RogueTwo

The sets are now available on US Shop! The server was down for about five minutes last night, but they’re all still available. But “Limit 20” per set?! Either that’s going to backfire really quickly or they’ve been stockpiling for a while. If they don’t go out of stock right away, I will never again mind waiting an extra month or two for a set.

And even people who start off with good intentions will likely be tempted to sell a figure if it’s going for $500.

You can (and maybe should) try to order that one tonight at midnight Eastern Time, assuming the website doesn’t crash. That’s what I’ll be doing. Just keep in mind you probably won’t get free shipping if you order it on its own.

That’s ridiculous, IMO. What Walmart doesn’t have is dignity. Thanks for the heads up, though. Good sleuthing! Walmart usually specializes in $20-30 sets as exclusives, so I guess it sort of makes sense. Wonder how TLG and BN let this happen...

It was probably at least four years ago, and I think they only did it twice or something. Someone should probably face check that, though. I missed out, sadly.

I ended up buying the UCS Castle as well, and I love it, but I feel like an idiot for buying it in between double VIP promotions. Good on you for playing the long game, especially since I don’t think we’ll ever see triple points again.

Wow, nice catch! I deleted that email because I thought it was only about the Droid Commander set. I have a VIP credit which I was going to use to order Expecto Patronum, but this just sweetens the deal!

Sorry, I should have not been so hyperbolic; the employee was obviously aware of HP, but they said “Hungarian Horntail” and “Hagrid’s Hut” like they’d never heard it before, so either it was a very tired morning or they aren’t very familiar with the story. That last thought about price point is really interesting. You may be right about that error of logic. I think it’s more likely, though, that LEGO wants at least one store/website exclusive until they’re available everywhere. My local LEGO Store manager didn’t know that Barnes and Noble wasn’t getting the Patronus set, but confirmed that all five sets will be available in LEGO Stores on July 1 (I honestly thought they might be website exclusives for the first month).

Sorry for the double post, but for those in the US, Barnes and Noble will apparently put the new sets on hold for people, stock allowing, to be picked up on Monday. They have a three day hold period, so this is the first day that this would work. Fingers crossed they will actually have the sets at the counter for me. Still no Expecto Patronum, though. The funny thing is that the bookseller clearly didn’t know a thing about Harry Potter. They were very helpful, though!

The stickers could have been promotional LEGO HP designs (logos, characters, etc) on the side. If any of the bricks had a sticker on it, I’m almost positive I would have seen something in my 15+ years of browsing for LEGO HP.

Thank you so much for your reply! Preorder is not available in the US anyway, but I’m glad things went pretty smoothly in the UK Sorry about the way they handled the preorders, though. That’s really weak, especially if they wouldn’t honor the promo... Good to know, thanks! I know those are the two most desirable sets. I assume the Knight Bus and Horntail weren’t as popular, then?

To those outside of North America: how long were the sets available on release date? Was the LEGO website a glitchy, under stocked mess as usual? I really want to get at least Hagrid’s Hut and Expecto Patronum on release day, but now I’m worried that I’ll have to stake out the website midnight eastern time (Sunday night). I know that’s paranoid and obsessive, but I’m really excited!!

Ah, how did I forget about Proudfoot? JKR sure loves her Hobbits! And no, to the best of my knowledge, I don’t think the antlers can be “filled in,” but I’d love to be wrong. There’s also nothing to stop LEGO from releasing a brand new doe mold next year or the year after!

Also possibly Barliman Butterbur, the innkeeper from LOTR, from which JKR May also have lifted Longbottom and Bagshot. Not that I mind; I much prefer Harry Potter, but maybe that’s the millennial in me. Anyway, I think you’re all way overthinking the Leaky Cauldron/Three Broomsticks/Hog’s Head. If they think they’ll sell, they’ll make them. However, I am of the camp that believes we’ll eventually get a big D2C Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. I can’t see LEGO releasing any of the bars as a stand-alone set, but you never know. The Three Broomsticks as a HBP set would actually be pretty good for minifigures: The Trio, Hagrid, Rosmerta, Slughorn, Draco, Katie Bell, Leanne.

I think the Limited Availability is a typo, meant to refer only to the Great Hall and Whomping Willow, which are advertised in the current instructions, but which will probably not be available as long as the new Clock Tower.

I guess I can’t argue with that. I just think waiting until 2021 for the next CMF makes little sense. Sorry if this is the wrong thread for such discussion.

I honestly think we’ll get a Star Wars CMF within the next five years. I know it’s been said to be impossible, but Disney pulls the strings in terms of marketing, and if they think a second action figure license makes sense, it will happen eventually. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about LEGO, it’s that the improbable often comes true. That said, I really think (and hope) Harry Potter CMF Series 2 will be released next year. It seems like a bad idea to wait an extra year to bank on a movie that is controversial, is potentially unsuccessful, and has already been delayed. I know some people like FB, and I respect that, but last year’s marketing (and this year’s, for sure) show that people like Harry Potter because it’s Harry Potter, not because Fantastic Beasts suddenly piqued their interest.

I believe the Advent Calendar Flitwick also appears inHBP when he’s conducting the choir in the eerie and beautiful “In Noctem” deleted scene. So I’m okay with the minifigure, but yeah, given the fact that this Advent Calendar was strictly years one-two, I fear we may never get “goblin Flitwick” now. Also, I’m glad the chocolate bar is no longer exclusive to the Knight Bus, and I love the Hogwarts acceptance letter and the Architect Statue! This will be a Day One Buy (Hereafter known by me as a DOBBY! )

I highly doubt we’ll ever get another set with the Goblet. That’s a lovely render, though, and it should be easy enough to approximate, especially with the parts palette expanding every year. Personally, I would make it brown, because it’s carved out of wood in the book and the movie, but that’s just me.

I actually think this is a complete coincidence (other than the large Hogwarts sets, of course). I love your analysis, though. Maybe you're on to something, who knows? It is true that LEGO loves their vehicles, but in that sense, the carriages could also count, because their are "roll-able," and not static buildings. They are less modern, sure, but the Wizarding World is quite inconsistent in its technology. I think a Durmstrang Ship could make a good non-location set, if LEGO is so intent on it. I know it's not from years 5-6, but that could be all right. After all, the Advent Calendar we're getting this year is based on years 1-2, so there is precedent for a little backtracking. Not to mention "forward-tracking," since last year's Hogwarts Express was Azkaban-themed (other than the Trolley Witch, but even she is in the Azkaban book). Otherwise, you're right, vehicles get a bit scarce. We could get a second Thestral carriage, I suppose, since the carriages in Order of the Phoenix (the movie) have a very different design from Azkaban or Crimes of Grindelwald. It might be a bit soon for a re-release that is so similar, but then again, getting Harry, Luna, Neville, and/or Cho in a set with a Thestral would be pretty great. Especially because I imagine both Fantastic Beasts sets will be discontinued by next summer, and I can't see them not reusing the Thestral mold.

Not sure whether this accurate, but JediJACPenguin claims that the new sets will be available as Barnes and Noble/LEGO Shop exclusives in the US, starting July 1. We already know this, but the semi-interesting part is that he makes no mention of Target, and given that he usually posts the DPCI numbers way in advance, I think he may be on to something here. Honestly, I don’t mind Barnes and Noble being the only retailer to have a window of exclusivity, as long as supply is well-enough calculated.

A bit off topic, but has anyone bought from IWOOT (especially internationally)? How good is their customer service/delivery? They're the only website I can currently find that ships the new sets to the United States. I will probably wait a month, though...

The complexity of the films has nothing to do with the number of sets we get. While we could very well get two waves next year, it would be more because of the extreme popularity of the theme. That said, I think we will only get one large Hogwarts add-on next year, and if we do only get one, there’s no question in my mind as to what it will be: The Astronomy Tower, perhaps featuring a small Room of Requirement from HBP. I have no inside intel. But given the prominence of the Tower, at least in terms of plot, it seems like a no-brained. Plus, it would be cool to have an extremely tall, thin tower for Hogwarts, rather than a more sprawling horizontal extension like we have had in the past.

The rumor is still that those two sets will be available worldwide in August, yes I’m guessing that’s still the case. But who knows? Things can clearly change. Or rumors can be false. Could be July for everyone, could be September for US (which unfortunately would actually make sense, I guess, because then they could be released alongside the Advent Calendar).

About time they showed up on the US website! Here’s hoping that preorders wil be available by mid-June!