December 31, 2014

Review: 41089 Little Foal


Build a cute stable for the newborn foal. Bottle feed the foal to help it grow stronger!

The FriendsBricks community wishes to thank TLG’s CEE Team for generous support of this set to review and share with fans.

BOX ART, front and back

The box matches the vet sub-theme with the medical logo and aqua blue highlights. On the front, we can see the foal inside the stable, ready to be taken care of. On the back, we see the foal drinking out of the water trough. And some advertisement for the main set, the Vet Clinic (41085).


BOX CONTENTS
There is one booklet, one lime green 6x6 baseplate, a bag of smaller parts, another with larger parts, and of course, the foal!


And here are all of the pieces included in the set. The quantity seems to match that of the previous collectable animal foil packs. Maybe there are a little more. In any event, a cardboard box is probably friendlier to the environment, so I don't mind at all.
There are some nice parts overall, but few of them stand out as must-haves for this particular set. The aqua blue baby bottle is new and also appears in the Bunny and Babies set (41087). The 3x4 medium azure roof tile is also new and appears in the Vet Clinic set (41085).

December 30, 2014

Review: 41087 Bunny and Babies


What’s even cuter than a bunny? A baby bunny of course! And in this set we get a double dose of baby bunny cuteness!

The FriendsBricks community wishes to thank TLG’s CEE Team for generous support of this set to review and share with fans.

The front of the box shows the whole build, with one of the babies outside of the pen! I wonder who left the gate open as we don’t have a minifigure in this set ...

Also noticable on the front of the box is the cross and paw print just below the picture of the five friends, as well as the aqua trim on the box, depicting this set is part of the Vet sub-theme. This sub-theme is also evident on the back of the box, which has an image of the new Vet Clinic set (41085) and also directs us to: LEGO.com/friendsvet

Inside the box is one loose instruction booklet, a 6x8 Lime plate and small bag of parts. The Lime plate is unique to this set.

December 28, 2014

Review: 41088 Puppy Training

41088-8152-A
Get the puppy ready for the next agility competition in Heartlake City! 

The FriendsBricks community wishes to thank TLG’s CEE Team for generous support of this set to review and share with fans.

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Box Art: Front. This set is one of the five sets in the new Vet Clinic sub-theme. The package is marked with a medical logo with a paw print and highlighted with light blue instead of the pink and purple from the regular Friends sets.


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Box Art: Back. The play suggestion photo shows the puppy hoping to make the big jump! The picture next to it presents all the new animals from the Vet Clinic sub-theme. They seem to be saying, “Collect us all!” 

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Box Contents: 1 Booklet, 2 Bags, and 1 6x6 Plate

December 25, 2014

Review: 41093 Heartlake Hair Salon



Welcome to Heartlake Hair Salon. The place to go to find your next cool look. Natasha will help you chose new cuts and colors and will offer you a variety of accessories. All in a super friendly atmosphere with washing and styling stations. Don't be shy,  come on in!

The FriendsBricks community wishes to thank TLG’s CEE Team for generous support of this set to review and share with fans.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

As we can see from the front of the box, this is a pretty classic building from the Lego Friends theme. Those who remember the earlier sets might recall the City Park Cafe (3061), Butterfly Beauty Shop (3187), Heartlake Pet Salon (41007), etc. But look at the back of the box and see all that is included here. A sink to wash Emma's hair, a reclining chair, some wigs, a mirror to check how style looks, soda machine, magazines, everything you need to feel like you're in a real hair salon!


Open the box to find one booklet and one sticker sheet, two baseplates and three numbered bags. Let's start building!

December 24, 2014

Review: 41095 Emma's House



Let’s take a closer look at Emma’s House and see if it as stylish as Emma herself!

The FriendsBricks community wishes to thank TLG’s CEE Team for generous support of this set to review and share with fans.

The front of the box shows Emma’s House, located in the leafy, white picket suburbs of Heartlake City.

The set box carries the familiar purple flanges on the sides and ribbon wave across the top, indicating that this set belong to the base theme and not a sub-theme. We also get to see Emma’s mum, Charlotte, and her dad, Luis.  I was surprised how big this box was, but it wasn’t filled with air! We’ll get to that shortly.

The back of the box shows us what we can expect to find in the box, highlighting the playing features and loads of accessories. The left hand shows the modular nature of the building, meaning you can arrange it any way you like!

Inside the box are:
  • three instruction booklets and a sticker sheet, nicely packed with cardboard backing
  • seven numbered parts bags
  • 6x16 plates in Tan and a 16x16 plates in Bright Green, both loose in the box
  • 3x Tan, 2x White and 1x Bright Green 8x16 plates and a vine pieces in their own un-numbered baggie.

Let’s take a closer look at the instruction booklets:


The front covers of the three booklets have the same main image as the set box, with the inset showing the interior and the three individual mini-doll images being absent.  The sticker sheet is the type with the metallic sheen and appears to have a mirror sticker on it. It may just be my butter fingers, but I sometimes find these types of stickers harder to peel off.

December 21, 2014

Review: 41091 Mia's Roadster


Time to go cruising the streets of Heartlake City in Mia’s Cruiser! First though, we’ll need to charge it up, give it a good wash so it looks shiny and new, and make sure the wheel nuts are on tight!  

The FriendsBricks community wishes to thank TLG’s CEE Team for generous support of this set to review and share with fans.


The front of the box shows the whole build, with Mia getting ready to give the Roadster a wash.


The back of the box highlights some of the play features including the tool trolley, charging station and the opening boot on the Roadster.


Inside the box is one loose instruction booklet, which has the same main image as the box cover.  There are also three un-numbered parts bag, a baggie with the new style tools (yippee!), sticker sheet and two 2x12 White plates.

December 19, 2014

Review: 41092 Stephanie's Pizzeria


41092-8098-A 
Welcome to Stephanie’s Pizzeria! Our favorite baker & organizer Stephanie has a newest endeavor in cooking business: to make her tasty pizza for her friends and all people in Heartlake City to enjoy! She is known to make tasty cupcakes and other yummy baked goods, so everyone is excited to try her piping hot pizza served right out of the oven! You can enjoy your meal inside her cozy pizzeria, or just give her a call and get the food delivered to your door. You may see her riding her new red scooter, delivering pizza all over Heartlake City! 

The FriendsBricks community wishes to thank TLG’s CEE Team for generous support of this set to review and share with fans.

41092-8055-A
Box Art: Front


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Box Art: Back


41092-8064-A
Box Contents: 1 Booklet & 2 Bags

December 17, 2014

Review: 41090 Olivia's Garden Pool


41090-8037-A

It’s summer time in Heartlake City! Olivia’s got a new purple bikini top she recently bought at Heartlake Shopping Mall, and she’s ready to spend the afternoon at the heart-shaped garden pool! Of course she has her sunscreen and an ice cold drink by her side. After having fun with the slide, she loves to relax sitting in her floating ring while listening to her favorite music! The friendly turtle comes by, attracted by the cherries Olivia has brought out for a snack.

The FriendsBricks community wishes to thank TLG’s CEE Team for generous support of this set to review and share with fans.

41090-7977-A

Box Art: Front


41090-7979-A
Box Art: Back 


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Box Contents: 1 Booklet, 2 Bags, 1 6x8 Plate


Review: 41094 Heartlake Lighthouse


Heartlake City finally gets a brick-built Lighthouse everyone can build & enjoy! No matter the weather - sun or fog, an Ice Cream from Kate's shop at the base of the Lighthouse is a fun outing. Stephanie visits for some photography, nature, exploring, and a sweet treat for boat rowing energy!
Let's see just how strong this Heartlake Lighthouse will be against coastal winds.

The FriendsBricks community wishes to thank TLG’s CEE Team for generous support of this set to review and share with fans.


Box Art: Front

Box Art: Back


Box Contents: 4 Bags, 2 Instructions Booklets, Baseplate, and Sticker sheet

December 14, 2014

Review: 41097 Heartlake Hot Air Balloon


Andrea has teamed up with her pal Noah to go on a special excursion! They made reservations for a whole day trip flying in a hot air balloon!

The FriendsBricks community wishes to thank TLG’s CEE Team for generous support of this set to review and share with fans.


Box front and back:

Andrea and Noah are flying over a lush valley inside the star of the set, the hot air balloon. We have a glimpse of Heartlake City in the background. There is also a campsite near a small water cascade. On the back of the box, it looks like there is plenty to see and do: pic-nic, campfire with marshmallows, wildlife, a treasure in a book!

Inside the box:

The box contains one booklet, one 8x16 baseplate, two numbered bags, and one bag containing what look to be the parts for the balloon. As you can see, there are no stickers.

Build:

Bag n°1

Here is the content of the first bag. There are neat pieces, like octogonal silver plates, lime green domes and inverted domes, a few medium nougat coloured bricks including a door, tan 2x2 macaronis…

December 1, 2014

LEGO Friends 2014 Advent Calendar Reveal & Review!

It's that time of year again to reveal & review the 24 daily surprises of the LEGO Friends Advent Calendar!
 The front of the box has the familiar pink and purple ribbon banner, 
but we don't get any flanges on this box. (41040)
 The back of the box shows that the box opens up to reveal a home, 
giving a clue as to the general theme we can expect from this year's advent calendar.  
Day 1 starts with Mia. She is always cute as a button with her freckled cheeks, even if she is wearing Stephanie's shirt from last year's Advent Calendar (41016). The pants may also be familiar, as they are the same as Matthew was wearing in Jungle Bridge Rescue (41036).
Day 2 of the Friends Advent Calendar is a Sled featuring two of my favourite colours - pink and purple.
I automatically assumed that there would be a little trailer for it in one of the other days, but it doesn't have a hook or equivalent mechanism at the back. The highlight in terms of parts for me is the two 1x3 plates in Dark Purple which have only been released in two other sets (one of them being Olivia's Beach Buggy (41010)).
 Day 3 of the Friends Advent Calendar is a small Gift in a Medium Lavender Basket.
Day 4 of the Friends Advent Calendar is a vignette with Fawn and small tree.
It took a while for the fawn to grow on me when it was first released (in the Fawn's Forest (41023), but I became a fan of the super-cute fawn once I was able to get a closer look.

Day 5 of the Friends Advent Calendar is a Window scene with holiday trim. This is the first of the mini builds that extends the scene on the back of the set box and is also a neat little parts pack!
On Day 6 of the Friends Advent Calendar we are introduced to Ewa, who is a new character. While it's always nice to have a new character, Ewa is extra special as she has a torso pattern that we haven't seen before. It's a cute little red jacket with white faux fur trim and scarf.
Day 7 of the Friends Advent Calendar is a Table with a pink and red striped table cloth. By itself, the table is not so functional, but it suggests we will probably get some chairs and some food to put on the table!
Day 8 of the Friends Advent Calendar follows up immediately with two pink and red Chairs to go with the table from Day 7. Now we just need some crockery, cutlery, food and drinks, and Mia and Ewa will be set for a festive feast!
Day 9 of the Friends Advent Calendar is a Candle. Perhaps a centrepiece for the table?
Day 10 of the Friends Advent Calendar provides the Plates and Cutlery for the table as well as the Cooking Utensils Mia and Ewa will need to prepare the feast!
Day 11 of the Friends Advent Calendar is a Stove in a very Friendly dark purple and medium azure colour scheme.
Day 12 of the Friends Advent Calendar is a Saucepan and Food.
Day 13 of the Friends Advent Calendar provides a sideboard to extend the kitchen. The sideboard, with a cheese platter and salt and pepper shakers, looks great and makes for a nice parts pack too!
Day 14 of the Friends Advent Calendar brings more food and drink to the table. It looks like the girls are serving up pink soda, carrots, drumsticks and something else. Anyone want to take a guess at today's mystery food? Perhaps lettuce on an open bun?
Day 15 of the Friends Advent Calendar adds another module to the kitchen, this one being the kitchen sink complete with dishwashing liquid. I guess those dishes aren't going to clean themselves after the party is over!
Day 16 of the Friends Advent Calendar brings more food and drinks, this time what I assume is a pudding, a gingerbread cookie and mugs for hot chocolate. I'm not sure that's exactly what TLG had in mind, but as I've said before, that's the beauty of LEGO - you can make it be whatever you want it to be!
Day 17 moves us to a different part of the house, with a cosy fireplace for the lounge room.
Day 18 of the Friends Advent Calendar gets us started on the furniture for the lounge room with a small end table with a lamp and book. Now we just need a sofa to curl up on to read the book!
Day 19 of the Friends Advent Calendar gets us the comfy sofa we need for reading our book and letting our stomach settle after the massive feast.
The sofa comes with two 1x2 slopes in Medium Lavender. While this is not a new part, it is the first time it has been in this colour.
Day 20 of the Friends Advent Calendar is a cute white cat, sitting on a pet pillow. Not sure there's more to say than that really!
Day 21 of the Friends Advent Calendar is a cell phone and docking station. Music for those who still have enough energy at the end of the day to dance? Or maybe its playing carols for those who have found their way to the lounge?
Day 22 of the Friends Advent Calendar is a present - a Medium Azure bow - in a Bright Pink and Red gift box. While this is a relatively small and simple build, this is actually one of my favourites from this year's calendar. It looks good, is functional and can easily be adapted for a range of scenarios. It was also an instant winner with my daughter as it was another place to hide her gems!
Day 23 of the Friends Advent Calendar is the Christmas Tree. It is a nice, sturdy tree, topped off with one of the cute trans-dark pink hearts.
But who actually waits until the 23rd to put up the tree? I am going to make a plea to TLG - can we please have the tree earlier in next year's advent calendar?
Day 24 of the Friends Advent Calendar is a large gift box with a camera and ice skates. My set came with 5 skates, which suggests that the present is meant to have two pairs, and those fit neatly into the gift box. However, I couldn't make the camera fit into the box. I even tried by taking off the lens (i.e. the 1x1 round plates). I don't think the camera was ever meant to go in the box, but it seemed odd having it sitting outside of it.
 The set as a whole, including spares, to wrap up the review of Friends Advent Calendar 2014!

              ~ Enjoy the Season

  Review by Kristel
 The FriendsBricks community wishes to thank TLG’s CEE Team for generous support of this set to review and share with fans.  
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