Science Lab Set (2013-2015)

[Deleted]

Science Lab Set
Item# F5193

My American Girl® dolls can make amazing discoveries in the science lab! This set features:

-A pretend microscope with a focus wheel that moves up and down
-Five colorful slides that can be placed on the microscope for a closer look at what's inside!
-A rack with three test tubes for experiments
-An Innerstar University® apron and safety glasses to keep her protected
-A mini science book
-A paper box to hold the slides until next time

If I was going to get anything out of this release. it was going to be the science set. As a person pursuing scientific research, I knew this had to come home.

Everything in this set is plastic, sans the cardboard box for the slides, the book and apron. So let's go through each piece.





Microscope
The scope is made of plastic. You can look down the eyepiece but you really cannot see that much. The knobs can be turned, but it actually does not focus at all (though the focus does move up and down). I feel like the microscope is the most disappointing part of the set, since there has been nice reproductions of items, such as Kit's typewriter, and I was honestly hoping for a quality closer to that. I do feel that the scale is also a bit off, as the dolls are supposedly 1:3 scale, the scope is more a 1:5 scale.








myag_ss_18 by hockeypensgal, on Flickr

Slides
Again, perhaps I am being a bit critical in hoping for realism. The slides are just thin plastic squares with a picture and label printed on them. Not the greatest in the world, as I do not know who would be using an opaque slide to try to view their specimen when the light needs to shine through the slide. AG could have at least used clear plastic instead of solid white plastic. These are also tiny, and the likely pieces that will get lost.










myag_ss_10 by hockeypensgal, on Flickr

Test Tube Rack and Test Tubes
This part of the set I fell is executed fine. Test tube racks are commonly in plastic or metal wiring in our labs, so the plastic white test tube rack is accurate. It holds the test tubes well. The three test tubes are made of plastic with a permanent stopper. The liquid on the inside is colored plastic that moves up and down the test tube as the invert it. Nice touch, and makes it look more so like liquid without it actually being liquid.






myag_ss_12 by hockeypensgal, on Flickr

Apron and Safety Glasses
Unbeknownst to be, apparently grade school labs use aprons (I had to use an old button down shirt), and the apron is made of a sturdy material. I wish the Innerstar logo was not on it, but oh well. The safety goggles fit fine after some finagling like any of AG's glasses.




myag_ss_04 by hockeypensgal, on Flickr

Science Book
The science book is your standard mini book that is the same quality as the other mini books AG had produced over the years. Though I may need to contact Scott Foremans as my boyfriend pointed out some inaccuracies in the reptile section.




myag_ss_14 by hockeypensgal, on Flickr

Paper Box
Though the description says paper, the box is made of a very thick paper, sturdy like a thin cardboard. Again, this is not bad, as boxes slides come in are usually made of the same material.

Overall, not a bad set. You do have some really small pieces (the slides and test tubes) that may get easily misplaced. It should definitely provide great playtime, and I would say a must in any classroom settings.

Grade: B+

[numberonekitty]

Grade B

Too much plastic and not enough of any other material, otherwise it would have merited an A.

The microscope:

This is the most disappointing part in the set. Given that it is all plastic, it lacks the detail that I was hoping for. I expected it to be heavier. It looks and feels like what it is: plastic. The knobs do turn and the scope does rotate down. The slides can be placed on the stage and sort of viewed through the lens. They can be seen but are very blurred.



The slides:

The 6 slides come packaged in a very thick, quality cardboard box. There is a slot for each slide where they can be easily removed and returned to the box. The downside is that they are made from white plastic. I expected them at the very least to be a clear plastic.


Sorry for the blurry pic




The test tubes:

Of course I was not expecting them to be glass, but in spite of the plastic I feel these were well executed.  The "liquid" inside is a tube of plastic that can move up and down.  Nice touch!



The glasses, book and apron are all comparable in quality to other similar American Girl products. 

The book is a mini version of the real thing.  My girls had something very similar in their classrooms.  Love the mini text and illustrations.   





Overall, I find the set has lots of play value and is great for displays and scenes for dolls in a classroom or lab setting.  

[SunKist]

I couldn't begin to match the high quality photos so far!  But I wanted to add a few notes:

The test tube stoppers are not permanent.  A little wiggle and all three popped right off, which I think gives even more play/display/photography value.

The circular "light source" underneath the microscope can spin, and actually has a mirror on one side!  I was pleasantly surprised by this.  It is a little superfluous considering any reflected light will only be shining on to the bottom of a slide that is not see-through ~ but still fun.

The book in my set had gummy residue on the covers, and the pages were all glued upside down.  It slightly bothers me but I am hesitant to call customer service for something so trivial.

[Deleted]

LOVE this set, as mentioned before the test tubes all open and the "liquid" comes out, I think this is cool!!! Love the microscope. I give this an A

[kathysagkids]

Does anyone know if the Science Lab set is retired, or is it just temporarily sold out on the American Girl website?

[cbsdiamond]

it has been retired