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It's that time of the year again! A new series of the friends animals has arrived and I have acquired them all to bring you another review (and to complete my collection, of course). If you haven't read my reviews of the last 2 series, click on the links and start reading (but don't forget to come back here when you're done!) Series 1 review Series 2 review Let's get started and see if this series still holds up. The bags The design of the bags hasn't changed a bit from the last series. On the front is still a picture of the set that's included, with a cutesy picture of the animal in the top right corner and the Friends girls holding the animals of this series in the bottom left. On the back the new animals are also represented and it makes clear it's series 3 in a number of different languages. Inside the bags we find a smaller transparent bag with the parts in it, and a small booklet which contains the instructions for the main set, and a link to the website where you're supposed to find the instructions for the alternative set and the combined set you can make when you've got all 3 sets of the wave. I say supposed because, no matter how hard I looked, on the site I could only find the instructions for the normal and combined sets, the instructions for the alternative build where nowhere to be found. (no worries, I still got them build, I just had to use the small sample image in the manual as a reference, which provided a welcome challenge). The inside of the booklet is basically the same as it was for the previous sets. clear instructions, with no part callouts (not that you would need them for these sets). 41023 - Fawn's Forest Set Nr: 41023 Theme: Friends Year released: 2013 Nr of parts: 35 Price: £2.99 / US$4.99 / €4.99 The part collection for this set is quite nice. You get the expected collection of brown, green and pink pieces, but for me the best parts are the magenta cherries and the printed mushroom head. Oh deer... This animal takes some getting used to. When I first saw pictures of it I hated it. When I first got it out of the bag I disliked it. After looking at it for a while longer I.... Kind of started to like it. By the time you're reading this it will probably be impossible to get me to part with it. I am still convinced the snout is too short, but dammit, I can't stop myself from liking it all the same. All I can say is, reserve your judgement of this piece until you've got to hold it in your own hands. It really does look better in real life then on any of the pictures. It's got a hole in it's back for attaching accessories. When you've completed the model, it should look like this. It's a nice little tree, with colorful blossoms on the leaves, a small hole (probably made by a woodpecker), and a classic mushroom. On the ground is another leaf with a feeding bowl placed on top for the fawn to eat cherries out of. I like it, it's a nice little spring scene (which we get in the autumn, but who cares, right?). The alternative model is also quite nice, for a change. It created some nice undergrowth for the fawn to frolic around in. I just don't know how I feel about feeding it decorative bows... 41024 - Parrot's Perch Set Nr: 41024 Theme: Friends Year released: 2013 Nr of parts: 32 Price: £2.99 / US$4.99 / €4.99 Some nice white fences, a couple of bright light blue round bricks and a dark pink basket make up for the most recognizable parts in this collection, but for me the biggest surprise was the Technic pins (I know you can see them on the front of the bag, I just didn't really look at the picture all that well before opening the bag). And then we come onto my biggest disappointment for this series, the "parrot". It's just a normal friends bird, painted green. It doesn't even look like a parrot. In my oppinion they should've either used on of the existing parrot molds (which may not be cute and detailed enough for this series), or made a new mold. Or, as a third option, just call it anything but a bloody parrot! Anyway, it's got a small hole on the top of the head to attach an accessory. And the molding is of good quality and detail. With the build done you get a small perch for the "parrot" to sit on and feed, and a bird house which has some characteristics of a roman temple. I quite like both of them, the perch for it's simplicity, and the birdhouse for it's great architectural design. The alternative model I am less excited about. It just looks like some blocks jumbled together by a 5 year old. 41025 - Puppy's Playhouse Set Nr: 41025 Theme: Friends Year released: 2013 Nr of parts: 39 Price: £2.99 / US$4.99 / €4.99 This set has some nice medium lavender slopes and medium dark flesh masonry bricks, among a collection of white and tan parts. And we get another dog, are they running out of animal types to use? I wonder. Well, at least it's not another poodle. The dog actually looks kinda cute, with it's little cocked head (including hole for accessories). Everything considered it's a pretty nice mold. The dog gets a nice looking doghouse to sleep in, complete with a bowl containing a bone, which is the only sustenance LEGO dogs apparently need. Additionally there's a see-saw for the dog to play on (or a catapult to launch him with, depending on your mood). For the alternative build the dog get's a shittier doghouse, which offers much less protection, and the feeding bowl gets better protection from the rain. Wouldn't want that bone to get soggy! The combined build The combined build makes yet another protective alcove for the bone (still don't want it to get wet), a place for the deer to stand, with what I assume is supposed to be a faucet to fill the bowl with water. And a great looking house for the "parrot". The models all look well enough, but unlike the previous series, they don't really form a larger scene, which I found to be the best part about the combined models. Conclusions: (Disclaimer: I don't believe in giving numerical scores. It is up to the reader to decide what they think of any given model, and I believe mandatory scores detract from this notion.) minifigs: Like before, the animals are all made very well, but they may be a bit too cute for some. Though I still can't get over that damn "parrot". Parts: A nice collection of parts, for the small price you pay. build/design: No real complaints here. What you get is pretty nice, especially the main models. Playability: Still the same, some playability, but adding a minidoll of you own makes the possibilities endless. I am still very much in love with these sets, and hope this isn't the last we will see of them.
