Review: 42672 Creative Beach and Travel Suitcase
Posted by MeganL,
Have you ever wanted to take a Friends set along with you, but just didn't have the right equipment to do so? Were you ever short one carry-on for a flight, and thought, "I could really use a LEGO suitcase right now?". Did you ever think "I need to have some beachy builds that are portable enough that I can take on the go?"
If you have, you're in luck, and the Friends designer team has an answer for you: 42672 Creative Beach and Travel Suitcase.
Summary
42672 Creative Beach and Travel Suitcase, 188 pieces.
£24.99 / $29.99 / €29.99 | 13.3p/16.0c/16.0c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A surprisingly sturdy suitcase with simple builds for the Friends fan on the go
- 2 in 1 build
- Convenient portable storage option
- Fun beachy models
- Pricy unless you want the suitcase!
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
The set comes packaged in (not surprisingly) a suitcase. It's made of quite durable plastic with two sturdy clasps for opening/closing. The colour is a very Friends-ian teal, with purple on the alternate side.
Inside the suitcase there are five numbered bags, three larger loose plates, three small instruction books, and three purple dividers to be used for organization in the suitcase.
A sticker sheet is provided, but it's clearly to be used for decorating the outside of the suitcase, unless you want to go back to the old days of using one sticker over multiple parts.
Completed Models
The models are not overly complex, but there are three nice smaller models included. The first is a seaplane, piloted by Aliya. She also happens to have her passport on hand just in case the seaplane goes a littler farther out than expected.
The seaplane seats two Friends, though there's not a lot of room for much else than the occupants.
Aliya's dog, Aira, has elected to stay on land, so another creature decided to accompany Aliya on her next flight.
(Note: flying sloth not included in this set.)
The next scene is beach cafe. Pizza, hotdogs and ice cream are on offer at the cafe, that has two stools so the Friends can enjoy their treats. The Friends have been busy building a sandcastle while waiting for their snacks. Not to be forgotten, the crab has managed to snag an ice cream. I wonder if this is the same crab that had a taste for ice lollies in last year's 42623 Beach Water Scooter?
Olly is found at the last minibuild, which is a relaxation area on the beach. He looks like he's about to go totally tubular on the waves with his surfboard. There are two chaise lounges for the Friends to recline, and I'm happy to see the SPF 50 sunscreen. Aira, Aliya's pup, is kitted out with sunglasses. Not to be outdone by the crab, a dolphin can be found in the surf.
The most important question is - do these builds fit in the suitcase? They do, though the cafe would need to be disassembled a bit before closing the suitcase. However, if all these scenes are taken apart, there's room for all the bricks with plenty of space to spare. That would allow extra bricks to be added, which I expect is the intention.
If you don't like these builds, there are three other scenes that can be built with these pieces - a speedboat, a pizza shop and a seating area. I didn't build them as I think the original three looked much more interesting.
Overall thoughts
Having a set in a suitcase is a novel idea, and I expect was created to provide an option for kids to bring along some of their LEGO collection when travelling. The suitcase works quite well for that use - the clasps are easy to use but also quite snug, so there's not much opportunity for one to accidentally pop open. There's plenty of room inside for the included builds, which allows for additional bricks to be added. The models included are very beachy, and I do like that there are two sets of models that can be built.
Will this set be for you? The answer will depend on whether you have a use for the suitcase. It's a great option for a child to use for travel, that happens to include some nice beach themed models.
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22 comments on this article
I love the idea of the suitcase, that'd be perfect for my daughter to bring her Lego around on weekend or holidays. The models are fun, I like it !
It's actually better value than it seems, seeing as they could easily charge £15-20 for the set and £10 for the case.
The only problem is that I would need about 2000 of these to fit my entire collection in! I just use a medium-sized Really Useful Box to take a bunch of pieces on holiday to build with, and then buy a few sets out there.
It's quite refreshing, having only about 1000 pieces and having to build some cool little MOCs with what you've got.
I dare an AFOL to bring this suitcase into a business meeting or use it while traveling.
I imagine child me would enjoy something like this, but adult me is far more concerned about the pieces getting lost in transit.
Is this the same suitcase (but different colour) as 10660 ?
Looks like they're bringing back 783 --forgot I used to have that one! Oh, and 10713 and a bunch of others... I had no idea there have been so many of these...
And in other news.... Up-Scaled Baby Astronaut GWP now live in Aus
They should have a ( printed?) suitcase for every theme!
@WokePope said:
"I dare an AFOL to bring this suitcase into a business meeting or use it while traveling."
He can do it if he has a style.
Older suitcases with plates on top were better.
Meh, the idea of a suitcase is not new, and the models are nothing special as well. Isn't worth the price.
I think the price is more than fair - the target market is obviously kids, and this is a good self-contained gift with a practical use case. Yes, pointless for adults, but not made for us so dismissing it due to the inclusion of the suitcase would be arguably out of touch.
I read this as a way to take Lego to the beach, which seemed like a bad idea on so many levels.
Longtime AFOL here and I'm always interested in these suitcase sets. Even if the builds aren't what I'd normally go for there are usually some good parts in them plus a bonus case too! I normally wait for a price reduction on them but I had some Kohl's Cash to spend so I grabbed this one for about $10 out of pocket. I think I ended up with 3 of the Lucy's Builder Box one from a few years back since I found a few at a greatly reduced price. I like it when they change the colors of the case.
An overpriced type case containing three (almost) friends-magazine sized build. WTH !! pass
The three builds are really cute. For some reason, I absolutely adore that little seaplane. And it's always nice to see Ollie having a fun adventure. I might actually get this.
@ra226 said:
"Looks like they're bringing back 783 --forgot I used to have that one! Oh, and 10713 and a bunch of others... I had no idea there have been so many of these..."
I don't have the set, but I have that case; a former coworker gave it to me. It popped into my head when @MeganL said, "Were you ever short one carry-on for a flight, and thought, "I could really use a LEGO suitcase right now?"."
@sjr60 said:
"And in other news.... Up-Scaled Baby Astronaut GWP now live in Aus"
Now as well in the Netherlands. €150 treshold
I guess for a kid without much lego, it is a nice idea. But once past a certain threshold... these are just annoying. Where do I put them when not in use? Legos to travel seems like a bad idea. They aren't see through. My kids have a couple each from different past sets, and they're just kinda sitting around taking up space and not fitting anywhere really. I don't think they've even ever left the house. They are like coffee table books, make a nice present, but not really very useful. And cheap to buy at flea markets and garage sales.
I got this for my daughter before a short trip to her grandparents. It was quite handy to have and managed to fit in two other small sets (broken down a bit) in it too, the small cat playground and the surfing corgi dog set. So plenty for her to build, they were basic but also my daughter like to create her own builds too, so it was enough to keep her occupied for few days. I thought it was quite reasonably priced. I can see if you already have suitcases from previous sets how you wouldn't want to get it, but good buy for those that haven't head suitcase before.
@peace355 said:
"I got this for my daughter before a short trip to her grandparents. It was quite handy to have and managed to fit in two other small sets (broken down a bit) in it too, the small cat playground and the surfing corgi dog set. So plenty for her to build, they were basic but also my daughter like to create her own builds too, so it was enough to keep her occupied for few days. I thought it was quite reasonably priced. I can see if you already have suitcases from previous sets how you wouldn't want to get it, but good buy for those that haven't head suitcase before."
That's how I got hooked back into Lego from my Dark Ages as a young father. It was so tiring to see toys broken and discarded. Building bricks are refreshingly durable, and their deconstruction is a aspect that inspires joy, activity, and in this case, mobility.
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