Lego CON and Retiring Sets!
Jun. 26th, 2021 04:03 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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acciobrickThe first ever Lego CON takes place later today. It's a virtual, streamed 90 minute event starting in two hours - 5PM in London, 12PM New York, and 9AM Los Angeles.
There's also been news this week as to the HP sets retiring this year. By far the most significant news item is that the 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall is retiring NOW (released August 2018). That's been announced here before, but to emphasise, it's not available any longer at lego.com in Germany and the UK. (You should still be able to pick it up at some retailers, however, if you act quickly.) Lego trivia: you can tell a set has likely gone EOL when it's listed as "sold out" instead of "temporarily out of stock". The US lego.com still has it in stock, so again, act now if you want it. If past years are any example, prices will rise sharply soon, and availability will drop off after that.
As the set was originally scheduled for retirement last year before the pandemic made a hash of... most things really, in all fairness we can't complain we haven't had ample opportunity to get the set before now. Something to keep in mind if you're still weighing whether or not to get this set, the designers have indicated the 2021 anniversary design will not be restricted to the 20th anniversary year, but should be viewed as a "soft reboot", so while 75954 is a cornerstone of the 2018+ line, it presumably will match future sets in neither overall scale, height ("ground" is now raised), nor colour choices. Make of that what you will.
As usual, the remaining information about retirements comes from Promobricks, who've proven very trustworthy in the past. These sets should be disappearing by the end of the year as well:
75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow (released August 2018)
75957 The Knight Bus (released August 2019)
75966 The Room of Requirement (released August 2020)
75967 Forbidden Forest: Umbridge's Encounter (released August 2020)
76384 Hogwarts Moment: Herbology Class (released January 2021)
76385 Hogwarts Moment: Charms Class (released January 2021)
(NOTE: 76382 Transfiguration and 76383 Potions Classes are not presently on the list.)
Bear in mind that doesn't mean the sets on that list will be available until the end of the year. It means production will cease and they definitely won't be available long after. If any of those sets are on your wish lists, act in a timely fashion, especially if there are sales in your region; often they're gone by the time the Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales roll around.
(And if you're considering getting any of these sets via Amazon, would you mind trying the Promobricks links? You can easily switch to your local Amazon form there. While they still aren't sure if they see any proceeds from international purchases (yeah, I know), it's worth a shot, and they do a lot for the lego community. ❤️)
Some items of interest from that list (thanks GF ❤️):
- the Whomping Willow had this series' only Filch, and I can't think of another set where he's likely to reappear. It also contained a Potions Classroom, Snape's office, and of course Snape, who hasn't received much attention lately. While the Hogwarts Moment Potions Classroom does a lovely job of recreating his classroom, the office isn't visited again, and the Moment's exclusive minifigure is about as unspectacular an update as Sprout's. Snape of choice remains 2010's HP100, followed by 2018's HP134, which despite the obvious improvement from the printed legs has the drawback of appearing more cartoony thanks to the inferior expressions and bright purple vest. (Snape has the dubious distinction of being the only minifig in the series to have a retrograde development. 😐)
- the Knight Bus offered us what will probably be this series' only Stan Shunpike and Ernie Prang. For designing your own scenes, Stan is presumably more important as he puts in an appearance in the Battle of the Seven Potters. (Which we're largely agreed should never, ever, ever be released as a set as we have a surfeit of Harry's as is, cheers. 😆) Ernie, however unforgettable, was one and done. On the other hand, we never have to wait long until there's a new Knight Bus. (I can already picture an update with Sirius Black in animagi form...)
- the Room of Requirement contains Hermione's and Luna's Patronuses, the Practice Dummy and Umbridge's Educational Decrees. I'd expect at least the Patronuses and the minifig to remain exclusives for the foreseeable future.
- Umbridge's Encounter has the only centaurs and Gwarp, and as Umbridge had only appeared elsewhere in this series in a limited edition GWP, this was an inexpensive way to come by her minifig.
- the two Hogwarts Moment sets were only released this January. Charms has the only occurrence of Philosopher's Stone Flitwick thus far, and Herbology had the useful protective ear coverings and the Herbology smocks.
As for 76382 Transfiguration and 76383 Potions Classes, it's likely Potions will be available longer as the new CoS / Great Hall set does not include Snape or Draco, both of whom play crucial roles in the duelling scene and are included in the Moment set. (By contrast, Lockhart, Harry and Justin Finch-Fletchley come with the 2021 CoS, but they make for an exceedingly one-sided duel.) The new wave also doesn't include the otherwise nearly ubiquitous Potions classroom, so this set facilitates an easy conversion of one of the 2021 spaces. As far as Transfiguration goes, as McGonagall doesn't come with the new castle sets either (although unlike Snape, she's in represented in this wave in the Hogsmeade set), it's reasonable to assume that Moment set might be in more demand than Charms or Herbology. And of course Snape and McGonagall both figure far more prominently than Flitwick and Sprout. (Somewhere here we've an analysis of the characters and their screen time / mention in canon, I'll try to find that information for you.)
There's also been news this week as to the HP sets retiring this year. By far the most significant news item is that the 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall is retiring NOW (released August 2018). That's been announced here before, but to emphasise, it's not available any longer at lego.com in Germany and the UK. (You should still be able to pick it up at some retailers, however, if you act quickly.) Lego trivia: you can tell a set has likely gone EOL when it's listed as "sold out" instead of "temporarily out of stock". The US lego.com still has it in stock, so again, act now if you want it. If past years are any example, prices will rise sharply soon, and availability will drop off after that.
As the set was originally scheduled for retirement last year before the pandemic made a hash of... most things really, in all fairness we can't complain we haven't had ample opportunity to get the set before now. Something to keep in mind if you're still weighing whether or not to get this set, the designers have indicated the 2021 anniversary design will not be restricted to the 20th anniversary year, but should be viewed as a "soft reboot", so while 75954 is a cornerstone of the 2018+ line, it presumably will match future sets in neither overall scale, height ("ground" is now raised), nor colour choices. Make of that what you will.
As usual, the remaining information about retirements comes from Promobricks, who've proven very trustworthy in the past. These sets should be disappearing by the end of the year as well:
75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow (released August 2018)
75957 The Knight Bus (released August 2019)
75966 The Room of Requirement (released August 2020)
75967 Forbidden Forest: Umbridge's Encounter (released August 2020)
76384 Hogwarts Moment: Herbology Class (released January 2021)
76385 Hogwarts Moment: Charms Class (released January 2021)
(NOTE: 76382 Transfiguration and 76383 Potions Classes are not presently on the list.)
Bear in mind that doesn't mean the sets on that list will be available until the end of the year. It means production will cease and they definitely won't be available long after. If any of those sets are on your wish lists, act in a timely fashion, especially if there are sales in your region; often they're gone by the time the Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales roll around.
(And if you're considering getting any of these sets via Amazon, would you mind trying the Promobricks links? You can easily switch to your local Amazon form there. While they still aren't sure if they see any proceeds from international purchases (yeah, I know), it's worth a shot, and they do a lot for the lego community. ❤️)
Some items of interest from that list (thanks GF ❤️):
- the Whomping Willow had this series' only Filch, and I can't think of another set where he's likely to reappear. It also contained a Potions Classroom, Snape's office, and of course Snape, who hasn't received much attention lately. While the Hogwarts Moment Potions Classroom does a lovely job of recreating his classroom, the office isn't visited again, and the Moment's exclusive minifigure is about as unspectacular an update as Sprout's. Snape of choice remains 2010's HP100, followed by 2018's HP134, which despite the obvious improvement from the printed legs has the drawback of appearing more cartoony thanks to the inferior expressions and bright purple vest. (Snape has the dubious distinction of being the only minifig in the series to have a retrograde development. 😐)
- the Knight Bus offered us what will probably be this series' only Stan Shunpike and Ernie Prang. For designing your own scenes, Stan is presumably more important as he puts in an appearance in the Battle of the Seven Potters. (Which we're largely agreed should never, ever, ever be released as a set as we have a surfeit of Harry's as is, cheers. 😆) Ernie, however unforgettable, was one and done. On the other hand, we never have to wait long until there's a new Knight Bus. (I can already picture an update with Sirius Black in animagi form...)
- the Room of Requirement contains Hermione's and Luna's Patronuses, the Practice Dummy and Umbridge's Educational Decrees. I'd expect at least the Patronuses and the minifig to remain exclusives for the foreseeable future.
- Umbridge's Encounter has the only centaurs and Gwarp, and as Umbridge had only appeared elsewhere in this series in a limited edition GWP, this was an inexpensive way to come by her minifig.
- the two Hogwarts Moment sets were only released this January. Charms has the only occurrence of Philosopher's Stone Flitwick thus far, and Herbology had the useful protective ear coverings and the Herbology smocks.
As for 76382 Transfiguration and 76383 Potions Classes, it's likely Potions will be available longer as the new CoS / Great Hall set does not include Snape or Draco, both of whom play crucial roles in the duelling scene and are included in the Moment set. (By contrast, Lockhart, Harry and Justin Finch-Fletchley come with the 2021 CoS, but they make for an exceedingly one-sided duel.) The new wave also doesn't include the otherwise nearly ubiquitous Potions classroom, so this set facilitates an easy conversion of one of the 2021 spaces. As far as Transfiguration goes, as McGonagall doesn't come with the new castle sets either (although unlike Snape, she's in represented in this wave in the Hogsmeade set), it's reasonable to assume that Moment set might be in more demand than Charms or Herbology. And of course Snape and McGonagall both figure far more prominently than Flitwick and Sprout. (Somewhere here we've an analysis of the characters and their screen time / mention in canon, I'll try to find that information for you.)
(no subject)
Date: 2021-06-26 06:10 pm (UTC)🥰🥰🥰
(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-04 12:23 pm (UTC)I'd really recommend mecabricks to your grandson. For one thing, it's a lot cheaper than physical sets (free!) and a great way to plan for and design future builds. For another, it's useful to learn how to employ CAD programmes. (And unlike fluency in lego or super heroes, that's actually a marketable skill... 😉) If he doesn't have experience with that, I've made a tutorial for using mecabricks and posted it here, which might be of interest. (You can download the pics in order (just right click on them and save to your computer) and just use it like that. There's no need to use this site, nor does it identify this site, deliberately. Separation of church and state and all that...)
(no subject)
Date: 2021-06-26 06:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2021-08-04 12:09 pm (UTC)