Retro Brick Reviews

Yeah, it does rather suck, doesn't it? I have every set from 2018 and 2019, including big boi Hogwarts, and I'll have every 2020 set once I get my hands on DA and the rest of the CMF. But, unfortunately it looks like the January wave will be the last that I'll be able to 100%.

Going off of this price list, I'm just editing my predictions into @Guyon2002's post, as I'm too lazy to type it all out. Keep in mind that these are in no way based on fact and/or logic, and are but the ramblings of a madman. I believe that sets 76386-76391 will be part of an early summer Deathly Hallows wave, and 76392-76395 will be a second, late summer/early autumn wave. This is also going off of the assumption that there won't be any 4+ sets, which, considering how many we're getting next year and how popular this theme is, there very well could be. Also, RIP me having the financial capacity to 100% collect this line. Sorry about that

The only book-exclusive minifigure as of yet is Tom Riddle from the "Magical Treasury" book. None of the activity books have exclusive figures, though there is one that includes the sand green serpent that is otherwise only in 71043.

So, the new A Christmas Carol promo set has a new face print for Tiny Tim, with brown eyebrows and an alternate face covered in soot. It doesn't look a whole lot like Seamus Finnegan, but I think there's a possibility they could use it for him in the Slytherin book set as opposed to the standard boy head.

These all look fantastic. I was almost certainly going to get them all anyway, but they look so much better than I'd expected, both looking like a modern high-detail set and capturing the nostalgic look of those 2001 classics. Truly magical. Only issue might be the minifigs, since the majority look uninteresting, but again, these are unfinished preliminaries (Flitwick has no printing, Sprout has Helga Hufflepuff's torse), so that could change.

She's at the back of the Gryffindor book, but there's a big glare over the part of the page she's on, so I can't make out any details aside from a general green smudge. Even if I could, it wouldn't make much of a difference, as these images are very much not final (Flitwick has no printing, and Sprout is using Helga Hufflepuff's torso).

Presuming we get a new attachment for the Deathly Hallows (which makes much more sense to get next summer than a non-sequitur Durmstrang Ship like some have proposed, but I digress), the most likely next addition would be the Bell Towers. Outside of that, it's always possible that they might make interior-based modules, such as a new Chamber of Secrets or Forbidden Corridor, but I think the Bell Towers themed around the Battle of Hogwarts is very likely.

Okay, so I was just looking through the VIP section of LEGO.com, and apparently you can get a copy of Attack on the Burrow signed by the Phelps brothers for 16,800 points. I most certainly can't afford this, but some of you might be able to.

Welp, I crashed for twelve hours and slept through all the excitement. Just spent most of my current LEGO fund to get the Burrow and GWP, which I was infuriated to find was sold out (unlike the set you all anxiously stayed up until midnight to order, lel). Since DA is still available and the past 24 hours have made me want the set much more than before, I hope you'll all excuse me to go beg my parents to buy me DA as an early Christmas present. Toodles!

Wait, do HP blind bags don't count toward the GWP threshold? I've already bought every set except for the Burrow, so if the blind bags aren't accepted, it looks like I'll have to rebuy something to get the GWP...

Not to mention, the street being so narrow has the added bonus of making the 14 minifigures fill up much of the space, making the scene feel more complete in that regard than the other two configurations. I doubt I'll display it that way, since I only have space open to display it lengthwise at the moment, but I think it's undoubtedly the best overall look. As for combining it into two 32x32 modulars, that looks FAR better than I'd expected, but I still don't know if it really adds anything aside from depth to Knockturn Alley though, and it is my least favorite display format.

Yes. Yes we can.

Very well. I concede to eating my words. Connecting them back-to-back actually looks much better than I'd expected, but I still don't really get the advantage of shoving them together like that.

Alternatively, it might've just been the designer's preference. Plus it gives attic space to the largest building. In general, the idea of connecting two completely different modules back to back to create "full" buildings makes absolutely no sense to me. It would be extremely inaccurate and look plain awful, I mean, who would actually want to display it that way? Plus, were that the intent, you'd think this feature would've been shown off in at least one of the 50+ official images we have of the set.

You did it, you fixed the cube.

Also, I just rewatched the first four movies over the weekend while building the new sets (which I ordered from Europe months ago, but they didn't arrive until last Thursday >:/ ), and I was surprised to learn that the school uniform robes in the first two movies actually lacked the colored trim- that wasn't added until Prisoner of Azkaban. So, not only are the DA trio lazy because they don't have their specific casual clothes, they're also inaccurate because they use the PoA-style uniforms. (And because Ron's robes should be all worn and faded for CoS, but that's a lesser issue.) His torso is also dark red, rather than reddish brown.

Just saw the pic of the four modules separated out, and it looks fantastic. I think it really shows off the individual strengths of each building far better than the render of them all put together.

Good edit, but I don't prefer the dark red. You've given me newfound appreciation for the gelatinous pink cube.

Well, that two seconds of the set on Oliver Phelps's IG already looks significantly better than the leaks. That being said, we haven't yet seen the HD gelatinous pink cube...

I think Attack on the Burrow is just as accurate as DA, with the advantage that that set doesn't feature a massive pink cube.

Welp. LEGO has been defeated by their own hubris once again. I don't want to formulate my full opinions until they see fit to release the full high-res images (which, considering the CMF, I don't expect until at least 3 business months after the set releases), but I'll give my two cents anyway. (tldr: set good, minifigures bad, pink cube should be smaller) Going from left to right, I really love the new Ollivander's. The color is less vibrant than the 2011 version, but the build here is much improved, and far more film-accurate. The interior looks quaint but nice enough, and I'm very interested to see exactly what the new wand box is, whether it's a new piece or just a clever print. Scribbulus is simple but accurate, and it's a nice inclusion. Nothing more to say there. As with most of you, Quality Quidditch Supplies is my least favorite build in the set, but my issue isn't actually with the color- at least, not exclusively. My issue is just with how large the upper section is. It takes up the full 32-stud width with just a cube of basic bricks, and, while the pink color helps in drawing attention to it, I feel as though it won't look great no matter what color it is, and I think the model would look much better if that area were minimized, both in height and width. I do think the lower floor looks fantastic, though, and the interior is nice. The Daily Prophet office is just really funny to me. I understand how those who were excited for this area could be disappointed, but I like the exterior entrance, and the interior makes me chortle. I do wish that this had been swapped with the ice cream parlor so that QQS would've been smaller and F&B would've been larger, but oh well. Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor is pretty perfect imo. The exterior is very cute and inviting, and the interior lower floor continues that feeling. I also love how we get a nice living area above the shop (same goes for Scribbulus). Also, am I the only one who went a decade not knowing that the DA building in LEGO Years 1-4 with the chairs you can levitate to rescue the student was the Ice Cream Parlor? I was absolutely shook by this realization. Flourish and Blotts may well be my favorite shop in this set. I'm a sucker for bookshops, and this fills that niche FAR better than this year's modular. The exterior is very nice looking (Gotta love that sand green), and the interior is accurate as well. Lots of books, it all just looks perfect. Again, my only potential complaint is that I wish they'd grouped it with the DP rather than FF's so that this shop would have more room to thrive. Last but not least is Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, the largest single shop in the set that isn't a pink cube. And, while F&B is my personal favorite, this is probably the objective best shop in this set. The exterior is fantastically accurate, colorful, and playful, and the interior, while not fully clear, definitely gives off the right vibes. It's super colorful, crazy, and it undoubtedly has the most wares of any shop in this Diagon Alley. I do hope we get a couple Pygmy Puffs, but I'll live if they aren't included. Now, onto my sole justification for my not planning on purchasing this day one: the minifigures. Hoo boy, are they not very good at all. Now, having 14 minifigures in a $400 set certainly isn't great, but it's not a problem by itself. Having 14 figures that for the most part range from bad to mediocre is a problem. From left to right, we at least start out well with an accurate (if preexisting) Hagrid, and distinct costumes for the twins, who I imagine will share a single double-sided head, like their 2011 versions and the Patil twins. Things then go steeply downhill with the awful Molly figure from the Burrow, just with a less interesting torso to go with the awful face reuse and terrible hairpiece. (Seriously, you'd think that if Molly was set to appear in two high-end sets this year, you'd think they'd but in at least a modicum of effort, but I guess not.) Ginny isn't too interesting, and I hope she gets a new face print, but currently it seems as though it's just the same print we had for Susan Bones in 2018, which fits 11yo Ginny about as well as her face in the Burrow fits 16yo Ginny. In other words, not well. The Golden Trio all look quite bland in their identical black robes. I like Harry's new face, but it looked better on the leaked PS Harry (which I imagine will come in a GWP, likely of the brick wall). Wish they were all in casual outfits, as it would add much visual interest. Draco is similarly uninteresting, but he was wearing black clothing under his robes anyway, so not much is lost. Lucius has the expected hairpiece, which I think is far too bright (as expected). Hi Rs torso is fine, albeit very similar to the 2010 version, but I'm getting really tired of the Hux/Snape/Fury/Fudge legs. Also, I really hope he isn't actually using the Bruce Wayne head. That's how it looks, but it isn't even close! The eyebrows are thick and black, the face structure is completely different, it's just single-sided... There's no way LEGO could be that cheap, right? RIGHT?!?!? Lockhart looks fantastic in my opinion. His hair would've looked better in blonde, but I think the piece itself is fine, and the torso looks great! The color may not be accurate, but I think the lilac looks far better than sand blue would have. Ollivander is good as ever, and Florean, as has been known for about a month, looks fantastic! The photographer also looks good, but I'll throw a fit if we find out in the official pics that he got a new face print while Lucius and Molly went without. Oh, and the Quidditch uniforms are nice, hope they pop up in an accessory pack so they'll be easier to acquire in bulk. Overall, is the set good? Absolutely. Is it great? Certainly. Is it a day-one purchase? For me, definitely not, though I will get it eventually. The build is super-detailed and nearly perfect (aside from the absolute girth of the pink cube), and, while the price/part ratio is fantastic, $400 for everything included in the build feels just about right. The minifigures do suck, though, but that's been consistently the case for a lot of sets this year, so I'll live.

I mean... It isn't impossible, but I certainly wouldn't bet on it.

Both descriptions are real, but the "Alley" description was written in English and the "Yokocho" description is translated from Japanese.

I don't think anyone's mentioned it, but around a week ago Marcos Bessa confirmed that the "Muggles Are Our Friends" poster is in fact not an official LEGO piece. (In the comments of a post by Instagram user @exabrickslegogo)

DA (5,544) will actually have a higher piece count than the 2007 Falcon (5,195).