When I picked up my 75099 Rey’s Speeder set at Toys R Us the other day, I decided to take advantage of their sale and pick up another set for half price. It seemed like a good opportunity to buy something from a theme I don’t usually buy. So here we are – my first ever proper Friends set.
41099 Heartlake Skate Park
RRP $29.99
199 Pieces ($0.15 per piece)
Available online and most retailers.
I had seen pictures of this set online as I had been reporting on LEGO news and thought it looked interesting. There are some of the Friends sets that seem a bit boring but a skate park seemed like something different. The box contains two numbered bags containing different parts of the set.
The set includes a Mia minidoll and a white puppy. I believe the printing on Mia’s outfit is quite common. The hair and helmet are combined into a single element made out of the softer rubber material. While I appreciate the need for safety I would have liked to see a normal hair piece included as an alternative.
The Friends style animals are very cute, and the included puppy is no exception. It also fits perfectly on the skateboard.
The actual build begins with the construction of the half pipe. I really like the colours used here. I didn’t apply the stickers but I don’t think the finished model is worse without them.
The half-pipe is made from two identical sections joined by a hinge plate. It allows for the half pipe to be displayed as a traditional half-pipe layout or more open.
The build then moves on to the vending machine. This was a great little element to put together. It doesn’t feature anything tricky but the way they have created a functional vending machine at this scale is impressive.
The finished vending machine could easily work in a city setting.
Bag one could easily exist as a smaller set with just the half-pipe and vending machine builds.
Bag two features the construction of the small pier and the sliding ramp. The pier part of the set looks a little small on the front of the box due to where it is positioned and because of that I thought the pier was going to be the least impressive part of the build. I am happy to admit that I was wrong.
There are some odd colour choices, but that is to be expected with this theme. I always prefer printing over stickers so I like that the life preserver tile is a printed element. The sign on the palm tree does look a bit odd without the sticker though.
Brown minifigure heads as coconuts is a great use of the part. The seaweed might be a bit too much.
After building the pier it didn’t seem there were enough parts for the sliding ramp. Surprisingly though it does come together to be a reasonably sized part of the skate park.
With just a few pieces the boom-box is immediately identifiable. I appreciate that they went for a brick-built option rather than using a moulded element like the one included with the Series 5 Fitness Instructor minifigure.
Rather than being one big build this set contains lots of smaller independent builds. I am a fan of this way of doing things as I think it adds more play value and flexibility in terms of displaying the set.
Verdict
There are certainly some mixed opinions on the Friends theme. The thing that struck me while building this set is that it’s a LEGO experience. Reviewing this set isn’t any different to reviewing any other LEGO set. I sat down with a pile of bricks and some instructions and created something and had a great time doing it.
Before building the set I was a little confused on how the pier fitted in. It seems that LEGO were going for a Venice Beach type feel with the mix of skater and beach concepts. I think it actually works quite well.
The set has a great range of colours too – it’s a very bright set. It might be a little bit less realistic but I am a big fan of the more colourful parts usage.
The only complaint I can think of is very minor – have a standard hairpiece for Mia when she wasn’t skating.
For existing Friends fans: This set would be a great addition to any collection.
For non-fans of Friends: This build stands up on it’s own as a fun LEGO experience regardless of how they are marketed.
Photo Gallery
Thanks for the review and pics.
I have found with the Friends range that the many mini builds within a set holds my 8 y.o.’s attention better than some of the city or creator builds.