Amongst the sets forthcoming in 2021 are the Harry Potter Hogwarts Moments. These four sets each tuck away into a brick built book and are based on seminal scenes at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Transfiguration Class, Potions Class, Herbology Class and Charms Class.

Each set comes with a book case, with requisite scenery; additional furniture builds, and finally three mini figures: a teacher and two students.  Rather than focus on each of these sets individually at first, I will look at each of these aspects of the sets over several articles.

Ultimately, they all provide locations unseen at minifigure scale in the ‘2018 relaunch’ of Harry Potter range. In this article, we shall have a quick précise of each set, you can see the elements all knolled out together. The sets are priced at $USD29.99/ $AUD39.99.

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The Storybook format for small play sets was experimented with in the Disney Princess range in 2020, with the books opening up flat, with a wide lip and central build. There will be another set or two in the new year. The design of these books is fundamentally different from those sets. The Disney princess storybooks open as a tray. The Hogwarts Moments stand up, with the covers standing vertically.

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Each ‘Hogwarts Moments’ set shares elements in common: The front and back of each book consists of a 10×14 plate, with a bar running along one of the long edges. The plate is essentially flat, except for a row of one stud around the perimeter. On the underside, there are 2 rows of anti studs around the perimeter, and another running across, halfway along the long axis. These anti studs surround a 6×5 stud flat panel, typically to be filled in with a sticker. The front cover panel has a printed Hogwarts Crest, along with symbols relevant to the class included in the set. The corners of the cover feature bright yellowish orange quarter circle tiles. The spine is made up of a series of 4×4 plates with clips, and a series of curved slopes, matching the colour of the cover, with further Bright yellowish Orange trim. A single 2×2 sticker on a tile on the spine relates the book to the classroom within. Each book features a combination rounded 2×2 plate, with a stud with bar, which are connected to form a double anti stud unit: this is used to connect the books to each other.

The internal decoration on the internal surface of the panels is in the form of stickers, rather than printing, and I think some of these would be quite appealing as stickers to use within your own larger Hogwarts MOC. We shall look at these further as we cover the built in fittings.

The books are designed to be able to conceal all of the furniture from the set within, although there are studs on the top of the books, to act as a display point for the minifigures.

Each class is taught by a teacher from a different House, and the colour scheme is representative of these.

76382 Hogwarts Moment: Transfiguration Class 

241 elements USD 29.99 AUD 39.99

Gryffindor students Ron and Hermione are being taught Transfiguration by Professor McGonagall. The internal fittings open out, predominantly tan and dark tan. McGonagall stands on a low podium, demonstrating to the students, who have a shared desk, as well as items to transform, including Ron’s rat Scabbers, and a yellow Frog.

76383 Hogwarts Moment: Potions Class

271 elements USD 29.99 AUD 39.99

Professor Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy from Slytherin, and Gryffindor’s Seamus Finnigan are hard at work in the potions classroom, with many flasks and jars. The book’s cover is sand green, in keeping with the Slytherin house colours of Green and black. Greys also feature heavily. Slytherin banners decorate the room, and the wall unscrolls from the centre of the room. Depth is added to the shelves by using a mixture of stickers and brick built flasks.

76384 Hogwarts Moment: Herbology Class

233 Elements USD 29.99 AUD 39.99

Hufflepuff’s Professor Sprout, and Oliver Wood are spending some time in the herbarium with Neville Longbottom from Gryffindor. This set features lots of dark tan, browns and green. The glasshouse contains many garden implements, and of course the screaming Mandrake. Fortunately, everyone has their earmuffs to quieten the sound. There is a tap for keeping the garden watered, and some of the finest pumpkins to be found on this side of Hagrid’s Hut!

76385 Hogwarts Moment: Charms Class.

256 elements USD 29.99 AUD 39.99

Professor Flitwick, from Ravenclaw house, has had a number of appearances of the years, and it is difficult to understand the transformation he underwent between the second and third films. Ravenclaw Student Cho Chang teams up with Harry potter to try and raise a feather. The cold classroom is warmed by an open fire, and we have a mixture of sand blue, tan and brown making up the classroom. Like Gryffindor, the wings open up to reveal the blackboard, as well as the many books in the library. Along with desks and chairs, the room features a display cabinet, containing a key and goblet. While folding open like the Transfiguration classroom, a palette focussed on reddish brown and dark brown, with limited tan bricks results in a warmer, more normal classroom, rather than an elaborate cathedral like space occupied by McGonagall.

Looking at these books individually, is interesting to note that each set contains a member of Gryffindor house – while the teacher, and another student, match the alignment of the classroom.

In the early days of the HP Theme, small vignettes depicting the diferent locations were common, but the level of detail included in these has increased significantly over time, along with the part count. To say nothing about the more realistic flesh tones.

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We will take a deeper dive into the architecture and artwork of the books in the next post.

In the mean time, I would love know what you think of these sets. With between 230 and 280 elements per set, as well as new minifigures, they are amongst the smaller Harry potter sets of the current range, relaunched in 2018. Leave your comments below, and until next time,

Play Well!