LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Minifigure and the brick and knob configurations are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this site. Inside the box, we find a bag with instructions and stickers, eight numbered bags with parts (numbered 1-7, as two bags were numbered 5) and one loose flexible string.

When rumours first circulated that a set based on this – 76408 12 Grimmauld Place – was on the way, there was no real consideration as to if this particular feature to the location would be incorporated somehow or not. As a brief comment on the build process and experience, The Ministry has quite a tedious and repetitive build, as if it wasn't obvious from looking at the set itself. The set consists of a townhouse that transforms to reveal the secret building, just like in the films. While perhaps disappointing, the size is roughly equivalent to the buildings from 75978 Diagon Alley, so they look good together and some simple modifications could ensure total consistency between them.Two stickers are employed to great effect here and they capture extraordinary detail, since every character can actually be identified! Sirius' bedroom is found on the top floor, featuring a Gryffindor banner and therefore conflicting with the Black family's long-held Slytherin affiliation. The neighbouring room is remarkably empty, only containing a pair of skulls beneath trans-clear domes and a candle.

are not present anywhere, which feels like a missed opportunity because Harry learning that those initials refer to Regulus is important to the story. Moreover, the lampposts beside both houses look odd because the onscreen houses are part of a longer terrace.With intricate details, familiar characters, and a magical touch, it’s no wonder that these sets have become a go-to for both Harry Potter enthusiasts and LEGO collectors alike. Its functionality is also as intelligent and considered by design as it has been ambitious, because it ensures that there is still a credible and playable interior, with most of the mechanisms that create the movement and transformation seemingly crafted out of sight. Apart from Kingsley's hat lacking a print and Mrs Weasley continuing to use a face that doesn't quite suit her, I'd also say that I can find no flaws with the designs, while there are some noticeable ones in the Ministry. There’s nothing to fairly compare the fluid, fantastic motion that this set offers, for how effectively it works, for how accurately it actually looks and, for how strongly it plays all the right notes to Harry Potter fans. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is full of wonder in unexpected places, with spells that work in unexpected ways – this is a location that reflects that so cleverly and memorably in the books and films and now it does so once again, for the first time in LEGO bricks, in the form of 76408 12 Grimmauld Place.

It’s not a perfect set – the interior is compromised to make the play feature work – but there are a good variety of scenes from the later books and movies and space to arrange a wide selection of figures. We finish off with some drainpipes, and a frog tucked up in the ceiling – possibly a reference to Mundungus Fletcher telling a story about stealing toads and selling them back again. This is the first version with him in “normal clothes” (though I did design my own version a few years back).Compare that to LEGO Star Wars which is 23 years running (without a seven-year hiatus) and the depth and breadth to which they have mined dozens of tie-in films, television shows and even expanded universes. Like Kingsley, she’s only appeared once before as minifigure, in her example in the Attack on The Burrow set from 2020. The addition of sand green highlights on number twelve conveys the desired dilapidation too, but were probably unnecessary. I know a lot of that comes down to the dark and moody colour grading, but this set looks a whole lot more like LEGO's imagining of a Ministry amalgamated from books and movies rather than something pulled off the screen. For parts fans, this set includes a new broom mold that appears in several of the Summer 2022 Harry Potter sets, which is much more accurate to the on-screen brooms the characters use; it’s also arguably simply better scaled for a minifigure.