Beachside Vacation

A late September bonus post, the Beachside Vacation set (31063). Fall has officially begun, so I wanted to get this last summer set on here. It is one of the 3-in-1 sets and it took about 2.5 hours in total to build all 3 versions, plus take them apart and take pictures. It is $29.99 and comes with 275 pieces. Here is the box:

The main bulk of the pieces come in one bag, with some of the smaller pieces divided into 2 other bags. Each of the 3 builds has its own instruction booklet.

The set comes with 2 minifigures and both of them have 2 faces. I think the guy's second face is pretty funny:

I decided to start with the simplest build and end with the big one. This build is for a little beach hut and a boat:

It took about 30 minutes to build this. I don't have too many boats in my collection, so I like having this one. I'll probably build it again later on and keep it for a future project. I really like how they have the slopes against the side of the hut to look like sand piles. Overall, it's a cute little build. I decided to take some pictures of the pieces used when I took everything apart in case someone wants to separate out those pieces before building. It's not necessary, but it might make building a little easier when you don't have to search through all the extra pieces to find the ones needed:

Now we'll have a look at the second beach hut. The hut is hinged, so it can be used in different positions. This build includes a windsurfing board and a weightlifting area:

This one took about 35 minutes to build. The weightlifting area is a fun addition. The windsurfing board is a little strange since LEGO typically gives them a plastic sail. I know they wanted to find another use for the fabric, but it doesn't quite work. I think I would like it a little better if that white plate piece wasn't sticking out of the top. The bird and plant are cute details. I also like how they used a door frame to make a window. I hadn't seen that technique used before and I think it's pretty clever. Here are the pieces that were used in this build:

Time for the last build. This time we're making a bigger hinged hut with some more details, a jet ski, and a turtle:

It took about 45 minutes for this build. I love the turtle and the aquarium in the house, they are definitely my favorite parts of the build. The ceiling fan is also pretty cool. I love how LEGO is putting more little details like this into their houses. The hammock area is fun and the tree is a great detail, expanding on the potted plant from the last hut. This last build used almost all of the pieces, there was just a little bit leftover:

Overall, I think this is a fun set. The details in the huts are fun and I love that turtle. These 3-in-1 sets are always great because seeing how you can use the same group of pieces in different ways can give you lots of ideas on how you can change the builds in other sets or just inspire you to create something of your own. It is definitely worth the price to me. Having a new facial expression on a minifigure is always great, too. I haven't decided which set I'll be building for next weekend's post (I have a few to choose from). I have ordered the Halloween set and can't wait for it to get here. Thanks for reading!

Emma's Photo Studio & Mia's Beach Scooter

This month's post is about 2 of the smaller LEGO Friends sets. Let's start with Emma's Photo Studio (41305). It was $9.99 and comes with 96 pieces and a sheet of stickers. It took about 20 minutes to put it together and take pictures.

Here are some pictures of the pieces and a close-up of the sticker sheet:

Besides a figure of Emma, the set also comes with a cat:

The instructions show how to build a box of cat food, photography equipment, an accessory table, a photo printer, and the backdrop area:

Now to put them all together:

There is also a purple LEGO heart made from two special plate pieces (it's next to Emma in the previous photo). Here are the extra pieces I had:

This is a cute little set. I love the backdrop area and the printer. I do wish that the "photos" were just of the animals since I don't use the Friends figures in my builds, but they're still a nice touch. Overall, it is a good set for the money and I can definitely see using it to build a little photo studio for my town.

Now, let's move on to the second Friends set, Mia's Beach Scooter (41306). It was $9.99 and comes with 79 pieces. Like the photo studio, it also took about 20 minutes to put together and take pictures.

Here are some pictures of the pieces:

The figure of Mia comes with a pet pug:

The pieces are used for two main builds, a lifeguard stand on a slice of beach and a scooter with a doggy sidecar:

Let's put everything together:

Like Emma, Mia also has one of those LEGO hearts, but this one is green (see photo above). There was also a small group of extra pieces:

Another nice little set. I've been planning on building a beach scene, so any beach themed LEGO sets are great to have. The little dog treat compartment on the scooter is a cute detail. I think this set was also worth the money and I will definitely be using these pieces in the future. I may do another review for beach house later this month. In October I'll be posting about one of the 3-in-1 sets.Thanks for reading!