brickbride

Sure, but that still requires you to buy HP sets directly from LEGO at full price, which really only makes sense for exclusive sets. 76786 This is how they should have done Malfoy Manor.

So all the Most Expensive Hogwarts Ever completionists will need not only several overpriced regular sets and at least one overpriced partly exclusive set (the Flying Lesson) but also at least one set only available as a GWP for buying even more overpriced sets? LEGO is really going all out on this one. (Yes I know they did all of this with the 2021 version but at least that one didn't focus on completeness as its main draw. Since the 2024 version does you'd think the least they could do would be to make all the overpriced parts of it, you know, available. )

@BrickBob StudpantsI think the slanted roofs are part of the problem since they mke the upper stories very cramped. But yes, the houses all do look much smaller than DA's from the back. I'd like to see a number of studs comparison, too.

Welcome to LEGO shrinkflation. Called it about Hermione (even the legs). Called it about the plate roofs. At least Honeydukes has built windows this time around instead of the godawful stickers. There are some aspects I like but mostly the entire thing does not look like it should be EUR 380 (or possibly more). I would like to see it next to DA; I assume that would be like seeing the X-Mansion next to the Natural History Museum.

Butterbeer in the books is alcoholic. Note that when Winky gets drunk off it, Ron is only surprised because the stuff normally isn't that strong (for humans) - but he doesn't deny the fact that it is alcoholic. Butterbeer in the theme park, though, isn't alcoholic. I really don't think it's that clear-cut. Malfoy Manor, for example, has a cellar apparently filled with water barrels (in LEGO, the colour trans-light blue is strongly associated with water) when a wine cellar would make a deal more sense. Apparently being a family of Death Eaters, hosting Voldemort, illegally keeping prisoners, and being accessories to torture and murder are all okay for a children's set but consuming alcohol is not.

I've said before that LEGO apparently don't believe butterbeer to be alcoholic. So I guess they treat it more like a coffeeshop or juice bar. Where did you learn all of that?

@BrickMatitAberforth is a total outlier, though. And he runs the pub which LEGO have previously shied away from depicting. Can you really depict a scene from a movie with just one person? They might just stick his fig from the AC in here because, well, they already have it. The Trio are also very clearly from HBP if the Hermione minifig leak is any indication which limits which scenes you can depict from other movies. I'm wondering if we get any smaller shops like Zonko's. There's no indication that we might get any additional shopkeepers or random customers but then again I don't think every single shop in the D2C DA had a shopkeeper.

List includes the Trio (presumably from HBP), Draco (I'd guess from HBP as well), Katie Bell, Slughorn, Madam Rosmerta (all presumably from HBP as well). Also Cornelius Fudge, Mrs Flume (but not Mr Flume like in the Hogsmeade Visit set), McGonagall, Aberforth (from the AC?), and a "Carriage Driver". The leak also still claims that the set is "similar to Diagon Alley". I'd say we definitely get the Three Broomsticks, Honeydukes, a carriage, and possibly - but not necessarily - the Hog's Head. This might be just a guess though. The Black Pearl had been reputed to be USD 330, now there are claims that the US price has changed to USD 380. Clay_Bricks, who moderates the subreddit, has said in a comment that prices should be given as a range in the future which might be what we see here.

LEGO hasn't announced the price one way or the other. Originally leakers claimed it would be USD 400, then that number was changed to USD 330. Now maxbaut, a very well-known and reliable German leaker, claims that the US price has been changed to USD 380.

The Italian Riviera set has some interestingly built balcony railings (black sausages, spoons, and candles) as well as some neat SNOT builds for the rocky coast that might serve as inspiration for a port town. Also the rowboat in light aqua in case anyone's pirate worlds need a splash of colour.

US price is now reported to be USD 380. It's unclear as of yet what this means for the rest of the world.

The high prices alone mean that the target group for this system has to be smaller than for previous Hogwarts systems. I'm also not sure just how relevant HP is for kids of ages 10+ currently - this might change with the new series, but just yesterday I saw that a nearby store sold off all its Schleich HP collectible figures at a huge discount so clearly they were not doing so well. And Amazon Germany has been selling the Main Tower at a pretty large discount recently, too, even though that set has only just come out, which to me indicates that maybe it's not exactly flying off the shelves otherwise.

In the playset Harry (who didn't know about Thestrals) was trying to feed them an apple and Luna (who did know) had a piece of meat. So no, Luna with an apple makes no sense IMO. She's a Ravenclaw and the resident expert on strange creatures.

We don't know if next year is the last one for sure. I just said that if the system isn't doing well by now, already-planned sets might get canceled and we may not get the full silhouette. If it is doing well they'll likely see it through to the (planned) end - whenever that might be. Called it that the dragon wouldn't look good! And neither does the Thestral for that matter. Or Fleur! The rest are okay I guess. But honestly they should have foregone the animals and gone with Fake!Moody or even Baby!Voldie for the fifth one. I like the accessories for the champions, though. (Not Luna's apple. WTF?) Have we seen that before with Brickheadz? And does the Thestral have glow in the dark eyes?

I normally don't even care about arm printing on figs. But this looks very odd to me, less like a winter coat and more like she's wearing a sleeveless vest belted over a shirt of a different colour. That's why I said it needed arm printing.

Well I'm expecting at least the Three Broomsticks to be HBP-themed. I'm not so sure the legs truly belong with Hermione. Like I said she's wearing blue jeans and boots, so dark blue legs or possibly dual-moulded ones (but I doubt that) would make more sense. If those are indeed her legs the outfit looks even less movie-accurate. I'm expecting another Leanne, yes, and obviously Madam Rosmerta. Draco from HBP also seems likely to me.

There's a newer subreddit where everyone can post rumours (hence "free-for-all").

Yeah, it's not a great likeness. The jacket needs some brown or black, and arm printing, and the scarf needs some dark green IMO. But at the same time it's too close to be a coincidence, you know what I mean? It looks like a lackluster attempt to recreate Hermione's outfit in the scene, so I'm assuming that's what it is.

The free-for-all section of the usual place has a bunch of minifig factory leaks. On the very right of the first picture is a fig with no head or hair, dark bluish gray midi legs, and a torso with a dark and light bluish gray checkered jacket, light bluish gray belt over it, and blue-white-gray striped scarf. The arms are dark bluish gray with light bluish gray hands (presumably gloves). This could be a Ravenclaw student in winter wear for the Hogsmeade set, and from the shape I'd say it's a girl, but I can't find any clear picture matches from the movies. Thoughts? If it's indeed from the set then this all but confirms the winter theme. Which was kind of expected with Hogsmeade anyway but also kills a significant part of my interest (I don't like winter kitsch) and means it probably won't go that well with the D2C Diagon Alley. EDIT: Found her! I did some more digging and I think it's Hermione during the Hogsmeade visit in HBP! Though she's wearing blue jeans and boots but the jacket, gloves, and scarf look close enough. If I'm right this would point to the set being HBP-themed.

I've just realized (not for the first time) that I'm in the minority here. If LEGO happen to read our expectations they'll do pretty much the opposite from what I want, i.e. more Most Expensive Hogwarts Ever EUR 200+ "playsets" and classrooms designed for the slide-out system. Of course this is an adult forum. I really think that what used to be the actual target group's (children and their parents') expectations align more with mine, i.e. more cheap sets that aren't buildable creatures or designed for the Most Expensive Hogwarts Ever system or solely targeted at boys. I'd love to see some sales figures for the new modular system - obviously earnings will be high at those prices (since any discounts are given by the resellers, not LEGO itself) but does the number of sets sold live up to expectations? @Gorilla94'Cause that will also determine how long the system sticks around. If it doesn't hit its sales targets by now, I doubt they'll really go for the complete silhouette no matter what their marketing claims are.

- Reasonably priced, with plenty of allowance-friendly sets and no EUR 250 "playsets" - Playset-heavy with little to no buildable crap thrown in - An equal gender ratio for minifigs especially in the lower price range so girls will get some characters to identify with too - For once not a single fricking car or motorbike in what is supposed to be a magical theme instead of City 2.0 ... Yeah, I don't have high hopes overall. As for what sets I would like, honestly I don't even know anymore. These last few waves, the sets whose concept I liked (such as Malfoy Manor) were way out of my price range, poorly executed, and just not worth the money IMO. And prices have gone up so much, as evidenced i.e. by the playset Diagon Alley which costs almost as much as the D2C version but you get so much less for your money. And the Most Expensive Hogwarts ever will stick with us for at least one more year and if people buy it I don't think the next iteration will be any more reasonably priced. I'd like a proper Ministry in the style of the D2C Diagon Alley but not for EUR 400 and I'd like small classroom sets but more like we used to have them in the 2000s, not full of stickers and made for that stupid slide-out system with not even a plate to stick things on. Honestly, at this point all I'm hoping for is a set that'll make me go: "Wow!" instead of: "Really now? And for how much? Are you serious?"

@BrickBob StudpantsOuch. Going by the Brickheadz Balrog and lately the Fortnite banana that dragon's not going to look good. Not to mention the size difference between a bunch of teens and an adult dragon.

Then a lot of people are going to be pissed who bought the Galactus set with its sub-par figs because they figured it would be the only one we'd get.

That seems to be a cultural thing, then. I'm European and a toy tank would be an absolute no-go for most of the parents around here.

Could be the reason. Or maybe LEGO just figure that the HP fans, along with the SW, Superhero, and Disney fans, will pay anything. Certainly the first wave of Wicked sets was heavily discounted around here where Wicked/Wizard of Oz isn't really a thing. Other recent licences like Netflix' One Piece also have a much more reasonable PPP ratio than HP lately. In other news, Arkham Asylum has been revealed and it's EUR 300 for what amounts to a 32x32 modular plus a vehicle. The D2C Diagon Alley was EUR 400 (now EUR 450) for what amounted to two modulars and Gringotts is EUR 430 for what amounts to maybe one and a half (depending on how you count the dragon and lower levels)? I'm curious how much content we'll get for Hogsmeade!