Before you get excited about my review of Over the Moon, LEGO set #10391, please be aware that this set is retired. But even as a retired set, I believe it has value. This set brings some interesting parts to the LEGO toy photographers universe. The set was originally introduced in September 2024,as a tie into the Pharrell Williams movie, Piece by Piece. Although for me, it only came to my attention through a recent random blog post.
This review is really only for one small part of the set: Pharrell’s Phriends. If you would like a complete review of this set from a conventional LEGO point of view – head over to BrickSet. And be sure to check out the comments for this set. They offer an insight into why this set was discontinued so quickly.
Set 10391 solves a problem
For many years I’ve been trying to solve a problem creating diversity in my minifgure collection. The best expressions are usually found in on yellow heads. This has left me scrambling to purchase a variety of non yellow, non light nougat heads for my minifigures from third party sellers. The minifigure world I want to create requires more diversity of colors. The type of diversity I see in my real life and online communities.
I’m always on the lookout for interesting faces and colors. I look at single minifigs at conventions as well as online retailers. Some of the past collectible minifigure series and the licensed sets offered by The LEGO Group are the best resource for interestingly colored heads. And while I’ve searched through LEGO’s own Pick a Brick for interesting heads – the ones offered tend to have basic expressions. Of course searching through their extensive selection of individual parts for sale is time consuming and not how I want to spend my time.
Which brings me back to Over the Moon, LEGO set #10391. When I first saw an image of the rack of stacked multi colored heads, I immediately tracked down the set. And of course it was already discontinued. I was lucky to find it for sale on line for a minimal markup.
51 heads / 90 faces!
Yes you read that right! This set includes 51 unique heads in seven different flesh tones; ranging from Light Nougat to Dark Brown. And on top of that, 39 of them have two sided printing. That’s a total of 88 faces! On the Brickset review, one of the comments referred to the set as a “disembodied heads battlepack”. Which pretty much sums up the appeal of this set. The heads and the sheer variety of expressions.
Images courtesy of Brickset
Twenty four of the faces are female and of those twenty are two sided. There are twenty seven male faces of which eighteen are two sided. I assigned gender to various faces by the use of lashes on the eyes. I know that gender is a social construct and my bases for separating completely arbitrary. No matter how you decide to use these heads and expressions, know that there is a delightful range of facial hair, glasses and lipstick color across all colors.
So for the relatively modest price of $90 (US) I have greatly expanded my options for customizing minifigures. The cost of the set on the secondary market came out to approximately $1 an expression. Of course your cost will be determined how motivated any reseller will be to unload this set.
Too many sets in too short a time span
Having to rely on the secondary market for this set is my own fault. I should be paying more attention to the set that LEGO is releasing. It’s not like I didn’t know about the movie or the tie-in set when it was released in 2024. My lack of motivation when the set was released is a combination of owning too much lego and this not being a particularly interesting set. Except for the heads.
But I think the bigger deterrent might be the rate at which LEGO releases sets. With each new wave I feel overwhelmed by choice. I turn away rather than look closely at the options. Maybe I’m waiting to see what interesting sets rise to the top and gather attention or good reviews. Or possibly I’m relying on old habits of expecting a set to be around for two years before it’s discontinued? The result of course are that I accidentally overlook interesting sets like this one.
In conclusion
From a building perspective, Over the Moon, LEGO set #10391 was quick and enjoyable. Once its put together there is very little play factor and minimal photography opportunities. I’m not a brick collector, so I can’t tell you if the piece count will make this set worth tracking down. But that’s not why I felt this set was a must purchase for me.
The real appeal of this set is Pharrell’s Phriends. The 51 heads and 90 expressions are a unique opportunity for anyone looking to expand their character options quickly. If you’re want more diversity in your LEGO world and toy photos, this set offers a many faces with excellent expressions in a range of colors. I’m pleased to have these new faces in my collection just in time for Black History Month in the United States.
I’ve come to realize that diversity and inclusion isn’t going to just show up and drop into my lap. I have to work to make it happen. And this set, Over the Moon while jump start my universe where everyone is welcomed.
And if you haven’t watched the movie Piece by Piece, I highly recommend it. It’s a little brick built gem on creativity and doing what you love.
- Is there a set you missed when it first came out that you had to purchase it from a reseller?
- Is diversity important to you in your LEGO world? If so, how do you create it?
As a concept, I like this set. The price left a real bad taste in my mouth though. Felt like they upcharged the heck out of it just because it had a famous person’s name on it. Your photos are making me want to get it for all those heads though. Talk about an awesome start to a custom minifig collection.
Zee – you and I agree on the build part of the set. Even at a cheaper price, the main build isn’t very interesting for either a display piece or a building challenge. Other reviews mention that the set has very little to do with the movie which is sda because I liked the movie. But Pharrell’s Phriends! That’s where the gold is. Unlike other sets, I would say wait to buy the heads individually when the sets are eventually parted out. But I don’t even know how that would work. Im super happy with the purchase based on the heads alone. So if they intrigue you, I would start looking for a seller willing to unload this dog of a set for less than retail. Happy hunting!
Great set! The heads would lure me in all on their own but you hit the right point Lego swamps us with choices in waves and there isn’t time or $$$ to get everything I might want before the sets disappear. Thanks for showing me something I missed originally.
Mary – we all can agree that it’s too much of a good thing. At least you know this set is out there and you can keep an eye out for one at a good price. Keep up your awesome creativity! 😀