Set Review: 41185 Magic Rescue from the Goblin Village
Wednesday, June 14th, 2017 at 10:51pm by Benjamin, BZPower Reporter
It takes a brave soul to wander around in the land of Elves and Magic. Luckily our heroes Azari and Farran can be counted on for a little adventure. Their pets seem to be lost and trapped in the Goblin Village, and it is up to these two to rescue them! Today we review an Elves set, Magic Rescue from the Goblin Village, to see if the two can be successful in saving their friends from this tiny treacherous town, or if we should just let them be gobbled up by the carnivorous plants. Read, and watch, on to find out!
A special thanks goes out to LEGO for supplying this set so I can share my opinions on it. It is a hefty $60 USD set that contains 637 pieces and five minifigs, so we're off to a good start in the price point. I am especially looking forward to seeing all the colorful pieces that are a staple of the Friends and Elves lines.
Presentation
From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
The front of the box shows us everything to expect: Three village structures, the various characters, and few action features in use. Lots of bright colors. We glimpse some play features like the catapult, slide, and cooking chicken leg. The back of the box shows off more play features like the carnivorous plants, secret treasure hiding spots, and crystal examination spot. More of these play features in the review and video.
Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
The village consists of three structures and a few accessories: The tree slide with dungeon, the cage-making workshop, and the crystal workshop, along with a caged cart and catapult. They are mostly studs-up building, with a few hinges for the doors and angled roof plates. In standard Friends fashion, the set comes in parts so you can build one structure, play with it a little, and then keep building the rest of the village at your leisure.
Set Design
Now that the set is complete, we can critique how it looks from every angle. New or interesting pieces can also be examined here.
There are all sorts of new and interesting parts in this set! While some of the parts pictures here may not be considered new, some I had not yet seen and others are just as impressive seeing in another set that they are worth mentioning being included. Besides lots of pastel and bright colors, I am especially fond of the the animals, the trans-pink 1x1 pyramid slope, the toothy Bionicle joint ball, and pink leaves.
The village really comes together nicely. All three structures, two buildings and the tree slide/jail, have creative uses of pieces and colors to make them all unique. The purple 3x3 curved plates with 1x1 half-curve tiles on them work great as roof shingles. The colors really pop, as many as there are, and also indicate which goblin lives where (based on the color of the bed and surrounding details). The backs of the structures also show off the details in the build, from attaching the plants to creative use of color.
The Elves are what we've come to expect in Elves sets: pointy ears in the hair mold and magic icons on their arms and faces. I especially like the animals here, which also have some magic about them.
The goblins are really what round out the set. They're why I wanted it in the first place. It is a very cool dual-mold that comes in a variety of colors throughout the Elves sets. These three have some amazing expressions on their faces, ranging from grumpy to excited and mischievous.
Playability
The other half of the fun is in playing with the set. How well does the set function and is it enjoyable to play with.
Aside from the slide, this portion also features snapping plants and a dungeon! Knock one of the plans over to spring the dungeon door free.
There are more play features in the crystal workshop, where the door opens, a plan hides a treasure chest, and some crystals are sprouting from the ground. Turn it around, and right below the bed is a drawer hiding some strawberry snacks! To get a little comical, there is even a toilet and a newspaper in its own room. The play features continue on the ground level, where a crystal can be examined through a magnifying glass from all sides thank to spinning the green Bionicle Technic ball it is attached it. Another green ball reveals a hidden, moss-covered staircase on the side.
The cage-making workshop, is also protected with a carnivorous plant, this one with a bone between its teeth! Up top we see a telescope, and off to the side a chicken leg is roasting. From behind we see the mechanism for chopping up wood beams, which is a play feature upon rotating the cone piece.
One final piece of play are the catapult with nasty baby plants with teeth, and a cage cart to trap our friends in. Both are nice additions to add some small, maneuverable play features.
Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
Pros
What's to like?
Loads of colors.
Cool new pieces.
Cool new Goblin molds.
An abundance of play features.
Cons
What's not to like?
Maybe you would like consistent colors you are used to.
Otherwise, no complaints here.
At first glance, I wanted this set for the colors. After building it, I was not disappointed, but I also found it very fun to build and was delighted in all the play features that were hidden in each portion. The method of small builds for instant play, then being able to complete other portions of the village in time, work incredibly well in this set. All the little play features that give the elves and goblins opportunities to clash are great for kids, and impressive for an adult builder. And if it is taken apart, all the parts will make a nice addition to a LEGO collection.