Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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88 of 90 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Harry Potter+Legos=Pure Magic, October 12, 2001
Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars
I grew up with Legos, spent countless hours building castles, forest hideaways, and tropical pirate hideouts. I still have all of the original Legos, boxes and instructions; Legos are a timeless creative toy for children of all ages. When the first Harry Potter book came out a few years ago, I was hooked from the first sentence! I've read all four books a number of times and I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the first Harry Potter movie this November. When I saw that Lego was coming out with Harry Potter kits I was thrilled! There are eleven kits in all right now, each of which represent an important scene from the first Harry Potter novel, but the neatest one hands down is Hogwarts Castle. The castle features secret hidden compartments and treasure chests, a spiral staircase that moves, torches, one of the boats that carry students across the lake to Hogwarts, and many of the book's characters in Lego form, including Harry, Hedwig, Ron, Scabbers the rat, Hermione, Dumbledore, Snape, Hagrid, Peeves and Draco Malfoy. The architecture is brilliant; arches, grated windows, stone texturing, a balcony, multiple towers and a large interior. Quite honestly this is the coolest Lego set ever created, period. It is sure to be a hot seller on many Christmas lists this year, will probably be the "Furby" of 2001, and with good reason. Harry Potter marked a return to kids actually READING, and likewise with Harry Potter Legos kids will have the chance to use their creativity and imaginations building something magical instead of sitting in front of a TV or computer screen. That's an amazing feat in itself in an age of high technology and should be appreciated by parents and teachers! The new Harry Potter line of Legos features new artistic heights for Lego designers. Some of the kits come with brightly coloured backdrops and props, such as the Hogwarts Classrooms set, Diagon Alley Shops and Gryffindor House, and include details from the books, such as the portrait of the Fat Lady in Gryffindor House. All the kits capture the childhood magic and the unique flavour and subtle humour of the Harry Potter books. Hogwarts Castle is 682 pieces and is recommended for ages 8-12. Because of the complexity it might be a bit frustrating for younger children, even for us kidults :) But if you're looking for a unique, creative, and absolutely magical gift for that favourite child, this is the one. Whether you're a kid or a kid at heart, Hogwarts Castle has something to offer for everyone.
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52 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cool, but get the train instead., November 19, 2001
Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars
The set includes almost all the Lego figures - Harry, Hermione, Ron, Draco, Hagrid, Dumbledore and Snape (no Professor Quirrell), plus a knight and a ghost. There are four owls, a crystal ball, a treasure chest, a fire place, books, a telescope, a boat, two golden keys, two grey keys, three jewels, letters (for the owls to deliver, I suppose), two mice and two cute little bats that are part of the building. The rooms it includes are the dining hall (you can choose either the Gryffindor table or the Slytherin table by flipping a banner), the owlery, the library and the hall outside the Gryffindor quarters. It has the fat lady painting for the door, and it spins around. I guess this would lead into the Lego set for the Gryffindor House, if you bought it. Although, then you'd have two fat lady paintings (and two Rons).What's the verdict? Well, I think it was really expensive, but that's to be expected for Lego. But, it's pretty darn cool. I don't know how they expect kids to play with it, as the rooms are really, really small, the stairs are pretty precarious (they keep spinning around) and the books like to jump off the shelves. In the dining hall, there isn't much space for people to sit. And what's the point of being able to switch to the Slytherin table, if Draco's going to be the only one sitting at it? I don't know, these are things that would have bothered me as a child trying to play with it. Maybe other kids aren't quite as pedantic as I was then. :) It looks impressive and displays nicely. The Harry figure has a different coloured cape, which looks kind of silly. The Hermione figure is really scary - she has a really weird grin on her face. Draco is really cute, and so is Ron. Dumbledore and Hagrid are cool. I thought Snape's head would glow in the dark, as it really looked like it would, but thankfully it doesn't, as that would make no sense at all. The ghost is not so good - I couldn't even tell it was a ghost; I thought it was a statue. Would I recommend it? Yes, if you have a lot of money and want something collectible. If you're buying it for a kid, you may be better off with a smaller set - most kids wouldn't have the patience to build this and you'll probably end up doing it for them. It took me three hours, but then, I don't build Lego sets often and I was unfamiliar with a lot of the new pieces as they didn't have them when I was young. There are also a lot of little pieces to lose. I'd recommend the Lego train set or the action figures instead.
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hogwarts Castle-682 pcs--# 4709, February 7, 2002
Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars
This is the best set of the Lego Harry Potter line. It is also the biggest, and most expensive. It's retail value...is very high, but the experience with this toy is so cool! The set is simple to build in less than 3 hours with the detailed instructions. The set is like a playset with secret passages, moving staircases, a library, the Gryffindor room with the portrait of the Fat Lady, a real mini magnifying glass, Scabbers, owls, The Great Hall, an astronomy tower, and a boat to ride up to school! The sets figures are:*Harry Potter
*Hermione Granger
*Ron Weasley
*Draco Malfoy
*Rubeus Hagrid
*Albus Dumbledore
*Professor Snape
*a ghost(possibly Peeves or Nearly headless Nick. Who knows?)
*a Gryffindor knight This set is really worth those...bucks! This set even won an award for most imaginative toy of the year! Lego has really done it! The towers, turrets, and structure are so cool, that it brings Hogwarts to life! This set is great, and also it is very hard to find since there is an over-growing popularity of Harry Potter! Happy Hunting.
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