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In a crucial chrono-axis-point, inadequate safeguards and the nefarious efforts
of ‘he who must not be named’ proved far too effective and the ‘boy who lived’
did not in fact live.
In this alternate timescape the powerful Voldemort
ironically became the word on everyone’s lips as he gained an unholy and
omnipresent grip on the wizarding world. Refuges like Hogwarts Castle were
prime targets for his fury (and deeply embedded fear of reprisal). These
once-havens were quickly emptied by powerful life and energy-consuming spells.
But the power mad wizard overreached himself and soon dissent within his own
ranks of death-eater lieutenants brought the once-powerful regime to an abrupt
and destructive end. Now there are only the smallest groups of ‘good’ and
‘evil’ scattered here and there, seeking to gather and strengthen each other. .
. and the fortress of Hogwarts (devoid now of even spirits) remains a silent,
sullen shell of what was once good.
This is the Lego Group’s fourth version of the Hogwarts Castle/estate, the
various released versions are as follows (by year):
2001 - 4709, 689 pieces
2004 - 4757, 928 pieces
2007 - 5378, 943 pieces
2010 - 4842, 1290 pieces
I can’t give a completely unbiased comparative opinion because I’ve never
actually built the previous versions but the 4842 does seem to give the
best/full version of a fortress construction (with the 5378 being a close
runner-up). At any rate, it’s obvious that this one has the most pieces.
To be honest, I’m a Castle fan at heart and I picked up this set with an eye to
modifying this into a standard fortress-type model. With this particular set
we’re going to get various castle pieces/portions with each section linked to
another through peg-and-hole connections (keeping in mind that Hogwarts is
really more of a campus than a single castle anyway).
Facing the castle from the inside looking out and going left to right, the first
construction is comprised of three levels with the first level featuring what
looks like a large closet or doorway to a passage (though it actually leads
nowhere). The second level features a bookshelf with sliding transparent doors
(nicely designed). Handcuff elements are secured to each sliding door with the
suggestion that inserting keys into the base of the doors and twisting the keys
will pop off the cuffs/binders. The idea is novel but the cuff elements are
just too wobbly and will undoubtedly come loose in play (or whenever moving the
entire construction) and could very easily be lost. The third level of this
section is an open battlement with a large powerful telescope that is actually
done quite well.
The second castle section is a four level tower with the bottom floor featuring
a small waiting room/lounge with two revolving chairs. The rear wall is adorned
with a Slytherin tile/plaque and two snake elements adorn each side wall (nice
touch). The second level features a suit of armor standing on a revolving base
(though nothing in particular is featured on the other side of the base). The
third floor is another lounge with, again, two chairs, but this room features a
fireplace. The fireplace is very well done with a sliding mechanism that makes
a 2x2 tile (with what appears to be some sort of fire demon) come out of the
fireplace. A Griffindor banner hangs above the hearth. The fourth level
features an enclosed owlery, complete with perches, three owls, and poop bits on
the perches (again, nice, subtle touches).
The third and largest castle section is the dining hall. It’s very well
executed with two long dining tables and benches, two chairs and a lectern at
the back/head of the room and a door near the back of the room for exiting. The
tables are filled with all kinds of elements for food (including a large turkey)
and goblets (great accessory assortment). Two banners hang over the room
(Griffindor and Slytherin) and a simple but effective chandelier hangs from the
main rafter. The design of the hall is very well done, particularly with
multiple windows at the rear wall, sturdy columns made up of 1x2 bricks (rather
than a one-piece pillar element) and the use of transparent 1x1 bricks set high
in the side walls to denote stain-glass.
The fourth and final castle section is a three-level construction with the first
floor featuring an entrance door, a trophy-type shelf, a chest and a winding
staircase. The second level features some simple but great shelves (with
non-sliding drawers) for various vials and potion jars. The drawers do contain
items (bone bits in one, a letter in another) but the drawers can’t actually be
accessed unless the shelves are removed from the construction and partially
disassembled, still the idea is interesting (weren’t there sliding drawers in
early Lego sets?). The room also features a low table with a crystal ball and a
large (almost throne-like) chair. The third level is a partially open
battlement with a large one-piece roof element (similar to the one that encases
the owlery) that houses a stand for the ‘sorting’ hat and a large silver sword.
None of the multi-level sections provide any access to the various upper levels
except for the fourth section winding staircase and these particular assemblies
have never impressed me with the way they fold up and aren’t very stable. I’d
much more prefer a single-piece, smaller, spiral staircase. (I’m sure the
collapsing staircase is essential to the ‘wow’ factor, but the instability of
the assembly detracts from the desired result.)
Figures in the set include Harry, Hermione (class uniform prints), Professors
Dumbledore, Snape, McGonnagal and Flitwick, Argus Filch, Voldemort and two
dementors (with McGonnagal getting the best dress print/slope in my opinion, she
makes a great sorceress fig). The dementors are also pretty cool (half-figures
really) with the upper torsos and arms of a skeleton (in dark grey) and tattered
cloaks. The bottom half of these ‘phantoms’ is comprised of a single stand
(instead of legs) that gives them a ‘floating’ appearance. It’s a neat gimmick
that could also work elsewhere for floating spectres. Lastly, there are a bunch
of animal elements included in the set: two snakes, a spider, a grey rat, a
frog, bat and a kitty (with a painted face).
There are a lot of minifig accessories including books, a magnifying glass, two
different swords, a shield, the sorting hat and a crystal ball (plus the
aforementioned food elements). Stickers are included for the castle walls,
various banners and a couple of book covers. There are also a number of
pre-painted tiles making up a newspaper, map, scroll, crest and a letter of
correspondence. It’s also worth noting that the set comes with THREE
instruction books.
Standing back and looking at the construction as a whole, there are some great
and innovative ideas for castle builders such as ledges for the windows and
recessed facades that add for a great look to the design. There is a great
assortment of parts including basic building bricks, plates and hinges (and the
aforementioned peg and hole connectors for modular building options). With the
set probably right on the verge of going out of circulation, this is a good time
to pick it up and it’s definitely worth the price-per-part ratio.
!!!4x2ReVu Stats!!!
Rating: Seven out of eight studs.
Thumbs up for: Terrific designs implemented that will give great ideas to
castle enthusiasts who might normally have passed-up this set because they’re
not into the Harry Potter genre.
Wallet-Wise: $130.00 suggested U.S.
retail for 1,290 pieces, if you can find it on clearance, GRAB IT!
Date:
5/16/2012
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Hello,
During the French Comic Con / JapanExpo event at Paris this last week-end, we
(FreeLUG members) presented a Steampunk layout, with suspended floating rocks.
That was the first part of the challenge.
The second part was to add a train track across the rocks, with a running train
(with PFS and IR-controlled)
And the result :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPtV19A3Xxg
A metallic structure has been specially made for this layout, and the floating
rocks and the ships were suspended with fishing lines. Five members participated
to this collaborative layout.
We had also a huge reproduction of Hogwarts Castle (only a part of the MOC was
presented), two StarWars layouts (battle on Naboo and Hoth), a stopmotion demo
and some Technic creations.
More pictures and videos :
http://photos.freelug.org/main.php/v/brickerik/expositions/2011/japanexpo/
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LEGO® Still Wild about Harry Potter
02/12/2010 - BURBANK, Calif. - Warner Bros. Consumer Products said today it has
extended its relationship with LEGO for more Harry Potter playthings.
Under the agreement, The LEGO® Group plans new construction sets and a board
game inspired by the property in anticipation of this fall’s release of the
latest Potter movie adaptation, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I, as
well the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in 2011.
“We have enjoyed a longstanding, successful partnership with The LEGO Group
around Harry Potter and we are delighted to continue this relationship as we
approach the release of the seventh film,” said Karen McTier, executive vice
president, domestic licensing and worldwide marketing, Warner Bros. Consumer
Products. “Fans of the franchise will be excited to discover the wonderfully
original LEGO products inspired by the beloved stories and characters.”
LEGO 2010 line includes six construction sets derived from iconic scenes and
locations, including the Hogwarts Castle, Hagrid’s Hut, Hogwarts Express and
Quidditch Match. Available in October, the sets feature new and newly decorated
minifigures, including versions of Bellatrix Lestrange and Luna Lovegood.
Additionally, LEGO new constructible board game line will include a Harry Potter
game, Hogwarts, in its debut assortment. Launching in August, the game has
players build and then move throughout its namesake castle-turned-wizard-academy
in a bid to be the first to collect various objects. Complicating matters is
that players can move entire classrooms around the board.
Additionally, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games also announced
plans for LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, the latest addition to the LEGO video
games franchise. Releasing this May on multiple gaming platforms, the game takes
players on a magical adventure through the first four Harry Potter books and
movies, as they build, make potions, solve puzzles and cast spells.
Playthings.com
-end of report-
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In lugnet.harrypotter, Ted Godwin wrote:
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Anyone know anything about rumours of the return of Harry Potter sets?
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I have seen a few articles hinting at the fact that The LEGO Group might be
looking at releasing new sets (or re-releasing old ones) to coincide with the
release of the video game. The most recent article I saw was on ‘The Leaky
Cauldron’, a big HP news website.
Link to the Article
In that article they reference Arthur Parsons of Traveler’s Tales games.
Parsons said at a recent industry appearance that:
“Lego are actually turning some of the ideas that TT came up with into toys,
and are actually re-launching the Harry Potter range to coincide with the game
and what is in it.”
He’s not a LEGO official, so take it for what it’s worth...but it’s a good sign.
Hope this helps.
-Dave
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In lugnet.harrypotter, Ted Godwin wrote:
> Anyone know anything about rumours of the return of Harry Potter sets?
Last I heard, they had announced that they weren't planning to make any new sets
this year (though they still have the license), which means there likely won't
be any sets based on the upcoming movie. They are, however, having TT Games
make a Harry Potter game in the style of the LEGO Star Wars/Indiana Jones/Batman
games, which will cover the first four movies. There was a trailer out at some
point, but all it had were cutscenes and a general announcement of what the game
would be (HP 1-4) and when it would come out (next year, I believe).
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