TL;DR:
- Original Price: $19.99
- Pieces: 222
- Minifigure(s): Autumn, Leo, Bandit (ferret)
- Sticker Sheet: Yes
- Pros: Cute little room diorama
- Cons: Minidolls, some finish issues
Assembly:
Bag #1 - Autumn, Leo, Bandit, Ferret playhouse
Bag #2 - First floor
Bag #3 - Loft
Leftover Pieces
- Interesting Steps:
- Step 37 has us place a 1x1 round tile behind the desk, indicating a hidden toy, perhaps (or, given that it's the same color as on the coffee mug, perhaps it's an extra mug cap that the ferret ferreted away). Less charmingly, there's also a 1x1 medium nougat round plate placed in front of the desk, perhaps representing a little "present" from Bandit.
- Step 43 makes use of the same round 1x1 open stud with bar arm down piece that makes the mug's handle to efficiently form a petite desk lamp.
- Interesting Techniques:
- The staircase rotates to reveal a hidden map, flashlight, and treasures. I don't know much about Friends lore, but it suggests that Autumn is as an adventurous treasure seeker as her pet ferret. I appreciate how simple the mechanic is too: a turntable and 4x4 macaroni tile on the bottom, and a round 2x2 with open stud on top are all that's needed to have the stairs pivot without being floppy.
- The lofted bed makes interesting use of tile pieces to indicate different colors for sheets and blanket. Unfortunately the colors chosen don't really work (having the 2x2 triangle tile be the same hue as the reddish orange tiles would have made it read more as a folded-over corner, for example)—who has red bedsheets?—and while the 2x2 red tile with studs on edge does a good job of holding the triangle in place, the exposed half-stud does rather ruin the effect.
- Interesting Pieces:
- The new sunflower piece is a good addition to the existing roster of plant pieces. It would have been nice to get more than one, but as is it's a simple and effective use for minifig-scale builds.
- Pain Points:
- The back wall isn't as elegant as it might be: the tan inverted 1x2 slope breaks the light aqua color of the walls, which also have awkward seams (in part because of the use of 1x1x5 and 1x2x5 bricks to fill the blank parts). The bay windows are a nice touch (though a little crowded by furniture and the stairs in front), but from behind they appear sunk into the wall instead of part of them; if they were pushed back by a stud they would meet the wall just as the 4x8 half-circle meets the 8x16 floor in front, and give a little extra space for the window itself.
In all honesty, I got this set primarily for the scene itself, a neat little room that could easily be modified or duplicated. I've never been a fan of minidolls (their more natural proportions feel odd after a lifetime of minifigures) and it was brought home in trying to pose them for the "final build" picture that they're actually less poseable: their hands don't rotate at the wrist like a minifigure's, and because their legs are a single piece, there are only so many ways to make them stand.
That said, the build itself was worth it, including a new piece and some unusual colors. Plus I'm always happy to get a new map tile, and the ferret is a cute addition to my Lego menagerie. I'm sure there's tons of details sprinkled throughout the room referencing the adventures of Autumn and Leo, but as I'm not familiar with the Friends series I can't speak to them.
Score (out of 5 🧱):
- Price: 🧱🧱🧱
- Process: 🧱🧱🧱🧱
- Presentation: 🧱🧱🧱🧱
- Play: 🧱🧱
- Pieces: 🧱🧱🧱🧱
- Total: 🧱🧱🧱
Lego Instructions: here
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