accio brick - the lego harry potter comm

Since they did away with the monthly calendars... 😭 Massive shame that. Now it helps to get a "heads up" when something is coming. So! Something is coming!

The lego S@H (Shop at Home) and the official lego stores in most regions will have LEGO VIP Days 2023 from Tuesday, July 11 to Saturday, July 15, 2023. (US / UK / DE) There aren't a lot of details yet as to what we can concretely expect, but it looks like there'll be a small parts pack, and some GWPs (Gift With Purchases) that sold out too quickly in the past will make another appearance. No idea if that includes any of the Lego Harry Potter GWPs, though. (The Grand Staircase would make for an excellent candidate, but I'm not holding my breath. It's a real pity as they re-released the Monster Book of Monsters GWP at a later point. Why not the iconic Staircase?) Also a few themes, including the HP theme, will receive double VIP points for the duration, which is nice. Basically it means getting a rebate off your next purchase worth (roughly) 10% instead of 5% of what you spent during the special. If you rarely buy things from the lego store, that's not much of a pull, but for addicts (of whom you know at least one), those extra 5% add up.

I've also seen a re-appearance of limited edition sets in the VIP rewards that you can purchase by redeeming points. Sometimes those are of direct interest, but their re-sale prices can also make them well worthwhile, even when they aren't quite to your taste in and of themselves. (lego arbitrage ftw...) There are also some nice digital downloads, like the Lord of the Rings Rivendell Blueprint, for only 50 points (roughly 33 cents), or the Retro Jazz Club Poster pack for 30 (ca. 20 cents).

Rumoured GWPs:
* Fun and Funky VIP Add-On Pack (40512)
* Icons Blacktron Cruiser (40580)
* BIONICLE® Tahu and Takua (40581)
and there may be more...

Do note that GWPs tend to go quickly, so if there's anything you're keen on, acting earlier as opposed to later is generally wise.

Themes in which double VIP points should be awarded: LEGO® City, LEGO Friends, LEGO Technic and LEGO Harry Potter


That said, some things to consider: we know Gringotts is due out some time in the next 2 months, and we can expect it to remain largely exclusive to Lego stores / S@H. There's also a HP GWP in the pipeline (rumour has it it'll be a Gringotts Vault build). That is almost definitely going to require a qualifying purchase of HP lego, so if you buy everything off your wishlist now... We don't know what the threshold for that GWP will be either. Caveat, it's conceivable, although not super likely, that they might bind it to purchases of Gringotts only. We just don't know. But think of it this way, if it isn't limited to Gringotts, and there's a purchase you make now to get the double points (I believe the highest thresholds we've seen are around $220) even at that high threshold, that's a difference of maybe an $11 rebate that might keep you from getting the GWP you want in the not too distant future. Plan accordingly, just bear in mind, sometimes it's worth giving a special a pass.

We finally have some good footage of the new figs. ( Read more... )