It’s back to Heartlake City and a look at another of the new LEGO® Friends sets. Earlier this year, the long-running theme received a major reboot, which introduced a new group of characters. Joining the new group of friends is an ever-increasing cast of faces who are helping to expand daily life and diversity in the Friends sets. The set I’ll be taking a look at today is the Heartlake City Bus. This interesting little set includes a couple of intriguing features and a few nods to other LEGO Friends sets. Get your tickets ready as we take a ride on the Heartlake City Bus.
Product Details
Set Name: Heartlake City Bus | Set Number: 43759 | Pieces: 480 | Theme: Friends
RRP: £49.99/$49.99/54.99€ | Number of Bags: Bags x 3 | Instructions: 1 x Paper booklets + Builder App | Stickers: Sheet x 1 | Characters: Paisley, Stanley & Zoe
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & General Retail
There are two sections of the set and where there’s a bus, there’s a bus stop. The one featured in this set is a little more jazzy than those found in the real world and I can only assume features far less wayward urine. The yellow colouring of the bus stop matches nicely with the bus, but the best part of it is the rainbow-coloured stack of transparent bricks. Streets would look far more friendly if real bus stops looked like this one. Continuing with the trend of featuring modern features in sets, the bus stop also includes an electric charge point, a digital ticket screen and a plant-ladened roof.
The bus is a mix of styles, it’s a little like coach but only has room for a small number of passengers similar to a mini-bus. The lack of seats within the bus is due to the inclusion of an accessibility ramp and room inside for a mobility scooter. The ramp is hidden under the bus and can be popped out by pushing a tab on the opposite side of the bus. This slides the ramp out so it’s easy for the scooter to fit through the doors.
You can also access the interior of the bus through a large hinged panel on the side of the bus. As an electric vehicle, it features a charger socket and solar panels on the roof. But one of the best features for me is a couple of advertising panels on the side of the bus. These are little Easter Eggs for other LEGO Friends sets including the Organic Grocery Store and the Downtown Design Store.
The set features three characters including one of the main characters, Paisley. This version of the character has appeared in one other set. The other two characters are new with both Stanley and Zoe using unique heads and torsos. One of the most interesting parts connected to the mini-dolls is Stanley’s mobility scooter. This uses a new element to create the body of the scooter and this particular orange-coloured element is unique to this set.
Overall
What I like about this set are all the little details, the ramp and the advertising boards on the bus, and the charger point at the bus stop. They all add up to create a charming little set. I also like the overall appearance of the bus, they’ve recently started using electric buses around where I live and they do look different to normal buses. That’s the case with this LEGO Friends version. The front of the vehicle is especially interesting thanks to the large curved panels used to create the front windows and the fairly rare transparent bow elements. The side of the bus which features the large opening panel is a little messy due to the elements needed to create it but overall it’s a neat little set.
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