Review: 41103 Pop Star Recording Studio
Posted by CapnRex101,
The Friends Pop Star line is being heavily promoted in LEGO Stores from today and the smallest of the new sets, 41103 Pop Star Recording Studio, is the subject of this review. The set contains 172-pieces and is priced at £12.99 in the UK or $14.99 in the US, providing an inexpensive taste of what the sub-theme has to offer.
Thus far I quite like what I see. This certainly doesn't appear to be the most interesting of the five new models, but it does include some excellent pieces and the colour scheme matches the larger sets so I think this one will compliment those very nicely.
Box and Contents
I like the mixture of blue, pink, red and yellow on the new packaging with Livi added to the original line up of five friends in the top corner. The recording studio is displayed with the mixing desk at the centre surrounded by the other small builds included in the set. On the back we see some close-up shots of the details and the one play feature: an ejecting gold disc.
There are three bags of pieces, one instruction manual and a modest sticker sheet inside. The stickers are mainly used to add some detail on the wall of the studio, although there are lots of printed pieces too, so most of the designs you can see are not stickers.
Mini-doll
Olivia is the only mini-doll included in this set which is unfortunate as she cannot fully man the recording studio alone. This reduces the play value to an extent, although I am sure most potential buyers will already have a few characters who could assist Olivia from other sets. The mini-doll itself is quite well detailed but the components have all been used before.
Although this figure doesn't feature any new pieces her purple headphones are quite rare, having only appeared in two sets before now. As you can see they don't fit very well over Olivia's hair piece but are made of a slightly softer plastic so they can stretch to be worn fairly easily.
The Completed Model
The recording studio itself is little more than a wall, although I think it serves its purpose. The recording booth side is fairly plain, consisting of a guitar mounted on the wall and two lights indicating whether or not a recording is in session. This guitar features a brand new design which is currently exclusive to this set. A microphone stand, music stand and another recording device which I cannot identify are included to furnish this area so it doesn't look at all bare once they are in place.
The mixing desk is accessible via a door which is decorated with a rather nice sticker advertising Livi's 2015 Heartlake City tour. I like the pair of speakers hanging on either side of the glass screen and a variety of printed tiles and buttons form the mixing desk which looks pretty good. The printed golden disc fits in a slot beneath the desk and it can be ejected from the other side. A framed platinum disc and some awards are displayed on the wall using a sticker. I would have preferred some brick built details but this is better than nothing.
Like the recording booth, there are a number of supporting models including a seat for the mixer, a small console and a rather nice sofa which comes with a glass and the newspaper tile introduced this Summer.
Overall
A small set like this one provides a taste of what the theme has to offer but I think the recording studio alone is not particularly interesting. The value for money is quite good and I quite like how the set looks on the whole, but it lacks play value in my opinion without a second mini-doll. The blue, purple and white colours are a bit dull alone and it is only with the smaller builds that the set really comes to life.
In fact I would dare to suggest that the supporting models are the best parts of the set, other than perhaps the mixing desk and musical note. It would be unfair to criticise the set's main build as I think the set would be weaker without it, but it needs a little more detail in my opinion and an extra splash of colour. Something as simple as some flowers in a pot or a bowl of fruit would probably suffice.
If you are looking for a really outstanding Pop Star starter set I would recommend looking at the slightly more expensive models over this one, which doesn't represent the theme at its best in my opinion. If you are instead looking for a nice and inexpensive Friends set, 41098 Emma's Tourist Kiosk might be your best bet.
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16 comments on this article
I think that "unidentifiable recording device" is a camera, no? :)
It's a refreshing theme, this whole artist/glamour thing so it's nice to see a recording studio. I like the fact that you can play "producer" and "artist", so you can put a doll on one side of the glass and another inside the recording boot.
They seem to have stepped up the Friends line this time, new style boxes and higher piece counts for the money.
Makes the cost of Jurassic Park sets seem even worse.
I wonder why they decided to name two of the characters LIVI and OLiVIa. Too similar, if you ask me.
I really like the giant music note on the wall.
^ Livi is short for Olivia, though if you ask me, it sounds weird.
^So... is Livi actually Olivia in disguise or something...?
I can't see the pictures right now, but this sounds far less exciting than the Jungle Rescue line.
Now there's a Modular idea: record store on the ground floor, recording studio on the second floor and either a third floor or rooftop concert area.
Two and a Half Men - Mia Can't Sing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDSL8Q_gjK0
all that "Friends" theme looks like indoctrination against having kids and a family.
it feels super weird
No, Livi and Olivia are two separate people. Both have appeared in the same set. It's still not very creative naming.
@mxtp: The majority of LEGO Friends characters are teenagers and high-school students. And many of the actual adult characters we've seen ARE parents and relatives of the main characters, so I've got no clue what gives you the impression that the sets discourage having a family.
And yeah, @Jito is right, that black object is identified on the LEGO Shop set description as a video camera.
Overall, I'm really impressed with this "pop star" subtheme. Not only does it have a lot of creative building and functions (love that CD tray!), it also provides a wide range of play scenarios. I really love this particular set. It's no bigger or smaller than it needs to be to offer the illusion of two separate rooms (I can't help but feel like a full recording studio building might have felt quite boring). And the mixing desk offers a glimpse into the more technical side of producing pop music. The color palette is as charming as ever, but a bit bolder than the gentle color palettes of many other Friends sets.
The lights to show whether recording is in progress are a nice detail I hadn't noticed from the box art and official pics, so thanks for drawing attention to those.
Wow! This looks great to me! Add another dozen minidolls recording a few of their favorites, and you could have a little party in this setting. Add a few guys and you get a wild dance scene. Cool set!
When are these new Friends sets available in the US? I was looking for the new Hotel for my daughter but didn't see them.
^I believe the new Friends sets are an August release in the US.
^ Oh ok. Thank you. I must have missed that info somewhere. Her B-day is July 3, so I'll have to find her something else then. LOL
They are too lazy to make new minifig. How many figures with exact t shirt you can have. That's just sad.
Am I buying this? Of course the pieces will help me build my LEGO IDEAS Empire set. If they made a set off TBBT(which is a garbage tv show) than my Empire set will easily win and get produced!
@Stelario: So in your eyes it's lazy to use a minifigure torso in more than two sets? Does that mean the LEGO Ninjago and LEGO City and LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Legends of Chima and LEGO Elves designers are all lazy? Because all of those themes have had torsos that appeared in more than two sets. The difference is that most of these themes tend to use the same parts for the same characters, whereas LEGO Friends (like LEGO City) tends to mix and match them.