Virginia_Bricks

Does Christmas officially exist in Star Wars? There is Life Day, but I didn't think Christmas was canon. It surprises me Ninjago doesn't get one with how popular the theme is.

It’s a comment on how advent calendars don’t sell well and now retailers don’t have to put them on discount because there won’t be one. Really obscure way to phrase it

Both the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Common Rooms were placed in towers in this modular wave. Sure not completely in the Tower because the model isn't big enough for that, but both are in upper parts of their modules that have tower pieces.

If this set includes the Viaduct Bridge (I'm not entirely sold on that because its a lot of bricks for very little play, but the same could be said about the Great Hall courtyard), I'm guessing this is a 32 stud wide module. If you use 76419 as a guide, the Viaduct Entrance is roughly the same width as the Hospital Wing section (not the actual section) and the small tower in the Main Tower Set. That is 20 studs and 10 studs, so roughly 30 and I'm rounding up to 32 because of the ease of two 16x16 baseplates. The Viaduct is also a slightly taller building in both 76419 and 71043 900 pieces x 1.6 for extra width x 1.1 for extra height = ~1,600 pieces. Add in 400 to 500 for the Viaduct Bridge and we are at the rumored piece count and there might be a few pieces for the Stone Bridge. The underground modules are either 8 studs or 16 studs wide. So you could do a pullout large module for the actual chamber with Slytherin's head and then a non-pullout module for the Snake Door like the Devil's Snare is not a pullout. Otherwise you have to add 6 more studs to have 2 large modules or remove 2 studs to have a large and a small. Basically I think there is a chance they skip the Slytherin Common room from space constraints. Its a wishful chance, but if we can get one of those traced images in a few months we can get a better sense on the true width of this set.

The rumor stated there was a Chamber of Secrets. Theoretically it could be DH themed and not COS, but that would be a weird turn of events. The only thing I truly want above ground is the Polyjuice Bathroom with a good play function for them to fall down. The Devil's Snare feature in the Main Tower is one of the highlights for me. I'd also prefer they skip Lockhart. I know the Dueling Club set is now retired and that outfit is not right for Chamber scene, but there are so many other characters still missing from this modular wave to repeat Lockhart.

Two thoughts: The rumored $130 set could easily be a new Shrieking Shack. 3 of the possible 8 minifigures are currently in sets (Snape, Lupin, and Hermione) and it will have been 4 years since the last one. Gives you a new Sirius minifigure if the patronus set doesn't include him (and if it does its another easy repeat minifigure) and we had 3 years between the Pettigrew minifigures so seems about time for him. It was a $90 the last time, so with inflation that is roughly $100 now. It was on the higher end at 12 cents per piece so if that stays the same, it should be roughly 250 more pieces in a $130 set. That is enough to widen the house a little to add the bed to the upstairs room and create some stairs from the first floor. Also can build out the Whomping Willow a little better. If I had only one guess at that set, this seems like a good fit with other POA sets coming out last year and this year. On the modular castle, what if the Sorting Hat Ceremony set was a quickly designed set so that when the big Great Hall retires a playset that kind of fits the Great Hall exists, so that 2027 doesn't need a new Great Hall playset? I still believe the Hospital Wing was designed as a way to quickly finish off the modular castle in 3 years and get all 4 common rooms plus major classrooms (DADA, Transfiguration, Charms, and Potions). Lego might have been told by WB they needed series sets for 2027 and since that will be PS, a great time to release a new smaller Great Hall playset. Well now the series is delayed at least to the summer of 2027, so they need another wave of film sets. I expect the East Wing was originally planned to include the Chamber and Slytherin Common Room to finish the series, but what if the Sorting Hat Ceremony set was going to be a $20 Divination classroom. Now they have moved the $20 Divination classroom to the Winter 2027 and release a new Astronomy Tower. The Sorting Hat Ceremony has one new print (Draco's face) but otherwise is repeat minifigures so easy to design and all the builds are simple. Something that Lego could design in 6 months easily. This modular castle was has been very undiverse from a movie perspective. The 2021-2023 was almost evenly split between 4 movies (COS had 3 sets). This wave has 7 PS, 3 COS, 1 POA and 1 GOF. Going in the final year with another PS just seems odd unless it was a quick audible. If the East Wing doesn't contain the Slytherin Common Room that is clear evidence we have another facade set, but even if it does I'm still holding out hope Lego has an Astronomy Tower being designed. They could easily do the East Wing dungeons as just the Chamber of Secrets like the PS challenges filled an entire dungeon.

Its not available in the US currently and while slated to retire this July so it could come back in stock, I'm becoming increasingly weary that it isn't actually already retired. I honestly don't care if it takes a month or two to get to me. And the seller says $85 to the US by sea and then a US carrier by road/plane to me which seems reasonable (guaranteed to be slow). Now it getting stuck at a port is what concerns me. Has anyone ever emailed Lego Customer Service about an out of stock set near retirement and actually got a definite answer if it will come back in stock?

At what point do I just buy Gringott's on Bricklink? There is a seller in South Korea who is selling it plus shipping $20 USD below the selling price in the US (with plenty of past sales to legitimize it). Factoring in the 5% back in Insider Rewards this is basically break even and it is available right now.

We have 20 rumored sets this year. 5 have now been revealed and 10 were leaked to be Smart Play sets. The final 5 might also be Smart Play sets or something different, we don't know. Lego doesn't want its products to be similar to Mega sets currently on shelves to invite unnecessary comparisons, so it makes sense to start with Smart Play sets and large 18+ sets. Mega didn't do either. Also, included in one leak was that there might be a Pokemon minifig set to be leaked before the end of January (that and Ganon are the only things left on that list). I'm holding judgement on Lego Pokemon till a few years in (thought I do live the 18+ sets already).

Would people be fine with this if it might mean 1 - 2 Pokemon per $40-60 set? Animal Crossing hasn't yet repeated a mini-figure but across all of its sets has only released 26 minifigures in total. The unique molds eat up a lot of the budget.

Till we get comparison videos, I hesitate to say Lego is struggling to match Mega. I think the Eevee and Trio are better than anything Mega produced. Now the Smart Play Pokemon sets might disappoint because of how the large Smart Brick messes up designs.

I see them holding off on the next HE till the series comes out. Its play a large role in the first movie.

Still available in the US (at least for me)

Pikachu is a miss for me, but the Starters and Eevee are great. I don't have the budget for the starters and Minis Tirith so going to have to choose one over the other, but definitely picking up Eevee.

And just like that the posts have been removed from Reddit. I'm guessing the official reveal is this week though with Smart Bricks last week. EDIT: Just to be officially revealed a few minutes later

If it is tied to 72153 as rumored, it will be harder to scalp. Buying a $650 set, to get a GWP that can be completely brick built with a dupe sticker sheet doesn't seem like the smartest idea. That being said I'm sure it somehow still ends up $100+ on the secondary market.

Since 2022, Lego has added 1 more non-18+ buildable figure/monster/plant set, to now 5 in 2025. They clearly sell.

Worst case for play scale sets Saves me some money though. Still hoping for a 12 Grimmauld Place D2C

I don't feel the Hufflepuff Commonroom is missing any detail compared to its Gryffindor and Ravenclaw counterparts (excluding the beds for Gryffindor). The issue is the dungeon slots are way more roomy both on the sides and top by a few studs each, but that means a lot of extra volume to fill. Therefore, Slytherin will likely feel empty too because it will be a dungeon module.

Possible. I would say Myrtle or Dumbledore are the most likely to not show up in a COS East Wing set. Very likely besides the Owlrey we don't get any sets for the Castle in 3 years outside of the first 3 movies and really just the first 2. It seems like such an odd choice when the other two modular waves did a better job covering all movies.

Pretty likely we get 12 mini-figures since the Main Tower did and the likely price is the same/similar. My list would be: Harry (Polyjuice), Ron (Polyjuice), Hermione (maybe Polyjuice), Ginny, Tom Riddle, Bloody Baron, Draco, Hufflepuff (Justin Finch-Fletchley), Ravenclaw Student (Penelope would have been perfect here), Madame Pince (for the Library), Moaning Mrytle, and Dumbledore. If COS, I think the dungeons are as you describe. The first floor is non-switchable Moaning Mrytle's Bathroom, the entrance chamber, and a Hallway with a "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened" sticker. The second floor would be the Library and some other non-core room (not really any other majors scenes from COS to replicate)

2023 had 2 buildable sets, 2024 had 3, 2025 had 4, and 2026 has 2 so far (18+ excluded). Likely we get 4 and the Crests is the 3rd so one more to determine. The Cornish Pixie (2026), Fawkes (2025), Hedwig (2024), and Dobby (2023) are the affordable, small ones. The others have been between $50 - 80 USD. In total the sets have average right around $50 each year (2023 was $52.50, 2024 was $50, 2025 was $50.75, and 2026 is so far $53.33) That makes both Dobby and Courtyard plants different than before. Dobby would be another likely affordable set and Courtyard would be the most expensive non-18+ one. If its a buildable Dobby at $40 (seems fair with the last at $35) that brings the average down to $50 and total price and piece count similar to last year. If its a buildable plants set at $100, that brings the average up to $65 and a lot more pieces and cost than last year. For that reason, I'm concluding the Courtyard is a modular set and Dobby is another buildable creature (age ranges are the exact same). And honestly those are aimed at kids who in 3-4 years phase out of Lego (and then come back 10-15 years later) so there is a new wave to market to. The unknown non-advent calendar set is likely also a minifigure set. I'm guessing Courtyard, East Wing, Knockturn, and that set have patronuses. Harry's Stag will be in one, Dumbledore's Phoenix in another, Ron's Terrier in another, and the final will either be a Horse (Ginny), Doe (Snape), or Dog (Sirius). We haven't had Sirius since 2022 so he seems bound to show up soon, so what if the Courtyard set is his escape. That is also the only HP set to ever have Courtyard in its name.

Prices for 76462 Hogwarts Crest ($50 USD) and 76474 Hogwarts Courtyard Plants ($100 USD) came out this morning. That puts Courtyard plants closer to large castle section price per pieces than buildable figure/creatures. The only similar buildable figures/creatures were the Mandrake and Thestral Family (both 10+). Both 14+ sets currently, the new Anglia and the new House Crest set, are well below that price per piece.

I think Harry Potter scratches the castle itch for kids. And Harry Potter is still very popular with kids because of how easy the first book is to read and then progresses as the kid ages in reading difficulty. I think LOTR playsets would do fine, but I think Lego has the data to believe they just wouldn't do better than other IPs currently on shelves.

If it is just that silhouette it will include the Viaduct Bridge at the piece count since it is more bricks than the Main Tower right next door but a smaller portion of the castle. My unrealistic dream is that the Hospital Wing is the right hand side of the Viaduct Entrance and so the East Wing is the entrance, left hand side, and Astronomy tower. I'd buy two hospital wings in that case, one for the Viaduct entrance and one for behind the main tower. My only glimmer of hope on this is that balcony on the Hospital Wing makes no sense no matter how you connect it.