Review: 42695 Horse and Baby Foal Trailer
Posted by MeganL,
While horses are perennially featured in the Friends world, we don't always get two horse sets in a wave. But this year, we do! After taking a look at 42688 Horse Stable and Riding Academy, we now have the smaller (and more price friendly) 42695 Horse & Baby Foal Trailer.
It's a cute looking set, but what I don't understand from the start is the need to say "Baby Foal" in the name of the set. Isn't a foal by very definition a baby? Anyway.....on to the build, and the animals, including the foal.
Summary
42695 Horse & Baby Foal Trailer, 279 pieces.
£24.99 / $29.99 / €29.99 | 9.0p, 10.7c, 10.7c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A much more budget friendly horse set for the equine loving builder
- Good selection of animals for a smaller set
- Functional trailer with pretty details
- Why is there a flower on Hopper's head?
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Inside the box there are two numbered bags, two instruction books, and a sticker sheet. I'm guessing most of these are gratuitous, but should add some nice accents.
Minidolls and animals
There are two minidolls in this set. It's not surprising to see Autumn on board as she's known for her love of animals. Like some of the other minidolls in 42695, she's wearing a cap over her hair and is dressed in a sleeveless plaid shirt and riding jodhpurs with boots.
The other minidoll is Matilde. This is Matilde's fifth appearance in a set; we first met her in 41747 Heartlake City Community Kitchen. I'm not sure where her riding cap is - maybe she's just the driver?
Both minidolls have some good printing on the back of their torsos.
There are four animals in this set - the first is Henry the horse. He may belong to Matilde, as I think Autumn's horse is named Thunder. Henry has a nice horse blanket that should keep him warm in the trailer with several spots available for decorations.
The foal is named Dawn and is too small for any fancy horse blanket, but is adorable nonetheless.
The other animals in this set are Hopper the frog, and Aira, Aliya's dog. Since Aliya was included in 42688 I think it's a safe assumption that Aira is hitching a ride in order to get her.
The instructions did include adding a flower to Hopper's head, which I think looks rather silly as the flower is just about as big as Hopper. In this picture you can see that a saddle is provided for Henry in case he gets too warm with the blanket.
The completed model
It's nice to see a small side build included in a budget-friendly set. In this case, it's a picnic area with a red and white checkered cloth spread on the ground and two enormous sandwiches laid out. There's a sign in case there's any doubt of the purpose of the area. A small pond provides a habitat for Hopper and their very large flower hat.
When there's food, there's always a visitor. I'm sure Hopper doesn't mind.
(Note: picnic-crashing sloth not included in this set)
On to the main feature of the set - the car and trailer! They're compact, but seem to have all the necessary accoutrements for the successful transport of Dawn and Henry. Fortunately, there's space at the top of the trailer for a storage trunk. I really like the floral detail in the window of the trailer.
Evidently, the horses are to be transported only in fine weather, since the car included is a convertible! It's basic, and is the first Friends vehicle in a while that hasn't had a vanity license plate.
The car is big enough to hold two Friends, though, as well as two pets....er, well, one pet and a hitchhiker.
(Note: Hitchhiking sloth not included in this set.)
The other side of the trailer isn't quite as interesting - no real window, just a sticker showing some blinds.
The inside of the trailer is a little on the small side, but there are some accessories included in the back. I'm not sure what fork is to be used for, but the rest of the sticker and the brush seems to target some grooming activities.
The space is a little tight, but there is enough room for both Henry and Dawn inside.
Overall thoughts
This is a really nice little set. There's plenty of play value with the picnic area, the car and the trailer. Four animals are included in addition to two minidolls. I think that's a lot of value for $30, even more so if you happen to get this on sale.
I happened to have visitors in the target age range check this set out, and it ended up being something that was taken on vacation. The build was small enough to be very travel-friendly, while the play value kept the children occupied for hours.
The Friends team has a great history of putting out fantastic sets in the $30 range, and this set continues that tradition.
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15 comments on this article
I think the flower is supposed to be from a lillipad, as in Hopper was swimming in the pond and got it on him when he popped out.
"Why is there a flower on Hopper's head?"
Easy!
She surfaced under a water lily!
Hopper has a flower because it looks *adorable*, surely.
That fork must be some scratching device. That is indeed quite a good playset!
Bait to lure insects mwahahaha
I'm surprised that a picnic table wasn't included, since the sign shows one. :)
The fun with the photo bombing sloth is over by now…
@merman said:
"The fun with the photo bombing sloth is over by now…"
Are you suggesting that it's....
beating a dead horse?
@merman said:
"The fun with the photo bombing sloth is over by now…"
It really, really isn’t. Sloths 4eva.
That frog's trance-like gaze suggests that it managed to somehow lick its own back.
"Why is there a flower on Hopper's head?"
"Police suspect foal play."
I wasn't expecting two sloth pictures in a review of a thirty-dollar set. Speaking of which:
@merman said:
"The fun with the photo bombing sloth is over by now…"
Begone, heretic!
I wanted tosay this set is good, but it has few problems...
>Horse does not fit propperly in trailer
>Nowhere to put baby horse
>The window is a sticker
>When disconected the trailer cant stand as it lacks support.
@Rimefang said:
" @merman said:
"The fun with the photo bombing sloth is over by now…"
Are you suggesting that it's....
beating a dead horse?"
I pity the foal.
Could the fork symbolise a hoof pick?