BrickMatit

In a state governed by the rule of law, stealing is a matter for the law. I am not familiar with other brands—aside from two or three COBI sets, I don't think I own anything other than LEGO—and for the few MOCs I’ve built, I’ve always used LEGO. So I don't really understand whether this accusation of stealing is valid, or if it refers to simply copying something created by others - that you can still consider unfair. Patents, I think, exist not so much to defend someone's right to exploit their own inventions—that is, at most, the mechanism ensuring the main purpose: for our communities to remain innovative. While the innovator's right to recoup costs and profit is protected, a time limit -clearly an arbitrary one - is also placed on that right so that, eventually, the innovation can be utilized by others as well. While I read with interest all of the opinion in this thread, I don't have a clear idea of which choice to make, probably because I'm into very few themes and not so much into MOC. In general, I'm not against other brand having their space, finding a way to choose who is legit and who is not. I see largely valid arguments on both sides, mostly expressed respectfully. Given the times we live in, that is something. My compliments also to the administrators and moderators for starting and following the discussion.

Info is a strategic asset. It's hard to believe that a company as important as LEGO hasn't communication strategies concerning it to control the flow of info. I remember - when it was? Around the 2020? - the situation seemed to be - acutally was? - out of control for LEGO. Nowadays I still believe some leaks are genuine, like prototypes, sellers putting sets on their websites or shelves earlier than expected... but in general nowadays the very majority follows a precise schedule (code, number of pieces, price, generic hints, name, general desciption, number of minifigures), so hard to not think they are pre-planned.

From these initial images, it looks like a solid tribute to the Ministry of Magic. The design doesn't seem bad, though I’d wait for some more detailed photos. It has its flaws, I think; the Dumbledore minifigure certainly doesn't do justice to Gambon, and we'll see how the others look once more images are available. If the price is confirmed, the number of minifigures and pieces is definitely disappointing, but that was sadly expected. Adultification of LEGO prices, also for Harry Potter, was set time ago.

On Reddit there's a photo of Ministry of Magic box, front and rear. There are also the Hall of Prophecies, the Veil, the Courtroom. Kingsley and his lynx patronus. Not a bad design, I think, from those images. 14th minfiigures (Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, Moody, Tonks, Kingsley, Arthur, Sirius, Figg, Voldemort, Lucius, a deatheater, Umbridge) + the golden statue. Overpriced, for 450$, but that's it.

Yes, I agree, as a Harry Potter theme buyer I'm not complaining too much. Designers receive a budget and have to stay within the parameters. But I was there, in 2020, when for $399 one could buy Diagon Alley, with 5544 pieces .

Indeed, it seems that half the work time of designers seems dedicated to cut corner and offer less, making pay more. But Hogsmeade was already overpriced.

The image is what it is, but the street level looks rather crude.

I suppose the cars used in PoA to bring Harry and Weasley from The Burrow to King's Cross. But it's only in the book.

In my opinion, Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade are not even compatible each other, because they' have different scales . Anyway, if the street level of the MoM is on a 16x32 baseplate and it has a pin on one of the side, it can be easily put near Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade.

Wouldn't be a Phone Booth to little for a GWP? Assuming it would have the same number of pieces of the Room of Requirement one? Oh, well, just as a joke, considering LEGO designer obsession with toilette, maybe there will be a Toilet Entrance GWP .

Actually I don't think they were only vaguely connected. In the last three years we had Hogsmeade with DH Room of Requirement, The Burrow with Borgin and Burkes: Floo Network and Gringotts with a further Vault. Maybe it would be something different, but I think that a Umbridge's Office at Hogwarts could be a good GWP for september Back to Hogwarts event, maybe with something else strictly related to Ministry of Magic purchase, like the Collectible Weasley Clock was for The Burrow.

I don't know if the price in euros will be identical to the one in dollars, so I'll limit my little analysis to last year, taking into consideration only the Hogsmeade set. Here how much it should have cost Hogsmeade using other sets price per piece ratio. Diagon Alley (2020) -> 232€ Diagon Alley (current price) -> 262€ Hogwarts Express (2022) -> 314€ Gringotts (2023) -> €289 The Burrow (2024) -> 349€ The increase ratio between the first one and the last one is 64%, while the cumulative inflation was 25% in Eurozone. LEGO may have had to bear costs higher than average inflation, for example for raw material or transportation costs, but the fact its net profit continues to grow in percentage terms year over year suggests than only a part of the price increases are due to costs. Anyway, whatever the cause of the price increase, in the end you receive less than before for what you pay. And if your earnings didn't increase by 64% in these years - likely - well the effect will be even bigger. LEGO is squeezing AFOLs, but it's not that many of them aren't happy to be squeezed. As @RODDY says, the fear is that Harry Potter was Starwarsified.

The start of a new castle system - the fourth since 2018 - doesn't surprise me: the three-year scheme -is quite established, and while I still have some hopes that LEGO will surprise us with an Astronomy Tower set, I don't actually believe it a lot. I don't know how trustable the source describing the set is, but both him and Unibrick said that 76483: First Year at Hogwarts Castle set is movie based and we can assume also 76479: Harry meets Dobby set is, considering the series won't show that scene before the second season. Price point for the first set is said to be 109,99$ and using the price per piece ratio of the last Great Hall, we can suppose that the First Year set should have nearly 960 pieces. Just as a comparison, the 2018 Great Hall had 878 pieces, the last one 1732. So, assuming the set is a playset and not something else, we can conclude that this could easily be the starting point for a new Hogwarts system - even if it's strange for LEGO to start it in January and not in summer, like it used to since 2018. The only reason for this, I think could be the put on air of the TV series, so It will be interesting to see if there will be also series based sets - at least to give old collectors some not appeared before characters or locations and of course something series related for people liking it. The fact that LEGO sticks with the very first movies when launching a new castle was discussed a lot in the past, but it's perfectly understandable. Considering the probable number of pieces this Great Hall would be a downsize version of the location, compared with the last one from the most detailed Hogwarts castle and, by the way, it's understandable too: it gives people a more affordable castle both in price and in space requested. Certainly, this will pretty likely rule out the possibility to add new sets to the current layout without a heavy moccing work.

A user on Reddit put some images from the East Wing booklet ( ). Flying Lesson isn't officially connected, and at this point, considering it's scheduled to be retired at the end of the year, it won't be shown. The Great Hall will be retired soon—the expected date is the end of July—and, again, given how iconic it is, I doubt there will be a new set in the future without it. This could mean the current castle end.

Actually, looking at the prelim image, it's likely to conclude that the door would have been put on the front edge of Chamber of Secrets module. There are 2x 2x2 tile with a central stud to accomodate the door. So it was likely removed for budget constraint.

I'll skip every buildable object/creature 'cause I'm not into it. As for the two sets I'm interested - East Wing and Knockturn Alley - I'll wait September for the Back to Hogwarts event and see if there will be an interesting GWP.

Flying Lessons is said to retire at the end of this year. So there two options: or the set is meant to be connected to East Wing - and LEGO will show it on the set bookleft, so we have to wait until the first reviews of the set or the bookleft itself; or the set is a stand alone set and will never shown attached. In any case, it's a matter of days.

Oh, thanks. Yes, I've just seen the lifestyle photos and he appears the same. @Legofan04

The shirt under the dress is darker, black instead than dark silver?

Maybe there will be other sets, maybe not, but connections are a weak evidence. They put a connection also on the right back corner of the Great Hall where nothing has to be connected. Conncetions serves to increase modularity: let the people arrange differently their sets, even if they hadn't all of them, and suggest people to build their own add on. And there's also the Flying Lesson set that isn't until now showing connected.

On reddit (from unibricks on IG) the first image of East Wing, the front of the box. Flying Fawkes, Snape and the doe patronus.

The misterious set seems to be a Dumbledore's office book nook. Unfortunately no East Wing clear images... @RODDY we have to suffer a bit more .

That's my opinion too. It's a rough estimate, but Astronomy Tower could be done with 1180 pieces. Surely the interior would be pretty crowdy. And I'm not sure about the size of the dungeon, which in my opinion should be larger, because such a tall set with such a small base would be really unstable.

The same leaker, in the past, said there will be 12 minifigures - pretty coherent with the number of pieces and price, considering it's the same of Main Tower - but now he listed only 11 minifigures. Maybe Tom Riddle is the 12th.

It would be foolishness to have a Chamber of Secrets without Tom Riddle. I know that Main Tower had PS challenges and no Quirrell, but he was in the Great Hall set, while Tom Riddle isn't in any other set. And it's not a minor character like Pomfrey, whose lacking could somehow be justified, also considering she didn't appear in the PoA Hospital Wing (not that I appreaciated her missing, anyway).