LEGO® Friends review: 41727, 41738 & 41741: For the Love of Dog

Today's review is for all dog-lovers! Join me on a journey through Heartlake City in search of canines in need of rescue.

The January 2023 wave of LEGO® Friends sets includes 3 sets focused on dog rescue: 41727 Dog Rescue Center, 41741 Dog Rescue Van and 41738 Dog Rescue Bike. The LEGO Friends theme is known for introducing new animal moulds and these 3 sets are no exception.

Products in this article were provided by LEGO®; the author's opinions are their own.

LEGO® Friends 41727 Dog Rescue Center
US$59.99/ £54.99/ 59.99€/ AUS$89.99
617 parts
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LEGO® Friends 41741 Dog Rescue Van
US$24.99/ £29.99/ 29.99€/ AU$44.99
300 parts
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LEGO® Friends 41738 Dog Rescue Bike
US$8.99/ £9.99/ 9.99€/ AUS$15.99
125 parts
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Recolours

All new moulds are either animal or minidoll parts, so I’ll describe them in those categories. There are 3 recolours in ‘normal’ parts though.

• Door Frame 1 x 6 x 6 in Bright Yellow/ Yellow (6424331 | 42205), found in 41727
• Bicycle Frame, Reinforced Headlight [Hollow Stud] in Dark Azure (6424327 | 65574), found in 41727
• Plate 1 x 6 in Vibrant Coral/ Coral (6422379 | 3666) in 41741.

Printed Elements

Aside from the animals and minidolls, we get 2 new prints:

• Tile 2 x 2 with Missing Dog poster in White (6416595 | 101201), found in all 3 sets.
• Tile 1 x 2 with Smartphone, Mobile Game print in Bright Reddish Violet/ Magenta (6416593 | 101199), found in 41741

Animals

With 3 sets having Dog Rescue in their name, it will be no surprise to find some dogs among the new elements. Even better: all dogs are new.

New moulds are found in the form of Pickle and Grace:

• Pickle hard-life version; Animal, Dog / Dachshund with Sand Blue Harness Pattern in Dark Orange (6416763 | 101283), found in 41741.
• Pickle loved version: Animal, Dog / Dachshund with Vibrant Yellow Harness Pattern in Dark Orange (6416764 | 101284), found in 41727. The dog is also sporting a recolour for Wheel Skateboard / Trolley in Bright Bluish Green/ Dark Turquoise (6421682 | 2496)
• Grace; Animal, Dog Big with Brown Eyes, Black Nose, Scratches Sad Face print in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6416780 | 101300), found in 41727. Grace is also found with a normal face print in 41732 Downtown Flower and Design Stores.

There are 2 more dogs, both spotting a new print:

• Dash; Animal, Dog, Pup - Standing with Light Bluish Grey Mouth, Dark Bluish Grey Closed Eyes print in Black (6416651 | 101257), found in 41727.
• An unnamed lost pup; Animal, Dog Pup with White Paws, Face, Reddish Brown Spots print in Medium Nougat (6416594 | 101200), found in 41738

Minidolls

The 3 sets combined give us 4 of the new friends, including 3 new characters.

Minidolls in 41741

Gabriella

• Recolour for Hair Coiled, Tied Up with Ribbon, Medium Azure Pattern in Dark Red (6427493 | 79984)
• New printed head, torso and legs

Zac

• New mould for Hair Curly with Point, Smooth Back in Black (6409770 | 2646)
• New printed head, torso and legs

Autumn

• New mould for Hair Curly with Thin Braid in Dark Orange (6409765 | 2640)
• New mould for Minidoll Torso with Left Limb Reduction with Sand Green Shirt, Flower, Ladybug, White Shirt, Coral Trim print, Light Nougat Arms and Hand in Light Nougat (6428612 | 100811)
• New printed head and legs

Minidolls in 41741

Dr. Marlon 

• features a new printed head, torso and legs

Nova

• New mould for Hair Long Wavy/Curly in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6409761 | 2632)
• Nova comes with 2 new printed heads, each showing a different facial expression
• New printed torso
• Minidoll Hips and Folded Trousers with Nougat Legs, Black/White Shoes print in Sand Blue (6418003 | 101347)

Minidolls in 41738

Aliya

• New mould for Hair Big Curly, Braids in Dark Brown (6409768 | 2644)
• New printed head, torso and legs

Victoria 

• features a new printed head and body.

Rare Elements

The following elements are not new, but have not appeared in many sets before, or are otherwise interesting.

• Windscreen 5 x 6 x 2 Curved Top Canopy with 4 Studs in Bright Yellow/ Yellow (6306879 | 61484) has appeared in 1 other set in 2020. Found in 41741.
• Brick Arch 1 x 6 x 3 1/3 Curved Top in Vibrant Coral/ Coral (6259775 | 30935) has been seen in 2 other sets. Found in 41738.
• Brick 1 x 6 in Lavender (6097869 | 3009) was last seen in 2017. Found in 41727.
• Brick 1 x 1 x 5 with Solid Stud in Lavender (6099351 | 2453) was introduced last year in 2 sets. Found in 41727.
• Bracket 2 x 2 with 1 x 2 Vertical Studs in Dark Azure (6424641 | 41682) has only appeared in the Employe Gift set 4002022 10 Years of Friendship, so this is the first appearance in a customer set. Found in 41727.
• Slope Curved 3 x 4 x 2/3 Triple Curved with 2 Sunk Studs in Bright Yellow/ Yellow (6397593 | 93604) appeared in 2 other sets in 2022. Found in 41727.
• Slope Inverted 45° 2 x 2 [Ovoid Bottom Pin, Bar-sized Stud Holes] in Cool Yellow/ Bright Light Yellow (6373311 | 3660) has only appeared in 77941 Might Dinosaurs (Blue Version), which was a limited local pilot set. Found in 41741.
• Plate Round Corner 2 x 6 Double in Bright Green (6134287 | 18980) was introduced in 2022 in 2 sets. Found in 41727 and 41741.
• Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 1 in Bright Green (6384591 | 36841) has appeared in 2 sets prior. Found in 41738.
• Plate Round Corner 2 x 6 Double in Vibrant Coral/ Coral (6386989 | 18980) has appeared in 1 set in 2022. Found in 41741.

Missing from the photo is Plate 1 x 8 in Vibrant Coral/ Coral (6259772 | 3460), seen in 2 sets prior. Found in 41727.

The Build

41738 Dog Rescue Bike

I’ll start off with set 41738: with 125 parts, the smallest of the group. The set is divided into 2 builds. One is the bike itself, towing a cart that can fit Victoria. The other build is a picnic area. There are clues that a dog is nearby; paw prints, a collar and a poo. And indeed, hidden behind a shrubbery we find the unnamed pup shown on the posters all throughout Heartlake City. 

It’s a fun little set that will appeal to younger or inexperienced builders, or as an addition to a city layout. 

41741 Dog Rescue Van

41741 Dog Rescue Van, with 300 parts, is the medium-sized set. It brings us Nova and Dr. Marlon, who search for dogs in need of rescuing.

Nova notices a poo near a bus stop, and after a little search she finds a scratched up dachshund in a walking harness called Pickle hiding in a cardboard box. Behind the box is an axle that you can push to make Pickle jump out of the box. A quick call sends Dr. Marlon in his van to pick up the dog in need.

The van carries a detachable module that can fold open. Inside the module we find everything that is needed for first aid and to transport the rescued dog to the Dog Rescue Center. I am wondering how they get the module on and off the van though.

41727 Dog Rescue Center

At 617 parts, the largest set in the group is the Dog Rescue Center. Here we find everything to nurture the dogs back to health so they can be adopted.

The first section of the build consists of some side-builds: a play area, a bath and a message board with dogs in need of a new home.

The large building in beautiful Lavender consists of a ground floor with a waiting area, and an attic with medical equipment. I love the unusual roof with large skylights.

Once the dogs have been examined, they go to their personal dog run. The dog runs are detachable and you can easily expand the center by building more runs. Grace has the nicest run, complete with a treehouse and slide. The run in the middle is empty and judging by the hole in the wall, it looks like we have an escapee!

With all sections connected, the Dog Rescue Center forms a pretty big build.

Conclusion

I really like these sets. There is something for each budget, working as stand-alone sets as well as a combined pack.

In terms of new elements; we get 5 new dogs, 4 new hair pieces and some prints for minidolls. As for ‘normal’ parts, there's not much new here; just 4 recolours, including Pickle’s wheels. Not the greatest harvest for 3 sets. The 41727 Dog Rescue Center does provide you with a nice quantity of standard Lavender bricks, so that might be interesting MOC-fodder.

Editor: Chris Baginski

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