Reviewed by Julie-Ann Schmidt (SAFOLs Member, BUFFLUG Member)
Mia is the fourth out of the five ‘besties’ to get her very own house. This set comprises of 715 pieces, making it the largest of the four sets. Her house gives the impression of being a homely mountain retreat. Considering that Mia is the adventure junkie of the five, one can expect to find her home in the country. The build throughout this set is fairly easy, adding only two to three pieces per page.
This set contains six bags in total, the first of which allows us to build Mia, a grey horse, small water well and the kitchen. Mia looks great in her orange and olive green outfit and we can immediately notice her hair colour has changed this year from dark red to red. The kitchen is well equipped with a sink, blender, pan and bowls. The lime and white tiles looks great but, oddly, don’t cover the whole floor. The horse is a nice addition, and while this version lacks the articulation of regular horses, it has various pin-holes for decorative ribbons to be added.
With the second bag we continue the construction of the house. The front door has an intricate pattern provided by a sticker and side by side windows with pretty flower boxes below.
We then go on to build a small mountain structure with staircase to the upper level. Behind the stairs is a feeding area for the horse with a trough for water and one for carrots. There is also a storage place for the horse’s bridle and saddle. The interior has a nicely designed couch and coffee table with a cup and phone. The hallway has an ornamental frog and flower on the table. Stickers are used to add details such as a bookshelf, portrait, rug and clock.
Bag three also contains Mia’s parents, Ann and Angus as well as her pet bunny. The mom figure has a lovely printed torso complete with pearl necklace. She makes use of Rapunzel’s long plait hairpiece in a new colour, dark orange and holds a camera with lens. The dad figure has matching dark orange hair and moustache. His olive green shirt has a pine tree badge hinting that he works as a forest ranger. There is also a separate dining area that one can add on to the kitchen. The table is laid with a plate, cup, bread, cheese and juice.
Bags four and five contain the parts to construct the first floor. It contains a water closet with a door for privacy, a hallway with a rug and dresser and a study with a desk, chair and bookshelf. On the side of the house is a rock-climbing wall with a secret entrance into the study.
Bag six finishes off the house with a rather unusual dark purple sloping roof. There is also a ladder leading up to the loft area, which contains a lamp, cushion and bed.
The exterior of the house looks lovely with tan walls on the ground level and medium dark flesh on the upper levels. The dark azure windows are in line on both levels as are the doors. There are wooden and stone details which help to create a rustic feel. A beehive and various flowers offer a good deal of ornamentation.
While the house is primarily made up of neutral tones, there is definitely no shortage of colour. While using nearly 30 different colours in a single set might make AFOLs a little queasy, it is surely every little girl’s delight.
Reviewer Photos
