Taking a break from LEGO® City set reviews, it’s time to nip over to the wizarding world of Harry Potter. The theme continues to offer a mix of unusual builds, expansions to Hogwarts and recreations of other iconic locations. One of the smallest of the new sets has really split people’s opinions as it recreates a much-loved character. The boy who lived had many companions looking out for him during his time at Hogwarts and one of the most loyal was Dobby the House-Elf. The fan-favourite character was introduced in the second book and film, The Chamber of Secrets. He’s appeared as a minifigure in various sets and now Dobby has been transformed into a buildable character. Read on for a closer look at the Dobby the House-Elf set.
Product Details
Set Name: Dobby the House-Elf | Set Number: 76421 | Pieces: 403 | Theme: Harry Potter
RRP: £24.99/$34.99/29.99€ | Number of Bags: Bags x 3 | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: Sheet x 1 | Accessories: Tom Riddle’s Diary, Sock & Pudding Cake
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & General Retail from June 1st (August 1st in NA)
One thing I admire about LEGO themes is when they try something different, LEGO City was awash with police and fire sets, now the offering is much more unique. The reboot of Friends has injected an exciting fresh take on the long-running theme and the 100th anniversary of Disney has inspired an array of interesting builds. But it’s been the Harry Potter theme which has really taken to trying new things, from the large-scale sets such as Hogwarts Castle to buildable items such as the Hogwarts Chest, the theme continues to try new things with another buildable character.
When Dobby was first revealed, it split the opinion of fans. The obvious stylised portrayal of Dobby certainly gives the character a unique appearance but after building it, I must say it has a certain charm about it. Even my Mum commented on how ‘cute’ he looked. Admittedly the printed eyes almost feel like they are peering into your soul. It’s an interesting build experience, the body and legs are a little blocky but they work for the appearance of the character plus for the scale in which the character is built. One of the most interesting sections of the whole build is the head.
Dobby has a very striking appearance in the films, with big ears and a longish nose, both of these have been nicely captured in the set. The hinges on the ears are a little annoying but do allow for the ears to be angled against the head. The eyes are a little big but if a pair of 1×1 round tiles were used, it really wouldn’t have looked right. Unfortunately, the set does suffer from the same fate as many sets which rely on moveable connection points. Although some of these have been recoloured to match Dobby’s skin tone, there are two ball joint connectors on the arms which are grey and they really stand out. I think it’s time these elements are produced in different colours as they are quite useful but stick out like a sore thumb when they are just grey.
Along with the Dobby character, the set also features a small circular black display plinth upon which Dobby can be clicked to. There are also smaller buildable elements related to the character. These include Tom Riddle’s diary, a sock, which can be placed into the book and a gaudy-looking recreation of the Pudding Cake purposely destroyed by Dobby.
It’s certainly an interesting-looking set and maybe not the best of the buildable characters or creatures. But I always like it when a theme tries something different. The set will be available from June 1st and can be pre-ordered now. A little caveat before this review concludes, I wasn’t expecting to review the new Harry Potter sets, but they turned up last week unexpectedly. I fully understand the strong feelings surrounding Harry Potter. This is merely a look at an upcoming LEGO set and nothing more. If you prefer to spend your time elsewhere, check out some of the other upcoming set reviews here.
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This set was provided to BricksFanz.com by the LEGO Group for purposes of review. The thoughts within this review are that of BricksFanz.com and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group. Providing the set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of the set.
