Review: 31053 Treehouse Adventures
Posted by MeganL,
In the second of the recent Creator outdoor themed sets, I will take a look at the smallest of the three, 31053 Treehouse Adventures
The front box art shows a fun looking treehouse spanning two trees and a small stream. The front also shows the alternate builds in smaller pictures. The art on the back shows all three builds that look to have a couple of moving features, all set near a stream. The alternate builds are a clubhouse and a tree fort, though I am not sure which is which (tree fort is the taller one, according to LEGO S@H).
Treehouse
Inside the box there are four unnumbered bags and in another bag, the three instruction booklets.
Both minifigs in this set are children - a freckled faced little boy and a little girl with long hair. Both are dressed in sweaters, so it's not very warm where they are. He comes with a pail to haul water from the nearby stream; she comes with a paint roller as she must be putting the finishing touches on the treehouse.
As is not uncommon in LEGO sets, we first build the accessories, in this case the wheelbarrow which is used to ferry supplies to the treehouse. Then we start on the treehouse itself, starting with the quite necessary tree and surrounding landscaping. There's a multitude of ways to build trees in LEGO world, and I liked the use of the 2x2 round plates and 3x3 rounded plates to create larger, flat foliage in this tree house.
There is the use of a few Technic parts to create a ladder, including a gear, so that when it is engaged it can also be used as a bridge across the stream to the other part of the treehouse. It's a rather nifty little use of parts that I did not fully appreciate until later in the build.
The platform for the treehouse is created next, along with some of the details inside. There is an interesting use of the slopes to make a yellow chair that does not look like it would be all that comfortable for the minifigs. The flag is added here, however it's in a different spot than what is shown in the cover art.
The other part of the treehouse starts again with the trunk and base, but this time includes a rather clever little hiding place, something that's a nice change in Creator sets - we are used to seeing these in Friends and Elves, but not these. I like it.
The tree is pretty sturdy with the 2x 8 plates for the sides. This the bigger part of the treehouse; this part of the build finishes by connecting the hinge with the portion just built. The treehouse itself is next; with a desk that includes a map with an "x" marking the spot as well as a chocolate chip cookie as a snack for our intrepid treehouse denizens.
Finishing the walls includes a section that hinges down and the addition of a couple of windows. I am happy to see that the clear panes have been included in the windows; this must be quite a fancy tree house. There is a third level that serves as a platform for the observatory along with a blue jay perched there.
The final product can be closed and looks very attractive and can be a functional treehouse on its own. A very nice feature of this set is that when the treehouse is opened up, the bridge between the two platforms is raised, and when the treehouse is folded together, the bridge folds down to become the ladder - no extra motion required.
Clubhouse
The minifigs are the same for all three builds. For the clubhouse, the little boy has swapped his hair for a baseball cap and now has a cookie.
The clubhouse starts with building a walkway, small beach with the stream. Inside, furnishings include a table, a storage box with a hinged lid and a map hanging on the wall. The hinges in the set are used for a nice looking door that swings shut. Some of the 3x3 rounded plates start the stylized tree that includes the flat foliage used in this set.
Moving to the second level, the tree branches continue and we find a comfortable looking lounge chair, though I wonder how it was transported up there. Maybe, like LEGO, it was built up there? The tree continues to lead up to a third level.
The third level is a small platform that offers a telescope to look for people advancing on the clubhouse. The last addition to the build is a ladder to the second level. So that's how they get up there! Accessories include using the cord provided for some old can-to-can telephone systems we all used as kids.
Tree fort
For the tree fort, the little boy gets his hair back and this time his accessories are a map and a flashlight, and the little girl has a cookie.
The base of the tree for this build also includes a hiding spot, always a nice addition for a Creator build. In this case it's a hinged door that is built next that flips up. The tree is filled out with several branches that provide the support for the second level.
Inside details of the treehouse include a container and a light for the outside. In this build, the cord is used as a mechanism to bring a pail of water up to the first level of the fort. A ladder is added to get to the second level. The ladder swings up to become a railing for the second level.
The build is finished with a roof and another bird, this time in yellow.
Overall thoughts
Like many Creator sets, this set offers decent value for money (387-pieces, $34.99, £24.99, 29.99€). I quite liked the primary build, especially the mechanism that allows the ladder to become the bridge (and vice versa) simply by opening and closing the treehouse. The hinged feature of the build is used so that the treehouse looks just as attractive open as it does closed (though it looks a little cramped when it is closed).
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18 comments on this article
That is a pretty cool set!!
Nice that you included reviews of the other to builds.
That blue jay makes me think of regular show.
Great review. I have had my eye on this set and, maybe, I will go out at get one.
Nice review. These outdoor sets are very interesting.
Great review.
Such a cute set. I'd love to get it for my son, but he's so obsessed with "spooky" stuff and dinosaurs that I'm not sure he'd appreciate it yet. So I'll get it for me.
The shame of this set to me is that I just don't see a treehouse with foliage. I see a bunch of green plates held in place by a bunch of oddly-grey connecting pieces and technic axles, both of which look out of place in what's supposed to be one of the most natural-looking things in the world. I think that element of Creator sets is lost on me. I don't much care for brick-built animals either. In 31052, I don't see a bear, I see a pile of sharp brown pieces with oddly-grey connecting pieces and a pair of eyes stuck on the front. It's less animal, more abstract public art. Didn't they actually make a bear piece a few years ago? I really do understand creativity, but when it's really hard work to imagine something is what it was built to be, I don't get it. Maybe that's just my inner Lord Business talking.
The cookie ring from Detective's Office continues!
Great set, but why no "normal" leaves for the tree? Actually there is no retail set that comes with them any more, or am I wrong? Thanks for the review!
Nice set. That bridge feature is really cool.
I wonder when they'll start using the 6x5 and 5x3 leaf pieces in Creator sets, though.
Nice review (as usual). These smaller creator minifig sets typically hit their mark in terms of nice sets. The downside to me is price, but as they can be discounted in the US they typically fall to what I think is a better price point.
@brimbolet: right on. What's up with the loss of parts 2417?!
Those poor children caught up in crime so early
Cookie smugglers
Weird. The old treehouse isn't that old. Plus it looked better.
Thanks for the review. I agree with Zordboy, the overall look of the tree house is a little odd for me. I wish it had more foliage and other little details that would make it look more organic.
To Zordboy's and bricks4everyone's point. I wish it looked more like a typical tree house. To me, it looks more like a house grew out of the ground than a house nailed onto a tree.
Don't get Me wrong it's a nice set, but all three of the Builds look rather similar and the overall style just doesn't do it for Me.
And yeah I gotta agree with Zordboy.