Clone OPatra

To be fair, I do say that the minifigure is "a true and beautiful representation of Bonnie Wright," but that is not describing Bonnie Wright, it is describing the minifigure. It is not very healthy of you, lefty, to make baseless accusations, especially when you even get your facts wrong. What's more, there is absolutely no reason for you to bring in your own opinions about an actor or actress here; that kind of discussion goes in Culture and Multimedia, if anywhere at all. Thanks, and perhaps you yourself can post more like an AFOL next time.

I don't understand what you (and many others) really have against stickers in this case. All of the stickers in this set go on completely flat surfaces, so they are not a pain to apply and the result is exactly the same as if the part had come printed. I agree that sticker usage on sloping parts can be a pain in Star Wars sets these days, but on flat pieces it is no problem. Why do you hate it so much? Alas, if I had the older Hagrid's Huts I would compare them, but I do not. All I am going to compare is the minifigures, since minifigures are my favorite part of LEGO sets anyway. By all means goa head and make some comparisons; I would love to see how the different versions hold up against each other. My philosophy about reviewing is: never get discouraged that somebody else has already reviewed a set, or says they want to. If you want to review that set too, and especially if you have a lot to say about it, go ahead and post your own review!

Well, it is possible that anything could happen, but it is more likely that you made a mistake. I accidentally used two 2x1 wood-type bricks in place of a 4x1 and had to switch it out later, but with the pieces you describe it does not sound like you simply put the pieces in the wrong places. I would go over the building instructions for bag two and carefully compare them with your built set to see if you can find somewhere where you went wrong.

I really can't agree with you on these points. The minifigs are spectacular. Though the top floor is small, I don't mind it. It's a dollhouse, it doesn't need capacious rooms. I'm not sure what you mean by "outside parts," but if you mean the swamp and outside fireplace, those are just fine. The swamp is a great way to get more dark tan bushes and light blue tiles, while the fireplace does its job. The kitchen only has one sticker for the stove top. Overall the value for the price of this set (I can only speak for the US) is terrific.

Yes, Felix Felicis is a luck potion that makes the drinker have good luck in everything. In the Half-Blood Prince film, Harry just seems kind of high once he takes it.

Two incandescent lamps with in-camera white balance, two white poster boards. My camera is the Canon SX110 IS (same as Matn, or at least it used to be). I urge you to join the Reviewers' Academy if you are interested in taking your reviewing to a higher level. Thanks everyone for you kind comments so far!

I ordered it online from LEGO.com on September 2nd. That's why it came when it did. Stores have been told not to put out the sets until October 1, I believe, which is the official release date. Even LEGO stores are not supposed to put them out until then.

Harry Potter being re-born really surprised me. I never thought it would happen after that one wimpy OotP set. But, when it did happen, I jumped immediately and made a pre-order. Usually I start my reviews with a nice title pic, complete with type. This time, with time being pretty pressed, I'll just open it up with one of the most beautiful minifigures LEGO has released, ever: The Ginnyfigure. Set Title: The Burrow Set #: 4840 Theme: Harry Potter Movie Connections: Mainly Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Pieces: 568 Minifigures: 6 Year of Release: 2010 Price at Release: USD $60, GBP 60, EUR 70, CAD 80 Buy It? Inventory? Bricklink LEGO INTRODUCTION Even before pictures came out for the new Harry Potter line, I remember reading a description of a new Ginny figure with perfect hair, written by someone who had been at the UK Toy Fair. That sounded good to me. Then pics came out, and it was clear in my mind that this was the best of the new line, and possibly of all the Harry Potter sets LEGO has ever released. This set has four figures that had never been released in LEGO form before, tons of accessories, and a cool-looking house. What's more, the price is quite reasonable. What could be wrong? It's not always a good thing to go in with high expectations, because you might end up disappointed. So, the question is, how does this set hold up in real life? All you have to do is read on… BOX Most LEGO boxes are very bright, giving off a happy, toy-ish feel. Of course the toy-ish feel still exists here (it's LEGO, after all), but this box is quite dark. Some evil looking characters surrounded by fire attacking a happy-looking house? That is not something usual for a LEGO set. The back of the box has a much happier, feel, showing off all the "play features" (who knew sitting on a bed was a play feature?), and no longer including any fiery doom. I love that pasted-on parchment theme of these new HP sets. INSTRUCTIONS The instructions are pretty normal, being spread over two somewhat mangled booklets. I find it odd that neither of the booklets has a page advertising the six new sets; they only advertise the video game. There's a slightly creepy and intense picture of the trio faded into some of the pages that have slower steps. I'm not sure I appreciate that. Sorry, no spread of pieces in a review of a larger set. I'm not so into setting it all up. Instead, I'll dive right into the figures, which are one of the major highlights of this set. STICKERS These days, a DSS isn't a DSS just because it is a sticker sheet, it's a DSS because it's freaking warped! Why can't LEGO solve this problem? Still, this one isn't too warped, and these stickers are awesome. I don't mind that they're stickers at all since they really enhance the set (and there are no stickers on weird slopey pieces or over multiple bricks). MINIFIGURES The minifigures that come with the Burrow are simply awesome. So many new prints, and all usable within a City and many other themes if you don't mind fleshies. Parents Introducing Ma and Pa Weasley. Arthur and Molly have never been made into figures before, and LEGO did a fine job on them. Dad's face is a bit too smiley I think, but I can live with it. Those torsos make up for his overly cheery demeanor. The parents do not have reversible heads, but their torsos do wrap around to the back. Simply beautiful. Bad Guys Oh man, more figs to die for! The torsos are wonderfully detailed and gothic, while the hair and the faces are super too! Fenrir is just so well-detailed with so many little hairy lines on his face. Bellatrix looks a little bit strange, and not quite like Helena Bonham Carter's pouty performance. Her face suffers from being a little too cartoony for the character, but it still gives off some sense of Bellatrix. Both of their hair pieces are great additions to the world of LEGO hair. Both of the bad guys have reversible heads, even though I don't think they need them. Bellatrix really doesn't get scared very often, so I'm not sure what is up with that alternate expression. I think a more solemn face would've been better. Fenrir doesn't need a closed-mouth face, but of course I wouldn't refuse it. Only Bellatrix has a back print, but that's fine. Since Fenrir is just in a jacket, he certainly doesn't need one. The Kids And here's where we get to my favorite figure. As many of you know, there is an ongoing discussion about Harry's face. All I'll say here about that is yes, he looks a little young, or maybe just too happy. The Harry head introduced in GoF sets is better, but it doesn't have the details in subtle colors. This one isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Then there's Ginny. The subtlety of her smile. Those tiny freckles. The dark red jeans and sweater. Soooo fantastic. I'll get back to her in more detail below. They too have alternate faces, both grumpy. Perhaps Harry isn't actually such a good kisser. Harry's intense face works for him at any age I'd say, while Ginny looks delightfully pissed off. We've never got many pissed figures before. Both have back prints as well. Harry's is pretty unimposing, but you have to love those little dotted patterns on Ginny's sweaters. I'm getting detail overload with these figs! Ginny Although you may not remember it, this isn't the first Ginny minifigure. This is, however, the first Ginnyfigure, a true and beautiful representation of Bonnie Wright. Can you even believe LEGO would release that old? She has freckles on top of her nose! It's so crappy I'm gonna die! Who's Missing? Ok, so this is the Burrow. … The Burrow! Isn't that where Ron lives? Where's Ron!? Honestly, I don't mind too much that Ron wasn't included. You can find him in two other sets, and this set already has so many new and awesome figures. Some people will probably have an issue with Ron's absence here (and maybe in the Castle too), but I suggest buying Hagrid's Hut anyway. I may tell you why if I get to reviewing that set. Anyway, here's the Weasley picture. At least all the Weasleys LEGO has ever given us. They really look great all together, with their matching hair colors. Well-designed figs everyone. ACCESSORIES This set is truly a dollhouse, with added little catapults to make boys happy (I guess). I'll get to that idea of a dollhouse a bit more later on, but just looking at the fine accessories and built accessories for this set, you will start to see how true that really is. Animals Any good dollhouse needs to have animal buddies for the dolls, which are, in this case, minifigures. These animals are actually characters as well. From left to right: Babe, Hedwig, and Errol, the Weasley's old daft bird (for those who didn't remember). These new owls are so much better than those blank old ones, even though they have an oddly angular mold. The printing makes up for it. Figure Accessories There are plenty of household items in The Burrow, ranging from printed sock tiles and newspapers to tableware and food. All good for household roleplay. Furnishings Obviously these aren't molded accessories, but they are still accessories. Quite nice ones and that. The stack of plates is ingenious! Ok, so these are technically part of the build, but their here as details to the set, and for play with the figures. Considering these things, you may start to wonder to yourself: "normal LEGO sets don't usually have this many little inanimate, seemingly boring objects. Only sets like the modular buildings and MMV have this level of design." It's very true. That's why this set feels like a dollhouse. And, being stereotypical, girls buy dollhouses. That's quite interesting; a normal-line HP set catered towards girls? Wands Of course, for confrontational and other purposes, the set comes with enough wands for everybody but Mrs. Weasley. Why didn't she get a wand? I've already gotten over these wands a long time ago, but they still do really suck. They're far to big! Why couldn't LEGO make a nice, new molded wand piece like is featured int he videogame? But, like I said, I got over long ago… SET No build pics this time, sorry. I'm not sure who helpful they really are anyway. It's a building; you build it up from the ground. Swamp Since this set mainly ties into the films scene in which Bellatrix and Fenrir attack the Burrow, LEGO had to include the swamp. The swamp also provides something for the little boys who expect to fling things around something to do. LEGO even added an extra catapult with red bombs for good measure. Outdoor Fireplace Not enough houses have outdoor fireplaces these days. Especially not ones that are as tall or taller than the first floor of the house. The fireplace is the Burrow's other "play feature" apart from the tiny catapults. It has some nice little painting on top, and Errol likes to roost there because those flames are very warm. What you do with the fireplace is put a figure in there, yell "Disney World," and flip it over. As the figure plunks out the back, you are greeted with some lovely green floo powder flames, though not really inside the fireplace, since it has also mysteriously evaporated. It works quite well, but is also utterly boring. At least LEGO used this opportunity to throw the fez piece into a third set! For all of you who didn't get the Venice Canal Chase or the Agents 4x4, you can get a fez! (Warning: it makes your figures look bald.) The Burrow - Full Angles Ramshackle, eye-catching glory! Yes, it doesn't look quite like the Burrow from the films, but it still gives off a big Burrow vibe. These sets are a mishmash of things anyway, including inspiration from the books. LEGO pulled off the slapped-together look quite nicely, while not creating an eyesore. Here, straight from the front, you can note the asymmetry even more. I love that! The color scheme and overall look of the set are quite charming, evoking a warm and cozy home. This house is much more visually interesting than LEGO's usual CITY houses. From the left side you note a lot of the PoP color, and even some PoP arches. LEGO mixed it pretty well; it all looks about the same. Some people may complain that the wood had to be stickered, but really it makes no difference to me. It's much better than if it were blank. There's a lot to see from the back, but I'll note everything in the upcoming closeups. This whole view shows you who jam-packed with detail it is. But not play features, just cool accessories and details. The right side has less PoP sand dark orange, and more wood. Asymmetry going to work! That concludes are long shots of The Burrow. It's a very pleasing exterior because it is so unusual for a LEGO set to look this way. Usually houses look neat and clean, while this one is an awesome mish-mash. Harry Potter is so good for unusual sets that tie into a town setting. The Burrow - Close Up The ground floor is so nice! Those jutting-out windows are superb, and I like the sturdiness of the redesigned doors as well. They are more like hunks of wood than the old ones. Babe goes in a little pen right outside the house, so that they don't have to drag him very far once they've slaughtered him. It would make more sense to be adjoined to the kitchen, but this is a fantastical dollhouse anyway, so all of the rooms are mashed together. All-in-one on the ground floor we have the kitchen, living room, dining room, and sitting area. The sitting area with swively chairs is a bit close to the dining room table, but who doesn't love swively chairs? It's all in your mind how you see the rooms. Let's take a closer look at the different first floor areas, shall we? Mama's in the kitchen, doing something… The kids are awkwardly staring at each other in the living room. While Dad is cheerily reading about Muggles in Soviet Russia whose Wii plays them. Let us now travel upstairs and see what is in store for us inside. The real problem with these floors is that they are awfully cramped. All of the details are excellent, but you can barely see them once the roof is on and little light can get in. It is also difficult to put figures in there, since there isn't much room to maneuver with big fingers. Still, the designer put a lot of time into making sure the room looks great, even if you can't see it once it is finished. Time for the top floor, which really has very little in it. There's a bed, a lamp, a poster, and an issue of the Quibbler. This one isn't as cramped because there is no depth to it anyway. Even in cramped spaces, lovers always find a way. Overall, this baby is super-well-designed. The minute details are superb. LEGO really needs to make more houses like this: no play features, no gimmicks, just beautifully crafted goodness. Using LEGO to it's full potential. I think they may have started going that way with the newest family city house, but that is still much blander than the Burrow. The problem is, will boys actually like this set? I know I do, and I'm male, but I of course am not the target age range. Or am I? Did LEGO design this set with AFOLs in mind? It actually seems like they might've, since no AFOL in their right mind should pass this house up. COMPLETE SET The catapults are obviously a nod to boyhood, but the swamp actually rounds out the set quite nicely. It reminds you that this isn't just a colorful, creaky house, but actually an intense scene from a brilliant movie (if you want to challenge the high quality of HBP, I'll see you in the Culture & Multimedia forum). Conflict is great, though, and it gives us an excuse to get more bad guys! Time to fight! Harry practices the Crutiatis curse on Bellatrix, while Fenrir eyes the mouth-watering morsel that is the Ginnyfigure. But good guys always win, of course, and the happy couple scores some new greaser outfits. CONCLUSION Do you actually want to read any more? You probably skimmed the pics anyway and missed my subtle attempts at humor. I'll just recap it: glorious figures, beautiful house, terrific set. Will it sell to boys? Who knows. Maybe not the kind of boys that are into Star Wars, but boys who actually like fantasy and magic and things without guns and explosions will eat up this set. So will girls. And so will AFOLs. Here that AFOLs? Go buy it! RATINGS Here's the problem with ratings this time: I've already exhaustively lauded all the awesome qualities of 4840 The Burrow. Did you see me say anything negative? Ok, Pa Weasley is too happy, Bella's head isn't quite right, and Harry looks high (perfect for your Felix Felicis MOCs, by the way). But those trifles are not going to make me mark anything down. Nothing at all. I wanted this set, I bought this set, I absolutely adore this set. It gets a big ol' 10/10 from yours truly, and I recommend it even more highly than other sets I've given a 10/10 in the past, because this is one baby that you should not pass up. You will regret it, and Bricklink prices will be exorbitant. Trust me. They always are. This is just the beginning of your favorite patented Cloney-O Harry Potter 2010 reviews. I freaking love Harry Potter, and I'm going to talk about and compare everything I can, Cloney-O style. You can look forward to some comparisons of all three sets of trio figs Hagrid, Malfoy, etc. Until next time.

Hope you had or are still having a terrific birthday Stash. Too bad you're a little old for the themed parties at the LEGO store.

I completely agree with you Prateek. I do not see where all the praise is coming from at all. These sets look horrendous to me. The Ninja figures are not even so great because all they have is a stupid symbol on their torsos. The Skeletons' fortress looks like something out of a really bad '80s sci-fi movie, and that is not a good thing in my book. It has no style at all, and it looks like crap. 2504, the set that comes with a master looking guy on one of those spinning things, actually has a little bit of design, but it's just a wall. 2519 is equally bland and useless besides for the skeleton dummies. And then there's that dragon, and the motorcycle set, and the fact that LEGO is marketing single figures with weapons on dumb, one-piece spinning things. This set is total and utter crap to me.

Well, I'm not sure how strange this issue is really, but it is a problem. I got a VIP card when I bought my MMV at a LEGO store back in late June. It said I would also get a bonus 25 points, since that was something going on. I am pretty sure I activated it online a month later, and it listed my points. Then, when I went to pre-order my HP sets, I logged into my account on LEGO.com and it said that there is no card connected with my account, so I clicked "add card" or whatever it was, and went through the thing again. When I was done, it told me I had zero VIP points, but I should have had roughly 124 from buying the MMV and the extra 25 point promotion. Now I have 110 points again from ordering several HP sets, but it was odd that my older points disappeared.

Wow! Who cares that LEGO has a Ninja vs. Undead Nazi theme when they're coming out with this? Obviously the figures are pretty prelim (that's the mummy from studios), but there is no doubt in my mind that these will be absolutely magnificent in their finished forms. This is even better than Adventurers because of all the awesome undead! Way to go LEGO!

That's certainly a different perspective. I don't see the licensed lines as blurred in the slightest. All of theme yield different types of figures and different types of sets. I guess you could say that the Avatar Air Temple had a similar color scheme to HP, but that's about it. The thing that truly sets the HP line apart (though it sort of goes for Spongebob as well) is that nearly every figure is a named character. There are no stock figures at all; every one has a unique print to match an actor on screen. There are a few exceptions, of course, but for the most part every figure in the Harry Potter line has a clear persona.

That's interesting, I haven't gotten such an email yet. Hopefully it will come soon, since I did order three weeks ago.

I love HP LEGO for the figs. And I love the figs because I love the books and films. Most of the figures are pretty well done, and capture their real-life counterparts in LEGO form. Not all do that so well, but most. There is also such a variety of figures: the students of course, but then a mermaid, different adults in suits, teachers in cool robes, Sirius in a prison-break outfit… there are just so many good things. HP is great for civilian fig parts that wouldn't have been made otherwise.

So, does that mean that only if you order them now will they ship by the 29th, and if you ordered earlier they will still ship on the 1st? I am hoping that is so, since I ordered weeks ago and I'd rather not wait that long.

The Light-Up-Lightsaber version's head just looks funny because it is the light up minifigure. That's why the top of the head looks a little off in pictures. There is no head accessory, though. The non-LUL just has a normal fig head with nothing on top.

That's a matter of taste. I find World Racers to be pretty crap-tastic. Just because I think this concept makes no sense, that doesn't mean I dislike it. It certainly does seem like something very Japanese (samurai Pizza cats, anyone?), but it seems outside the realm of normal LEGO ideas. I personally don't like the look of the bike, which makes me not like this prelim, but I am interested to see how the other sets turn out. I certainly would like the Ninjas.

Exactly what I was thinking. Maybe once better pics of all the sets come out this theme will start to make a little more sense. Maybe? Just a little? All we can do is hope, since it's supremely whacked out based on the one blurry prelim so far.

And with that, I lock this topic.

Let's link, shall we? It seems very strange. This prelim looks like a blue Ninja (cool!) fighting a skellie from fantasy Era that is dressed like a Nazi and driving an enormous chopper. What the freak? I like the Ninja, but the set concept makes absolutely no sense. The chopper obviously looks prelim, but I'm still not understanding this theme. I hope the bad guys also do not turn out to be the same old Skellies from Fantasy Era (even with army outfits), since that would be a lame re-use.

I always look forward to new work from you, NXTManiac! I think I like Harold the Generous Giant better, but this one was also very lovely. I didn't exactly understand what was going on with the minifigure wrapped in chains, but things don't always have to make sense to be fun. I can't wait to see more!

On that I can't agree. I really love those newer heads.

That's a very nice tribute you have done. I just have to ask, why didn't you use the Ron head from the 3rd Hogwarts Castle (and underwater set from the fourth film) in your title pic? I agree with most of your pics, except the Hogwarts Express from the first wave. I thought the station was pretty dreadful, and the train was not so hot either. I know I liked the first Castle at the time since it was a big set with lots of figures, but in retrospect it is pretty lame interior-wise. I think my favorite set from the first wave would have to be The Final Challenge, then, since the exclusive Quirrel fig was just too awesome (and the thick sticker for the revolving door was nice too). I can't comment on your pic of Dumbledore's Office, since I don't own it, but the Chamber of Secrets set itself was pretty awesome too. Ok, the Ginny and Tom Riddle figures were really poor, but pink-suited Gildroy was great, as well as those printed snake wall tiles, the snake itself, the face of Slytherin, Fawkes, the bathroom… overall that was a really strong set. Unfortunately I only own the rescuing Sirius set from the third film, but I agree with you that the Shrieking Shack is probably the best of that wave. You're certainly right about Graveyard Duel too (500+ pieces for $30? Yes!), although Rescue from the Merpeople was also a strong entry just because of the sheer magnitude of figures that only came with that set at the time. I hope you will update this with your favorite pick from the new wave, once you have the sets.