For years I was primarily a City collector, but that got boring fast. Everything was the same. A bunch of faceless firemen and police officers doing nothing was so drab. I wanted houses and restaurants and mausoleums. A few came, and I snatched most of them up, but it wasn't enough. Eventually I was fed up and moved onto action themes and licensed ones, but other than Harry Potter, which was mostly civilian, there weren't many examples of what I was looking for in City. Then Friends came down riding on a pink unicorn. The dolls were a bit of a turn-off, but otherwise I was in love...and with Super Heroes, I was also short on funds. This is my first Friends set, unfortunately, but it was a wonderful first in-hand impression.

Box/Instructions

The box (thrown out, sorry if you wanted to see it) is several shades of purple and really gives off an interesting and curvy affect. I'm surprised the Friends-haters haven't suggested that the darker purple curves are meant to suggest that even the boxes are an implication that girls need to be curvy to be acceptable. Maybe they haven't sunk that low, yet.... Okay, I digress.

The scene on the box is cute, but doesn't make much sense as always. To me it looks like the Karate Class is on a desk by a window. Emma is breaking a board (all by herself, and she is showing no pain! :O) with a dojo wall and her trophies proudly positioned behind her.

The Friends logo is at the top with a stream of symbols representing the Friends including a paw print, a musical note, a star, a heart, and a flower, the latter of which I believe represents Emma.

The girls are all on the top and it looks a little odd to me. Especially Mia. They look so needy and are hanging off of each other. The colors are nice, but last year's graphic was much better.

The same image of Emma blown-up a little is on the back of the box and I don't like it any more. There were various images showing off different parts of the set in greater detail.

The instructions have the same visual of the front and the pages were purple. I found no mistakes, but I tend to gloss over the booklets quickly and don't notice them. There is a map of Heartlake in the back and on the very last page is a "WIN!" ad, but with a smiling girl rather than a screaming boy.

Parts

There are a variety of colors included, such as dark pink, light pink, magenta, light orange, azure, black, white, tan, and brown. There are more of course, Friends sets tend to include a lot of colors, but more on that later.

As for parts, most of them are fairly normal, but are made more interesting by appearing in rare colors, at least rare outside of Friends. Most of the pinks and purple parts, for example.

The kendo helmet and dojo panel have also only been used in a few Ninjago sets (I wonder what those characters mean in Japanese) and the body of the bonsai tree is one of the shorter sticks introduced with the Collectable Minifigures. The solid kind too, not the short flex tubes that appear in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Other items of note for me are the purple basket, Emma's hair, and the bow (an extra is included).

The parts are not the rarest, other than what was mentioned, but the colors that they come in more than make up for this. This is really a good parts pack. The price is cheap and it includes one of the best varieties in a set offered at this range across many themes. Some of the parts are even unique, such as the Ninjago ones, to Friends.

Minidoll

The mini-doll included is a unique variant of Emma in a Karate uniform. I will get to the figure in a moment, but since this is my first time owning a mini-doll, I would like to give my thoughts on them first. I'll get to the point right away and ramble later. I do not like the mini-doll as much as minifigures. That's pretty much a given.

I do, however, prefer it to nearly every other minifigure variation LEGO has presented. They are nearly as customizable as a minifigure and much more compatible. They are slightly taller than their cousins, but no big deal.

They are much less sexualized than the previous Barbie styled dolls featured in older girl themes. They are thin and their shoulders are wider than their abdomen, but their hips are not. They are slender, but they don't quite have an hourglass figure. At least not an emphasized one, no more than my slender figure. (Over the internet, I get asked what my gender is more than anything else. I am male.) Their breasts are hardly noticeable too. They are there, but not prominent and I hardly notice them when looking head-on.

My only problem with the mini-dolls proportions (looking at it as a doll) is that I feel the arms are too thin. The legs are fine (it is annoying that they may not be moved individually, though) and can actually support the figure, unlike Barbie on her feet which are probably about the same size as these. The arms, however, really are thin. You would probably have to see them in person to understand.

Posibility is another problem. The legs, as aforementioned, have to be moved together and the hands cannot be rotated.

The doll goes together similarly to a minifigure, but with a different neck. Their hair/headpieces are also interchangeable. I have drafted Jay and Gandalf to demonstrate.



Anyway, the hairpiece and bow are compatible with minifigures and I tried it on a few of them. I think that it looks really good, certainly unique, which is something I don't feel LEGO City has enough of. Most of the women look like carbon copies of another. Men too, but there are more cartridges to use.

If you are looking for a unique mini-doll, this might be your best option. Tuxedos are cool too, but not as cool as a girl with a black-belt in karate.

It's a little bit of a shame that mini-dolls are sparse. Some sets in this price range with minifigures have as many as three. I would have loved a sensei mini-doll....

The Build

I hope you are not looking at this set for the build. It is just a few sub-models of scenery. It's all cute, but unless you didn't know how to use hinges or put a few leaves on a stick, there is nothing to learn. The sub-models keep it from getting too boring, but it is still a breeze.

The Completed Model

I'll do this in the order of what is built.

First up is the bonsai tree. It is a cute little piece of scenery with a couple rare pieces (a dark tan jumper plate and a shorter lightsaber blade in brown) that really adds to the mood of the set. It doesn't serve much of a purpose, but it is details like this I wish the "boy" themes had more of. Very few do. I was lucky with some Harry Potter sets, however.


The stand used to hold up the board is a little ugly, in all honesty. It could have done without the white plates (not the ones that serve as the board, the ones in the model itself) but serves its purpose as holding the tiles which Emma can chop. It looks better on the lower nook than the higher one.




The dojo wall itself is quite nice. It does look a little girly with the magenta and pink, but somehow I don't even think about it. Those pieces aren't that rare in more feasible colors anyway. The pattern beneath it on the floor is interesting and is one of those details I wish I could have more of, but, again, I think it could do without the tan and lilac plates. The basket and a water bottle are placed here. I'm not a big fan of the bottle, myself. It would have been easier to make a thermos than a bottle, so that is what I think they should have done.



Lastly is the counter. The orange, white, and azure colorscheme looks really good I think, it has a nice feel and isn't girly at all. There are lilac plates, and they look okay. Maybe not as nice as brown or white, but it's okay. Here Emma proudly displays a katana and two different trophies. a seemingly floating Kendo helmet also makes its home. The two segments are on hinges so that they can be repositioned to the owner's delight, but I think that the format presented on the box is best.

Summary

Pros

• A wonderful, cheap set that displays an even more interesting and empowering hobby for a girl than Olivia's Creation Workshop. (Not to say that isn't a good hobby for anyone to have.)
• A nice spectrum of common pieces in rare colors
• Rare pieces such as the Japanese panel, short stick, kendo helmet, and basket
• A unique mini-doll
• Scenery with attention to detail rather than some sparse action scene (as depicted in themes like Super Heroes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ninjago, Star Wars, etc.)
• The set itself doesn't feel too girly, aside from the doll and box

Cons

• A bit too many colors on the board stand and flooring
• Not really anything it could be supplemented to. Maybe one of the Ninjago temples or Dojo, I suppose, but it wouldn't quite fit in.

Building Experience: It was fun, but not too interesting. Granted, it was still just as good as other sets in this price range, whether intended for girls or boys. 3/5

Parts: Common pieces in rare colors, plus a few rare pieces in useful colors? Okay! 5/5

Playability: There really aren't too many play features, but the way that this theme is targeted is to include scenery that sparks imagination. I am okay with that, and this set really does a good job of including details that override the subtle girlishness and create an Amerasian feel of a dojo. 4.5/5

Minifigures: Emma's design is unique to this set and is an awesome concept executed well for what it is. The dolls are not as charming as minifigures, but certainly better than previous attempts. 4/5

Value for Money: I hadn't even had the price per piece ratio in mind while I was writing this review, which is certainly positive. Well, the ratio is good (at least where I live) but that aside, this set is definitely a good value, for the parts alone. Minifigure collectors may be disappointed, but Friends sets aren't for minifigure collectors. 5/5

Design: Aside from an overload of colors where there shouldn't be, this set is very well designed for the price point. 4.5/5

Quality: Everything seems perfect. Emma's sleeve is a little splotchy in some places, but it is hardly noticeable and doesn't bother me. The quality is still pretty high. 5/5

Overall: I have loved the Friends theme, and I am sorry that this is my only set. It offers just what I have been yearning for in other themes but rarely get. Buildings that are not just facades and actually come with furniture and everyday accessories. Though I don't like the mini-dolls as much as the minifigures, for the most part a great deal of care has been issued in designing them and I can tell. Most of them have personality, something that City figures lack (most themes do not, however). Honestly, this theme is superior to City in many ways.

This set itself is some of the best the theme currently has to offer at a low price point with rare pieces, a special figure, a unique idea, and a good price. I would highly recommend this set. I do not think I have enjoyed a set in this price range this much for a long time. 4.5/5

Set #41002 Emma's Karate Class: If Mia's Magic Tricks was fun this set is downright awesome. Everyone be they boy or girl can enjoy karate, it's a very familiar element of our own everyday lives and pop culture. So when this set was introduced I was ecstatic, being a Male fan of LEGO I enjoy unique designs and even better unique play pattern ideas that showcase the power and fun that is LEGO.

Emma's Karate Class fits that description to a T, it's just all around fun and exciting. My only complaint, like a lot of these cheaper sets from the Friends line it is missing more than one Mini-Doll to play with. For a set with the name, Emma's Karate Class it's kind of missing the 'Class' portion, Emma is a student, where is her instructor?

Box/Instructions

The image on the box really does a lot for this set, it shows all of the elements of the models involved with the set, how they look together and why you should ultimately buy this set.

The instructions are folded in half, meaning there is a huge crease in them, which some might not like. Be that as it may they are really decent looking and are quite easy to follow.

Parts

This set is just chock full of useful parts, from the Kendo Mask seen in LEGO Ninjago and the katana sword (which there are two of) to the impressively detailed printed window piece with the Asian design and script, it's just a great load of useful and fun parts. A few pinks and purples a teal brick or two, and that about sums it up.

Minifigures

Emma is, like a lot of the Mini-Dolls from 2013, dressed in a unique new printed outfit. Although the lower legs are the same pants design seen on other Mini-Dolls, this one is white though and plain to match her upper torso design. With a black belt printed around her waist Emma is quite accomplished in the art of Karate, I really like the unique look of this Mini-Doll and how she stands out amongst all the ordinary clothed versions.

Accessories include the katana, a Kendo mask/helmet which works because you wouldn't see hair sticking out while wearing it unlike Mia's top hat and a light purple purse/bag for her to carry stuff in. She also has a hairbow which looks ok on her, mostly due to the fact that it fits on the back of her hair and doesn't stand out as being too large like when most animals are wearing it.

The Build

The build itself is for a bunch of set pieces that all come together to make a great looking scene, each step is between 8-15 steps or so some less than that and you build up quite a number of great looking elements. Once it's all built up there's enough there to play with immediately and have a bit of fun.

The completed model

Each element on its own is pretty bland looking, when they all come together however that's when this set really shines. First off you build a small Bonsai tree for Emma to tend, the smooth black tiles really sell this miniature model as something fun to display and play with.

There's a display of brick breaking using some fun design elements to immitate the karate chopping through a wooden board feature. It looks nice, fits in with the overall design and is ok as a play feature... There really wasn't much that LEGO could include on that front for a set like this. Then you have the nice window piece sitting on a small floor mat area where Emma can practice meditating I suppose... It also includes a water bottle you do need to stay hydrated after all. I like the design of the water bottle actually, it works really well for such a minor element.

Then we have the display case for the trophies Emma has earned, a gold coin and gold cup, it also is a place to put the Kendo mask and Katana when not being used. It's a nice little model with a hinge element linking the two sections together, there's even a spot to attach the purse/bag when not in use.

Summary

Overall I think this is the stand out set from the first wave of LEGO Friends small priced sets, there's a lot of great looking elements in play here that, when all come together look great as a wonderful design and set peice.

I do think LEGO should consider expanding on this idea for 2014, we could use a larger building with interior design to match this set with an actual instructor and other class mates that Emma can stand beside, it would be doubly nice if they included a way to incorporate this set by attaching the elements into the building somewhere. I still think this is a set worth picking up though, if nothing else than for the uniqueness of having a different looking Emma on the shelf and some great parts for MOCing your own larger Karate Class or Dojo building that doesn't rely solely on the Ninjago elements.

Recommended.