This set is a really cool set, I love the little chalkboard and all the science stuff. It is fun to play with and easy to build. I love it. 5/5

This is one of the few Friends sets that I've outright picked up for myself as I love the idea behind this set. An inventor's workshop and one that shows a Girl doing the same thing that's typically thought of as a male's role. It isn't completely girly outside of the color palette of the turquoise blue and pinks used.

Box/Instructions

The box is cardboard and like many LEGO sets, shows a clear photo of what it is you're supposed to be getting in this set.

The instructions are in booklet form with step-by-step illustrations and show building the set in multiple stages.

Parts

There's a grand total of 81 pieces, which coupled with the minidoll show this set being worth the $9.99 price tag on it. While there's plenty of the new pink and turquoise bricks, the more useful of the two are the turquoise bricks for those seeking them in other MOCs. The robot features a new 1x1 round tile piece. There's plenty of tools, in the color of purple. A flask piece making it's second appearance since the Collectible Minifigure of the Mad Scientist.

Minifigures

You get one minidoll, that of Olivia. While I personally don't like the new Friends figures, I gave it to my daughter to put with her other Friends sets. The figure is well detailed, it just doesn't have personal appeal to me.

The build and completed model

As mentioned above, the set is built in various stages.

* Robot - This is an almost adorable and very cool little build. Complimented with the remote control and it's easy to see play involving Olivia creating the robot and testing it out.

* Drawing Board - Not my most favorite part of the set, as the design is ultimately geared towards girls with the flower drawings on it. I couldn't past that part.

* Microscope Stand - Another good little feature and showing another fascist to this set depicting girls doing something outside of "traditional domestic roles" and I rather liked it. Olivia's got a gem she's looking at and studying.

* Shelve with bottles - This too is good as this part and pieces can be used in just about anything for a MOC or used in play.

* Workbench - the home for all of the tools, complete with a vise grip built on the end. If I could have a slightly different choice of colors, I'd be completely in love.

Summary

As stated before, I picked this set for many of the elements, small builds and features in it for other MOCs and ideas. There's plenty here to love and a good palette of colors. My daughter keeps asking if we'll buy a second of this set so she can have one in her collection. Which I might do at some point as I had "parts set" in mind when getting this and anything I didn't want in the end, I gave to her.

Set #3933 Olivia's Invention Workshop: Why exactly does Wal-Mart increase the amount of all these LEGO Friends sets from MSRP to 13.47$? Is it because the Friends Theme has become such a big sucess that Wal-Mart is aiming for greed, or is it because the MSRP from LEGO increased for these sets? All in all something to be mindful of when shopping for these items, everywhere in Canada seems to have bumped up the price on them except for Zellers, which has been closing its doors for some time so good luck finding any open. Hopefully when Target opens its doors next year the MSRP for these will return to normal at Wal-Mart for added competition.

However I have rambled enough, let us get on with this review. Olivia's Invention Workshop is a real blast, it has loads of parts in great looking new colors and an immense number of small models using the 81 pieces included. There's Olivia's Chalkboard, where she calculates mathematical formulas for her inventions, and which features printed detailing for the actual chalkboard. (Sadly no chalk piece, which would have been much appreciated LEGO.)

Then there's Olivia's Tool Table, where she keeps all of her tools, featuring an open drawer piece with two drawers in pink. Clips for all the major tools (except the oil can) and a vice or press on the side of the table for holding pieces in place while Olivia works on her inventions.

A experimental potions shelf unit, featuring six flasks of liquid chemicals for further experimentation and inventing. A small desk with microscope, unique flask piece and empty space to place the miniature robot's control device when not in use. (Plus an extra brick for Olivia to stand on so she can see into the microscope) And lastly the cute little robot Olivia has invented.

Yes there are a lot of things to build, all simple and easy, great fun and all featuring the unique new teale and pink pieces LEGO has introduced (colors wise) to the LEGO Friends Theme. Olivia herself is a great looking little Mini-Doll from the top, her legs are the same ones found on Mia in a few sets, here is where I would kind of like to see LEGO take the same leg pieces from other Mini-Dolls and instead of making them all identical switch up the colors just a tad for a bit more variety. As it stands Olivia here looks like she's raided Mia's closet for her pants and shoes.

Still the set is really nice and features an overall Theme not seen much of in LEGO sets of the past, Olivia tinkers, she's an inventor and LEGO is trying to capture this aspect and succeeding. Overall I'm rating this set highly as a good one for adults and young girls who aren't just interested in dolls or other typical girl pass times. Olivia represents a strong role model, for a toy, that young girls may one day hope to emulate. Becoming scientists and inventors, working in a field more typically associated with men in the past. I heartily reccomend this set to everyone. Now all that's needed is a MOC building, say a garage or basement where Olivia might be working. I do kind of wish that the tools weren't so purple though, perhaps if LEGO had made the handles purple while the rest of the tool was painted metallic gray or something it would be a bit better. I mean they still look great for accessories, I just think they are a bit much.

I was keen to review the new 'Friends' theme, and so picked up set #3933: Olivia’s Invention Workshop, and #3936: Emma’s Fashion Design Studio.

Both of these sets show the female characters doing intelligent and creative work, so I liked that a lot. On the one hand, these are obviously 'girly' looking characters, but I thought it was great that they are not just spending their time putting pink ribbons onto puppies (oh, that's set #3934: Mia’s Puppy House) or having their nails done (that'll be set #3187: Butterfly Beauty Shop).

Seriously, the Invention Workshop is an inspiring place for Olivia to be. This set in particular seems almost to be designed to appeal to readers of Make magazine, who will be thrilled to see that Olivia has a mean-looking power drill, a tough vice - bigger than her own head - and a very substantial microscope. She also appears to have built her own robot, which looks a bit like WALL-E, and which she controls from a hand-held pad. Who among us can claim such an achievement?

User Buffalorand has written on the Brothers Brick site that "Extensive product testing showed [the Lego Group] four very distinct facts. First, and most important, girls are absolutely desperate for Lego, but want it their way. Two, 'their way' is pretty much the same as the 'boy's way' with a very important addition: more accessorising. So, [you get] many more accessories – all of which are supposedly minifig compatible. Three, they want colors that speak to them but don’t single them out. Finally, Lego learned that girls like the minifigs but don't love them (the way AFOLs have come to love them), and would *like* more Barbie-like characters."

So, in those terms these sets are probably a success. They both include a number of things that the figures could 'do' within role play, and come with quite a lot of accessories that could be put into the hands of Olivia or Emma. When you open the box, each set seems to be a lot of little bits. That's all the fiddly little details and accessories which we are told the girls want. Hopefully that first impression is not too disappointing, because the sets look good when built. In each case, you might think that Lego could have thrown in a base plate, since it's a £10 set with one 'mini-doll' and lots of little bits (and they don't have to pay any movie tie-in fees for these original sets). Or maybe that's just my male desire to have everything fixed down. But of course, this is Lego, so you can add to or modify the sets however you like.

I was impressed to see that Brothers Brick user Nannan had already made this spaceship using parts from Friends sets. But I think Nannan has included quite a lot of other pieces from their regular Lego collection. The two sets I got don't include very many general-purpose pieces that you could use for building anything you liked, but of course there are some of those - well several, really, so ... later I'll see to what extent I can make something for Olivia and Emma which looks nothing like a design studio and/or workshop!

Overall, I liked these sets and they still offer a Lego experience -- it's clearly Lego, just a bit different, for a different kind of market. I think they've done well to make a kind of 'authentic' Lego experience which should appeal more to those girls that find regular Lego too boyish. And well done Lego for giving the female characters, in these sets at least, intelligent and (in Olivia's case, anyway) non-traditional settings.

one minifig, a robot and 81 pieces.

Minifig

Olivia, as she's called, is a minifig (err... ladyfig) that overall, looks rubbish. Her hair however, is useable on minifigs so keep that.

Robot

Well, he's cute, he's got a flat ninjago 2012 stud and he's pretty cool. He has binoculars for eyes and 2 tiny arms.

Viewing scope

It has a stand, in that brilliant aqua colour iv'e wanted for ages and just a regular scientist's scope, really.

Chalkboard

The board has 2 pink wall pieces that are useful, but overall more aqua wall.

Tooldesk

The tools are in purple (really nice) and a drawer and a vice (or clampstand, im not a technology expert) so move on. You get a shelf with potions a plenty.

Overall, i give it a 3 brick. I love the aqua colour.