Review: 41733 Mobile Bubble Tea Shop
Posted by MeganL,
We have seen one excellent small set in this wave, 41738 Dog Rescue Bike. The other $10 set in this wave, 41733 Mobile Bubble Tea Shop, has a lot to live up to! I don't think there's been a bubble tea shop in the Friends world before, much less a mobile one.
I do like how the Friends team continues to come up with an interesting variety of businesses.
Summary
41733 Mobile Bubble Tea Shop, 109 pieces.
£8.99 / $9.99 / €9.99 | 8.2p/9.2c/9.2c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Another good pocket-money priced set
- Two minidolls
- Plenty of play value
- None!
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Inside the box there are three unnumbered bags, a small sticker sheet, and an instruction booklet. Considering this is a mobile bubble tea shop, it's not surprising that no map is included to show the location of the set in Heartlake City.
Nova and Matilde are the minidolls in this set. Nova is part of the main Friends crew, she's dressed here quite casually in a purple sleeveless top with a gaming character on it. It's the same icon that's found on her phone, so it must be her favourite. She has a nice chunky necklace. She completes the casual look with a pair of denim capris and some espadrilles.
Matilde is the proprietor of the bubble tea shop, and a fellow gamer. She's wearing an apron with a bubble tea logo in spring yellowish green, matching perfectly with her skirt. Both minidolls have some nice printed detailing on the back.
The completed model
For a small model, you'd think there wouldn't be small(er) builds, but there are two: a simple stool, and a very interesting boba tea mascot! The mascot is the location for the menu, provided by a sticker.
Next, it's on to the bubble tea shop itself, which is pulled by bright purple scooter. A helmet is provided for Matilde as she motors around town. The shop has everything that Matilde would need to make her creations, including strawberries, whipped cream, and sprinkles. The Friends universe being ever modern, there's a portable payment pad included so Nova can pay for her boba via her phone.
Where there's food, uninvited guests are always going to show up.
(Note: sloth not included in this set.)
Overall thoughts
This is another really nice little set at a low price point. Two minidolls, good opportunity for play with the tea shop, and a vehicle to boot isn't bad at all for $10. I love the little bubble tea mascot with the whimsy it provides. For those interested in parts packs, there are some interesting parts in new colours here, particularly in lavender.
I think for this size I still prefer the Dog Rescue Van, but this is a great option for a pocket money set.
78 likes
30 comments on this article
Livin' la vida boba.
I love how Friends does City better than City does City. This is a fantastic little set.
That boba mascot is awesome. It's basically a Friends-droid.
It's okay, but I can't quite fathom why they made it so crammed. Somehow it would need to be a row of bricks taller and two studs longer...
@Mylenium said:
"It's okay, but I can't quite fathom why they made it so crammed. Somehow it would need to be a row of bricks taller and two studs longer..."
The bigger it is, the tougher it'd be to tow on that little scooter!
@Ridgeheart said:
"This set is lovely. I'm not a fan of boba, or rather the waste it creates (he wrote, on a site dedicated to plastic), but I do love these compact food-cart stands.
It's just that there is danger lurking beneath the surface. Of the new batch of Friends, it's Nova who I trust the least. She, with the sacrificial skull in her room. She who owns both a sword, and a mutilated dog. She, who showed up right around the time we started seeing more wounded dogs and missing cats in HLC. She who also has a suspicious amount of colour on her cheeks for someone who claims to prefer to lock herself inside her room as a gamer, as though she spends a lot of time out and about, on the prowl.
I wouldn't let those sloths go unsupervised around Nova. I wouldn't even let https://brickset.com/minifigs/bob027/plankton-domed-helmet in his new outfit go supervised around her.
Lovely set."
She looks like she does tanning booths or spray tans...
@Ridgeheart said:
"This set is lovely. I'm not a fan of boba, or rather the waste it creates (he wrote, on a site dedicated to plastic), but I do love these compact food-cart stands.
It's just that there is danger lurking beneath the surface. Of the new batch of Friends, it's Nova who I trust the least. She, with the sacrificial skull in her room. She who owns both a sword, and a mutilated dog. She, who showed up right around the time we started seeing more wounded dogs and missing cats in HLC. She who also has a suspicious amount of colour on her cheeks for someone who claims to prefer to lock herself inside her room as a gamer, as though she spends a lot of time out and about, on the prowl.
I wouldn't let those sloths go unsupervised around Nova. I wouldn't even let https://brickset.com/minifigs/bob027/plankton-domed-helmet in his new outfit go supervised around her.
Lovely set."
I have no clue what this comment is talking about, but I love it.
I mean, I gotta get this one. It's cheap and I love boba tea.
Today's PSA: Make sure your boba tea is not made with a powder. It makes a huge difference!
What the hell is boba tea?
@BooTheMightyHamster said:
"What the hell is boba tea?
"
The cloned son of Jango Tea I think
Just a simple tea, trying to make his way through the galaxy.
Yeah, I agree this set is ugly, and also poorly designed. The fact the trailer can't close up is silly. There must have been a way to clip two panels onto a top plate to get it to work.
This is my first Friends set. The mascot display is a great, it’s a neat little stand & I wanted the pink scooter. The new hairpiece isn’t bad either. The stand is a tight fit for Minifigure, but it works.
I got this set JUST for the boba tea mascot. It's awesome!
@MeganL I think you left out a $10 Friends set: 41723 Donut Shop!
My daughter was quite excited about the character of Nova because she thinks the personality is similar to her own.
When I got the bedroom set with Nova's dog I showed her and said how the dog is called Pickle.
"OMG...." she said "It's Pickle the Cr...."
(You get the idea)
I'm not sure where I was going with this story....errm...all a bit awkward now.
I am also baffled by this whole Boba Tea stuff.
Nice but not my cup of tea.
Time for some earl grey.
@Ridgeheart said:
"This set is lovely. I'm not a fan of boba, or rather the waste it creates (he wrote, on a site dedicated to plastic), but I do love these compact food-cart stands.
It's just that there is danger lurking beneath the surface. Of the new batch of Friends, it's Nova who I trust the least. She, with the sacrificial skull in her room. She who owns both a sword, and a mutilated dog. She, who showed up right around the time we started seeing more wounded dogs and missing cats in HLC. She who also has a suspicious amount of colour on her cheeks for someone who claims to prefer to lock herself inside her room as a gamer, as though she spends a lot of time out and about, on the prowl.
I wouldn't let those sloths go unsupervised around Nova. I wouldn't even let https://brickset.com/minifigs/bob027/plankton-domed-helmet in his new outfit go supervised around her.
Lovely set."
What’s interesting here to me is that I found her the most relatable among the eight new friends.
@MeganL your reviews are *in my Tina Turner voice* simply the best!
@Ridgeheart said: "It's just that there is danger lurking beneath the surface. Of the new batch of Friends, it's Nova who I trust the least. She, with the sacrificial skull in her room. She who owns both a sword, and a mutilated dog. She, who showed up right around the time we started seeing more wounded dogs and missing cats in HLC. She who also has a suspicious amount of colour on her cheeks for someone who claims to prefer to lock herself inside her room as a gamer, as though she spends a lot of time out and about, on the prowl."
Of all the new Friends, Nova's the one I like the least ... and I think you've hit the nail on the head why.
I just can't get into the new Friends line. I don't know why. The sets are wonderfully-designed, the buildings all look gorgeous (maybe designed by someone who is colour-blind, but, apart from that...). But I don't really find myself looking at *any* of them and thinking, "Have to buy that."
Maybe it's just a natural disconnect from the reboot? I just haven't gelled with any of the characters or stories yet? But I can't figure out why the sets just aren't doing it for me.
I'm not a drinker of any type of tea, but this review might have just convinced me to get this set. It also has me wondering, is any kind of tea safe for sloths to drink?
@MisterBrickster said:
" @BooTheMightyHamster said:
"What the hell is boba tea?
"
The cloned son of Jango Tea I think
"
Best comment.
@watcher21: Tea, Earl Grey. Hot, I presume?
It's kind of weird the boba tea is represented by solid rather than transparent cylinders. A tremendous missed oppurtunity, a transparent 1x1 cylinder with dark dots print could be reused as jars of pebbles, olives, eyes of newts...
I wish Lego would bring back the dome lid (Squishee) cup. There have been a couple food truck/cart sets that could have used them.
As a fan of Lego food, I was delighted. Bought two, will make it a small boba shop in my town
@Ridgeheart said:
" @adude60 said:
" @Ridgeheart said:
"This set is lovely. I'm not a fan of boba, or rather the waste it creates (he wrote, on a site dedicated to plastic), but I do love these compact food-cart stands.
It's just that there is danger lurking beneath the surface. Of the new batch of Friends, it's Nova who I trust the least. She, with the sacrificial skull in her room. She who owns both a sword, and a mutilated dog. She, who showed up right around the time we started seeing more wounded dogs and missing cats in HLC. She who also has a suspicious amount of colour on her cheeks for someone who claims to prefer to lock herself inside her room as a gamer, as though she spends a lot of time out and about, on the prowl.
I wouldn't let those sloths go unsupervised around Nova. I wouldn't even let https://brickset.com/minifigs/bob027/plankton-domed-helmet in his new outfit go supervised around her.
Lovely set."
I have no clue what this comment is talking about, but I love it."
The new Friends each bring a new aspect of diversity to Heartlake City. Autumn has a limb difference, Paisley has social anxiety, Liann has ADHD, Aliya struggles with the pressures of perfectionism, Leo has difficulty forming personal relationships, Ollie is overly intelligent and dealing with his sexuality, and Nova is* a soulless monster who mutilates dogs.
*allegedly, but see also 41755"
Speaking of 41755. How cruel is it to taunt a legless dog to play Frisbee? What the hell, Lego?!
@Ridgeheart said:
"This set is lovely. I'm not a fan of boba, or rather the waste it creates (he wrote, on a site dedicated to plastic), but I do love these compact food-cart stands.
It's just that there is danger lurking beneath the surface. Of the new batch of Friends, it's Nova who I trust the least. She, with the sacrificial skull in her room. She who owns both a sword, and a mutilated dog. She, who showed up right around the time we started seeing more wounded dogs and missing cats in HLC. She who also has a suspicious amount of colour on her cheeks for someone who claims to prefer to lock herself inside her room as a gamer, as though she spends a lot of time out and about, on the prowl.
I wouldn't let those sloths go unsupervised around Nova. I wouldn't even let https://brickset.com/minifigs/bob027/plankton-domed-helmet in his new outfit go supervised around her.
Lovely set."
You’re definitely on to something. Looking at her room, she has various torture devices including a wrench and some kind of electric prod. Her setup looks like surveillance equipment masquerading as a game station.
@Ridgeheart said:
" @adude60 said:
" @Ridgeheart said:
"This set is lovely. I'm not a fan of boba, or rather the waste it creates (he wrote, on a site dedicated to plastic), but I do love these compact food-cart stands.
It's just that there is danger lurking beneath the surface. Of the new batch of Friends, it's Nova who I trust the least. She, with the sacrificial skull in her room. She who owns both a sword, and a mutilated dog. She, who showed up right around the time we started seeing more wounded dogs and missing cats in HLC. She who also has a suspicious amount of colour on her cheeks for someone who claims to prefer to lock herself inside her room as a gamer, as though she spends a lot of time out and about, on the prowl.
I wouldn't let those sloths go unsupervised around Nova. I wouldn't even let https://brickset.com/minifigs/bob027/plankton-domed-helmet in his new outfit go supervised around her.
Lovely set."
I have no clue what this comment is talking about, but I love it."
The new Friends each bring a new aspect of diversity to Heartlake City. Autumn has a limb difference, Paisley has social anxiety, Liann has ADHD, Aliya struggles with the pressures of perfectionism, Leo has difficulty forming personal relationships, Ollie is overly intelligent and dealing with his sexuality, and Nova is* a soulless monster who mutilates dogs.
*allegedly, but see also 41755"
Wow… RH slashes 41755 and Amazon immediately slashes its price on our home market. Could you start slashing some Creator and Ideas sets m8? ;)
This set perfectly coincided with my own bubble tea obsession, so I had to get it. I love the printed bubble tea element, and may pick up a few more sets on sale just to get more. Lego is really hitting it out of the park with these $10 sets.
@BooTheMightyHamster said:
"What the hell is boba tea?
"
It's a beverage originally made popular in Taiwan, consisting of sweetened iced tea (usually with milk in it) containing balls of tapioca (little chewy brown spheres known as "pearls", "bubbles", or "boba" depending where you are) and usually served with a very wide plastic straw to allow you to suck up the boba. Sometimes other items with a similar texture are mixed in, such as coconut, lychee, or grass jelly.
I'm not a fan of that much texture in my tea (nor do I enjoy the excessive amount of sugar usually added) but it's a super common drink here in Southern California. It first appeared in this area in the ’90s in areas with a lot of Taiwanese immigrants (such as around Arcadia, in the San Gabriel Valley). Around here the term "boba" is the common term for the tapioca balls. From what I can tell it means something like "big boobs" in the variety of Chinese spoken in Taiwan. The term "bubble tea" was coined as a less offensive alternative to "boba tea" and while it'll probably always be "boba" in Southern California the term "bubble tea" is more common in other parts of the United States.
@tim1724 said:
" @BooTheMightyHamster said:
"What the hell is boba tea?
"
It's a beverage originally made popular in Taiwan, consisting of sweetened iced tea (usually with milk in it) containing balls of tapioca (little chewy brown spheres known as "pearls", "bubbles", or "boba" depending where you are) and usually served with a very wide plastic straw to allow you to suck up the boba. Sometimes other items with a similar texture are mixed in, such as coconut, lychee, or grass jelly.
I'm not a fan of that much texture in my tea (nor do I enjoy the excessive amount of sugar usually added) but it's a super common drink here in Southern California. It first appeared in this area in the ’90s in areas with a lot of Taiwanese immigrants (such as around Arcadia, in the San Gabriel Valley). Around here the term "boba" is the common term for the tapioca balls. From what I can tell it means something like "big boobs" in the variety of Chinese spoken in Taiwan. The term "bubble tea" was coined as a less offensive alternative to "boba tea" and while it'll probably always be "boba" in Southern California the term "bubble tea" is more common in other parts of the United States."
It's most commonly referred to as boba tea in my area of the deep south as well.
@dudebrick said:
"I love how Friends does City better than City does City. This is a fantastic little set.
That boba mascot is awesome. It's basically a Friends-droid."
it's definitely being added to my droid army...
I also bought this because I love boba. I agree with @ridgeheart about the waste created from buying boba at the store, but you can avoid that by making it at home. You also use good quality ingredients (which some stores don't have). We wash the straws and re-use them.