Vintage Harry Potter Lego Sets
Harry Potter Lego, the coming together of two great names into one glorious product.
Over the years there have been several incarnations of the Harry Potter franchise reproduced in Lego. The first sets were introduced back in 2001 and released over the next 6 years, until 2007. After a brief break, a second range was released from 2010 to 2012, coinciding with the final two movies. Finally, 2018 saw a relaunch of a new limited range.
Back in 2001, the sets focused on iconic locations and features within the Harry Potter universe. Hogwarts, Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express were all recreated in Lego format. Hogwarts classrooms and Hagrid's hut also featured.
After this, the focus shifted to movie-specific sets. Over the coming years, sets were released based on different scenes within the movies, starting with The Sorcerer's Stone and going all the way up to The Goblet of Fire.
The Order Of The Phoenix is largely ignored, likely due to the series being on hiatus when it was released. The sets pick back up in 2010 and cover the final 3 films as well as some reboots of the iconic locations.
In 2018 the series was rebooted again. There are just 6 current sets, which focus on Hogwarts and locations around it, with the others being focused on spin-off series Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.
With all these sets to choose from it's to be expected that there will be hits and misses. So which are which? Here are 15 of the very worst Harry Potter Lego sets and 10 which are worth a fortune.
25 Worst: Gryffindor House 4722
I'm not sure where to even start with this bizarre brightly colored recreation of what is allegedly part of the Gryffindor tower. While I can see the painting of the fat lady who guards the Gryffindor common room, the garish color scheme just doesn't work.
What appears to be a canopy over the bed isn't helping either as the set appears less based on either the book or movie and more based on a toddler's painting. The style is just so badly mismatched with all the other sets I can't understand how this one got through.
24 Worst: Flying Lesson 4711
I understand that this is a small set but I'm still disappointed. It is called flying lesson but contains just Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy figures as well as a Remembrall.
It is a reasonably accurate, albeit limited, portrayal of the scene when Harry chased Draco on a broom but I can't help but feel it's just dull. I wanted to at least see Madam Hooch the flying teacher. I think the main problem was calling it flying lesson, it set a high bar which the set falls very short of.
23 Worth A Fortune: Diagon Alley 10217 (Worth $450)
While earlier sets of Diagon Alley were disappointing this 2011 set with 2025 pieces is one of the best Harry Potter Lego sets to date. The attention to detail is astonishing and the shops match perfectly together.
It features Ollivander's wand shop, Borgin and Burkes and Gringotts Wizarding Bank.
Each store has exquisite attention to detail and tiny pieces include wizarding newspapers The Quibbler and The Daily Prophet as well as hats, cauldrons, and pets. It also contains a selection of minifigures including Mr. Ollivander.
22 Worst: Aragog's Lair 75950
I wonder who decided that the one thing which was missing from Harry Potter Lego was more spiders. I certainly can't say it was high on my list of priorities, in fact, it didn't even make the list.
While not a fan of any kind of toy that involves arachnids this one is especially creepy as the spider eyes alone are enough to give you nightmares.
One thing's for sure it does capture that horrible sinking feeling I get when this scene appears in the movie, I just really didn't want to immortalize that moment in Lego.
21 Worth A Fortune: Chamber Of Secrets 4730 (Worth $135)
This Chamber of Secrets Lego was one of the earliest sets to be released. It retailed for $69.99 back in 2002 and is based on the movie of the same name.
Cleverly constructed it features a bathroom on the second floor which has a slide beneath the sink leading to the chamber. It also contains mini figures for Harry, Ron, Ginny, Tom Riddle and Professor Lockhart as well as a Basilisk and Fawkes the phoenix.
The mechanism for this set fitting together is very clever and it has a great range of exclusive pieces and figures which have pushed up the price.
20 Worst: Harry And The Hungarian Horntail 4767
The worst part about this set is that it's so close to being a great set but it's ruined by the dragon. The background is quite promising. I love the golden egg, the viewing stands and even the detail of the dragon's chain holding him down.
The part which lets it down is the dragon itself.
Usually, dragons are spot on but here I think Lego has made an error trying to adapt it to make it look different to regular Lego dragons. I understand why but unfortunately it just doesn't work.
19 Worst: Troll On The Loose 4712
This set, based on a scene in the first book and movie, has two major flaws. The first is that the troll minifigure just looks ridiculous. Not only is it blue but it also looks weirdly proportioned, even for a troll.
Secondly, this set contains only a Harry Potter minifigure. In both the movie and the book this scene heavily features Hermione. Excluding her from this set means that it is a Lego set of Harry in the girl's bathroom, on his own.
18 Worth A Fortune: Hogwarts Castle 4842 (Worth $630)
Hogwarts castle has had no less than different 6 Lego sets dedicated to it over the years. Each one is worth more than the retail price once out of stock, making Hogwarts a worthwhile investment for Lego collectors.
With 4842 pieces and 9 minifigures it features the great hall and 3 towers. The set also contains a variety of other quirky pieces including an Invisibility cloak, sortiung hat and the Sword of Gryffindor. What more could you ask for?
17 Worst: Quality Quidditch Supplies 4719
The title of this set is incredibly misleading. I cannot see how any of this is quality and even the Quidditch supplies are in short supply.
I have to admit I like the sign but I think Harry's going to need more than 1 broom and a couple of capes to put together a quality Quidditch match.
I'm intrigued to see what appears to be a snitch in the window but I'm not convinced it can save this set which is decidedly average.
16 Worth A Fortune: Sirius Blacks Escape 4753 (Worth $75)
The value of this set is actually a mystery to me. It is a fairly small set of just 189 pieces released back in 2004 with not much interesting to look at. I can only imagine the value for this is in the mini figures.
The set contains Harry and Sirius as well as a Dementor and Buckbeak.
While buckbeak is available in another small set from the same time, Draco's encounter with Buckbeak, the Dementor is only otherwise available in the much larger Hogwarts Express and Hogwarts Castle sets.
15 Worst: Diagon Alley Shops 4723
Another day-glo monstrosity, this set is made worse by the fact that it's a Lego set which appears to heavily involve cardboard backgrounds. Not only do they look tacky but they really aren't helping sell the set to me.
I expect some weirdness from Diagon alley but I can't figure out what these shops are supposed to be. I think one is potions and the other animals but really it's hard to tell. Still, if your mini-figures ever need a rat as big as their head you know where to go.
14 Worst: The Sorting Hat 4701
This set was designed to fit into the Great Hall of the Hogwarts Castle which was out at the same time but I just can't see how it fits at all. Everything about it just feels wrong.
The hat is shiny, the wrong color and entirely too new.
I'm also not a fan of the spinner which, while a nice idea in theory, just looks clunky and out of place. This set is a classic case of nice idea poorly executed.
13 Worth A Fortune: The Burrow 4840 (Worth $425)
This 2010 set of the Weasley's family home makes me both happy and sad simultaneously. I love the design of it, which perfectly captures the quirky building. The addition of a floo network is also a nice touch. What upsets me is that they based it on the scene where the house is set on fire.
The heartbreaking decision, however, comes with an upside as it includes an exclusive set of one of my favorite villains, Bellatrix Lestrange. This plus the Molly Weasley figure means this set is almost worth the hefty price for the minifigures alone.
12 Worst: Professor Lupin's Classroom 4752
This set starts off well but the mini figures are the part which ruin it for me. While I like the idea and the background I have major issues with the Lupin and boggart snape figures.
Lupin just doesn't match either his movie or book counterpart. I can't put my finger on it but I would not have guessed the figure was Lupin without context.
More importantly, boggart snape is bright green for reasons unknown and is missing his hat, which is the most iconic thing about the scene in both the book and movie.
11 Worth A Fortune: Motorized Hogwarts Express 10132 (Worth $560)
The Hogwarts Express is another iconic feature of the Harry Potter franchise which has been immortalized in Lego several times. While many of the sets are expensive I can see why this one commands the highest price.
The main attraction is that the train is motorized.
While this is a nice touch in itself the set also contains a nice looking Hogsmeade station as well as Harry, Ron, Lupin and dementor minifigures, recreating a scene from The Prisoner of Azkaban.
10 Worst: The Forbidden Forest 4865
The forbidden forest set is based on one of the most epic scenes in the series. In this sequence Harry must meet his enemy and face off against him in order to save the day. The scene takes place in a dense forest with a wide range of characters involved.
So why does the set contain just one tree?
I think this may be the most underwhelming Lego set I've ever seen in a franchise based series. Where is the drama?
9 Worst: Knockturn Alley 4720
Knockturn Alley is one of the most sinister everyday locations in the Harry Potter franchise. This set of one of the most dangerous stores in Diagon Alley, Borgin and Burkes, somehow fails to conjure up that feeling of darkness.
The decidedly underwhelming shop may have a random hand in the window but I'm not feeling the dark magic vibe from this set. The fire feels out of place and the radioactive spider has taken a turn from an entirely different franchise. Could do better Lego.
8 Worth A Fortune: Shrieking Shack 4756 (Worth $300)
This set is roughly based on the scenes in Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban when Harry and his friends find themselves in the shrieking shack. It contains not just the shack itself but also the shed alongside it as well as Honeydukes Sweet shop.
The value of this set is to be found in the unique details.
As well as a uniquely designed minifigure Harry not found in any other set it also contains a Pettigrew figure, werewolf headpiece, dog piece, and rat piece to show all the animagus forms.
7 Worst: Harry Potter Quidditch Tower TRU01
This set is one of the smallest made for the series, it is also the only one which has no minifigures with it. The reason for its inclusion here, however, is not down to either of these facts.
The set itself is a Quidditch tower which matches the style of the Quidditch practice set out at the same time.
While it looks basic my main issue with it is the color. Allegedly it is Ravenclaw and Hufflepuffs tower but the Hufflepuff side is a sludgy brown rather than the vibrant yellow it should be. Why? We know yellow bricks exist so there's no excuse for this.
6 Worth A Fortune: Dumbledore's office 4729 (Worth $275)
This 446 piece set from back in 2002 is another really well designed set with secret passages and an array of moving parts as well as 3 mini figures.
Set in a three-story building it includes a swiveling armchair, secret hiding place, secret entrance, and moving staircase. It also connects to the Hogwarts castle set from the same year.
The set was also the only set to contain Professor McGonagall until the 2010 Hogwarts castle, which features a redesigned version.
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Helen Ashcroft (951 Articles Published)
Helen began playing games at an early age with her first computer being a hand-me-down Sinclair ZX Spectrum. It didn't put her off… She is all grown up now but is still a gamer at heart, especially when it comes to The Sims and other strategy and simulation games. She juggles the daily demands of life with a family and somehow still finds the time to indulge her two passions in life, writing and gaming; sometimes both at the same time.
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Vintage Harry Potter Lego Sets
Source: https://www.thegamer.com/harry-potter-lego-sets-worth-fortune/
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