LEGO® Friends parts review: 42639 Andrea's Modern Mansion

LEGO® Friends celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2022, and in 2023 we saw a relaunch of the theme. The Heartlake City Universe made a time jump, introducing a new generation of characters. But the old friends were not forgotten! The original group is meeting up in 42639 Andrea's Modern Mansion for a reunion and catching up on adventures since their ‘split’. We’ll join the party soon, but first we’ll be taking a look at all the new elements found in the set. And there is a new color!

Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own. This article contains affiliate links to LEGO.com; we may get a small commission if you purchase.
42639 Andrea's Modern Mansion
US$199.99/ £169.99/ 199.99€/ AU$349.99
2275 parts
1 January 2024
Set 42639 on LEGO.com

In addition to receiving a preview copy, I was invited on behalf of New Elementary to a roundtable discussion with the set's designer Wes Talbott and the creative lead for LEGO Friends, Fenella Charity. We discussed the design process, the completed set, and its new elements and some insights from Wes are included throughout this article.

With 2275 parts, 42639 Andrea's Modern Mansion is the largest LEGO Friends to date, beating 2023’s 41732 Downtown Flower and Design Stores by 265 parts. This is the first LEGO Friends set to carry the 14+ age mark, which seems out of place for a theme aimed at children, but there is a good reasoning behind the label.

We had a lot of insights when we were doing the relaunch about these kids who had grown up with LEGO Friends. When we started 11 years ago, we could see that there was a gap in the portfolio, around these really challenging builds that were about the mastery of building, that they wanted to build and have the mini-dolls in the sets as well. So we set out to make that brief; to make a set for older kids that could bridge to the future 18+ sets.

 - Wes Talbott

What this new age mark means for the build experience is a question that will have to wait for the second part of my review, as there are many new elements to explore first!

Introducing Reddish Orange

Arguably the biggest news of the 2024 sets is the introduction of a brand new color: 402 Reddish Orange.

It's something that I actually wanted back when teal came back. I was originally pitching red-orange and teal because they're complementary to each other, but red-orange took a little bit longer to finally get in. It's super exciting to slowly be getting more colors from the color wheel! There's a big gap between orange and red and whenever you have a gap between hues like that, you're missing out on opportunities of different combinations. Like teal for instance; it's not green, it's not blue; it's blue-green. And when you have that, you can do a lot more with it, which has been proven by the amount of blue-green that has been in sets across the entire portfolio.

The set gives us 3 parts in the new color: Tile 1 x 2, Tile 1 x 4 and Plate 1 x 2:

• Plate 1 x 2 in Reddish Orange (6466720 | 3023)
• Tile 1 x 2 with Groove in Reddish Orange (6469086 | 3069)
• Tile 1 x 4 with Groove in Reddish Orange (6467809 | 2431)

As Wes mentions, Reddish Orange fits in snugly between Orange and Red, completing the gradient of in-production colors shown above. From left to right we see:

• [BrickLink names] Bright Light Yellow, Yellow, Bright Light Orange, Orange, Reddish Orange (tbc if this is the BL name), Red, Dark Red
• [TLG IDs and names] 226 Cool Yellow, 24 Bright Yellow, 191 Flame Yellowish Orange, 106 Bright Orange, 402 Reddish Orange, 21 Bright Red, 154 New Dark Red

You can see how it fits in with more LEGO colors in Caz’s review of 80054 for Megapolis City 5th Anniversary.

New molds 

We are treated to 3 new molds, starting with a thick fern piece. 

Plant, Fern 3 x 4 x 2 2/3 (part 5151)

Plant, Fern 3 x 4 x 2 2/3 appears here in Lime (6460334 | 5151) and, as shown above, is a bigger version of Plant, Fern 2 x 3 x 2 (2682).

[Of the elements found in the set] my favorite is probably the big fern because it is just a natural follow up to the small fern, allowing for differently styled palm trees which we haven't been able to do before.

The drawing above left is a sketch by Wes, taken from his Instagram account, showing the design process of the new fern pieces. The mold is designed to follow the curve of 80543 Brick Arch 1 x 4 x 3. As you can see in my photo above right, the mold fits the curve very well, providing options for architectural usage.

The eagle-eyed among you will note a different between the sketch and final element: its base has a semicircular cut out - a half Technic hole - to allow space for a cross axle or bar, to sandwich builds together.

 

Brick Round Corner 3 x 3 Macaroni Wide with 2 Studs (part 5152)

Macaroni bricks have been around for a long time. The 4 x 4 version is already 19 years old, and for the original 2 x 2 version we need to go all the way back to 1955. Now, the 3 x 3 version has arrived as well!

Brick Round Corner 3 x 3 Macaroni Wide with 2 Studs will appear in multiple sets in 2024, and we get 6 here in White (6472905 | 5152). This finally bridges the gap in the LEGO Wi-Fi icon! Now we just need a Brick Round 1 x 1 Quarter for the finishing touch.

The 3x3 curve brick has been missing for quite a while. We use a lot of curvy shapes in a LEGO Friends models, so that's really filling in a gap there.

 

Tile 8 x 16 with gloss finish (48974)

The final new mold was a surprise to me, as I couldn’t spot it on the box art. Tile 8 x 16 is ideal for tiling a large surface, but the matte finish can stick out like a sore thumb next to other elements.

But no more, as there is now a version with a shiny finish, found here in Black (6484420 | 48974). The makeover doesn’t seem necessary for its usage in this set, so I assume it was created with a different reason. 

The shine comes with a downside though: beware of fingerprints, and my tile came out of the box with some scratch marks. Unfortunately the sprue mark has not been moved so is still prominent in the center.
The bottom of the element is the same as the most recent matte mold ID 90498 (seen in yellow on the left, old version 42888 is in dark gray on the right). The remaining question is, of course: will the Tile 6 x 6 get the same makeover?

Elements in new colors

There are a whopping 17 recolors to be found. The garage roller door sections stick out to me the most. I love it when a part that has been around for decades (1981 in this case) is still in use and receives recolorings. The fact that the part is used outside of its original purpose makes it even better.

The whole team loves gradients so we felt like it was worth doing 3 new colors of the garage door to get a gradient not only in the building itself, but also in the glass.

• Wheel Arch, Mudguard 4 x 2 x 2 in Dark Turquoise (6465251 | 3387) marks the 5th color for this mold introduced in 2023
• Garage Roller Door Section without Handle in Trans-Yellow (6472880 | 4218)
• Garage Roller Door Section without Handle in Trans-Orange (6472881 | 4218)
• Garage Roller Door Section without Handle in Trans-Dark Pink (6472882 | 4218)
• Brick Special 6 x 6 x 5 with Gear Hole, 3 x 4 Plate in Black (6472889 | 3863)
  
• Windscreen 4 x 6 x 1 1/3 in Trans-Dark Pink (6480901 | 3384)

This is the first appearance of the ‘Kitty Elevator’ without a print. I took a closer look at this intriguing new LEGO elevator part and its worm gear family here.

• Brick Curved 1 x 2 x 2/3 Double Curved Top, No Studs in Dark Turquoise (6466044 | 3563)
• Slope Curved 3 x 2 with Stud Notch Right in Dark Turquoise (6472883 | 80178)
• Slope Curved 3 x 2 with Stud Notch Left in Dark Turquoise (6472884 | 80177)
• Wheel 18 x 12 with Pin Hole and Stud in Coral (6472888 | 66727)
• Tile Special 2 x 2 with 2 Quarter Round Cutouts in Coral (6469522 | 3396)
• Plate Special 2 x 2 x 2/3 with Two Studs On Side and Two Raised - Updated Version in Dark Azure (6470176 | 4304)
• Brick 1 x 2 without Bottom Tube in Trans-Orange (6466832 | 3065) is another recolor of an old part of which I was sure it already existed. This element will also appear in LEGO® DREAMZzz™ 71475 Mr. Oz's Space Car, as recently discussed by Zach
• Brick Round 1 x 1 Open Stud in Trans-Purple Opal (6464814 | 3062), also to appear in the LEGO Friends space-themed set 42605 Mars Space Base and Rocket
• Slope Curved 2 x 1 No Studs [1/2 Bow] in Trans-Red (6468878 | 11477)
• Glass for Window 1 x 2 x 3 Flat Front in Trans-Dark Pink (6473065 | 60602)
• Animal, Bird, Bright with new print in Lime (6466743 | 3918) is the only non-minidoll part that has gets a new print, and is also new to Lime. I was surprised to find this mold in a LEGO Friends set, as I expected it to be "IP-locked" to the Sonic sets it first appeared in.

Mini-dolls

Graphic designer Anne Godsk went all-out creating adult versions of the original LEGO Friends, bringing us 10 minidolls, 2 of which are new characters. In addition to the original LEGO Friends group we have Andrea’s husband and retired K-pop star Ji-Won and their daughter Imani; and from the new group, Leo, Autumn, and Paisley are present.

• Andrea comes with a recolor for Hair Braids, Long, Knot in Dark Brown (6473409 | 83345) as well as new prints for Head, Torso and Legs.
• Ji-Won is a retired K-pop star, so his Hair Swept Back with Slight Widow's Peak and Short Side Burns [Plain] in Sand Yellow/ Dark Tan (6231623 | 25972) is a fitting choice, as it has appeared in 2 previous sets including 21339 BTS Dynamite. He also comes with a new print for Head, Torso and Legs
• Imani comes with new prints for Head and Body.

• Stephanie, Olivia and Emma both come with new prints for their heads, torsos and legs. 
• Mia is the only one to reuse prints. Her head is the adult version that has been seen in just 2 sets previously. The torso is all new, and her legs have been seen in 41711 Emma's Art School from 2022.

Lastly, the new generation. 

• Leo appeared in this assembly in 2 other sets.
• Autumn also reuses parts; her torso has been seen once before, and she borrows her pants from Charli who wore them once. 
• Paisley is only wearing a new shirt.

Rare elements

There are many elements to be found that have appeared in just a few sets. I’ll be limiting this list to those who have been seen in a single set prior to the release of this set.

• Door Frame 3 x 6 x 6 with Inside Grooves in White (6427520 | 3417)
• Panel 4 x 4 x 3 Quarter Cylinder in Transparent Light Blue/ Trans-Light Blue (6444526 | 4041)
• 3544 Wedge Plate 8 x 3, 8° Left in Medium Stone Grey/ Light Bluish Gray (6448326 | 3544)
• Plate 10 x 10 with Rounded End in Reddish Brown (6443639 | 80031)
• Wedge Plate 8 x 3, 8° Right in Medium Stone Grey/ Light Bluish Gray (6448327 | 3545)

• Slope Curved 4 x 1 No Studs [Stud Holder with Symmetric Ridges] in Bright Bluish Green/ Dark Turquoise (6446190 | 11153)
• Brick Round 2 x 2 with Axle Hole in Medium Nougat (6454167 | 6143)
• Wedge Sloped 45° 2 x 2 Corner in Medium Nougat (6452538 | 13548)
• Brick Curved 1 x 4 x 1 2/3 in White (6433643 | 3573)
• Slope Inverted 45° 6 x 1 Double with 1 x 4 Cutout in Medium Nougat (6466240 | 52501)
• Bracket 2 x 2 with 1 x 2 Vertical Studs in Bright Blue/ Blue (6446707 | 41682)
• Tile 2 x 6 in Bright Bluish Green/ Dark Turquoise (6450970 | 69729)
• Technic Brick 1 x 4 [3 Holes] in Light Royal Blue/ Bright Light Blue (6383136 | 3701)
• Plant, Flower with Pointed Petals and Pin in Cool Yellow/ Bright Light Yellow (6451205 | 18853)
• Equipment Cup / Teacup Saucer with Recessed Stud on Top in Transparent/ Trans-Clear (6450883 | 3576)
• Tile 1 x 2 with Orange Koi print in Transparent Light Blue/ Trans-Light Blue (6459216 | 105178)

Conclusion

Set 42639 Andrea's Modern Mansion brings a unique structure both in design and scale to Heartlake City. To achieve this, it comes with a wide assortment of new molds and recolors, making it a great parts pack for MOC designers. I was hoping to see more of the new Reddish Orange, but there are enough parts to at least start figuring out new color schemes in anticipation for more.

The 3 x 3 Macaroni brick has been long anticipated, and the thick fern will open up new possibilities for foliage. I’m curious which set will utilize the shiny Tile 8 x 16 to its full potential first, as it doesn’t seem to be particularly necessary in this set. And with 17 recolors, chances are there is one that fits your needs.

Hop in the car (if there is room) as we ride to the construction site for the build itself.

READ MORE: LEGO® DREAMZzz™ 2024 new parts and minifigures, and design team interview

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