Review: 41693 Surfer Beachfront
Posted by MeganL,
Every year there's a Friends set that doesn't quite fit in with the other themes. This year, the second wave of Friends is dedicated primarily to Forest and Magical Funfair sets. The outlier is 41693 Surfer Beachfront. This set also retails for the same price in the U.S. as the last set I reviewed, 41683 Forest Horseback Riding Center. Let's see if the surf bests the forest, or the other way around.
The front cover box art evokes a very Miami Beach type of vibe with all the pastel colours - which means, it's perfect for a Friends set! Inside the box there are seven numbered bags, three instruction books, two 8x16 lavender plates, and a sticker sheet with clear background. This is likely the first sticker sheet I've seen that seems to have an abundance of space. As it is, I didn't apply all the stickers as I found some of them to be gratuitous, though I expect the target audience for the set to love all of them.
Minidolls, animals, and musical instruments
There are three minidolls in the set, including two of the regular Friends. Andrea is wearing a teal and fuchsia halter top with a sparkly gold belt that goes perfectly with her fuchsia skirt and blue sandals. Mia is in an outfit that we've seen a few times before and looks a bit more appropriate for a forest setting as opposed to the beach. However, she should be comfortable, so there's that.
However, the star of this set is the new minidoll, Nora, Mia's grandmother. Friends historically has not been the most age diverse theme. There have been only three older characters in the ten years of the theme, and two of them were included this year. Marcel was featured in 41444 Heartlake City Organic Café earlier this year, and Nora is the second. (The very first older character in the Friends theme was Dottie in 41349 Drifting Diner.). Nora is wearing teal rimmed glasses that have slipped down to the end of her nose. I'm happy to see that her outfit is not dowdy with a teal and purple patterned top underneath lilac sweater, along with a longer lavender skirt and blue flip flops. While all three minidolls have printing on the back, Nora's is quite detailed almost looks like another neckline. Her grey hair looks fantastic, with the piece making its first appearance outside of a Harry Potter set.
Ava is the microdoll in this set, and she is suitably adorable, as all microdolls are. I'm assuming that she's Mia's sister, as she's only been seen with Mia in sets so far. She has a lovely blue dress with white polkadots, and charming ponytails.
There's usually a pet included in the set, and this time it's a pug. Since neither Mia or Andrea have a pug as a pet, the pug must belong to Nora. The pug isn't new, but is still very cute. Finally, even though it isn't particularly rare or new, I'm including the guitar found in the set in this picture, just because I like it.
The completed model
As is appropriate for a beachside model, the first part of the build is a convertible. It's not an overly fancy build, but it does have enough space for four minidolls.
Or, if you're headed to the beach with your friend and sister, there might be space for someone else.
(Note: sloths are not included in this set)
There's also plenty of space in the back for a guitar and surfboard.
The beachfront itself is a small space, but includes everything a Friend might want - surf, palm trees, and a lounge chair complete with a green coconut to drink from.
There's no shortage of sealife - a baby turtle, a baby dolphin and an oyster with a luminescent pearl are all close by. No wonder Nora lives by the beach - this is great! This is the one spot where I didn't apply the stickers - on the surf.
The first store in the beachfront is, of course, an ice cream shop! I think that's a staple for any beaches I've been too. The side window faces the beach for pure convenience.
At the front of the shop there's a pretty awning, and a table with a couple of chairs for those who just want to hang around.
(Note: sloths not included in this set)
The inside of the store is compact but incredibly detailed. It looks like the shop serves waffles as well, and there's a container of whipped cream at the ready. I think I'm pretty envious of Nora, living so close to an ice cream shop.
The other side of the shop has some details provided by a sticker.
Looks like the hangers-on have found their way inside….
(Note: sloths are not included in this set)
Even though there's no visible way of getting upstairs, there's a rooftop patio where some frozen treats can be enjoyed. Because we have Andrea in this set, it wouldn’t be complete if there wasn't a reference to music, so there's a record player and a speaker to crank out the tunes.
This level also shows the large ice cream sign for the shop.
The next building can be attached thanks to some Technic connections. Additionally, each floor can be removed. Props to the designers who added this versatility in the set, allowing the builder to arrange the floors and builds as they'd like.
The other building has a beach gear rental shop on the first floor. As you'd expect, there's an array of beach gear on one side of the shop, along with a cash register under a poster extolling the virtues of the Heartlake City beach.
The other shows more standard beach gear.
The next floor up is Nora's apartment. The décor is very beachy, with the artwork featuring surfboards and paddles. There's a settee and chair alongside a table with a floral arrangement.
There's a kitchenette in the apartment that has an oven (complete with pretzel) with some kitchen supplies hanging on the wall. Hidden behind the pots and pans is a sticker featuring a portrait of some of the younger members of Nora's family.
Nora is one spry senior, since there are no stairs to be found between floors, and yet she has a rooftop garden. I like the parts usage for the watering can. Carrots and watermelon are also grown here alongside the chimney (which I find to be odd as there's no fireplace underneath, but I digress). I've purposely left the rooftop partially connected to show that the floors can be easily taken apart.
Last but not least, there's a recycle/trash bin at the side of the building, complete with fish.
All together, the buildings are quite attractive and look like they'd fit perfectly on the beach. What a great place for Nora to live!
Overall thoughts
I really enjoy this set - the colours are fun, and there are lots of stories to be created here with the convertible, the shops, the beach and Nora's apartment. There are plenty of animals for good measure! Nora is a welcome addition for the senior population in Heartlake City, and I love that the designers have her in such a hip setting.
While the set colours are typical Friends colours, I'd argue that they're also consistent with colours found in many beachfront communities, making this a set that would fit well in any shore setting. There are a number of newer and recoloured pieces in this set; a full inventory can be found here.
My last review was 41683 Forest Horseback Riding Center, and both that set and this one retail at $69.99 U.S. This set has more pieces, though there are no horses. Play value may be about the same, but for the building experience 41693 Surfer Beachfront does outweigh the riding center in the forest. I like this set so much that I suspect I'll be taking a close look at this when it comes to the year end gift giving guide.
Many thanks to LEGO for providing a copy of this set for review. All opinions expressed are mine.
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27 comments on this article
Note: Sloths are not included in this set.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually getting tired of that outfit Mia has. The acorn top in 41369? Make that a little less exclusive! And I say that as someone who owns that set.
Nora is a great new minidoll fig! She looks like the best grandma there could be! How happy we all would be to go visit her in that place!
Good review as always.
Nice review meganL! I got a used friends collection and got 41124. There was a dog similar to the one in this set. is the dog the same piece or is it a different piece?
What!!!! No sloths. Well then, for that reason... I'm out.
Is that watermelon piece the first lego food item actually smaller at minifigure scale than the food item it represents?
It must be a baby one as the slices are four times the size!
@kingalbino said:
"What!!!! No sloths. Well then, for that reason... I'm out."
No goats either. ;-)
In any case, a nice set that would even fit well in the City theme. But as for the price, it rather looks like a 50 Euro set to me instead of a 70 Euro one.
I wonder how many youngsters in the target audience for this set even know what a record player is…. Good for Nora for sticking with the vinyl! At least, I assume it is her music that requires the turntable.
Waffles make perfect sense: first step to making waffle cones. A place near me claims to have invented the waffle cone, and stills rolls their own cones.
Love the colors in this set. The teal and aqua look great together & the pink accents go well with the ice cream shop. They really bring that beachy feel. Thanks for the great review.
This is a great-looking set—it reminds me a little of last year's Heartlake City Restaurant in how detailed it is and how even its color scheme doesn't feel that unrealistic for its subject matter. The little beachfront community it depicts is great (reminding me a little of the Paradisa sets I had growing up, but much better), and I love the characters—Nora is the very picture of an elderly "flower child" who settled on the beachfront for a relaxing retirement!
Most Friends buildings sure look great, but I still prefer 3 in 1 houses as they don't use those large wall panels but bricks, which adds more customizability.
The 3-in-1 Castle uses a bunch of 1x4x3 panels but I think they are just about the right size to be used, whereas 1x6x5 are a tad large.
That said, those large panels with stickers do have their pros and cons, and for a playset it's fine.
This looks like an extremely fun set. I'd vacation there. Lots of useful accessories. I only have one Friends set but this one really catches my eye.
‘Last but not least, there's a recycle/trash bin at the side of the building, complete with fish.‘
Because we all know fish are recyclable
I always get mildly disappointed when I see the sloths in Friends set review pictures but then immediately followed by the "no sloths in this set" disclaimer. I was hoping for beachfront vacation sloths!!
Looks like a fun set. Like how you can switch up the floorplan.
@Schmopiesdad said:
"I wonder how many youngsters in the target audience for this set even know what a record player is…. Good for Nora for sticking with the vinyl! At least, I assume it is her music that requires the turntable."
If my recent stroll around Target has told me anything, Vinyl is making somewhat of a comeback! I can see it as more of a novelty/aesthetic versus an actual mainstream way to listen to music, but I see them more frequently. Plenty of pop and rock artists are releasing their new albums on vinyl again! So perhaps kids in the age group might be more aware than we think. :)
I'm a big fan of City, though the sets are often weak so I resort to the stellar 3-in-1 line to fill out my Lego Town. Sometimes, I also use Friends sets as they have great designs, like this one.
My only real complaint is that the Friends color schemes don't often work. Not *everything* needs to be bathed in pastels, purples, and pinks. Sometimes, however, the nature of the set lends itself to such colors and I think this is one of them. As you say, this really does look like something you'd see along Miami Beach or in the background of a Miami Vice episode.
I long to have a set this nice released for city.
Great review and an A- grade.
And that's a VERY high grade considering the grading scale is looking at the set for use in a typical minifigure city. I can often find Friends sets for 20% off and I'd definitely buy this for $56.
@christopher94 said:
" @Schmopiesdad said:
"I wonder how many youngsters in the target audience for this set even know what a record player is…. Good for Nora for sticking with the vinyl! At least, I assume it is her music that requires the turntable."
If my recent stroll around Target has told me anything, Vinyl is making somewhat of a comeback! I can see it as more of a novelty/aesthetic versus an actual mainstream way to listen to music, but I see them more frequently. Plenty of pop and rock artists are releasing their new albums on vinyl again! So perhaps kids in the age group might be more aware than we think. :)
"
I bought my children a toy record player at a local bookstore several years ago. It looks just like the one I had as a kid decades ago. Even if they have never seen a "real" turntable, I'd say that kids are one of the demographics that are MORE likely to recognize record players as real world objects.
The one thing I don't like about the set is the purple floor, because -- at a quick glance -- it looks like these beach-side buildings are suffering from some pretty severe flooding issues.
Everything else about the set is gorgeous, it's a really lovely set.
I think this set is great but a little overpriced. The detail is very good compared to some of the other sets this year (especially the funfair subtheme). I wish the buildings were bigger as the lavender plate on the right looks so empty. The car looks kinda boxy to me but overall cool! Love this set!!!
@Lego_mini_fan said:
"Nice review meganL! I got a used friends collection and got 41124. There was a dog similar to the one in this set. is the dog the same piece or is it a different piece?"
Yes, they're the same! I neglected to mention that it had been a while since we saw the pug in a set.
As for the price, so far this looks to be an exclusive set here still being full priced.
So personally I'd prefer 31118 : Surfer Beach House instead, which you could even get 2 of for as similar price, with a decent discount. (purely on a 1 set vs 1 set 41693 is obviously larger, but when its 2 of 31118 it changes perspective).
Also it's color scheme could be used very nicely with most colors of 31120 if you get tired of a beachfront.
@Schmopiesdad said:
"I wonder how many youngsters in the target audience for this set even know what a record player is…. Good for Nora for sticking with the vinyl! At least, I assume it is her music that requires the turntable."
Over here, vinyl records and therefor turntables are seeing quite resurgence in recent years. Most kids I know either have turntables in their homes or at least known them. Was quite different ten or twenty years ago though - the quasi dark ages for vinyl.
Really amazing Paradisque set!
I don't usually have too much interest in Friends sets, but these reviews are a must read just to see where the sloths (not included in this set) show up...
Good review! Even if this set isn't part of a larger subtheme, it's definitely charming enough to stand out on its own merits!
The set description describes Ava as Mia's cousin rather than her sister, which is probably part of why the two have only appeared together in sets that include their (shared) grandparents, Nora and Marcel. Anyway, I quite like Nora and Ava's designs, and I agree that it's great to see more elderly and child characters in the theme. Not only does this enhance the theme's cast of characters, but also greatly expands the possibilities for fans to create their own custom mini-dolls!
The beachfront buildings definitely feel very appropriate to the setting in terms of architecture and decor. The awnings (using a similar technique to the awning of the donut shop from 10278) are very bright and festive, and in general I greatly prefer this sunny, summery color palette over the sterile, whitewashed look of the Paradisa beachfront sets from my own childhood. The brick built ice cream stand and surf shop signage are also wonderfully clever, and the furnishings make the most of the buildings' compact size.
I also love that both buildings are in a "mini modular" style which the Friends theme has otherwise largely moved away from since the 2018 reboot (instead opting for "all in one" designs for many of its larger houses and buildings). And the uniform 6x12 footprint means that their floors and roofs can technically be mixed-and-matched with those from 41365, another post-reboot "mini modular". I'd love to see more buildings designed with this scale and format in future waves of Friends sets!
The beach itself is a nice design with its curvy snadbanks and waves breaking against the shore. A similar technique appeared in 41692 earlier this year, and it's a delight to see it reused here — although I think that set's discrete color coding (Dark Azure for the deeper water, Medium Azure for the curved slopes, and Aqua for the "seafoam" quarter circle tiles) was a little more effective than the colors of the water in this set. The arrangement of the quarter-circle tiles into a row of identical semicircles also bugs me a bit, but that's easy to modify even without any additional pieces.
The palm tree is small and simple, but still reasonably effective on a narrow stretch of coast like this. That said, I'd love to see larger palm trees in future sets using the new "tail" component introduced earlier this year (https://brickset.com/parts/design-67361). The beach furniture is nothing we haven't seen before, but I am much more excited about the coconut-shell drinking cup! I love how many clever new drinking cup designs we've seen this year using the "minifig stand" from the DC Minifigures series as a straw!
The convertible/beach buggy in this set is a delightful design in its own right. The body is somewhat boxy and utilitarian compared to many other Friends vehicles like 41390, but that's nicely balanced out by the curvy hood/bonnet design. Moreover, "family-sized" cars with two full rows of seats are a rarity in any theme, so it's awesome that this set's designer was able to work this much seating into a car with a fairly standard-sized wheelbase.
All in all, the set has lots of play potential in its own right, and a lot of the innovative design decisions seem like they could inspire all sorts of amazing future MOCs or even future sets. It honestly makes me want to open up Stud.io and experiment witht some Friends MOC ideas. Thanks for the review!
Great review, Megan. And those sloths are super cute. I might need to get some before they disappear ( like the goats):-(