This will sound insane to many of you, but here it is: I have never seen a Harry Potter movie, nor read one of the books. There, it’s in the open now.
Harry Potter minifigures pack
However, I do think some of the Harry Potter LEGO minifigures sets are absolutely FANTASTIC and (albeit without context) the Wizarding World seems to lend itself to LEGO very well.
For that reason, I was not disappointed when I received a LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Students Accessory Set (40419), with four minifigures, to review. That, and minifigs of any kind are awesome!
First, the package.
I know it’s really a small deet, but I was instantly drawn to the blister pack being minifig shaped. This could just as easily have been a blah square or bubble and looked fine, but instead it’s shaped like a minifigure and I can’t help admiring it.
Combine that with the fact that after you remove the cardboard it’s open backed and —BOOM!—you have truly frustration-free packaging! I would feel safe having my 7-year-old open it.
All right, let’s move on to the figs!
The first thing I noticed is that not all the sweaters are the same. I would have expected the “creases” on them to be just one print, but there is some variance to them. Also, they all seem to have different coloured ties and accents at the waist of the sweaters, which is pretty cool and makes these minifigures really feel like they come from a larger world.
Shoutout to my friend and Potterhead Jedi Smith (real name) for pointing out I had put the wrong heads on the bodies—evidently the neckties have more significance than just colour preference!
Overall, this is a fairly simple, straightforward set with some very nice details. The bookcase is unambiguous but also clear and clever in what it is. The map is beautifully detailed, and crisply printed.
I do wish there was a folded version of the map, too, if I’m nitpicking.
As a whole, I’d say these little wizards are pretty fun, and any toy photographer could tell some cool stories with them.
Overall, I’ll give this minifig set a solid rating of a 2 x 4 brick. Fun and flexible regardless of fandom level, with lots of opportunity for applying your imagination.
Now for something for which I’m a little more familiar!
Marvel minifigures pack
I forgot to take a picture of the LEGO Marvel Avengers Falcon & Black Widow Team Up (40418) blister pack, but it’s much the same as the Harry Potter version.
There are two… Goons? OK, so I haven’t seen ALL the Marvel movies! I’ll just call these guys goons. [Note: I looked it up and they are actually A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) agents.]
They are pretty well detailed and have a bit of a hazmat feel to them.
The pack also comes with Black Widow minifigure who is beautifully detailed with some reflective paint and some escrima sticks or batons. My only gripe with her is the hair gets in the way a bit, but that’s no surprise.
Up next is this Gatling gun.
I don’t usually shoot these (pun intended), but I like them a lot nonetheless. It appeals to my kid self. However, it’s super finicky to get all the ammo loaded.
After the Gatling gun comes another member of the Avengers—one who has been denied his own movie—Falcon.
With an impressive wingspan that’s pretty fun, this Falcon minifigure has a lot of photo potential.
He’s a blast! I’m only giving this one a 4 x 4 brick though. It’s definitely more specific to Marvel than the Harry Potter minifigures are to their source material, but I enjoyed it anyway.
Joshua Kittleson/@thegreyklerik
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Thanks for the review – it’s given me some new thoughts about these sets.