Review: 41073 Naida's Epic Adventure Ship
Posted by CapnRex101,
Our third Elves set review takes a look at 41073 Naida's Epic Adventure Ship, which is undoubtedly the most unusual of the first wave, as models like this one rarely appear in other themes. It is priced at £24.99 or $29.99 and contains 312-pieces according to the LEGO inventory, so considering the potential production cost of that sail, this seems like very good value to me.
I was drawn to this set immediately as a result of the plentiful dark blue and medium azure components in particular. The shaping of the ship itself is also very impressive, unusually so for a brick-built hull which are typically rather blocky and lack the hydrodynamics of something built to glide through water.
Box
The box is square and features the standard curves at the edges which appear on most Friends and Disney Princess boxes. Personally I think the blues of the set clash with the border a bit, but Elvendale looks idyllic as ever with waterfalls, purple trees and Skyra's Sky Castle all making appearances.
On the back, a few of the set's features are displayed along with the two minidolls enjoying all that the ship has to offer. The map graphic set behind these images looks great in my opinion and the app associated with the Elves is advertised in the corner.
I notice that Huw's copy of the box, which has been photographed above, features the standard push tabs. My box on the other hand was taped, so it appears LEGO have two versions on the go at once. I wonder whether there is any consistency to this, with stores featuring tabs while others have tape.
Parts
Elves sets are already acquiring a strong reputation for including some excellent parts, and this set maintains that trend. The new clam shell component is probably the most exciting, which has only appeared elsewhere in 41063 Ariel's Undersea Palace, a far more expensive set. White and pearl gold versions are included and although their uses are arguably limited, they are superb pieces nevertheless.
Plenty of pearl gold pieces are included, which are always nice to have. The pearl gold fence element is brand new for the Elves line and currently only appears in one other set in this colour, as do the two golden plant stems.
The pearl gold wings have appeared in 70201 CHI Eris before now, a Legends of Chima Constraction set, and are therefore rare in this colour. The fez piece has been included in plenty of sets before now, but no matter how many I get, I never seem to have enough as they are very handy for adding details to your own models.
Minidolls
Two minidolls are included, the first of which is Naida Riverheart on the left in the image below. She is the water elf and the ship apparently belongs to her as you might guess. Her hair piece is brand new and features moulded ears as well as a lovely dual tone, which will be discussed further below. Her head and left arm are printed with some kind of blue body art while her torso features various wave-like swirls. To be honest I prefer some of the other elves characters who are much more brightly coloured, but it is always nice to add another to one's collection nevertheless.
Aira Windwhistler stands out only a little more than her companion in my opinion as they feature somewhat similar colour schemes. Aira's hair piece gradually changes from white to a bright purple which is very striking in my opinion, and as you can see there is a hole for an accessory to be attached. Her head and left arm feature some body art just like Naida and her torso is printed with some feathered details. The gold latticework is lovely and the lavender colour continues onto her layered skirt.
The two-tone design is very well done, and looks to have been achieved using some kind of spray paint applicator. This provides a fairly soft change from one colour to another which looks great. Perhaps we will see this kind of design used on other figures in future.
The Build
Construction of the set starts off with some routine plate and brick usage to form the base of the hull and the lower areas of the deck. The mini ball joint pieces are used to attach a pair of golden clams to the sides and you can see a sticker used inside to represent a glass bottomed section of the boat, through which you can see a clam and a starfish.
The build starts to impress rather more as the hull is developed. All kinds of SNOT techniques are used here to create some attractive angles and I love the way the curve of the bow is formed using a pair of 1x3x3 arches placed sideways.
Meanwhile, the cabin at the rear and the upper deck are also built up using some simpler techniques. I have not seen the plant stems attached to bars before as they are here, and hope to see these used like that more often as it makes the piece a lot more versatile.
The Completed Model
The set is made up of two parts, the first of which is a white clam. This is perched atop a small mound and a 4x4 round plate suggests that it is surrounded by water, hence the need of a ship to reach it. Inside is one of the four elemental keys required to open the portal that can return Emily Jones to the human realm.
Far more impressive is the boat itself, which is highly detailed all over. A very nicely constructed telescope is mounted on the poop deck which also features a pink rug and some purple slopes which look great. The lime green leaves seem a bit out of place to me on an ocean-going vessel, but they contrast very nicely with all the blue pieces and are useful if you wish to part the set out for your collection. Those latticed windows and large fins are superb, giving the ship a very sleek silhouette.
Underneath is a cabin in which we find a stove, a frying pan, a potion bottle and a hair brush. A pair of cushions are laid out on the back deck for lounging out and enjoying a drink when not in the midst of an adventure. The golden plant stem is used to form some attractive scrolling details and the brightly coloured flowers look great for adding a splash of contrasting colour.
The bow of the ship is my favourite section simply because it looks so good! The smooth shaping is excellent and I like the medium azure stripe running the length of the hull. Dark blue and gold is one of my favourite colour combinations, so I am delighted to see it used here.
The two pearl gold clam shells can be lowered to reveal cushions, which seems a little bit odd to me as I don't know why you would be sitting at that height above the water. When folded up they fit quite well with the rest of the hull, but I would have liked those boat tile pieces to be cast in pearl gold to match the clam rather than the trans-clear elements included.
The sail is attached much like on 79008 Pirate Ship Ambush, with Technic beams forming the ribbing which reaches to each of the three corners. Unfortunately this means that from one side, the sail pattern is not visible while some rather unsightly Technic components are, but that can't be helped and I am willing to accept the compromise as from the other side, the sail looks fantastic! It can even be rotated for steering using the ship's wheel mounted just behind the mast.
Verdict
I am really enjoying the Elves sets that I have so far. The bright colours and unusual subject matter is a welcome change to the Star Wars and Super Heroes sets I typically buy. 41073 Naida's Epic Adventure Ship may be quite small, measuring only about 25cm (10 inches) long, but it certainly lives up to its name in my opinion. There are nice details all over the vessel and the colours, which I keep mentioning, are very appealing.
In terms of playability I think this set has a fair amount going for it. There are very few play features, but lots of accessories and the fact that the set is focused on a vehicle rather than a location, unlike most Elves sets, will work in its favour I think.
At £24.99 or $29.99 I strongly recommend it. These are probably my least favourites of all the Elves minidolls I have, and there are one or two little things I think could be improved, but those minor complaints are no reason not to purchase this superb set.
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23 comments on this article
Another nice review from a nice collection of sets. This is the set that I wanted the most when the theme was introduced.
I believe that that clam shells attached to either side of the boat can be used as life rafts when detached from the main ship.
Using the stem to attach leaf pieces to a wall was pretty commonplace in the first run of the Disney Princess theme. The first time I saw it used was in Rapunzel's Creativity Tower and then in Cinderella's a Romantic Castle.
^^ The stem was also used to attach a leaf piece in Dragon Mountain.
^ The bricks are darker than the Maersk sets.
I really like this set. Some nice clam shells, a great looking boat, and just the whole thing looks great.
I'm just wondering, where are they going to go with this theme after the next wave, where the girl gets back home? The story line isn't a very smart marketing strategy if that's the end.
@Packer221 - there's lots of ways the story could go, for all we know she won't make it home, or might have reason to travel back to the elves world.
I think this set will likely be the first of the theme that I buy. I really like all the sets, but the shape of the boat is beautiful and I kind of want to have a go at making a bigger version too.
I really want that shell for making a miniland style Birth of Venus
@ericjohn - I believe the plants being referred to are the pearl gold stalks at the back, attached through the hole at their tip to a 1x2 plate with vertical bar. This type of connection doesn't have much friction (hence the 1x1 "caps" to hold them on); I'd be surprised to see it gain widespread use in official sets.
@8BrickMario - Are you sure this is a darker blue than the Maersk Triple-E? What are you basing that on? They should both be the same color, Medium Azure.
I want that sail, but i was hoping for something besides a white back.
I know this is supposed to be for young girls (or at least directed to that demographic) but Yikes, is it gaudy! Someone needs to 'turn down the volume' on this set.
I feel like if these were minigifures instead of minidolls, these sets would all be must buys.
As is, I still really like this set, and will look into ways of reappropriating those nifty haircuts into my old-fashioned LEGO men. I'm a Luddite, but the boat itself is really swell.
There just aren't enough sailed boats in the LEGO world for me, this is likely to find its way into my collection.
Heh, way to sneak "poop deck" in there ;)
This is a sweet ship, Elves fans should be pretty happy with it.
Those gold clam shells and a fancy gold tap would make an awesome sink for someone's MOC.
Wow, this set is pretty epic (no pun intended.) It just looks astounding from every direction except the back of the sail, the minidoll hair is one of the most gorgeous LEGO parts I've ever seen, and I laughed out loud at the cushions on the side of the boat. :P Too bad my birthday is so close to the street date they probably won't be shelved in my area by then...
I like this theme alot, despite not being part of the target audience. I wanted them bad enough to beg someone at Walmart to cut open a skid full. This boat does come off as the clear winner of the theme so far. But I won't deny these Elve minidolls really creep me out. The male figure from 41076 is the worst...he just keeps staring at me.
I am not into elves, but this theme has of course a lot of interesting parts for AFOLs. And this boat looks like a nice build.
I just have this feeling I have seen a boat like this for real, but I am not sure...chinese, italian, asian type?
If somebody here have a name for this kind of ship, please give a note? I would very much appreciate that! Then I can google;-)
Awww I'm bummed. I was hoping that sail was double sided that way it could be used for wings. :( I'm sad now and have no real interest in this set anymore.
@cjedwards: I should have checked the pictures to be sure. From memory, the Maersk sets were Light Royal Blue. Oops.
I really like these sets. They really manage to capture a magical world without being nearly as girly as the other minidoll themes.
Can anyone tell me if the sail is plastic or fabric?
Fabric
Great great review by brickset, no motives here on this site ,only honest reviews, great great set ,these elves sets ,are for investors and builders alike.I think these sets are going to be massive .well done brickset
Very good review! I got this set a couple days ago. It's got a brilliant build, great colors, and loads of play value!
I wish the sets' official pics and box art did a better job advertising the two-tone hair of the mini-dolls, though. It really adds to their appeal!
Thanks for the review. This is my favourite in the Elves series (though I am eagerly waiting for the pegasus sleigh). Love the colours.