As per usual, with four of the 2021 Advent Calendars, I’ll be updating this post daily. Each day will have an image of the day’s build, a quick comment, with a final overall review at the end of the month. If you want to keep up to date with the post, use the link to the right of the page – it’ll be there for the duration of December. I won’t be posting any pics on social media, so it won’t get spoilt by me!
Theme: Seasonal; Harry Potter
No: 76390
Release Year: 2021
Cost: AUD $49.95
Pieces: 274 (with six minifigures)
Sorry about the serious lateness of this one – it’s only just arrived in the mail! A huge shout out to Jay from Jay’s Brick Blog for sending one through last minute!
I’m a huge fan of Harry Potter, and the previous calendars have been fun, so it’s great to finally get stuck in, albeit 12 days late!
If you’ve been along on this journey with me for a while now, welcome back! If you’re just new to the Advent Calendar season, then welcome. Each day I’ll open the new window and provide an image or two and my thoughts on the build, with a big wrap up at the end. I’ll post them at night, so there’ll be no spoilers during the day. This post will be updated each day (Perth, Australia time (GMT +8), so it’s all in the one spot. I’ve not seen any yet, so these are all raw thoughts!
I’d also really appreciate if you gave us a thought by using the affiliate link if you’re shopping for Christmas LEGO on LEGO.com. I get a very small commission if you buy something using the link, which really helps paying to run the site. I didn’t receive any of these sets for free this year – they were all bought by either me, or Cam in the case of the Star Wars one.
Well this is new! There’s a distinct layout to the builds for most of the days – 15 in fact – I wonder why some aren’t there? It looks like a board game – maybe the others are the pieces? In any case, I’m really excited by this. having places on the display board is something I’ve wanted to see in a calendar for a while now. Let’s see where this Journey to Hogwarts takes us! Presumably to Hogwarts…
Day 1: Privet Drive Sign
Day 2: Harry Potter
Day 3: Fireplace
Day 4: Fireplace accessories
Day 5: Birthday Cake
Day 6: Dudley Dursley
Day 7: Leaky Cauldron Sign
Day 8: Table and Drinks
Day 9: Diagon Alley Hidden Entrance
Day 10: Gringotts Wooden Desk
Day 11: Griphook
Day 12: Gringotts Minecart
Day 13: Gringotts Vault Door
Day 14: Gold
Day 15: Wand and Spellbook
Day 16: Hedwig, Chocolate Frog and Hogwarts Express Ticket
Day 17: Luggage Trolley
Day 18: Ron Weasley
Day 19: Platform 9¾ Entrance
Day 20: Hermione Granger
Day 21: Great Hall Table
Day 22: Draco Malfoy
Day 23: Christmas Tree
Day 24: Spinner
Day 1: Privet Drive Sign
First up, a sign for Privet Drive. Looks like we’re starting at Harry’s aunt and uncle’s place. There’s an envelope as well, which I presume is Harry’s acceptance letter from Hogwarts. It’s a bit of an underwhelming build, but hopefully things get more exciting. The sign is printed, so that’s a good…sign. 🙂
Day 2: Harry Potter
Day 2 is Harry himself, in a scruffy top and pants from The Philosopher’s Stone. This minifigure was last seen only in 75978 Diagon Alley. The double sided head we’ve seen a few times before, but it’s good to have another torso. No accessories for Harry.
Day 3: Fireplace
This one took me a bit of time to figure out. The instructions only say to build it on it’s back, but the outline shows the end. It’s a fireplace. There’s a black plate in front that slides in. When I was building it, I wasn’t sure what it was for. Floo network maybe?
Day 4: Fireplace accessories
Day 5: Birthday Cake
Today we get the present and birthday cake from Hagrid to Harry, when he delivers his acceptance letter after the family goes into hiding. The printing on the cake is spot on! The box is good, but it would have been awesome to have Hagrid too.
Day 6: Dudley Dursley
Time for an exclusive minifigure, with Dudley Dursley in his pyjamas! Turn him around and he’s got the pig tail after he’s caught eating Harry’s cake. I love it!
Day 7: Leaky Cauldron Sign
It looks like we’re moving away from the Dursleys and into the world of magic! Today we’ve got the sign for The Leaky Cauldron, the pub that has the hidden entrance to Diagon Alley. I love the details in the sign!
Day 8: Table and Drinks
A more simple build today, with a table, some silver cups and a bottle. Looks like it’s in the interior of The Leaky Cauldron.
Day 9: Diagon Alley Hidden Entrance
This looks like a bit of an uninteresting wall, but of course, it’s the hidden entrance to Diagon Alley! Tap a few bricks and hey presto, the wall opens up. This was really clever, as the two sections are identical. One is flipped upside down to blend them together. This was fantastic!
Day 10: Gringotts Wooden Desk
Today we’re well into Diagon Alley, with a build from Gringott’s Bank. In particular, the wooden teller’s desk. It’s excellent. Around the back is a step for the goblin atttendant.
Day 11: Griphook
Along with the desk is Griphook the goblin. Holding a key and looking very menacing (but quite sharp), this is a great looking minifigure. His sneering face is spot on.
Day 12: Gringotts Minecart
I think I may have this one backwards…it’s the Gringotts Minecart, and it looks great! Griphook takes Harry to his incredible riches on one of these. the wheels don’t really spin very well, but it does look good.
Day 13: Gringotts Vault Door
We’re still in Gringotts today, with the Vault door. Admittedly it should be standing on it’s edge now that I think about it, but it was early and I was still without a coffee! The vault door looks simple, but really good. I’m assuming we’re going to get the back of it tomorrow, given the space is for 13 and 14.
Day 14: Gold
Today we get the other half of yesterday’s build, with the gold that goes into the vault at Gringotts. It’s a simple build, but works really well, especially when it’s attached to the vault door!. It’s a shame there are no gold goblets, but what we get is still ok. I wonder where we’re off to tomorrow!
Day 15: Wand and Spellbook
We’re moving through Diagon Alley and entering Flourish and Blotts (the bookshop) and Ollivanders Wand Shop! I’m hoping this one gets fleshed out a bit more . The wand and case is great, and the book is a nice addition, but the inside is just a tan tile. Pity. Bring on tomorrow!
Day 16: Hedwig, Chocolate Frog and Hogwarts Express Ticket
More shopping for Harry today, with Hedwig, a chocolate frog (and card) and a ticket for the Hogwarts Express! It’s a shame it’s not the new version of Hedwig with the wings spread, but another owl is always good. No building unfortunately with this one, but the printing on the tiles is really nice.
As a bonus, each of the chocolate frog cards are random, with 16 variants in circulation. This one is Salazar Slytherin. You can pick up more in the 20th anniversary HP sets, and read up about them all on Blokwarts.org! There’s a great article there that shows them all. Let me know what one you got!
Day 17: Luggage Trolley
It looks like we’re at the end of Harry’s shopping spree, with the cart ready to head to Platform 9¾! It’s a simple build, but it looks great fully laden with all his gear.
Day 18: Ron Weasley
Another main character today – Ron Weasley in his Hogwarts uniform with a chocolate frog, and another card! Unfortunately it’s a repeat of Day 16 – Salazar Slytherin. I think by now we can assume the kids are on the Hogwarts Express, they’ve met each other and are speeding towards Hogwarts!
Day 19: Platform 9¾ Entrance
Aside from the entrance to Diagon Alley, this is the other most exciting bit of wall in the Harry Potter world – the entrance to Platform 9¾! It’s simple, but has some great shaping, and the sign is brilliant, and an exclusive! 5 days to go – I’m so excited for what’s next! I’ve been loving this calendar.
Day 20: Hermione Granger
We’ve finally got the three main characters, with Hermione coming in at Day 20. We’ve seen this configuration plenty of times before, but it’s good to complete the trio.
Day 21: Great Hall Table
It looks like we’ve made it to Hogwarts, with a section of table from the Great Hall, and they’re in the middle of the Welcoming Feast! We’ve seen this style of build before, but not with the upside-down dish used as a plate/bowl. That was a nice touch.
Day 22: Draco Malfoy
We’ve got our final minifigure for the set with Draco Malfoy. Seen before in so many sets, it’s not all that exciting, but it does complete the group (in a way). Two days to go!
Day 23: Christmas Tree
I really like the shaping of this tree, although there’s not a lot of colour. The stars are nice, and I love the cut sloped tiles for something a little different. This is also the last placed build, with tomorrow’s appearing to be the final piece of the puzzle! What a year.
Day 24: Spinner
To finish off the game we’ve got the spinner, so it can be actually played. This is a really clever final build and it actually works quite well. There’s 2 and 4 for forward, and -1 and -2 for backwards. It’s fantastic.
I’m so glad they went with this option. I think it’s the most cohesive calendar of any of them for quite a while, regardless of theme. Yes, the builds were simpler, but the fact that they work so well together and tell a story is really something. The best one for me would have to be the wall to get to Diagon Alley, and the chimney right at the start. The minifigures are a bit underwhelming, but the rest is good. Hopefully next year we get a combination of this year’s format, and last year’s stunning micro builds.
Merry Christmas everyone!
