Hagrid's Hut: Buckbeak's Rescue (A toy photographer's review)

This week I’m sharing a review of the new Harry Potter LEGO set Hagrid’s Hut: Buckbeak’s Rescue (Set 75947). As with all my LEGO reviews there is no piece count, and no build review, just an honest look at the potential for toy photography.

Looking at the set as a whole, although there are some elements from the first book in the set, such as a dragon’s egg in the fire, it primarily explores the third book. As it’s called ‘Buckbeaks Rescue,’ this probably won’t come as a surprise! With all the touches you might need to recreate your favourite The Prisoner of Azkaban scenes, this set does a pretty good job of setting the scene for Buckbeak’s rescue!

The set

The main part of the set comprises two rooms of Hagrid’s hut. These are open to the back, and with careful re-building, I reckon a clever builder (not me!) could combine two sets to create a much more charming build that is enclosed.

The trio watch an egg with hagrid — A quick interlude to book one. That time turner at work again, Hermione?

One room contains a fireplace, dining table and chairs, whilst the other contains a small desk and a trunk. The details in this set really come about through the decor on the roof beams though, featuring a range of items from a bucket, to a spoon and pan.

The other part of the set is a simple pumpkin patch, featuring a stand with Buckbeak secured to it. This is a nice little detail that could be expanded with additional pumpkins to really fill out the garden.

The figures

We get six figures in this set, related to the Buckbeak storyline, as well as Buckbeak himself.

To start with, we get the standard Hagrid figure we’ve seen in other Hogwarts sets.

Hagrid giving Buckbeak some scritches — “Now, firs’ thing yeh gotta know abou’ Hippogriffs is they’re proud,’ said Hagrid. “Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don’t never insult one, ’cause it might be the last thing yeh do.”
– *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, page 88.

We also get Harry, Ron and Hermione in casual outfits that match their movie counterparts. Each character in the trio comes with two faces: happy and angry/sad. This works well for a book where they are all upset at times!

In addition to our main cast, we also get the executioner McNair and the Minister of Magic, Fudge. I don’t have much real desire to photograph these two, although I do love the McNair’s axe, as well as the black hood.

LEGO McNair figure — “The black moustached man was fingering something in his belt; Harry looked and saw that he was running one broad thumb along the blade of a shining axe.”
– *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, page 235.

LEGO Minister of Magic — “Cornelius Fudge, slightly sweating in his pinstriped cloak, was standing there staring out at the grounds.” – *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, page 234.

The star of the show is obviously Buckbeak though. He’s a great model, despite not having any moving legs.

Harry riding Buckbeak — “Harry wasn’t sure where to hold on; everything in front of him was covered in feathers.”
– *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, page 89.

However this model does have a moveable head, allowing some recreation of the respect a Hippogriff needs. He also has some great printing on his face, with those orange eyes proving very striking!

Harry bowing to Buckbeak — “Careful not to blink, Harry stared up into Buckbeak’s fierce orange eye once more, and bowed.” – *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, page 293.

Buckbeak tethered to the pumpkin patch — “He’s tethered in my pumpkin patch. Thought he ought to see the trees an’ – an’ smell fresh air – before -” – *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, page 240.

Harry and Hermione riding Buckbeak — “Hermione was holding Harry very tightly around the waist; he could hear her muttering, ‘Oh no – I don’t like this – oh, I really don’t like this.” – *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, page 302.

Issues

I had a couple of issues with this set that impact photography options.

My first issue is that Hagrid is just unable to interact with the items in his own hut. He can’t sit in any of the seats, and he barely fits (although that’s probably true to size!).

I understand why the figure is the way he is, but it’s frustrating being unable to utilise him properly for photography.

My second issue is that the printing on my Harry’s happy face is awful. This is why Harry is frowning in all my photos!

Final thoughts

This is a great set, and I really do love the details on Hagrid’s hut. It’s pretty well thought out and looks really good. The light brick fireplace is also a nice touch, and helps to provide some atmosphere within the hut.

From a photography point of view, it does come with a lot of items to make use of in recreating key story moments. With Buckbeak as well, you could make use of the Sirius Black figure in other sets and really go to town on re-making your favourite scenes.

~ Lizzi

Disclaimer: This set was provided by LEGO for review.

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