With 2022 upon us, there’s a whole new wave of LEGO sets for fans to enjoy. LEGO Friends is back, with more adventures for the residents of Heartlake City as the theme celebrates its 10th anniversary. The line-up of new sets covers a diverse range of topics, from canal boats to food stalls.
With so many good sets, you may be finding it hard to choose which ones to buy. Blocks, the LEGO magazine for fans, is picking out the best details that might sway you to take look at certain models…
Heterochromia
For those who aren’t optical experts, heterochromia is when the eyes are different colours. The little white cat in 41695 Pet Clinic is printed with one blue, and one brown eye. It’s the first time this has ever been done to a Friends pet, and proves the level of detail that goes into even the tiniest bit of design.
Cultural cuisine
41701 Street Food Market is about celebrating different cuisines from across the globe. To achieve this it comes with some amazing new elements, including 1×1 round tiles printed to look like sushi California rolls, along with a quarter-circle tile that has the first ever LEGO burrito design. It’s also one of the first 2022 sets to come with the new minifigure chopstick element, perfect for sushi or noodles.
Blocks celebrates 10 years of Friends with an exclusive interview in the next issue. To get the LEGO magazine for fans every month – at a discount and earlier than the shops – order a 12-month or 24-month subscription. Direct debit payment options are available too; to find out more get in touch via subs@silverbackpublishing.rocks.
Green energy
Ever since LEGO Friends teamed up with National Geographic in 2018, environmental consciousness has become a bigger part of the theme. This is definitely true for 41707 Tree-Planting Vehicle, which has a unique printed tile to denote it’s an electric truck. The greenhouse is full of pollinating insects, which need all the help they can get, so Daniel is helping Olivia to plant plenty of flowering trees.
Beekeeper Olivia
That’s not all Olivia is doing to help those bugs though! She’s being a busy bee, quite literally, in 41703 Friendship Tree House, sporting a fantastic new costume that’s very accurate to a real-life beekeeping outfit. She’s got white overalls and the iconic visor to protect her from any rogue stings. The accompanying unique honeycomb tile for the hive is the perfect finishing touch.
Which LEGO themes paved the way for LEGO Friends?
Inclusivity
41704 Main Street Building, the largest LEGO Friends set yet, includes a mini-doll with a golden retriever guide-dog and another who is a wheelchair user. Beyond this though the model has a lift and ramps, so everything is accessible along with the shops being dog friendly.
Those are some of the details to love in this first wave of 2022 Friends sets, but there are many more to be found when building. Remember to tag Blocks on any of our social media channels when you’re out LEGO shopping – we love to see what’s in your carts!
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