Review: 42626 Adventure Camp Water Sports
Posted by MeganL,After getting a good night's rest in their cosy cabins, I'm sure the Friends will wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day. What better way to spend the day than being on the water? There's no surprise, then, that the adventure camp subtheme continues with 42626 Adventure Camp Water Sports.
Summary
42626 Adventure Camp Water Sports, 628 pieces.
£59.99 / $69.99 / €69.99 | 9.6p/11.1c/11.1c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
The adventure camp theme continues, adding kayaking to the mix
- Two moving functions
- Adorable bear
- Nice tree building technique
- A little expensive
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Inside the bag there are five numbered bags, one unnumbered bag (containing two kayaks, one 6x16 plate, and two 8x16 plates), an instruction book, and the ever-present sticker sheet.
Minidolls and animals
Three of the Friends regulars are found in this set - Autumn, Zac and Liann. Autumn has been fitted with her prosthetic arm, and comes equipped with a compass to lead the way. All three Friends are wearing shirts with the camp's logo; Liann has her shirt tied in a knot around her waist. Ever the artist, she has a pen in hand, so I expect we'll find some of her artwork somewhere around.
The obligatory cute Friends animal in this set is an adorable bear.
The completed model
The side build for the model is a log raft, complete with very Friends coloured lilac oars.
The front of the activity centre is a hub of activity. The pier in the front of the building shows some of the activities that the Friends can partake in - using a water pistol in mid-fire, and a fishing pole is stationed there as well. One of the moving functions in this set is a mechanism underneath the dock that allows the builder to skip stones across the water. I'm not sure how the Friends would manage it, though!
The dominant feature of the front of the building is the rental desk. A sticker provides a picture menu of the equipment that can be rented for the day. Some sunscreen is found on the desk, a reminder that the Friends need to take care of their skin, especially on the water.
A lotus flower and solitary cattail remind us that while this is an adventure camp, nature is still close by. My favourite touch in this area is the chocolate chip cookie piece used as a doorknob.
The cattail and lotus flower aren't the only indications of nature. Rounding the corner of the activity centre (and a large evergreen tree), there's a lovely little scene where a bear is looking to find themselves a fish for lunch. If the bear isn't successful fishing, then a beehive is close by.
The other side of the building is given over to kayak storage and launching. Two kayaks are included in this set, again in appropriate Friends colours. They come with equally colourful oars (found in another picture). The kayak launch pad can be angled by turning a gear in the back of the building (upcoming picture), providing another moving function in this set.
A small dock has a shower for those Friends just getting out of the water. Next to the shower is the launch area for the kayaks.
On the upper floor, there's a small enclosed area plus a balcony. I like the details on the roof.
A sign shows this is Liann's area. One of her works is on display, though it's surprising there isn't a half-eaten snack close by, as we usually find something like that near her.
I like the method used to build this tree; it's the same as we saw in the earlier adventure camp set. I love the touch of the purple butterfly at the top of the tree. The building is topped with a small lookout area equipped with a telescope.
The Friends aren't the only ones wanting to take a look at the view.
(Note: sight-seeing sloths not included in this set.)
Looking at the back of the building, we can see why the sloths chose the upstairs: there are two stools there that look quite comfortable. The upstairs is a game room that includes a table tennis set up with all the accoutrements. The first aid kit can also be found here (why would it be here?), plus a guide book. The guide book houses the collectable tiles for this set, a kayak.
Downstairs in the rental area, flippers, helmets, life jackets are ready to be used to enjoy the great outdoors.
A fridge with some snacks and a check out station completes the furnishings for this room. On the wall, there's a picture that shows Liann and Autumn winning a competition! In this picture you can also see that mechanism that can be turned for the kayak launch area.
Overall thoughts
This set fits well with the theme. The last adventure camp series (back in 2016) had a rafting set, but this set eclipses that easily. Not only is there a raft, but two kayaks, and a well-developed building with other activities. I particularly like the inclusion of moving functions in this set; the kayak launch mechanism is simple but essential for play, and the stone-skipping mechanism is fun.
I also like how there is some diversity in activity provided. Not only can the Friends use the kayaks and raft, but there are painting and water pistol activities as well. This ensure that Friends of all abilities can have a good time here.
It looks like this adventure camp theme will be a good way to collect Friends animals, what with the fox that came with the cozy cabins and the bear in this set. We should have a menagerie by the time this theme is done!
This set still feels on the pricy side to me, despite the building, though I expect it would be well worth the value if it goes on sale.
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12 comments on this article
Such a cute set! To my knowledge we've never had a canoe livery or something like it in LEGO.
Reminds me a bit of Rocky River Retreat which was one of my favorite sets as a kid, precisely because it felt so unusual to get outdoorsy sets in LEGO.
I actually really love the vibe of this set, sadly it will probably be relegated to the "if I have a ton of spare budget I'll get it" pile. Maybe I'll try and find it cheap without figs second hand.
Everybody ignored LEGO Friends... until now
@WolfpackBricksStudios said:
"Everybody ignored LEGO Friends... until now"
/ignore
Sadly Autumn, Zac and Liann are as good as dead when that bear's momma shows up...
Three cheers for Mummy Bear then...
I mostly like it, but the colors seem slightly too busy again. The yellow-orange-brown-dark nougat is good but then the teal and lavender just add a bit too much to it.
@WolfpackBricksStudios said:
"Everybody ignored LEGO Friends... until now"
I actually started getting really into it last year during the relaunch. There was a bunch of surprisingly good sets in '23.
The citizens of Lego City don't have nearly as much fun as the Lego Friends do.
@Darth_Dee said:
"Sadly Autumn, Zac and Liann are as good as dead when that bear's momma shows up..."
Reminds me of this:
https://youtu.be/5gNT0SWf3Ls?si=LAQC4p6yub9UWcgX
;-)
I came for for the sloths, and was not disappointed.
There is nothing bad about this set, but... All other sets fron thios subtheme are just better.
The bear also looks somehow less cute and cool than previous ones.