Review: 41429 Heartlake City Airplane

Stephanie and Olivia are ready to fly the Friendly skies for this Summer's "Vacay with Friends" Adventure!

Are they soon off into the Sunset of the Jungle or on the Beach?!

Box front shows this new airplane on a runway just outside HLC and the hangar's look similar to previous in Heartlake City Airplane Tour.
With standard BFF Heart and flanges, this set has 3 mini-dolls -- including new Ashley - the Pilot. The lower left inset shows some in-flight options.


Box back shows the airplane's main sections come apart for access. It even has overhead luggage compartments. Yet, before boarding -- airport screening is mandatory!


Box top has lots of great parts featured, and our vacation Friends unpacking their luggage. Plus all 3 mini-dolls with their names, with Olivia as the 1:1 parts ratio demo.
Box bottom has Ashley, Dash, and Stephanie. Plus parts size warnings in many languages and recycle info.


One side has brick collage and LEGO Life ad, and the other Scene Slice looks like their return to HLC.


Box contents: One 158-pages of instructions book, Stickers, soft bag with azure plane bottoms, soft bag with white plane tops, and six numbered bags of parts.


Bag 1 parts: New for 2020 Lime Palm leaves. New torso for Ashley. Green suitcases are rare, only in 4 sets.


Inner bag of bag 1 parts: Teal helmet is otherwise only in Hidden Side. Pilot's cap is new, with Heart insignia. Technic T-piece (pneumatic) in white is new for 2020 and only in 2 other sets.
Flippers are new in dark azure. Narrow rims with 8.0 hole in vibrant coral are new and exclusive to this set.


Say hello to Ashley! New in mini-doll form, she has reddish-brown hair with a side-part and pulled back into a French vertical bun. It's hard plastic, rather than Friends rubbery. It's mini-wig #19 which first appeared in 2016's People Pack on the lady at the bus stop -- and it's very lovely from the top view. Her lips are peach with a curvy smile, and her eyes are a greyish blue. She has the same face as Dr. Maria in Heartlake City Hospital 41394.

She is wearing her airline uniform with white shirt and azure tie, trimmed in navy with a belt and epaulets, then paired with navy pants and tan shoes. Her gold pilot's wings with center Heart denotes her qualification as an aviator. Although no back print, the front vertical seams give the shirt a clean, pressed look.


We get to change out Ashley's hair piece for an integrated hair/hat piece. The 'somewhat soft' brown hair is pulled back into a bun. The front of the Pilot's cap has the airline insignia of a gold Heart with Laurel leaves on the band.


Stephanie is wearing her classic azure and magenta zip hoodie with white shirt and azure Star necklace (her signature motif), over an azure shirt and magenta sneakers. This will be the 5th time it's appeared since 2018; it's the same one she wears on all HLC sets box art BFF Heart inset.


She gets the most gear! We sticker Stephanie's lime green surfboard, clip the snorkel goggles onto the Teal helmet, add the flippers to a T-piece (super parts use here!), then insert her phone in the green suitcase. We put money in the brown case and give both her and Dash sunglasses!


Olivia is wearing the cool yellow buttoned-back collared vest over a dark azure centered-gathered top. She wears this with dark azure skirt and dark pink slip-ons also in the Friendship Bus 41395. The back print has detail of vertical pleats.
We give her sunglasses and insert candy in her black bag, plus a ticket in her green suitcase.


Sticker sheet: Aqua and Flamingo motifs should be a hint as to vacation destination.


We build the airport counter with baggage screener (the opposite side has the Departure's screen sticker). A cup and pie slice for the agent. The Palm tree is integrated and another clue to vacay. Then we build the snack cart (inside is a pet snack, a donut and watermelon slice), with trans pink cups. The stair for getting into the airplane have nice curvy stripes and we use the new coral narrow rims for wheels!
Plus, we get a nice amount of spare parts -- since so many are small.


Bag 2 parts: Both plane bottoms are new in Azure for 2020, and exclusive to this set. The 1x8 aqua plates are also new for 2020, only otherwise in NinjaGO.
The 2x6 half circle plate in azure only otherwise in a Trolls set.


Inner bag of parts from bag 2: New for 2020 in warm gold are the 2M Friction Snap with Cross Hole. My favorite brick is the top white 1x1x2 with 2 side studs.


We build the wings with several plate layers and encase the magenta smooth tiles inside, along with building-in the yellow lights which will provide illumination under the plane. The azure wing tips that can adjust angle have the proper red and green right-of-way lights.
While the wings may seem bulky in the product photos, they are not in person. The front Leading Edge of white slopes helps. We attach them, then the blue plane bottoms. We aren't given extra blue Technic pins with cross, so don't lose one! It's a shame to hide the warm gold snaps -- yet good to know they are there.

Aqua stickers go on the back bottoms, and there's only 1 spare part.


Bag 3 parts: Both Left and Right 3x6 plates with angle are new in dark pink. 2x3 tile in magenta is new for 2020, only otherwise in Trolls and Disney. Aqua 2x2 inverted 4/5 slope roof tile is new for 2020, and only otherwise in Friends 41430 and DOTS.
Dark pink 6x8 plates are also new.


Inner bag of Bag 3 parts: The 1x2 plates with clips are new in azure. The brown swirl brick gets used well in this set ...


The brown swirl brick is poop in the waste holding tank area under where the bathroom will go!


As we add layers for under the passenger seats and cargo area, we section off the yellow trans tile and poop area.


Next we've added dark pink plates over supporting bricks and the planes cockpit controls.
This is everything from bag 3, with an extra water and poop piece.


Bag 4 parts: Yellow foot plates (1x2 plate with vertical tube) are new to Friends, yet in several sets otherwise. Also more of the new 1x8 Aqua plates.


Inner bag parts from Bag 4: Not new, yet very useful white 1x1 bow tiles.


After adding the other plane's side windows, we build each seat backrest with TV screen separately -- then install. This show looks like a Panda rescue video.


Now we have all TV screens installed: bulkhead seat screen is some sort blue hairy beast(?), and next is an Alpaca in Space (!), then a Magic Show, and the Panda video.
The row of white "knobs" 1x1 bow tiles are super as the hinge fill-in gap!
That's all of bag 4 parts added, with spares.


Bag 5 parts: White roof sections are also used in a City airplane. The door in Aqua is new and exclusive to this set.


Inner bag of parts from Bag 5: It's nice to get white Technic round cylinders with side slat holes, since most are brown or grey.
Lots of tiny window glass!


We start off by constructing the window section for this side of airplane which will be hinged. The altered plates colors is key for blending in with the roof decor.


After attaching the roofing hull pieces, we connect at the grey hinge points. Here you can see under the roof we have Luggage overhead compartments -- which pull down via the white foot-base pieces. Such fun and realistic aspects for a plane.
We've also added the aqua bathroom door with window and sticker, and the front and back 2x8 white hull pieces for the roof.


With the roof section closed you can see the sticker's graphics are carried through by the plates in the build. A lovely Sunset!
It's great for play and access to have such a substantial opening section. Surprisingly the plane isn't too heavy at this point.
Plus, we get only one spare pin with bush.


Bag 6 parts: New and exclusive Aqua tail rudder! Also new in dark pink are Both Left and Right 3x6 plates with angle.


Inner bag parts of bag 6: More narrow rims, new in coral for 2020.


First we build the Coffee Maker and Smoothie Blender counter, and install behind the Pilot's backseat we build with hinges so it can be adjusted.
The front fuselage nose section with windows gets some Flamingo stickers.


Here's a look at the nose piece underside -- as the windows are attached in-factory and have a 2x2 trans-blue section with anti-studs. This part is new for 2020, and only in this and a City plane set.
I've inset a picture of the fun Coffee/Smoothie cabinet. The brown 1x2 is coffee grounds. We add a pink swirl, magenta flower, and green grapes to the blender -- yum!

I hope all those parts jumbled together in the photo doesn't irritate any OCD issues ... after all the time I took to lay them out nicely for the previous images :-)


Next we build separately and install the lovely Aqua Toilet! Of course it goes over the poop area in the tail section plane bottom.
Then build a module of Mirror, sink, and Toilet paper counter with lights to install on those open top studs next to the commode.


Then we flip the plane over (ah, sounds terrible) and attach the wheels assemblies, and turbine engines.

Now you can see the yellow lights embed in the wing's leading edge section. Looks pretty busy and platey -- and is very solid!


The tail section gets built as its own section -- since it will be taken off for adding cargo (and play) later. The 8x12x2 piece for the upper-tail section is new in white for 2020.
The Flamingo emblem sticker is beautiful in the magenta, teal and aqua!


Behold the finished Heartlake City Airplane!  ...  A beauty for the skies!

The Sunset graphics look way better in person that product images. I love how it goes seamlessly into the plates!
Of course we get some coral Hearts on the jet turbines and horizontal stabilizers on the tail section.
There are back-lights and smooth aqua slope and tile finish to the tail rudder top -- for aerodynamics.
Plus we get nice spares from bag 6.


Here is a rear and other side view. The white 1x1 "knobby" bow tiles look like a long hinged area, when only where you see the two aqua studs are actual hinges. Very clever!
The tail gets a nice large light with 2 trans yellow cheese slopes. The Tail artwork sticker really is lovely!


Inside: Olivia and Stephanie have boarded and placed carry-on bags in the overhead compartments. Those can be easily pulled down and yet stayed closed when pushed up -- for when you close the roof access section.

They have already acquired a snack for Dash, and Olivia is on a sugar high! :-)


Ashley gives her Flight Safety briefing. The overhead compartments are now closed.


Their other luggage and gear has been loaded in the Cargo Hold area of the tail section -- behind the Bathroom.
The tail section comes off easily, yet stays on too -- thanks to the studs inside the azure bottom section, plus that one white stud above the bathroom light.


Now Ashley is in the cockpit in the pilot's seat. Going through her flight checklist.

I really like the use of the dark grey pulley pieces as flight controls! They work perfect with mini-doll hands. The front roof piece comes of easily, yet also stays firm for moving the plane or play.


Ashley has received permission to taxi down the runway from ground Tower control.

Vacation flight is a go! Pretty sure it's to the Beach ... based on the gear stowed.


One more look at the overall set.

Summary:

It's swooshable -- just like you want your LEGO airplanes to be! Yet, it's also heavily packed with details that we love about Friends sets. Realism of right-of-way lights, leading edge and tip angles on the wings, rotating front wheel -- nice cockpit parts usage -- make this a great aviation LEGO build. Plus, the dual hinged sections within the roof to create overhead compartments are just super!

The drink and snack cart is nice, as is the moveable entrance stair ramp. Even though it doesn't have an airport terminal, the gate check-in with scanner works fine for play.
The bathroom is lovely, and what's below it also fits the realistic aspects of Friends designs. If you don't smile or laugh when building the tail section ... well ...

For AFOLs who like building planes, I recommend considering this airplane for your enjoyment. Even if you don't apply stickers, or other items -- it's still a perfect LEGO plane. For parents looking at sets for their kids, I'd say only if your child or family already builds. Even though the box denotes age 7+ and none of the building aspects are overly difficult (with plenty of instruction pages), this could be frustrating as a first LEGO set. That goes for kids as well as adults.

Heartlake City Airplane would look fantastic in a fan event layout -- with smooth grey runway plates and a LEGO airport Tower. It's been several years since Friends have had a passenger plane, although we had 41343 Heartlake City Airplane Tour in 2018. Newer fans can certainly enjoy adding this new plane to their HLC layouts and swoosh it!


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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