spiderfan2000

I can't think of anything it could plausibly be other than the Sanctuary II. Comparing it to the information we know: -It's a vehicle -It'd probably be too big to be considered microscale, but would have to be scaled down too much to be minifigure scale (and wouldn't have much potential for an interior regardless, considering very little of the inside is ever shown) -It's not something I've seen people really ask for (certainly not at a $500 price point), and I'm not sure how many people would be interested in it, but it would probably disappoint any people still expecting Avengers Tower. -Considering how many Endgame minifigures people are still waiting for LEGO to make, I could see some being included as a selling point (There's certainly more potential than the Q-Ship would have in terms of potential minifigure selection) -An Endgame themed set could be considered a celebration of the franchise, considering Endgame itself can be described as such.

Hopefully the banner sets will include the house ghosts. I'm a bit disappointed that the Lake Task set doesn't include all the champions, especially after the Dragon Task set was able to do so. I suppose we could still get Lake Task variants of Cedric and Fleur if they do a Durmstrang Ship or another CMF series. The Room of Requirement should get us our first Blaise Zabini figure. Not sure how the Fiendfyre will be incorporated. I wonder if the Vanishing Cabinet will be included.

Gringotts could technically be very substantial on its own if it had a separate (or at least detachable from the back or something) underground build with the mine cart tracks (likely with a Thief's Downfall feature) and at least the Lestrange Vault (though Harry's vault and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone vault would also be great to see incorporated somehow). The vaults could also be a separate set, but pretty much everyone who could be included there (even the dragon) was also in the main building at some point, so there would be a lot of overlap in minifigure selection. But there's really a number of approaches LEGO could go with depending on the price point they're aiming for.

A Deathly Hallows version Gringotts could at least include Harry, disguised Hermione and Ron, Griphook, Bogrod, and some number of generic goblins and Gringotts Guards. There wouldn't be much point to having minifigures from the first movie, considering we already got the versions of Harry, Hagrid, and Griphook from that scene.

Overall, I feel like this set isn't really doing enough for me to warrant the price. The train doesn't have any more passenger cars than the 2018 version, and the platform manages to feel less substantial with the removal of parts like the bridge. I am not looking forward to how much the minifigures might end up costing separately though, considering how many new ones are featured.

Promobricks seems to be teasing something in their current Instagram story regarding the Hogwarts Express for August 16th, if I'm understanding correctly.

Just ordered 12 Grimmauld Place and the Thestral Carriage sets and got both the Staircase and polybag added in. Now to wait for their arrival...

Random thoughts on the minifigure selection: Year 1 trio: The first meeting is a iconic enough scene that I am glad it can be properly recreated now. Year 3 trio: Considering the POA themed 2018 Hogwarts Express set reused COS figures for Harry and Ron, and gave Hermione an accurate torso (which I expect will be used again here) but the Year 1-2 head and hair and short legs, an accurate version of the trio from this scene would be very appreciated. Lupin: Probably won't be anything too noteworthy. Dementor: There's basically no way this isn't a repeat of the same Dementor we've been getting since 2018. Year 6 Harry: Hopefully they don't reuse the same torso used for him in the Umbridge's Encounter and the Attack on the Burrow sets. Suited Draco: Long overdue after not being used in the Astronomy Tower set. Luna: Will probably be very similar to the CMF version, but with regular legs instead of medium legs. Maybe she could also get a printed skirt like the 2010 version. Trolley Witch: Hopefully the GOF version, as we haven't gotten that variant yet. Hogwarts Express Conductor: I'm very glad that my predictions of the conductor being included turned out to be accurate, considering an established design to use already exists. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students: Good additions to this sort of set, and I'm glad there's currently no indication of these students being Cedric and Cho again. Epilogue Potter Family: By far what I'm most hyped for from this minifigure selection. I am rather disappointed that there won't be an epilogue Ron, Hermione, Rose and Hugo to accompany them though. (To a lesser extent, epilogue Draco, Astoria, and Scorpius are also missed) I'm not sure where another opportunity to get the missing epilogue characters would turn up at this point.

So overall, the minifigure selections seems to come out to: 3 repeats (Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, and Nick Fury) 2 mostly-repeats but with new helmets: (Iron Man Mark 3 and Mark 85) 3 all-new figures (War Machine Mark 1, Whiplash Mark 2, Iron Man Mark 25)

Also, with the repeated Tony Stark minifigure, I guess this makes the Watcher now the only minifigure still exclusive to the What If?... Sakaarian Iron Man set.

Looks like Falconfan just posted the Iron Man Armory several minutes ago!

I'm still really hoping that it is the Iron Man Mark 4 that's included in the new Hall of Armor and not the Mark 3. I was not expecting the Whiplash to be the Mark 2, but I wonder if that indicates potentially getting the more iconic Mark 1 design in a smaller set later on. If we can get a Monaco Grand Prix set with Mark 1 Whiplash and racing suit Tony Stark and a Stark Expo battle set with the Hammer Drones, an updated Mark 6 Iron Man, and maybe Black Widow and Justin Hammer, that would cover pretty much everything from Iron Man 2 I'd like to see. Definitely a lot more potential for LEGO sets and minifigures from that movie than the first Iron Man movie, which has pretty much all the noteworthy stuff already covered as of last year. On another note, if we got an Iron Man set last year and an Iron Man 2 set this year, I wonder if we could get an Iron Man 3 set next year? (Which would also be the 10th anniversary of Iron Man 3) There's still plenty of Iron Legion armors that LEGO hasn't made yet, a new Iron Patriot would be greatly appreciated, and KIllian is woefully in need of an update. I'm sure they'd probably include a repeat of the Iron Man minifigure from this year's mech set too.

I enjoyed The Secrets of Dumbledore more than The Crimes of Grindelwald, but not quite as much as much as the first movie. That said, I am a bit disappointed that LEGO seems to be skipping over the movie completely. Even a couple small sets would have been appreciated by me, and could have provided new creature molds (I'm still waiting for a new Bowtruckle mold at least) Between the Fantastic Beasts movies not getting any sets since 2018 and the the Hogwarts Legacy game probably not getting anything from LEGO, using the wider Wizarding World branding seems a bit pointless now, as essentially everything LEGO has done after 2018 has been centered on the Harry Potter movies. Also, it's rather peculiar that Mads Mikkelsen has been in multiple major movie franchises, but still doesn't have a LEGO minifigure from any of them.

I wonder what minifigures could be included at such a pricepoint. I don't see them leaving out the Trolley Witch, and the Hogwarts Express conductor and King's Cross station guard seem like they have a decent shot at appearing. And of course, some variations of Harry, Ron, and Hermione are basically guaranteed. Could Tonks and suited Voldemort appear to explain the leaked heads? I doubt they would go such a route, but I would be hyped if the minifigure selection was based on the epilogue.

It's going to be interesting to see if 2023 can top this year. I have the feeling that it won't be much longer before we'll be getting remakes of the Hogwarts Express (which I'm pretty sure retires by the end of this year), Quidditch Match (retired as of the end of 2020) Hagrid's Hut and possibly the Knight Bus (both apparantly retired as of the end of last year) Probably the best ways to change up potential remakes to keep them different and interesting: Hogwarts Express: Base it on a different movie instead of POA, and include Hogsmeade Station instead of King's Cross. Perhaps include the conductor, and some motorized functions would also be a welcome addition. This could potentially end up at a far higher pricepoint than the 2018 version, depending on the approach used. Quidditch Match: Base it on the Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff Match from POA, with the decorations removed from the stands leaving the wooden frames exposed. Ideally an accessory pack would also be released around the same time for easy team building. Hagrid's Hut: Base it on the Years 1-2 design, and include a baby Norbert. We're already getting Buckbeak again in a new set anyways. Knight Bus: Probably the trickiest one to make more distinct from the previous version. Marge would be a good inclusion, and perhaps we could even get a small section of 12 Privet Drive with the kitchen/patio doorway as a sidebuild?

Random observations: I'm glad that Luna has mid legs in the Carriage set, as it bugged me a little that she had regular legs in the Room of Requirement set. Definitely glad that Umbridge's cat patronus is included in the Ministry set, as I wasn't sure if it was going to be included. I think the only other patronus animals seen in the movies that are still unaccounted for by LEGO are Ron's terrier, Ginny's horse, and Snape's doe. Also appreciated is the inclusion of the Decoy Detonators, complete with smoke effects. I wonder if we'll ever get the witch/goblin/centaur/house elf statue in a separate set later on, considering the movies made that a separate structure from the wizard statue included here. The full moon above Lupin's transformation rock is a nice touch. I am very glad that we're finally getting the library, complete with Madam Pince. Between Sinistra last year and Pince this year, perhaps we can get Vector next year. Overall personal hype ranking: 1. 12 Grimmauld Place 2. Ministry of Magic 3. Shrieking Shack 4. Dumbledore's Office 5. Hogwart's Carriage 6. Hogwarts Courtyard 7. Hungarian Horntail

With this year bringing us the Sanctum and presumably Avengers Tower, I wonder what D2C sized minifigure playset for Marvel we might potentially see next. I imagine it'll be a few years before LEGO would try doing a D2C X-Mansion or Baxter Building, so my best guess would be either an Oscorp Tower for the comic-based Spider-Man line, or an Infinity Saga Asgard that includes details from the first three Thor movies. Either way, I'll almost certainly be picking up the Sanctum, as while I have the Infinity War version, I imagine this new one will be a considerable upgrade. I'm probably be skipping the buildable baby Groot, as the only thing that would appeal to me is a minifigure scale Baby Groot that is in dark tan instead of reddish brown, but it doesn't sound like one is included. I'm really glad we're getting an Iron Man 2 set, and finally getting the Mark 4, as well as Whiplash Mark 1 and War Machine Mark 1. Mark 25 is also cool to get, though I hope Mark 85 is a placeholder for something else as Promobricks seems to speculate, as we just got that in two sets last year. Ideally it would be another Iron Legion armor we haven't gotten, but I could also see it being the Mark 42 from the new mech set. I'm hoping this won't be the only Iron Man 2 set we ever get, as I would definitely buy a Stark Expo set if it had Whiplash Mark 2 and the four Hammer Drone types.

If the Ministry is from DH, I really hope that Umbridge's cat Patronus is included. And Slytherin's Locket (maybe as a recolored gold medal piece?) On the subject of Horcruxes, I think it would also be really neat if Dumbledore's Office had the Gaunt Ring included. (I'm still hoping for a flying Fawkes mold to show up too, but it seems far fetched at this point)

I thought Filch had some sort of slight outfit variation, though I might be misremembering. Grimmauld Place would also be great. At least Draco has been available in a few sets over the past couple years (though the lack of a golden minifigure for him did baffle me a bit) I can only assume that the barrage of McGonagalls and Snapes we're getting now is meant to balance out their absence from the 2019-2020 sets (Besides McGonagall being in an advent calandar)

Overall thoughts: 76400 $19.99 Hogwarts Carriage: Overall sounds like a nice small set. I think pretty much all of the sets in the $15-20 range for the theme have been consistently good, and this one should continue that trend.76401 $49.99 Hogwarts Dark Tower: Not a location I was hyped to see, but the inclusion of part of the Clock Tower courtyard should make the build a bit more interesting. The minifigure selection sounds largely uninteresting, as I don't expect any unique variations of Harry, Hermione, Sirius, or Buckbeak. Ginny feels like a random inclusion.76402 | $79.99 Dumbledore's Office: I am glad this is getting a full set, as the previous one in 2019 was far too small and relied on stickers for most of its details. I'm hoping Filch has a different outfit from the 2018 version. Mrs. Norris is a very welcome inclusion who's absence from the Whomping Willow set was rather baffling. I'm rather confused at the inclusion of yet another Cho. If anything, I would have preferred a ghost or a teacher like Professor Vector that we haven't gotten yet to fill out that last minifigure slot.76403 | $99.99 Ministry of Magic: This is a location that was long overdue from LEGO. I hope that it is DH themed, as that would make a lot more sense from the information we know. 76404: | $44.99 Advent Calendar: I'm assuming the theme for this one will be POA Hogsmeade or OotP Grimmauld Place, as both of those would fit winter/Christmas builds, and fit with the sets for this year.76405 | $469.99 D2C: I'm still hoping this is a DH2 Gringotts (with a couple other shops), mostly because the minifigure selection for a Year 1 Gringotts would be a lot less interesting, as we already got the variants of Harry, Hagrid and Griphook from that scene. 76406 | $49.99 Hungarian Horntail: Assuming this doesn't have any side builds, this will probably be the set I am most likely to pass on, as I don't really need a Horntail that is non-minifigure scale.76407 | $89.99 Shrieking Shack: I'm glad this location is finally getting an update. I'm definitely curious as to what minifigures from the scene will be included, considering Harry, Hermione, and Sirius will already be in the Dark Tower set coming out in the same wave, and I'm not sure if Snape would get a distinct variant from the Dumbledore's Office set. Ron and Pettigrew would probably be about the same as their preexisting minifigures (except for Pettigrew not having the silver hand). Werewolf Lupin would be the most interesting minifigure to see by far, especially with a Grim to fight.76408 | $119.99 ?: Not sure what this could be. My guess is a Lake Task or Durmstrang Ship (or even both in the same set) At least I hope it's something like that and not more giant buildable figures. As a note, I find it quite odd there's currently no indication of Hagrid being in this wave, considering he hasn't been in a non-D2C set since 2019 (and one of those D2C appearance was a gold variant)

Those are noteworthy scenes, but yeah, the escape of Sirius from the Dark Tower wouldn't really have much of anything new to offer. There isn't really anyone relevant to that scene (Harry, Hermione, Sirius, Buckbeak) that hasn't already appeared in a set in the last couple years. The Dark Tower itself doesn't really look like it'd make for a particularly interesting build, aside from perhaps the gargoyles. If we got a set of Lupin's DADA class, I wonder if it would include Boggart Snape. So far, we haven't gotten had any HP Bricktober variant show up in the sets. When Umbridge, Slughorn and Hooch did turn up in sets later on, they were in different outfits than the Bricktober minifigures were. If LEGO doesn't want to repeat Boggart Snape, I guess they could include one of the Boggart's other forms instead.

Assuming we get the Shrieking Shack with a werewolf Lupin, that would get almost all the important stuff from POA out of the way, aside from the Leaky Cauldron, Aunt Marge, and perhaps more Hogsmeade stuff (though I'd be surprised if none of that stuff turns up in the future) If they do a Second Task set, I would really hope that all four champions are included. I could see only one student to save being included, and adding one Merperson would make for a total of six minifigures, which sounds reasonable for a $50 pricepoint. A low piece count for that price could be justified because of all the new prints and molds that would be needed. In addition to the new torso prints that would be needed, Harry would need a new face print with gills, Cedric and Fleur would need either unique faceprints or a new piece similar to the breathing apparatus to represent the Bubble-Head Charm, and Krum would need a new shark head mold (I don't think the existing shark mask piece could work, because the presence of a tail would be rather inaccurate). A merperson would need a lot of new prints, too.

That shouldn't mean anything, as from a quick search, last year's Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus Mech Battle set states in its description: "There are more LEGO® Marvel mechs to collect and combine to provide kids with endless fun as they recreate movie action and dream up stories of their own." and the Wolverine Mech states in its description: "Marvel movie fans can recreate favorite movie scenes, have epic battles with other mechs in their collection and play out endless imaginative adventures of their own."

Rewatching the LEGO Batman Movie for its 5th anniversary yesterday made me remember the period from late 2016 to early 2018 when we got so many characters released for TLBM across 24 sets and 2 CMF series (of 20 minifigures each too, that's something I miss). Seriously, we got so much that we may have never seen released otherwise, especially now. From all the various Batman villains and variants (Bigfig Bane, Calendar Man, Classic Captain Boomerang, Condiment King, Crazy Quilt, Egghead, Gentleman Ghost, Kabuki Twins, Kite-Man, Magpie, Mutant Leader, Polka Dot Man, Tarantula, Zebra-Man Calculator, Catman, Eraser, King Tut, March Harriet, Mime, Orca, Killing Joke-style Red Hood, Zodiac Master, Clock King, Doctor Phosphorus, Hugo Strange, Killing Joke inspired Vacation Joker) to the heroes (Classic Green Arrow, Hawkgirl, Black Canary, Wonder Dog, El Dorado, Apache Chief, Black Vulcan, Wonder Twins) and supporting characters (Updated Alfred, older Commissioner Gordon, Aaron Cash, and a variety of GCPD officers), and even other stuff like Reeves film inspired Jor-El and Zod, and a couple Flying Monkeys for good measure, everything that came in the DC sets afterwards seemed rather underwhelming for the most part. I can only imagine how many more characters could have been made if the LEGO Super Friends movie hadn't been cancelled. Man, I miss those days.

Yeah, I don't really see LEGO doing direct tie-in sets for the video game. At best, I could possibly imagine an indirect tie-in where LEGO uses the game for detail reference in the slight chance they make an Azkaban Prison set, which LEGO would need to make up interior details for otherwise, considering its miniscule screentime in the movies that mainly shows the outside.