brickbride

And yet there's barely any playsets left in this supposed children's theme. Besides, SW is another huge property yet gets all the gimmicks.

Then the corresponding figs would have to be Neville, Hermione, Ron, and Voldie, all of which are common already. Basically most every well-known character with a pet is a student. (Plus now that we know Voldie's "pet" is really a disabled woman of colour I'd expect them to maybe stay clear of that last one.) In addition, LEGO's brick-built animals at a small scale tend to look really bad (i.e. the basilisk from the 2018 Great Hall, Hedwig at Privet Drive ...). And this year"s AC has enough of them to last every fan a lifetime. I cannot see the concept being a huge draw. IMO the mech/microfighter equivalent should be a way to get rarer figs - that's why I mentioned Rita Skeeter - not yet another Harry, Hermione, Ron, or Neville.

What does "following in the footsteps of" even mean in this context? Falconcap was one thing: He was Captain America's friend, he'd had been established both as such and as an Avenger in his own right, so his taking over the mantle of Captain America made sense both on a personal and on a logistical level. I still think that it was unnecessary or that if it had been planned from the beginning they, at the very least, should have done a much better job establishing Falcon as a character you could root for than just going "There's this guy who follows Captain America around". But again at least there was some logic to it. Iron Heart on the other hand? How is she following in Tony Stark's footsteps just because she has a robot suit and a similar-sounding moniker? If anyone were to follow in Tony Stark's footsteps it would be War Machine who, just like Falcon, is too dull and underdeveloped a character to really work as a substitute but who at least knew Tony personally and had some (little) part in his success. Iron Heart is much more connected to Wakanda than to Tony Stark. If we needed a Tony Stark substitute then either War Machine (see above) or Spiderman as his protege/surrogate son would be the most logical choices, though since the entire point of "Spiderman: Far From Home" was that there cannot be a second Tony Stark this would not really work either. I agree about the book nooks. As for the other thing, I think art sets like The Amazing Spider-Man (31209), Gotham City (76271), and the BrickSketches (like 40428 Joker) are already comic-adjacent enough.

Good luck with that. I'm still wondering "Who would want that?" everytime I see the UCS Dobby's Sock on a shelf but to each their own. ;-) Also, I think LEGO just like sticking Hermione into sets so they can at least pretend to be somewhat gender-equal. As I've pointed out before, most affordable sets in this theme tend to be very boy-centric (Harry and Ron and giant scary spider, Harry and Ron and car ...) so I'd expect them to go the same route for mechs. If they wanted to make a girl-centric or at least unisex affordable HP set they certainly could - again I'm still surprised that we've never gotten something like Hermione and a unicorn - but it doesn't seem to be a priority. The closest we've come in recent years were the Thestral Carriage and the Cho polybag and they're both outliers.

That's exactly my point. We're here talking about how HP gets somewhat dark after the first two books (notwithstanding the fact that the first one opens with little Harry being orphaned and left with abusive relatives), but the source material of Star Wars, at least the original six movies, is pretty much solely dedicated to warfare with a side of rampant misogyny. Yet somehow LEGO and other toy companies have managed to translate this into "Isn't war cool?" for the 4+ age group. Like you've said: HP has a harder time appealing to kids (that are too young for the movies, and possibly even if they're old enough for them). The sets are increasingly either priced way out of a kid's range or stuff you simply cannot play with. And while LEGO've been broadening the demographics, again, that's only been upwards towards nostalgic adults who I'd guess also make up a significant portion of "playset" buyers in this theme. What kid wants Malfor Manor for Christmas, especially this version that basically consist only of a front, and would receive it at a price of EUR 150? Maybe a few, but I'd assume most buyers of this set are AFOLs who want it for the updated minifigs of Narcissa and Bellatrix. In general, minifigs seem to be the main draw of HP these days and that's not a kids' appeal. Kids as a rule don't care about detailed minifigs of obscure characters (if they want a specific professor for play they can just make their own) and they don't need a new Harry or Ron that's specific to one scene in the movie either. And again, there's no 4+ set, no mechs (which might not work here as well as in other themes, granted) or microfighter equivalents or other stuff. Why doesn't LEGO do a 4+ Hogwarts Castle the way they've been doing Jedi Temples and Batcaves and even Arkham Asylum? Because four-year-olds care more about Jedi Temples and Batcaves and Arkham Asylum than they care about HP.

Meh, while I don't want mechs I could do without all the buildable crap, sorry, objects and creatures. I really don't care whether the slots go to mechs or something like that, it means fewer playsets either way. I also think that the lack of mechs and 4+ sets, and the abundance of very high-priced so-called playsets and buildable decorations might not be the best sign for long-term popularity of the theme. Star Wars is even less kid-friendly than HP in terms of content and message but seems to do a better job attracting the youngest audiences.

Dioes anyone actually want mechs? I hear a lot of complaints about them in other themes. Sure, they're a good way to get figs - though EUR 15 for one fig and a bunch of unnecessary parts isn't cheap. And no-one needs more Harrys and Rons, so LEGO'd better come out with a Rita Skeeter mech or something. Though I wouldn't expect that either (or Hermione for that matter) since mechs are even more boy-centric then the rest of LEGO's portfolio. Plus I don't think HP lends itself to mechs design-wise. Most characters wear school uniforms or dark robes which makes for less exciting colours and less visual distinction than with e.g. Dreamzzz or Ninjago.

I also think casual fans would expect a "main" tower to be the tallest building of a castle. If LEGO planned on this one not being the tallest, they probably would have called it Dumbledore's Tower or Gryffindor Tower or Staircase Tower just to avoid confusion down the line.

Pics are out. I take back what I said based on just the sketch, Fawkes looks every bit as bad as Hedwig did. And baby Fawkes looks even worse than drone Hedwig when that should not even be possible. The Thestral family look hideous but then that's kinda the point I guess. And what even is that blue and yellow plant thing? Still miles better than Hagrid’s motorcycle accident. Otherwise (and apart from QQS in the DA set) this wave seems to be a fairly solid effort, though overpriced across the board. I'm not planning on getting any of the sets tbh. As an aside, with the Creator Unicorn Castle out it would be really easy for LEGO to make a set of Hagrid’s Care lesson that involves a unicorn. Or just a random unicorns in the Forbidden Forest set I guess, since the Ron and Hermione one didn't correspond to anything Canon either.

That's the bare minimum definition of what an AC is and does. Doesn't mean that people can't have opinions on whether it does it well. As a kid, I wouldn't have found the figs terribly exciting. Random students I either have a ton of (Draco, Harry ...) or don't care about, all wearing basically the same sweater? How is that better than robes, especially if Christmas sweaters aren't really a thing in your country? This year's City AC with its costumed figures is much more fun, and you'd think a magical setting would lend itself to even more of that. Why not Harry in a stag Patronus costume for once or something off the wall like that if we're not going with Canon scenes? I also don't like the sweater design. What's the thing on the Slytherin sweater even supposed to be? Surely not a snake - a frog maybe? It does look too Funko Pop to me, not consistent with either LEGO or HP (like that horrible HP Dots cooperation set where you had anime-style face tiles for the characters). The Ravenclaw thing is maybe a Pixie, I guess? Why? Because those are blue? If the entire House wears matching Christmas sweaters - and that's a thing I can't really see happening, especially in Slytherin - they had better have their House symbol on them or something. Draco Malfoy wearing a Christmas sweater with a weird Funko Pop style frog on it to match with Blaise Zabini is just something that does nothing for me. It's not off the wall enough to be funny, like Voldemort dressed as Santa or Sirius wearing a dog costume, and it's too random and unbelievable otherwise.

Nothing says Christmas like buildable date rape drugs, sorry, whimsical magical love potions. And the overall childish looks of the whole thing make it even worse. What have we got today? Let's build a letter that invites us to magic school, what fun! And the next day? Oooh, a cutely horrible monster book to study! And the day after that? Uh ... date rape drugs. And beer. Something here doesn't quite seem to fit together. Just saying. Also I'm genuinely baffled that they're including yet another buildable Hedwig, a buildable Sorting Hat (when one comes with Fawkes), and a buildable Thestral (when there's one in the book and we're getting a buildable Thestral family, too). And another buildable spider after the Aragog set, another buildable Buckbeak after the recent set (and this one looks terribly but then again so did the big version), and another buildable Mandrake, buildable stag Patronus, and buildable Monster Book. Maybe you're supposed to display all the cutesy tiny versions with the big versions assuming you've bought all the sets? That's really the only way I can explain it, but it doesn't make the AC feel very fresh or stand-alone. And it doesn't track with the gold coins and Polyjuice and Hogwarts letter and the other stuff that doesn't really fit with any existing set, or the kids in the Christmas sweaters.

It's the same for the Sherlock booknook, and that one actually makes sense when closed. With the HP one, Harry and Ron would push their carts to the front of the engine, and the carriage would be on another track, so I can see why they'd only show the closed version on the back of the box. But my best guess is that they simply want to make it look like you get more for your money.

You're saying that as if Potions hadn't been overpriced to begin with. Though Potions had four figs, a new Snape, and new parts as well (the flask and bubble pieces, both in two different colours). It also had more pieces than Herbology so yes, a EUR 10 premium for fewer parts and fewer figs seems excessive. And that's not even going into whether the figs are going to remain exclusive, which we just don't know. But of course it depends on what you value. If all you care about are potentially exclusive fig parts, have at it! I'm more of the "How much stuff do I get for my money" persuasion and from that POV, both Potions and Herbology seem overpriced to me.

Herbology does look pretty cool between the skirt piece, the mandrakes, and the various other plants in the background. I'm also pleased to notice that it's "only" EUR 50 - wasn't there talk of it being EUR 60? I mean EUR 50 is still too much for that size and for only 390 pieces and three figs, but that's LEGO these days for you. QQS and Fortescue's, though? Ugh. The crooked window at Fortescue's is nice, as is the ice cream cone (though the latter's nothing Friends couldn't also do), and the striped awning and little chairs-and-table sign at Fortescue's as well as the crooked chimney at QQS at least somewhat evoke the D2C Diagon Alley. But other than that? I realize that the pink for the upper part of QQS wasn't everyone's cup of tea (though I don't mind it) but where's the sand green at least? QQS now looks like a giant tu... I mean 76429 Sorting Hat. The D2C version also had a lovely leaning window which was fun to build and looked great, couldn't they have at least approximated this with hinges or something? And the microscale verson had an upper level in dark gray and dark blue with Quidditch hoops on the front which again would have looked better. I don't get it why they have to be this inconsistent about the looks of the shops if the result then doesn't even look good.

How is the F4 set EUR 60? A construction fig using around 400 pieces plus four minifigs with plain legs using the same torso and mostly reusing faceprints should not be more than EUR 40 list price, tops. This has to go on sale with 33% off just so you get to pay what should have been the asking price in the first place, never even mind getting a bargain. (A common theme with LEGO these days.) Reed's legs look hilaroiusly bad, couldn't they have found something better for his feet at least? I also find it funny that they're doing One Piece this year, where the hero is another rubber person, but there's no consistency across themes as to how to portray this. (Luffy will use the Ms Marvel arms.) Do the designers just not talk to each other?

Sherlock Holmes book nook has leaked. Looks like a proper book nook as opposed to bookends, and allegedly comes with five figs. Whereas the HP one has only two figs and doesn't make sense when closed. The consistency here doesn't seem to be great across themes. I wonder what the LotR one will look like. The buildable phoenix looks at least better than the latest iterations of Hedwig, which is something. Though it's still a clumsy build, the claws and wings especially, and the baby phoenix looks to be about on par with drone Hedwig from the motorcycle set. According to Reddit the price is EUR 20 but USD 23. This seems like one of the tariff-related increases we've heard about in other themes. I wonder if the USD price for the Main Tower will climb up all the way to 300. (Also this is not HP related, but how many people pegged the Creator Unicorn Castle to be an actual castle for unicorns in the style of My Little Pony, as opposed to the stronghold of a faction of Unicorn Knights? LEGO seem to almost be trolling the Castle AFOLs by giving them two castles, one of which has no moulded horses and the other of which has no knights.)

That's my favourite, too. The 2021 version was straight-up ugly what with the light gray joints, and the new one looks too cuddly for me. Besides, with the 2001 version you can take off the upper parts of the heads and replace them with crocodile heads. ;-)

This version of Fluffy looks way more rounded than the previous ones. We do have DUPLO bears (the ones I linked above) and I can see why someone would think that.

Yeah, that's probably the most aesthetically pleasing version so far. Although IMO it's also the least menacing. It basically looks like someone got three large dogs to stand one behind the other. It's weird that the legs are no longer black - did the budget not cover dual-molding? EDIT: Someone on Reddit said that it looks like DUPLO, someone else said that it looked more like a bear than a dog. They're not wrong IMO - the shape of both the body and the heads, as well as the eyes, do remind me of DUPLO bears a bit. Both the 2021 and 2001 versions just looked a lot leaner and less cuddly.

A new Botanicals set, 10438 Japanese Maple, has leaked. Apparently someone at LEGO knows how to build proper, good-looking trees. Why couldn't they have done this for the Shire set?

Hogsmeade

According to a fateful source, several Marvel (and other) sets are getting price increases in the US. So far we have 76319-22 and 76324-5. European market's still up in the air.

According to a fateful source, prices for the summer sets are to increase across the board because of tariffs, but not necessarily just in the US (European market's still up in the air). He explicitly mentions a couple SW, Ninjago, and Marvel sets. No HP yet but we'll see.

Well it had better go on sale, EUR 100 seems way too steep for that. It looks okay but not EUR 100 okay, you know? Also I think it might look weird folded together as a book nook, since then the carriage of the Hogwarts Express would shift to representing another adjacent train like there's a fleet of Hogwarts Expresses or something. Also the pic makes it seem like they use gold on the engine and bright light orange on the carriage which I don't think will look good together.

We've had some exclusive book minifigs in the past, like Prefect Percy and Rita Skeeter. Also I'd think that the book would be designed in cooperation with LEGO from the start. That is, I don't expect them to design an entire book around Luna and a Thestral and then go to LEGO and be like "Can we have a minifig of Luna with a buildable Thestral, will that be okay?" I imagine they'd get together with LEGO and be like "What's a good subject for this book that a) kids will like, b) won't infringe on your current sets, and c) can make use of your existing minifig parts?" The Thestral Carriage was in 2021 (I think) and is no longer on the shelves, nor is Luna in her Ravenclaw uniform (my guess is that this fig was taken from the 2021 Chamber of Secrets), so reusing her makes sense.