Review: 41182 The Capture of Sophie Jones
Posted by Huw,
Today's review has been contributed by Shib:
After following her sister Emily through the portal to Elvendale, Sophie Jones soon finds herself in danger at the hands of the Goblin King's minions.
So, how does 41182 The Capture of Sophie Jones size up to the rest of the Elves theme?
Mini-dolls
Unsurprisingly this set features Sophie Jones, only the second human character to appear in the Elves theme, and sister to the other human character, Emily Jones. Her dungarees and hairpiece work well to imply a younger character than Emily, however it might have been nice for a new minidoll size to really show this.
As with all this years sets, there is also a goblin, in this case Barblin. All the goblins use the same mould, but achieve differences with colours and printing. The print on this body is rather plain, but quite effective, slight detail to show a simple tunic and a belt, with a hook and chain printed. It is unfortunate that the rear is not printed, particularly as it means the belt looks unfinished but this is a minor criticism.
This set also features a magical creature, Mr Spry the Squirrel. He uses the same mould that was introduced by the Friends theme in 2013, but for the first time in medium lavender. While these oddly coloured animals aren't to everyone's taste, I really like how they add to the fantasy setting of the Elves theme.
Parts
While this set does contain a few fairly uncommon parts, most of them are recolours that I believe are likely to show up in future sets. It does however feature a few interesting printed parts, all of which are currently exclusive to the Elves theme. I'm particularly fond of the bug printed on a trans-clear 1x1 round brick, this I can imagine several uses for.
The Completed Model
The set consists of three sections, the first of which is a basic portal, similar to the one featured in 41075 The Elves' Treetop Hideaway. Presumably this is a different portal though as this one is built into a rocky outcrop rather than a tree. The general construction of this section is simple, but does achieve an element of playability but using ball joints to allow movement of the printed portal dish. It is a little bit unfortunate that Sophie is a little bit taller than the portal, but the minidoll does still fit through easily.
The second section is a small cart with a large net for Barblin to use to capture Sophie. For a small part of a minidoll based set I was surpised at how much Technic style building is used. It is quite satisfying to have the net automatically rising and falling as the cart drives forward, but it isn't quite as easy as you might think to grab a minidoll in the net as you push the cart along. The use of the basketball net piece also means that the head of the minidoll sticks out the top of the net, which looks a little comical.
Finally, we come to the largest part of the set, Mr Spry's shop. While the shop is relatively small, there are a lot of nice details. My favourite of these details is the link back to the first wave of Elves sets, a picture of Mr Spry and Miss Spry who featured in 41076 Farran and the Crystal Hollow. While I don't think the shop would make much of a display piece on it's own, it does have distinct character but I also think it could be easily added to last year's set 41176 The Secret Market Place to expand that scene.
Overall
For a set of this size, The Capture of Sophie Jones is a lot of fun. I'd definitely recommend it for existing fans of the theme, but in all honesty it's my least favourite of this years Elves sets. For anyone looking for an introduction to the Elves theme, I'd suggest the smaller 41181 Naida's Gondola & the Goblin Thief as a better introduction to the theme. That's not to say this is a bad set, more that the quality of this year's Elves sets are so high that there is a lot to live up to.
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18 comments on this article
the printed pieces are great!
Nice review! I thought this was a fun little set, and the functions for a small set are quite good.
This printed bug is a stag beetle exactly :-)
Very nice review! I think this years' elves sets look great, and this one is no exception. The only con I can find with this set is the swedish RRP; 25 bucks for what you get, despite the new pieces, is 5 bucks too much. Judging by the price point, I think the goblin town is the best set of this wave. Nevertheless, this set looks like a lot of fun.
Does anyone else think that printed goblin eye symbol looks a lot like the Sheikah symbol from Zelda?
@DragonLord56: Yep, all it's missing is the teardrop!
I wasn't terribly enthusiastic for this set when it was first revealed, but I ended up quite liking it. The shop is colorful and has a lot of character and playability, despite its small footprint. Its curvy peaked roof, tan walls, and arched windows fit nicely with the general Elvendale architectural language, and as with all Elvendale shops it is tastefully integrated with its environment, as evidenced by the tree growing out of the side. As a nice bonus, LEGO designed https://brickset.com/sets/ELV241701-1/Mr-Spry-and-His-Lemonade-Stand from the European Elves magazine to have the same style counter , so it makes a great add-on to the shop.
One interesting thing this year is that between Mr. Spry in this set and the new pegasus in https://brickset.com/sets/41186-1/Azari-the-Goblin-Forest-Escape , it gives us our first definite confirmation that the different species in LEGO Elves aren't element-specific. Mr. Spry is wind-themed whereas Miss Spry was earth-themed, as indicated by the patterns on their foreheads. I'm not sure whether Mr. and Miss Spry are meant to be siblings or a married couple , and I sort of lean towards the latter since the bigger bed in this set than other sets like https://brickset.com/sets/41176-1/The-Secret-Market-Place suggests it's meant for two (if so, I suppose we should start calling her Ms. Spry). Either way, I like the little ways that LEGO continues to characterize the animal characters in the Elves sets, as it makes them feel more like fully realized characters with lives of their own and not just pets or accessories.
I was not sure what to think of Sophie at first, but after looking at her mini-doll in detail and seeing how she's portrayed in the webisodes, I quite like her. Her striped shirt and brightly-colored sneakers give the sense that she's wearing Emily's hand-me-downs, although she still has her own style. I do sort of wish that LEGO could have introduced a shorter mini-doll for Sophie and other younger characters, but even side-by-side with Emily it's easy to tell that Sophie is the younger and more unpredictable of the two sisters.
Compared to some of the other goblins like Bieblin or Dukelin, Barblin doesn't end up feeling all that memorable. His design and role in this set sort of emphasize that he specializes in traps, which is backed up by his bio on the Elves website, but he still feels a bit generic. I do like his facial expression and color scheme, though, as well as his wacky net trap machine!
From what I've seen in the webisodes the portal Sophie comes through in this year's story is meant to be the same as in previous years, so the rocky surroundings here are a bit of a contradiction. But as far as this set's value is concerned it was good of LEGO to include the portal and it's nice that it sort of stands out from its previous appearance.
Good review! I look forward to more LEGO Elves reviews here on Brickset!
Hmmm ... maybe it's time I pick up my first Elves set ...
Do the portals always have the same ends? If Emily and Sophie go through the same tree-portal in their real world, do they come out at different places in Elvendale? And when Emily Jones goes through the portal in Skyra's palace, just she come out of the same tree in her Grandmother's garden? I can't remember, or it's never shown.
Gotta get that Lemonade Stand.
Not a big fan of the theme, but I do like the use of the basketball net.
Awesome pieces! Especially the printed ones. I love the beetle in the jar. And is that a tan minifig's head used as a jar?
Thanks for the review. I haven't built any of this years sets so far. Debating on keeping them intact for a bit perhaps to share with the granddaughter at some point. But I certainly do have the itch. I have always loved the theme and although wasn't as crazy this year about the goblins I think they will be a good addition to the collection as well.
Nice review! And how do you become a guest reviewer, Huw?
Shibby Criminal!
Nice review! This set always catches my eye at the store because it's so colorful! Looks very appealing. I really like that Brown piece used as the tree trunk, don't think I've seen that before.
Cool set, just bought it a couple weeks ago. The main reason was obviously to get a bunch of great parts for a good price. :)
I was going to purchase Aira's Windship & The Amulet Chase set also for the same reason, but after seeing the price/size ratio, I had to say no. :/
@LuvLegos_Cool_J
It's a medium dark flesh head. Kinda awkward color.
^ I'd assumed the medium dark flesh head with blue top was a jar of peanut butter.
I'm very eager to get Mr. Spry to go with my previous Mrs. Spry. Didn't know they were a couple, very surprising gossip... Good review, thanks
Call me a parts nerd lol, but I just noticed this is only the second set to use the dark azure curved brick that before this set was exclusive to the VW Beetle (was used as the mudguards of the Beetle; here it's used as the awning for the outdoor section of the shop). Love seeing recently added pieces getting more use.