Review: 42663 Friendship Camper Van Adventure
Posted by MeganL,
Camping is a common theme in the Friends world, with the Friends getting out regularly to enjoy the great outdoors. This year's example is 42663 Friendship Camper Van Adventure. Friends vehicles are always packed with lots of great detail, and I expect this one to be no exception. An interesting feature of this set is that there's a working toilet, like 71799 NINJAGO City Markets.
Summary
42663 Friendship Camper Van Adventure, 778 pieces.
£54.99 / $59.99 / €59.99 | 7.1p/7.7c/7.7c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A fun camper van, this one with a working toilet
- Working toilet
- Attractive colour scheme
- Another good Friends vehicle
- Interior stairs take up a lot of room
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Inside the box there are six numbered bags, an instruction book, and (in my case) a rather crumpled sticker sheet. It looks like this set is partnered with 42652 Friendship Tree House Hangout, as it's featured in one of the stickers.
Minidolls and animals
This set features three of the regular crew: Autumn, Olly, and Liann. Olly is still managing to keep his sweater on even though it's slung over only one shoulder. I rather like Liann's bright overalls with purple shoes - quite a fashion statement!
The cute Friends animal in this set is an otter, which is suitably adorable. I love the pink nose!
The completed model
First to be build is the otter's habitat, a rather cosy hidey hole found under two trees, built in the now de rigueur style for Friends trees. A mountain bike is also included, that allows the Friends to explore the wilderness where their camper van doesn't take them.
A picnic table with four chairs is outfitted with three enormous sandwiches and three mugs. At least everyone gets their own sandwich and mug!
However, there's one extra chair, so there's no mystery as to who will stop by to fill the extra chair.
(Note: snacking sloths not included in this set.)
On to the main build! The colouring of the camper van is quite attractive in pale blue with a white top. There are flowers on the window sills along the driver's side (if you're in the US). Some storage is found on top of the cab in front.
The other side boasts another window, as well as the water hose and other hookups. The vanity license plate of "NATURE" is a nice touch. There's also a hoist to store the mountain bike.
The front of the camper has enough room for all three Friends to sit in the front.
The roof/side of the camper van flips up, showing that there's a decent living space inside, including stairs to get from one level to another that take up a lot of space.
The bathroom takes up the rear part of the camper van, consisting of sink and toilet, with some toilet paper and other bathroom accessories.
I had originally thought that the toilet worked the same as the 71799, however, it's a bit different in this set. To flush the toilet, the grey tab to the right of the toilet has to be pressed into the wall. That allows the contents to drop down into a waiting tray underneath.
Anything that is flushed can be removed by pulling out the tray from the rear of the vehicle.
The upper part of the van is the sleeping area for the Friends. An adornment on the wall of this area features the Friendship Tree House Hangout, which will be the next review.
The fore of the camper van contains a tiny kitchen, which includes a small refrigerator, sink, and a hob with a pan. Some eggs are in the refrigerator waiting to be used for breakfast.
The stairs are a nice touch, but they do take up a lot of room in the van. However, there are some nice flowers in the cubbies under the stairs to make that section more attractive.
Overall thoughts
This is a fun set. This is the first set that I've reviewed in a while that has only included members of the core cast. I love the addition of the otter - it's so very cute!
Like most Friends vehicles, this has maximised use of space, and there are some nice details here. In particular, having the first working toilet in the Friends world is quite neat, and the mechanism is age appropriate for the build.
While it's decent money for the price, after I finished building, I was left hoping for a bit more. I often bemoan the fact that many Friends sets don't have stairs, which is usually due to parts/size limitations. This one does include stairs, and I think this is one where the stairs could have been skipped in favour for a more detailed living space.
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50 comments on this article
Excellent review. PPP is good but it feels incomplete to me. I normally love the inclusion of transitions between sections/floors for play value but I’m not sure if these type stairs were the best use of space.
It looks great, I’m thoroughly impressed at the overall quality of Friends sets nowadays.
Please LEGO make an 8 wide windscreen
Nice review!
According to the set description the animal here is meant to be a ferret rather than an otter (hence it living in a dry burrow in a forested area instead of near the water).
This would be PERFECT for an INTO THE WILD MOC. I'm not sure that the Friends universe is trying to channel Christopher McCandless' dark end, but that's what imaginations are for!
Jokes aside, this set looks really great. I'm always a fan of LEGO camper van type vehicles, and this one really stands out for style, size and quality.
I definitely think that a ladder would have been a more efficient use of space then stairs to get to the second level. I wish there were some seating arrangement on the lower floor, but the stairs take up too much space to allow that.
The thing that really feels missing to me is an entrance: how are the friends supposed to enter the camper when there are no doors outside?
@WemWem said:
"This would be PERFECT for an INTO THE WILD MOC. I'm not sure that the Friends universe is trying to channel Christopher McCandless' dark end, but that's what imaginations are for!
Jokes aside, this set looks really great. I'm always a fan of LEGO camper van type vehicles, and this one really stands out for style, size and quality."
He was in a bus
Nice marmot.
Great looking camper.
Exterior shaping excellent and all those fabulous interior details!
That sink design is perfect.
@WemWem said:
"This would be PERFECT for an INTO THE WILD MOC. I'm not sure that the Friends universe is trying to channel Christopher McCandless' dark end, but that's what imaginations are for!
Jokes aside, this set looks really great. I'm always a fan of LEGO camper van type vehicles, and this one really stands out for style, size and quality."
There are plenty of Lego skeletons available...
@Lyichir said:
"Nice review!
According to the set description the animal here is meant to be a ferret rather than an otter (hence it living in a dry burrow in a forested area instead of near the water)."
my guess would have been a pine marten or a stoat. I don't think the lego designers put much thought into the coloration or size of animals other than "generic mustelid" though. A little too bad they don't give us more types of horses, I would love a Clydesdale.
I was going to tease you about saying the toilet is "working" in your bullet points... but I see now I was so very wrong... Clever design, I love the fold-open roof with the beds, they packed a lot of play function into this. The detail is fantastic, too, though I'm not sure why you'd want a window on the bathroom door. The little display space shelves in the stairs makes them totally ok with me. As always, Friends continues to impress.
The Friends team's obsession with functional toilets is beginning to concern me. Anyway, great review, Megan!
Love this. The camper van's shape and colour scheme feels very 1950's. Could be my first Friends set (other than GWPs). Just waiting for a drop to around £30 to justify disposal of the dolls.
@Chopstix89 said:
" @Lyichir said:
"Nice review!
According to the set description the animal here is meant to be a ferret rather than an otter (hence it living in a dry burrow in a forested area instead of near the water)."
my guess would have been a pine marten or a stoat. I don't think the lego designers put much thought into the coloration or size of animals other than "generic mustelid" though. A little too bad they don't give us more types of horses, I would love a Clydesdale. "
How long did it take for you two to 'ferret' that out?
@yellowcastle said:
"Excellent review. PPP is good but it feels incomplete to me. I normally love the inclusion of transitions between sections/floors for play value but I’m not sure if these type stairs were the best use of space."
A ladder or one-stud stair would be fine for imaginative play. It's not like you can pose them on the stairs anyway.
@Chopstix89 said:
" @Lyichir said:
"Nice review!
According to the set description the animal here is meant to be a ferret rather than an otter (hence it living in a dry burrow in a forested area instead of near the water)."
my guess would have been a pine marten or a stoat. I don't think the lego designers put much thought into the coloration or size of animals other than "generic mustelid" though. A little too bad they don't give us more types of horses, I would love a Clydesdale. "
I thought Stoat too, based on colouration & shape.
Size is a bit off
Good review! I love how the designers made sets like this and 60418 "bigger on the inside" by having the ceiling flip up to become additional floor space. Obviously it requires some suspension of disbelief (it's doubtful that either type of vehicle would have a multi-story interior in real life, though in this case I suppose the sleeping area can be imagined as more of a loft than a full second story), but it adds a whole lot to the playability without having to make the eight-stud-wide chassis any larger.
The colors of the camper van feel very fun and very authentic. Personally I tend to prefer more vibrant colors over these sorts of subdued pastels, but the vivid flower boxes and awnings definitely help to balance out the lighter-colored bodywork, and the Medium Nougat bumpers and running boards help keep the color scheme from looking too cold or sterile. I also love the hood and grille construction, which together with the colors give this van kind of a vintage look compared to the more modern look of many other City and Friends camper vans.
Despite the amount of space the stairs take up, the bathroom, kitchenette, and sleeping area all feel nice and substantial (and the compact function for a flushable toilet is brilliant)! As @pretzemilia pointed out, the lack of doors detracts from the realism… but less so from the playability, since it's typically easier to lower figures into the vehicle from above than to try and get them into place from the sides anyhow.
I'm more bothered by the back window looking in at a solid wall… while I appreciate the detail the window adds to the back of the van even without being functional, I think it might have been better off with a solid-colored or opalescent window pane (or perhaps some stickered curtains) to help hide that the window is blocked from the inside.
The ferret is definitely a fun new animal, though this one's coloration seems more typical for a domestic ferret than a wild ferret — perhaps it would've been more fitting if the designers had swapped it with the more typical polecat-colored ferret from 42646. The little forest habitat side-build also does a good job setting the stage for an outdoorsy vacation, and the updated bike mold with removable handlebars is greatly appreciated!
Thanks again for the review! Your Friends reviews are always a delight!
@Ridgeheart said:
" @pretzemilia said:
"I definitely think that a ladder would have been a more efficient use of space then stairs to get to the second level. I wish there were some seating arrangement on the lower floor, but the stairs take up too much space to allow that.
The thing that really feels missing to me is an entrance: how are the friends supposed to enter the camper when there are no doors outside?"
There appears to be a big door leading from the cab to the living-space, although it does mean the Friends will have to jump through the open windows inside of the cab.
Shouldn't be too much of an issue. The living-area appears to host its own GRAVITY-WELL, allowing THE BEDS AND THEIR OCCUPANTS TO STICK TO THE CEILING. Sorry, I just think that's the bigger concern here. Did M.C. Escher design this camper?"
I have built the set myself (and I to highly recommend it, but there is no such door. The other side of that panel behind the cab is the kitchen wall. Also there are no doors to the cab from the outside either.
I believe the stairs aim to imitate the look of trendy micro houses. They typically include a narrow staircase which doubles as a storage room.
Am I the only one who feels like there should be a fourth, adult minidoll included?
Why can’t every set with a toilet design it with a working function and included poop tiles?
Its design reminded me of pink Barbie van my sister used to have. It was much bigger of course.
They definitely should have used a ladder instead of taking up so much interior space with the staircase. The cubbies under the stairs look nice but totally impractical for such a compact space. A sofa that could convert to a bed or table area would have made more sense. The camper color reminds me of old VW camper vans.
Overpriced. Oversized. And quite ugly
@Oorhon said:
"Its design reminded me of pink Barbie van my sister used to have. It was much bigger of course. "
You mean Barbie Magical Motor Home — a van that turns into a luxury housing? That stuff was the GOAT in my little mind :-).
@Chopstix89 said:
" @Lyichir said:
"Nice review!
According to the set description the animal here is meant to be a ferret rather than an otter (hence it living in a dry burrow in a forested area instead of near the water)."
my guess would have been a pine marten or a stoat. I don't think the lego designers put much thought into the coloration or size of animals other than "generic mustelid" though. A little too bad they don't give us more types of horses, I would love a Clydesdale. "
The Suffolk, the Clydesdale, the Percheron vie
Heavy Horses, one of my favourite songs from Jethro Tull!
In itself I like the look of the van, but the proportions in comparison to the figures in that last picture look very strange. It looks gigantic compared to them. I mean, it's even taller than the trees in that little forest scenery add on. Which van out there is taller than trees in a forest? Or taller than any tree for that matter, other than some tiny ones in a private garden. Overall not the worst Friends set ever imho, but there are definitely better ones out there.
@Ridgeheart said:
" @pretzemilia said:
"I definitely think that a ladder would have been a more efficient use of space then stairs to get to the second level. I wish there were some seating arrangement on the lower floor, but the stairs take up too much space to allow that.
The thing that really feels missing to me is an entrance: how are the friends supposed to enter the camper when there are no doors outside?"
There appears to be a big door leading from the cab to the living-space, although it does mean the Friends will have to jump through the open windows inside of the cab.
Shouldn't be too much of an issue. The living-area appears to host its own GRAVITY-WELL, allowing THE BEDS AND THEIR OCCUPANTS TO STICK TO THE CEILING. Sorry, I just think that's the bigger concern here. Did M.C. Escher design this camper?"
I was wondering about that. The camper has only one floor when viewed from the outside, but two floors on the inside. The Friends have discovered a new law of physics for increasing interior space!
@AustinPowers said:
"In itself I like the look of the van, but the proportions in comparison to the figures in that last picture look very strange. It looks gigantic compared to them. I mean, it's even taller than the trees in that little forest scenery add on. Which van out there is taller than trees in a forest? Or taller than any tree for that matter, other than some tiny ones in a private garden. Overall not the worst Friends set ever imho, but there are definitely better ones out there. "
I wouldn't be so harsh. I remember that 70804 was another vehicle that looked way too tall, and it was still a great set.
@StyleCounselor said:
" @Chopstix89 said:
" @Lyichir said:
"Nice review!
According to the set description the animal here is meant to be a ferret rather than an otter (hence it living in a dry burrow in a forested area instead of near the water)."
my guess would have been a pine marten or a stoat. I don't think the lego designers put much thought into the coloration or size of animals other than "generic mustelid" though. A little too bad they don't give us more types of horses, I would love a Clydesdale. "
How long did it take for you two to 'ferret' that out?"
heehhehehehehehheehhehehe. :)
@BrickAnomie said:
" @Ridgeheart said:
" @pretzemilia said:
"I definitely think that a ladder would have been a more efficient use of space then stairs to get to the second level. I wish there were some seating arrangement on the lower floor, but the stairs take up too much space to allow that.
The thing that really feels missing to me is an entrance: how are the friends supposed to enter the camper when there are no doors outside?"
There appears to be a big door leading from the cab to the living-space, although it does mean the Friends will have to jump through the open windows inside of the cab.
Shouldn't be too much of an issue. The living-area appears to host its own GRAVITY-WELL, allowing THE BEDS AND THEIR OCCUPANTS TO STICK TO THE CEILING. Sorry, I just think that's the bigger concern here. Did M.C. Escher design this camper?"
I was wondering about that. The camper has only one floor when viewed from the outside, but two floors on the inside. The Friends have discovered a new law of physics for increasing interior space!"
Olivia was a Time Lady and taught them some tricks. Her Time Lady nature also explains why her appearance changed in 2018; she regenerated.
Never thought I'd be interested in a Friends set, but two words... Working Toilet!
How easy would it be to convert this to 6 wide?
It's a shame everythings 8 wide now :( Lego Cities are for 4 and 6 wide vehicles!
I'm not much of a Friends fan, but I love a good camper. I like the playability of this alot, but as some have already pointed out, I'm wondering about some design choices.
- Why the stairs?
- Where's the entrance?
- Why does the toilet door have a see-through window?
- And what is the chunk of the back part of the van for? (About 4 studs long) Is it just bricks? And why is there a back window with seemingly nothing behind it?
- And yeah, while I can perhaps understand using two 4-wide windscreens for rebuilding flexibility, the non-smooth look of the front is a pet peeve of mine, and I just wish they'd finally do a 8-wide windscreen, especially considering how common it is with 8-wide vehicles nowadays...
With these points in mind, and while I love the functioning toilet, I'll probably skip this one in favor of 60454 Holiday Camper Van. :|
The colors are so.... pleasing to the eyes. Barely any vibrant coral or highlighter yellow or bright azure! It looks lovely.
Don't get me wrong by the way, I love the use of coral and azure on the Dreamzzz sets. But on a camper van they might look a bit much
@RoboticJesus said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @Chopstix89 said:
" @Lyichir said:
"Nice review!
According to the set description the animal here is meant to be a ferret rather than an otter (hence it living in a dry burrow in a forested area instead of near the water)."
my guess would have been a pine marten or a stoat. I don't think the lego designers put much thought into the coloration or size of animals other than "generic mustelid" though. A little too bad they don't give us more types of horses, I would love a Clydesdale. "
How long did it take for you two to 'ferret' that out?"
heehhehehehehehheehhehehe. :)"
snicker
@SearchlightRG said:
"Am I the only one who feels like there should be a fourth, adult minidoll included?"
The main characters are all high schoolers, so I don't think it breaks suspension of disbelief to imagine that one of them might have at least a provisional driver's license.
@Brickchap said:
"How easy would it be to convert this to 6 wide?
It's a shame everythings 8 wide now :( Lego Cities are for 4 and 6 wide vehicles!"
Friends vehicles in general are often larger than their Town/City counterparts to allow more space for interior detail (closer to the level of playability and detail you might expect from a building than from a vehicle). Just compare the 8-wide taco truck in 41701 and the 8-wide ambulance in 42613 to typical City food trucks and ambulances, or the 10-wide tour bus in 42619 to basically any City bus. So I think this just comes down to differing norms between themes, much like how cartoonishly oversized the vehicles in themes like Agents and Ninjago often tend to be.
We need to make a bricklist of all the sets with canonical Lego poop
@Brickchap said:
"How easy would it be to convert this to 6 wide?
It's a shame everythings 8 wide now :( Lego Cities are for 4 and 6 wide vehicles!"
7344, 7249
I enjoyed the review even thought it's a bit 'slothful' in style. ;)
However, it would be useful to see a picture of the camper fully packed with the items stowed and figures in their seats. It appears that there are spaces for everything on the roof.
@Username28 said:
"The Friends team's obsession with functional toilets is beginning to concern me. Anyway, great review, Megan!"
As a kindergarten teacher, I know kids will love that feature. XD Pee and poo are probably the two most common words I hear at work...
@Aanchir my thoughts were more along the lines of supervision. And also having someone along who might be able to deal with anything scarier than the furry little friend that was included in the set.
@SearchlightRG said:
" @Aanchir my thoughts were more along the lines of supervision. And also having someone along who might be able to deal with anything scarier than the furry little friend that was included in the set."
Coming in summer 2025: 42679 Liann's Bear Attack.
Okay, okay, I'm genuinely impressed by the van. The front is so well done, even having the vintage truck aestethic! The interior is also on the top level in therms of both detalisation and squishing everything in. What a fantastic set!
@StyleCounselor said:
"I enjoyed the review even thought it's a bit 'slothful' in style. ;)
However, it would be useful to see a picture of the camper fully packed with the items stowed and figures in their seats. It appears that there are spaces for everything on the roof."
For some reason, the foldable table hasn't been mentioned yet, although you seem to have noticed it. It looks pretty neat!
Nice camper. Friends may be in for an unpleasant surprise however should they try to tow a trailer or caravan.
@haani said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
"I enjoyed the review even thought it's a bit 'slothful' in style. ;)
However, it would be useful to see a picture of the camper fully packed with the items stowed and figures in their seats. It appears that there are spaces for everything on the roof."
For some reason, the foldable table hasn't been mentioned yet, although you seem to have noticed it. It looks pretty neat!"
Yeah, the official images show it stowed on top, but it's difficult to see just where everything fits.
I bought this set because of the ferret!! I loved it.
Your picture of the snacking sloths is adorable. I was amazed at how much of the set was dedicated to the working toilet and was tickled by the diagram in the instructions showing how to put in poop and pee. Kids will love this feature!!
The dangerous sleeping arrangement gives me nightmares.