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The last year of the Victorian era, 1901, is the setting for my modification of the Summer Riding Camp 2012 set. With Spring Lavender starting its blooming carpet, it's time to go to camp to learn horse riding. Arriving in the Carriage at the last year of the Victorian era, campers pass the Gazebo and get ready to quench their thirst at the wishing well. Then it's on to greet Blanca & Snowdrop! As Bella leads the Carriage into camp, Blanca comes out of "Blue-Horseshoe" Barn with her Winter blanket still on to greet her friend. Carriage is fitted with blue curtains -- being the color most associated with girls during that time period. Bella is leading the carriage back out of the camp grounds. You can see the details of the seats inside. Can you spy a favorite Friends Animal enjoying the view? Blanca with her horsey blanket because even though Spring is near, Winter's chill is in the air. Bella enjoying a flower by the Gazebo. After a long ride, Campers can relax in the Gazebo surrounded by the lovely scent of Lavender just blooming. The Gazebo was a popular structure in the Victorian era. A Well for water and wishing was not uncommon at all during the Victorian era. Inside the barn we have the reigns, saddles, hay feed, water trough, and storage boxes. Oh, and sneaky little friend ;-) Inside the camp house we have stairs to the Loft with a bed and clock; below there's a carpet, sink, table, cupboard, chair, and sofa -- for relaxing with friends. Overhead view ~ Loft removed ~ Inside the camp house -- in evening glow -- there's a carpet, sink, table, cupboard, chair, and sofa -- for relaxing with friends. Or enjoy a Croissant. Sepia-tone-view ~ (Indeed, colors do affect our lives.) Imagining the Victorian era was fun, although next time I hope to build with my full range of bricks. Having access to only the last few sets I bought is good for realizing what it's like for a young girl, new to LEGO :) I borrowed some wheels from the Ice Cream Cart set(s) and a few bits from Lily. Of course, we all here know who Lily is, right? ;) Hope you enjoyed my vision of the riding camp years ago ... back when it was smaller and blue was the color most associated with girls. ~~~ For reference, photo of Summer Riding Camp 2012 LEGO Friends Summer Riding Camp #3185

When the 2013 Friends product line-up were made public the first set that really got my attention is 41002 Emma’s Karate Class. I thought the concept behind a female doing a predominantly male-dominated activity is an interesting and refreshing take on the girl-oriented Friend’s theme (the same can be said of 41011 Stephanie’s Soccer Practice and 41001 Mia’s Magic Tricks). So how does this set compare to other Friends sets of the past year? Let’s take a closer look in this review. Name: Emma’s Karate Class Number: 41002 Theme: Friends Year: 2013 Pieces: 93 Minidolls: 1 Price: $9.99 | £9.99 Links: Brickset | Bricklink | Peeron (not yet inventoried) | Shop@Home The Box The presentation of the set elements are nicely executed, with proper spacing and even varying depths of perspective for the different builds. The light tranquil colors of the background give a Zen-like atmosphere highlighted by the oriental tree print behind. By now we’ve all been accustomed to the standard purple LEGO Friends boxart, it looks like nothing much has changed much since last year. Or has it? Upon closer look the Friends characters image in the upper right of the box is now more of a cartoon-anime illustration unlike the CGI image last year. Here is a comparison pic: Pandora touched on this in her Heartlake Pet Salon review, and I agree the cartoon depiction makes the Friends girls look like they’re somewhat ‘unsure of themselves’, compared to the more confident aura the characters have in last year’s CGI image. I honestly don’t know why those in charge of Friends decided on this change since last year’s image already looked good. Maybe they want to try to give a fresh take on the characters’ look? (but after only a year?). This is one of the cases where sometimes, things are better left unchanged IMO. The back follows the tried-and-tested formula of showing the playability features of the set. Once again we are greeted by the cartoon images of Emma (bust shot) and the whole gang at the bottom. The top is rather plain and simply shows the purple basket in the 1:1 panel. The usual LEGO manufacturing facilities are detailed at the bottom along with the other usual info that people ignore (barcode, recycle symbol, LEGO websites). Also interesting to note the difference in shades of purple of the top and bottom of the box. Both the sides of the box are almost identical, stating the Warning: Choking Hazard for small parts safety reminder in 29 different languages (yeah, I did bother to count ‘em all ). The “cleavage curve” print could also be seen on the both sides as part of the illusion to give the otherwise standard rectangular box a distinct “sexy” shape like the curved boxes of the larger Friends sets. The Contents Two unnumbered bags of LEGO goodness are what we get in this little set, along with the instruction booklet which unfortunately (but understandably) came folded. And hey what a surprise, no loose piece! The Instruction Booklet To avoid the redundancy of showing the instruction booklet simply having the same coverart as the boxart, I’d rather show some sample pages of the instruction booklet: Left: I noticed a small misprint in one of the piece callout boxes, not really a biggie but probably the only time I’ve experienced seeing this insignificant minor issue. Right: Nice touches of several faint “Friends symbols” prints at the bottom corner of pages break the monotony of the plain purple backdrop. Click the image for hi-res version At the last pages is a beautiful spread showing the 2013 Friends product line-up, with the right page showing each Friend character getting a set dedicated only for them; and the left page showcasing the whole line-up including the two large sets of this wave. The LEGO parts As what we’ve come to expect from Friends sets, the parts selection is peppered with the (society-dictated) feminine colors of pink, purple, yellow, with some azure on the side. Thrown in the usual blacks, whites, browns, etc. and you have a parts selection composed of 19 different colors! (1) The most noticeable (and only) interesting part for me is the trans-glass window with the oriental Japanese characters design. This piece, which can only be found in four sets, is not new but it’s the first time it’s been used outside of NinjaGo sets. With the help of EB’s resident Japanese culture consultant and fellow Fellow def, I found out that the Japanese characters actually mean “ninja”. (2) Despite the out-of-the-‘girly’-box concept of this set, there are still a couple of Friends-centric pieces: a purple basket and two hair ribbons (one is actually an extra). (3) As has always been the case, the mini-doll’s torso and leg pieces came in separately packaged, most likely since they’re produced in other manufacturing facility. The Mini-Doll In this set we get the ‘Karate Girl’ rendition of Emma, donning a full white Karate uniform (more properly called Karate gi) with purple linings and a floral logo. However, it seems the leg part is not as white as her torso. I don’t know if this is normal or there is a QC issue behind this. By virtue of having a black belt, it seems our dear Emma is already an expert in this particular style of martial arts! (Thou shall not mess with Emma! ). Though one questionable part of her outfit is her footwear, considering most karate practitioners are bare-footed when doing their karate training. But come to think of it, since the mold of the mini-doll feet are the same (only differing in footwear prints), it would be impractical for TLG to create a new single-use ‘bare-feet’ mold just for this small set, so from that POV I could forgive Emma wearing shoes while doing Karate. Here is a comparison pic of Karate Girl Emma and the regular garden variant Emma. It is only through this side-by-side comparison that I realized that the floral emblem on her karate uniform is actually the same flower on the print of her regular outfit! That’s a well thought-of personalized detail I must say! And before anyone points it out, yes, by my haste I wrongfully switched Stephanie’s pink skirt with Emma’s purple one (looks like somebody’s playing with LEGO Friends in his spare time… ) The Build Elements Bonsai A simple build yet perfect for the oriental theme of this set! This 11-piece set really works for me as it captures the overall look of a real-life bonsai. Needless to say, this definitely looks much much better than the 3-piece masterpiece of a tree in 60001 Fire Chief Car. Karate Chopping Block/Tile Karate practitioners practice their famous karate chops (or more technically known as the Knife-hand strike http://en.wikipedia....nifehand_strike), with the use of chopping boards/tiles/bricks. This brickbuilt rendition is a quite a nice representation, cleverly using the rail pieces to provide a two-level chopping challenge. Rest / Meditation Area This build probably gives the best oriental element on the set due to the Asian-style printing of the glass panel. The slope combination at the top corners imparts an overall shape reminiscent of Oriental Arches.This is also supposedly the resting area where Emma could take a break after training and sip some refreshments in her water bottle (trans-blue with white cap), but I’d like to think this could also be a meditation area, where Emma could practice Zen as part of her Karate training. Trophy Display Case As testament of her expertise in Karate, Emma has a display case for her top achievements, and looks like she has two – a gold goblet trophy and a gold medal (without straps). While the choice of the minifig trophy piece or the standard medal piece would’ve been obvious, it’s a nice to see the designers going the alternative route for the unusual picks of the goblet and 1x1 gold round tile. This build also serves as storage for the Kendo Helmet, Kendo Stick/Sword, and a tabletop for the basket. We’ll see more of these elements in the next section. Playability Features And we begin with the Trophy Display case, which interestingly has three modes of orientation owing to the simple yet effective use of the swivel bricks: (1) Straight Set-up – for spacious interiors and for maximum showcase of the trophy achievements! (2) Corner Set-up – as the name implies, this can be oriented on a 90-degree angle to fit corners of rooms. (3) Compact Set-up – this one is perfect for small interiors, and even the way the Kendo helmet and stick/sword is aligned together in this position is proof of how effectively-designed this part is. Here is Emma doing her “Karate-Chop exercise”. The unstable build of the 3-piece chopping block provides a clever way to recreate an actual block-chopping experience! Left: As mentioned earlier, the rest area could also be used as a meditation area. Too bad mini-dolls, or even minifigs for that matter, cannot assume the meditating sitting position. Right: Emma could also practice Kendo sword fight, as both the Kendo helmet and stick are compatible with Friends mini-dolls (she just has to remove her wig haha ) Here a couple of things Emma could do when she’s bored (or right before/after Karate training): (1) She could reminisce all her past glory by staring at her trophy and medal. (2) Or if she’s really that bored, she could just talk to the bonsai. The Completed Set The Scores: Design – 9/10 The reason I bought this set is primarily because of the individual build elements which I found to be interesting. I must say even if they are relatively simple builds they registered to me as well-conceptualized and nicely-executed. From the swivelling trophy display case to the cute little bonsai I think this set deserves a 9 in terms of design factoring in its relative size. Build – 7/10 Nothing exciting that you’d really expect from a small set, though nothing too difficult for kids to follow too. Parts – 7/10 I was impressed by the 19-color parts selection, even happy with the pretty neat Asian-style glass panel. Though I still have to find use for those brightly-colored pieces. Mini-doll – 8/10 It’s always nice to get different variations of minifigs, in this case minidoll, and the Karate outfit is certainly a welcome addition to the Friends line of outfits. The way Emma’s signature flower print is incorporated in her karate uniform also garners plus points for me! Playability – 7/10 Well of course as an AFOL it would be unfair to judge playability since I don’t play with these sets (or do I?), but putting myself once again in kids shoes I’d think I’d have a decent role-playing time with this set. I assume it may not be as exciting (for girls) as the usual cooking/dressing role-playing offered by other Friends sets, but the Karate playability in this set is a nice break from the usual girl-based activities. Price – 8/10 $10 for this set is actually not bad, just on the average 10 cents price/piece ratio. Overall: 77% Parting Shot I've created a comic to demonstrate this particular set in action! Pls. do take the time to check it out. Click the image to see the comic at the Brick Flicks & Comics section!

I'm not really into Friends, but I find some of the sets very appealing (some strange colour combinations apart). So far, I always got smaller sets, and this one is no exception. My choice was primarily driven by the echo of Ninjago in this Karate Class, especially in the Dojo door/glass part (which missed in the original Ninjago release) and the kendo mask. The new Friends kimono print is well done, too. But let's start the review before I write everything in the intro! Theme: Friends Set name: Emma's Karate Class Set Number: 41002 Price: 9.99 $, 9.99 £, 9.99 Euro Pieces: 93 (+ 8 extras) Minidolls: 1 Year of release: 2013 Links: Peeron, Bricklink and Brickset The Box Front The box is almost square (15.5 x 14 centimetres, or 6.11 x 5.52 inches) and shows the many sub parts of the set arranged in a dojo display. The background is pretty varied and integrates the set with fictional wooden floor, full-body window and pastel green walls with a nice sakura decoration. The LEGO and Friends logos, Friends girls group shot and typical Friends 'curtains' complete the layout. Back The back shows some details of the set, like Emma wielding a katana and sporting a (quite disproportionate without the armour) kendo mask, or relaxing with a sip of water after a long exercises session, or even admiring her latest trophy and shiny medal. In the upper right portion of the back we see the usual Friends minidoll assembly instructions and Emma's mug shot and tag name, for those who did not recognise her in the new kimono version. The lower left corner brings on this theme, by showing a group shot with name tags for the five main characters in the Friends line. Sides Not mush to say here, as the sides sport the usual LEGO legal stuff and safety warnings. What I find interesting is the choice of the piece depicted in the 1:1 shot: instead of the expected minidoll, it's a nice lavender bag. Contents Inside Upon opening the box, we find two plastic bags and one instructions booklet. No stickers in this set! Once we open the bags, too, we get a cascade of parts and two smaller bags containing the minidoll's parts. Notice how there isn't a dominant colour proper, but a mix of pastel hues with some more common brown, tan and white parts. New pieces There is just one new part in this small set: Black Tile 1 x 2 with White Lavender Friends Accessories Hair Decoration, Bow with Heart, Long Ribbon and Pin. But do not let it discourage you: we'll see in a moment that the lack of new moulds is more than amended for by the abundance of rare parts. Re-colours Re-colours include: Minifig, Headgear Ninjago Kendo Helmet (Men) (a re-colour of sorts, being this just a variant of the Ninjago version, but without the white trimming of the visor) and Medium Lavender Friends Accessories Basket. Rare parts Parts collectors and MOCers will be interested in the following rare parts also: Bright Light Orange Brick 1 x 2 (only available in 2 other sets: 3938 Andrea's Bunny House from 2012 and 41004 Rehearsal Stage from 2013), Bright Light Orange Tile 2 x 4 (only available in 2 other sets: 3184 Adventure Camper from 2012 and 41004 Rehearsal Stage from 2013), Bright Pink Tile 1 x 1 with Groove (only in 5 sets so far), Dark Pink Slope, Inverted 45 2 x 1 (only available in 1 other set: 3184 Adventure Camper from 2012), Magenta Slope 33 3 x 1 (only available in 2 other sets from 2008), Medium Azure Brick 2 x 4 (only in 4 Friends sets so far), Medium Lavender Plate 2 x 4 (only available in 1 other set: 3185 Summer Riding Camp from 2012), Medium Lavender Plate 1 x 8 (only in 4 Friends sets so far), and Glass for Window 1 x 4 x 6 with Asian Characters on White Background Pattern (only in other 3 Ninjago sets from 2011, among which the fabulous 2507 Fire Temple). Extra pieces We get 8 extra parts, including the usual spare small round plates and tiles plus one ribbon and one katana. It would seem people at TLG are trying to sneak an extra weapon in each set these days! Minidoll I really like the new kimono version of the Friends minidoll. It is a nice conversion of the CMF series 1 karate man, and adds some variety to the girls' activities. I can see people complaining it is too specialised to be used in many other ways (we'll see if this is true in a moment), but, personally, I think a bit of specialisation is welcome in a theme which is likely to go on for quite some time in the future. Since the Friends' apparel is quite poor in the trousers' compartment, it is nice to have a cheap set including this part. Moreover, the kimono blouse (I know it must have a proper name in Japanese, but I'll keep this simple) works pretty well in other contexts, too. The only real con I see for this minidoll is the fact that it can't be used for Andrea and all the other dark skinned Friends characters. Maybe we'll see new versions in the next waves? Or will it be a one-shot minidoll? Instructions Only one instructions booklet in this set, thankfully. As always, the front cover uses the same image and art as the front of the box. The instructions are standard fare for a Friends set. Lavender background with a faint decoration in the lower outer corner of the pages, no distractions and simple pieces call outs as usual. The parts list covers two pages and shows the variety of colours and small pieces used in this set. Of course, the extra parts are not listed here. The last pages display a collection of sets from this line. If I'm not mistaken, they are all from this year's first wave. On the left we see the smaller sets, one for each girl (Andrea, Emma, Mia, Olivia and Stephanie), while on the right there are the bigger sets, with a repetition of Mia, Olivia and Stephanie's smaller ones to fill the page. Building Start This little set is composed of a number of smaller builds. We start with the bonsai, a nice little model which adds an 'oriental' feel to the scene with quite few pieces and simple but effective techniques. Karate chop! Next up is the 'karate chop station' by positioning a trio of connected parts on a non-connecting base, we have a chop-able board for Emma to work her tricks on. I'd like to add a small remark: since the board is a bit too high in the position depicted in the instructions, I suggest lowering it on the second row of supports. It looks more natural this way. Meditation corner With a printed door/window and few more parts, LEGO designers build a really nice looking corner where Emma can 'sit' (as we know, Friends minidolls can't actually use connections when sitting like normal LEGO minifigures do) and relax or meditate between an exercise run and the next. The addition of the water bottle is also a nice touch. Trophy wall This combination of a trophy wall and a bench is also well done. The use of the hinge brick allows a number of different arrangements girls (and kids in general) can play with. Finished set Front Here we have all the mini-models together. As you can see, the open bench part helps in creating a more 'enclosed' feel to our little dojo. Bonus images Girls at war Nya didn't like Emma's mushy attitude towards her boyfriend during their kendo lessons. Final comments Overall, this is a really nice set, with some creative use of parts and especially a good selection of mini-models that girls/kids in general can arrange to create their scenes. Design & Colour scheme – 9/10 (As said, nice little builds that work together to form a complete scenery. The colour choice is, of course, nowhere near that of a real life dojo [at least, I do not think it is], but it is in line with the general Friends theme.) Minidoll – 9/10 (A good rendition of the classic kimono in Friends format. The rare trousers, here in white, will be an useful addition to any collection. Again, the only con is it is limited in use to light skinned characters.) Parts – 9/10 (Being this a small set, the parts' variety is not superlative, but the amount of rare pieces, plus the small price, make this set a must buy for any parts collector.) Playability – 10/10 (I can envision hundreds of scenes that kids will spend hours enacting with this little set.) Build – 8/10 (Nothing too complex, but some efficient solutions are used, like the use of the hinge brick to allow some re-styling of the trophy wall-bench assemble.) Price – 10/10 (€ 9.99 for 93 parts, many of which rare, is very near the optimum these days, and quite better than most of the small sets I remember from last year, or even this year's selection.) Overall: 9.2/10 Excellent As always, questions, comments, and pic requests welcome! If you like my reviews, and would like to learn how it's done, please consider joining the Reviewers Academy:

B-OM-34A Hello, I was hesitating for quite some time before posting this as it's my first my first MOC since probably around 1980 and as you can see my photography skills are obviously not that great. Plus a lot of stuff is just simply copied straight from the sets. But I figured, what the hey, someone might enjoy it and hopefully I've figured out how to post the pics here. This is one is made using parts from the first wave of Friends sets and a couple of pick a brick cups. Peter and Anna had a mid-life crises and left their middle management jobs and home in the suburbs to follow their passions in the heart of Heartlake City. Peter has always had a love for hair styling and finally has opened his very own beauty parlor and Anna is exploring her deep love of pastry cooking in the space below. Having no commute has really freed up a lot of time in their lives to perfect their talents. Sorry for the non-LEGO Pinky Pie, but she couldn't resist Anna's cupcakes ! If these pics don't show up, here's a link to the flikr page: http://www.flickr.co...in/photostream/

Name: Squirrel's Tree House Theme: Friends Year: 2013 Pieces: 41 + 10 extra pieces Minifigs: 0 Animals: 1 Price: USD$4.99 SEK 39.00 My local toy store got some of the new sets for 2013 this week (The Hobbit, Ninjago, SW, some City and Friends) including the first batch of the new small animal bags from Friends. I definitely wanted the squirrel the most so I got it and here are some pictures and my thoughts about it: I started with ripping open the bag and then realizing I should've taken a picture of it before that. Ah well, it's not the bag that's the interesting thing here, it's what's inside: Instructions and yet another bag! The instructions got the same front picture as the bag. I'll spare you the picture of the Win!-girl at the back. No piece call out, that's what's to be expected by such a small set. The instruction are easy to follow and I didn't spot any mistakes. Parts list, click for higher resolution. There is a small ad showing how you can combine the three animal bags to strange structure: To me it looks like the squirrel is sitting on a throne and waiting for the turtle to bring him the offerings of a plate with fish. Chieftain Squirrel will have to wait for a loooong time to get that fish. Meanwhile the cat has her own private room and can enjoy the luxurious meal of a bowl full of... bow-ties? Well, let's not dwell to long on that mysterious picture, I'm sure there is a logical explanation... Here are the pieces that comes in the set: Nothing that pops out, everything is standard and mostly useful pieces. It's this what the set is all about, the squirrel: The bow-tie fits is a hole on top of the tail. The build of the tree-house is quick and simple: Alternative views of the tree-house: It's not the most interesting build, but it uses useful pieces and does the work. It could be a good small present to a kid I think. Some concluding thoughts: If you buy it, you buy it because of the squirrel of course, so it all comes down to if you like the animal or not. But the pieces you get with it aren't useless so the higher price than the Collectible Minifigures is not unbearable. The squirrel is of course very cartoon-y, just like the rest of the Friends animal, but I still find it quite alright to use in a normal LEGO setting. It's certainly too big to be realistic, but all small LEGO animals are too big (ants anyone?) so it's not too much of a big deal. It's about the same size as the chimpanzee that can be found in the Collectible series. Ratings: Design: 5/10, simple and standard. Nothing out of the ordinary. Parts: 8/10, most are very useful and there is actually more pieces than I had thought. Animal: 7/10, so far the best of the Friends animals in my opinion, and something we have never seen before. Price: 6/10, not so bad. Arguably it's mostly small parts, but the price per piece is quite ok in SEK. Maybe it's a different story in other countries. Total: 7/10, if you want a squirrel, buy it. If not, then pass. It's as simple as that. Let me finish by quoting General McAuliffe during the Battle of the Bulge, WW2: "Nuts!"

Hi everyone. Here is my latest modular building. It's a handbag store, called "Coveted Clutch", that is based on my normal avatar. The store is on the ground floor and there is an apartment upstairs where the store owner and designer of the handbags lives. The bit from my avatar is the left side of the storefront, changed a little to make it wider and taller. I think of it as Soho meets Friends. Enough babble, here are some photos. My favourite part - the first floor windows. Overview of the store on the ground floor: Dining, lounge and kitchen on the first floor: Bedroom and bathroom on the second floor: More photos on flickr. C&C welcome!

In the interview with the Designers they have stated that Friends is going to be a continuing line. Now that we know that is their plan should friend have it's own forum, a sub forum in city or another forum, or stay as a part of city. I am just curious. Myself, I would like to see it a sub-forum in city. While I enjoy looking at the Friends designs, It really seems to clutter the city forum when I am looking for city themed ideas. I also see the positives in giving Friends it's own Stand Alone Forum. It would be easily found place for specifically Friends related topics and builds and make it easier for new people who join specifically for friends related topics. ~LCM

Hi Customizers! I rarely do custom figures, but Miku was one that I had on my mind for quite a while that I needed to do. It was actually my first attempt at sculpting a custom hair piece, and of course, it was an incredibly tough one to make. Here is the completed figure: LEGO Custom Miku Hatsune! by Chris Rozek, on Flickr LEGO Custom Miku Hatsune! by Chris Rozek, on Flickr LEGO Custom Miku Hatsune! by Chris Rozek, on Flickr LEGO Custom Miku Hatsune! by Chris Rozek, on Flickr LEGO Custom Miku Hatsune! by Chris Rozek, on Flickr LEGO Miku Hatsune Before and After by Chris Rozek, on Flickr Comments welcome! Thanks for looking!

Greetings! Soon it is 1st December, which means jolly advent calendar adventures from me AGAIN! This year I tried something that has never been done before: A FRIENDS themed calendar! Unfortunately LDD still doesn’t include Friends minidoll parts except from the haircuts (come on LEGO, it is about time!), so I had to go with the regular minifigs. To make them more friends-ish, I tried to summon the classic torsos and faces the girls have, for which I had a huge help from Dorayaki, who already made those stickers and was kind to share the designs with me. Thanks again! So except something very cozy and festive in two days!

Once a year there is a nice and private feast in Nocturnus. You only can join by a personal invitation. And with that you got a bow, which you have to wear during the feast. The best about that fest is as usual the food, but have a look by yourself: Smiling pig ;-)

It's autumn, when the leaves turn various shades of red, yellow and brown, and when it's time to harvest fresh fruits and store them for the cold winter months. Olivia is offering some fresh fruits and homemade jams at her stand, but she could use an extra hand picking up those tasty red apples. Why don't you join her? Basic info of the set Set no.: 41026 Name: Sunshine Harvest Theme: Friends Year: 2014 Pieces: 233 Minifigs: 1 (and a dog) Age group: 6 - 12 Price: £ 17.99 / US$ 19.99 / EUR 19.99 Price per part: 7.721p / 8.579c / 8.579c Links: Brickset, Bricklink, LEGO S@H The box The front of the box is (as always) in bright Friendly colours, with the main five characters on the top right corner as opposed to the main set's character, in this case Olivia, in the bottom right corner. The sides of the box are curved, again as is typical for the larger sets from the Friends series. The landscaping on the box art is a lovely way to present various mini builds and adds some depth to this relatively small set. The back of the box reveals other aspect of the set. Contrary to the front box art where the set is presented as a whole, the back of the box gives much more information to the potential buyer just by a quick look. Again, Olivia is shown on the top right corner as the main character of the set. The five smaller pictures show off different parts of the set - the mini builds and accessories found in the set. This is a great way to promote all the interesting bricks found in the set (but more on that later). The side of the box (again) shows Olivia as a measure of scale. In my opinion, it might be more interesting to show off some of the interesting new and rare pieces, such as the new grass stem or the red apples, instead of a minidoll. Afterall, the set's name is Sunshine Harvest, and some of the crops would look nice on the side. The other side of the box has the same, but smaller, picture of the set, as on the front of the box and in my case shows signs of some wear and tear from a few months storage. The booklet The front art design is repeated on the front page of the booklet instruction. Luckily, the box is big enough and the booklet doesn't have to be folded in half, thus avoiding possible creases. Nevertheless, my booklet was only slightly damaged, as it's visible on the top right corner, with the last page sticking out a bit. Inside the booklet, I was surprised to see a page with all Friends characters from the first wave of 2014's new sets. I've seen this design only in some LOTR sets, and here I was tempted to put tick marks in the corresponding boxes to show off my 2014 collection of Friends. I do find this a bit commercially oriented towards the target population of little girls, collecting all the minidols from the series. ''Look mommy/daddy, I only need Mia and Liza from the Sunshine Ranch to complete my collection!'' A random page from the instructions shows one of the intermediate steps of one of the many mini builds. I specifically chose this page as it shows off nicely a new type of plate, the 3x3 cross in dark orange. The parts needed for each step are shown in light blue boxes on a lavender background. Having in mind the set is targeted towards 6-12 year olds, individual steps are very easy to follow. The pieces The set contains two numbered bags of similar size, and quite colourfull. Logically, I opened the bag no. 1 first. In comparison to some other Friends' sets, the parts come in many bright colours. In addition, there are some interesting parts included, such as the red apples, cherries, printed strawberry tiles, and the ice cream cone. Parts I specifically like, although they are very common are the flower stems, yellow flowers, bright green and dark pink flowers. Bag no. 2 holds some goodies as well. The most interesting are the greenery bricks, the more common leaves in green and dark green, flower stems, bright green and dark pink flowers. In addition, a redish brown arch 1x3x3 and a new mold of grass stem are included. The highlight parts of this set are shown separatelly. Most of them are greenery parts, such as the leaves, flowers, and plant stems. In addition, the red apples made a comeback after 10 (long) years. As they were included in five of this years sets, their price on Bricklink dropped, however it's still much higher than bright green apples. In addition, five apples in the set makes this set the best one to get for the apples alone (as was almost the case with me). Luckily, the set has other interesting parts, such as the 3x3 cross, which is handy when building trees, printed strawberry tiles, pearl gold tiles, red cherries and the icecream cone. Most of them are smaller parts, but they can be very handy when creating small details around your MOCs. In addition, the extra parts are interesting as well. There are some extra plants, cherries and pearl gold tile. The minifigs Olivia is the main and only character in this set. Unfortunately, her outfit is pretty generic. The dark blue skirt can be found in 7 sets, while the lovely top with light pink flower design was seen in 4 sets. In my opinion, clothing is the limiting factor of the minidols, and I welcome all the new clothing designs found in the newest sets. I played with colours in Photoshop, and this is what I came up with. Different shades of purple and blue would still look Friendly, and they would differ enough from the white top. However, I still like the top design, yet I'd be happier with a different print or top colour. Surprisingly, none of the almost standard hair accessories can be found in this set. Contrary, Olivia got her own pitchforks to work around her apple tree orchard. Another detail I like is the asymmetrical back opening of the top, which is actually hidden by Olivia's hair. Not counting as a minifig, but as her best friend, is a white nameless dog with brown spots. The dog appeared in 4 sets, one of them being UK promotional set. According to Bricklink, the dog's name is Charlie, but the name connect to only this promotional set. Charlie looks cute enough for Heartlake, and can be easily included in any City layout. The build The set is meant for a fairly young population (6-12 years), and the simple mini builds can be expected in this age range. Within the set, several individual mini builds can be assembled and then combined together to picture a lovely scene found on the box of the set. The first mini build is also the simplest. It's just a bucket stand with some flowers. I'm not a fan of the stand, as it looks too colourfull, but it's a nice idea to put the pink basket to use. On the other hand, I was excited to find the ice crem cone used as a holder for the flowers. It's still a rare brick type, and it's nice to see it used also for something other than as ice cream cone. I wish there would be an extra one included. As for the flowers, the I like both the yellow classic ones and the newer dark pink ones, but not on the same stem. The next mini build is Charlie's hut. I'm guessing Charlie is a girl, considering the pink roof and flowers around her hut. The hut is made pretty simple, and it's actually just the front part of what might be thought of as a dog's hut. This is convenient for the little hands that mostly play with these builds. I'm a bit annoyed with the pink-red combination of the hut's roof. The red plate could easily be changed to white or bright pink, and the colour combination would look much nicer, in my opinion. Despite the pink-red colour combination, Charlie looks happy inside her hut. Well, it might be for the extra bone at her feet. My favourite mini build in this set is Olivia's market stand. It's also larger than the first mini builds, and it's even more colourful. However, various colours used in this build are much more pleasant to the eye. To start, the roof colour is the same pink-red combination, and it would look much better without the red. Even an awning could be added, and the overhang might hide the red a bit. Side view of the stand shows nicely a wide selection of goods on offer. The most interesting here are fresh red apples and strawberries. Although strawberries and apples don't grow in the same season, including them on the stand was well thought of. On the other side of the stand, there are some homemade jams, as is also indicated by the printed sign on the roof of the stand, and probably a home made fruit cake. Front view of the stand with Olivia behind the counter really emphasizes her various goods on offer. I mean, who wouldn't want to stop and try some of the strawberries or homemade jams? My favourite detail on the stand are the jams. Using trans-coloured bricks with simple pearl gold tiles as lids look really realistic. Also the different colours are indicative of different flavours. My guess, from the left to right, is two glassed of apple jam, orange jam, and 2 glasses of strawberry jam. If you were wondering, where Olivia grows her vegetables and fruits, she has a small garden close to her stand. She grows extra large carrots and some flowers. The design of the garden is again simple, but it looks really nice surrounded by a low white fence and a door. It also offers some playability as the crops need to be picked up, or substituted with other greenery. The highlight of the garden is the new grass stem. The fifth mini build is a tree. It's a somewhat typical Lego tree with branches expanded to three sides. Here, a new plate type is utilized, and this new 3x3 cross comes very usefull stabilizing the branches. Also, the dark orange colour is suitable for the tree design, I only wish it will appear in other brownish colours as well. The finished tree design looks great from the front as opposed to the back side. My only complaint here is that more green leaves could be included, ast the treee looks rather bare with only 3 leaves. On the other hand, another intriguing detail is that apples and flowers grow at the same time. The trees I'm familiar with, have flowers in the spring, and fruits in the autumn. Nevertheless, these characteristics are easily improved by adding more leaves from your own collection, adding extra fruits and removing flowers in the autumn, or removing fruits and adding more flowers in the spring time. As mentioned above, the tree looks very bare from the back side. Here, the lack of extra leaves and branches is much more visible than from the front side. I know it's not much work adding more leaves, but I wish the designers would do that. The sixths mini build is a tractor. What stands out are the colours, the dominant medium azure and accents in bright pink and lavender. Another unusual detail are the flowers used for the exhaust. If you consider the set as a useful parts pack, then the dark pink flowers are a nice detail. However, from the technical view, I found this detail unusual. At the back of the tractor, there's a hook to attach the trailer. The trailer is predominantly in medium azure and some lavender. It has enough space to transport various goods from the garden to the stand. The stud in the middle of the trailer can be used to attach havier loads. Olivia fits nicely on the tractor. The only flaw is that she can't reach to the steering wheel, but that's a problem with the minidoll design. This is even more obvious from a side view. An alternative connection of the steering wheel on SNOT bricks to achieve a 90° change of orientation could solve the problem, but I'm not sure how would that affect the overall appearance of the tractor. The finished product At last, here's how all seven mini builds look together. Considering varying size of these mini builds, the end product looks quite large. It also allows for flexibility of individual mini builds, as they can be moved around and everyone can adjust the positioning of the mini builds according to their own whishes. The set also offers a lot of playability. It is targeted towards girls mostly, and offers a lot of imaginative play. I actually prefer this kind of role playing in contrast to various missiles found in some City sets. In addition, as mentioned above, there are quite a few interesting bricks and pieces included that give the set an extra value. The Final Verdict Design: 9/10 The overall design is great, but there is still room for improvement. Considering the target population of 6-12 year olds, the set with seven mini builds is appropriate for this rather wide age range. In addition, there are some interesting parts included in the set, adding more value. Colour wise, the set is rather colourful, yet it's not too girly coloured. The highlights in pink, lavender and medium azure don't look out of place as they're combined with more neutral colours. I also like the idea of position the set more in the rural area with orchards then in the town. Hopefully, more sets in this theme (farming) will follow. Parts: 10/10 The parts in the set are a nice selection of various bits and pieces, that you can use to play with in different MOCs. The parts standing out as more rare or new are the above mentioned red apples, new grass stems, and printed strawberry tiles. Build: 8/10 It's a simple and straight forward build with no special or advanced techniques. I like it for what it is, it's simple enough for inexperienced builders, but offers a chance to improve and/or reuse individual builds also in a more advanced settings. Playability: 10/10 Playability is an important feature of this set. It's probably more targeted towwards girls, but even boys (or adults) with imagination can enjoy building and playing with the set. The playability of the set is based on various situations that can happen either around the garden (picking the apples or greeneries), transporting them to the stand or selling various fruits and home made products at the stand. Minifigs: 7/10 Mia has a rather standard clothing design, and I'd prefer to see at least a different colour combination of her top and skirt. Price: 10/10 It's a small set, but it offers enough (interesting) bricks for the price. None of the parts are particularly outstanding, but there are many interesting parts as mentioned in the parts section. I was pleasantly surprised with the selection of bricks, and I have to admit I got the set for parts mostly, and considering the price, it was a nice deal. Overall: 55/60 (90%) As the overall score implies, this is a set worth having. Although the builds are simple, the value of the set is its design - combination of interesting parts forming various smaller builds that can be combined in various ways and offer lots of playability. Also, the price of the set is in favour of buying it, even if it's just for some parts. I'd definitely recommend buying this to anyone. Despite the long line, customers in Heartlake are leaving the stand with smile on their faces.

Relax and have fun in the sunshine with a beautiful array of colours! The Rainbow Holiday Centre by Anne Mette in the Town Forum will certainly brighten up your day. Join us in the Town Forum to add your thoughts to this huge and detailed display that's filled with wonderful colours!

There was already an american iconic muscle car and a classic roadster, now let me take you to the old continent, to the cradle of sports cars industry :). Here we go in Maranello, Italy, with one of the latest middle-engine cars - Ferrari 458 Italia Spyder. Of course, one look is enough to notice, that it isn't the exact recreation, rather a "heavily inspired" MOC. The original shapes are too tricky, especially at this scale, so I've decided to take different principles - the goal number one was not to make the squary front-end. I've failed to recreate the exact shape of the bonnet and front lights (the huge mudguards didn't help at all ;)), so I've decided to make the car just low-profiled and smooth. The rear part was tricky, too. The car's proportions forced me to make a half-stud offset - I've used over the dozen jumpers to make the rear (engine, axis and bumper) firmly fixed :). As most of my MOCs, it was revised early in 2014, including use of 2x1 curved slopes and new style wheels - the first car I like their look - I've tried it with Cobra too, but it looked just ugly. More photos on my flickr page. My other presentations:

Since my LEGOing partner is also my 11yo daughter when the Friends line hit a few years back it was immediately decided that we'd have to work the theme into our city and the Bubble Gum Beauty Salon was born. Hope you enjoy. You can see more here and here. Thanks for checking it out.

Let Andrea take you today for the little time trip to the classic era, back in America! There are some excellent Vettes' models, but I havent noticed this specific one in this scale - 6-wide Chevrolet Corvette 1957 convertible. This is the first non heavy duty car of my collection, due to the wheels mounting and fragile parts of body, sticked by one stud, like rear fenders. It was tricky to make the openable doors and maintain the thin gap between doors and rear wheels, but the final effect is satisfatory to me. Thanks to Aurie from Chrome Block City the car shines like a christmas tree, but it gives the required look, I think ;). My personal favourite. Of course, there are still some disadvantages: Yellow 1x2 panels with the "foot holder" instead of white ones - quite rare in my country, on BL wanted list, obviously. Central part of front bumpers - the red 2x1 plates with arms up are temporary, I'd like to take a try with the chrome knives in 1x1 horizontal clips, but still failed to hunt them down (there are so many single parts available in separate stores, can't afford to buy them all :)). Wheels! Both look (I don't have experience with custom wheels, I have to take some lessons from the master ER0L ;)) and mounting - sticking via 1x1 round plate to the half-pin isn't too effective, I will have to research the possibility of using bars 3L / wheels on full pin. Rear lights? Whooops... But hell, who needs them, the chrome exhausts look much better ;). More shots on my flick page. My previous presentations:

Here we go today with my younger daughter Alice's favourite car of my collection - Shelby Cobra 427. As many builders I've started with a brilliant model from lichtblau, adapting it to Friends dolls requirements (and adding the doors, of course :)), but I haven't liked its proportions and too vintage look. I wanted something more modern and sporty, so I've started the MOC from the scratch. The car is 6 studs wide, as it fits best to its dimensions in comparision with the previous shown Mustang and other cars, and it's heavy duty construction allows playing for my little daughter. The final effect is presented below, I'm almost pleased with it, besides some minor disadvantages, such as tiled grills on the side instead of the modified bricks (quite hard to get in my country, still on my wanted list). I've spent tons of time looking for optimal look of exhaust pipes, but there went Aurie from Chrome Block City in hand, adding some extra bricks to my order for one of the next creations (coming soon!) - I didn't realise, that the chrome helmet horn will fit so well. Hope you like it :)! More photos on my flickr page. Download a LDD file (not 100% accurate there are some differences). My other presentations:

I'm glad to present you another MOC in my garage! Today the model based on the mid-size luxury crossover - BMW X6, called by the manufacturer Sports Activity Coupé (SAC). It's not a recreation of a factory stock car, the inspiration was the model tuned by the german company Lumma Design. The car is adapted as 2-seated coupe (a bit shorter than an original), both for minifigs and Friends minidolls. This time the doors don't open in the primary configuration (unless you dismount the mirror clips), but there is still a posibility to use the alternative door design (however, they don't look well). Forgive my little deviation - I don't know why, but I always put the white rims to black cars . The last pic is a little joke - you can see the original here. More pics in my flickr album. My other presentations:

What will happen when Friends meet Star Wars? Introducing the X-Wing fighter of the Orange Squadron, flown by commander Olivia herself. Armed with cake torpedoe lunchers and four bloming cannons, this craft sports advanced shield generator based on MP3 player with J.Bieber hits&bits and shoe store discount coupon dispenser to loose any pursuit it may encounter. The R2-Squirrel droid can track up to 10 nuts and can easily hyper you to the nearest shopping mall. Enjoy the rest of the photos here

This is my build for "Friends in Space" contest on Rebrick. If you like it, please support it and 'Like' it here: http://rebrick.lego....ervatory/8vd1p5 The Friends' Moon Base Observatory The building hinges open and we see Mia is charting the night sky on observatory's telescope. Emma is just arriving through the airlock. She has two friends she made on a previous expedition excited to have her home. And Stephanie is busy examining rocks brought back by Emma. Her robotic dog keeps her company and reminds her that she needs to eat and drink as well as investigate. The ladder hinges up for easy access of the lab below and fits into its own space vertically for when the building is closed. The telescope dome opens and the telescope gantry rotates 360 degrees. Stephanie investigating in the lab with her robotic dog. Every hard-working gal needs a coffee machine. Emma is arriving home through the air lock. These two cute and cuddly creatures Emma found on a previous exploration. They have been waiting for her. Window seats contain the girl's lockers. Thank you! - Cara.

Hello there! After some time of loyal lurking I've decided to share some of my creations :). Let me introduce myself first, as this is my first post here - I'm a typical AFOL, thanks to having own children in proper age (pre- and primary school), I've managed to get back to old hobby. As both of my children are girls, so the field of construction is quite obvious - Friends serie ;). I've decided to improve the standard garage, supplied by the Lego Group, so you can expect some 4-wheeled creations, 6- or 7-wide. The first choice is one of my first creations, the 7w car inspired by the iconic muscle car - Ford / Shelby Mustang GT-500 - not a specific model, rather the mix of 2010 - 2013. As most of my MOCs, it's designed to be playable by 3-years old kid - heavy duty construction, and the obligatory openable doors (I even can't think about the car without such feature ;)). So, the requirements are quite hard, but the results are quite good, I hope :). Sorry for the mediorce photo quality (terrible focus depth), but didn't have too much time to play with the friends' camera, borrowed for short time :). So, let Olivia to introduce one of her cars: More photos on my flickr page. Downlolad LDD file. My other presentations:

Here we are with Emma again in sunny Italy, Sant'Agata Bolognese, at the Lamborghini headquarters! This is a good time to present the main italian rival of my Ferrari Italia - Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder [WIP]. Just like with Ferrari Italia, I didn't try to recreate the exact shapes of the front bonnet, for the same reasons, just wanted to make it enough "lamborghinable". Additionaly, the driver's chamber in Gallardo is moved forward a bit, I had some riddles to solve, how to arrange it with the doors system. The effects? Judge by yourself :). Wait a minute... Something's wrong. Where are the mirrors, must-be lifted doors, where is the "WIP" status? Right, it isn't finished project. I didn't want another generic 3 x 6 slope windscreen, time to make it custom - classical, with hose and hands. There are some reasons - better look first of all, the second - no room for lifted doors and mirrors. The MOC could be finished, but I've just screwed up last BLinking, and ordered riggid hose instead of pneumatic :). Take a look, how it looks now. More shots on my flick page. And this is my last presented MOC for now, I won't bother you anymore for a while . Thanks for stopping by and commenting, have a good time and stay tuned! My previous presentations:

After I have built my sad grey town, where I only used a limited number of colours, I wanted to build something very colourful. I thought the many colours fits well with the LEGO Friends Theme. Therefore the holiday center has been occupied by Friends girls. The last weekend in June the layout was exhibited at LEGOLAND Friends Days in Billund. More photos can be seen here: https://www.flickr.c...157645952903042

For those who know, you need to remember the famous son from the French Club Med vacation company. Sorry, the song is in French but pictures do not need explanation. This is a clear crossover. ;) Y a du soleil Y a du soleil et des nanas Bienvenue à Endor là-bas Darla dirladada Club Med Endor by Veynom, on Flickr Y a du soleil et des nanas Darla dirladada Endor Luggage by Veynom, on Flickr On va s´en fourrer jusque là Darla dirladada Endor On va fourrer by Veynom, on Flickr Pousse la banane et mouds l´kawa Darla dirladada Endor Banane by Veynom, on Flickr Endor Coffie by Veynom, on Flickr Tous les soirs on f´ra la java Darla dirladada Endor Terrasse by Veynom, on Flickr En chantant à Endor là-bas Darla dirladada Endor Music by Veynom, on Flickr Y a du soleil et des nanas Darla dirladada Endor Nana by Veynom, on Flickr On va s´doucher sur la playa Darla dirladada Endor Tortue by Veynom, on Flickr Et les bonus: Endor Kitchen by Veynom, on Flickr Endor Washing by Veynom, on Flickr Endor Photo by Veynom, on Flickr This was fun, really fun and my kids have even more fun playing with all this.

It's been a pretty long while since Friends strike the market, but its meda advertising side seems not to be discussed yet. I made some searching and there was a thread about one episode, but I think a new thread would bring a more thorough discussion. (Or if there have been other threads, please help me merge them.) Different from the very popular and long-run action theme series Ninjago and The Legend of Chima, Welcome to Heartlake City isn't a regular TV show. There are currently three full-length episodes, but each episode is divided into ten mini webisodes on the website. Episode list: Episode one: New Girl in Town :These are the most recent official videos, so far there are eight webisodes and they all feature the 2014 spring wave sets. Some of them reused the plot from comic strips. The series do a good job in ultilizing those products that can’t be featured in a long-length story. Other future updates, see new replies below. In advertising aspects: Needless to say, animations based on LEGO themes are all meant to advertise LEGO products. Unlike Chima and Ninjago, currently Friends is more like Hero Factory that would only release one or two episodes featuring a certain wave rather than giving a full-lenth continuous story. Judging from out physical products, 3185 Summer Riding Camp is the only previous large set that wasn’t actually ultilized in the cartoon story. It had a glimpse in the first episode, but we weren’t able to see how Mia got her trainings in the riding school. As commented, I’d see the horse riding competition get its own episode rather than clashing with other events. Heartlake High, the other iconic building of this theme also appears in two episodes, which is fairly enough. The next upcoming large set is the Shopping Mall, but we’re not sure if there would be an episode featuring this. Also the jungle rescue series also seems to deserve its own animation story. That means there should be at least three new episodes during this year, but is it what TLC plan to do? Those we didn’t see in physical sets: Conclusion: Overall ”Welcome to Heartlake City” is a good cartoon series that parents may let children watch. I’m not very familiar with other girls-oriented cartoon series inspired by toys, which are mostly developed by the largest comeptitor Mattel. Mattel's Monster/EverAfter High and Hasbro's MLP series are all fantasy-related stories, so they're not in the comparisons. Barbie, one of the modern life storyline, currently has its own web series Life in the Dreamhouse. It also happens to have a brick toy line by MegaBloks, but the idea behind the sets are pretty different. Barbie isn't a schoolgirl so she can just enjoy her fabulous and luxury fashion icon life, while our young girls don't. Though not being a brick toy line, Polly Pocket also shares some similarities with the series, and its toy has some buildings along with the dolls. However, the series overfocuses on the fun side of "Pollyville", while the life in Heartlake City focuses on "do-it-by-yourself" concepts. Their earlier short cartoon series in 2000s also had some problems with rivalries and blended family issue. As mentioned in product advertising, even though Friends wouldn’t have a continuous storyline like Chima and Ninjago have, there could be more single stories based on medium and large sets. Ironically, Chima and Ninjago, especially Ninajgo, have a larger fanbase consisted of girls owing to the successful TV series. Is ”Welcome to Heartlake City” able to go bigger in the future in order to appeal those girls too? Or.....

Number – 41005 Name – Heartlake High Theme – Friends Year – 2013 Minidolls – 3 Pieces – 475 Price – $49.99/ €49.99 UK price not yet known Links: Brickset, Bricklink, Peeron (not yet listed). LEGO shop@home [Germany] The Summer 2013 wave of Friends sets will soon be available in stores, in fact some are already available for shoppers in Germany, and we've already been treated to a few High-Res pictures of these sets, but with the opportunity to get my hands on one of these beauties a little ahead of time was certainly not one to be missed. The most striking thing about this set is the colour scheme, and I really wanted to see this bright light yellow up close. TLG helped make it possible, so many thanks to them as I take you through the details of this exciting new Friends set! So if all that's whetted your appetite, let's get on and have a look at it! The Box The outer cardboard box this set arrived in was almost mangled beyond recognition. I feared the worst; I was prepared to cry, but remarkably, somehow, magically almost, the set box inside was absolutely pristine. And a very nice box it is too. It has the usual lavender and pink Friends livery, and the updated picture of the five girls, and is also shows the set as a whole. well, we'll see enough of that, but you can also have a sneak peak at the interior with the inset, and learn the names of Matthew, the new boy for this set, and Ms Stevens, the new grown-up included too. There's so much to see on the back; you get great views of all the many details in the interior, plus close up views of some of the most interesting pieces. There's the usual "how to" for putting together the minidolls (in this case Stephanie), plus a few illustrations to show the build is modular and can be put together in several different configurations. The box top and bottom are pretty standard for a Friends set, with the usual wash of lavender. The 1:1 scale picture is of Stephanie, and next to that is a little scene with the other characters, where Ms Stevens seems delighted with her owl. The sides have the familiar detailing with a little picture of the set and an advert for the Friends section of the LEGO Club. It seems that because Ms Stevens has a title ("Ms") that this is required to be translated, so we have "Ms.", "Frau", "Mme", "Sra." and "Ms" Stevens written down the side of the box. The Box Contents Your LEGO comes in four numbered polybags for the modular building. You can see the bright light yellow and dark blue splattered across all four bags, but that's hardly surprising if you just look at the model. There are a lot of stickers here, and they go in a lot of places. Some will perhaps be more self-explanatory than others, like the basketball one, but the cat one in the top left has me a trifle baffled. Clearly it's one of those notices where people pull off a telephone number to call up for something. I've seen them for people renting rooms or wanting to join clubs, but this seems to be some sort of cat hotline. For Ella. Call Ella's crazy cats? Who knows, but anyway it's lavender and it's got cats on, so kids will probably like it. In addition to the ploybags full of LEGO, there are also these 16x16 and 8x16 tan plates. It's pretty clear that these will be the floors for the various sections of the school, and some of you may currently be thanking the heavens that they appear in a neutral colour rather than pink or lavender. I actually must admit that I am. The Instructions Shipping from Denmark was not kind to the instruction booklets. They are distinctly wavy, but also reassuringly think, and seemingly identical aside from the numbers in the bottom left corner. They both show the lovely artwork from the front of the box with the school set in green and luscious surroundings. There is no escape from the "Gagne" child, but I've said before that the little girl version of this abomination is faaaaaaar preferable to the obnoxious boy-child on regular City sets. The back of the second instruction booklet has some nice artwork to show what happens at school with Stephanie and Matthew (looks like she flirts while he stares at stuff under the microscope) and there are some cute insets with posed LEGO scenes which just make you want to build faster so you can play with the set. Who doesn't want to see a full list of all the goodies in this set? Ok, maybe some of you, but if you would like to see this in more detail than please click on the picture for a high res image. The Parts So you got all excited about the new bright light yellow, and open up the first bag to find... just two pieces. At least they're 1x6x5 panels, so they're quite large pieces, and they really do look good next to the dark blue. There's lots of other goodies here, but I'm going to pick out the azure bicycle and new mould bag as other standout parts here, although there's also a nice selection of medium lavender. As I've just said, the bag is a new mould for this summer wave of Friends, and an azure version can also be found in 41013 Emma's Sports Car. Notice also the various Technic bits and bobs, which aren't exactly uncommon, but hint at an interesting build ahead. Loads more bright light yellow! Yumm! There's a good amount of medium lavender plates, and a few nice aqua bricks, along with some of those lovely dark blue tiles and bricks too. The printed cash register gets around a bit, especially in Friends sets, but your eye might be drawn to those 4x4 light bluish grey plates with the cutouts. These are relatively new (2011) and not available in that many sets. There's also a reprieve of the printed 1x1 milk and orange cartons that first appeared in Friends sets last year and remain pretty much Friends exclusive, although the milk carton was available on the online shop@home PAB last year. Bag three has another good mix of colours, and yet more of the bright light yellow and dark blue combo. There's more azure and more medium lavender (and lime green) so if you looked at these parts you could guess they were from a Friends set. So let's point out the special bits. The trans-clear/ green flask may be recognisable from the Series 4 CMF Crazy Scientist, and it has popped up in a few sets, but it was an exciting part for me, all of that notwithstanding. The 1x1 round tiles have only been around since last year, and there are a couple of trans-dark blue ones here. Your best bet for finding more, though, would be the 60004 Fire Station, which has 16! The reddish brown owl has only appeared in 7 sets so far, one of which was an exclusive store opening set, and the others are all fairly large sets, so it's not that easy to get hold of, and I really wasn't expecting an owl in a school that's not Hogwarts, to be honest. More bright light yellow, dark blue, medium lavender, azure and more of the nice flower shaped 1x1 plates, plus an apple and a plate. The lime green cupboard has only been in six sets, however it is lime green. We get two paintbrushes, just like the Series 4 CMF Painter (and only available with him so far), plus the printed music sheet which has appeared only once in 3939 Mia's Bedroom. The best piece, for me, is the light aqua printed guitar which has also been released simultaneously in 41004 Rehearsal Stage. Interesting Parts I've included the books here partly so you can see the stickers on the front, and partly so you can see that you're supposed to put pieces inside the books. I've also included the laptop because it is interesting, just maybe not quite so much next to an azure bicycle, which is only available in two other sets. The other parts I've already mentioned, and this is really for those of you who just look at the pictures, rather than read what I actually say, who won't even read this, so I can say whatever I like. The Minidolls Stephanie is Stephanie, we've seen her enough times to know what she looks like, but she's got a smart new outfit for school. Her crisp white jacket is tied in a bow with nice detailed printing, including lapels and buttons, and she has a pretty purple skirt to compliment her dark pink top. Ms Stevens has a lovely lavender blouse and jacket combo, again with detailed printing, and being a demure adult (like Olivia's mum) she wears a longer skirt than the kids. It's nice to have a new leg/skirt piece in a different style, as a change from always having short skirts. Ms Stevens is obviously grown up and serious as she wears glasses, and it's well known that grown up, serious teachers all wear glasses. She has a nice face, though, and with a different outfit she could possibly even transform into another "Friend". Her hair is the same as Olivia's mum's hair, except in dark brown rather than black, and it's great to get this style in a new colour, as it's a style that works well on regular minifigs. Matthew has a similar shaped torso as Olivia's dad, which is probably a good thing really (no moobs), but it's not exactly the same. See Oky's review of 41015 Dolphin Cruiser for a further comparison. Matthew wears a simple shirt with button printing, and has a nice face with a cheeky grin, but he comes with the requisite boyband hairstyle that can be easily found on many a minifig. It would have been nice if Matthew the new boy had been given new boy hair too, but perhaps the excitement of even having a new boy is enough, and new boy hair would have just tipped us into a frenzy. Not much to see at the back except the two-tone printing of Stephanie's sandals and Ms Steven's sling backs. Again like Olivia's dad, Matthew has moulded pockets on his bum, in the same way that Ms Stevens has a moulded pleat in her skirt. Here's just a further comparison between Ms Stevens and Olivia's mum, because they share the same hair type and outfit type too. They're the 'older' females of the series, although I doubt they're all that old, they just aren't teenagers. As I've already said, it's great to have this hair in a new colour, as it's a really nice style, and it's also good to have another pleated skirt print, and the two outfits are almost interchangeable with the heads and hair. The Build Bag One It's good to know the first priority is the plumbing. Good sanitation is the fundamental cornerstone of education, so Heartlake High comes fully equipped with one unisex bathroom (restroom). We'll see inside shortly, but in the meantime we can have a look at the very nice picnic table. A simple, but eye-pleasing, build in natural tones but with a bit of Friends detailing afforded by the very nice 1x8 medium lavender tiles. With it comes a laptop, a nice modern accessory that is appropriate for a high school setting. The basketball hoop is the same hoop that appeared in 41008 Heartlake City Pool, and it's huge. It must be incredibly easy for them to score hoops considering the opening is about twice the width of a minidoll. So the tearaway phone numbers for the crazy cats hotline is stuck up in ... the WC? What kind of phoneline is this? I'm not sure this is suitable for young eyes! Plus it besmirches the back of a perfectly lovely bright light yellow panel. Then again it does provide detail, and school is all about education, after all. Anyway, you can see the wash hand basin on the near wall of the WC which also uses some of that very nice dark blue. The back board of the basketball hoop is decorated with another sticker, which really makes sense of the little build. So the back of the basketball hoop shows (as if you hadn't already worked out from the front) that it's a SNOT build incorporating Technic axles and joints. Not your regular brick-on-brick LEGO build then. Just want to point that out in case there are still people whining about how simple the builds are compared to other sets. The toilet and the sink are part of a nice matching set with the white, light bley and dark blue. They make this bit of the build more than just a closet and delineate its function. Bag Two So this is the first time in the build that you get to see a decent amount of the lovely new bright light yellow, and it really is a lovely colour. There's not a huge amount of the dark blue here, but the little you can see really does contrast nicely. The "Friendsness" is provided by the aqua and lavender foundations and also the lavender accent in the school sign. They aren't huge amounts of these "Friends" colours really, but they add energy to the model and still mark it out as a Friends build. The main entrance has two large full-length windows on either side of the doors, adding light to the hallway and also a nice architectural feature. The school hallway is plastered with stickers. Behind the bench there's a noticeboard, which even has a flyer for a magic show; possibly Mia's magic show? Next to the noticeboard is a small stack of lockers with more carefully applied stickersTM, and the stickers include the vents that make the lockers look like... lockers. On the opposite side, the hallway has also become a cafeteria of sorts. This is much more interesting than another wall of lockers and noticeboards, and also more interesting than say a trophy cabinet, which they could have had, but it's still a bit of a strange thing to have in a school entrance hall. The cafeteria is a play feature; it's there for kids to play shop with the model, and it has to go somewhere, and that's why it's been stuck here. That said, it's a nice cafeteria, with a couple of sandwiches safely protected from grubby little fingers by a glass or perspex screen. There's the railed bit where you slide your tray and in addition to the sandwich you may purchase milk or orange juice. There's even an advert for milk on the back wall, and a cash register represented by a single printed brick. Here’s another view of the front, and you can see how the floor length windows work so well, allowing a good view of the inside, along with the windowed doors. You can also see the Technic pins that allow the modules to be joined together in any desired arrangement. The sign, like so many (but not all) things is a sticker, and the designers just couldn’t resist putting a heart on it. Bag Three Lots of windows with interesting stuff behind them. We'll get to the interesting stuff, but first let's revel in the gloriousness of the bright light yellow and dark blue colour combo - it's a bit easier to see at this stage because of the dark blue slopes, but there’s a smaller proportion of that lovely bright light yellow, and a bigger chunk of medium azure. Not that I mind, I quite like the medium azure. The window boxes with flowers are pretty, but they are a bit uniform. The model is built exactly according to the instructions, but it wouldn’t take much to go absolutely crazy and mix up the order of the vegetation here. Craaaaazy. This really is one of my favourite areas of the school. There’s so much stuff in here! We’ll start with the obvious; cute little builds of desks and chairs, carefully positioned at the open end of the model for easy access, with space for Ms Stevens to stand at the front next to her owl. I can only assume that’s supposed to be a taxidermied owl, as this ain’t Hogwarts, and surely it would be very messy if it were alive? Along the back, on a very nicely built set of counters, are a couple of smaller builds. On the far left there is a very lavender microscope, which is such a cute and simple, yet instantly recognisable, little build. The “specimen” is a 1x1 trans-dark blue round tile. Next to this is a bottle of poison, or toxic waste, or severely corrosive acid, without which no classroom is complete, and then there are a couple of books. Both the books have stickers on the front, and parts hidden away inside. The bookends made by the bright pink panels add a little girly accent, in fact one of not very many girly accents. Next to the books is my favourite little build of the set: a telescope. It’s not very big, it’s not particularly complicated, and I’m not even sure what they’re hoping to see indoors, but it’s still great. Again, it’s instantly recognisable thanks to the great design, and it can be moved slightly to different poses, to an extent. From this view you can see the “world map pull down chart” sticker on the back wall of the classroom, and see one of the stickers on the front of one of the books. It’s also easier to see the design of the microscope, and that it has a lovely curved back thanks to the curved medium lavender brick. Here you can see the images on the blackboard, and evidently the owl is stuffed (unless they plan to dissect it later ) as there are diagrams indicating wingspan and .. where its entirely non-anatomical heart is. Serious science. Bag Four The outside of this classroom looks astonishingly like the outside of the other classroom, and the reason for that is because they are, in fact, identical, even down to the order of the plants in the window boxes. Spooky, eh? Different things, however, can be espied through these windows. So after the serious science room, this is the arty room, and it’s quite fun. There’s a decent amount of stuff in it, but also enough space to fit the minidolls in too. We'll work our way around the room, checking out the details. The left side of the room is the music section, complete with a new printed light aqua guitar , attached to the wall so high that the minidolls need the pink-topped stools just to reach it to play it. If they succeed then there’s a nicely angled music stand with a printed music tile for them to use while they practice strumming. Next to the music stand is a chest of drawers, for storing spare paintbrushes, which also provides a convenient surface on which to keep the necessary paint. In the opposite corner is an artist’s easel, again nicely angled (although that does make putting a minidoll in front of it a little trickier). Clearly the painting (provided by a sticker on a 4x4 modified white tile with studs on edge) is of a still life, and if you look to the right…. There’s the still life that’s the subject of the painting, although the painting is a little lacking in green… But it’s ok, because the foremost pot of paint is green and there’s clearly green paint on the end of both of the paintbrushes. Phew! Disaster averted! I actually really like all the logic in this, and I’ve even managed to subvert the logic by having the apple stand up when in the painting it’s clearly lying down. As a final note (no pun intended) on the near wall you can see the black 1x1 round plates that sit on top of the 1x1 modified black plate with horizontal clip that’s used to attach the guitar to the wall. It's a shame they used round plates, as it makes the outside of the wall look odd, and I can't see any particular reason to choose round over square. The final build is the single roof piece that can be attached to any module (except the bathroom, obviously). This is the best example of how lovely bright light yellow and dark blue look together, but there are also the compulsory Friends colours too, by way of a medium lavender line of plates and two 1x1 round azure bricks. Having this just completes the build and gives an illusion of a roof, just like all the other dark blue slopes on the individual modules. The back demonstrates that this roof section is just a frontispiece, so fingers can still get inside the models of the rooms to play, but the building itself is topped-off. Surprisingly, there's a lot of bits and pieces left over. Yes, you really do have 1x1 round tiles in pearl gold and trans dark blue left over in addition to the usual (but higher number than normal) 1x1 round plates. So here's the full main build all together from the back, where all the interesting stuff happens. It's really easy to get into all parts of the school, especially because the ground floor hallway juts out a bit at the back. The way the cafeteria area is built to also face this way (with the orange juice and milk facing out) make you feel you're looking at only part of a much larger school, but that these are the bits you can get to. The Technic pins still present at the side of the art and music room mean that you can place the science classroom next to it if you want to, but this is the configuration from the instruction book. The WC looks a little odd just stuck on the side. I guess there's an argument for teaching kids hygiene, but there are so many other sets without sanitation that its presence would be odd, if this weren't a Friends set where it's commonplace to have bathrooms. There's plenty of space in the hallway to make up scenarios, and the other rooms look packed and playful. From the front you can see all that wonderful bright light yellow and dark blue together, and it really does look so good. The Friends colours in this set are really just accents, and their presence allows cohesion with the other buildings in the Friends line, but certainly don't overpower the whole building, so this might be more palatable for those who aren't Friends fans. It all makes an attractive building, and the additional features with the bicycle, picnic table and basketball hoop just add more life to the overall build and playability to the set. Conclusion Design: 9/10 I just love the bright light yellow and dark blue colour scheme, and it's possible I may have mentioned it a few times. I also love how the rooms can be moved around, just like in 3315 Olivia's House, so you can arrange the school any way you want. It lives up to the Friends theme with all the furnishing, and boy there's a lot of furnishing here, and it all makes sense in the school. It's just a fabulous looking set and it loses only one mark because the WC looks a little awkward, which is such a minor point really, and I'd much rather have it than not. Parts: 9/10 As with so many of the Friends sets there's a bountiful and colourful mix of parts, especially interesting bits and pieces. The azure bicycle particularly, but also the orange juice and milk cartons, and indeed the items from CMFs like the paintbrush and flask. Oh, don't forget the owl! And so many other things too, like all the new bright light yellow, and the dark blue. Did I mention that? Minidolls: 10/10 Yay! A new male figure! He'd do well to have new boy-Friends hair, but I'm just so glad to have him, and the new teacher Ms Stevens is great, as is the new outfit for Stephanie. This is an appropriate number and mix of minidolls for the set, and they're all great. Especially the new boy! The Friends line is safe from extinction (in the future, I might add!) with the presence of some males for repopulating. Build: 9/10 I like having things split into modular builds as it appeals to my OCD, but there's nothing at all stopping you from tipping the whole damn lot out and not building bag by bag. The build is interesting and fun, and a lot like other City sets (how many times do I have to say this with Friends sets?), plus, unlike City sets, there's almost always a little bit of Technic in the bigger builds, just as there is here, along with SNOT work and other unusual techniques. Playability: 10/10 There's just so much for the minidolls to do here! The playability is huge. They can play shop, play with the microscope or telescope, or paint or play guitar or shoot hoops or ... go to the toilet. The huge amount of inside furnishing mean that the fun after building is fantastic, which just adds to the value of the set. That and playing around with the configuration of the school, too. Price: 9/10 It is a little on the expensive side, being a Friends set, but you get so much in this set, and so much bright light yellow too. There are loads of cool pieces, a great build, two new minidolls (including a boy) and a new outfit for Stephanie, so overall, I really think it's worth it. Overall 93% I love this set. It's done for me what 3315 Olivia's House did and just makes me crave the Friends line more. There are a few minor oddities here and there (like the WC, and the 1x1 round plates in the wall), but the designers really have ticked all the boxes with this set in terms of parts and playability and minidolls. The build is great fun and the overall set just looks fantastic. This is yet another shining example of the Friends line going from strength to strength, and I can see these flying off the shelves when they go on sale. Remember that the modules can be rearranged! Thank you for reading, comments are always very welcome. High-Res pictures can be found on my flickr account.A big thank you to KimT and TLG for providing the sets for review. Please also check out Hinckley's Review of 41006 Downtown Bakery, and Oky's Review of41015 Dolphin Cruiser!