Gryffindor: Hogwarts Hidden House
Written: Mar 29 '02 (Updated Jan 07 '04)
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Pros: Nice assortment of magical items, Scabbers, Ron, Fat Lady portrait / entryway.
Cons: Too 'girlie' looking, only one figure, cardboard background.
The Bottom Line: Only for the hard-core Harry Potter Lego fan.
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| Freak369's Full Review: LEGO Harry Potter Gryffindor House 4722 |
Having purchased almost all of the Harry Potter Lego sets before seeing the film, I really didn’t pay much attention to the House of Gryffindor set. It looks cute, had a variety of magical little pieces and was rather on the feminine side. I imagined that this would be the girl’s dormitory since there was a picture of Hermione Granger [Emma Watson] in the bottom right hand corner. After viewing the film and finishing the book I can honestly say this - the Lego designers must had had their heads up their as.ses when creating this. While there are slight similarities between the two – the loud bright colors, pink flowers and ‘girlie’ theme ruins this set.
The Basics
The Lego sets for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone are being release in different series. The first wave hit the shelves before the film was released to the public and the second is hitting the shelves slowly but surely. The first set in the series can be combined to create an elaborate Hogwarts scene that will take your breath away – and your money as well. House of Gryffindor is a set that I built once then ripped it to shreds and applied the cool pieces to other parts of the Hogwarts castle.
When I saw the film my first thought was “This looks nothing like the Lego set". If you are trying to recreate the feel of the Gryffindor common area, you would be better off trying to build your own from stock pieces and working with the cardboard walls supplied in this set. As it stands, this set is just too ‘cheery’ and ‘perky’ to be in Hogwarts.
Gryffindor Common Room
I had a few emails from people asking me why this set was called House of Gryffindor when it only featured the entryway and one room. False advertising? Factual error? Who knows? You certainly don’t get the entire portion of Gryffindor in this set – at best you can break it down to two rooms and the secret entryway [Fat Lady portrait]. The entryway is set inside a orange frame with teal sconces and pink flowers - maybe I’ve lost my mind but I seem to recall Gryffindor being rather dark – not decorated by Martha Stewart.
The main parts of this set are the entryway, the bedding and a make shift desk that could also double as a potion rack from the Snape’s Classroom set. The four-poster bed has a cloth canopy over it that can be removed. The canopy is purple with the trademark gray / silver stars. The teal bookcase / nightstand can hold three of the smaller books [from other Harry Potter sets] or can be placed upright as a hiding spot for Scabbers.
Ron Weasley is the only Lego figure provided with this set so you might want to keep the figures from other Happy Potter sets close at hand. Ron comes with a very sleek looking see through blue magic wand, stenciled Hogwarts uniform, black cape with gray / silver stars and of course his trusty companion, Scabbers. This set does have a few perks; there are a ton of unique pieces that can only be found in a few of the Potter Lego sets. The magic books open to reveal a small hiding place, the transparent pink cup can be used for potions or serving up a cup of hot tea and there’s even a purple witches hat. Why it’s purple is beyond me – another reason why my boys wouldn’t touch this set. There’s a very small blue clear piece that has a magic wand stenciled on it – truly a nice find.
Other assorted odds and ends include: pink flowers that double as reinforcement for the canopy on the bed, a gray owl, white stenciled magic potion brick, red carry all case [fully functional] and the cardboard background that serves as the walls of the Gryffindor common area. The background is almost identical to the one found in the Diagon Alley Shops – it features a old school brick wall, arched doorways, flowing wall hangings and shelves dotted with various magical items. As I’ve mentioned in all the Harry Potter Lego reviews, if you purchase all the sets, they can be combined to create a ‘mega structure’ [see the back of the boxes for this]. There are only two sets that are not included in this suggested design – House of Gryffindor and Diagon Alley Shops [4722].
Who Would Love This
Since it’s has an obvious ‘girlie’ feel to it, this would be a nice set for girls that are into Lego’s. Outside of the Belville series, this is one of the few sets that seems to have any feminine feel to it. If you are a die-hard Lego fan, you might want to pick this up for the fantastic pieces and add the rest to your Lego stockpile. The turning doorway alone is worth half the price of the set [just don’t apply the decal]. As I said, this was built once then stripped down and integrated into other areas of the Hogwarts castle. I will buy as many sets as I can get my hands on when they go on clearance, but won’t invest another penny in this set until the price drops.
I don’t suggest this being an introduction set to the series. Since there is only one figure [Ron], things could get boring pretty quick. If a child [or adult] has a few of the Potter sets, this could be a nice addition – if for nothing more than extra pieces and the entryway. For me, I had to have this set just to say “I have them all” by in retrospect I’ll admit I was simply fascinated with the pieces and having another Ron Weasley figure.
Things To Know
Do not believe what you read on auction sites. This set is not rare, being discontinued or no longer in production. Several online stores are trying to flood the market at a major auction site giving false information about the availability of the set. Make sure you are buying MIB [mint in box] sets or you might end up with an empty box – several people have been ripped off by people using cleaver wording in their auction descriptions “Harry Potter / Lego House of Gryffindor / Box”. They would show a picture of the box as well as the full description and “box is in mint condition”. You would end up paying the bid price, shipping and handling [possibly insurance or signature confirmation] and all you would end up with is an empty box of the Gryffindor set. Shysters!
If you can’t find this at your local toy store try Wal-Mart [$8.99 - $9.99], the Lego website [$10.99], Amazon.com [$10.99] or Target [$9.99]. If this doesn’t work, use extreme caution when bidding at online auctions and always confirm that it is the complete set, all pieces intact and included.
The Stats
Set Name: House of Gryffindor
Family Set: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Lego Set: 4722
Number of Pieces: 68
Age Recommendation: 6 - 10
Ease Of Assembly: Simple
Time Of Assembly: 10 minutes total
Cost: $ 8.99
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2004 Freak369
Other Harry Potter Lego sets ...
Sorting Hat
The Final Challenge
Chamber of The Winged Keys
Hagrids Hut
Hogwarts Express
Hogwarts Castle
The Flying Lesson
Troll on The Loose
Quality Quidditch Supplies
Diagon Alley Shops
Quidditch Practice
Dobby’s Release
The Dueling Club
Slytherin House
Quality Quidditch Supplies
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $8.99
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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