Review: LEGO Harry Potter 76440 Triwizard Tournament: The Arrival

Today we are quickly interested in the content of the LEGO Harry Potter set 76440 Triwizard Tournament: The Arrival, a box of 1229 pieces available on the official online store as well as in the LEGO Stores since June 1 at the public price of €139,99.

The product pitch is simple: it reproduces the arrival of the Beauxbâtons and Durmstrang schools during the Triwizard Tournament. LEGO will have deemed it appropriate to bring together the two schools in a single box rather than offering two different sets, why not but it is at the cost of some compromises, notably on the format of the Beauxbatons carriage.

The latter was in fact much more detailed in the set 75958 Beauxbatons' Carriage: Arrival at Hogwarts (430 pieces - €49.99) marketed in 2019, it takes on the appearance of a carriage from the Disney range and this year you have to be content with just one Abraxan to pull it. It's a bit sad as it is even if the roof can be removed to install figurines and the doors open on both sides.

We can imagine that the carriage is not the star of the set and that it is in fact only a "bonus" to accompany the Durmstrang boat. This one is rather faithful to the version seen on the screen even if the construction of 35 cm long by 45 cm high necessarily leaves out some details. The curves of the ship are respected, LEGO integrates the right number of masts and sails and the object does not use meta-parts for the hull which has the merit of allowing this box to offer a great experience of assembly.

Some will find the choice of colors for the hull and the different fittings a little off-topic but I understand LEGO's desire to make this boat a more visually attractive product than it is on the screen.

LEGO does not separate the two main constructions of the product and only provides a single instruction booklet in the box. However, four-handed assembly remains possible by using the instructions in digital format in addition to the paper booklet and by sharing the bags (1 and 2 for the carriage, 3 to 10 for the boat).

The sails are made of the usual soft material which I find a little out of place on this type of high-end toy, you will have to be careful not to stain or tear them. Only the central main sail is flanked by a pattern on one of its sides, the other three remain white on both sides.

The ship offers a little playability with two interior spaces invented by the designer and which are relatively accessible. You will still need to have small fingers to be able to install a figurine on it even if I think that no one will really play with this boat and that its destiny is to end up as a decoration on the corner of a shelf. The construction overall looks great, even at this scale, and the subject probably does not deserve an ultra-detailed and expensive interpretation which would then become inaccessible to the youngest.

I specify this because I have the impression that this is more often the case in recent years, a part was missing from this box and I am certain that I have carefully checked the contents of all the paper bags of the product. Sometimes I leave a coin at the bottom of a bag and the lack of transparency of these new packaging doesn't help, but that wasn't the case here. Do not hesitate to indicate in the comments if you too have recently noticed the recurring absence of parts in your boxes.

It's the sticker fair in this box and the stickers concerned are graphically very well executed. However, I don't change my mind about them, knowing that this product is more of a construction intended for exhibition than a real toy with which we will have hours of fun. Replaying the "arrival" of a boat and a flying carriage is not very exciting, it must be admitted. It's hard to do without these stickers, they really help to give the boat its appearance.

As for the figurines provided, it is minimum service with two representatives from each of the schools and the Tournament judge: Madame Maxime and Fleur Delacour for Beauxbâtons, Viktor Krum and Igor Karkaroff for Durmstrang and Barty Crouch Sr. (or Barty Crouch) from Ministry of Magic.

It's thin and we could discuss the execution of Madame Maxime which seems to me a little ridiculous here as it stands without her coat with a fur collar to hide the top of her legs. The clothing is only symbolized here by the pad printing of the pieces and the whole thing falls a little flat in my opinion with the oversized limbs coming from the Avatar range. I prefer the 2019 version with the "half dress".

The figurine of Fleur Delacour is for its part a nice evolution of that of 2019 with a torso which benefits here from a little more subtlety to embody the folds of the character's outfit.

The figurines of Viktor Krum and Igor Karkaroff are correctly executed and the outfits are consistent with those seen on screen, just missing the ushankas worn by the two characters when they arrived in the Great Hall. We'll do without. The pad prints are successful and the color of Krum's accessory matches the color of the pad print which runs along the edges of the coat worn by the character.

Barty Crouch Sr.'s torso is new, but the effect applied is a bit of a failure; I can't find here the character's outfit seen on screen during the Tournament. Nor the actor's hair for that matter. Nothing serious, collectors will in any case be delighted to add one more supporting role to their collection of minifigs.

This product seems to me to be rather convincing upon arrival, knowing that the Durmstrang boat deserved a new, more modern interpretation than that of the set. 4768 The Durmstrang Ship marketed in 2005 and which has logically aged very poorly.

The version proposed here is successful, detailed, colorful and faithful, it will also necessarily appeal to all those who want to do something other than what is intended like a Spanish galleon or a pirate ship and this product should therefore easily find its audience. The presence of the Beauxbatons carriage was not essential, especially in a very economical version, but it is still a good idea for those who do not have the 2019 version in their collection.

The supply of figurines seems a little sparse to me for €140, but the star of the set is Durmstrang's ship which offers a real construction experience without being too easy. Too bad for the load of stickers.

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