Review: sets 42652, 42662 & 42663 from LEGO® Friends

We have reached my final blog post covering the LEGO® Friends sets from the January 2025 wave. The last three sets have us building a treehouse, stylin' a new coif, and setting out on a camping trip. And of course, all these adventures will provide us with new elements.

Products in this article were gifted by The LEGO Group; the author's opinions are their own.
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Page contents

• Set 42652 Friendship Tree House Hangout
• Set 42662 Hair Salon and Accessories Store
• Set 42663 Friendship Camper Van Adventure

42652 Friendship Tree House Hangout

• US$ 69.99 on LEGO.com US
• CA$ 89.99 on LEGO.com Canada
• GB£ 59.99 on LEGO.com UK
• AU$ 109.99 on LEGO.com Australia
• NZ$ 129.99 on LEGO.com New Zealand
• DE€ 69,99 on LEGO.com Deutschland
• NL€ 69,99 on LEGO.com Nederland
• FR€ 69,99 on LEGO.com France
• PLN 299.99 on LEGO.com Polska
• NOK 949,90 on LEGO.com Norge
• DKK 599.95 on LEGO.com Danmark

Other countries click here

 

Treehouses are a recurring subject in Heartlake City. The last big version stems from 2022; 41703 Friendship Tree House celebrated the 10th anniversary of the LEGO Friends theme. The set has since been retired, but you can read still my review of set 41703; the important point being that it was a send-off celebration for the original group of characters from 2012. 

Now, the new group of friends from after the reboot/time jump are building their own treehouse. Will this remake be as fun as the original? With a part count of 702, the set is 412 parts smaller, so my expectations are a bit lower. But great things can come in small packages, so grab a saw and hammer and build along with me!

New molds

None of the new molds found in the box are unique to this set, but have appeared in multiple sets in the January 2025 releases. Let's remind ourselves.

Plate Round with Clip (5264)

Starting with the most exciting new mold for 2025 so far: Plate Round with Clip at Underside, coming here twice with a spare in pearl gold (6520665 | 5264). Eero has given a full analysis of this versatile new treasure in his review of 10343 Mini Orchid.

Tiny Cap (6913)

This new tiny cap with pin connector appears in 6 sets, and here we get one plus a spare in lime (6509777 | 6913). The small pin fits inside the holes found in wigs and the heads of animals, and the cap also fits on a hollow stud.

Sunflower (6901)

The new sunflower in yellow (6509767 | 6901) can be found in several sets in this wave of LEGO Friends sets, as well as in 30701 Field Flowers; a review by Eero, who also studied this pretty flower in his review of 10342 Pretty Pink Flower Bouquet, where the mold appeared in bright light blue. 

Recolors

The following existing elements appear in new colors.

• 2x Cylinder Quarter 2 x 2 x 5 (Wall) in Dark Orange (6523029 | 30987)
• 1x Slide Straight 4 x 6 x 6 in Lime (6523031 | 27976)
• 1x Slide Curved 180° in Lime (6523032 | 11267)

• 3x Fence Spindled 1 x 4 x 2 [4 Top Studs] in Lavender (6529032 | 15332)
• 1x Window 1 x 4 x 3 without Shutter Tabs in Lavender (6522796 | 60594)
• 2x Fence Spindled 4 x 4 x 2 Quarter Round with 3 Studs in Lavender (6529031 | 21229)

• 1x Door 1 x 4 x 6 with 4 Panes and Stud Handle in Coral (6526039 | 60623)
• 1x Bar 7 x 3 with Double Clips (Ladder) [Round Clips] in Yellow (6529090 | 5630)
• 2x Slope 45° 2 x 1 with 2/3 Inverted Cutout and no stud in Green (6523383 | 28192)

Decorated elements

Not counting the mini-doll parts, there is only one new printed element to be found, which also appears in several other LEGO Friends sets:

• 2x + spare Tile Round 1 x 1 with Ladybug print in Trans-Clear (6481607)

The other decorations are handled by this sticker sheet, with plenty of adorable and useful designs.

Mini-dolls

Paisley, Leo, Zac and Liann are joining forces to build the best treehouse ever. However the characters are light on new elements; no new heads or wigs to be found here.

Paisley sports a new torso in light nougat (6527907) and newly printed legs in sand green (6481629).

Leo only has a new torso in medium nougat (6524991). 

Zac comes with a new printed torso as well in reddish brown (6530131), but his legs are a brand new mold for this wave, seen here in blue (6530132). 

Liann follows the others and only has a new torso in warm tan (6530004) and legs in coral (6530009).

Other elements of interest

The following elements are not new, but still worth mentioning.

The tree uses a lot of dark orange elements. The ones seen above have only appeared in 1 or 2 sets prior to this wave.

• 2x Panel 1 x 4 x 3 [Side Supports / Hollow Studs] (6517908 | 60581)
• 2x Brick Arch 1 x 4 x 3 (6447250 | 80543)
• 4x Brick Arch 1 x 5 x 4 Inverted in (6475346 | 30099)
• 1x Slope Curved 10 x 2 x 2 with Curved End Right (6470074 | 4308)
• 1x Slope Curved 10 x 2 x 2 with Curved End Left (6476897 | 4581)
• 1x Slope Curved 3 x 4 x 2/3 Triple Curved with 2 Sunk Studs (6468071 | 93604)

• 1x Support 1 x 6 x 10 Girder Triangular in Medium Nougat (6468917 | 64449) has appeared in a single set prior
• 2x Plate 10 x 10 with Rounded End in Green (6382105 | 80031) was seen once in 2022

• 3x Technic Axle and Pin Connector Angled #3 - 157.5° in Dark Brown (6510518 | 42128) is used once in LEGO® Botanicals set 10369 Plum Blossom
• 1x + spare Equipment Scissors in Pearl Gold (6489198 | 18920) was only used in a LEGO® Harry Potter™ set
• 2x Plate Special 2 x 2 with Horizontal T-Bar Underneath in Tan (6518050 | 5066) was introduced by the LEGO® Wicked sets.
• 1x Animal, Raccoon Sitting with Dark Bluish Grey Face, White Nose print in Light Bluish Gray (6483136) was introduced in the previous LEGO Friends wave
• 1x Plant, Flower, Peony Rose with 2 Layers in Green (6550579, 6515226 | 5904) was prior to the releases of this set unique to 21353 The Botanical Garden
• 1x Food Cupcake with Stud in Orange (6510513 | 79743) is only used in LEGO Botanicals set 10368 Chrysanthemum

The finished model

The treehouse stands tall and colorful, with loads of fun details.

The treehouse is still being built, judging by this workstation. I’m a bit concerned that the saw doesn’t come with a safety shield. Luckily there is a big red emergency button.

.

All windows are modular and can be swapped around to your liking. The various colors and sizes suggest the friends are using leftover building materials for the treehouse, or they are just being artsy, of course.

The treehouse is divided across 2 floors. The top floor features a terrace with a keyboard and a couch. The couch comes with a ramp for Pickle. Next to it sits a small kitchen with a soft serve station; essential to any decent treehouse.

On the floor below we find the entrance, reachable by the ladder at the front. In the corner sits a claw machine. One door over we find a sleeping area with 4 beds.

The animals are not forgotten either! Pickle has his own wheelchair-accessible basket that allows him access to the treehouse by turning the winch at the top of the tree. Perhaps that cap is actually a hard hat. 

Even the raccoon has its own room inside of the hollow tree, with a trash can blankie covering its bed!

Comparison to 41703 Friendship Tree House

As to be expected, the lower part count results in a treehouse smaller than its predecessor (which, you may note, has lost some parts over the 3 years that it’s been played with). But for its size, the set offers enough to play with, in a fun build. 

Fans of dark orange will get a decent fix here, and there are plenty of new elements to be found, although none of the new molds are unique to the set. Overall, a good follow-up.

42662 Hair Salon and Accessories Store

• US$ 44.99 on LEGO.com US
• CA$ 59.99 on LEGO.com Canada
• GB£ 39.99 on LEGO.com UK
• AU$ 59.99 on LEGO.com Australia
• NZ$ 69.99 on LEGO.com New Zealand
• DE€ 44,99 on LEGO.com Deutschland
• NL€ 44,99 on LEGO.com Nederland
• FR€ 44,99 on LEGO.com France
• PLN 199.99 on LEGO.com Polska
• NOK 629,90 on LEGO.com Norge
• DKK 399.95 on LEGO.com Danmark

Other countries click here

 

Like vets, hairdressers are also fairly common to Heartlake City, with 41743 Hair Salon run by Nadia being the previous one, released in 2023 and has since been retired. 

This year, a new salon is opening, and Faraji is ready to turn your crows nest into the latest stylings. I wonder if he can do something about my bald patch that is, by now, no longer a patch…

New Molds

Inline Skate (6917)

Nova is speeding along on brand new coral inline skates, providing a new option next to the Sports Roller Skate (11253, seen in dark pink in the photo above) which has been around since 2013. 

The inline skate sets the figure a plate higher than the roller skate and, unfortunately, the wheels can’t hold a clip. Aside from its intended purpose, these symmetrical skates are great to add greebling to your spaceships, and hopefully we’ll see this mold appear in more colors soon.

Hair, Braids in Knot (6968)

As expected from a hairdresser, Faraji is rocking a new hairstyle, with braids knotted in the back. We see it here in tan (6531977 | 6968), but the same mold also appears in 42656 Heartlake City Airport and Airplane in black (6510743 | 6968), as you can see in my review of set 42656.    

Recolors

Aside from the new mold, we also get 3 hair pieces in new colors:

• 1x Hair, Long Braided in Medium Lavender (6524913 | 4643)
• 1x Hair Long Wavy/Curly in Bright Pink (6523403 | 2632)
• 1x Hair Long, Swooped Aside in Bright Light Yellow (6523402 | 3321)

The only recolor for a ‘regular’ part  are the four Tile 2 x 6 in Light Aqua (6523400 | 69729).

Decorated elements

Just one new printed part here: 1x Tile 1 x 3 with 3 Photobooth Photos print in White (6520954)

The other decorations are handled by a silver sticker sheet.

Mini-dolls

Aliya comes with a new torso in medium brown (6521882) and new legs in medium azure (6481595). She appears in this form in 3 sets across this wave. 

Faraji sports the previously mentioned new hair piece, and also brings a new head in sienna brown (6530536) and a new torso in sienna brown (6531743). 

Nova has a new torso in nougat (6531558) and new legs in dark turquoise (6531576).

Other elements of interest

The following elements are not new, but worthy of mention.

These Reddish Orange elements were previously unique to set 42177 Mercedes-Benz G 500 PROFESSIONAL Line; see my review of set 42177.

• 1x + spare Plate 1 x 1 (6469084 | 3024)
• 1x Slope 30° 1 x 2 x 2/3 (6483784 | 85984)
• 1x Technic Beam 2 x 4 L-Shape Thick (6483786 | 32140, 42137)

• 1x + 2 spare Plant, Flower with 5 Pointed Petals and Pin in Light Aqua (6500671 | 18853) appeared in 2 sets in 2024
• 1x + spare Headwear Accessory Cat Ears with Pin in Black (6445354 | 69903) has been used in 2 sets prior as well
• 1x Hair Short Smooth and Right Parting [Plain] in Dark Purple (6462451 | 86222) is unique to a Sabine Wren figure
• 1x + spare Equipment Scissors in Pearl Gold (6489198 | 18920) is unique to a LEGO® Harry Potter™ set, but appears in multiple sets in the January LEGO Friends wave

The finished model

The salon is built pretty fast in a straightforward manner, scraping the limits of the  7+ age mark recommendation. 

We start off with 3 small side-builds, including a skating ramp and a stand selling hair accessories.

The only slightly interesting part of the set for me is the photobooth. It is not elaborate, but it does have a lever that drops the photos in the tray.

The salon itself features a ground floor with wigs or show models, and a top floor with a salon chair. The interior is a bit bare, but the color scheme sure is very bold!

It’s nice to get light aqua tiles, and this is the cheapest set to feature the inline skates. If you need some coral or reddish orange parts, this could be of interest, but as a model the set feels very minimalistic.

42663 Friendship Camper Van Adventure

• US$ 59.99 on LEGO.com US
• CA$ 79.99 on LEGO.com Canada
• GB£ 54.99 on LEGO.com UK
• AU$ 99.99 on LEGO.com Australia
• NZ$ 109.99 on LEGO.com New Zealand
• DE€ 59,99 on LEGO.com Deutschland
• NL€ 59,99 on LEGO.com Nederland
• FR€ 59,99 on LEGO.com France
• PLN 259.99 on LEGO.com Polska
• NOK 829,90 on LEGO.com Norge
• DKK 529.95 on LEGO.com Danmark

Other countries click here

We set off into nature, and bring our house along too with 42663 Friendship Camper Van Adventure. Campers are not uncommon in Heartlake City either, so I’m curious if this new addition can bring something new.

New Molds

With 779 parts in the set, the amount of new molds used in the camper is pretty high too.

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

The first new element is Brick Arch 1 x 3 x 1 2/3 Curved Top (5843), coming here in white (6519990) and light aqua (6527916). 

You might not recognize this curved brick as being new though; it is very similar to Brick Arch 1 x 3 x 2 Curved Top, with the underside shortened by 1 plate height. This gives the curve a full quarter circle radius, without the straight bit at the bottom that the two siblings above have. 

These siblings are actually 2 variants of the mold; the original 6005 from 1995 (seen in red above) has a perfect circular radius, while the more recent version 92903 (seen in yellow) has a slightly tighter curve. The new 5843 lines up with the older 6005 while sticking out slightly further than the 92903.

The same unwelcome difference can be seen by placing the new curve next to Brick Round Corner 3 x 3 x 2 Dome Top (88293).

Although a more compact curve is always welcome, as it can fit in more easily when less room is available, it will require another drawer in your curves cabinet.

Window 1 x 3 x 2 (6798) and Glass (7757)

Greeted with glee by many is Window 1 x 3 x 2, found here 3x in white (6525959 | 6798), along with glass in trans-clear (6508985 | 7757). I’ve already taken a closer look at this re-introduced window size in my review of 42670 Heartlake City Apartments and Stores.

Bicycle Frame, No Handlebars (6348)

Due to their immovable hands, mini-dolls are not able to ride the standard LEGO bicycles (shown in red, 65574) because they can't grip the handlebars. This new version (6525962 | 6348, in bright light orange) with a clip to add the handlebars solves the issue. 

We’ve seen a similar update to the wide version (5554), seen above in medium azure, in the Adventure Camp sets from the June 2024 wave. 

Ferret (6903)

While traveling we encounter a cute ferret, introducing a new mold for the mustelid in tan (6520119). The creature is a bit under 4 modules long and just a bit wider than a single module, while standing 4 plates tall.

Recolors

The following elements come new in these colors:

• 1 x Door Frame 1 x 6 x 6 in Sand Green (6520943 | 42205) is actually also used in 21353 The Botanical Garden, but I have included as it had not appeared in a New E article 
• 1 x Glass for Frame 1 x 6 x 6 in Medium Nougat (6530832 | 42509)
• 4 x Wheel Arch, Mudguard, 1 1/2 x 6 x 1 [Arch Extended] in Light Aqua (6525958 | 62361)

Mini-dolls

The camper is driven around by 3 characters from the core group, who all feature new torsos and legs:

Autumn features a new printed torso in light nougat (6527907) and new printed legs in sand green (6481629).

Olly shows a new printed torso in warm tan (6529231). Minidoll Hips and Mid-Length Shorts is a new mini-doll mold introduced in this wave of sets, coming here in dark blue (6529232).

Liann's new torso is in warm tan (6530004) and has new legs in coral (6530009).

The mini-dolls and ferret bring us the only newly printed elements; all other decorations are handled by a sticker sheet.

Other interesting elements

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

The set comes with 22 elements in Light Aqua. Aside from the new mold and the recolor mentioned earlier, there are 3 that have appeared in just a few sets:

• 2 x Plate Special 2 x 2 x 2/3 with Two Studs On Side and Two Raised - Updated Version in Light Aqua (6470182 | 4304)
• 1 x Slope Curved 3 x 4 x 2/3 Triple Curved with 2 Sunk Studs in Light Aqua (6331515 | 93604) was introduced in 2011, and since then has appeared in 1 other set
• 2 x Brick Curved 2 x 4 x 1 1/3 with Curved Top in Light Aqua (6474267 | 6081) was only used in 10334 Retro Radio. Read my review of set 10334.

• 2 x Slope 45° 2 x 4 with 2/3 Inverted Cutout and no Studs in Light Bluish Gray (6475652 | 5540) has been used in 2 LEGO® Star Wars™ sets
• 1 x Door 1 x 4 x 5 Train Left - Thick Support Bottom in Bright Light Blue (6486921 | 43967) has appeared in a single LEGO Harry Potter set. The right side version does not exist in this color yet
• 2 x Bracket 1 x 1 - 1 x 2 Inverted in Medium Azure (6369798 | 73825) has been seen in 3 sets
• 1 x (+ spare) Tile Round 1 x 1 with Hollow Bar in Blue (6482748 | 31561) was used in 2 sets prior
• 1 x Brick Curved 1 x 2 x 2/3 Double Curved Top, No Studs in White (6450822 | 3563) was introduced in October last year

The finished model

The build starts with a small woodland scene with a home for the ferret and a foldable table. At the bottom of the camper is a gap that fits the table and chairs perfectly. I’m not sure if this is intended though, as there is no indication in the instructions or the box.

On to the camper itself, where in the back we find a functioning toilet, similar to the one featured in 71799 NINJAGO City Markets (read Elspeth's review of set 71799). Both versions use Plate Special 2 x 6 with Wall Mount Hook (78168) for the seat. Hopefully the creative use of this part will spark a version with a smaller plate. It’s a great play feature, but it does create a big empty space behind it that will be fully closed off.

Let’s see that flushing in action:

The interior of the camper is filled with a small kitchen and a staircase leading to the beds. Underneath the staircase we find some cabinets. 

One major issue with campers of course is that everything needs to be carefully secured to prevent stuff flying around during an emergency brake or swerve. The pots in the cabinets use the small protrusion on the bar of 32828 to prevent rotation when inserted into the axle hole of the LEGO Technic bricks. 

The beds are mounted upside down onto the ceiling, meaning good weather conditions are required for a good night’s rest.

This set offers a great build with a lot of play details. The model comes with some interesting new molds, but is a bit light on recolors.

READ MORE: LEGO® Technic F1 Cars review: 42206 Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 and 42207 Ferrari SF-24 

Set 42652 on LEGO.com
Set 42662 on LEGO.com
Set 42663 on LEGO.com

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