Book Review: LEGO Friends Character Encyclopedia

Here’s the book I have been looking forward to since the day I found out about it last year: LEGO Friend Character Encyclopedia written by Catherine Saunders, published by DK Publishing. The price in the US is $18.99. It’s a big hardcover book and it has the volume worthy of an encyclopedia. However, upon a closer look, you will notice that half of the thickness is due to the cardboard box attached to the back of the front cover holding the special mini-doll.

LEGO Friends Magazine

Earlier this week, Susan made a post on our Friends Bricks Forum about the new magazine dedicated to LEGO Friends. According to the press release she provided, this magazine will be published by German company Blue Ocean Entertainment and available in various European markets. The monthly magazine will have 12 pages of stories, puzzles, and craft ideas, plus each issue will include an exclusive, original LEGO Friends Playset.

So that got me curious and I searched online.  I came across a few interesting images shared by noriart on flickr.

Note the Charlie mini-set that comes with this particular issue as well as the beach-themed mini-set that will accompany the following issue.

I have also seen the covers of the German, Dutch and UK English versions of the upcoming issue, which will come out in July.

I hope this magazine becomes available in the US, too!

LEGO Friends: Friends Are Forever DVD

 Good news for fans who enjoy LEGO Friends animated series! A LEGO Friends DVD (MSRP $14.99) will be released on August 26th in the US. The product details do not mention exactly what will be featured on the DVD, but since it will be 66 minutes long, I may be right in guessing it will contain three of the mini-movie episodes. Each mini-movie is exactly 22 minutes long.

Here are the first three mini movies that are available in various languages online as well as on DVD in some countries:

Episode 1: New Girl in Town
Episode 2: Stephanie's Surprise Party
Episode 3: Dolphin Cruise

Sometime soon this year, two more mini-movie episodes should be added to the series. Susan (aka LegoMyMamma) stumbled upon them and the lucky few of us got to watch them before the videos disappeared. I suppose we were not supposed to see them quite yet. Anyway, I hope it's okay to at least share the names of the new episodes we managed to find out:

Episode 4: Country Girls
Episode 5: Emma's Dilemma

My guess is the new DVD will feature Episodes 1-3. The mini movies can be watched online, but at the moment it is rather difficult to find all the entire episodes in one place, so I am certain some fans won't mind owning a LEGO Friends DVD.

LEGO Fusion and Friends Resort Designer

The new LEGO Fusion augmented reality interface with imaging real bricks via your handheld device using Qualcomm's Vuforia mobile vision platform allows builders to get a 3D version of what they are building.  "Real build, Virtual game" is how LEGO describes it.  Due to release in August, the sets contain around 200 bricks at a price of around $35, with the app download being free.

Interactive play has been a big part of LEGO Friends since its beginning in January 2012.  This inclusion in the LEGO Fusion line, along with other sets, such as Town Master, Battle Towers and Create & Race, demonstrates the evergreen aspects of the Friends theme.
LEGO Friends set is called Resort Designers:

Comes with 263 bricks and the 'special' code image that allows the device to build in 3D.  Create and build to add to your virtual world, then store on LEGO's cloud using your LEGO ID so you can go back to build more and play.

Video demo:
 

More info about the Fusion line on LEGO.com
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FriendsBricks.com

Jungle Boat #30115

LEGO Friends Jungle Boat (polybag #30115)

Olivia and the Jungle Boat - the build.  Hovercraft style.

LEGO Friends Jungle Boat polybag #30115 - Summer 2014

Thanks to the keen eye of Maya!

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FriendsBricks.com

Jungle Gear

Some of the Jungle Gear to complement the new Summer 2014 LEGO Friends Jungle Rescue sets:

Jungle Tent Accessory Pack (#850967) - comes with Mini-Doll Nya, bricks, a puppy, and LEGO-fabric tent (similar to cape fabric and previous tents, such as those first introduced in Adventurers theme sets in 1998).

Playmat with Jungle scenery for building sets and other creations on - reverse side is Heartlake City.
#851325
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FriendsBricks.com

Review: First Aid Jungle Bike

With her medical bag, shovel and trike, there’s no jungle emergency that Emma can’t deal with! Let’s take a closer look at the First Aid Jungle Bike.

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 going to the rescue of the orangutan, who seems to be caught in rockslide. I hope she gets there before he gets buried under all those 1x1 bricks!



The back of the box shows how the main features of the set, with Emma desperately shovelling away the bricks to rescue the orangutan and then tending to his injuries on the bike.



Inside the box is one loose instruction booklet and three un-numbered parts bags. No stickers in this set, which seems to make it the odd one out in the jungle subtheme.