I have been completely in love with the Friends Animals series ever since this little turtle pulled me out of my dark ages last summer. Reminiscent of the Littlest Pet Shop playsets of my childhood, these miniature animal pals stand solo from their human companions, each one occupying a little vignette of their own. Aren't they charming?

Box/Instructions

A plastic bag with a picture of the set nestled on an illustration of a sunny beach. It definitely caught my eye!

Parts

Lots of slopes and plates in browns, gray, blue and green, plus some red cherries and leafy green foliage. I am delighted by all the bright jewel tones the Friends line brought to Lego's color library. They're perfectly suited for a tropical paradise!

There are a few yellow-orange ribbons for the turtle to wear which compliment her purple hue quite nicely, but seem a little silly on her head. I can see the appeal though! Dress-up is a fun way to play and I won't deny kids (or anyone) for enjoying it.

Minifigures

This cute little turtle is the star of the show. She definitely looks sporting in lavender, and she stands out from the natural colors of her habitat. I'm a big fan of turtles and I'll take them in any color I can get :)

The build

Pretty easy! It has been a very long time since my last system-style lego set and I learned a lot from these simple building techniques, especially for rocky structures.

The completed model

The final product is an adorable beach scene, sprinkled with pink flowers and a few cherries for the turtle to snack on. Have her climb up the rocks and dive down the waterfall into the little pool, then have her do it again! Rest her on the sandy beach and watch the sun set together! There's lots of play value to be had - or just sit the model on your desk, it's a pleasure to look at all on its own.

I love how a simple model can be packed full of so much detail. A single 1x1 brick and a blue arch stacked to create a tiny waterfall, with two trans-blue studs to represent splashing water, just blew my mind. These little details really put this set above and beyond for me.

I do have to complain about the palm tree: while it completes the scene, the single connection point to the jumper plate is fairly weak. A light touch sends it flying across the room. I guess that could count as an action feature?

Overall opinion

A fantastic little oasis. Bright, colorful, and animal-centric, I would have eaten these sets up if they had been around in my childhood. I was never much of a MOCer but the techniques used in this set (especially the waterfall) got the gears turning in my head. I want to build a whole turtle island for my friend to play on!

I'm so happy to see how far Lego has come since I was a kid, and I'm glad they've expanded to so many different themes with such broad appeal. I sure have tumbled back down this slippery slope!

This really is a little paradise this turtle lives in! :-)

Box/Instructions

It comes in a polybag with a small instruction booklet.

Parts

You get some really nice parts in a lot of different colors (12 different colors in total!! including turtle and hair bow). There are the usual spare parts (2x pink flower plates, 1x red cherry, 1x yellow bow and 2x 1x1 round plates in bright green and transparent blue).

Exept for the flowers there is no pink in it and the parts are useful to build landscapes and nature scenes.

Minifigures

The turtle already appeared in an earlier friends set, but this one comes in a new color and with a new printing. The color of the turtle is the only thing in this set that I don`t like too much. I mean all the other animals in the friends sets have somehow realistic colors, but have you ever seen a lavender turtle??

The build

The build is nice but short, nothing special about it.

The completed model

The completed model looks just amazing! For me it is the most beautiful set out of the friends animals series so far. It also looks slightly bigger than most other sets (43 pieces compared to earlier friends sets with a piece count between 31-41!)

In my opinion it really has some great details for a set this small. A bush with berries (or cherries), some rocks and flowers, a slide for the turtle, a nice little waterfall and a palm tree on the top.

Summary

All together I would recommend this great little set, that looks just beautiful, has a lot of nice parts and colors and a cute turtle in it. Go and get it! :-)

Set #41041 Turtle’s Little Paradise: Returning to LEGO Friends we’ll discuss the animal sets of 2014 and what the best elements are and what isn’t so hot. Fitting then we start with the repainted turtle and her little paradise which is different from the little oasis we had in 2013.

Pros:

• Turtle animal is in a cute light purple colour with interesting shell pattern printing.

• Model build is fast and ready to go in roughly 15 minutes. Uses light blue pieces effectively for water effects

• Fits in nicely as a habitat for the turtle with your previous animal sets. Design is more open than Turtle’s Little Oasis and works slightly better.

Cons:

• Piece count is as always low considering the price of 5.99$ CND

• Pointless addition to your collection if you already have the Oasis set, unless you really like turtles.

• Orange bow accessory too big for animal, as always, a minor complaint.

Overall opinion

Overall I’d have to say this is a decent enough re-use of the turtle in a new colour scheme and the model itself is fairly in keeping with the limited use of parts and the habitat designs of LEGO Friends Animals. Do I recommend this set? Well if you can still find it it’s a nice set to pick up, especially if it’s on discount, however I think some of the other animal sets from this year are much more worthwhile to track down on the secondary market if you missed out due to the unique new animals included in them. Mildly recommended.