(CW:HP) Build a giant minifigure with LEGO® 76393 Harry Potter & Hermione Granger

TobyMac (@efraimaspie) takes a special angle with his review of LEGO® Harry Potter 76393 Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, examining which parts you need to adapt these brick-built minifigures to other characters. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover some sets for their parts. Read about our stance here. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

The moment the subject of today’s review was announced, I fell in love with the concept of large, brick-built versions of Minifigures. I know we have seen them before, like the 3723 LEGO® Minifigure, but they never really captured the curves and angles of the original. I can’t find an official name for these types of figures, so I hereby dub them BFG, or Brick Figure Giant. 

(CW: HP) LEGO® Harry Potter build review: 76391 Hogwarts Icons Collectors Edition

Tom Loftus (@inthert.lego) completes his analysis of the upcoming LEGO® Harry Potter 76391 Hogwarts Icons Collectors Edition with a look the techniques used in the build. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover some sets for their parts. Read about our stance here. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

We've already taken a look at the set's delightful elements in Part 1 of our review so today we'll be focusing on the build itself and gosh, what a stunning build it is.

Harry’s Belongings

We start off with a trio of standalone items: Harry’s glasses, wand and one tiny vial of liquid luck - the identifying sticker for which I opted not to apply because who knows when a glow in the dark cone could come in handy. I’d be shocked if anyone building this set can resist the urge to immediately place the glasses upon their own nose - I'm unashamed to admit I couldn't!

(CW: HP) LEGO® Harry Potter parts review: 76391 Hogwarts Icons Collectors Edition

Tom Loftus (@inthert.lego) takes a look at the new, recoloured and printed parts you'll get in the recently revealed LEGO® Harry Potter set, 76391 Hogwarts Icons Collectors Edition. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover some sets for their parts. Read about our stance here. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

Launching 2 September 2021, LEGO® 76391 Hogwarts Icons Collectors Edition contains 3010 pieces, 3x 20th anniversary of LEGO Harry Potter minifigures and will cost €249.99/ US$249.99/ £229.99/ 1999 DKK/ AU$399.99/ ¥29980/ NZ$449.99/ CA$349.99. The age mark is 18+.

[EDIT: it will now launch on September 15th in the US, Canada, and Mexico, rather than September 2nd as originally planned due to a shipping delay in the US. The set will be available for online only pre-order at LEGO.com beginning September 2nd. The product will be available in LEGO Retail stores on September 15th. ]

We’ll get to the build in Part 2 of our review but for the moment, it’s all about the parts!

(CW: HP) Jonas & Stefan's alt-builds of LEGO® Harry Potter 76386, 76387, 76388 & 76389

Jonas Kramm (@jonaskramm) is joined by Stefan (@robo.block) today to create alternate models from 4 LEGO® Harry Potter sets coming in June 2021! Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover some sets for their parts. Read about our stance here. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

In the first part of the review we took a detailed look at the new moulds, and recolours of existing pieces. Today we take it a step further to see what else we can build with the pieces from upcoming LEGO® Harry Potter sets. To make this alt-build task a bit of a festival, I got help from Stefan who dropped by to contribute his own creative juices.

(CW: HP) LEGO® Harry Potter parts review: 76386, 76387, 76388 & 76389

Jonas Kramm (@jonaskramm) analyses the new parts and minifigures in the June 2021 range of LEGO® Harry Potter sets. For reviews of the actual builds, visit our sister LEGO fan sites. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover some sets for their parts. Read about our stance here. Products in this article were provided by LEGO; the author's opinions are their own.

In June 2021 a new wave of LEGO® Harry Potter sets will launch. Today we’re taking a look at what new moulds, recolours and interesting printed elements we can find in these four sets:

• 76386 Polyjuice Potion Mistake: 217 pcs - £17.99 / US$19.99 / 19.99€
• 76387 Hogwarts: Fluffy Encounter: 397 pcs - £34.99 / $39.99 / 39.99€
• 76388 Hogsmeade Village Visit: 851 pcs - £69.99 / $79.99 / 79.99€
• 76389 Hogwarts Chamber of Secrets: 1176 pcs - £129.99 / $129.99 / 139.99€ 

(CW: HP) LEGO® BrickHeadz parts review + MOCs: 40495 & 40496

Eero Okkonen examines the parts in LEGO® BrickHeadz sets 40495 & 40496, both released on 1 June 2021, before using some of them in his own creations. Note, this article does not cover the actual build of the models – please visit other fan sites for that, such as The Rambling Brick. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this.

The target audience for LEGO® BrickHeadz sets 40495 and 40496 are people who want to have simple, rectangular models of Harry Potter franchise characters on display. These two Brickheadz sets, each containing multiple characters, are not what I would call “essential New Elementary content”; they’re fairly basic models with only a few unique printed parts. Also their theme licence has its problems: New Elementary has a stance on Harry Potter sets following JK Rowling’s shocking and hurtful views on transgender people, which you can read here. I am aware that reviewing this merchandise might work as an advertisement, and JK Rowling might even profit from it. I don’t like it. 

So, why do we review such sets? Firstly, we do not always know what pre-release sets we’re getting from TLG, and secondly, it’s worth knowing that all sets are not new mold powerhouses; and such sets may have other qualities. Due to this issue, I have deliberately faded out the Potter aspect of this article, rather focusing on the parts and creating my own models. I will also return to this issue later on. 

(CW: HP) LEGO® Harry Potter review: Hogwarts Moments

Jonas Kramm opens the four LEGO® Harry Potter 'Hogwarts Moments' sets for you today. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover HP sets. Read about our stance here.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover.” We won’t! Today we will take a detailed look at the inventories of the four new LEGO® Harry Potter Hogwarts Moment sets that were released on 1 January 2021 for £27.99 / $29.99 / 29.99€ each. They not only bring new book cover plates, but lots of interesting pieces and recolours to discover.

Often simply referred to as LEGO Harry Potter books, sets 76382 Transfiguration Class, 76383 Potions Class, 76384 Herbology Class and 76385 Charms Class are a miniseries of four 'books' which unfold to reveal a Hogwarts classroom playset inside.

(CW: HP) LEGO® 75979 Hedwig: Professor's "One Set" MOCs

The Professor (on Instagram) is back today with more of his alternate builds of a LEGO® set: this time he creates 7 new models using only parts from Harry Potter 75979 Hedwig! The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover HP sets. Read about our stance here.

75979 Hedwig immediately attracted me because it mixes classic LEGO® System elements with Technic. I have always liked these sets which combine the best of both worlds, especially when maintaining aesthetics while integrating movement. Before I show you my alternate builds let's take a brief look at the original model and what interesting pieces you get in it.

(CW: HP) LEGO® ART review: 31201 Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests

Today, Toby Mac (TobyMac) reviews the upcoming LEGO® ART 31201 Harry Potter™ Hogwarts™ Crests which is priced 119.99€/ £114.99/ US$119.99/ CA$149.99/ AU$199.99/ 1099 DKK and contains 4249 pieces. The products in this article were provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover HP sets. Read about our stance here.

In 2020 LEGO has focused strongly on adult builders including introducing a new line of sets, LEGO Art, with which you can build a mosaic that can be hung like a painting. So far, there are 4 sets in this theme; New Elementary took a very brief look when they were announced back in July and now 2 more sets have been announced for a 2021 release. I’ll be looking at one of them in detail now, 31201 Harry Potter Hogwarts Crests, and soon Omid will be reviewing the other, 31202 Disney’s Mickey Mouse. 

©2020 The LEGO Group

With 31201 you can build one of four crests belonging to the houses of Hogwarts. As with all LEGO Art sets, you can only build one design at a time. There is also the possibility to combine 4 copies of the set in 1 large display containing all crests.

(CW:HP) LEGO® Harry Potter set review: 75978 Diagon Alley

Jonas Kramm reviews the massive LEGO® Harry Potter 75978 Diagon Alley today. The product in this article was provided for free by LEGO; the author's opinions are not biased by this. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover HP sets. Read about our stance here.

We already posted about the reveal and the new parts of LEGO® Harry Potter 75978 Diagon Alley, so today it’s time to take a look at the actual build and its most interesting building techniques. With 5544 pieces the set is the second biggest Harry Potter set to this day; only 71043 Hogwarts Castle has more. As expected, such a huge build comes with many things to explore, so without further ado, let’s get started!

(CW:HP) LEGO® Harry Potter parts review: 75978 Diagon Alley

Jonas Kramm took a detailed look at the first images of new LEGO® Harry Potter set 75978 Diagon Alley and reviews the actual set as well. Today, he presents a list of its new elements and discusses the most interesting. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover HP sets. Read about our stance here.

After the reveal of LEGO® Harry Potter 75978 Diagon Alley just a few days ago, it’s time to take a closer look at which of the 5544 elements are new. Some were already mentioned in my last article but now we have a complete list, based on the inventory on Rebrickable, which you can see after my summary.

(CW:HP) LEGO® Harry Potter 75978 Diagon Alley: the reveal

Welcome to Diagon Alley! Officially revealed today, we have Jonas Kramm to walk you through every shop – as well as the new moulds and each of the 14 minifigures – found in the latest LEGO® Harry Potter extravaganza. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover HP sets. Read about our stance here.

75978 Harry Potter Diagon Alley is the new addition to the LEGO® Wizarding World, launching on 1 September 2020, just one day after the official reveal! Measuring over 1 metre (3.3 feet) long and made up of 5544 pieces, it’s one of the biggest LEGO sets ever and will cost £369.99 / US$399.99 – to learn the price in your country, see the list at the end of this article.

(CW:HP) LEGO® Accessories review: 40419 Harry Potter Hogwarts students

Our second and final review of the new LEGO® accessory packs of minifigures features characters from the Harry Potter universe, as Erik H. from HokayBricks explains. These sets are released 1 June 2020 and Brickset estimates they will cost US$12.99/£11.99 but this is unconfirmed. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover HP sets. Read about our stance here.

This accessory pack includes four minifigures and the pieces and instructions needed to build a small bookcase. The bookcase build is simple but effective. It does not include any new or exclusive parts, but considering that this set is likely to be purchased several times over by some customers I'm sure any number of MOCs could benefit from the parts included here. The interest here, however, is all about the minifigures.

(CW:HP) LEGO® Harry Potter review & alt build: 75958 Beauxbatons' Carriage

Jonas Kramm continues our final run of 2019 sets that caught our interest parts-wise, with an August release from LEGO® Harry Potter which he has not only reviewed but also created an alternate build of his own design with! Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover HP sets. Read about our stance here.

The recent series of sets from the Wizarding World brings us a bunch of scenes from the fourth movie: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Our pick is 75958 Beauxbatons' Carriage: Arrival at Hogwarts including 412 pieces and priced at £44.99 / $49.99 / 49.99€.

LEGO® Minecraft animals: Silverfish and Chicken

I've always been intrigued by the animal head elements that were specially introduced for LEGO® Minecraft sets. They're highly specialised and don't entirely conform to the System, but their blockiness and intriguing shapes made me wonder what else could be done with them. Who could I challenge to take on such a challenging challenge? The brilliant Jonas Kramm accepted my evil task! Over the course of three posts he will examine six Minecraft animal moulds.

Under the radar of most AFOLs, LEGO® has added several new Minecraft animal moulds to their assortment, which seem to be quite strange on first sight. But in a series of articles here on New Elementary I will dive into the blocky world, analyse the geometry of several Minecraft moulds and show you examples for the capability of these elements.

(CW:HP) LEGO® Fantastic Beasts: new bricks and bits of beasties

We thought that it was time to take a look at the remaining new elements in the LEGO® Fantastic Beasts sets that were released last month as part of the Wizarding World theme. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover HP sets. Read about our stance here.

There are two sets in the LEGO® Fantastic Beasts range: 75951 Grindlewald’s Escape which has 132 elements, two minifigures and a price tag of  US$19.99/£19.99/29.99€ and 75952 Newt’s Case of Magical Creatures with 694 elements, four minifigures and costs US$49.99/£44.99/49.99€.

New parts in 75951 Grindlewald’s Escape 

Within Grindlewald’s Escape, there are two elements that are completely new moulds and both belong to Thestral, the flying horse creature.

(CW:HP) LEGO® Harry Potter and the Enlightening Elements

Following on from our in depth look at the Wanderful Wand and Spurious Sprue, Elspeth De Montes takes a look at three enlightening new elements that appear in the recent LEGO® Harry Potter Wizarding World releases. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover HP sets. Read about our stance here.

Appearing for the first time is Lamp, No. 1 “lantern” in Titanium Metallic [TLG] / Pearl Dark Grey [BL] (Element ID 6234116 | Design ID 37776). This was actually introduced in three Elves sets released this summer: 41157 Rapunzel's Travelling Caravan, 41195 Emily & Noctura's Showdown and 41196 The Elvenstar Tree Bat Attack which all contain one Black lantern element and it also appears in the new 40312 Xtra Streetlamps polybag released this month.

(CW:HP) LEGO® BrickHeadz: Harry Potter, Frozen and Star Wars

The LEGO® BrickHeadz theme continues its domination of all known and imagined universes by bringing us collectable characters from some of today's most popular franchises. Sven Franic sees how this latest batch get along, including its introduction of a new template for smaller BrickHeadz characters. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover HP sets. Read about our stance here.





I had the chance to review the first batch of BrickHeadz more than a year ago. I never would have guessed at the time that Marcos Bessa’s standard for chibi characters would gain so much popularity. There is a high standard of quality behind the sets, considering the price range. Despite their blocky outer appearance, it takes a lot of tiny slopes and tiles to capture the spirit of a character. All decorations are printed and applied generously, and the sets tend to come with a lot of freshly re-coloured pieces.



(CW:HP) LEGO® Harry Potter: 71403 Hogwarts Castle

LEGO® have just released their second largest set ever, 71043 Hogwarts Castle, so Elspeth De Montes thought we would take a look at the new elements. With 6,020 parts and a £349.99/ US$399.99/ 399.99€ price tag, perhaps we should warn you to pop the kettle on a get yourself a cuppa as there are quite a few magical elements to uncover in this huge set. Editorial note: Although views expressed by Harry Potter's creator do not align with that of New Elementary, we continue to cover HP sets. Read about our stance here.

To start, there are three interesting new moulds all introduced in Brick Yellow [TLG]/ Tan [BL].

The first two are currently exclusive to 71043 Hogwarts Castle, and have an important role in depicting the microscale arched windows of Hogwarts’ Great Hall.

Forbidden Elementary: The Spurious Sprue

While some fans will be thrilled at the return of LEGO® Harry Potter, we were more excited about the arrival of the new wand element (Design ID 36752) which Elspeth De Montes examined recently. But as she now explores, there is more to the element than simply two wonderful wands: there is a little piece of plastic designed to hold them neatly together in the mould – the sprue.

Due to numerous reader questions, comments and ideas across social media, we’ve decided the wand sprue is worth a closer look. It is anchor-shaped and approximately half the depth of a tile, with a flat side and a slightly rounded side.