When I first saw these and found out they would be only $4.99 in the US I was quite excited. A LEGO Friends version of the CMF bags? Well not quite, there's no mystery, more like Ninjago Booster packs, a figure and a small build to go with it. I was still stoked, Friends has been an amazing line for the AFOL who can appreciate a new color or element, and since you can put most minifigure hats & hair on the Mini Doll there's no reason not to have a legion of Imperial FriendsTroopers at your disposal (yes I said put Stormtrooper helmets on the Friends girls =-)

So what are they? A series of heavy duty polybags with a Friends animal and a small home for that animal, in this case a tree house. This is a great way to get some of the sweet new animal elements from the Friends line without buying large sets just to get them. Imagine if they did the same with some of the small creatures from Star Wars!

Box/Instructions

The set is packed in a thicker plastic than normal polybags, there was no apparent way to open it, nor does it have the "cut here" marks of a CMF packet. I resorted to the folding knife i keep in my building area and slit the bottom. From the packet you will find a plastic bag with all the parts and the instructions folded in half. Overall it's quite nicely packed. The instructions are clear, getting Squirrel's Tree House completed in just 10 steps, 2 of which have sub assemblies, and a pair of simple steps for sticking the bow on squirrel's tail & making my favorite part of the build, Acorns!

Parts

The first great thing about this set is by far the abundance of parts. Imagine all your sets had a 25% ratio of spare parts to the amount listed on the front of the box? This set does! The bag lists 41 pieces but my copy had 52! The spare parts included 1 each: reddish brown 1x2 tile, tan 1x2 grille tile & tan cheese slope and 2 of each: light azure Friends hair bows, dark pink 1x1 flower plates, reddish brown & tan 1x1 round plates. That's a lot of spare parts for such a small set. The rest of the parts are nice, lime green 4x4 plates, dark brown 1x2x2 slopes, reddish brown 1x2x3 inverted slopes 1x2x2 round top window frame & 2x2x2 slope (anyone need a brown dress?), a tan 1x2 brick with 3 section handle and 1x2 plates with handles on the side, yellow 1x2 plates with clips on the end and 2 small green tree leaves. Overall it's a decent parts pack with not too many obvious "Friends colors".

Minifigures

There aren't any-but there is an awesome mini-animal! Our new friend Squirrel! He's dark orange with a big bushy tail with a pin hole at the top for a friend accessory. He's about 1x3x2 bricks in size, and will fit on a stud and can then be spun in 360 degrees without contacting the studs surrounding that one. His face is printed with a little smile and blue eyes and is quite cute.

The build

Building the set is quite simple. The first thing you do is take the bright light orange dish and make 2 acorns by placing a brown 1x1 round plate on top of a tan one. Right there on the first page they sold this set, they look so perfect and are so obviously i'm surprised that every Autumn MOC isn't littered with these. It's a great touch that shows how simple a build can be and still be instantly recognizable. Next you stick a bow on Squirrel's tail, but I'll be leaving it off for the most part. I think every one of these sets will include an animal getting a bow pinned on that's fine with me, especially if there's going to be 2 spares each time, that's more parts for me to use in the future, and they totally fit in the holes on the side of Clone Trooper helmets! After that you quickly build up the little tree house, it takes just a few minutes, but with a 5-12 age range i can see a small child enjoying this immensely as it comes together. The window frame inside to hold the lime plates at the right angle is clever and will keep kids from being frustrated by the angle they end up at. When it's done it does look like a little tree house. I also rather like the ramp with the cheese slopes as steps, it's a cute touch.

The completed model

When you're done you have a small little tree/house and a cute squirrel to live in it. Or you have a new LEGO Squirrel for your LEGO menagerie and a handful of parts to put in to your stock. Either way it's nice.

Summary

I know at least one other member of I LUG NY & Brickset who has been anxiously awaiting these, my only concern being how to stop myself from buying way more of them than I need. I'm sure the animals will work their way into sets as well eventually but for now these are a great impulse buy or a way to pad an order to get special offers. I know there is at least a 2nd series planned, and hope there are more after that, with more great new animal molds. Pick one up and see how simple a good set can be.

If you have an animal lover, this set is adorable. It is an easy build for those younger kids, or those who are easily frustrated. LEGO has done a great job with the animals in the Friends series.

For such a small set, this little squirrel and his home have a lot of character and play-ability. Great addition to any lego city park or home.

This cute little squirrel lives in a really cool tree house!

Box/Instructions

It comes in a polybag with a small instruction booklet.

Parts

With this set you get a nice collection of some very useful parts in interesting colors (like a total of four 4x4 Br.Yel plates as well as some useful brown parts if you like to built trees). Another good thing: except the two flower pieces there is no pink in it! :-)

It also comes with a lot of spare parts.

Minifigures

The Squirrel looks very cute, but I don`t like the little hole on the top of its tail (where you can put on the bow). Also its head and eyes are quite big, so it doesn't`t look very realistic but is more of a comic-style-squirrel if you ask me.

The build

Nothing special about the build. Nice but short. Good roof structure, that opens up, so it helps for playability.

The completed model

Looks really good and is in my opinion the best (and biggest) set out of friends animals series 1. It really looks like a solid and cool tree house! :-)

Overall opinion

Nice little build, I`d recommend it. Best model of series 1 one in my opinion.

Set #41017 Squirrel's Tree House: Part of Series 1 Friends Animals the Squirrel's Tree House completes the set of three which I will be reviewing.

The model in this set is pretty clever, I actually enjoyed building this one as much as I did Turtle's Little Oasis. The pieces are a nice combination of colors, brown and beige with light green and of course the dark green plants and pink flower buds. The way you open up the tree house to gain access to the squirrel is rather clever too. I think this would look great next to Olivia's Tree House from 2012.

The squirrel is an interesting piece, it fits the LEGO Friends aesthethic nicely, although I'm not sure how well they'd fit in with other LEGO Animal pieces from conventional Themes. Also of interest is the pink dish included with the set that has some studs built to represent Acorns (I think).

Overall this is a cute little set for Friends fans and collectors of bagged style sets who can get past the 'not actually a polybag' concept. The inclusion of three light blue ribbons is also a nice touch, I'd recommend this set alongside the turtle one before going after the cat's playground series one animal.

2013 sets are appearing in many places now, and I thank everyone who emailed while I was away to report their sightings. They are still thin on the ground in the UK, although my local Smyths (which you recall only opened a month ago) had most of the January Legends of Chima and Friends sets when I looked this morning, including the three polybag sets, which I bought.

They are perhaps the most anticipated of the new Friends line-up because of their interesting pieces and lack of a mini-doll, which has enabled a low price point (£2.99 in the UK).

They are packaged like the Ninjago booster packs, in a heavyweight plastic bag. Inside, the parts are in a regular bag along with the instructions.

41017-1 Squirrel's Tree House consists, as its name suggests, of a squirrel and a tree house :-)

It's an elaborate, sturdy structure, built onto a useful array of brown slopes. A brown arched window frame in the centre of the house keeps the roof square.

Doesn't the squirrel look cute with a bow in his tail? Actually I think he'd probably look better without, to be honest. Can you imagine trying to put a ribbon on a real squirrel's tail? You'd probably end up with less fingers than you started with!

This is a nice set that will be a big hit with Friends fans. It fills a gap in the market for pocket money priced sets that girls will want to buy and collect. Furthermore, it contains a useful selection of parts that AFOLs will find useful, at a price point that will encourage duplicate purchases.

Would you like me to photograph the other two sets? Let me know in the comments.