LEGO® DREAMZzz™ set review: 71461 Fantastical Tree House

In the dreamworld, trees have blue leaves and they're filled with grandmothers, toasting bagels.

 

 

Along with the vehicle and mech sets common in action and adventure themes, the August 2023 range of LEGO® DREAMZzz™ also presents us with two place-based sets. Today I'm taking a nap in one of them, 71461 Fantastical Tree House.

Products in this article were provided by LEGO®; the author's opinions are their own.
LEGO® DREAMZzz™ 71461 Fantastical Tree House
US$109.99/ £94.99/ 104.99€/ AU$179.99
1257 parts
1 August 2023
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Noteworthy parts in 71461 Fantastical Tree House

New moulds

• 4 x Flame/Vapor Trail 3 x 14 with Dark Azure Center and Axle Hole, in Trans-Blue (6435597 | 1995)

The "Splat" is the signature part of this theme, and this blue one is the most common version - it comes in three sets. With four of them, this set has the most Splats!

• 2 x 'Diddy Tail' Animal Body Part / Plant, Tail / Vine Curled with Bar, in White (6430887 | 1997)

These pieces premiered in the DREAMZzz sets; they don't have any connections save the 3.18 mm bar at the end.

New recolours in 71461 Fantastical Tree House

• 11 x Plant, Leaves 6 x 5 in Bright Blue/ Blue (6443504 | 2417)

The classic leaf part has appeared in many colours that are not traditionally associated with plant life, but this is the first time this piece appears in classic blue. 

• 1 x Cable, Flexible 21L with 2 Connectors and Bars in Bright Green (6443503 | 2630)
• 4 x Technic Beam 1 x 15 Thick in Medium Nougat (6445181 | 32278)
• 1 x Equipment Hourglass with Pearl Gold Sand in Trans-Clear (6440804)

The hourglass is common thorough the theme and Z-Blob's Bright Green cable also appears in two other larger sets. 

• 1 x Door Frame 4 x 4 x 6 Corner in Reddish Brown (6443500 | 28327)

I was surprised to see that this angled window/door frame is new in Reddish Brown, as the colour is very logical for frames. It's a good piece, both for facades and supporting inner structures.

New prints in 71461 Fantastical Tree House

• 1 x Dish 3 x 3 Inverted with Medium Azure Spots Print in Dark Purple (6434211)
• 1 x  Dish 3 x 3 Inverted with Yellowish Green Spots Print in Magenta (6434210)
• 1 x Large Figure Shoulder Cover, Armor, Round, Smooth with Grimkeeper Print in White (6434219)

Only the magenta dish is unique to this set. The purple tile is used on Dreamling Mushroom Little Dude, and the CCBS shoulder pad face is identical to Grimkeeper the Cage Monster.

• 1 x Tile, Round 1 x 1 with cat eye and lid pattern in Black (6434213)

This piece is used on Night Hunter's crossbow. Luckily we get an extra, as most creature builds need two eyes!

Rare parts in 71461 Fantastical Tree House

• 2 x Door Frame 1 x 4 x 4 (Lift) in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6438243 | 40527) - in 2 other sets
• 3 x Window 1 x 2 x 2 Flat Front in Bright Green (6438902 | 79128) - also in 76422 Diagon Alley Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes
• 6 x Window 1 x 2 x 2 Flat Front in Bright Yellow/ Yellow (6424329 | 79128) - in 2 other sets

•  8 x Brick Arch 1 x 4 x 3 in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6443501 | 80543) - in 2 other sets

On first look I missed this recolour of the relatively recent arch mold, as it looks like a 1x5x4 Arch. 

• 1 x Bar 4L (Lightsaber Blade / Wand) in Flame Yellowish Orange/ Bright Light Orange (6376752 | 21462 | 30374) - in 2 other sets
•  1 x Weapon Lightsaber Hilt with Bottom Ring in Flame Yellowish Orange/ Bright Light Orange (6134252 | 64567) - also in 10294 Titanic, with 1 extra

These Bright Light Orange pieces make up Mateo's pencil spear, making them common in the theme.

• 2 x Brick Round 1.5 x 1.5 Dome Top [Plain] in Bright Reddish Violet/ Magenta (6442189 | 37840) - also in in 43215 The Enchanted Treehouse
• 2 x Plate Special 1 x 2 with Handles on Ends in Dark Stone Grey / Dark Bluish Gray (6396395 | 18649) - in 2 other sets
• 1 x Tile Round 2 x 4 in Bright Red/ Red (6438015 | 66857) - also in 76914 Ferrari 812 Competizione
• 3 x Plate Round 4 x 4 with Pin Hole in Medium Lilac/ Dark Purple (6249240 | 60474) - in 2 other sets
• 6 x Launcher, Plate Special 1 x 2 with Mini Blaster Square in Silver Metallic/ Flat Silver (6345950 | 69754) - in 2 other sets, and other DREAMZzz sets
  

• 1 x Bar, Angled with Stud on End in Black (6443416 | 65578) -  also in 21340 Tales of the Space Age

This part is used on Snivel Little Dude, but might interest many builders; fortunately we get an extra one.

• 6 x Plate 1 x 1 in Sand Blue (4153288 | 3024) - in 3 other sets
• 1 x Tile Special 2 x 2 Corner with Cut Corner - Facet in Sand Blue (6398674 | 27263) - in 2 other sets
• 2 x Technic Beam 1 x 7 Thick in Reddish Brown (6179614 | 32524) - in 2 other sets
• 4 x Plate Round Corner 3 x 3 with 2 x 2 Round Cutout in Brick Yellow/ Tan (6397561 | 68568) - in 2 other sets
• 14 x Brick Special 1 x 1 x 1 2/3 with Studs on 1 Side in Medium Nougat
• (6422082 | 32952) - also in 76422 Diagon Alley Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes
• 2 x Tile Round 1 x 1 with Black Off-Center Dot/Circle/Eye print in White (6384891) - also in 21331 Sonic the Hedgehog – Green Hill Zone

The simple dot eye is fun, and I'm glad to see it getting another appearance in a non-licensed set.

• 1 x Plate Special 1 x 3 Rounded with 3 Open Studs in Black (6428168 | 77850)
• 1 x Plate 1 x 1 x 2/3 Half Round with Side Stud in Black (6424674 | 3386)

Also, while not super rare, the D-SNOT and 1x3 Rounded Plate deserve a mention for their newness; one of each is provided.

 The sticker sheet

The sticker sheet is very large. I applied only some that I felt improved the model. I have a couple of things to critique on this sheet. 

I'm not against stickers in particular; I like the freedom of applying them if I want, and the possibility of using them on some other, more versatile parts. But I'm bewildered by the background colour of stickers being different "official" colours than the parts they're applied on! For example, the smiling toadstool sticker #4 is Medium Azure but is applied to a Dark Turquoise piece, and the Izzy sticker #1 is Yellow but applied on Bright Light Orange piece. Why can't they just match? It would make both the set and new MOCs look more flush.

My second point of criticism is the stickers with accessories printed on - here, the bed sheets. I'm a bit unhappy that Izzy and Mateo always have the same unkempt beds with the same books on them. If they were brick-built they could be part of the play. 

These points aside, most of the stickers are very cool - the US-style street signs, great graffiti designs and typography, and the extra stickers that are not numbered.

For comparison, here's the official picture of the set with stickers on:

 

©2023 The LEGO Group

The minifigures in 71461 Fantastical Tree House

This set totals four normal minifigures and three little dudes; Snivel, Mrs. Castillo, Izzy, Dreamling Mushroom, Mateo, Z-Blob and Night Hunter. None are exclusive to this set, but Mateo and Izzy are the best-equipped expensive set versions with a cape and a skirt. Mrs. Castillo is delightful as always and even the Little Dudes - who I have bashed in the past for being too much like Funko-Pops - are the better ones; Z-blob's amiable eyes and Snivel's huge head are very nice. Izzy also comes with the new sword piece  (6430886 | 1996).

For a more detailed look on the figures of this theme, check our DREAMZzz introduction article.

 Amidst the Blue Leaves Lived a Grandmother

This is a large, cheerful and colourful set. Aside from the winged Grimkeeper monster and the two smaller baddies, it isn't especially combat-oriented. In the picture they're all friends and Grimkeeper is giving a hell of a swing to a euphoric Mrs. Castillo. As we all know, treehouses make the perfect base for any action.

The ladders go up to the second story with the door. Izzy's cube is on the third story, Mateo's on the fourth, and Castillo's terrace is on the attic. The arrangement can be easily changed as these modules are connected with nice bar-clip connection. The long zipline swing has a rotating function - the flag is turned to swing it, and it works fairly well.

The trunk of the tree is made of suitably earthy colours, the leaves look marvelous in different blues and the sibling's cubes bring some neat contrast to the scheme. Note that I didn't apply the aforementioned Medium Azure sticker on the Dark Turquoise tile above the mushroom stand - it infuriated me too much.

It's a neat detail how the different colours make up the layers of the tree with its reddish brown bark. The rooms are not very spacious, but it isn't a problem. The structure is strong and well-designed. Only the mushroom lamp on Izzy's room tends to pop out when grabbing the tree from the front. The branched and leaves look good on this side too.

On the ground level we meet too brick-built extra characters, the postman automaton and the carnivorous plant. The postman is cute, featuring cheerful eyes, a little propeller and a small flag to indicate there's a new letter; it might be somehow related to Junkbot. The plant reminds me of Piranha plants from Super Mario and has a neat colour scheme combining vibrant hues with Black. It might be evil, the first sign of creeping corruption, or it might just be a plant that eats baddies.

The flying Grimkeeper Monster has a cage in its chest so it can capture a minifigure. It's a simple and neatly poseable character, but some of the grey pieces stand out, irritatingly.

Izzy's cube is birthday party-themed, befitting the cheerful appearance of the character.

Mateo's cube is Z-Blob themed and I like the slime drips. The stickered pieces are pretty cool and I like the use of a spoiler piece as a small awning above the Bright Green windows. The upwards-shooting blasters are a bit weird though. 

Mrs. Castillo doesn't get a cube, but her platform has a bagel kitchen! The enlarged disk-shooter toaster is well-working an fun, and the ring tiles all around show different stages of toasted bagels. Note that I left out the sticker on a 3 x 3 Round Tile; it didn't look good on it.

I have to emphasize these mushrooms; they're so cute! The various toadstool designs are well-rounded.

I think it's slightly problematic to have a stove inside a treehouse, but this is the dreamworld, so why not. The 2x2 ball joint plate makes a nice baking tray. 

Conclusion

71461 Fantastical Tree House is a traditional brick-built good-guys' base set. The overall tone is friendly and cheerful, though there is some conflict in the shape of three bad guys and alternative defense modes of the add-on cubes. The level of detail is what you'd expect for a €100+ set; there aren't many action features, but the three-dimensional spatial structure along with modest number of high-detailed minifigures should offer enough fun for those up to play.

As a visual piece, it works well. The blue leaves bring a cool twist on the treehouse concept given that this isn't the first large LEGO treehouse set by any means. I like the robust, gently curving branches, and the foliage made of leaf pieces and hanging splats looks dense enough. I think that one additional branch would have been the most effective way to improve this set visually, but 5 isn't bad.

The piece-per-part ratio of 1257 parts for US$109.99/ £94.99/ €104.99/ AU$179.99 is one of the better of the DREAMZzz theme, as the set is a very traditional brick-build with many usual parts. Nevertheless, there is a fine selection of goodies, from 4 splats to 11 classic leaves in Blue. As far as large DREAMZzz sets go, this easily surpasses 71460 Mr. Oz's Space Bus, which I will review soon. The choice between this and 71469 Nightmare Shark Ship is a matter of personal choice; good dreams or bad dreams?

READ MORE: LEGO® Super Mario™ parts review of 71417 Fliprus Snow Adventure and 71419 Peach's Garden Balloon Ride, with MOCs by Eero

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