Review: 41402 Olivia's Play Cube

Our budding scientist, Olivia, gets a cubed Chemical Lab -- just beware of green slime!

Package front shows Olivia just outside her new Lab above the actual cube which protrudes out of its cardboard pack. We see this is Series #1 of surprise pets.
It's very much like the Heart Box packaging.

Back side shows all five cubes and that each get re-colored pets.
The beveled side shows a collage of newly re-colored pets.


Contents: Instructions pamphlet, largest bag of parts, sticker sheet, and the cube with stuff already inside.


Largest bag parts: The new light pink 2x6/1x6 bracket/plates, and Olivia's new torso; otherwise no real new parts. Although the white Light Sword Blade that she uses as chalk is a fun choice.


Sticker sheet: I had hoped the chalkboard would be printed -- as we've had in the past -- yet it's sticker #2. The main backdrop sticker makes it seem as if she keeps a messy lab ... hmmm.


Olivia has a new cool yellow double-breasted sleeveless jacket blouse -- with a vertical ruffle along one side. The collar even has a small extension above the beautiful shimmery pink Heart-shaped hook-and-clip frog type closure buttons! With a matching cool yellow shirt, the back yoke ruffles and buttoned pleat sash -- with more pink shimmery heart buttons -- really stand out!
Completing her signature color combo are the dark azure slip-ons.


Cube contents: Olivia brochure, small parts bag, opened cube, and our pillow-box of a surprise re-colored pet. Inside the lower part of the cube you can see the square anti-studs where the pink brackets will attach.
I've added a ruler (not included) to give an idea of actual size.


Both sections built before putting into the cube. Here you can see the 1x2 nougat tile gets the sticker of an open book with some sort of green stuff spilled onto it. It's hard to see in the photos once in the cube (even in the product images).


After first installing the chalkboard and pen on the left side, and backdrop sticker on the right -- we add our small modules.
The chalkboard is nice, even if a sticker. The flask over a Bunsen burner, chemical lab liquid mixer, and list of directions holder are really clever. Although the backdrop sticker is somewhat hard to see here -- the shelves and Lab coat are appropriate.
Olivia's stool has her signature gear icon (sticker). The open book needs a reader -- so let's see our surprise re-colored pet ... is it mechanical or furry?


Surprise - it's a furry pet Hamster re-colored into gold with pink shimmery nose bridge and cheek highlights!
If this is Rumble, we may be in for a messy lab.


We've added Olivia with her stick of chalk, and her new golden hamster as a helper. Reading from that book, trying to pay attention to the chalkboard and Olivia sure is hard on a student! Especially a hamster.

I had wondered if an "experiment gone wrong" is how her pet got re-colored when I first saw the products images.


The cube will close with Olivia in her teacher mode with chalk in hand. We get a decent amount and selection of spare parts.


Olivia's brochure shows her randomly placed re-colored pet surprises. Her flying remote controlled heart really needs to be a set -- or creation someone should build ...


Flipside of Olivia's brochure shows all 5 of the cubes and re-colored pets, plus that Series #2 Cubes (due out mid-2020) will have trans-pink sparkly halves.


With the cube closed, you can add the rest of the stickers how you want. The slime and question mark are fun.


Well, now we know how the green slimey chemical compound got splashed onto the book! I did say Rumble was a bit of a rebel. Student or not, hamsters gotta play, and be curious!
Moving Olivia's Lab equipment to the trans-purple side allows more light in -- whereas the solid colored half can be dark (well for photography anyway).
She is checking her formula and time of the Lab Mixer. I hope she doesn't get any on her new blouse! Better get that Lab Coat!

Summary:

The great thing about these new pink 2x6/1x6 bracket plates is that a builder can pull bricks up while it's in the cube, without worrying about removing the whole section. This may have been an issue with pods, as the plates were connected straight down. Although they are quite snapped in, and even come that way out of packaging.

Those brackets are going to be used cleverly in modular and other interior-rich creations by AFOLs no doubt.

For the target audience, these cubes will be perfect for building and playing on the go. Heck, I'd even take it to show-and-tell at my school (if I was young again ... ah, memories of AP Chemistry class). For AFOLs the newness of some type of container always intrigues. Lots of clever builds will show up soon, I think. For those who want to collect all the pets in all their newly re-colored version ... Good Luck! :-)


Disclaimer:
This set was provided by 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.
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