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Cheesey's video has really highlighted some major disappointments with the MOM set. His camera panning towards the Ministry shows how bad the floor of the atrium looks in just plain black studs. Gringotts got a tiled floor, so should this have. Sure, leave the bottom underground section as studded floor as it fits with the rock environment, but the glossy atrium floor deserved better. The telephone box having just a sticker for the telephone is just lazy. Lego has even shown us they can do better in a standard set. The road being done in black studs not only means there is no differentiation between the road and the atrium floor, but by extension it implies that the atrium floor is tarmac, which makes even less sense when tarmac in England is generally dark grey. So a dark grey road would have not only been more realistic, but it would have provided some differentiation at least if they weren't going to tile the atrium floor. Lucius continues to use a lazy headpiece with his eyebrows too dark and no alternate mask face print for the scene that the masks play a large role in. Again, no Minister in the Collector's Edition of the MOM. Logic ...sorry the Minister ... has left the building. The statue looks so underwhelming compared to the film material. The GWP fountains are really needed for the extra grandeur. Add in a tiled atrium floor, a brick built telephone, the GWP fountains, a better face print for Lucius, give Dumbledore his proper head and beard pieces, and put the Minister back into his Ministry, and it would still be a good $50 overpriced. For the current price, I would want the silver trio as well. Don't call it a Collector's Edition and give it less value than a playset like the Main Tower.

It's plain cost cutting to me because there will plenty of other times where that GWP will not be available and Fudge still won't be in the set. Marketing strategy or not, that is cost cutting. They could have done another GWP with a similarly desirable character who wasn't so intertwined with the actual name of the building to entice buyers. I think from comments I have read that Bellatrix would have been more desirable in a GWP, but other characters could work too. Then you would have had a Ministry with a Minster, plus a GWP. But that would have cost them more. The GWP is certainly a strategy to push buyers, but it doesn't have to come at the expense of illogical minifigure choices. Lego is definitely making their money regardless.

I'm not sure why we expected anything else. Pomfrey wasn't in the Hospital Wing after all. Definitely disappointing to be sure and just glaring cost cutting in my opinion. Kit bashed or not, the minifigure would still cost you enough to acquire that it should just have been in the set. At least the GWP is not Ministry linked so no rush to buy the expensive Ministry just to avoid the risk of not getting the Minister of Magic. I might get Dumbledore's Office book nook to qualify for the GWP as in the the UK it is only available direct from Lego and from Very, an online retailer I don't shop with. I am not interested in the book nook itself, but that Dumbledore minifigure is so detailed.

Are they getting away with the pricing though? I mean, to price this one like this again after Hogsmeade feels like they must be, but at the same time, I don't feel like Hogsmeade is selling so well. Obviously I'm have no solid data so could be way off, but I have heard so many comments of people not getting it, myself included, because it just feels like an overpriced facade. I can see this MOM going the same way. It kind of feels like self sabotage for the theme. Here's hoping, but I have not faith that Lego will actually do the hair / hat combo and accurate beard anymore considering just how slack they are going with minifigures if they think they can get away with it.

I think the book comes from Poland.

I saw this a couple of months ago on a foreign Amazon and found the Ginny minifigure hadn't been added to Bricklink at that point. Obviously a better Ginny than the previous version of her in robes from the old COS set as she actually has her ginger eyebrows, but a slight downgrade on the one in the new COS set as the book budget clearly doesn't stretch to dual moulded legs. A nice way for people to get a Pygmy Puff though. It doesn't seem widely available though.

Well at least we could use it as a close approximation if we don't get him again as I think it would still look better than the violently orange version from Grimmauld Place. Yes, to me, Mrs Norris would have been better if she had stuck to the old smooth hair mold like she was in the Dumbledore's Office set. Whilst the latest one does look good as a character, I don't think it looks like Mrs Norris.

To be honest, I would be perfectly happy with a smaller castle system as no system is going to ever be everything to everyone; there is always going to be a compromise somewhere, wether that be internal detail losing out to a better facade or vice versa or simply the price being extortionate to try and make both those aspects better. So give me a Great Hall without a rock base etc. However, what I would like to see in that case is a more complete castle in terms of locations rather than this three year cycle. Like you say, even the 'most detailed' castle system ever feels woefully incomplete when we barely get beyond the three main sections. Also I do know that for those who do not follow Lego and leaks in general, the constant changing of system gets confusing with people often asking what set this castle system matches etc. So whilst the three year pattern has become established, the start of another system does feel too soon yet again.

Ah okay thank you.

Interesting. So do we still think the information was credible? Sorry I'm not familiar with the source.

I like the pastel shade and the fact that it is a new variant, but as far as I can tell, Umbridge didn't have the locket swinging outside of her outfit when wearing this dress. Only when she is wearing the court outfit. So the minifigure in the last MOM set is more accurate. I guess Lego wanted to tempt collectors with a new variant, but also not provide a separate locket piece.

The price point of the First Year at Hogwarts Castle sounds like a diorama or more likely another book nook. Maybe a Great Hall book nook. It could be another playset Great Hall, but it would be very small compared to the last one unless they get rid of the rock base underneath.

According to the latest retirement update on Reddit, the older buildable 43249 Stitch has had its retirement date pushed back by 6 months from December 2026 to July 2027 which seems crazy considering the new Stitch has just been released but clearly Disney loves its buildables! Take as a guideline only as usual of course.

Thank you for the link as the English version of the video has no review part at end. The lack of Slytherin torsos, as cheap as they may be on the secondary market, is total cost cutting in my opinion because whilst Millicent can be done with out, the whole point of Harry and Ron transforming into Crabbe and Goyle was so they could go and quiz Draco Malfoy. So kids won't be able to play out the literal point of the transformation all for the sake of a couple of extra torsos and little legs.

I can see Main Street selling as well as Hogsmeade ...

I do. Enough to want a minifigure!

There's Binns. He's a ghost I know and they wouldn't put him in the East Wing as there is already the Bloody Baron and Myrtle in there, but I wouldn't say no to getting him at some point, although I don't think it will happen now.

Thank you. So I'm not going completely crazy today!

I can't find the page now, but I swear a leak some days ago said about the set reveals being May 1 / 2 which I remember thinking was odd as why would they split it over two days? So hopefully it is the 1st.

Thank you both. Ironically though, what I actually meant to say was have we ever NOT had a set leak. I missed the crucial word out there (very disturbed sleep last night, probably shouldn't be typing haha). But I think both your answers just show what I was thinking anyway in that I think this East Wing is being very elusive compared to normal standard! 2022 was clearly an exception and you also have a great memory because I can't distinguish each reveal year like that. Kudos to you! And I just saw that Herbie leak for an Aug 1st release and was really hoping some more scrolling would show me East Wing images, but alas not.

Maybe four if it's May 2nd. Have we ever had a set have proper images leak before the official reveal? As in, not just outline drawings or blurry background photos, but the box art etc.

So glad some of you have good eyes. All I see is a pinkish blur.

There was a message at the top of the screen a couple of days ago saying they were undergoing a DDOS attack. I'm guessing that is where the issues stem from.

That one is in the small Sorting Ceremony set, just marketed as McGonagall's patronus.

I think the doe and the phoenix will come in separate sets because Lego will want people to buy as many sets possible to collect them although I know what you mean about them coming in the same set as there owner so far. Lego could put the phoenix in the East Wing I suppose seeing how Fawkes is in that set. Also the lifestyle image with the four patronus shows the four new sets in the blurry background effectively tying all those sets to the patronus in the foreground in my thinking. For those who know more about minifigures outside of the HP line, is Madam Potage reusing a torso from another theme or is this a fresh print?