Review: 41736 Sea Rescue Centre
Posted by MeganL,
The Friends Sea Rescue wave got off to an auspicious start with 41752 Sea Rescue Plane and its white whale. With the wildlife theme, I think we can expect to see more adorable animals in the rest of the wave.
The hub of all the activity is 41736 Sea Rescue Centre, where we can find the Friends furthering their animal rescue acumen. The main question is - will the animals in this set be as cute as the whale?
Summary
41736 Sea Rescue Centre, 376 pieces.
£44.99 / $49.99 / €49.99 | 12.0p/13.3c/13.3c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
A somewhat pricy continuation of the sea rescue theme
- Otters, turtle and a seahorse!
- Nice incorporation of moving functions
- Expensive
Inside the box there are three numbered bags, one unnumbered bags containing a 16x16 plate, a slide, and a light string, an instruction book and a small sticker sheet.
Minidolls and animals
There are three minidolls in the set. Two of the core cast can be found: Leo, who is wearing a swimshirt similar to what we saw Zac wear in 41752. Autumn is similarly attired in wetsuit, with a logo from the Sea Rescue Centre on the front. She appears to be barefoot!
The character introduced in this set is Kayla, who looks to be an employee at the Centre. She's wearing a bright yellow wetsuit that has the Centre's logo prominently featured on the front. I love her hairpiece featuring a high ponytail.
There's some nice printing on the back of the minidoll torsos. I like how the graphic designer has worked the Centre's logo on each minidoll in a slightly different but prominent position on the torsos.
For the first time ever, one of the cute LEGO animals can't be photographed on its own. I had to prop the otter up against the rest of the build so you can see all the cute little details, including the friendly facial expression. Best of all, there are two otters included in the set! Joining the otters at the Centre is a lovely pale blue turtle.
The completed model
It makes sense for the Centre to have a vehicle to travel short distances, and this jet ski fits the bill. It's a simple construction, but adequate enough for a minidoll to get around to get to those otters. The Centre's logo is a stickered feature on the front.
The centre itself features three levels for various activities.
Starting at the ground (or ocean?) level, we see the pylons on which the centre has been built. There's a floating platform for the jet ski, and a set of stairs leading up from the water level to the centre. Seeing a set of stairs feels like a rarity in Friends buildings, but is appropriate considering the location.
Not to be ignored in this picture is the adorable seahorse, which I neglected to photograph for the previous section.
I love all the details of sea life and sea foliage in this area. To the back of the building, we find some more foliage, a crab, and a treasure chest filled with gems.
Entering the front door of the centre leads to the wildlife examination area.
Some of the equipment can be removed to allow for greater access to the floor. In the far corner there is a camera on the desk in addition to a monitor with tracking software for the local wildlife. A sticker provides some additional detail, and there's a brush and bottle to help with caring for the otters. But do otters like to be brushed?
Here are the two stations that can be removed. A sticker gives the detail for the otter x-ray. The other station includes a syringe and a microscope, which involves some nice parts usage.
A curious visitor to the Centre might do well to be careful. Stepping on that blue platform could lead to a change in altitude rather quickly! Moving the gear leads to the platform upending, depositing the occupant onto the slide and into the briny deep.
(Note: briny deep diving sloth not included in this set.)
The top floor has several details of its own. A revolving observation deck is on the right that has a satellite dish on top. Safety precautions for the Friends in this area include the walkie-talkie that's handy and a container of 50 SPF sunscreen - definitely needed for those sunny days!
The cutest part of this floor is undoubtedly the brick-built otter sign that also happens to have the Centre logo on it as well.
Here's another look at the front of the Centre that shows the space around the base of the slide marked by some floating buoys. Some visitors have stopped by.
(Note: visiting sloths not included in this set.)
Overall thoughts
There's quite a bit going on with this set over three floors. Wildlife rescue is another staple of recurring themes for Friends, but this theme still manages to make things feel fresh. It's the first time we've seen otters in the Friends world, adding to the species that the Friends have helped. Including the jet ski adds some action to the mix, and the slide is just fun.
However, priced at $50, this set feels expensive. The otters are only found in this set and one other, and it's the only appearance for this turtle and the seahorse. It's unclear why this set is at the higher price point. If you're looking to include this in your collection, it would be worth waiting until it goes on sale.
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13 comments on this article
Thanks for the review. One of my girls was interested in this one but as we have several similar Friends sets it is hard to justify the price.
Not sure if I can like the sea otters, knowing what they do to baby seals in real life... but I can't say what they do on here.
The sea otters would work well as plushies
Indeed to expensive, damn should have grabbed 30635 for the otter
Seems like I otter wait for a deal on this.
@dudebrick said:
"Seems like I otter wait for a deal on this."
You've otter be kidding me
Apart from this set feeling massively overpriced, to me the colour scheme looks awful and all over the place. Such a weird mix of various garish hues and muted tones like white, tan or light bluish grey. Sometime less is more.
So many of the details are used from 41380 (which i own)
I've made peace with the Friends-versions of the animals a long time ago, around the time the Mysterious Mascara Marauder gave up their weird and confusing life's work, but all the same, I do get a tiny kick of the crab being almost infuriatingly stoic. Nobody is going to pacify or beautify that crab; that crab has otter business to attend to.
Crab, now you've got me doing it.
The sign on the building is upside down, as a little aside.
I kinda like it, I like the Autumn minifig the most out of this, but I have to say the main thing that struck me is it's geared more for imaginative play rather than having a couple of intricate play features. I don't see that as a bad thing. I just can't help but feel it's the typical mix of big pieces and small pieces that result in fairly uninteresting builds with little flexibility.
This set is like a jacket worn by a Fresh Prince of Bel-air impersonator. I don't mind bright colors if they go well together, these don't.
A perfect set for winter, when you always want to be a little otter.
Looks like some of the animals got a little violent...