Potions, Baby!! WooHoo!
May. 3rd, 2024 04:11 amWe have more pix from the summer 2024 wave lego Harry Potter 76431 Hogwarts Castle: Potions Class - 397 pieces ($40)! Including a peek at the set folded together... The rear of the box gives us one look at it; the last picture here shows how it would slot into the 76435 Great Hall set. What to note about it: unlike the lavatory and the Hufflepuff Common Room, the set is then closed when folded together. The door can face outwards, however, so it isn't that it doesn't make sense, but it effectively can only be viewed or played with when it is not in the Great Hall set. given the number of people who complain about the inaccessibility or unplayablity (that's totally a word) of the 2021+ modular sets, I think I can predict that will meet with some displeasure. In as much as it won't collect as much dust, I can't say I mind it too much. The sliding feature means the modules are easily removed, the primary issue there is most of the ones they've designed are too open and prone to dust collecting, and storage of the modules is going to be an issue, particularly as they aren't stackable.
There are two 1 x 3 flat tiles on the centre base plate, presumably the opposite side we can't see uses the 1 x 3 jumper plate with two studs. This permits us to anchor the workbenches in a fashion that's easily removed to push it forward or set them off to the side for easier access for play.
There's a clip visible in the ingredients bench that doesn't make too much sense unless it's used to anchor the bench when the set is folded closed. There's a section of brick extending out from one of the arches to the left of the centre plate. On the box front art, it holds the new yellow flask piece, although that's more clearly visible in the first set up of the set somewhat further below. Snape's lectern rests on these bricks when the classroom is folded together. I don't believe it's used to hold the folded set closed, because I think it would need to extend into the massive cauldron's space to do so. That cauldron definitely seems brick built. I'm wondering why that was deemed preferable to the large cauldron piece they have?



Love Hermione trying to hand Snape a flower to try to get him to ignore the ten extra inches she included in her assignment. Love his "the hell is this?" look even more. 😆 (Anna Arvensis had no more luck with that than Hermione will.) For shame, Hermione! Bribery is thoroughly inappropriate. You could always just follow the instructions, you know... Just saying. (Swots unite!)
In addition to the new flasks and explosion / smoke pieces, I really like that they're giving us spiders in so many of the sets and in different colours. That will really make the Aragog scene, and it's such a small thing to do. Here it serves to both highlight the dungeoniness of the classroom or as an ingredient, if need be. I think that's great. 😃

There are two 1 x 3 flat tiles on the centre base plate, presumably the opposite side we can't see uses the 1 x 3 jumper plate with two studs. This permits us to anchor the workbenches in a fashion that's easily removed to push it forward or set them off to the side for easier access for play.
There's a clip visible in the ingredients bench that doesn't make too much sense unless it's used to anchor the bench when the set is folded closed. There's a section of brick extending out from one of the arches to the left of the centre plate. On the box front art, it holds the new yellow flask piece, although that's more clearly visible in the first set up of the set somewhat further below. Snape's lectern rests on these bricks when the classroom is folded together. I don't believe it's used to hold the folded set closed, because I think it would need to extend into the massive cauldron's space to do so. That cauldron definitely seems brick built. I'm wondering why that was deemed preferable to the large cauldron piece they have?



Love Hermione trying to hand Snape a flower to try to get him to ignore the ten extra inches she included in her assignment. Love his "the hell is this?" look even more. 😆 (Anna Arvensis had no more luck with that than Hermione will.) For shame, Hermione! Bribery is thoroughly inappropriate. You could always just follow the instructions, you know... Just saying. (Swots unite!)
In addition to the new flasks and explosion / smoke pieces, I really like that they're giving us spiders in so many of the sets and in different colours. That will really make the Aragog scene, and it's such a small thing to do. Here it serves to both highlight the dungeoniness of the classroom or as an ingredient, if need be. I think that's great. 😃

(no subject)
Date: 2024-05-16 01:31 am (UTC)Pretty sure it's wolf spider babies I've been relocating lately and some strange beetle. I had a sink spider who paid rent by eating fruit flies (literally lives above my sink) but my mum relocated her outside when I went to visit my brother. I was sad, she and I had an arrangement going. She didn't bother me doing dishes, I didn't mess with her web.
You can train them! Parents have a jumper named Henry (probably on multiple generational Henries at this point). And I've heard from people who have wild jumpers come to them for food. Most insects and spiders are pretty harmless so long as you don't bother them. Macro photography and research is how I've learned to not be afraid. Your little funnel baby sounds so polite. They're a lot smarter than one would think. Also I think my Inara likes music.
https://imgur.com/gallery/kpHuBkm
These are my jumpers. The orange regal is Inara. The guy with the blue chels and red butt is Wash, my carneus. And the baby who refuses to molt so I can find out gender is just Baby for now, they're an otiosus, northern variant. They need to molt already, they're so small still and haven't done so since I got them and they're only an i5. Inara molted once I think she's full grown now, and Wash was mature when I got him (he's a wimpy hunter, shame him. He's scared of crickets and meal worms and fly larva... Sigh. And .. flies, which have pupated in his enclosure because.. he's afraid of the larva). Whereas Inara will eat anything, and is fat despite not having eaten in over a week.
So I'm kinda weird right with you. If you'd told me five years ago I'd have pet spiders I'd have called you a liar.
... However I am not getting a huntsman. Creepy mfs
(no subject)
Date: 2024-05-16 01:46 am (UTC)They are so stinkin' adorable!!! Cannot even explain why I find the just gawdawful cute.
Right with ya, huntsman are SUPER creepy... and LIGHTNING FAST, thus why it was relocated immediately. One adult, hand sized huntsman snuck into my 4 door pickup truck, and when I tried to get it to jump out, it STREAKED across my dash to the other side. My late teen son's friend was with us and when the spider sped by (mind you he was in the back seat) he screamed like an old horror queen! None of us realized an almost adult male could reach that octave...
(no subject)
Date: 2024-05-16 01:53 am (UTC)Jumpers are so freaking cute. And Inara is always watching me or the Alexa screen. I recently moved her enclosure where she could see it directly, and you might think I'm lying but I swear she was waving her arms to the beat of a song the other day. I don't handle them much mostly because I don't want to scare them.
The breeder I got two of the three spooders from just got a huntsman recently and I'm still seriously creeped out. They're just.. yeah.
Nah man I can believe it. That octave thing. Now think of my 5' mum doing the deep horror scream not the high one. That's what she does when she's truly frightened. Pretty sure she'd scare the crap out of anyone who came at her with that scream alone. I'd have totally shrieked epically if a huntsman streaked across my dash too. I'd rather a tarantula than a huntsman.
(no subject)
Date: 2024-05-16 03:55 am (UTC)They Have to at least be able to feel the rhythm, their mating dances are too intricate and dance oriented.
Fun fact... (FEEL the sarcasm please) While I was feeding our bunnies one night, I stepped up to their cage, but I forgot the treat, so I stepped back to grab it... turned my head back toward the cage in time to see a Massive huntsman dropping past my face. If I hadn't stepped back, it Would have landed square on my head... Creepy just honestly doesn't Quite cut it.
Now tarantulas are awesome, even the wild ones out here are gentle, so long as you're gentle with them. I saved one from a tarantula wasp once, and saved another from drowning during a monsoon storm.