LEGO® Friends review: 41728 & 41733: Thought for Food

I’ve reviewed so many sets from the January 2023 wave of LEGO® Friends, I’m in need of some food and a drink... which these two sets will provide.

41728 Heartlake Downtown Diner has some great sandwiches for me, and 41733 Mobile Bubble Tea Shop serves a refreshing beverage which, according to my children, is made of a combination of milk, tea, flavored syrup and tapioca pearls for a chewy texture. I’ll have a coffee, black.

Products in this article were provided by LEGO®; the author's opinions are their own.
LEGO® Friends 41728 Heartlake Downtown Diner
US$29.99/ £24.99/ 29.99€/ AU$44.99
346 parts
1 January 2023
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LEGO® Friends 41733 Mobile Bubble Tea Shop
US$9.99/ £8.99/ 9.99€/ AU$15.99
109 parts
1 January 2023
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Recolors

The diner gives us 6 recolors:

• Door Frame 1 x 6 x 6 in Cool Yellow/ Bright Light Yellow (6376998 | 42205)
• Brick Arch 1 x 6 x 3 1/3 Curved Top in Bright Bluish Green/ Dark Turquoise (6390729 | 30935)
• Door 3 x 6 in Transparent/ Trans-Clear (6424464 | 80683)
• Wheel Skateboard / Trolley in Bright Bluish Green/ Dark Turquoise (6421682 | 2496)
• Brick Curved 1 x 4 x 2/3 Double Curved Top, No Studs in Vibrant Coral/ Coral (6422238 | 79756)
• Brick Curved 1 x 1 x 2/3 Double Curved Top, No Studs in Vibrant Coral/ Coral (6422223 | 49307)

Despite its small size, the Mobile Bubble Tea Shop has 4 recolors for us:

• Vehicle Body, Scooter Base in Bright Purple/ Dark Pink (6422091 | 36273)
• Bracket 1 x 2 - 2 x 2 Inverted in Bright Purple/ Dark Pink (6422440 | 99207)
• Brick Round 2 x 2 x 2 Robot Body (6421379 | 30361)
• Arm, Short, with Technic Pin in Lavender (6421382 | 28660)

New prints

Aside from the minidoll parts, the sets come with 3 new printed pieces:

• Shadow, found in 41728, brings both a recolor and a new print: Animal, Cat, Kitten Sitting with White Fur, Coral Nose print in Black (6416645 | 101251)
• Tile 1 x 2 with Smartphone, Mobile Game print in Bright Reddish Violet/ Magenta (6416593 | 101199) comes in 41733. Nova is playing a game in the first episode of The Next Chapter, the new LEGO Friends animation series, but the game is not named. Looks like a Pokemon Go  variant?
• Brick Round 1 x 1 with Dark Purple Dots (Bubble Tea) print in Lavender (6416592 | 101198) forms the cups of Bubble Tea in 41733.

Minidolls

The diner is run by Charli, and Aliya and Liann come in for a meal.

Charli

• Recolor for Hair Spiked in Aqua/ Light Aqua (6428177 | 18228)
• New print for head, torso and legs

Aliya

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

Liann

• New mold for Hair Long with Bun in Black (6409763 | 2633)
• When Liann is on her skateboard, she wears a new mold for Hair and Helmet, Long with Bright Light Orange Helmet Pattern in Black (6406097 | 2137)
• New print for head, torso and legs

The Mobile Bubble Tea Shop is operated by Matilde, with Nova needing a refreshing drink.

Nova

• New mold for Hair Long Wavy/Curly in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6409761 | 2632)
• New print for head and torso
• New mold for Minidoll Hips and Folded Trousers with Nougat Legs, Black/White Shoes print in Sand Blue (6418003 | 101347)

Matilda

Matilda is relatively boring, as she only has a new print for head, torso and legs. Her hair has appeared in several sets prior.

Rare elements

There are a few elements that are not new, but worth mentioning:

• Plate 10 x 10 Half Circle in Lavender (6407529 | 80031) has appeared in 1 other set. There are 2 in 41728.
• Plate Round Corner 6 x 6 in Cool Yellow/ Bright Light Yellow (6054414 | 6003) has appeared in 2 sets back in 2014. We get 2 in 41728.
• Brick Arch 1 x 6 x 2 Curved Top in Bright Bluish Green/ Dark Turquoise (6383990 | 24434) has been in 1 other set in 2022. We get 2 here in 41733.
• Brick Curved 1 x 4 x 2/3 Double Curved Top, No Studs in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6375672 | 79756) has been seen in 2 other sets, and we get 1 in 41728.
• Bracket 2 x 2 with 1 x 2 Vertical Studs in Bright Red/ Red (6393287 | 41682) has only been seen in a 2022 HP set. We get 1 in 41728.

The build

41728 Heartlake Downtown Diner

First, we build some side-builds in the form of an arcade game and a jukebox. There is also a booth, not connected to the main building. The color scheme has a great nostalgic feel, but still fits well within Heartlake City.

On to the main building, where we have a register, the completed side-builds and a drive through window. The interior feels a bit minimalistic. 

The finished build adds more color, and the front side looks great. The backside feels a bit chaotic though, with an unfinished look.

I love the ‘drive through’ with the skateboard sign. And only a cat would be so cheeky to pose by its own WANTED poster.

And if you’re wondering why there is a gear sticking out behind the jukebox: this thing can play such catchy tunes, it even needs to bust a move itself.

41733 Mobile Bubble Tea Shop

The bubble tea shop is small and therefore a quick build, but despite this, it’s not boring. The mascot is a great addition, and the inside of the shop contains all details needed to create the best bubble tea blends.

Conclusion

The 41728 Heartlake Downtown Diner is a cute set, and looking at the front it works. The finished interior works as well, but I would prefer a more finished look on the sign on the side and the roof. The best way to describe it would be that it feels a bit "movie-set" for me, with the section that is from the camera’s view looking great, but the stuff around it seeming unfinished.

The set packs some interesting recolors and rare elements, in a relatively cheap box.

The 41733 Mobile Bubble Tea Shop works well. There is not much to talk about: it’s a small set with a small price tag, fitting nicely in your LEGO city. The lavender round brick and arms are great for brick-built figures.

In closing

With 17 sets now built, I had the perfect opportunity to build Heartlake City. So I grabbed a couple of road plates and gathered the buildings. 

This is actually my first LEGO city layout, and it's far from finished, but I just wanted to have a look at all sets (excluding the bedroom sets) together. I'll now hand them over to my children, who lent their poorly lit bedroom for this display.

If you missed any of my articles, you can find my LEGO Friends January 2023 reviews here.

READ MORE: LEGO® Technic parts review and MOC: 42140 App-Controlled Transformation Vehicle

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