REVIEW: 75952: Newt's Case of Magical Creatures

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Set information

Name: 75952: Newt's Case of Magical Creatures
Theme: Wizarding World
Year: 2018
Pieces: 694
Price: $49.99, GBP xx.xx, xx.xx€
Resources: Brickset, BrickLink

Hello Everyone and welcome to my review of Newt's Case of Magical Creatures! Before we begin i want to once again thank LEGO for providing these sets to us for our reviews, and the opinions expressed in this review are of course my own, whether good or bad. 

Now then, this lineup of sets isn't called "Wizarding World" for nothing- in addition to Harry Potter, we also get Fantastic Beast's sets! This one in particular focuses on Newt's case that contains a magical world full of creatures, and is one of the more creative sets in this series. So how does this set stack up? Read on to find out.

The Box

Front

The first difference we can see here is that the top lists 'Fantastic Beasts," and of course now has some characters from the film in the upper right corner.

Back

From here we can see some of the details and gimmicks of the set, there is quite a lot to look at!

Minifigures

Front

The figures included in this set are Queenie and Tina Goldstein, Newt Scamander, and Jacob Kowalski. Considering these figures are currently unique to this set, this is definitely a nice selection and gives you a good start on your collection of Fantastic Beasts characters. It is worth noting that the carrot leaf piece that newt is holding is supposed to be the Bowtruckle.

 

Alternate Faces

One thing worth noting is that Jacob's alternate face is meant to be paired with a helmet that is also included in this set.

Rear

All of these figures have backprinting, as you might expect.

Niffler

Additionally in this set we get the absolutely adorable little Niffler.

Occamy

The first magical creature we construct is the Occamy. He uses a primarily Mixel-jointed body and has a very striking colorscheme. While not the most unique of builds, that colorscheme is to die for. His mouth can also open and close.

Occamy

As you might expect from a snake-like creature, he's a little difficult to stand on his own without a balancing act.

Thunderbird

The Thunderbird shares th same head piece as the occamy, with a different print. Once again he has some really nice wing pieces with gold painted on, and is overall a pretty nice build. He has lots of articulation in his legs and head and additionally one point in the tail. 

Here's a look at his back, darkness was kept lower for the sake of being able to see that white. 

Erumpent

The Erumpent is probably my favorite build from this set. He's a very solid build, and while not perfect, is a pretty good representation of the magical Rhino-like creature. Articulation wise, he has rotation at both sets of "shoulders" as well as bending knees, and a balljointed head.

Erumpent Rear

Case Closed

Next we move on to the case itself. This looks pretty good, it has plenty of exterior detailing including some nice golden latches as well as stickers for the "Muggle Worthy" lock and Newt's initials.

Case Rear

The back is a little messier as we start to see the mechanisms to open this up.

Opening the Case

Opening the case is a multi-step process. First the lid is opened, and honestly if you wanted you could do this without opening the sides and still have easy access to the inside.

Next we fold out the sides, open the roof of the hut, swing out the ladder, and bring the roof pieces down to an angle.

Left Side

Here we can see a selection of toos, turkey leg, and wash basin

Center

Inside you'll find some potions, gold, and some nice structural details.

Headroom

The center hut is pretty small, but it is nice to see that even with the roof in place a figure can stand in here.

Right Side

Once more we see a variety of items such as gold, a bucket, a little tree formation (the box shows the Bowtruckle fitting on one of those branches) and an egg.

Overall

Lego chose to make one Fantastic Beast set for each of the two films so far, and for the first film they chose this, Newt's Case; and I think this was the best possible idea they could have had. You not only get a good core selection of figures, but also a fun variety of creatures, accessories, and a clever way of having Newt's Case open up to reveal the world hidden inside it. At 694 pieces and $50, this set is also a good value for your money, and has it's share of fun building techniques to achieve the final designs. Personally, of the first wave of Wizarding World sets this is my favorite, and is highly recommended for anyone that is a fan of Fantastic Beasts. 

 

 

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Dear Eurobricks, this review is now live for your viewing

[LegoFjotten]

Thanks for the review!

The suitcase looks like a clever build and the figs looks nice. Certainly one of the most creative LEGO sets this year.

I'm not a huge fan of brickbuilt animals though, so not sure if I will be picking this up this one even if the build looks interesting. 

[Cylo]

Great review! Really nice figs and the printing on the animals are very nice!

[ecmo47]

Train builders rejoice! The reddish-brown 1x2 with handle on the side is back!

[zoth33]

Nice review.  I'm going to pick this one up soon.  So many great pieces and love the brick built animals.  And of course the niffler is very nice.  

[Legoginge]

I got this yesterday and built it. I absolutely love that it folds up into the case and actually prefer it as a closed case. The only downside for me is when the case is open I feel the hinge holding the "lid" back feels a little weak and looks to overland causing stress on the pieces.

[Hobbythom]

Great review, very tempted to get this. 

I love the combination of transport and play. This type of set would work equally well for friends or a future pirate line (with a constructed treasure chest) 

[Ogist]

For me this is the best set this year, although I'm not a big fan of Fantastic Beast movie. Congratulations to the designer of this set how he managed to pack all the essentials from the movie to the set. Extremely creative, great looking set, nice playability and minifigures. Well done Lego. We want more sets like this.