MaxHeadroom

The set isn’t trying to perfectly recreate an exact second of the story (I haven’t checked but I’d bet the clock doesn’t perfectly match everything either). The sky is dark and cloudy because that’s how it appears in the most memorable shot of it when it’s first shown. It’s Halloween in the bathroom because that’s when the troll is there and that’s the scene they wanted to recreate. Plenty of other sets do the same thing like the Flying Lesson where the rat into cup lesson is being taught while McGonagall and Harry are simultaneously participating in the flying lesson scene.

So based on the sketch is this maybe meant to be part of the quad? Although with the tower on the right I’m guessing this is the inside part of it?

I always found light bricks an annoying gimmick as a kid. I was always frustrated that I had to hold it the whole time and that if I did leave it on, it would die. I understand it in this set where it is just to make a play feature work and probably isn’t something you’d always want lit up unlike the fireplaces we’ve gotten before in this line. Regardless I’m surprised that brick still exists and still inflates the prices of sets. Its use case is very niche these days but yeah this set is one of the few where having a temporary light that requires constant attention does work. As for the price increase of a proper light kit, my point wasn’t that this set required one but that other companies do a lot more with lights (and bricks fwiw) than Lego does and yet Lego is still vastly more expensive. Also it’s interesting to see that the main characters are no longer on the box. Do we think this is to prepare for the streaming series and intentionally wiping away the original actors? Anyone know if this is just a Lego thing or a brand wide change?

The flying motorcycle set is perfect. Great $20 set, exactly what I expected back in 2021. Lovegood house is good too aside from the missing Ron, but it seems very expensive. The sorting set is clearly one for the kids for once so an easy pass for me, although I’d like the house points counter. The rest are what they are. I’m ready to see the Hospital Wing

There is nothing more pathetic in the LEGO portfolio than light bricks, IMO. Cool in 2010 but embarrassing compared to the competition these days. Lego has a battery powered light you have to press to keep on and meanwhile other companies have fully lit builds powered by USB with on and off modes, that’s not even comparing the price points and build sizes. I’m honestly shocked Lego still bothers producing their light bricks. And yes, where is Ron.

Guessing the Patronus will correlate to figures included with the set. Lupin makes sense for the hospital wing, Hermione makes sense for the potions class considering that’s going to spiritually replace the existing potions class set with Hermione. Any sets where Luna and whatever character has a cat could fit?

Looks like Sorcerer’s Stone is getting a big push next year with a theatrical rerelease, new branding, and “special edition products and retail promotions” according to Variety. Fingers crossed they’ll actually do something special for it like finally releasing the Peeves scenes (I’d take the raw footage without effects if that’s what it has to be). Very odd to do a big push for the original movie right before trying to replace it with the streaming series since it will only invite more comparison. Maybe they’re just trying to squeeze out the last dollars they can from the original movies. Anyway I was wondering if Lego was included in this push and what sets that would result in this summer, but honestly just about everything from the first movie has not only been done but is on store shelves at this very moment. Assuming the sorting hat and flying bike sets are from the first movie that only leaves the zoo, the cabin on the water, quidditch, and I suppose a Stone specific Privet Drive set and Diagon Alley related builds left to put on shelves. They’ve really exhausted that movie, unless I’m forgetting something. And of course if Lego does make sets for the streaming series the Sorcerer’s Stone abundance will only continue. I’m guessing this summer we will get some kind of Quidditch remake which is pretty necessary since most kids have only had the chance to get flying lesson models and maybe a Gringotts since that D2C is definitely out of reach for all but the richest children.

There’s a lifestyle image of Hogsmeade next to Diagon Alley. Are they trying to discourage people from buying this? Yes it looks a bit more detailed than Diagon Alley but these buildings also look minuscule compared to those, not to mention that set is already 25% larger just from the number of modules. I really want to get this but nah. They have to be testing if we’ll just buy anything for any price like Star Wars fans.

THIS is an 18+ set? Maybe it’s just the plate based roof builds but idk it doesn’t look that advanced and polished to me. The undersides of them make the interior of Three Broomsticks look worse than the original IMO, and I’m not sure about nougat for that building. I think the original Honeydukes may even look better with its stickered windows over the oversized and short ones we see here. Not to mention the train station and Shrieking Shack aren’t here, so to me it wouldn’t even feel complete and I’d have to hold onto older sets not on this baseplate format. IDK after the Burrow I was pretty convinced to buy any upgraded 18+ sets but honestly I don’t even think this is the biggest upgrade we’ve had this year. I’d give that title to Privet Drive or the Night Bus. I’ll even look at the figures and say the trio look like downgrades compared to their 2020 versions. Then there’s the price. These far shorter than the DA modules. They aren’t as full for sure with the Three Broomsticks leaving some room left on either side. Plus it’s only three modules instead of four. I know DA is $470 now after the price increase and this is $380 but that still makes each DA module cheaper and I think that $380 is a real stretch for this. I don’t know but after the Burrow, DA, and Gringotts I assumed any D2C would be my most hyped release. Now that I’ve seen it I’m honestly more excited to get the Staircase Tower or Malfoy Manor. I’ll think about it but I’ll probably get one of those to get the ROR GWP instead. Anyone have any idea which one is less likely to go on sale in the US from other retailers?

End portal would be amazing if it came with a silverfish

The idea of a complete and mostly faithful adaptation of the books is a dated one which relies on the public having a massive reverence for the books which I just don’t think is the case anymore. I liked Harry Potter as a kid. The books were fun at the time although when I reread them as a teen I already found myself having major issues with several parts of them. I still have fun with the movies once in a while watching them while building the Lego sets. At the end of the day though the designs of HP and general aesthetic are often brilliant and a lot of fun, the designers for those movies did an excellent job (which often translates to great Lego sets) but the books and storyline aren’t exactly Shakespeare or anything and they’re far from perfect across the board. Even if you’ve got nostalgia blinders on to the issues with the books, having the creator involved creatively also isn’t great (ignoring everything outside of HP) simply because her more recent ideas like feces in the hallways before plumbing have been pretty universally disliked. So far from what I can tell all they’re doing to update the series is just getting a more diverse cast, which just feels like a coat of fresh paint and doesn’t really help it that much. Certainly doesn’t do much to address all the plot elements people have already discussed here which we can assume they’re going to replicate faithfully. I’d love to see a massively changed adaptation of HP but that would never happen and I think everyone has different changes they’d make. Really I’d like HP to stay in the past as a nice memory and for the kids of today to get their own new big budget fantasy series that speaks to them and not an adaptation of something else but obviously that wouldn’t be profitable. A fresh coat of paint for the figures is really all remake sets would be from what we’ve seen of the filming sets, costumes, casting, branding etc. More varied figures with different skin tones is great and would make the sets look more interesting. It looks like Harry has a dark red jumper in the costume photo and new colored jumpers would be great and really make the houses stand out from each other (making the house disparity even more obvious though). Those are both changes that I think would clearly make better and more visually interesting toys. Are they toys I’d buy though? It’s a bit of a ship of Theseus thing where I’m not sure how much could really be changed from my nostalgic view of the series (Lego and book/film) for me to stay attached to it and not just switch to another theme. And a lot of things would be new for the sake of it. Do we really need to waste budget on new Harry head prints just because his scar is different now? I think that unless WB is forcing their hand somehow, Lego will play it safe and cater to the adult market wanting the older stuff since the adult market seems to be their focus so far this decade. They’ll maybe try a one off D2C set or something from the show not in a minifig scale just to test the waters and if it does well maybe in a couple years in they’ll try out committing to the new series. But as we saw with Fantastic Beasts, new HP stuff is not the most popular and Lego wasn’t bothered with the last Beasts movie at all (I confess I still haven’t watched it either). I don’t think the series is even worth discussing until we see audiences reactions to at least some proper trailers or even the first season. Lego almost certainly won’t have anything specifically tied to the show when it releases in 2027.

I am fully preparing for Ron to be excluded from the Lovegood house. Harry, Hermionie, Lovegood, and 1-2 death eaters. No room for Ron, probably. I love that a normal Deathly Hallows Ron is our minifigure white whale to a certain extent which Lego just keeps excluding for whatever reason. Literally just a character we already have wearing basic clothes. It’s our equivalent to whatever minor clone variant Star Wars collectors are desperate for at the moment. I hope I’m proven wrong but after Dimensions, the Battle of Hogwarts sets, and Malfoy Manor I’m not holding my breath.

Releasing same as always on September 1st (afaik actually) No rumors on what it will include afaik but it’s safe to assume we will get stuff we’ve seen in the past like Three Broomsticks and Zonkos for sure, and probably get another train station and Shrieking Shack. It’s also possible we will get a Hog’s Head build.

The most interesting thing I’ve seen so far is that the old blurry blue photo of the full castle front is back in the background on these new instruction manuals after disappearing for the last wave (or two?). Good to see they’re still committed to doing the castle front and we’ll probably get the viaduct entrance next year.

We already have a line like that, just without minifigures. Hedwig from last year and Fawkes from this year fill that role.

Is there a poly bag for 2025?

True that the mechs normally focus on male characters but the Harry Potter line normally focuses on Harry and Hermione (unless it’s a Chamber of Secrets set). Harry and Hermionie are the ones who got giant buildable figures after all. Harry and Hermionie are the students who would, no WILL get mechs alongside characters like Dumbledore or Voldemort. I manifested the UCS Dobby’s sock (or something good enough I guess) and I intend on doing the same for mechs.

So when are Lego going to give the fans what they want and do Harry Potter mechs? They’ll probably do Harry, Hermionie, and either a Harris Dumbledore or maybe Voldemort.

These are all things you could’ve said about the 2018-2020 version at the time. By far the most detailed and film accurate, at a higher price point than previous iterations, and nowhere for the flying lesson set to go is all true of that castle line. That castle line even had Lego making only two common rooms and not even just the two most popular houses. I hope this current line goes on for years and Lego gives us the front of the castle in full, astronomy tower, clock tower, and even the bell towers if we can get them, but I’m not holding my breath. Or it means LEGO set the retirement date before the first set was on the market and they had the sales figures for this version of the castle and large playscale sets at that price point. LEGO could increase or decrease the retirement date of the set at anytime.

It’s been a year and so far in the US and I have NEVER seen the Great Hall on sale. It’s only that stores online have even been consistently stocking it and it can be easily bought at the retail price.

I think Umbridge’s office would be perfect for a $20 set like the Charms class, although I’m sure the price on a set like that would be higher next year. A fireplace with a Sirius reveal would be the main feature (I’m shocked we haven’t seen it in the reboot yet when it was there in the 2007 and 2010 castles). Then a removable desk with quill and “I will not tell lies” tile. Add some stickers of cat plates on the walls and it’s solid. It would be a nice and colorful room to include and I think would work well as a solo set. Include figures of Umbridge, Harry and maybe Cho or Filch if the budget stretched that far.

The tower looks great. I’m going to end up eventually redoing the interior but that’s true of all of these sets, including things like the charms and potions classes. I really hope we start getting some castle content from the later films though. Aside from the dueling club (barely a part of this system IMO) and the Owlery it’s ALL from the first film. I’m definitely hoping this system lasts longer than 3 years too. Make it 4 or even 5. If nothing else though I think that just finishing upscaling the 2018 micro castle set and doing the last two common rooms (and ghosts) would be enough for me to consider this the best Hogwarts we’ve ever gotten. Astronomy, Clock, and Bell towers would be cool too but I’d still be content enough without them.

I’m on the fence with the greenhouses. I’ll probably get one once they’re on sale. I’m very glad they’re including the building to the side of the tower, as long as the tower itself is still substantial enough. Seeing this is giving me some hope they’ll actually be able to recreate the 2018 mini set in full minifig scale.

I’ll take my own bait lol

Aside from our spring wave becoming a January winter wave, Minifigure leaks are gone and we don’t seem to get text description leaks anymore. The HP line is also incredibly structured now even if the individual years aren’t as structured. Every three years the castle resets with a Great Hall set and we go back mostly to the first movie or two, then we go to a bit further to the middle of the series in year two, and finally everything is thrown out the window in year three. Not to mention stuff like always getting a potions set and training grounds set early on. There’s the formulaic Diagon Alley line too, there’s the buildable stuff no one cares about, and at that point there are only so many sets left and we all can predict generally what remakes are next. Occasionally we’re surprised with something like Malfoy Manor but I don’t think we can really predict stuff like that. So heres discussion topics for those inclined: What movie will the tower set this summer be loosely based on? Will LEGO actually complete the 2018 micro castle front with this line? If so, will we get any bridges? Will we get a Clock Tower set in this cycle? What movie will the inevitable playscale Gringotts be based on? What surprise set that we haven’t had yet in the revival (or ever) do you think will come next? What remakes are we expecting next year? Hogwarts Express? Hungarian Horntail? Will we ever go back to sweaters or will Hogwarts torsos always be robes now? Will we ever get a Deathy Hallows Ron not wearing a polyjuice costume?