August 12, 2017

Review: 41323 Snow Resort Chalet




What better way to relax after a full day on the slopes than with a hot chocolate in your own resort chalet? Let’s take a closer at the features of the Snow Resort Chalet (41323)!

This set was provided by the Operations & Community Engagement of The LEGO Group for the purpose of sharing set details with fans.
Opinions provided here solely reflect those of our reviewer. 
Photographs are property of Friends Bricks and are not directed by TLG in any fashion.


The front of the box shows the front of the chalet and the two mini-dolls - Andrea and Amy - featured in the set, as well as a snippet of what’s inside the chalet.



The set is part of the Snow Resort sub-theme, as indicated by the ice patterns on the purple flanges and the ribbon wave, as well as the winter gear worn by the Friends shown at the top of the box.

The back of the box highlights the numerous accessories and play features packed into this set. 



It also highlights that the chalet floors can be separated.





The side of the box gives us the usual warnings and indicates the size of the pieces by giving us a 1:1 image of Andrea .

 

Inside the box are:
  • One instruction booklet
  • One sticker sheet, already curled
  • Four numbered parts bags (with a further four inner baggies)
  • One 8 x16 Tan plate
  • One 16 x 16 Tan plate. 



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



The front cover of the instruction booklet has the same main image as the set box, minus the two insets. 

The instructions are laid out well, with easy to follow instructions.



The inside back pages of the instruction booklet feature:
  • Full parts list (3 pages)
  • Two sets from the main theme - the Sunshine Catamaran (41317) and the Heartlake Hospital (41318) 
  • Sets from the Snow Resort sub-theme
  • Sets from themes that appear to be targeted at girls.

   

   

The back cover has the gorgeous Emma letting us know how we can win a cool LEGO prize.. 



Here’s the parts that are found in Bag 1:



The parts that caught my eye were the:
  • Husky, which is only available in one other set - Heartlake Puppy Daycare (41124)
  • Lime camera, which is new in that colour this year (but not unique to this set)
  • Printed tile showing the ski runs, which is new this year and common to the sets in this sub-theme
  • Medium Azure wedge with cut-out, which is unique to this set in that colour.



The first bag builds the snow mobile and the resort information board with ski storage:



We’ll have a closer look at the husky and the mini-dolls shortly.

The snowmobile looks great and is solidly build. The front skis on the snowmobile are held on with non-friction pins which means they can move like a seesaw - perfect for navigating through the slopes. It holds both mini-dolls and the husky, or three mini-dolls if one of them is keen to take their chances standing up without anything to hold on to.



The information board with ski holder looks good and is a neat use of the tile with handle.  The skis do have a tendency to lean forward, which is a little annoying for me.  Kids probably won’t think anything of it though!



This brings us to Bag 2:



The Magenta ladder and Medium Azure ladder caught my eye, although neither are unique to this set.

These parts start the ground floor of the chalet, including the outdoor hot tub and the lounge.







This brings us to Bag 3:



The Dark Blue ornamental sign, which is unique to this set in that colour, immediately caught my eye. I love these signs and have used the White and Black ones quite a few times in my own builds.



There were a few other parts that caught my eye, although none of these are unique to this set:
  • Light Bluish Grey briefcase
  • 1x1 round tiles with the log pattern
  • Croissant
  • 1x2 tile with chocolate pattern
  • Medium Lavender 2x6 round plate

These parts finish the ground floor of the chalet.  The colour scheme has a real warmth to it, inviting you to come and get cosy inside the cabin. I had an internal debate about whether or not to put the stickers on the ornamental sign, but gave in - it really needed the stickers to make sense.



The colour scheme on the inside is much brighter, contrasting somewhat to the exterior. While quite a nice interior, I feel it loses some of the cosy factor.





This brings us to Bag 4, the final bag:



There is a lot of Reddish Brown in this bag compared to the others, but nothing else really stood out for me. I wasn’t able to identify any parts that were unique to this set.

The first thing we build from the parts in bag 4 is the balustrade above the front door:



The balance of the parts in Bag 4 build the roof and attic:





The roof panels are on hinges, which means it opens up for easy play. However, the attic bedroom is already easily accessible even with the roof up, so I think it may be more about getting the roof at an angle rather than having access to the room.



The whole building seems to be designed with easy access in mind. The way that the bedroom is offset from the ground floor means that all of the ground floor remains easily accessible for little (and big!) hands.



The bed is a little too close to the edge for my liking. I "bags" the bed closest to the wall!



Here is what the chalet looks like from the front - quite a neat design:



Let’s take a closer look at the mini-dolls and husky.  From left to right, we have Andrea, Amy and Luna:



Let’s take a closer look at Andrea first.



Andrea is wearing a chevron striped vest over a Lavender turtle neck, which is the same one as Stephanie wore in SnowBoard Tricks (30402). Her Medium Lavender skirt, Dark Blue tights and White socks combo is unique to this set.



Amy has also been shopping at the resort shop, wearing the same Aqua hoodie with Magenta mittens as Stephanie in Snow Resort Ice Rink (42322) and the same Light Aqua tights and Magenta boots combination as Emma in Snow Resort Off-Roader (41321).  Andrea and Amy have the same torso shape, suggesting Amy is in the same age group as the Friends (rather than an adult).



I spent some time during the review wondering why there was a fox included in the set. It started to make sense once I read the set description on the LEGO website, which introduces the dog as Luna the husky. As I mentioned above, Luna is the same as the husky included in last year’s Puppy DayCare set.

This brings us to the spare parts, of which there are quite a few:



Let’s have anther look at the set as a whole.



Overall, I think this is great looking set, with great colours and plenty of play features for a set of this size. While it is lacking a bathroom, this is easily fixed with the addition of another floor. Actually another floor with a bedroom and bathroom would mean that all the Friends could hang out at the chalet at the same time!

The hot tub is big enough for two mini-dolls, but it those outfits probably aren't the best choice for this activity!


Thanks for reading! C&C welcome.

Note: All exclusive parts mentioned in the colours noted were applicable at the time this review was posted. Parts may be available in other colours and sets after the post of this review. Brickset and BrickLink were use to verify this information.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the review! I really like the sled, seems pretty functional. An idea might be to combine it with the many sleds in this years Friends advent calendar. Might give that a go. Once all the doors have been opened of course ��! Yeah those ski poles tipping over is a little annoying. However it's only a small sacrifice to make.

I must say I'm loving the dark blue, magenta & neon green colour scheme! I don't really see why they added the medium purple though. I find it quite jarring.
The roof design probably is like that just to get it at an angle, but it looks great so I'm not complaining!
I kinda wish they had left out the hot tub & instead added a bathroom, but I'll get this set anyway.
Ciao for now! ~ themime

Xyra Silverleaf said...

great set and review. Thank you for the closer look. I think I'll put it on my wish list.
~Xyra

Animalland9 said...

Thanks for the great review!

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