BrickMatit

Yes, it cannot work properly as a stand alone set. And, in fact, cunningly , they put two different arrangements on the front and the back of the box.

Nice thing, I'm thinking to iconical locations we miss too. In the outside we miss: - Long Gallery and Tower Bells; - Owlery; - Main Courtyard; - Boat House; - Forbidden Forest (we miss PS Detention scene and DH scene); - Lake (we miss Durmstrang Ship and Second Task); - Third Task maze; Talking about the outside focused old style/system, I would consider only castle architecture, so the first four points. And the only part that I can see as a good adding to 18-20 model is the Long Gallery and Tower Bells one. But Great Hall will be retired this year, won't it? And what main, iconical scene could Lego put in a Long Gallery and Tower Bells set? No, I don't think we will see again the old style. This anniversary could be a breaking point in the theme and work as a new starting point. I don't see so impossible, next year, one set taken from PS with Winged Keys Room+Hogwarts Chess+Final Challenge with Quirrell to go with this year Fluffy set. Well, you'll have to do a lot of rock foundations work but I think it will look really nice. In my case, not having so much space to expose all Hogwarts on a single row, I will simply keep two separate Hogwarts on two different shelves.

Well, that's somehow a 1 million $ question I find this year sets very different from past years ones. But who knows what Lego will do the next year ... continue with new style sets; return to the old style; go for only DH part I sets, with no Hogwarts sets... Anyway, I think that with more or less big modifying work one can put new and old style Hogwarts part together. It really depends on how you want to create your Hogwarts, how much faithfull to movies, if you want to see the interior or exterior part... I'm somehow lucky... because I have no space for exposing all my sets So I will keep two different Hogwarts, each one on a different shelf. Maybe I will slightly modified the new one: I don't really like having Lockhart's classroom below Fluffy Corridor.

Maybe they lacked for proper set to celebrate 20th anniversary in 80$ range price and so they chose Hogsmeade. Of course, they could have saved Hogsmeade for a bigger future set and chose, for example, Hagrid's Hut . Probably it would have disappoint a lot of us, but it would have been an understandable choice in the anniversary frame. .

I understand your point Probably Lego point too

mmm... I like Hogsmeade Village Visit, but when we first heard about 250$ set I thought it would be a perfect winter Hogsmeade, with Three Broomsticks, Honeydukes Inn and Hog's Head Inn (or Shrieking Shack). Something like this Lego Idea https://ideas.lego.com/challenges/fa395293-eda9-4603-83cc-aac44c1052cb/application/9a0b44ec-21df-4dd6-b83d-e279b19fa8e4#idea-tabs

For what I remember this piece of info wasn't confirmed...

It's a funny idea if you have the possibility to swap them and collect them all... ... when I was a kid, yeah I know it was more then 20 years ago , I lived in a small village and noone of my friends liked Lego as I did (and do)... I would never have been able to complete my collection... I as a kid wouldn't been so happy for this... I wish modern kids more luck

And people who likes both... poor my wallet!

As you've said it's a super quick and dirty photo , but I don't really like how the right part appeares. I would try keeping Lockhart's classroom under the tower and over Myrtle's bathroom. Not sure how would it look putting Flying lesson building under Fluffy... maybe better to create a Winged Keys Room MOC with rock outside... or a Snape's Classroom MOC (like @Ferder have said).

This is a good idea. If Lego would ever complete the PS final challenge, I see them doing what you've said. Otherwise I would try to work out something from pieces I have at home and/or buying them via BrickLink.

Not for the moment. Just a better quality pic of the box (front and right side). And the white interior of the set in the pic with all sets together.

Not really. There's Beauxbatons Carriage

As you, I would rather prefer being tempted by very good sets, with very good details and very good minifigs than running after sets to complete some collection. Luckily I'm not a completist, so I won't buy a single extra set just to complete the Golden Minifigs Collection. But putting a different golden minifig in every anniversary set doesn't bother me. If I want to complete the collection I know that I have to buy specific sets. I find it a honest cash grab strategy. What really disappoint me is that if I want to complete the Chocolate Frog Collection even buying all the sets I could not managed to do it! Basically in this case I would have to buy extra sets or buy the single piece from the secondary market. Not something I appreciate from Lego.

I don't think Fawkes is an anniversary set too. It simply follows the way of Hedwig set. The same I think about brickbuilt H&H box, that hasn't the anniversary logo too. If this set will make good sales, it will stay with us, drawing the way for following charachters.

It seems more a only-exposition-set than something you can really play with.

Ok, today is a full of leaks day. This is my ranking: 1) Chamber of Secrets; 2) Hogsmeade; 3) Myrtle's Bathroom; 4) Flying Lesson; 5) Fluffy; 6) Chess; 7) Fawkes; 8) Harry and Hermione; At the moment I'm sure I'll buy from (1) to (5), very likely not buy (6) and surely not buy (7) and (8).

Very different from what we were expecting. And when I first heard about them I was a bit disappointed, but I think that anniversary sets (standard one) are still good set, probably not 10/10 rating set, but with good quality, good details and good minifigs. Of course, then we have Chess, Maxifigs, Fawkes, Icons... and I won't buy any of them, but still a good year for me.

So, in the end, Flying Lesson isn't some strange brickbuilt object. Luckily!

Thanks!

I think we can easily suppose Dumbledore with Fawkes.

I suppose because official presentation is very near.

What a Leak Day! Chess set look nice, good how they realised the pieces. But they will fall really easily.

Brickbuilt H&H box has no anniversary logo. If this is the final rendering and if this set makes good sales I suppose other characters could follow.

I can appreciate how Lego made brickbuilt Harry and Hermione, but this is not my cup of tea. It's even difficult to evaluate this set, because I really don't care about it. No way I would ever buy it