This is the announcement of the day and it will please fans of the Harry Potter universe: The set 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall will be available at the public price of 109.99 € from August 1st, accompanied by three other boxes including the reference 75953 Whomping Willow which can be connected to the Great Hall.

Big enough complete cast with 10 minifigs in this compact playset of 878 pieces which will offer some playable spaces: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Susan Bones, Professor McGonagall, Professor Quirrell, Hagrid, Albus Dumbledore and Nearly Headless Nick.

Advertised price for the USA: $ 99.99. Availability scheduled for August 1, 2018.

It is confirmed, it will not be necessary to count on Toy Fairs from London (January 23 to 25, 2018), Nuremberg (January 31 to February 4, 2018) and New York (February 17 to 20, 2018) to discover LEGO novelties for the second half of 2018. The manufacturer has indeed indicated that he would not present any of the sets planned for the second half of the year during these events which are above all fairs intended for toy professionals.

LEGO will not be present in London, product photos will not be allowed in Nuremberg and written reports will be "framed".

I read here and there a bit of everything and anything about this decision by LEGO not to reveal many months in advance the products that will fill store shelves later in the year. Let's be serious, LEPIN does not wait for Toy Fairs at the beginning of the year to reproduce identically the sets to come ... It is obvious that the Chinese manufacturer specializing in the counterfeiting of existing products has much more elaborate resources than simple blurry photos taken on a stand. LEGO's surprising neglect does the rest with the massive leaks that take place outside factories or in the various "private" spaces that allow dealers to download visuals and official descriptions.

We can therefore assume that LEGO no longer wants to communicate on the sets to come so as not to cannibalize the attention around the boxes currently on the market. The novelties of the first semester have only been available for a few weeks and the manufacturer will have analyzed its own sales statistics to come to the conclusion that it is better not to communicate too early on the sets planned to be put on the shelves in several months. .

LEGO's decision can also be explained by a desire to keep control of its own marketing plan, largely imposed by the rights holders of the licenses concerned, which does not exactly correspond to the schedule of Toy Fairs beginning of the year.

If Disney or Warner set a timeline for the announcement of products derived from their respective licenses, LEGO must comply. As proof, I take the threatening emails sent by the manufacturer asking for the withdrawal of visuals or slightly too precise descriptions of derivative products: LEGO almost always claims to act under the constraint of the owner of the license in question.

The various leaks that take place only dampen these carefully prepared official announcements to make the buzz and in recent years LEGO has a little too often been the brand by which the first information (spoilers) on a film are disclosed, whether partial or even false.

It is therefore quite possible that Disney and Warner, among others, have finally asked LEGO to do their utmost to ensure that these leaks in the form of spoilers no longer reproduce. Exit therefore the presentation of sets based on Avengers: Infinity War or the second part of the saga Fantastic Beasts... No early reveal either for sets based on the animated film Incredibles 2 ou Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. It is the studios that decide when and where these derivative products are announced.

Obviously these are just guesses, it's hard to know what really motivates LEGO to change their strategy so significantly towards Toy Fairs.

The LEGO fan will have already seen these different sets anyway thanks to the many leaks that have flooded social networks in recent weeks, but the general public will have to wait until the studios decide to unveil these products.

In short, LEGO will be present in Nuremberg and New York, but not to distribute spoilers and blurry photos of upcoming news. It will be for the brand to meet its customers and promote its products currently marketed. The second half of the line will wait until the right time to be revealed.

The regulars will in any case have already recovered the retailer catalog available for download for a few days which reveals a large part of the sets planned ...

This is the cycle of life and LEGOs. It all goes away and then sometimes ends up coming back through marketing.
Latest rumor to date announcing the reappearance of a license which is now almost forgotten: Harry Potter could return to LEGO in 2018. That's all we know.

If the rumor is confirmed, then in my opinion it will be a patchwork of sets taking advantage of the new cinematic saga inspired by the work of JKRowling: Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them which will keep fans busy for the next four years with new films planned.

For the occasion, LEGO may take the opportunity to pay tribute to the Harry Potter saga with a few boxes that will make fans return from the first hour to this universe and its variations.

There is potential, the sets from the original Harry Potter line are now overpriced in the secondary market and the design of some of them really deserves an update to appeal to ever more demanding consumers.

The license, used episodically by LEGO between 2001 and 2011, has not completely disappeared from the shelves. It was used in the world of the LEGO Dimensions video game with four products including a Story Pack to replay the film story Fantastic Beasts : 71253 Fantastic Beasts Story Pack, 71257 Fantastic Beasts Tina Goldstein Fun Pack, 71247 Harry Potter & Lord Voldemort Team Pack, 71348 Harry Potter Hermione Fun Pack.

As usual, this is just a rumor that should be considered as such while waiting to learn more. Not to be confused with the delusions of all those who already see themselves building Hogwarts in UCS version ...

(seen on Eurobricks)

If you are a fan of the Harry Potter universe, here is a visual of the complete contents of the LEGO Dimensions Fun Pack bearing the reference 71348 with the unseen minifig of Hermione Granger and the hippogriff buckbeak to assemble.

This Fun Pack will be available next March, like the rest of Wave 8 of expansion packs for the game, at the retail price of € 14.99 and it will join the other Harry Potter reference already available: 71247 Harry Potter & Lord Voldemort Team Pack (Public price: 24.99 €).

For those who still play LEGO Dimensions, below is a gameplay sequence featuring this new Fun Pack:

In the same vein, the Story Pack 71253 Fantastic Beasts with Newt Scamander's minifigure is already available (Public price : 44.99 €), just like the Fun Pack 71257 (€ 14.99) with Tina Goldstein's minifig.

To go with the Story Pack (71253) which will replay the events of the film with Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), the license Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them will be entitled to a Fun pack bearing the reference 71257.

In the box, the minifig of Porpentina "Tina" Goldstein, Newt Scamander's wife played on screen by Katherine Waterston, and some parts to assemble a Swooping Evil.