Review: 41099 Heartlake Skate Park
Posted by Huw,
Guest reviewer MeganL takes a look at one of the recently released Friends sets, 41099 Heartlake Skate Park:
The Heartlake Skate Park originally piqued my interest because I had heard through the grapevine that the set would include a working vending machine. I thought that sounded pretty cool, so it was an easy choice for one of my first selections in this Friends wave.
The box is the typical Friends packaging with the front showing the overview of the set, showing all of the elements, and the back featuring close-ups of different play features of the set. Inside the box are two bags, a rather crumpled instruction booklet and a small sticker sheet (fortunately not crumpled). A first for me is that each sticker on the sheet had a number associated with it which was also referenced in the instructions. While I don't think that it was needed quite as much with this set (all the stickers are pretty distinct), I hope this practice continues with other sets as sometimes it can be a little difficult to determine which sticker should be used. This is particularly true with the smaller stickers in a larger set (the sticker sheets of Hogwarts Castle and Tower of Orthanc come to mind).
The first bag includes Mia, her dog, the vending machine and two skate ramps. Mia is dressed for a day outside, and also has a camera and a pair of skates as accessories. Based on the overall scene and the inclusion of a dock in the set I am assuming the designers had a Venice Beach type skate park in mind. In that respect Mia's outfit is perfect, though her top and shorts are not new. I particularly like the combination helmet/hair head piece; it not only fits well with the set but also sends a good safety message - wear a helmet when doing action sports. Her dog is very cute with a spot over one eye and a heart shaped spot on the hind end.
Clearly the dogs in Heartlake City are far better behaved than mine; there is no way mine would even stand on a skateboard let alone be pulled along on it.
The skateboard comes with functioning wheels and includes one of the stickers in the set. When I saw the wheels I weren't sure that they would work but the ones in my set work just fine. I haven't been so lucky in other sets. The sticker for the skateboard also adds a nice touch.
The two skate ramps are pretty straightforward, however I'm not sure that I've seen those downward facing slopes before. I love the bright orange and green that predominates in the skate ramp portions. Some more stickers in a graffiti pattern are used for the base of the ramps that are hinged together.
I have to say that I was surprised when I saw stickers for the set and wondered if they were necessary. However I think adding stickers to the skateboard and the base of the ramps are a really nice use of them.
Next is the vending machine, as I'm sure the Friends will be thirsty after spending time in the park. I'm including a picture of it partially built that shows the start of the mechanism. There's also another necessary sticker on this and one I found particularly troublesome to apply. I find there are just some stickers I find more difficult to apply than others (if anyone has some tips on application, let me know!). For this set I tried using tweezers, but that gets problematic with the smaller stickers for me.
The vending machine includes a cash box as well as the mechanism to dispense a drink. The mechanism is simple, clever, and works quite well. However, dropping the coin into the box doesn't trigger the dispensing mechanism, though I imagine that would take a larger model. Considering the size, it does well. A few navigation cones finishes the first bag.
The second bag is the dock, the other skate ramp and the boom box. I was pleased to note at this point that while there are some pastel notes in the set, it's not overwhelmingly pink and pastels like many Friends sets are. The dock is another straightforward build, with one noteworthy item - new to me at least: it's the first time I've seen the 2x1 piece with the two open studs on the side. Other nice details on the dock are the binoculars on a stand and the coconuts included on the palm tree.
The second skate ramp is similarly bright with a bench for a Friend to take a break. A minor quibble on this one is that the angles aren't quite steep enough - if you let the skateboard go at the top of the lavender slope it can't make it over the next hump without help. For that matter, if Mia is riding the skateboard she's too top heavy for the skateboard and will pitch right over the hump if you try to help her along. Her dog doesn't have the same problem.
To finish the set off is the boom box which has a rather inventive use of a telephone receiver as the boombox handle.
Overall thoughts
For $19.99 (U.S.), I think this is a nice little set that is at the right price point for number of pieces (199-pieces). I love that it has bright, bold colours that aren't predominantly pink and purple. There is a lot of play value in all portions of the set. The vending machine is rather nifty with dispensing drinks.
One of the criteria that I use to evaluate a Friends set is how well (or not) I would see this in the City universe. I'm often puzzled why City and Friends sets are complementary (though in a way that's nice too). I think the skate park would work well in a City environment; save for a few lavender pieces in this set I could see this in the City world.
I can also see this set being partnered with some other Friends sets to make a rather attractive scene; the Ice Cream Bike, the Smoothie Cart, the Lifeguard Post and Heartlake Pool come to mind.
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23 comments on this article
I was about to give you grief for never having seen the Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Studs on 1 Side before, but since it's only been in 200-ish sets since 2012, I can see why you might've missed it, so all is forgiven.
That said, I'm totally getting at least one of these.
Nice review.
I find its best to apply stickers using the tip of an X-Acto knife. It makes it easy to position and apply. I catch a corner of the sticker on the end of the blade, works quite well.
Use the brick separator to apply stickers.
http://brickset.com/sets/8191-1/Lavatraz had a working vending machine five years ago. It used Technic parts for the mechanism.
I own both sets but haven't built the Skate Park yet, so can't tell with confidence how they compare. Going by the pictures alone, the Friends one is a bit more compact and doesn't use Technic.
Where's the picture of the half-built mechanism?
How does it work?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/brickset/20064769089/in/photostream/
I find myself inexplicably drawn to the Friends range but this is one odd set. What does the quayside have to do with skating?
Having small fingers helps with stickers! I find that applying them before I add the part to the model helps, as I can hold the part, which gives me better stability - not sure if this is a universally accepted method or not.
I find attaching small parts to larger ones, e.g. tiles to a 6x6 plate, before applying the sticker helps
I use swords to apply my stickers. I also recommend wiping down pieces before applying stickers to prolong the sticker's life. A very small amount of the "release agent" used in the molding process is still on many of the pieces and you can actually see it in the right reflections. Wiping them off makes for a better, longer stick!
@gev: :-) I think it felt new since my last big build was Tower Bridge, which had lots of that colour but none of those pieces.
Everyone thanks for sticker application tips! I've tried most of them except for the X-Acto knife and the sword. Those will come in handy for the Mystery Machine!
Second on the use of the "blade" end of a brick separator to apply stickers. And on wiping off surfaces before applying.
Once I have taken the sticker off of the sheet, I stick the middle of it to one corner of the sticker sheet. Then I use the sheet as a handle to help me apply the sticker to the model.
I center the stickers on pieces unless instucted not to.
Weird that Lego has gone to the angled Technic pieces to make palm trunks. Back in the day, they used a conical piece which could be bent. What happened to that?
The colors are cool, the parts selection is cool, the skateboarding dog is pretty sweet, and the vending machine is very cool. I'm not sure how it works, but it looks a heck of a lot better than the one in Lavatraz that worked well but looked horrid.
I really like how they include little gimmicks in Friends sets that work well and are well hidden. Remember Jungle Falls Rescue?
The Simpsons House set has a skate board ramp very similar to these, in light blue, just one though. I have always used an exacto knife to align stickers too. Attaching the part to be stickered to something larger is a way to steady things, then attaching it where it should go. I don't have binocular vision, so getting things straight is always a challenge, I have to be really careful. If I really screw up, I can pull off the sticker with the knife too...not sure what that does to the longevity of the glue though!
I have always found that the best way to apply stickers is to use the blade of a knife. It makes for easy positioning on the piece.
I attach the part to be stickered to a large plate, then use pointed/surgical tweezers to help lift and position the sticker accurately. Works for me every time.
@ResIpsaLoquitur I wonder if they stopped using that piece because it didn't stand up to the test of time. I had one palm tree and every single segment is now cracked and it no longer has the clutch power to stand up properly.
The quality of the vending machine bricks looks horrible.
@PicnicBasketSam: Yes, I do! It was the same as the First Aid Jungle Bike. I really liked all the Jungle sets.
Count me as the third to recommend using a brick separator.
I've used fingers, tweezers, knife blades, and finally, a brick separator to apply stickers. The "blade" end (as natec16 put it) of the brick separator is by far the easiest, safest, most consistent way to apply stickers that I've found--plus it's included in most sets over about 600 pieces, so for large sticker sheets you're bound to have one on hand. Also, I second Huw's advice regarding use of a larger piece as a "handle" when applying small stickers to small pieces, it works nicely.
Why can't they just stop forcing all these stickers on us and make more printed pieces! I'm so dreadfully tired of all the stickers. I've been passing up a lot of otherwise good sets because of them having too many stickers. I have a medical condition that makes it extremely difficult for me to apply stickers. At least I can still enjoy sets like the Creator series, MineCraft, Juniors, etc.