For the last few years DK Books have been publishing their Build Your Own Adventure books. These books are similar to the old LEGO® Brickmaster titles and combines a basic story, inspirational builds and an exclusive LEGO minibuild and minifigure, more recent titles have also added bookmarks and a poster. Each year there have been a couple different titles, based a various LEGO play themes. So far these have included LEGO Star Wars, NEXO KNIGHTS, Friends, City, DC Super Heroes, NINJAGO and Disney Princess themes. These years offerings are based on LEGO Star Wars and for the first time LEGO Harry Potter. Which is the title I’ll be looking at today. Normally both titles are published at the same time, but the LEGO Harry Potter: Build Your Own Adventure book has arrived a little earlier.
Product Description
Bring the world of Harry Potter to life at home with more than 50 brilliant building ideas! Conjure your own magical world with more than 50 ideas to inspire your own LEGO® Harry Potter™ models. Plus, a Harry Potter minifigure and all the bricks you need to make an exclusive 2-in-1 LEGO Harry Potter model! The perfect gift for a LEGO Harry Potter fan, LEGO Harry Potter Build Your Own Adventure features model ideas and expert build tips to help you recreate classic movie moments from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Send Hogwarts letters flying in the Dursley’s living room. Explore Diagon Alley with Harry and Hagrid. Cook up a Halloween feast in Hogwarts’ Great Hall. Build your own wizard chess board and Devil’s Snare plant. Exclusive LEGO Sorting Hat spinner model can be rebuilt as a magical, revolving fireplace. LEGO Harry Potter Build Your Own Adventure also contains Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore bookmarks and a fun poster
- Book Title: LEGO Harry Potter Build Your Own Adventure
- Publisher: DK Books
- Pages: 80
- LEGO Elements: Harry Potter Minifigure + Exclusive 2-in-1 Minibuild Set
- RRP: £19.99
- ISBN: 9780241363737
- Availability: General release
The Book
The package includes a slipcase which features a book and a slim cardboard box, in which you will find a polybag of LEGO elements, poster and bookmarks. The bookmarks feature Harry and Professor Dumbledore, each can simply be popped out from the flapped section. The poster features a fun scene especially created for the book, both are fun little bonuses.
The actual book is rather small, when compared to other DK LEGO titles. It follows a basic story which helps to tie in inspirational builds featured across the book. This mainly follows Harry’s early years and his time in Privet Drive, along with arriving a Hogwarts and various adventures he has there.
Normally there inspirational builds featured in the book are provided by a AFOL fan builder, but interestingly actual LEGO designers have provided some of the builds this time around. That includes well known LEGO Design Team members such as Marcos Bessa and Mark Stafford.
Now the book doesn’t include step-by-step instructions for these builds, nor does it breakdown the elements need, the builds are merely there to inspire you. Some small steps are highlighted and how particular elements are connected, but don’t expect to be fed the same sort of instructions found in LEGO sets. Apart from those needed to build the included 2-in-1 model. There also isn’t any particular sets you will need to create these inspirational builds, there are meant to inspire you to raid your own bricks and get building.
The Minifigure & Minibuild Set
The book includes an exclusive 2-in-1 minibuild, along with a Harry Potter minifigure. The minibuild can be built either has a Magical Fireplace or a Sorting Hat Spinner. Both builds use the same set are elements included, so you can only build one at a time.
They are both fun builds, but I think I like the Sorting Hat Spinner a little more compared to the Fireplace. But that being said, both builds make great use of the spinning motion. In the Sorting Hat build, as a way to select which house you belong to and in the Fireplace build, to turn the central section of the fireplace.
The Harry Potter Minifigure isn’t exclusive and has appeared in two other Wizarding World sets, both the Harry Potter polybag and Great Hall set, but the Sorting Hat is a little more rare, only appearing in a single LEGO Harry Potter set released so far. Which makes this book, currently the cheapest way to get the Sorting Hat element.
One thing I was particularly impressed with is the printed elements, these feature the Hogwarts House crests. These tiles have appeared in other sets but they have all been achieved with stickers, they weren’t even printed in the huge Hogwarts Castle set! Not a sticker in sight here, fully printed and most definitely better for it.
Overall
There are various LEGO books on the market, but it’s safe to say those which feature physical LEGO elements definitely gain the most interest from LEGO fans. Harry Potter has been a phenomenal success since it returned to the world of LEGO last year, which means this book has an additional audience compared to other variants. The bonus of bookmarks and a poster really add to the complete package. But the 2-in-1 minibuilds are by far the best part of the book, they are great little models, with a surprising amount of playability. LEGO Harry Potter: Build Your Own Adventure is available now from Amazon and all good book retailers.
16th July 2019
In the cover of the book al 4 printed house tiles appear with stickers
16th July 2019
Well spotted but the actual tiles inside are printed
19th July 2019
Do you have any reports that indicate that the Book in the US have the printed parts
19th July 2019
I can’t say for sure but the parts lists would be the same regardless of region and the tiles are listed as printed. So it would be extremely unlikely that any version would include stickers
22nd July 2019
Thanks, I just bought it from Amazon US, I’ll keep you posted
28th March 2022
how many lego pieces are in that?
28th March 2022
101