue Van and 41738 Dog Rescue Bike. The LEGO Friends theme is known for introducing new animal moulds and these 3 sets are no exception.

27 January 2023

LEGO® Friends room inspection: 41739, 41740, 41754 & 41755 'Room' sets

Posted by tobymac

The January 2023 wave of LEGO® Friends sets bring us forward in the timeline with the original group now all grown up and the introduction of a new group of 8 brand new characters. To get to know them better the theme gives us a look into their rooms with 4 new sets showing their hobbies and interests: 41739 Liann’s Room, 41740 Aliya’s Room, 41754 Leo’s Room and 41755 Nova’s Room. 

The sets average around 200 parts, and are available for £17.99 / €19,99 / $19.99 / AU$32.99. I assume the rooms of the other 4 friends will show up in future?

20 January 2023

LEGO® Friends review: 41735 Tiny Mobile Home

Posted by tobymac

Apparently it’s a new trend: Tiny Houses. On one hand, I like the concept: less room means less building materials, heating, maintenance and footprint but just thinking about living in one makes me claustrophobic. I’m not a fan of small spaces. I need room to breathe and move...besides, where would I store my LEGO in a Tiny House?


The trend has also reached Heartlake City, and our friends have opted for a mobile version of a tiny home. Hitch a ride through this review of Friends 41735 Tiny House.

18 January 2023

LEGO® Friends review: 41729 Organic Grocery Store

Posted by tobymac

The next set from the January 2023 wave of LEGO® Friends sets under my review is another shop: 41729 Organic Grocery Store. With 830 parts, it sits within the top 5 largest sets out of the wave, and includes some nice new elements. So, grab your cart and load up with MOC-feeders.