Review: 42656 Heartlake City Airport and Airplane from LEGO® Friends™

“Come on and fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away”

Heartlake City Airlines flies all over the world, and its passengers bring back exotic new elements from their travels for you to enjoy. So fasten your seatbelts as we go on a journey.

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.

42656 Heartlake City Airport and Airplane

• Release date: 1 January 2025
• Pieces: 958

Price: 

• US$ 99.99 on LEGO.com US
• CA$ 129.99 on LEGO.com Canada
• GB£ 89.99 on LEGO.com UK
• AU$ 149.99 on LEGO.com Australia
• NZ$ 179.99 on LEGO.com New Zealand
• DE€ 99,99 on LEGO.com Deutschland
• NL€ 99,99 on LEGO.com Nederland
• FR€ 99,99 on LEGO.com France
• PLN 429.99 on LEGO.com Polska
• NOK 1399,90 on LEGO.com Norge
• DKK 899.95 on LEGO.com Danmark

Other countries click here

 

Multiple commercial airlines have landed in Heartlake City, starting with 41109 Heartlake City Airport in 2015. Five years later, another plane landed thanks to 41429 Heartlake City Airplane, this time only providing a small desk to serve as an ‘airport’. And right on schedule, another five years later we see the arrival of this year's set: 42656 Heartlake City Airport and Airplane. With 958 parts it’s the largest of the trio, and appears to feature the most details.

New molds

The family of curved elements has grown over the years, and in 2025 this growth continues with 3 new additions found in this set alone.

Brick Arch 1 x 3 x 1 2/3 Curved Top (LEGO part 5843)

The first new element is Brick Arch 1 x 3 x 1 2/3 Curved Top, coming here in White (6519990). 

This addition has an older sibling who shares a lot of DNA, as it is very similar to Brick Arch 1 x 3 x 2 Curved Top. The main difference is that the new arrival has its underside shortened by 1 plate height. This gives the curve a full quarter circle radius without a straight bit at the bottom which the older sibling features. This older sibling has appeared in 2 versions; the original part 6005 from 1995 (seen in red above) has a perfect circular radius, while the more recent version part 92903 (seen in bright light orange) has a slightly tighter curve. The new part 5843 lines up with the older 6005, while sticking out slightly further than 92903.

Brick Curved 1 x 2 x 1 with Curved Top (LEGO part 5841)

A similar story is told for Brick Curved 1 x 2 x 1 with Curved Top, appearing here in White (6519990 | 5841).

This new curve is the shortened version of Brick Curved 1 x 2 x 1 1/3 with Curved Top (6091 & 32807), which has been around since 1992, and features a perfect quarter circle.

READ MORE: Check out Eero’s review of 10344 Lucky Bamboo for more details on part 5841

Brick Arch 1 x 5 x 3 1/3 Curved Top (LEGO part 5845)

This mold is not new for 2025, as it first appeared in 2024 in set 21353 The Botanical Garden, but this is the first time it appears in one of our blog posts.

Like the previous 2 new molds, this one is an update on an existing curve. Where the other 2 lost a plate at the bottom, here the part loses a plate at the protrusion, compared to its sibling Brick Arch 1 x 6 x 3 1/3 Curved Top (6060, 15967 – seen above in bright light orange. This shortening allows for more flexibility when fitting in your models, especially when lining up nicely with Brick Round Corner 5 x 5 x 3 1/3 Dome Top (76776 – seen above in sand green). If you tried using two of the bright light orange versions either side of the corner brick, their 2-module extensions would collide.

I wonder why LEGO has decided to update all these curves, and how many more we’ll see in the future.

Baby-doll (6569 & 111388)

My favorite new molds for 2025 so far are the baby-dolls; the mini-doll answer to the minifigure baby. Similarly, the baby-dolls come in 2 parts connected by a bar connection: a body, appearing here in light nougat (6531643 | 111388) and a head in light nougat (6569 | 6520904). 

The baby-dolls are roughly the same size as minifigure babies, and feature the same bar-sized hands which are placed slightly higher.

Recolors

The following elements appear in a new color:

• 1x Plate 6 x 8 in Bright Light Orange (6524442 | 3036)

The airplane brings some large fuselage pieces in new colors:

• Aircraft Fuselage Curved Forward 6 x 10 x 4 Top with 2 Trans-Blue Window Panes in White (6524516 | 69953)
• 1x Aircraft Fuselage Curved Aft Section 6 x 10 Bottom in Dark Turquoise (6524513 | 87616)
• 1x Aircraft Fuselage 8 x 8 Bottom with 4 Pin Holes in Dark Turquoise (6524465 | 5118)
• 1x Aircraft Fuselage Curved Forward 6 x 10 Bottom, 2 Pin Holes in Dark Turquoise (6524464 | 5122)

• 4x Plant, Fern 3 x 4 x 2 in Green (6524463 | 5151)
• 2x Brick 1 x 2 x 5 without Side Supports in Trans-Yellow (6524461 | 46212)

Decorated elements

Aside from the mini-doll parts, there are 3 new printed elements to be found:

Dango the pug receives a new print in Tan (6520283) also appears in polybag 30697 Nova's Doghouse Build.

Of course, when visiting the airport, don't forget to bring your tickets!

• 2x Tile 1 x 2 with Groove with Coral/Dark Blue Plane Ticket print in White (6520905)
• 2x Tile 1 x 2 with Groove with Gold Ticket, Globe print in Dark Purple (6520906)

The remaining decorations are handled by this sticker sheet.

Mini-dolls

The set comes with 8 characters. I’ve already mentioned the baby Emilia, so let’s take a closer look at the 7 mini-dolls.

Zac comes with a newly printed torso in Reddish Brown (6530131), and his legs in Blue (6530132 | 5789) are a new mold for 2025.

Nova features a newly printed torso in Nougat (6531558) and newly printed legs in Dark Turquoise (6531576).

Eva is new to Heartlake City. Her Hair Long with Bun is new in Bright Light Yellow (6533399 | 2633) and sports a newly printed head in Light Nougat (6520900) and torso in Light Nougat (6532377).

Celine is also new, and introduces a new hairpiece in Black (6510743 | 6968). Her head in Medium Brown (6520883), torso in Medium Brown (6531823) and legs in Medium Azure (6531914) have a new print.

New character Raj has a recolored hairpiece in Light Bluish Grey (6531981 | 23186). His head in Medium Nougat (6520896) and torso in Medium Nougat (6531982) show a new print.

The new pilot Yvette also comes with newly printed parts: head in Nougat (6520887), torso in Nougat (6532144) and legs in Dark Turquoise (6532139).

I’ve saved newcomer Ryan for last. This character comes with recolored hair in Reddish Brown (6520911). His head in Warm Tan (6520891) and torso in Warm Tan (6532232) are new prints, and his legs in Red (6532231) are of the same new mold as Zac has. 

Ryan is wearing a lanyard showing sunflowers, a result of a partnership between TLG and Hidden Disabilities Sunflower:

The company is partnering with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to create awareness through LEGO products; supported by employee training. The Sunflower has become a globally recognised symbol allowing individuals to discreetly share that they have a non-visible condition which may require extra support, time, space or understanding whilst going about their day - whether that be in travel, shopping, at work or in public spaces.

– The LEGO Group 

I truly appreciate this inclusion; being on the spectrum myself along with 2 of my children, we have used these lanyards and they have been proven to be effective when the situation calls for them. 

I would like to add that the Sunflower is not part of the ‘universal attire’ of the neurodiverse community: speaking for my family, we only bring them when we know we will be in a situation that will call for their use, while in most day-to-day activities they stay at home. Depicting all neurodivergent characters wearing a lanyard all of the time would be like depicting a F1 driver wearing a helmet at the breakfast table; it’s only used when needed. In that regard I like the description of the lanyard appearing in 10305 Tudor Corner; “The 3,266-piece set also includes an apartment – where the character's lanyard is kept at the entrance, ready for her outings.”

Other interesting elements

The following elements are not new, but rare enough as of time of writing to be worth mentioning.

• 4x Plate 8 x 16 in Bright Light Blue (6471320 | 92438) was last seen in 2017
• 1x Slope 45° 6 x 8 Double with 4 x 8 Cutout in White (6472692 | 5120) was introduced in a single set in 2024
• 1x Dish 6 x 6 Inverted (Radar) with Solid Studs in Trans-Orange (6372114 | 35327) has been used in 2 sets prior.

• 1x Brick Round 2 x 2 [Grill] in Medium Nougat (6481373 | 92947) has been seen in a single set in 2024
• 1x (+spare) Bar, Angled with Stud on End in Pearl Gold (6501270 | 65578) has been used in 2 sets.
• 1x Pram / Stroller in Dark Azure (6471940 | 5491) was introduced in 2024 and used in 2 sets prior to this wave.
• 2x Plate 1 x 12 in Lime (6392869 | 60479) has been used in 2 sets
• 1x Brick Curved 2 x 4 No Studs, Curved Top, with Groove in Bright Light Yellow (6301838 | 6192) was introduced by LEGO® Wicked sets
• 2x Slope Brick Curved 2 x 4 x 2/3 No Studs, with Bottom Tubes in Bright Light Orange (6156683 | 88930) was last seen in 2017
• 1x Technic Brick Special 2 x 2 with Pin Hole, Rotation Joint Ball Half [Horizontal Top] in White (6518957 | 48170) was introduced by 77072 Peely Bone. Read our review for set 77072.
• 1x Plate Special 1 x 4 Rounded with 2 Open Studs in White (6501816 | 77845) was use only in a single LEGO® Super Mario set before
• Tile Special 1 x 3 Inverted with Center Hole in Bright Light Orange (6257050 | 35459) was used in 2 sets back in 2019

The finished model

The finished model shows a colorful airport filled with small details and play features.

We start off with a taxi and two luggage trolleys, build using its own instruction manual. The clips allow the luggage to stay on while running to the gate. The taxi feels a bit standard. It would be nice to have opening doors or a trunk to load luggage into.

Next up is the airplane, again build using its own manual. I’m not a big fan of these vehicles in LEGO form, as they often rely on large fuselage parts. Still, there is enough added to make the build engaging, and the green shades look striking for an electric plane. I appreciate the designer creating a true representation of the amount of personal space modern airlines provide during a flight.

The airport itself is larger than I expected from the promotional images. Another pleasant surprise is the amount of LEGO® Technic involved to drive the various play functions, like this handbag scanner using the new worm gear.

More LEGO Technic is used for the baggage claim (top left) and the scanner ports showing a red or green light (bottom right). It looks like Junior might have brought in some contraband!

In the top right image we see a water cooler and a ticket scanner. The front of the airport has a transparent wall with a color gradient, leading to a curved corner with a great 3D micro-built plane for the sign. Those colors look stunning!

I’ve made a short video of all the play functions:

Conclusion

LEGO Friends set 42656 Heartlake City Airport and Airplane brings a surprisingly great build, and presents an airport that is bigger than I anticipated going by the set images. The addition of LEGO Technic creates a fun play model for children. 

For MOC builders this set offers 3 of the new curved molds, along with a limited amount of recolors. With a RRP of €99.- for 958 parts these new elements don’t come cheap though, possibly influenced by the large fuselage elements, so check Pick a Brick (once they arrive there, probably in April) and/or Bricklink first if you are only interested in this set as a parts pack. 

READ MORE: Review: 21355 The Evolution of STEM from LEGO® Ideas

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