Review: 41704 Main Street Building

 
A Main Street Building for Heartlake City full of shops and apartments!


Create a corner by re-arranging the 8 different modules. There will always be a Rainbow after the clouds clear here on Main Street!

Inside the apartments and shops: The modules can be stacked in various positions and connect via Technic pins. There are so many options for arranging and designs to change.


Before you decide on module placement, build a delivery truck for Joshua -- so the shops have supplies and apartments get packages!

The orange hood piece is connected only on 2-studs to windshield, yet is stays put against the back. I like the solid grey panel inside of the cab making it a very sturdy truck. Orange bow/arch bricks on the side make it easy to pick up. Even though the cab doesn't have functioning doors, the door handles are very cleverly represented by a the toe guard of silver roller skates. Love it!
It comes with a crate of plates, a frying pan and utensils.


A new printed 1x1 round tile with an electric icon goes on the front hood above the DLC2022 license plate. We get a nice collection of spares, including another new printed 1x1 round white tile with an electric graphic in green.


A closeup of Joshua -- new for 2022 -- shows his dark green jacket over a mustard-yellow v-neck shirt paired with blue jeans. His hair is hard plastic.
This may be the first set of Friends that I've opened and built a male mini-doll first. It's usually one of the core 5 girls. Yet the same "instant play" feature continues to be the first item built.


The first shop we build is the Beauty Shop in gorgeous Teal! The lovely tiled front sidewalk, Lamp, Bench, Wheelchair ramp, and brick Flower Box really set the tone for this urban spot.


Inside there is a trans dark pink sink, Lavender wig, Beauty Shop wall items, and accessories. We get to build the reclining customer chair separately -- love it! The black technic pins will allow for this module to connect to another. The tiles roofline also indicates we can add a module on top.


The chair goes in front of a Teal counter, with a trans hot pink blow dryer, another wig, mirror, and broom. The perfume/shampoo bottle's heart topper is classic Friends.


The finished shop allows Trevor to welcome customers, along with nice spares from bag 2.


A close-up of Trevor -- new for 2022 -- shows his coral scarf against a white shirt with Lime swirls similar to the LEGO plant element.


The first apartment is yellow and we get to tile the bedding pull-down of cover with Tiles! Rather than a typical sticker -- and I like it. The corner/triangle flat tile in Lime is new.

Once it's installed, you can see that the pink rug is the path to the sliding front balcony door. One of the curvy frond/fern type planet elements that I mentioned is a graphic on Trevor's shirt is in this apartment with a pink flower.

The bathroom has a tiled shower floor with aqua sticker tiled walls. The compact space fits a sink and toilet.


With architectural details on the front, we see the door slides open to the 1-stud row balcony. Tiled roofline on this module also indicates another section can be placed on top -- or not. It's nice that we can re-arrange the places in this set. We also get nice spares for tiling!


The next apartment module is blue with a rainbow wall. We build the bed, shipping package with pink flower hair accessory, and dollhouse that will go onto the cool fringed rug. A very tiny blue car goes in front of the dollhouse.


Maya resting with her Teddy bear nearby. She is a new micro-doll for 2022. Her top has a rainbow and smiley sun peaking from behind a coral cloud.


The roofline's tiles get an actual roof plate with solar panels. This roof could also go onto another module, if you want this apartment lower in the overall building. The rainbow wall can be seen from the exterior, and the door slides to the 1-stud deep balcony. This blue apartment has front architectural motifs like the yellow apartment, along with spares.
The roof plate is actually supposed to go one stud row over hanging the front sliding door. Good thing is come off easy.


Another shop to build is a corner food market. Inside we install a cold food case after building it separately. It has Sushi and Popsicles. The Honey jar has an adorable Bee printed on the 1x1 round tile for a lid. Eggs near the register and boxes of other food items -- which get turned around so the sticker labels face in.

Once installed, Savannah and Goldie came by to check on the honey and other cans with pull-lids. I like her magenta Fedora!


The front corner is very lively and colorful with all the produce -- and building! The corner angled doorway (6x5x5 wall) is new in dark pink and blends with magenta. The 2-blues striped awnings are built as separate sections, then attached. The outer fruit and vegetable stands create and enticing spot to shop. Goldie has interest in the fire hydrant, luckily Savannah has her guide baton. It uses parts from bag 5 and 6, since there are many details. The spares include that cute Bee and extra Sushi.


A close-up of Savannah shows her magenta Fedora, which is an integrated dual-mold of her hair and hat as one hard plastic piece. This is the same outfit she wears at her Forest ranch. Goldie is her guide dog. The back of her vest carries the printed floral design around from the front.


A purple apartment for above the market uses the curvy window pieces that debuted last year in Andrea's House that we build separately to make a bright bay window for a plant. A dog dish is installed, as well as tiles with center stud for brick-built furniture.


The way the curvy window juts out for the corner is really striking! Newly recolored scroll bricks in dark purple, and 5x5 arch brick (1/4) in lavender. New Chopsticks, a new-to-Friends black Scottie dog, and not-new, yet rare is the lavender 1x4 bricky-brick.
Spare parts from bag 7 include another pair of chopsticks, which you can see hanging inside, along with a silver spoon and fork.


We get to build all the furniture separately (yay!) and then install. From the photo on the desk, it appears Ethan and Evelyn are Dottie's relatives. I love the French Press coffee maker in the counter! Overall, very eclectic Dottie!


More newly recolored parts in lavender are the 1x3 half arch with cutout, 2x2 round brick, and 3x3 curvy plate.
A new watering can mold in lime -- which is great -- although I still like brick-built ones. It also just came in a December 2021 Disney Encanto set. Not new, yet rare is the white 1x2 bricky-brick.


The new watering can gets a handle and then goes on the rooftop garden area -- next to the chicken coop! I adore this whole section. The side architectural details are so lovely, fun, and tactile.


Dottie checks her chicken for eggs. The umbrella on the table tops off this inspirational functioning rooftop. Her black Scottie is featured as the "progress bar" character for instructions booklet #6 and made me smile each time I turned the page.


From the front, the purple apartment is very eye-catching! Finishing off bag 8 parts are these spares.


A close-up of Dottie and her dog. This is the same outfit as in Drifting Diner, although with a different hairdo.


The Coffee & Books shop is next, with lots of brick-built sections to build and install. The coffee machine is great! We get a wall of books as a sticker, yet there are 2 books in this module ...


One book is green and makes a cute Coffee Cup/Book sign! I like brick-built signs, and had hoped for some after the sticker signs. The other book rests on the table with a cupcake that uses the newer version with a stud on top, so the frosting stays on.

It would be neat to have a wall inside with 1x2 tiles stacked sideways as books -- yet that wouldn't work with a wall panel. The stickers are all lovely, of course, especially the sandwich board out front. The sidewalk tiling is consistent with the other bottom floors to make a cohesive block. The rings for a bike rack is clever.  The I "heart" HLC postcard in the dropbox is a sweet homage on this anniversary year.
Bag 9 spares are the typical "easy to lose" pieces. Just a note: Bag 9(.) is the smaller of the two 9s, and is where Stephanie's torso and head are found; so don't fret when trying to build her with bag 9.


Speaking of Stephanie, here she is with a new duel-mold-hair hat combo. A pink beanie suits her with the shiny sports jacket she first wore in the Vet Rescue Quad set.


The pink apartment is next and has us build a black and white striped/scalloped edge comforter onto a bed we install. The Lamp is adjustable. Thanks to the center stud tiles in yellow, we can remove items. The dark orange kitten has come in from the balcony for a treat.

Newly recolored tripartite door/window part in medium azure with a white panel forms one wall; could think of a shade drawn. We used white ones in the first yellow apartment, yet those are not new; they were in Emma's House. The other wall's window uses a rare lavender door frame. The slight extended front window and balcony gives it a modern look. The walls aren't tiled for a roof to come off, yet this one does fairly easily, since it's so solid with a 100-percent tiled top. The tan 2-stud 2x4 tiles can allow for solar panels -- if you re-configure this apartment on top.


The last apartment we build is the bright yellow one with funky stained-glass windows. Equally funky and fun is the Teal and Magenta poofy chair that we build, then install. Also a small drawer cabinet for a flower, then a desk with computer (keyboard tile) and phone get built to attach at the magenta tile studs.
As with the previous pink unit, the roof is solidly tiled, so even without the walls being tiled, it cam lift off fairly easy. It's helped a bit by two 1x1 square tiles. Rooftop greenery can also be replaced with solar panels, or another apartment section. As with the previous apartment, we get a small balcony that has "glass" sides to let light in, and see below to the street easier.


Harper, a new character for 2022 comes in bag 11, so we get to build her cool wheelchair. I like the use of trans green wheels with coral.

She has a dual-molded hat/hair piece of bright pink and dark red hard plastic hair -- pulled into a ponytail. So far, no rubbery hair pieces yet; perhaps they are gone with 2022. Years ago there was a survey about the rubbery wigs, and maybe this is a result.


The last bag holds parts for the chair lift: the L-shaped yellow Technic beams can stop at 3 points on the tower -- thanks to the gaps between the red plates in the back, the free-flow connections, plus grey section resting against to give support. Use the red ball to lift and lower.


Here's how it functions attached to the bottom back of a shop. Use the red knob to lift and changed the angle of the yellow beam -- so the mechanism stops at the notch on the tower.


We also build a skate ramp section with a Coral trash can and dish as a lid -- which are both newly re-colored for 2022. The clear 1x1 goes inside it, a water bottle and red skates wait by the purple skateboard for a rider. The pizza slice graffiti looks a lot like the work of Prankzy. Spares include another red skate, and coral dish/parabola -- which is not a normal spare type.


Evelyn is our last mini-doll and is new for 2022. She comes with a magenta safety helmet to switch out for her hard plastic blue hair piece, rather than being a dual-mold. The coral lightning graphic raglan shirt has aqua accent with dark red. Very sporty!


New for 2022: the BFF Heart with the core 5 Friends on the upper right corner for 10 years is replaced here with an inset image of an alternate building arrangement of the modules. Other new boxes have various other BFF heart replacements graphics, or more set images and scene background.

I placed a "Friends" 2x3x3 brick near the bottom left to give an idea of the box size.


A close-up of the upper right corner with an alternate build arrangement.


Also new for 2022, in large boxes, is a nice white cardboard envelope for the instructions booklets and sticker sheet, rather than previous plastic wrapper. It keeps them safe. Of course it can be recycled, yet it's so nice that I'll be using it for booklet or sticker storage.
This set has 10 booklets and 1 sticker sheet.


The booklets have the build "progress" bar with mini-doll along the bottom; which was first debuted in 2020, yet paused in 2021.


Box back has scenes, shows the wheelchair lift, and that the shops and apartments are Modular -- so we can rearrange them.

Contents are the white envelope, 12 parts bags (plus a second small #9 bag), 2 soft bags with baseplates and a 1x16 white brick.


Sticker sheet. All parts of the set can be found in the bag of building instructions #10 booklet on LEGO's instructions page: www.lego.com/en-us/service/buildinginstructions/41704


One last look at Main Street Building. I had fun thinking about other arrangements, so I look forward to seeing what fans come up with for this modular set!


Summary:

Modular made fun is a great way to describe this set! With eight modules to build using separate booklets instead of one large instructions book, this would be a fun set to build with other family members or friends. Deciding how to arrange the modules is also fun for a single builder.

Getting several more LEGO parts recolored in dark purple and lavender is very exciting for me.  Even though purple has been Friends signature color for the past 10 years -- it doesn't make up the bulk of parts in the array.

The corner configuration is my favorite and I love Dottie's rooftop living space! The architecture details on that section alone make this an impressive design. It's quite similar to a Creator Modular, and I'd recommend modular fans take a look.

Having 7 mini-dolls and 1 micro-doll is the most ever for a Friends set. Fans have been asking for new characters many years now. With 2022 being the 10th year of Friends, this evergreen theme looks to expand with new buildings, locales, and HLC citizens!


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 FriendsBricks and are not directed by TLG in any fashion.

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