Review: 43223 Asha in the City of Rosas
Posted by CapnRex101,
I was impressed with 43231 Asha's Cottage and am thus approaching 43223 Asha in the City of Rosas with high expectations, given the shared architectural style between them. However, this set is considerably smaller and perhaps simpler too.
Nevertheless, the model appears fairly detailed and Valentino, Asha's animal companion, is only available here. Given its modest size and price, this set is quite an interesting prospect.
Summary
43223 Asha in the City of Rosas, 154 pieces.
£18.99 / $19.99 / €20.99 | 12.3p / 13.0c / 13.6c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
This set is enjoyable on the whole, but is overshadowed by the bigger Wish sets
- Recognisable and interesting architecture
- Valentino and Star are adorable
- Too reliant on decorated pieces and accessories for detail
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Mini-Dolls
The same Asha mini-doll appears in all three Wish sets, which seems like a missed opportunity for greater variety in some regards. However, this lavender dress appears to be the character's main attire from the movie and it looks excellent, particularly given the ornate triangular pattern that follows the neckline.
A similar pattern is visible where a section of Asha's outer dress is pinned, again corresponding with the film. Furthermore, the new dark brown hair element is accurate, complete with intricate braids. This component is made from plastic instead of the rubber sometimes used for complex hairstyles like this one, which I appreciate.
Star descends from space to grant wishes, taking the concept of wishing upon a star literally! This delightful character appears adorable and features five little points, resembling arms and legs. I love the facial expression too, although this was another opportunity for variety, as Star's expression could perhaps have differed between sets.
Of course, Disney heroines are rarely without animal companions, so Valentino joins Asha in this set. Although not the LEGO goat people have been anticipating, Valentino definitely looks cute, following the animated style of animals in other Disney sets and the Friends theme. I like his dual-moulded clothing in particular, as well as Valentino's accurately floppy ears.
The Completed Model
Asha is equipped with a flag and a colourful cart, introducing the 4x3 crate element in lavender. The use of pearl gold wheel inserts for the wheels is clever and I think they look nice, while the handles are suitably situated for a mini-doll to grip. Several accessories are provided and could be placed inside the cart, including a stickered flag, which displays the rose-inspired symbol of Rosas.
Other accessories are distributed around the primary model, which recreates a small section of the city. The architecture is certainly identifiable with the Mediterranean and appears faithful to Rosas as presented onscreen, although the age recommendation of 6+ obviously restricts the level of detail included.
Comparing this model to 43231 Asha's Cottage, for example, shows a clear difference in their styles, even though the cottage is only a 7+ set. Whereas the cottage is superbly detailed with textured bricks, the marketplace structure is more reliant on stickered and printed pieces. Even so, I think the pair look reasonable together, despite the cottage evidently being more rural.
3x3 curved tiles form archways on the façade and these look nice, with printed 1x1 tiles under each arch, featuring the symbol found throughout the Wish range. I like the teal roof above, as well as the aforementioned items scattered outside, which provide a wonderful splash of colour. These include food and drink, stickered rugs and clay wares, represented in dark orange.
In addition, a printed 1x6x5 wall panel is placed behind the archways, beside a pair of reddish brown doors. I was pleasantly surprised that this panel is printed and I like the details depicted, including a lovely window and a musical instrument. However, these features could surely have been brick-built, avoiding a two-dimensional panel.
There is an interior of sorts, albeit very basic. Another sticker is applied on the other side of the printed panel, with a dining table underneath. There was certainly an opportunity for additional interior detail, but this design does not bother me too much because the focus was clearly the exterior, which is understandable in smaller sets like this one.
I think that focus was worthwhile because the exterior does look good, despite its reliance on stickers and printed parts for subtle details. The curved staircase and balcony are striking and the plants look attractive too, including a large palm tree, which uses a bright green sausage to attach its leaves at various angles. This component returns from 10313 Wildflower Bouquet.
Overall
43223 Asha in the City of Rosas lacks the outstanding features or 43231 Asha's Cottage, but fulfils its purpose effectively. The building is attractive and recreates the architecture of Rosas quite accurately, despite its modest size. However, I wish the model was less reliant on printed pieces and accessories for detail, as it would look disappointingly bland without them.
The young age recommendation cannot be ignored though and on that basis, I am satisfied with the design. In addition, this is the only set containing Valentino, who seems to play an important role in the film, while the price of £18.99, $19.99 or €20.99 feels quite reasonable. Even so, this is the least appealing of the three Wish sets, as expected.
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22 comments on this article
(waving hand) This is not the goat you are looking for...
It's a cute small set, but if you hadn't of mentioned it was a market, I don't think I would have realised it, it looks like the back of someones house where they keep old boxes or the like.
I think the stairs are too distracting from what the set is supposed to be.
@HOBBES said:
"(waving hand) This is not the goat you are looking for..."
...this is not the goat I'm looking for...
I remember when teal was introduced with the original Rock Raiders theme. Now it is everywhere.
That's because teal went through the valley of the shadow of death and emerged as the immortal head of all Lego colors.
You've heard of the Cat in the Hat, now get ready for the Goat in a Coat.
If you remove the figures, both this and 43231 can fit nicely with the Dreamzzz village sets.
@Murdoch17 said:
" @HOBBES said:
"(waving hand) This is not the goat you are looking for..."
...this is not the goat I'm looking for..."
Move along move along.
Lego keeps teasing us with new goat molds, between this and 21187.
@Rimefang: The only bad thing Mark Stafford ever did was (temporarily) killing teal.
This building is a very attractive design. I might get it on sale.
I am not familiar with the source material, but this a very aesthetically pleasing set in a nice color palette. Some decent parts too.
@beige said:
"That goat looks more like a dog in a coat"
I thought it was a dog in a coat!
The star creature could be a stand-in for a Mario Galaxy / Rosalina Luma
@TeriXeri said:
"The star creature could be a stand-in for a Mario Galaxy / Rosalina Luma
"
Exactly my thoughts when the sets were announced. I hope we get some Mario Galaxy sets next year with multiple coloured Luma.
@iwybs said:
"That's because teal went through the valley of the shadow of death and emerged as the immortal head of all Lego colors."
I thought it took a look at its life and realised there’s nothing left?
This is a cool set for a low cost though - multiple set masters could probably make some nice architecture out of it.
Not being familiar with the source material AT ALL, it too me far too long reading this review to realize that "Wish" is the name of a Disney movie that this set is based on. (I had to google it to be sure.)
Suggestion for a future review based on IP that's not blatantly obvious like Star Wars, Marvel, or DC...say "This set is based on Asha's home from the upcoming movie 'Wish'." I see below that there's been a previous review of a set from this film, but I hadn't read that yet since I read the posts on the home page by scrolling down and seeing the most recent stuff first.
I keep misreading the set name as 'City of Roses'. I just can't help it, and I know it isn't right, but dang it! It just makes more sense that way with all the 1x1 rose printed parts showing up...
@Murdoch17 said:
"I keep misreading the set name as 'City of Roses'. I just can't help it, and I know it isn't right, but dang it! It just makes more sense that way with all the 1x1 rose printed parts showing up..."
Rosas is Spanish for Roses, so you aren't exactly wrong.
@Miyakan said:
" @Murdoch17 said:
"I keep misreading the set name as 'City of Roses'. I just can't help it, and I know it isn't right, but dang it! It just makes more sense that way with all the 1x1 rose printed parts showing up..."
Rosas is Spanish for Roses, so you aren't exactly wrong."
...And here I thought every girl born in the city was named Rosa. Hence, City of Rosas.
(I'm joking about that, in case anyone thought I was being serious!)
Spanish architecture, bottles littered about the place, a palm tree... this is a pirate set.
The stairs are so huge for such a tiny structure, and their free-standing nature (i.e. nothing structural or useful underneath) seems incomplete. That goat may be cute but it's got a dog's shape. It also bothers me that on that panel the window on one side is not the window on the other side. If it had been brick-built you'd actually have an actual narrow window and could still have studs for decorations on some attached tile parts. Switch the cost of printing for a couple of very inexpensive parts. Really lame design from where I'm standing, as both a dad of target-age kids and of course as an afol.
SURELY i am not the only one who thinks of 2009-2015 imperial sets when they see this?