Review: 42638 Castle Bed and Breakfast
Posted by MeganL,After an extraordinarily busy summer, I finally have some time to devote to taking a look at the Friends sets from the second half of the year! Not to mention, the sloths have been restless, so it's also time to see what trouble they manage to get into with these sets.
For me, the most intriguing set of the wave is 42638 Castle Bed and Breakfast. Heartlake City has had a few hotels, but this is the first bed and breakfast. The architecture looks great, and I always like seeing something new in Heartlake City.
Summary
42638 Castle Bed and Breakfast, 1,311 pieces.
£89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99 | 6.9p/7.6c/7.6c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
The first inn in Heartlake City is an eye-pleasing playset
- Lovely architectural details
- Senior innkeeper
- Attractive display piece
- None!
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Inside the box (notably, a perfect box, as Huw has mentioned), there are ten numbered bags, one 8x16 plate, three instruction books (one per floor) and a sticker sheet.
Minidolls and animals
There are four minidolls in this set. Olly, Zac, and Aliya are off for a getaway at the bed and breakfast! Olly is decked out in a casual outfit of a short-sleeved shirt and kerchief, with cropped burgundy trousers. Aliya is wearing a yellow-themed outfit with yellow and blue jacquard print cardigan over a white shirt, stylish yellow skirt and fabulous fuchsia shoes. Zac completes the trio of Friends and is sporting a sleeveless hoodie with a rather busy pattern with a pair of board shorts.
All three Friends are prepared for their getaway - stickers suitable for each Friend adorn their suitcases.
Hosting them at the inn is Renee, who is dressed rather smartly in a blue jacket and red top, with a sizeable lapel adornment and some chunky necklaces. I love her hairstyle, and appreciate that her face shows some signs of age - one of the first Friends minidolls to have age spots and some wrinkles. Renee is joined by her dog, a very cute Westie, which unfortunately doesn't seem to have a name.
The completed model
It's a very attractive building - the description calls it a chateau, but I think it has more Victorian influences.
A side view shows a bright sun room on the ground floor and a nice balcony on the first level. There are some pretty flowers by the front door. I particularly like the use of microphone pieces throughout the building.
The other side of the house shows a climbing flowering vine, though there's a bit of a gap crawling up the wall.
The back view of the B&B shows off all the detail inside - and there's plenty going on.
The ground floor includes a foyer, a reception area, and a breakfast/sun room.
There's a breakfast spread available for the Friends, including a loaf of bread, some cookies, and a carafe of coffee. Renee's dog has not been forgotten! The room is bright thanks to the full length windows in the area.
The reception area has a checking desk and a visitor log. Thanks to some stickers, we can see that Aliya, Olly, and Zac have signed the guestbook.
Up one level (with unfortunately, no discernible way of getting there) is the first guest room that Olly and Zac share. There's a bedroom fitted with two twin beds - that can be arranged to make one double bed - and a spacious sitting room. There's a balcony off to one side where the Friends can enjoy a pot of tea.
Zac and Olly may not be the only guests in this room!
(Note: vacationing sloths not included in this set.)
Moving up a floor is the room that Aliya is renting. Included in this floor is a sumptuous bathroom, featuring a clawfoot tub, some gold appointments, and a rubber ducky!
Next to the bathroom is the bedroom - there's a comfy looking bed for Aliya.
Upstairs, a myriad of old treasures can be found - an old globe, a helmet, a treasure chest, and more.
Overall thoughts
One thing I really enjoy about Friends sets is how the designers often bring intricate architectural details to their play sets. This set is no exception, and I think the architecture is fantastic, with some really nice parts usage throughout (special note on the microphone piece use). I particularly like the climbing vine that adds a bit more colour to the building.
The overall colour scheme is very pleasing - the light nougat of the window frames complements the blue accents quite well. Each floor lifts off separately to allow access for play. There is a lot of play value in this set, and kudos to the designer on making the innkeeper an older woman (especially with such great hair!).
This set is great for older kids, and I think a fair share of adults will be picking this set up to add a bed and breakfast to their own displays.
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40 comments on this article
This is super cute, with a little tweaking this could be an Alpine Inn for a winter village. Hmmmm.
I want a halloween version of this set with minifigs.
Lovely house, one of the best modern Friends sets. I'm still not a fan of how much space the bathroom occupies though.
I came here for the sloths and I wasn't disappointed!
The set and the review are both excellent too.
I do like this, but I would have to moc it with a duplicate to take away the open back and a base plate, which I don't like.
I believe this could be a future classic. After all, when a subject is released the first time in LEGO form, later it's often* remembered best !
*often = not always, of course.
Looks beautiful, as the Friends team always delivers on when they really want to test minifigure purist's resolve.
Definitely on my list, but I'm waiting for a decent discount- the trade off for detail is size, after all.
That very first pic is making my OCD go crazy. The roof is wonky on the right side, and the floors are partially connected on the middle left.
Otherwise, it's a fantastic review!
A McMansion?! BWAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!
This is very nice, and I’m generally not a fan of the line. Colors (which I often find rather garish in Friends sets) are also rather pleasant.
@MCLegoboy said:
"A McMansion?! BWAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
I think this predates McMansions by about a hundred years. The sepia-toned sticker says '1891', and this Victorian home is probably a bit older than that. McMansions became a thing in the mid-1980s.
That's not a westie, that's Spencer the ghost dog!
Not being able to rotate the wrists makes minidolls cannot correctly transport their roller suitcases. Not to mention when they have to ride a classic bike!
I missed the Friends reviews, thank You, MeganL!
This set has good space utilization and detailed equipment but I don't like its pale colours.
Maybe it's just because it's a bit more realistic than the typical Friends sets, but somehow this set feels a bit unfinished to me. Even when I'm very much not the target audience, I liked when Friends had a very distinct style. With some other figures, this could just as well have been a City or Creator set.
Not sure what Victorian colors would be in Europe, but in the US during the Victorian era a white building would have been plain and not in fashion at the time. Maybe the building was repainted since it was built though?https://youtu.be/7XhACWqvaf0?si=2ouSxUm14GlB4oBy
Nougat and light nougat are everywhere now, after pretty much being exclusively used for minifigure parts for so many years. I like it.
Screams Scooby-Doo with a color swap!
The best Friends set ever, in my opinion.
That Westie picture sticker is very Tintin.
@Murdoch17 said:
"That very first pic is making my OCD go crazy. The roof is wonky on the right side, and the floors are partially connected on the middle left.
Otherwise, it's a fantastic review!"
Apologies! I'd already started disassembling the set when I started looking at the original pictures I took, and noticed something in them that I couldn't live with. This was a hasty rebuild, obviously....
@MeganL said:
" @Murdoch17 said:
"That very first pic is making my OCD go crazy. The roof is wonky on the right side, and the floors are partially connected on the middle left.
Otherwise, it's a fantastic review!"
Apologies! I'd already started disassembling the set when I started looking at the original pictures I took, and noticed something in them that I couldn't live with. This was a hasty rebuild, obviously...."
What couldn't you live with?
Also random question but how many sloths do you have?
The exterior is beautiful aside from looking unfinished here and there, but the interior is far too cramped.
@MeganL said:
" @Murdoch17 said:
"That very first pic is making my OCD go crazy. The roof is wonky on the right side, and the floors are partially connected on the middle left.
Otherwise, it's a fantastic review!"
Apologies! I'd already started disassembling the set when I started looking at the original pictures I took, and noticed something in them that I couldn't live with. This was a hasty rebuild, obviously...."
It's fine! The house was built in 1891 according to the picture in the attic, so it's probably the foundation that's been settling for over a century and a quarter (causing floor warp), and the roof is still a bit wonky from the Great Tornado of 1954's near-miss. Honestly, it's amazing the building is still standing to this day... just goes to show, they don't build 'em like they used to! ;-)
My initial thoughts when I saw this is that it reminded me of Cornell Hotel De France on Bush Street, San Francisco.
We stayed there about a decade ago and had a lovely week in San Francisco.
www.cornellhotel.com
Great review and this set looks fantastic.
@HJB2810 said:
" @MeganL said:
" @Murdoch17 said:
"That very first pic is making my OCD go crazy. The roof is wonky on the right side, and the floors are partially connected on the middle left.
Otherwise, it's a fantastic review!"
Apologies! I'd already started disassembling the set when I started looking at the original pictures I took, and noticed something in them that I couldn't live with. This was a hasty rebuild, obviously...."
What couldn't you live with?"
I had some young family members over at the time of the original photography who played with all the sets, and they had left behind parts of another set on the doorstep and balcony. That will also explain some anomalies you may see in some other upcoming set reviews :-)
"Also random question but how many sloths do you have?"
I'm not sure! When I go to conventions, people have been kind enough to give me sloths when they meet me. I have every colour that's available, and one of the Duplo sloths.
Architecture looks great. Interior is, I think, unnecessarily crowded. I like details as much as the next guy but here it's too much. I think this house plan would benefit from more relaxed decoration. But hey, this is Lego, you can shape it any way you like.
@Murdoch17 said:
"That very first pic is making my OCD go crazy. The roof is wonky on the right side, and the floors are partially connected on the middle left.
Otherwise, it's a fantastic review!"
OCD?!?!
OCD is a genuine mental health condition and has nothing to do with what something looks like, the clue’s in the words ‘Obsessive Compulsive Disorder’.
If you have genuinely been diagnosed with OCD then fair comment, but, something like a roof line that’s not quite straight and in place, isn’t that just perfectionism (i.e not a condition of OCD)?
If you haven’t been diagnosed with OCD please respect those that have a genuine mental health issue and don’t make light of it
@obiron17 said:
" @Murdoch17 said:
"That very first pic is making my OCD go crazy. The roof is wonky on the right side, and the floors are partially connected on the middle left.
Otherwise, it's a fantastic review!"
OCD?!?!
OCD is a genuine mental health condition and has nothing to do with what something looks like, the clue’s in the words ‘Obsessive Compulsive Disorder’.
If you have genuinely been diagnosed with OCD then fair comment, but, something like a roof line that’s not quite straight and in place, isn’t that just perfectionism (i.e not a condition of OCD)?
If you haven’t been diagnosed with OCD please respect those that have a genuine mental health issue and don’t make light of it
"
I am diagnosed, thank you very much. LEGO things with me need to be straight and firmly attached or else it drives me nuts... I'm not quite as bad as to need all the studs orientated in the same way, though. (I know some people who are that way)
I'd mentioned StS (Start-to-Sloth) in the comments on a previous review, and I'm not sure where this one stands in that regard. The first picture is a way down (even if you don't count the sticker sheet and minidoll pictures), but they're mentioned in the second sentence! Anyway, I don't have any real intention of getting this set, but it looks very nice, especially since I love Victorian houses. I love some of the details (especially the clawfoot tub and the bathmat), and if I see that dog the next time I place a BaP order, I'm getting one.
@Adrianucho said:
"Not being able to rotate the wrists makes minidolls cannot correctly transport their roller suitcases. Not to mention when they have to ride a classic bike!"
I recently built 41738 with my daughter and was so annoyed when the mini doll couldn't actually hold the handlebars. It was not a good first impression of the Friends line.
Excellent building with a surprisingly tasteful colour scheme. However, having had one minidoll sneak into my property hiding in a GWP, security has been stepped up to prevent any further breaches.
@Murdoch17 said:
"That very first pic is making my OCD go crazy. The roof is wonky on the right side, and the floors are partially connected on the middle left."
Maybe Heartlake City is in an earthquake zone!
@cfenton said:
" @Adrianucho said:
"Not being able to rotate the wrists makes minidolls cannot correctly transport their roller suitcases. Not to mention when they have to ride a classic bike!"
I recently built 41738 with my daughter and was so annoyed when the mini doll couldn't actually hold the handlebars. It was not a good first impression of the Friends line."
I really wish they'd make a bicycle piece that one of the two existing handlebar pieces could be clipped to, depending on which kind of figure is going to be riding it. I got all excited when I thought there was such a bicycle in 75684, until it was pointed out that what I was seeing was https://brickset.com/parts/design-50015 I just hadn't been looking at the pictures closely enough.
The interior detail is great.
Not sure about the exterior colours though. Each individual colour is fine, it's the combination of them that doesn't sit right with me. Maybe if sand blue had been used rather than light blue to match the roof?
I also don't like the use of light nougat windows. Not sure if brown would be better.
Good review.
@xboxtravis7992 said:
"Not sure what Victorian colors would be in Europe, but in the US during the Victorian era a white building would have been plain and not in fashion at the time. Maybe the building was repainted since it was built though?"
In the Northeastern US, a wave of neo-Colonial style swept through the country in the first half of the twentieth century, causing most Victorian buildings to be repainted white or cream with bright colors banished to shutters and trim. Also, in rural areas where I suspect house paint was still largely milk-based, it's likely that expense forced people to be less than fashionable. There aren't that many non-fading, non-poisonous, inexpensive pigments out there, and one (iron oxide, at a guess) was always associated with barns rather than houses.
I wanted to say this set is good, but it barrely have place to play :/
I'm losing my mind looking at all those partially connected pieces. What the—
Its crazy to think about how far Friends has come since its inception
@Graupensuppe said:
"Nougat and light nougat are everywhere now, after pretty much being exclusively used for minifigure parts for so many years. I like it."
Let's pray that day comes soon for medium tan and medium brown ??
That looks more like a Sealyham than a Westie :)