Lego Elves - The Capture of Sophie Jones (review)

We've recently been reviewing one of the five new Lego Elves sets, designed for 7-12 year olds :  The Capture of Sophie Jones 41182 (RRP £17.99). The exciting backstory to the range will give lots of ideas for imaginative play once the kit has been put together : The magical world of Elvendale, where the LEGO Elves Azari, Farran, Naida and Aira live, faces dark times now that the King Goblin and his goblins have hatched an evil plan. Emily Jones’ little sister Sophie has followed Emily through the portal to the magical kingdom of Elvendale. However, without her big sister and her elf friends, Sophie gets captured by the evil Goblin King and his mischievous goblins. The LEGO Elves must unite their magic and go on a dangerous mission to search for Sophie and also recover Emily’s precious Amulet, which has been stolen. If the Goblin King finds the amulet, he will become the most powerful being in Elvendale and evil will take over the enchanted land.

Once you tip out the contents of the box, you get two sealed bags with a wide variety of bright colours and interesting looking shapes.

The full-colour enclosed instruction book shows you exactly what to put where and it's really easy to follow, even for a child with little or no input from parents. This is really gratifying for the child and is great for confidence-boosting.

Juliette jumped straight in and within half an hour (including time for stopping and taking photos), the whole set was put together, so it's a great choice for beginners, who may be overwhelmed or become disinterested by a complicated kit that takes too long to assemble.

Following the order of assembly in the book, the first thing we made was Barblin the Goblin's capture-mobile, with a big net on the front.

Pushing it along, the wheels really turn and the net goes up and down, so you can have fun catching Sophie Jones over and over again.

Alternatively, you can shake things up and let Sophie have a go at goblin-hunting instead !

This isn't the only story-telling and creative play that can be inspired though, as there is also a fully stocked shop (Mr. Spry’s grocery store) where Sophie can go and buy food and drink. There is great attention to detail, with numerous bottles and jars, as well as a sheet of stickers to decorate certain objects, such as a rug and the board showing what's for sale.

We love the interactive playability and the attention to detail, as well as the short time it takes to put together, so it gets top marks from us. This is just one of the sets in the range, so you could put together a whole Elvendale village by buying the others.

Magic Rescue from the Goblin Village 41185 (RRP £49.99)

Join Azari Firedancer and Farran Leafshade as they rescue the captured animals while they search for Sophie Jones! Check out the crystal and cage-making workshops, and watch goofy Fibblin try to catch Hidee the Chameleon. Help the elves deflect the evil seeds Bieblin is shooting at them from the catapult and avoid Smilin the guard and the carnivorous plants. Then free Panthara the Panther before continuing the search for Sophie!

Aira's Airship & the Amulet Chase 41184 (RRP £39.99)

Fly on a daring chase and search mission in Elvendale! Dukelin the Goblin has spotted Emily Jones with her amulet on Aira’s airship and swoops in with the goblin glider. Oh no, Dukelin has stolen the amulet and is getting away! Use Aira’s wind powers to transform the airship to super-fast flight mode and catch the goblin before it returns the amulet to the Goblin King!

The Goblin King's Evil Dragon 41183 (RRP £24.99)

Fly with the Goblin King on the back of his mind-controlled dragon, Ashwing, as he hunts for crystals to power his portal! Grab Blubeary the momma bear with Ashwing’s claw as she explores the empty cave with Lil’ Blu, and then have Jimblin the Goblin use the dynamite to blow up part of the cave and find the special crystal. Store the crystal in the cage on Ashwing's back and fly back to the Goblin King's fortress! Fly with the Goblin King as he hunts for crystals on his mind-controlled dragon, Ashwing, plus a crystal cave with explosion function, Jimblin, Blubeary and Lil’ Blu.

Naida's Gondola & the Goblin Thief 41181 (RRP £8.99)

Row through the streams of the unexplored goblin forest with Naida Riverheart the water elf as she searches for rare ingredients and crystals! Use the map and compass to find new places to explore on the way. But wait, Roblin the Goblin has spotted her and is firing evil seeds from the catapult, because the Goblin King wants the crystals to power his evil portal. Help Naida fight the goblin and protect the crystals!

star rating : 5/5

RRP : £17.99

Disclosure : We received the product in order to write an honest review.