Review : LEGO Harry Potter 75948 Hogwarts Clock Tower

Today we are quickly interested in the LEGO Harry Potter set 75948 Hogwarts Clocktower (922 pieces - 99.99 €), a box which is at the same time a new extension of the modular Hogwarts version System launched in 2018 and which is also a set based on the Christmas ball (yule ball) seen in the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, with eight characters delivered in the gala outfits appearing in this scene from the film.

From the outside, the construction fits perfectly into the overall model imagined by the designers. We logically find the same architectural style as in the sets 75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow, and 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall, the same walls, the same roofs and the same stickers for a perfect visual continuity between the different constructions which come together to form a Hogwarts both visually convincing and playable.

As usual, the stickers that must be stuck on the walls are still not the same color as the rooms on which they are placed. Too bad for a toy at 100 €.

As this is a set of characters in ballroom attire, LEGO logically includes the mini-ballroom with rotating merry-go-round which allows the minifigs to be staged two by two on the supports provided and to bring everything to life. manually by rotating the gray plate placed under the various white platforms.

It's minimalist and not really fun, but as usual, we know it's there in reference to the scene concerned and that will suffice for most fans. There were probably several possible solutions to integrate a discreet mechanism that would have allowed the merry-go-round to turn without putting your fingers in it, but the designer chose to ignore this possibility.

The rest of what one might call the "ballroom" is materialized only by a few tables on which are placed glasses and crystals and by a snowy fir tree. These different elements are not directly connected to the main construction, while a simple white or gray base plate covered with Tiles could have given the place a little more flair.

The fragile parts are slipped into the same bags as those which are less afraid of displacement and jolts, this results in some very annoying scratches on some of them. I know the brand's customer service is very good, but it's always unpleasant not to have a product in perfect condition the first time. My copy is no exception to the rule and it is the small clock which has suffered some damage.

The crank accessible from the infirmary side allows the hands of the big clock to move. The two hands are integral with each other, so you must first choose the minutes before changing the hour.

The construction being planned to enlarge the basic version of Hogwarts, we find here new emblematic spaces of the cinematographic saga including the school infirmary with its blue screens. The furniture present is well made and the place is large enough to place minifigs, but it is as usual at LEGO a very symbolic representation of the place. We can regret the absence of Madam Pomfrey in this box, knowing that the infirmary occupies an important place of construction here.

Below is the room in which the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes take place, or rather the only office which serves as a symbolic representation here. There is also a book with a page representing the Levitation spell. It's too minimalist to be really convincing, but I note that an effort has been made on the layout of the place with many accessories.

Aldus Dumbledore's desk is oddly placed under the roof here, and the LEGO version doesn't quite pay homage to the spacious circular desk seen in the movies with its book shelves and side stairs. Dumbledore cannot sit down due to the piece used to represent the character's tunic and therefore cannot sit properly behind his desk. Fawkes and the Sorting Hat are present in the office, but only via two very large stickers on the walls.

The prefects 'bathroom passes here from the fifth floor to the ground floor, no password is needed to enter it, the building overlooks the courtyard of Hogwarts ... No golden egg and that' is a shame but fortunately the stained glass with the stylized mermaid in LEGO sauce (it's a sticker difficult to apply correctly) is however very successful.

Barely playable walls, roofs and micro spaces that refer to iconic locations from the Harry Potter cinematic saga, that's good. But a big assortment of new minifigs is even better. And as the Harry Potter range is very popular with minifig collectors, we are entitled to quibble a little about the finish of these figurines.

LEGO delivers eight characters in this set: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Fleur Delacour, Cedric Diggory, Viktor Krum, Albus Dumbledore and Madame Maxime. It is a very correct endowment even if on closer inspection the finish of certain figurines is very approximate and if obviously Parvati Patil is missing in this box ...

Harry Potter is here in a ball gown and the minifig features the mid-size articulated legs that make for a figure roughly on the scale of the other characters in the set. The character is dressed in a simple costume but faithful to the outfit seen on the screen. The white of the shirt and the bow tie fades against the black background, it's a shame. The same goes for Cedric Diggory's minifigure with a slightly dull shirt.

Viktor Krum's hair is much too trimmed compared to that of the character in the film. The holding of the minifig is very well done but this hair detail seems a little disappointing to me.

Ron Weasley's minifigure is relatively faithful in terms of the character's costume design, but the colors of the tunic seem poorly chosen to me. Bonus,. it is difficult to distinguish the patterns of the jacket which are almost tone on tone.

Neutral black legs for these four characters, it's a bit drab but it's in the spirit of the scene depicted.

Madame Maxime's minifig is very correct even if an effort could have been made to represent the patterns of the lace on her chest on a flesh-colored background. The junction of the patterns between the torso and the bottom of the dress is correct, the alignment is almost perfect.

It lacks patterns on Albus Dumbledore's hat which is not the right color as a bonus and the pad printing is not exceptionally precise with a very large gap between the torso and the bottom of the outfit of the two sides of the figurine. And that's not to mention the colors applied on the purple background which do not match those applied on the white background of the torso. It missed.

Fleur Delacour's dress is successful, but it lacks the pad-printed folds on the bottom of the garment embodied here by a neutral piece. The flesh color on both sides of the torso is far too light. LEGO still hasn't found a solution to this really annoying problem.

Hermione's half minifigure is the same size as Harry Potter's but at the cost of using standard parts. The dress is rather faithful even if the short sleeves of the outfit disappear here in favor of completely bare arms. small alignment problem between the torso and the bottom of the dress at the level of the knot, but we are used to LEGO ...

Hogwarts takes its ease with this third module to associate with the first two. The budget needed to have all of this luxury modular playset is also growing and now reaches more than 280 €. Think about it before you start: if you invest in one of the three sets concerned, you will not resist long before deciding to acquire the other two boxes. And that's without counting on the potential sets to come which may come to expand Hogwarts and dig a little deeper in your wallet.

The eight minifigs shipped here have their flaws, some of which are purely technical issues that LEGO still can't seem to fix, but they're never-before-seen, event-specific versions that we likely won't be seeing again in the LEGO Harry lineup anytime soon. Potter, then we'll have to deal with it.

In short, if you are a fan of the saga and have already started collecting the boxes released last year, you don't have much choice. For the others, this set has in my opinion a little trouble to be sufficient on its own with its micro-scenes and its minifigs which refer to a particular scene and which are therefore not sufficiently "generic" versions of the characters. main.

THE HOGWARTS CLOCK TOWER SET 75948 ON THE LEGO SHOP >>

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the draw, all you have to do is post a comment (avoid "I participate, I try, etc ..." be a little more constructive) on this article before the July 7, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.