brickbride

It's a troll. It's supposed to be ugly! I actually think the club is worse, since it looks really clumsy - but again, that's kind of the idea.

Nah. They can reboot the castle as many times as they want. Diagon Alley, too. Probably even Hogsmeade, though it has fewer iconic locations than either. And I'm sure there's some creatures or artifacts or things in JK's world we haven't yet had as buildable objects. If not, well, LEGO can just continue adding to their flock of buildable Hedwigs. The thing is, theoretically infinite themes like Friends and City don't really have that much new stuff either. For every Olivia's Space Academy or Botanical Gardens, we get Heartlake City's third near-identical hair salon or its one millionth pet care facility. I"m less familiar with City, but I get the impression that half its population must be either in prison or evading the police right now. With absurdly short shelf lives for individual sets (sometimes only half a year before a set goes EOL), LEGO can repeat themselves as much as they want. And if the show can only offer, say, a more diverse cast - that means different-looking minifigures, and that's a big draw in HP especially, much more so than in a non-licensed theme. Most kids will be happy with any figs, and most adults probably customize their Friends mini-dolls (or give them away and replace them with minifigs), but how many of you here would buy any set as long as it contains, say, Rita Skeeter in an exclusive outfit or an updated version of Narcissa Malfoy?

I'm aware of - and have vocally been complaining about - the fact that for a theme supposedly aimed at children, HP in the recent past has has had next to no sets that were affordable on an allowance, or would have made a somewhat affordable birthday party gift or the like. That said, 2021's Polyjuice Potions Mistake and 2022's Thestral Carriage were MILES better than what they've come up with this year! The Polyjuice Potions Mistake had a fairly decent build AND a whopping FOUR minifigures, including all of the trio AND a golden anniversary Harry! (Yes, the trio all had the same legs and torso, but I honestly don't care about this and I doubt many kids would.) Plus you got extra hairpieces and the great cat head! And all of that was listed at EUR 20. Then, the Carriage gave us two popular figs, one male, one female, AND a fairly decent build, AND a whopping TWO molded animals, one of them being an entire new mould (the baby thestral). It was suitably scary and suitably cute at the same time, it featured a boy and a girl, it ticked a lot of boxes. Sure, we get more quantity in 2024. But the quality sucks! The builable Hedwig doesn't even look nice AND has no minifigs AND any kid on a budget that wants Hedwig probably already has the DOTS pencil-holder. This really is not even a step up from that. And the other two sets BOTH figure Harry and Ron (which surely every HP fan already owns) in settings featuring a) a car and b) a giant spider. Both these sets seem to be solely aimed at boys (no girl characters and typically "male" interests). Why can't girls have nice things, too? Even the polybag with Draco in the forest features a boy again! Would it really have been that impossible to make, say, Hermione and a unicorn for EUR 20? There's actually Canon precedence for this, since Hagrid had a unicorn in his lessons. Or a small set with Ginny buying her first-year books at Flourish & Blott's, or anything really.

So, just to recap, the three affordable-for-kids-on-an-allowance sets of both 2024 waves in terms of minifigs are: Flying Car: Harry and Ron Hedwig: no figs Aragog: Harry and Ron At least there's Draco in the polybag, but did the guys at LEGO talk this over at all? It would have been really easy to give more of a selection (i. e. replace either Harry or Ron in the car with one of the twins, or put Hermione in the Aragog set instead of the random "Hermione and Ron in the Forbidden Forest" set), but they didn't.

An 18+ set with about 500 parts and an electronic voice play function, sure. I cannot see a target audience for this either way. Given that the set has been out for less than a week and is already -35% on Amazon, apparently I'm not the only one.

Thanks for the video! That said, I find the sound super annoying (not your fault oc). No way would I buy something like that for a kid! They already ruined the very good Hidden Side sets with the stupid app, it's like they're actively trying to make their stuff unattractive to parents. Anyone who shells out EUR 100 for LEGO at least wants some peace and quiet to go with it. It's not like households with kids tend to suffer from a lack of electronic noise.

The latter, probably. I doubt that many casual fans care about "Marvel or DC". If superhero movies generate interest, companies have a reason to produce superhero merchandise. LEGO probably won't go "The MCU is on the downward swing, let's double the number of DC sets." They can just pick up more non-superhero licences instead.

They did, it's 76253, with the logo and everything. I'm not saying it's a good set, but then that was a terrible movie. Well that's a self-fulfilling prophecy if ever I've heard one: "I'm worried the set won't sell - let's make it as unattractive to buyers as possible!"

According to StoneWars you can get Marvel's Vision's cape and the Wasp's wings (6453310, same number for both).

There's two figs for the carriage, though if they do Madame Maxime the usual way I'm not sure if she can even be seated. But there's only two figs for the ship, too. This makes me think it won't be much bigger than the carriage (apart from the sails), otherwise it will look empty. Though the old one had only two as well, and nowhere near four sails, so who knows ...

Actually, the more I think about it, the more baffled I am. The 2021 system had a total list price of what, about EUR 500? And it ticked a lot of boxes, covering many of the movie locations. Barely in some cases (such as the Astronomy and Clock towers), and of course there's the lack of common rooms and classrooms, but it did cover most things. The 2018 system before that had a list price of I think about EUR 370 but only covered the above-ground parts with some omissions (i.e. Fluffy's corridor). With the new system (Owlery, Boathouse, Great Hall, and Snape's Classroom) we're already at more than EUR 300 and all we've covered of either system is the Great Hall itself! And Snape's Classroom alone is EUR 40. If they'll go the more detailed route and include more classrooms and common rooms, this is going to need a lot of space, not to mention money. I thought it was going EOL? It's certainly being sold off even by LEGO itself. Plus the existence of a new system makes the old one kind of obsolete. I double they'll be compatible. They both include the Great Hall, too.

I was kinda expecting the Great Hall set to contain the Chamber of Secrets, too, given the price. Instead it seems like they'll go the way of new locations (Hufflepuff Commonwealth room ...). Which is fine, I guess, but there is no way I'll start collecting the new system at this price point. It makes the ridiculously overpriced old Chamber of Secrets set look downright affordable. Also I'm not sure if today's kids will go for such a pricy system focusing more on of books-only locations. But well see.

Could be. Though I could also see them doing the passage to connect with a set that doesn't yet exist, like the kitchens or the Chamber of Secrets. Or even Snape's classroom. The old one (4705) did have a secret passage after all.

I'm not sure about the auto-translation, but I gather that Buckbeak won't be in the tradition of Hedwig, Fawkes, and the Horntail with flappable wings - more in the tradition of maybe the patronus set? (The way I understand it, you can move the wings but there isn't a mechanism for it.) Also the Great Hall seems to include dungeons of a sort (for the troll), but not Snape's classroom (as that's extra) nor the Chamber of Secrets (which isn't year one and also surely would have been explicitly mentioned)?

So, what about that leaked Quicksilver torso from some time ago? When I mentioned that I wasn't sure it was legit, I was immediately shot down. But there's no Quicksilver anywhere in this line-up ... Anyone knows about productions times, that is, would it be likely for a torso to have been leaked some time ago for a set that can only come out in 2025 at the earliest? 'Cause all that we're missing for 2024 now is the X-Mansion, right?

For those interested, German Youtuber Held der Steine has reviewed the X-Men jet. He calls it the worst set of the year and worse than the Hoopty. Apart from the price - obviously -, he particularly criticises the lackluster figures. I have to say that the printing on Rogue and Wolverine especially does look pretty bad in his video.

Why? The fact that nearly everyone in JK's world is white, heterosexual, and able-bodied is an oft-mentioned source of criticism. Surely in this age and climate, and with JK being JK, they'll take this into account. I fully expect them to go the diversity route - but as I've said, JK's setting doesn't lend itself to it without some changes. Why do you think LEGO is that fond of minor characters like Blaise and Professor Sinistra, will put random diversity students into the Hogwarts Express over story-relevant characters such as adult Ron and Hermione, or will include a student in a wheelchair in sets even though there isn't one in either the books or the movies? And I've seen a ton of fanfics reimagining Harry as of Indian descent (apparently solely based on his having black hair) and Hermione as biracial (apparently solely based on her having bushy hair). The demand for more diversity in HP is clearly there. And LGBTQ representation is the best way for them to prevent activist groups from calling for a boycott of a JK adaptation. It just makes sense commercially.

According to leaks, the next LEGO Diagon Alley set 76439 will feature a Hogwarts student in a wheelchair. That's why I used this specific example. I wouldn't actually mind seeing a flying wheelchair, but I'd expect a TV show to at maximum stick a wheelchair-user in the background of a group scene with no regard to how that would work in practice. That's what I meant re: low expectations, I apologize if it wasn't clear.

Yeah, I'm in two minds about that show. On the one hand, as has already been pointed out, the movies weren't great and could do with a makeover. For example, Alan Rickman, God rest him, was completely wrong for the role of Snape. I want my angry thirty-something Snape from the books, not a sixty-ish guy suffering from terminal ennui. And some explanation about the name Half-Blood Prince would be nice, too! On the other hand: The books aren't that great, either, and could do with a makeover, which I'm not sure a TV Show can or will provide. For example: I'm sure they'll throw in more diversity and representation, but that would also necessite changes in the setting. Does Hogwarts have dorms for non-binary students? If we're so inclusive, why do all the girls have to wear uniform skirts? How would a wheelchair user (as we've seen in one recent LEGO set) even get around Hogwarts with no elevators and all the moving stairs? It would change the look and feel of the setting, not sure if WB wants that. And then, the story has been done to death (quite literally in many cases). Sure I'd like them to delve deeper into Snape's character and background, but am I going to watch and get invested just for him to be killed off again in such a wasteful manner? I expect many people feel the same about Sirius. Who's going to be excited for Harry/Ginny or Ron/Hermione, the two main pairings that didn't work that well even in the books? At least Fantastic Beasts or Game of Thrones had the element of surprise! I think if they do this, then all bets should be off - yes, Harry will defeat Voldemort, but it won't happen the same way. Maybe some characters will survive, maybe others will die, maybe Hermione will marry Viktor Krum - we don't know. JK clearly has no problem butchering her own Canon as seen from FB vs HP, so why not reboot things? And from a LEGO perspective, such a reboot would also give us a ton of new set options, akin to Marvel's What If series. (I fully expect this to be a controversial proposal, but I really think it makes the most sense in term of creating and maintaining audience interest. Cue the disagreements.)

Thank you for that useful and constructive comment./s Luckily I don't need your approval in order to enjoy what I enjoy.

Just popping in to say that I've finally seen "The Marvels" - and I really liked it, way more than I thought I would! I mean it's certainly not the greatest movie ever, but it's equally certainly better than, say, "Eternals" (which I didn't think was that bad either, just way too slow-moving, giving everyone ample time to ponder the amount of plot holes in its script) or the awful disaster that was "Quantumania". I think the box office figures have more to do with the lack of promo (due to the strike) and the public's general fatigue with the MCU than with the film's quality. Also, the movie comes after "Secret Invasion" but ignores - and in many cases outright contradicts - all of it. Possibly this is due to timing (seeing as "The Marvels" has been delayed repeatedly, and at the same time the production process of "Secret Invasion" seems to have been a hot mess). But if Marvel wants us to watch all their Disney+ shows in order to understand the movies, that's bad enough; if the movies then contradict the shows, the resulting mess is not really doing anyone any favours. So yeah, to me it still feels as if the MCU is going downward fast. I'm just sad that it's taking Captain Marvel down with it, as I love Brie Larson's take on the character. And the scene underscored by the song "Memory" was just genius. ;-) LEGO-wise, though, they could have done so much more instead of just "Here's Carol's ship. our three heroines, and some Flerkins". What about Dar-Benn? What about a Skrull or two? What about a Kree ship, even? Even with only one set per movie, it would have been easy to make something that people would want for itself (regardless how they feel about the movie).

That's some really great planning by Marvel Studios. Not. First, let's introduce the new Big Bad for our cinematic universe in a Disney+ show (admittedly a very good one, but still, a tv show) and in what has to be the worst Marvel movie EVER (Quantumania) - and seriously, what about the box office figures of the previous two Ant-Man movies made them think people would want to watch this one? Even Ant-Man and the Wasp, which was by far the best of the lot AND came out right after Infinity War for a huge box office bonus, doesn't exactly have great box office numbers! Then you replace the aforementioned Big Bad (which by the way I agree with) and suddenly make an R-rated movie - with a main character even many adult moviegoers would find a bit too much - the new linchpin of your cinematic universe? Add to that the sliiiiiiight problem that by now, Marvel's retired or killed off nearly all of the characters moviegoers had ANY reason to care about, and replaced them with some B-Listers and a bunch of teenagers - yeah, I really don't think this is going to end well. Sorry for the movie-centric rant, but I think it does have some bearing on LEGO. We've already seen the downward swing of the MCU reflected in the amount of sets, I think Eternals and Wakanda Forever were the last ones with more than one set each (and I'm sure LEGO's regretting those decisions).

HP has what the designer claims is a battle pack (I don't agree): 76432 with two named figures (Ron & Hermione), one large named animal (Buckbeak the hippogriff), one medium unnamed animal (baby thestral) and three small unnamed animals (pixie, spider, bat). The total number of parts according to Brickset is 172, the price is EUR 29.99. Just putting this out there. On the other hand, the final product for the medieval market square has just leaked. It has about the same number of minifigs as the survey leak (eight), though they don't match the survey leak which mentioned a court jester amongst others. More importantly, the only large-ish animal in the final product is a goat when the survey leak ALSO included two sheep, a mother and baby cow, and a horse! So it can swing both ways.

Set 10332 Medieval Town Square leaked on Reddit. It contains eight figures, mostly civilians whose clothing might be of interest. As well as the goat from the latest CMF series, but in gray (dark bluish gray, I think?). Other stuff, such as details from the buildings or the various foodstuffs, might also be of interest.

1. Nobody disagrees. 2. Yes, I know. The point is that battle-packs contain MULTIPLES of ONE thing. The "otter battle-pack" has two otters, the "seal battle-pack" has two seals, Santa's Sled (also known as the "reindeer battle-pack") has a whopping four reindeer, and so on. The general idea is that you can buy multiple sets to build yourself an army (or a herd, or a colony, or a bevy, or whatever). But I've never heard of a "battle-pack" that contains only one each of several different creatures. And as you've said, battle-packs are supposed to be good value for money, which this one clearly isn't, either. The term just seems misplaced here.