Review: 41338 Stephanie's Sports Arena

2 Love. Stephanie loves sports. Join her and Vicky at the Sports Arena as they compete for the golden trophy.

This set was provided by the AFOL 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 box features the new look for 2018. The five Friends have been re-imagined. The solid purple colored flanges now have line art graphics on them. The skyline of Heartlake City has changed and shows a tower crane. There is a soccer field in the background. I wonder if that is a hint to combine this set with Stephanie's Soccer Practice. On the bottom corner are Stephanie and the new Vicky.



The back of the box emphasizes the play features of the set. Gone is the tape sealed flaps for the larger sized boxes. Now to open the box, you have to push to break the tabs and pull. Poor Emma, she got covered by the Not-For-Sale sticker.



These sides of the box have the 1:1 scale minidoll, picture of Stephanie and Vicky cheering on their favorite team, safety warning, legal text, countries of manufacture and ad for Lego.com/life.



Here we have a repeat of the safety warning, not for children 3 and under. The left side now features a picture instead of text on a purple background. I like the side having a picture.



Ok, time to cut the tape, err, break the tabs. Inside we have an instruction manual, 4 numbered bags, 3 8x16 plates, and one sticker sheet.



The instruction manual has the same picture as the box cover but no suggested age range.  AFOLs don't follow that any way.



The back of the manual hasn't changed from previous years. Give feedback and get a chance to win some prizes.



Flip open to a page and we have nice pics of the 2018 1st sets. Hey, there is Stephanie's Sport Arena.



Here we have the parts list:





The sticker sheet has 11 stickers.



Let's get building. Starting off with bag #1. Some parts to note. Vicky's hair and legs are currently unique to this set. The medium azure 1x1x3 bricks are available in 2 other sets.



Inside the first small bag. The 5 red petal plates are new for 2018. Vicky's torso is only available in this set. Stephanie's head is new for 2018.



Inside the second small bag. We have Stephanie's new torso currently unique to this set. Vicky's head is new for 2018 and unique to this set.



Stephanie and Vicky are helping out. The step-by-step instructions are clear and easy to follow with no more than a couple pieces at each step.



Finishing bag #1, we have the 2 floodlights, the basketball shooting game and the tennis court.



Let's take a closer look at the minidolls. Here we have Stephanie in her new look. Her eyes and smile are now bigger. She still sports the same hair piece as before.



Vicky is new for 2018 and makes her debut in this set. She has that I'm going to win that golden trophy look. I like her color coordination. The new hair piece is nice too.



Moving on to bag #2. The medium azure 1x2 brick with clip are new for 2018 and available in one other set. The 1x10 dark blue plate is also available in 1 other set.




Inside the small bag we have some interesting pieces. The I<3 HLC cup is new for 2018. Those 5 petal plates are new for 2018 too. Nice to see 1x1 printed ticket tiles. They would be hard to sticker.



After bag #2 is done, we have the entrance to the sports arena and spectator stand.



I think Vicky has her eyes on that golden trophy.



Let's keep building before that ice cream cone melts. Onwards to bag #3. The 3x3 yellow round corner plate is available in 2 other sets.



The printed taco quarter tiles are new and unique to this set.



With bag #3 completed, we have the taco stand and the beginnings of the second floor store.



We are now onto bag #4. The 2x10 bright pink plate makes its debut in this set. The 7x3 white flag with rod is only available in one other set. The 4x4 dark blue macaroni tile is available in 2 other sets.



In the small bag, we get another piece of taco and a couple printed round tiles.



Finishing bag #4, we get the scoreboard and the second floor souvenir store.





Here are the extra pieces in the set, mostly 1x1's.



Let's take a closer look at the complete set.



No entry without a ticket. Vicky is doing a good job at the gate.



Stephanie buys a banner at the souvenir shop.



Let's get some food before the event.



Quickly eat that ice cream cone before it melts. Be careful not to get a brain freeze.



Stephanie and Vicky both want to win the same golden trophy. Ok, bring it on...



First event, basketball shooting.



Woah, where did that finger come from? You shoot the basketball by pressing down on the lever. Actually, it is not easy getting the ball into the basket. I am not having much luck, let's try something else.



Next up tennis. There is that finger again. You can whack the tennis ball back and forth. I am getting quite good at this. I haven't missed a ball yet. It's going to be a long match...



============

Stephanie loves sports. The Sports Arena is a welcome addition to Heartlake. Overall, it is a fun set to build and play with friends. Getting the basketball in the net can be challenging. I used to work at an arena and I feel this set could use more minidolls. It seems kind of empty with just two. So I invited Mia and Robert over from Heartlake Sports Center.



Is today Taco Tuesday?

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 used to verify this information.