New Lego Exclusive 10217 Harry Potter Diagon Alley

[Aanchir]

Wow, happy to see the rumors were true and thay ARE bringing out a Diagon Alley set.

Still, it's kind of a strange choice to make a Diagon Alley set and include a Knockturn alley shop.

I wish they would've kept Knockturn Alley as a seperate future set so this Diagon Alley set could've had another store from... well, Diagon Alley.

Now we only get ONE actual Diagon Alley store.

Oh well. Can't win 'em all... :)

Well, to be fair Knockturn Alley doesn't really have as many notable shops as Diagon Alley. Anyway, I can't really think of any Diagon Alley shops that are as notable as the ones that were included, save for one-- the Weasley's joke shop. I'm sure some clever MOCists will be able to solve that problem, though!

Also, there's a video interview with the designer of this set on The Brothers Brick, and the designer states that the reason for including Borgin & Burkes was to give the set a range of different building styles. So the set has the ornate Gringotts Bank, the cozier and more modest Ollivander's Wand Shop, and the gloomy Borgin & Burkes. While of course the zany joke shop might have offered the very same level of variety in terms of aesthetic, one wonders if the more suspenseful nature of Knockturn Alley's scenes in the books and films might have been an incentive for the inclusion of Borgin & Burkes-- after all, the set doesn't necessarily offer all that much in terms of "action", and the inclusion of a good, suspenseful scene might assist in drawing in younger buyers.

[Clone OPatra]

Hmmm… not so keen on this set. Why? Not so many new figures. I know all of the figures that they included here make sense, but I don't need another Lucius, Fenrir, Hagrid, trio, etc. The Goblins are also just goblins, and I have the original two which are really not at all different from these except that these are fleshie instead of tan. The Weasley twins are cool, but are they the exact some figure? I'll need to zoom in on that pic I suppose. Ollivander is a nice addition also, but since he's really not that important I truly don't care if I miss him. There's always Bricklink.

Overall, I'm just not excited about this set. It's a lot of money, and while the buildings look well-made and detailed, they're not that thrilling. If they'd thrown some Order members into this set, like a new Lupin, Mad Eye, Kingsley Shacklebolt, etc. I would look a lot more favorably upon it. At least the price is a real steal for the amount of pieces, but it's just not the kind of exclusive that I would want to fork out the cash over.

Here's wishing that there is a second whole wave, and we get a Grimmauld Place complete with some new or re-designed Order members.

[weeble1688]

Still, it's kind of a strange choice to make a Diagon Alley set and include a Knockturn alley shop.

I wish they would've kept Knockturn Alley as a seperate future set so this Diagon Alley set could've had another store from... well, Diagon Alley.

Now we only get ONE actual Diagon Alley store.

Oh well. Can't win 'em all... :)

I also feel that another Diagon Alley shop could have been inserted instead of the most well-known Knockturn Alley store. Perhaps the bookstore Flourish & Blotts would be a good choice, as it was seen in The Chamber of Secrets film as well as several of the books.

Of course, modifying and MOC-ing seem to be what we HP fans live by, since I'm sure each of us has a different view of each setting depending on his/her choice of medium to follow (books, movies, or a combo). Let imagination be our guide, and we may yet have a complete Diagon Alley!

Here's hoping TLG recognizes what I have been seeing since the pre-order went live on lego.com - that HP fans are crazy about the re-release of their favorite theme! Working at a local LEGO Brand Retail Store, we have had a *huge* response since the sets came out in store. I hope this goads TLG to continue the theme and give us more HP sets!

[the fixer]

Also, there's a video interview with the designer of this set on The Brothers Brick, and the designer states that the reason for including Borgin & Burkes was to give the set a range of different building styles.

I didn't know that...

Thanks for the info and the link, Aanchir! ;)

[MIDAS]

In reality for me this is one of those 'too good to be true' sets, much like Grand Emporium and the UCS line. They are priced fairly usually, but it's too high for a large proportion of LEGO's market. Myself, I'm simply unwilling to spend that much money on LEGO - presuming this set will be around £130 - especially since I'm still unsure if I'm going to get the £100 pound Hogwarts. LEGO reduce the price of their sets after a certain amount of time sometimes - it's what happened with Medieval Market Village - which when I first saw it was £100, however recently I got it from Lego.com for £70. Perhaps if I become an AFOL when I grow up, but as of now I wish LEGO would consider perhaps making some sets of that quality, but at a lower pricepoint. So far the only line I feel do this is Creator.

[Matn]

Hmmm… not so keen on this set. Why? Not so many new figures.

I have to agree a bit on the subject of minifigures. I mean, the buildings are great and all because they fit in a regular LEGO town and a medieval one, and of course as a Harry Potter fan I think they're great. But the minifigures... Olivander and the Weasley twin are great. But, is that it? The goblins aren't that bad, then I'll have some variation in colours of goblins. But is it really so hard to paint their eyes black? I think that would give them much more character.

Again the minifigures of the trio... Alright. Perhaps a totally new outfit would have been cool. Lucius shouldn't have been in it, he's in the smallest set. Greyback is also reasonable, as he's seen kidnapping Ollivander in the 6th film. But Narcissa Malfoy and Draco in nice outfits would have been perfect. And then, Hagrid. He has to be in it, he showed Diagon Alley to Harry. Perhaps a couple of random, nameless wizards would have been nice.

But I'm not complaining... Just nitpicking. Indeed, as Clone O'Patra said: we really need some Order of the Phoenix members like Tonks, Shacklebolt and redesigned Lupin and Moody. But you just can't have everything.

[Clone OPatra]

Again the minifigures of the trio... Alright. Perhaps a totally new outfit would have been cool. Lucius shouldn't have been in it, he's in the smallest set. Greyback is also reasonable, as he's seen kidnapping Ollivander in the 6th film. But Narcissa Malfoy and Draco in nice outfits would have been perfect. And then, Hagrid. He has to be in it, he showed Diagon Alley to Harry. Perhaps a couple of random, nameless wizards would have been nice.

Totally agreed here. All of the figures make sense besides for Lucius, except that he was at Borgin and Burkes when harry ended up there in book 2. So, in fact, they all make sense, but they still aren't so exciting. At least Draco should not have been neglected again, and I would've just liked to see a few more new characters. Narcissa would have made perfect sense in this set, and they could've decided to add a little more from movie 7 by including one of those other random Death Eaters that the trio uses to break into Gringotts. There were so many possibilities, and LEGO didn't jump at them, which makes me more disappointed in this set than any of the other six.

[Matn]

Indeed. Jumping on more ideas for this set: a dragon included would have been great! But then the calm feeling wouldn't be in it. At least Narcissa should have been in it, and Draco. And new minifigure prints.

Argh, thinking to much about the only flaws makes me linking the set less. I think we just have to remember that the designers, or the persons who decided which minifigures to add, aren't such Harry Potter fans as we are. These are times I really wished I could tell them before designing this set: and you need this and that to make this set totally complete and everyone will buy it!

[takuto20]

This video review shows a lot of details of the set like Ollivander's exploding desk or the inside of the Gringott's vault:

Part 1

Part 2

/

[Lorentzen]

Wow - just wow

[metalandi]

1x2 GLOW IN THE DARK tiles? What the...that is just awesome. These are new parts, right? Never saw those before.

[prateek]

Cool! In the video, it looks like the Gringott's pillars are sturdy enough...

[The Soup Nazi]

1x2 GLOW IN THE DARK tiles? What the...that is just awesome. These are new parts, right? Never saw those before.

No, I think they were in a TT Racer's set (the one with a police car, helicopter, and racer)

[lightningtiger]

Just checked out that video review......dam DSS but I'll still try and get it !

AWESOME a building that will glow in part at least in the dark.....that might freak the wife out !

Any idea what the price will be in Aussie dollars ?

I'm a conformist! !

[Canada_7]

I haven't ever bought a Harry Potter themed Lego set before but damn...this one is quite appealing to me. The $200 CAD MSRP is quite steep though for whatever reason it hits me as reasonable (which is really rare for me; kinda odd); it'll probably hit me sooner or later that I'm overpaying... Lego really enjoys raping my wallet don't they...

Edited October 4, 2010 by Canada_7

[CommanderFox]

OH SWEET HAPPINESS!!

This is what I have been waiting for! Man, I really hope to pick up one of these!

The figs look incredible! Loving the look of Greyback!!

Oh man, so pumped to get this!

CF

[Aethersprite]

I'm late to the party, but words simply cannot express the awesomeness of this set.

Really pricey, but totally worth it.

[FilmGirl27]

Words cannot describe how awesome this set is!!!! YAY!! This is my dream set! Thanks Lego!!

[James Markham]

Hmmmmmm... Fluted column pieces in this set and a Spartan soldier in the Minifig series 2 - could we be getting an ancient history line of Lego soon???

[Aanchir]

Hmmmmmm... Fluted column pieces in this set and a Spartan soldier in the Minifig series 2 - could we be getting an ancient history line of Lego soon???

The fluted column pieces will also appear in next year's Atlantis sets, one of which is styled after a classical temple, as well as next year's Space subtheme of the City theme. I don't think this is a sign that an ancient history theme is just over the horizon, but it's certainly a sign that LEGO will be prepared to make an ancient history theme if the time comes that it seems marketable.

It's a bit curious that we haven't seen any Kingdoms sets for 2011, hinting that perhaps historically-based themes aren't too popular with kids these days-- but then again, by the same token it could be used as evidence that an ancient history theme is possible, given that there's no longer a historical theme it would be competing with. So even though the future is as vague with regards to that sort of theme as it has always been, LEGO's at least making decisions that should keep the MOCists happy until LEGO decides to make their move.

[Primusman]

Hello, I've been poking around here for a couple of years, and I thought it was about time to get an account. Anyways, I thought I'd share some of my thoughts on this set.

Okay, let's start with Borgin and Burkes. The exterior is simply amazing! The amount of detail they put in is superb, especially when it comes to the rooftop window. Something about it just seems very realistic and pleasing. I remember reading the book, and this is exactly how I imagined the shop would look like (I was also very pleased with the look in the movie). The interior, however, is no treat. Why put so much detail on the outside, but do such a poor job on the inside? Would it really have killed them to include a desk and some more creepy stuff? The minifigure choice here is also poor. Sure Fenrir is nice, but I would have rather had the shopkeeper. I'm okay with having Malfoy, as he seems to look really good when standing on the rooftop (for whatever reason)

Now let's talk about the bank. It's perfect! The exterior, anyways. Words cannot describe how beautiful this is to me. Let's just say that it's what you'd want such a classy bank to look like. The interior is quite nice, not perfect, but still pretty good. The lights are quite nice, as are the paintings. The vault looks a little cheap (and out of place) but I can live with it. The desk is a nice addition as well. I really love how you can fold it up. Not only does that save space, and that skylight looks awesome! It's also nice to see the return of the goblins. Overall this is much nicer than the old one, aside from 1 thing: no tracks! I may have to make an addition which can stand on its own or under the bank (maybe the first moc I post here.

Ollivander's is probably the best overall. The exterior is realistic and detailed, and the interior is fully stocked. I love the wand boxes (though I don't see how lego thinks that those 10 foot long poles that lego calls wands look like it's possible for them to fit in there). The ladder is nice the upstairs is detailed beautifully, and the desk play feature is unobtrusive. Ollivander is a lovely Minifig himself.

The other minifigures are nice, especially Fred and George. You can't really have this set without the trio, and Hagrid was not needed, but appreciated anyway.

Just my 2 cents!

[Wout]

This is quite a nice set.

I like this version of Borgin and Burkes more than the old 4720 from 2003, but it has only the vanishing cabinet and not much other interior. Pity it has as the old set again a Lucius Malfoy fig, but no mr Borgin.

The Gringotts bank is also a nice update from the last version, although the space inside is a bit cramped when you put it together. The two goblins have in this set not different torso's like the old one and alas not printing on their eyes like the new Dobby.

The wandshop from Ollivander is a nice new building with great details as on the outside as on the inside, including mr Ollivander himself.

The random street funiture is a nice addition.

The figs are nice although you get Harry in every set of this new line.

It is nice that Hagrid has also in this set his Pink Lightsaber Of Doom.

Ron and Hermione are quite nice, but they are also in different sets.

Lucius Malfoy has a nice torso, but is not necessairy for me as he is already in the Dobby set.

Fenrir is nice , but was already in the Burrow.

The 2 Goblins are nice but could have printed eyes.

Fred and George are great additions. They have only clothing like they are working in their shop, and there is no shop of them. It should be better if they made a set with Fred and George shop and them in it. Oh well.

Mr Ollivander is a great fig. Don't know if he looks like the guy in the movie, but it is very nice.

My only complain is that I usually don't buy this big/expensive sets in one time.

I would it like it better if they had cut this set in three or something like that.

Edit:

Ginny: Mother, why have you given me and Hermione the same hoodie for Christmas?

Mrs Weasley: They were for sale dear!

Ginny: Sigh!

Edited October 4, 2010 by Wout

[Burf2000]

I saw this at the Great Western Lego show and its truely beautiful!

[Oky]

Here's an interview with the designer:

[Dr Kilroy]

Very nice and elegant set! Undoubtely the best Harry Potter set. Fred and George figs are really nice! I don't like Mr. Ollivander though – I don't remember how he looked alike in the film, but this one is too dingy for me.

Best regards, Dr