Review- Dumbledore's Office

[RoryoCox]

Name: 4729 Dumbledore's Office

Pieces: 278

Minifigures: 3

Price: £44.99

Release Date: 2002

Sub-Theme: Chamber of Secrets

Minifigures:

We get three great minifigures. Harry is normal but I think TLC done a great job with Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. The detail is very good and the colours work well.

Unfortunately I no longer have the box or instructions so I will go straight into the build

Lower Section:

We start with the lower section. I think the opening sides is very good and the details in here is brilliant.

We get a nice printed safe. You can put letters in it and it rotates.

Next is the letter shelf. The letters are put on clips with keys attached and then slotted in. You can also see the locking mechanism which can keep the sides closed together.

Next is the lovely yet annoying stairs. They look beautiful but touch them and they will go out of place. The minifigures can stand well but sometimes fall.

The last feature is a door at the back which swings in and out. It has lovely trans purple glass.

And we end this section with a closed shot-

Upper Section:

Like the bottom section there are many features and I think it looks lovely in the picture above.

The first part is the desk and chair. The desk can open to reveal a secret area. The chair is well make and more like a throne.

The next photo shows the overview of the floor. You can see the balconies and the shelf which is printed. The shelf like the chair can rotate but more about that below.

Next is a strange feature. A printed trans disk which rotates along with the block behind it. It adds a nice feature but I don't know what it is.

The roof is normal in Harry Potter sets. It is sand green and molded with roof slates.

Next is the shelf which can rotate to the outside to reveal a key on a clip.

Final Marks

Design: 9/10 The set is very well designed with some nice smooth corners and great techniques used.

Build: 9/10 A decent build not to hard but not to easy. I enjoyed building this set and miss the sets that were built like this.

Playability: 9/10 The set opens and very easy to get access to both floors. The features i.e. walls, shelf, table and post box are great for playability.

Minifigures: 9/10 The selection is great. TLC done a good job with the details and the torsos/faces are great on the minifigures.

Price: 8/10 A good price for a set this size. About 1.8p per piece is good and is worth it for such a great set.

Overall: 44/50 A fabulous set with no faults. It is in my top 10 sets and I would buy this set again if I saw it for a good price.

Thanks for Reading. Please Comment

[The Eye]

Thanks for the review Burman. It's nice to see a classic Harry Potter review, due to the upcoming sets.

How I wish I got this set! Although Mcgonagoll is in the new castle updated, along with Dumbles and Harry, they are all nice figures. The tower itself is great, too. Shame it doesn't come with Fawkes, like the CoS.

[gunm]

Good review! I completely missed the Lego Harry Potter sets, so it's nice to see them like this now.

[lightningtiger]

Thanks 'Burman' for the review - yes I too was way too late for these, my son keeps asking what scenes from the movies have been turn into Lego.

Ah well, may the new Hogwarts castle will have this built in to it eh ?

That spinning disc thing must be for like magic spells that Dumbledore practices to keep his skills up to speed as he gets older.

I'm a conformist! !

[not-in-use-anymore]

Thanks 'Burman' for the review - yes I too was way too late for these, my son keeps asking what scenes from the movies have been turn into Lego.

Ah well, may the new Hogwarts castle will have this built in to it eh ?

That spinning disc thing must be for like magic spells that Dumbledore practices to keep his skills up to speed as he gets older.

I'm a conformist! !

No, I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be his telescope, but somehow Lego managed to make it so colorful and random that we can barely tell what it is. But most of the features make no sense at all...

[CMP]

2 of your figs are missing capes.

Nice review, good detail pics.

I had the pleasure of getting this for Christmas from my brother when it came out. I was surprised, and have enjoyed it, as it had 2 exclusive figs and a bunch of parts I did not have at the time.

In one word- this set.

[RoryoCox]

Thanks for the great comments guys.

I actually took these pictures a few months ago but only got around to posting them now.

[Euvor]

Great review! Wish I would have been smart enough to buy the set when it came out

[drdavewatford]

Nice review !

I bought this set recently from eBay but havent had a chance to build it yet.

I believe that LEGO designed 4709 Hogwarts and 4730 Chamber of Secrets sets to fit one on top of the other. Again, I recently aquired these sets from eBay but haven't had a chance to build them and therefore I haven't been able to test this out yet.

Does anyone know if the Dumbledore's Office set also attaches to any of the other HP sets ?

Dr. D.

[Inconspicuous]

Does anyone know if the Dumbledore's Office set also attaches to any of the other HP sets ?

It doesn't attach. It's already considered tall enough to fit it snugly with the castle layout. Take a look at the back of any HP2 instruction manual, for example, in my 4720 Knockturn Alley review found in my sig, if you want to see the official layout.

[Sandy]

I actually have two of this set because of my mishap with Ebay, where I bid both just in case, and neither was outbid.

It really is a fun set, and it contains my favorite minifig, Minerva McGonagall. I don't really agree with your opinion about the design, though. The whole build is quite odd with strange elements to it (like the post office downstairs, and the stairway that stops just short of the second floor).

But yeah, it's still a very important set in the theme, and fits in perfectly with the rest of the early Hogwarts sets.