2014 Friends Sets - Rumours and Discussion

[Dorayaki]

The lion cub uses the same mold as the tiger cub from earlier this year. In fact, that element's name calls it a lion, rather than a tiger, despite the tiger being released first.

I know, just wonder if the colors could be more obvious, though not as obvious as the macaw. The lion cub could have better released first because it's not the more appealing one to me. The panther cub from 41036 looks like a different mold.

Unfortunately, the US retail catalog says they'll be out in May 2014 in the states.

I thought the lego animals penguin, turtle, and tiger were supposed to be out today but.....

Sorry, are you guys talking about series 5 or 4?

Series 1 and 2 were one month earlier during 2013, and here are three series every year. October seems abit late for series 6.

Edited March 3, 2014 by Dorayaki

[just2good]

Sorry, are you guys talking about series 5 or 4?

Series 1 and 2 were one month earlier during 2013, and here are three series every year. October seems abit late for series 6.

Series 4 in the United States.

[Sarah]

MAY????

are they trying to have the series fail? September - march(when it originally was sad to be due for release) was long enough but till may is way too long.

I've got a theory that Lego is having a bit of problem keeping up with demand. Completely selling out of Friends (when they didn't plan to) was part of it. All the new Movie and Mixels sets is also part of it. So they are having to juggle to keep everything in the air.

[Dorayaki]

Series 4 in the United States.

Oh, that's horrible. Hope that they come there soon.

I've got a theory that Lego is having a bit of problem keeping up with demand. Completely selling out of Friends (when they didn't plan to) was part of it. All the new Movie and Mixels sets is also part of it. So they are having to juggle to keep everything in the air.

I don't know the actual sales of thes polybags for sure, but it's alittle weird that TLC want to sell three different kinds at the same time.

[just2good]

Some of the new rescue sets had some hi-res pics leaked on Tesco!

[Maniac4Legos]

Some of the new rescue sets had some hi-res pics leaked on Tesco!

Wow J2G thanks! I've scrolled the many pages of EB and I am happy to find this :) I'll bookmark it and give thoughts later.

[Aanchir]

My thoughts, copied and pasted from Brickset:

I love this jungle adventure series, as it really does a lot to make up for one criticism of the previous LEGO Friends and LEGO Disney Princess offerings: the idea that the storylines for the Friends tended to be incredibly domestic in their scope compared to the more adventurous boy-oriented themes, up to and including LEGO City. This really does a lot to demonstrate that even teenage girls brought up in a modern urban society can have opportunities to go on more dangerous sorts of adventures. Rockslides! Collapsing bridges! Helicopters! Ziplines! Dirt bikes! And of course, our good friend the inevitable waterfall. I slightly wonder if the saccharine air of domesticity in the Disney Princess sets might have helped allow the LEGO Group to push LEGO Friends in a bolder and more adventurous direction, since it fulfills that need for sets that enshrine more run-of-the-mill "dollhouse play".

My favorite of the new sets remains the Jungle Rescue Base, which we have seen in-depth video of from Toy Fair. A lot of the LEGO Friends theme seems to be characterized by a sense of luxury. This set moves away from that while still maintaining the detail and creature comforts that the theme is known for. There are colorful beds, but they aren't large with decorative plush comforters like the ones in the Dolphin Cruiser or Olivia's House, nor trendy like the futon in Andrea's Bedroom. They are simple 2x6 cots. The only solid walls are around the outhouse/water closet, and the shower is placed outside. There's heated water and electricity (to power the ceiling fan that must be invaluable in these warm, humid climes), but it seems to be provided by a solar panel, not by "the grid". The animals are wild animals, not pets or zoo animals like the ones in previous sets were stated or implied to be. There's a slide, but instead of being for recreation, it's a cool way for the Friends to jump into action and quickly go from the observation deck to the motorboat waiting below.

Don't get me wrong. The girls in this subtheme still all seem to be pretty affluent, to be able to take a trip like this. So there's still a bit of that sense of luxury/entitlement to the theme. But overall, the subtheme reminds me a lot of my January 2011 trip to rural Costa Rica, and as such it's perfectly believable that the teenage girls of the theme could be in this Asiatic jungle on a similar service learning/study abroad program. It's a chance for the girls to learn what life is like in a place far from the cushy, air-conditioned world of Heartlake City.

What other adventures might await the LEGO Friends in the future? After giving it some thought, there are a lot of possibilities even without delving into sci-fi or fantasy territory. How about a mystery-solving theme in the spirit of Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, or even Scooby-Doo? That sort of thing could show us an eerier and more suspenseful side of Heartlake City. A mountain-climbing expedition is also possible. "Tintin in Tibet" is one of my favorite stories in this genre. It really shows how such an expedition can be presented as more than just another vacation.

Don't know if I'll get any of these sets. None are quite a self-contained masterpiece like Dolphin Cruiser, Heartlake High, or Emma's Karate Class. Rather, these sets might have the most value as a part of a larger layout or collection that can really convey the scale and remoteness of this new locale. But maybe I'll change my mind in time.

[jonwil]

Are these jungle sets the first time Friends has gotten a helicopter?

[just2good]

Are these jungle sets the first time Friends has gotten a helicopter?

Yep!

[Toby Adams]

Azure Bike :wub: :wub:

(Put a silver chassis on it and it will be a beauty...)

[Aanchir]

Links to high-res images from Tesco:

41032

• Pic 1
  
• Pic 2
  
• Pic 3
  
• Pic 4
  
• Pic 5
  
• Pic 6

41033

• Pic 1
  
• Pic 2
  
• Pic 3
  
• Pic 4
  
• Pic 5
  
• Pic 6

41034

• Pic 1
  
• Pic 2

41036

• Pic 1
  
• Pic 2
  
• Pic 3
  
• Pic 4
  
• Pic 5
  
• Pic 6

That should be everything! Be sure and tell me if any of the links are broken and/or duplicates.

Edited March 17, 2014 by Aanchir

[Dorayaki]

the idea that the storylines for the Friends tended to be incredibly domestic in their scope compared to the more adventurous boy-oriented themes, up to and including LEGO City. This really does a lot to demonstrate that even teenage girls brought up in a modern urban society can have opportunities to go on more dangerous sorts of adventures.

What other adventures might await the LEGO Friends in the future? After giving it some thought, there are a lot of possibilities even without delving into sci-fi or fantasy territory. How about a mystery-solving theme in the spirit of Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, or even Scooby-Doo? That sort of thing could show us an eerier and more suspenseful side of Heartlake City. A mountain-climbing expedition is also possible. "Tintin in Tibet" is one of my favorite stories in this genre. It really shows how such an expedition can be presented as more than just another vacation.

Don't get me wrong. The girls in this subtheme still all seem to be pretty affluent, to be able to take a trip like this. So there's still a bit of that sense of luxury/entitlement to the theme. But overall, the subtheme reminds me a lot of my January 2011 trip to rural Costa Rica, and as such it's perfectly believable that the teenage girls of the theme could be in this Asiatic jungle on a similar service learning/study abroad program. It's a chance for the girls to learn what life is like in a place far from the cushy, air-conditioned world of Heartlake City.

The animals are wild animals, not pets or zoo animals like the ones in previous sets were stated or implied to be. There's a slide, but instead of being for recreation, it's a cool way for the Friends to jump into action and quickly go from the observation deck to the motorboat waiting below.

There are some points compared with regular minifigure themes. Friends is smarter than the weird City Arctic because the title didn't restrict us to stay in Heartlake City. Two is there are City and other independent action themes in minifigure world, but we don't know if TLC would also do the same for minidolls. Jungle adventure is interesting and new, but if we want to develop a real action story for girls, it has to be an independent action theme for girls/minidolls, not a subtheme featuring Olivia's life. I actually think Ultra Agents can release a "minidoll version" for girls because this theme looks very acceptable for girls, same as a minifigure version of Friends.

Licensed theme is another story. Though Disney minidolls are obviously targeted at girls, after all Disney stories have many action plot (such as Brave) and we're not sure if future licensed minidolls sets would have adventure/fighting elements as well.

My crticism against animals is that there are no large adult animals introduced for this line. They could play as the parents of these cubs or enemies when Olivia has to protect her camp or helpless herbivores. I'd also like to see new large elephants though maybe they don't exist in jungle.

Still, this series provide a good reuse of the animals and a good twist with the life outside the City that features that characters we've known well. Despite the restriction that Friends is still about a realistic life of girls, future subthemes could be other kinds of vacations or other seasonal sets stressing on autumn and winter.

Edited March 17, 2014 by Dorayaki

[Sarah]

Have we seen anything new about a Jungle Treehouse or another laboratory?

[Toby Adams]

Have we seen anything new about a Jungle Treehouse or another laboratory?

Head to brickset and type in 'Jungle Rescue Base' The image is out there!!

[3BrickFriends]

I think the jungle sets have got real potential. I hope they continue to bring out a few more before starting on a new sub-theme.

My daughter and I have already started thinking about ways to improve them using existing plant and animal pieces.

I definitely agree with Dorayaki that it would be nice to get some adult animals.... may be a mum tiger to look after the new tiger cub.

[Aanchir]

I think the jungle sets have got real potential. I hope they continue to bring out a few more before starting on a new sub-theme.

My daughter and I have already started thinking about ways to improve them using existing plant and animal pieces.

I definitely agree with Dorayaki that it would be nice to get some adult animals.... may be a mum tiger to look after the new tiger cub.

It could be nice, yeah. I imagine part of the reason that the LEGO Group is sticking to baby animals is that it's easier to use them in a wide range of sets, though. The baby animals can be used for the animal packs (which don't have to be tied to the current subtheme in any way) or in playsets at pretty much any price point, whereas larger animals (like, say, the Friends horse) would be mostly constrained to larger sets, since they'd take a massive bite out of the budget for smaller ones.

Also, with smaller animals it's easier to repaint them to create a different animal, like the lion cub/tiger cub this year or the parrot/canary from previous years. With larger animals there'd be the possibility for (and thus, an expectation of) more specific details. Kind of like how "bigfigs" like the Hulk from LEGO Super Heroes or the Cave Troll from LEGO Lord of the Rings can't really use a standardized design as easily as traditional minifigures. With the level of detail expected at that scale, certain factors would stand out such as whether the characters have the correct number of fingers and toes.

It'd definitely be great if there were some larger animals, but I think the LEGO Group is trying to get the most out of each and every mold so they don't eat up so much of the budget for each set.

[Dorayaki]

It could be nice, yeah. I imagine part of the reason that the LEGO Group is sticking to baby animals is that it's easier to use them in a wide range of sets, though. The baby animals can be used for the animal packs (which don't have to be tied to the current subtheme in any way) or in playsets at pretty much any price point, whereas larger animals (like, say, the Friends horse) would be mostly constrained to larger sets, since they'd take a massive bite out of the budget for smaller ones.

Also, with smaller animals it's easier to repaint them to create a different animal, like the lion cub/tiger cub this year or the parrot/canary from previous years. With larger animals there'd be the possibility for (and thus, an expectation of) more specific details. Kind of like how "bigfigs" like the Hulk from LEGO Super Heroes or the Cave Troll from LEGO Lord of the Rings can't really use a standardized design as easily as traditional minifigures. With the level of detail expected at that scale, certain factors would stand out such as whether the characters have the correct number of fingers and toes.

So far the horses are the only large animals that TLC specifically made for Friends regular sets (not sure if the lamb would be reused in future polybags). TLC isn't willing to introduce large molds mayeb due to that they don't think the targeted consumers need them, or they've invested alot in polybag series.

I personally believe that large animals provide useful elements for story telling in this subetheme. After all as mentioned we expect this theme to be as interesting as those action themes for boys, the lack of animals do become a weakness. For example, in Dino we can see some carnivores or ridable creatures that are not horses. Also City sets provided some brown/polar bears who would attack human. For those who love Lego animals, Friends Jungle might be the only chance for new large animals in this year.

The recent new polybag cubs have good potentials to be recolored, as you said. A polar bear cub, white tiger cub would be terrific. I personally don't like the previous bird mold and would like to see new molds for hornbills or egrets.

Edited March 19, 2014 by Dorayaki

[3BrickFriends]

Some of the new rescue sets had some hi-res pics leaked on Tesco!

Its actually funny that Tesco might release the set boxes first in the UK since all the Tesco's around me are still stocked with Series 2 Animal packs, Cafés and other old sets. In my local stores we've just got the Disney Princess range, but no sign of the January 2014 Friends sets yet.

I guess online is run differently from instore.

[skelliesgang]

Series 4 animals are out in the US. I found them at TRU

[SweetiePie88]

Great... I thought the packs wouldn't be out for another month and a half so I spent the dough I had on the side for the packs on 2 lego orders.

[3BrickFriends]

Series 4 animals are out in the US. I found them at TRU

Do you mean Series 5 (macaw/orangutan/bear) ?

Series 4 (tiger/turtle/penguin) has been out since January.

[just2good]

Do you mean Series 5 (macaw/orangutan/bear) ?

Series 4 (tiger/turtle/penguin) has been out since January.

In the United States, Series 4 never came out in January.

[3BrickFriends]

In the United States, Series 4 never came out in January.

Wow, I didn't know that. Series 4 is excellent.

[Toby Adams]

Wow, I didn't know that. Series 4 is excellent.

Series 4 is lacking I only like the Penguin set really.

[3BrickFriends]

Series 4 is lacking I only like the Penguin set really.

I like the penguin set.... it's much better than the puppys and bunny rabbits of the past sets.