Review: LEGO Harry Potter 76437 The Burrow Collectors' Edition

Today we quickly take a look at the contents of the LEGO Harry Potter set 76437 The Burrow Collectors' Edition, a box of 2405 pieces which will be available as an Insiders preview from September 1, 2024 at the public price of €259,99.

You already know, this new version of the Weasley Burrow intended for an adult audience, judging by the 18+ mention on the packaging, is logically more ambitious than that of the LEGO Harry Potter set. 75980 Attack on the Burrow (1047 pieces - €109,99) marketed between 2020 and 2022 and since removed from the manufacturer's catalog: it measures 46 cm high by 23 cm wide and is closed on all sides once folded. The product does not forget to be vaguely "playable" with the possibility of accessing the interior spaces by unfolding half of the construction. Almost everyone will find what they are looking for, the shell is not empty.

However, there is no point in wanting to compare the two versions available in the space of a few years at all costs, this new interpretation of the Weasley family Terrier immediately differentiates itself by the simple fact that the construction is a "real" house that the we can observe from every angle. Each side of the building is in fact as neat as the others and the cinema set effect disappears with the possibility of precisely choosing the angle of exposure of the product which was not the case with the toy sold between 2020 and 2022 .

The construction process here is that usually offered in other boxes which feature buildings: we go up the floors alternating between walls, doors, windows and furniture and other trinkets placed in the different spaces throughout the three booklets. Instructions provided. The angles which allow some sections of the house to slope are perfectly managed with a result that is both solid and realistic.

I leave to all those who spend their money in this box the privilege of discovering the interesting techniques used, it is necessary to justify the 260 € requested by LEGO. As is often the case, there is not really room to play the realism card by integrating real stairs between the different levels of the building; we will do with the few scales available. I am more reserved about roofs which seem a little crude to me for a product in this range, we have the impression of being dealing with a much simpler product which makes do with summary techniques.

The interior of the house is just as neat as the facade, with the usual limitations that we know from LEGO when it comes to the internal surface of the different spaces and the pile-up of furniture and various accessories and varied. However, the designer makes the effort to use the available spaces as best as possible by integrating the most significant elements. We know that the Weasley family house is very cluttered, the LEGO version is therefore consistent on this point with its profusion of furniture and decorative elements.

The vast majority of buyers of this box will only exhibit the closed construction anyway, and will no longer access the interior spaces beyond the first few minutes of discovering the references scattered there. We can therefore consider the interior of this house as a welcome bonus, even if the whole thing often resembles a doll's house that is increasingly difficult to access when you go up the floors and filled to the brim. of various and varied accessories.

We could also discuss the use of turquoise colored parts on certain windows of this construction, I do not seem to have seen this color on the house seen on the screen and LEGO seems to have been directly inspired by the model exhibited in the aisles of Warner Bros. Studio Tour de Londres which has some exterior attributes in this color.

Too bad, I would have preferred something more austere but also more faithful to the house seen in the film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. However, I can understand LEGO's desire to offer something visually colorful and attractive, the dull tone of the locations in the film not being particularly successful.

We will also note the presence of some features which will allow you to have a little fun on occasion with the endless screw support placed in the chimney which allows you to reproduce using the visible wheel the movements possible thanks to the Powder of Floo, the button that sets the brush in motion on the kitchen dishes or the other, more discreet wheel that turns the Weasley clock. It is also possible to remove a section placed at the top of the building to access the room below.

The set does not escape a large handful of stickers, as is often the case with this type of derivative product, the price to pay to benefit from a few details and other winks that will please fans. These stickers are graphically well executed, they contribute greatly to the atmosphere and the finish of the places, but in my opinion they do not really have their place in a set marked with the 18+ and Collectors' Edition.

This large box allows you to obtain 10 minifigs: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Percy Weasley, Bill Weasley and Charlie Weasley, the latter not even being present in the films of the saga apart from a furtive appearance on a holiday souvenir photo in Harry Potter and the Prisonnier d'Azkaban.

The owl Errol who hits a window in the film completes the cast here and is featured thanks to a transparent extension attached to the building. The presence of Charlie should please fans who put the books of the saga before the films, LEGO has done its homework and the presence of the character is appreciable from this point of view.

The figurines are technically very well executed with successful pad printing for the torsos as well as a double facial expression for everyone but LEGO struggles to hide its stinginess by delivering too many neutral and a little sad legs. The outfits are generally faithful to the clothes seen on screen, even if certain colors are deliberately reinforced by LEGO to make these figurines less dull. I'm not a fan of the purple arms for Molly, I would have preferred them to be the same color as the character's torso while retaining the pretty pad printing offered.

Same observation for Ron, a few pad-printed checks on the sleeves of his shirt would have been welcome. The twins Fred and George would undoubtedly have benefited from classic legs to mark the difference in size with the other characters and Arthur should have had green legs to be perfectly faithful. In short, everything is a little approximate in terms of these different characters but we recognize them rather easily and that is the essential thing.

We could almost be satisfied with the public price of this box, lower than that of the other sets which are more or less part of the section Collectors' Edition : you will have to spend €260 to afford this product where LEGO asks €430 for the set 76417 Gringotts Wizarding Bank Collectors' Edition, 300 € for the set 76391 Hogwarts Icons Collector's Edition, 450 € for the set 75978 Diagon Alley or 470 € for the set 71043 Hogwarts Castle.

Fans will therefore have a little respite this year with a box with attractive contents and a fairly exhaustive supply of minifigs for an almost reasonable budget. However, upon arrival I have a little difficulty seeing the €260 requested by LEGO even if this box revisits its subject in a more accomplished way than what the set offered 75980 Attack on the Burrow in his time, at least on the exterior appearance of the construction. The interior spaces, notably the dining room, are more cramped here than in the 2020 set but it is logical: this product is not a real playset for children, it is a pure exhibition product closed on all its faces which offer some amenities and several functionalities.

Some may wonder if the subject really deserved this riot of coins and money, so they will happily settle for the previous set on the same theme. Others will see there a new element in a collection of detailed constructions which grows a little more each year with more or less relevant proposals, this building will then have its effect in the background behind the model of Hogwarts or the Diagon Alley . A collection always needs pieces that are less charismatic than others; it is often at this price that the most successful elements are well highlighted.

Note: The product shown here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at September 6, 2024 next at 23:59 p.m. Simply post a comment below the article to participate. Your participation is taken into account regardless of your opinion. Avoid “I’m participating” or “I’m trying my luck”, we suspect that this is the case.

 

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