I still have quite a few LEGO® Friends sets to take a look at so in order to get through them, my reviews will be a little briefer with a focus on showcasing the set through images and any unique pieces or features. So on to the next sets and a closer look at both the Dog Rescue Centre and the Dog Rescue Bike. After the bleakness of the Dog Rescue Van and its abandoned disabled dog, these two companion sets paint a much brighter story. Even if a needy pooch is left to fend for itself in the wilds of Heartlake City, the fine folk at the local Dog Rescue Centre are there to step in.
41727: Dog Rescue Centre
The Dog Rescue Centre is one of the mid-sized builds released as part of the new, rebooted range of LEGO Friends sets. It’s also a set which has connections to other sets in the range, including the aforementioned Dog Rescue Van and the second set being looked at as part of this review. So here’s a closer look at the Dog Rescue Centre.
Product Details
Set Name: Dog Rescue Centre | Set Number: 41727 | Pieces: 617 | Theme: LEGO Friends
RRP: £54.99/$59.99/59.99€ | Number of Bags: Bags x 5 (plastic) | Instructions: Paper + Builder App | Mini-dolls: 3 | Stickers: Sheets x 2
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & General Retail
The Dog Rescue Centre build beings with a few pieces of scenery. These include a dog agility course, with a few obstacles such as jump, balance bridge and weave poles. These are all fairly simple in design but very colourful. The second separate build a fancy spa-like bath. These parts cannot be connected to the main building but add to the playability of the set.
The focus of the set is a two-storey building and a trio of kennels. The building is built in 2 sections, which connect together. The bottom floor is a reception area but it’s quite sparse and lacks detail although it does include a bulletin board on one of the walls.
The upper floor is a small clinic and it’s a little more detailed than the floor below. Small blocks of bricks are used to recreate an examination desk, operating table and scales. The upper room also doubles as the roof of the building. With a pair of large windows and oddly small solar panels.
The main building features a couple of connector-hole bricks. These are used to connect the three kennels, with an option to connect them to the side of the building or from the front.
There are 3 kennels, they are all built separately and connected together using Technic pins. They all have a similar design, although the end kennel also has a small slide and a tree house built into it.
As a dog rescue centre, the set includes a trio of pooch figures. These include the disabled dog, Pickles and a golden retriever called Grace and an older soul called Dash. They are also featured on an adoption board although there appears to be an error with Dash being shown as brown on the board but is actually a black dog. I do like LEGO animals but unfortunately, the Friends ones have a cartoony appearance so look odd against those from other LEGO themes.
Along with the dogs, there are 3 mini-dolls. These include 2 of the new main characters and a veterinary surgeon. This version of Autumn has appeared in one other set. But Zac and Gabriela are unique to this set.
41738: Dog Rescue Bike
The Dog Rescue Bike is one of the smallest sets to be included in the new LEGO Friends sets. It’s obvious from the fact there are 3 sets needed to rescue dogs, that Heartlake City has quite a problem on its hands. Let’s see what the Dog Rescue Bike has to offer.
Product Details
Set Name: Dog Rescue Bike| Set Number: 41738 | Pieces: 125 | Theme: LEGO Friends
RRP: £8.99/$9.99/9.99€ | Number of Bags: Bags x 3 (plastic) | Instructions: Paper + Builder App | Mini-dolls: 2 | Stickers: Sheets x 1
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & General Retail
As one of the smallest of the new Friends sets, it is quite a simple build. But it still features a few nice details. In fact, it includes some fairly rare elements. These include the bike frame, the clear curved pieces and the cool yellow elements. Even some of the bright green elements have only appeared in a handful of sets.
There are 2 main components to the set, a small bicycle with a trailer and a patch of land. The patch of land appears to be the scene where a dog has been lost. I hope it’s not another abandoned pooch. I think because there is a discarded collar on the sticker detail added to the path, the dog hiding in the little bush has merely slipped its lead. I like that the lamp featured here matches the ones featured in other Friends sets. Along with the section of the park, there’s also a very small park bench, which adds nothing to the set, to be honest.
When the Dog Rescue Van is on call elsewhere the smaller Dog Rescue Bike can be deployed to help find missing pets. A dark azure bike is used, which has only appeared in one other set. It’s used to tow a micro trailer, as mentioned this uses a few rare parts and looks a little like those little carriers some people use to pull their kids along behind a bike.
The set includes one mini-doll and a micro-doll. Both are unique to this set. Aliya appears in 4 other Friends sets, but the outfit she is wearing in this set is unique. She’s joined by a secondary character called Victoria. This is a micro-doll character, I’m still not sold on the micro-dolls because they use the same sized head as the mini-dolls, their heads look huge.
Overall
Both of these sets complement each other as well as acting as nice companion sets to the Dog Rescue Van. I like that there is consistency across all of the Dog Rescue sets, it makes them almost feel like a sub-theme. Although part of the new Friends universe, they still feel very much like past Friends sets. The best feature of the sets has to be the unique characters and of course the new dog figures. I especially like Dash, this one-timer reminds me of my old dog. Now we just need the current mischief-maker, Lola to be given the LEGO treatment.
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This set was provided BricksFanz and provided by the LEGO Group for review purposes. The thoughts within this review are that of BricksFanz and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group. Providing a set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
