Review: 41318 Heartlake Hospital
Posted by MeganL,
When it was first announced that a new LEGO Hospital was being released it was met with great excitement that seemed to wane a bit when it was learned it was part of the Friends theme. I was looking forward to this set as typically Friends sets are quite detailed and a hospital would be well suited to detail. Does Heartlake Hospital fill the prescription for a LEGO Hospital, or does it need additional treatment?
The front of the box shows the front of the set, with one of the mini-dolls - Dr. Patel - treating an incoming patient in a wheelchair. It also shows the ambulance that has just arrived. In the lower left there is a small inset showing the doctor examining the patient in the examination room. The back of the box is quite busy - the primary image is the view of the set from the rear, but also many insets showing that the set is modular as well as many of the detailed portions of the different rooms.
Upon opening the box there are seven numbered bags, six 8x16 pale beige baseplates, a perfect bound instruction booklet and not one, but two sticker sheets with a daunting array of stickers (total count, 39).
The mini-dolls
There are three mini-dolls in this set: Olivia, Dr. Patel and the accident prone Henry. Olivia is wearing a tank top with sleeveless vest on top. In the vest pockets she has a couple of pens and a name tag. Her torso and legs are both new to this set. She comes with a couple accessories - a syringe as well as an electronic notepad to take notes on her patients. Dr. Patel is new to this set (though her head and hair have been seen elsewhere). She is wearing typical hospital worker wear: a white shirt with hospital logo and name badge as well as a matching white skirt. It's a suitable choice though I think I've seen more doctors in scrubs than in skirts. Her accessory - also quite appropriate - is a stethoscope. Henry is also new to this set, and he's dressed in a red shirt with a large white stripe with what could be jeans. He comes with a bandage on his wrist, presumably the product of his visit to the hospital.
There's a fourth figure, though I'm not sure it's quite a mini-doll - newborn baby Ola. This piece is not new but does come new in this colour for this set. Ola doesn't quite stand on her own but does come in a pram where she can be laid down or propped upright. Baby Ola is quite adorable - and named after the set's designer, Ola Mirecka.
Auxiliary builds
There's a number of smaller supporting builds for this set. There's a red bicycle included (which I forgot to photograph) but there is nothing new about it. I'm assuming it's included as the method by which the unfortunate Henry became injured. Henry (and bicycle, presumably) are transported to the hospital via ambulance. I rather like this build, though there are more windows than I'm used to seeing on an ambulance. It has room for two mini-dolls in the front and ample room in the rear for a moving gurney. Stickers add some additional details on the inside of the rear doors.
There's also the gurney itself, which allows for patient transport. This gurney has a couple clips to attach tools if necessary and also a 2x2 jumper plate to attach the most recent x-ray, in this case Henry's hand.
Upon arrival to the emergency room, a patient is likely to meet with Dr. Patel or Olivia right away, both of whom might use a crash cart. This one comes well equipped with several tools, including a couple stored in the cabinet underneath.
Another way for Henry to get around the hospital is by using a wheelchair. The Friends version is not dissimilar to the City version from last year, though this one does make allowances to accommodate a mini-doll.
Another means of getting to the hospital is through medevac helicopter. I think this is one of the most impractical helicopters I have seen. The main blade seems entirely too small and I found the rear rotor kept falling off the back of the helicopter. It's also a tiny helicopter, with only room for the pilot. The patient has to be transported on a stretcher that's hung from a hook attached to the rear of the helicopter. It's a good thing this is a play set!
The completed model
The model is quite attractive from the front - there are lots of windows and plenty of flowers in the window sills. I'm not sure I've ever seen a hospital that's quite so transparent with all the glass. The building itself is structured like many Friends buildings - each room is a separate build so that the building can be reconfigured depending on what you like. The four main builds are the ground floor, an examination room, an x-ray suite and a nursery.
First there's the ground floor, which houses the reception area, the emergency admitting area and a waiting room. There's a canopy provided over the emergency room area. The front doors of the hospital are glass doors that slide the side to gain entry. The hospital doors are accessed either through some steps or a ramp with railing.
The reception area looks like just about every hospital reception area I've ever been to. There's a desk to check in that's equipped with a computer (open to the email screen, thanks to a sticker), a mug, a notepad (a printed piece that we first saw last year in Friends sets) and a bouquet of flowers, perhaps to be delivered to one of the patients. There's also a water cooler (a nice little build) and an aquarium with some colourful fish (provided by a sticker).
Off to one side of the reception area is the emergency admitting area. It is not surprisingly a pretty sparse space, with stickers making up the only details. Access to the emergency area from the side of the building through white swinging shutter doors which are new to this set.
The other side of the reception area is an area that just about everyone spends the most time in: a waiting room. This one is quite complete offering a vending machine (unfortunately non-working) for drinks and chocolate bars, some reading material and some spare change. This area also has one of my favourite pieces - though the details are provided via a sticker - a little hazard sign warning of freshly mopped floors.
Ascending to the second floor, we come to a room that the unfortunate Henry has likely visited - the x-ray suite.
In the middle of the room we have a stretcher for the patient to lie on. On one side we have the light box, and there are a couple of recently taken x-rays up for view. The wall that the light box is on swivels to allow access to a small changing area.
The other side of the room has an in-wall cabinet with glass door, and you can see a couple vials and a first aid kit inside. On a separate table under the window there are some plasters ready to be applied to other patients - one for the arm like Henry's and one for the head. Finally, there's a skeleton on display, perhaps so the medical staff can remember how everything is put together?
The other room on the second floor is the nursery, where we would see baby Ola hanging out.
One portion of the nursery is a bathroom area, with a largish sink for bathing infants, a diaper changing table and a commode. More stickers provide additional details - baby accessories, additional diapers, the weighing scale and hospital bathroom wall art.
The other side of the nursery is the sleeping area for little Ola. There's a removable rocking cradle as well as a charming mobile overhead. Completing the nursery are more details with stickers: some art for the walls including a stork making a delivery, a doormat at the entrance of the room and the details on the side of the crib. There's also a baby book included with a sticker for the cover that has a 1x2 tile inside with what looks like a birth certificate - accomplished by adding yet another sticker.
The top of the nursery also serves as the helipad for our medevac helicopter.
The top floor is the examination room, likely one of the first stops that Henry would visit after arriving at the emergency room. I haven't talked about the exterior of the other rooms as they're relatively straightforward, but the front of the examination room boasts a sign with a heart with a lifeline signal (of course provided by a sticker) as well as a nice representation of a Band-Aid.
The inside of the room has an examination table as the main feature of the room that has some overhead lights. The overhead lights make me think more of an operating room than an exam table. Next to the exam table is a heart monitor (accomplished with a sticker). In the bottom portion of the monitor is a cabinet that looks to be a refrigerator with a flask inside, I'm thinking to store samples.
The other side of the room shows a nice brick built microscope for the medical staff to examine samples. There's also a sink (a must in any exam room) as well as a handy magnifying glass (though I don't think I've ever seen one of those in a room like this).
All put together, the hospital looks quite nice. There's flowers on the window sills. The shutters on the windows are formed using - what else - stickers.
New and rare parts
There's a few new pieces with this set - though they're mostly existing pieces in new colours.
Bandage - hand cast
Bandage (for the head - only seen in three other sets)
White shutters
1x2x5 in earth blue
2x2 coupling plate in bright yellow orange
2x3 tile in light grey
Strap 12 M - the strap that carries the stretcher under the helicopter
4x6x2/3 plate in light aqua
4x6 plate in light aqua
1x8 tile in lavender
2x14 plate in earth blue
Overall thoughts
News of a LEGO Hospital was definitely met with excitement at the start of this year but when it was announced it was going to be a Friends set, there was also a collective sigh of disappointment. As with many who criticize Friends sets, those who would overlook this set purely because it features mini-dolls would be making a mistake. Not only is this a good representation of a hospital, it fits in the Friends theme quite well with the meticulous attention to detail, both brick built and stickers. I have to wonder if a CITY hospital was released, whether it would feature as many great details.
I'm a fan of the many brick built features in this set, such as the mobile, the microscope, the water cooler among many others. There are also many details provided by stickers, and while they're not key to several areas of the set (for example, the waiting room) there are others that without stickers would be somewhat lacking (the emergency room).
The stickers - I mentioned at the top that it's a daunting number, and it is. I think there are simply too many of them. For example, I'm not sure why stickers had to be added to allow for window blinds. I can appreciate the details stickers provide, but I wonder if they could have been condensed down to just one sheet.
What other Friends and Elves sets would you like to see reviewed? Let us know in the comments.
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36 comments on this article
I like that hand cast. Nice review.
Excellent review, thanks.
That is an off-putting number of stickers. I can't help wondering if it's feasible to do brickbuilt shutters just to cut down on them.
The minidolls look interesting enough to be worth getting on their own.
Is it easy enough to swap the examination room across? I'm not sure I like the idea of helicopters landing on the nursery
Does the hand bandage work on minifigures as well as minidolls?
I am on the fence of getting this because of the cost but, it could serve me well in a MOC I am working on (an entire floor of a building I am working on).
The little one, has this on her wish list, so it will be the Heartlake Hotel (finally) for Christmas (...from Santa of course), and the Hospital for her birthday
That has got to be the worst LEGO helicopter I have ever seen.
Great review, Megan. Thanks for your time and effort on this.
I'm not opposed to stickers, as long as they're of good quality and add something to the set, which I think most of these do. But there are too many. I don't think the blinds are needed at all.
And that helicopter... YIKES!
Must be a private hospital. I adore the bidet.
Does Dr. Patel have the mature or teen type of torso?
That wheelchair looks terrible. I think it's actually a failing of the minidoll it has to accommodate, but without the context of the hospital (or the guy with a broken hand sitting in it), I'm not sure it'd be recognizable as a wheelchair at all.
Baseplates? I was pleasantly surprised for a moment there. But unfortunately these are not beige baseplates but just regular plates.
^on the contrary, they are useful for us regular Lego fans that don't work on Friend color pallet and are looking to incorporate this set to a MOC.
Thanks for the very in-depth review. This set intrigued me as soon as I saw it. Some neat pieces and I like the doctor figure and baby. I could see this being incorporated very easily into a CITY-themed town.
Nice review!
Can you review the Heartlake Frozen Yogurt Shop next?
Thanks!
Does anyone know when the new Last Jedi sets will be released?
Are you sure this hospital's actually a model and not just one big sticker?
This one ugly looking set. The inside furnishings are ok, but the building itself...ugh!
As far as stickers go, my little girl loves stickers so I'm sure no matter how many are included, it isn't enough, lol.
@Toc13 Yes, all the little rooms are modular, so you can switch them around.
Great review, I appreciate this set for what it is :)
I would say there is an issue with the lack of figures in this set. Hospitals are generally full of people so with a whopping 3 figures this hardly will make the hospital feel busy and full. Perhaps thats just my experience but seems they could have added a few more to this set.
Oustanding set! I am going to repurpose it as animal clinic and petshop though :D
ANd I didn't know we have ANOTHER Polish designer in Lego team! Yay!
VERY simple to make it a City MOC for City builders.
About reviews: Please review the cute cottage set from Friends and Castle form Elves!!
I'm currently building this (in fact I started last night), but while doing so I'm transforming it into a CITY Hospital.
I got rid of all the pink and purple bricks and I'm now replacing them with white and blue ones. I've also only used three stickers so far and will probably not need many more. I prefer to build the medical equipment myself and make it look a bit more realistic that way. I'll also change the rooms a bit, as I think this set is seriously lacking a regular ward!
Would you kindly consider to review the Snow Resort series on Friends theme?
I am new to the Friends theme and I certainly did not realise the sets are that detailed.
The images provided on the Ski Lift set and Chalet set looks very impressive.
Would you great to hear what are your thoughts on it.
Thank you.
great details, lots of nice ideas in there. Building should have looked better from outside, but here it is inside that counts and it is great.
But...that helicopter is ridiculously embarrassingly bad.
Why could not designer invest more in the helicopter? Because girls do not care about "technical" stuff? Are we still in 50s?
Difference between attention to detail inside the building, medical instruments and joke of the helicopter is huge.
Anyway, if my kids want it, I will probably buy it.
I take it from the lack of cash register that this hospital is part of the NHS...
An empty waiting room, and the lack of a queue of ambulances waiting to unload patients, indicates that this is not a NHS hospital.
The interior looks pretty good, but gosh, so many stickers.
I don't mind about the stickers but it's just too much glass for me. Was thinking of getting this to MOC but rather just use the stuff I've got from city ambulance and stuff.
Good review though and it's helped to make up my mind, thanks :)
I don't undertand why LEGO don't make a hospital for City. It's over 10 years since a set based on a hospital came out. Many sets in LEGO Friends could also be used in the City universe but the colours make it a little strange to compare.
Thank you for the excellent review! I don't like the look of this set from an architectural point of view (the building is much too facade-y for me), but I must say I'm quite impressed with all the interior details. I can see how this set would appeal to lots of girls (and possibly boys too). Would be fantastic to take the interior contents and transfer them to an actually nice looking MOC-ed hospital building. The sticker blinds do seem ridiculously superfluous. But man that little swaddled baby is too adorable for words!
@Speed champions fan or a Danish/anything but American hospital
I very much enjoyed this review! The "friendsphobia" is a widespread disease, but perhaps in depth and well considered reviews like this can help remedy the condition. (Though I'm afraid for some friends haters it has become a principle rather than an actual opinion.)
I didn't have any plans to buy this set, and the review hasn't changed that, but I very much appreciate to be confirmed in my initial decision.
I think the Goblin King's Fortress would be a great set for review next.
Thanks for another great review Megan! @Toc13 I was going to say the same thing. A helicopter landing pad atop the nursery does not a good floor-plan make. Although, since the helicopter is microscopic it may be very quiet. Best bet would be to switch those modules around though. I'm very much on the fence about this set. I'd love to turn it into a more appropriate city hospital, but the price is a bit steep. I really like several of those stickers and would jump at the chance to acquire them separately. Three minidolls for a set of this price/size seems very lacking. The interior details are great though... yup still on the fence. And by the way guys this is clearly not a US hospital, there's no billing dept. occupying an entire floor, and no lawyer's office attached to the billing dept. to threaten legal action for unpaid astronomically high bills.
Heartlake hospital look like a cheap Chinese rip off, get you game together TLC.
That baby!!
Cute?
Scary?
Really can not decide!!
I really like this hospital with its love for details and will surely add this to my city. The colours are no problem for me and the minidolls aren't one, too.
But yes, there are downsides on this set, too - dozens of stickers and a helicopter that looks a bit like a joke...
Will buy it on a discount.
Thanks for this nice review! Would like to see a review of the snow resort chalet next! :)
A review of the snow resort ski lift would also be very, very welcome! :)