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.



The instruction booklet has the same main image as the set box. Consistent with previous Friends sets, the instructions are easy to follow for even the younger fans with parts lists for each step.  The instructions were loose in the box, but were neither crinkled or bent. Always a bonus!

On the back of the instructions, Emma invites us to provide feedback for a chance to win a set.


Here are the contents of the parts baggies:

There is a nice selection of parts and accessories in this set. The highlights for me were the two corner tiles in White, the new style tools (love them!!), the 1x4 brick profile brick in Medium Dark Flesh (my first one!) and the 1x4 double curved slopes in Medium Blue.   

The pieces that are unique to this set are the:
  • 2x4x2/3 sloped curve in Magenta (BrickLink Part ID 88930); 
  • Mudguard / bonnet piece in Medium Blue (BrickLink Part ID 98835); and
  • Sunglasses in Trans-Purple, which are a different mold to the previous Friends sunglasses.
I also couldn’t find the Black wheel holders in the BrickLink database.

Other highlights:
  • The 1x2 plates in Magenta have been only in one set previously, this being the Spy Jet Escape (8638) from the Cars theme;
  • The handbag in Bright Light Blue is not so common, having been only in Olivia’s House (3315) and in the Heartlake Shopping Mall (41058); and
  • The 2x2 round tile in White is the new style round tile with the stud holder at the back.
The build starts with the wash station, tool trolley and charging station.  Here's a closer look at the latter two of these:

The “wheels” on the trolley are the 1x2 top plates for hinge bricks (BrickLink item ID 3938). I also love the new tools! (Have I mentioned that already?) They are more realistic looking than the old style tools (although purple hammers do have a place in this world!).

I hadn’t realised that the “gas pump” was actually a charging station for an electric vehicle. it is good to know that Mia won’t be belching out any exhaust fumes while cruising the streets of Heartlake City.

The main build is of course the car:

This felt like a bit of clunky car while I was building it, but I ended liking the overall colour scheme look of the Roadster. I also note that Mia’s listening to BFF on the radio (or is it a media player). Whoever installed that radio needs to get glasses though, as it looks like it has been installed a little crooked.

Let’s take a closer look at Mia:

Mia appears to be recycling her outfit having worn something recently similar while skateboarding (30101) and having a picnic (30108).   However, on closer inspection, the printing on the halter top is slightly different, with a solid paw print and whiter edging around the butterflies.  Her pants, however, are the same as those we have seen in more than a dozen sets previously.

Here she is cruising in her Roadster:

She decided to put her bag in the boot, as she was concerned it might go flying out of the car.  Who knew Mia had a lead foot?


The trunk opens for storage.

There are quite a few spare parts for a small set: 

The odd one here is the 2x12 White plate. I double checked the instructions to see if I had missed something, but I don’t think I have. I suspect this is an error (either on my part of that of TLG) rather than an intentional spare part.

Let’s have another look at the set as a whole:


Overall, this small set packs a lot of punch. The variety in the supporting mini-builds - washing station, charging station and tools trolley - means the set has loads of playability, and it has a neat selection of parts including some that are unique to the set. I also like that Mia’s Roadster is a (relatively speaking) environmentally friendly electric vehicle.

Thanks for reading!

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.

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like this set, I do wish that the tiles were printed instead of stickers. I hate stickers on Lego!

Anonymous said...

this is a really cool set for $14! I'm now planning on getting this!

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