The Wave in a Nutshell:
30407 Harry’s Journey to Hogwarts: $3.99 USD; 40 pieces; 1 minifigure
40289 Diagon Alley: Promotional; 374 pieces; 1 minifigure
71043 Hogwarts Castle: $399.99; 6020 pieces (microscale); 28 minifigures (microscale)
75950 Aragog’s Lair: $14.99 USD; 157 pieces; 2 minifigures
75951 Grindelwald’s Escape: $19.99 USD; 132 pieces; 2 minifigures
75952 Newt’s Case of Magical Creatures: $49.99; 694 pieces; 4 minifugres
75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow: $69.99; 753 pieces; 6 minifigures
75954 Hogwarts Great Hall: $99.99 USD; 878 pieces; 10 minifigures
75955 Hogwarts Express: $79.99 USD; 801 pieces; 6 minifigures
75956 Quidditch Match: $39.99 USD; 500 pieces; 6 minifigures
5005254 Harry Potter Minifigure Collection: Promotional; 25 pieces; 4 minifigures
When I am late to anything I always find myself playing catch-up. What happened? Who said what? How does it all make sense? To say that I was late to the LEGO Harry Potter party is an understatement. I didn’t even know LEGO was making Harry Potter themed sets prior to my LEGO journey kick off in 2019. So, when I did start with my first LEGO set in 2019 the 2018 and 2019 waves were already in full swing.
Just a fact that I was very oblivious to in 2019 – LEGO has been making Harry Potter themed sets on and off since 2001 with the last wave having been released in 2011. (Check out the Harry Potter Lego Wiki page for more info: click here) I am not too familiar with the older sets, but over the years LEGO has created new and reimagined older sets. As LEGO evolves and new brick types become available, their sets have evolved as well, and it is nice to see the evolution of LEGO Harry Potter sets. For my part I am not planning to look at sets created before 2018.
The 2018 wave focused on the first two movies (“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” and “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”). The wave also includes two sets from the Fantastic Beasts franchise and since Fantastic Beasts also falls under the Wizarding World umbrella, I figured I would include them as well. Be mindful that “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” was original released in 2016 and “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” followed in 2018 – perfect timing for this wave!
From a Fantastic Beasts perspective I think the two sets that were chosen to represent each movie are great. In 2018 and 2019 I wasn’t paying much attention to the Fantastic Beasts movies, but after having recently watched both I do think Newt’s Case (75952 Newt's Case of Magical Creatures) is a solid choice for “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” The Grindelwald escape (75951 Grindelwald's Escape) with the horse carriage was also a good choice, just because it captures the title of the movie so well -it's his escape after all!
Personally, I enjoy the Fantastic Beasts movies, though I completely understand the criticism they have received over the years. For me it is more about exploring the Wizarding World in these movies and seeing different magical locations. I am hoping that LEGO will explore more sets from the Fantastic Beasts movies in the future, because at the end of the day it is part of the Wizarding World. Not as epic as Harry Potter, but still magical. (Newt and Tina breaking into the French Ministry and moving on the shelves would be a nice set, but that is just my two cents).
As for the Harry Potter of it all, I think this wave was a great start to kick off the Harry Potter theme again. The 2018 wave marks the beginning of the Second Revival Series of the LEGO Harry Potter theme. 2001 marked the beginning of the original sets, 2010 marked the beginning of the Revival Series and then 2018 marks the beginning of the Second Revival Series. The 2018 wave focused on the first two Harry Potter movies: "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."
I remember watching "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone" in theaters and being in awe when Harry made it through the wall and onto the Platform 9 ¾. The mighty red steam engine that is the Hogwarts Express is a fantastic set (75955 Hogwarts Express) to bring you right back to that movie moment. I was very sad when in the Chamber of Secrets Harry and Ron were not able to travel on the Hogwarts Express, but a flying automobile? How cool!
Which brings me to the 75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow set. It is one of my favorite sets with the Weasley’s car stuck in the Whomping Willow. Yes, you don’t need to have the car in the willow, but it looks great for display purposes.
75954 Hogwarts Great Hall combines both movies perfectly. It does include both of Harry’s foes in the first two movies – Professor Quirrell (with Voldemort’s face on the back of his head) and the basilisk. To be fair, I did miss Fluffy in the set (I know Fluffy wasn’t in the Great Hall, but neither was the basilisk), especially since Aragog got his own set (75950 Aragog's Lair)!
Most important of all, we got a Quidditch set! I remember when the books originally became very popular, and everyone talked about Quidditch. There were news segments of fans being interviewed trying to explain what it is and how to play it. 75956 Quidditch Match focuses on Harry’s very first Quidditch game in which Professor Quirrell enchants his broom and Professor Snape tries to save him. What an unforgettable way to start your Quidditch career!
The crème-de-la-crème of this wave however is 71043 Hogwarts Castle. It is a microscale model of Hogwarts! It doesn’t stick to just "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" movies, so you will find things like Professor Umbridge’s office and dementor minifigures. Considering that LEGO was essentially restarting the Harry Potter theme in 2018, I don’t think there could have been a better set to do it with considering it is all of Hogwarts!
At times I have thought if it would have been easier to just purchase the 71043 Hogwarts Castle rather than the individual full-size sets (75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow, 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall, from later waves: 75948 Hogwarts Clock Tower, and 75969 Hogwarts Astronomy Tower) . When I originally purchased the Great Hall as my first set, I didn’t realize that there was a Hogwarts Castle and I was already worried about the $99.99 USD price tag, so I am not sure I could have ever justified the $399.99 USD price of the Hogwarts Castle.
Hogwarts sets like the Great Hall and Whomping Willow can be connected. Later waves include sets that can be connected as well. It is not the entire Hogwarts Castle like the one for $399.99 USD, but the sets aren't microscale. The price is a smidge cheaper for all the full-sized Hogwarts sets: 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall ($99.99 USD), 75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow ($69.99 USD), 75948 Hogwarts Clock Tower ($89.99 USD), and 75969 Hogwarts Astronomy Tower ($99.99 USD). For me it is simply the mental mindset to spend $399.99 USD all at one time, rather than purchasing one set after another which ultimately made me decide to pursue the individual sets. Though do check out 71043 Hogwarts Castle, as it comes with some exclusive figures not included in any other sets.
As mentioned in the beginning, I was late to this party, and I am still trying to catch-up with the sets. Many of the sets from this wave have retired, which makes it a bit more difficult to track them down at a reasonable price. One thing that I have found very positive about this wave is that the original retail prices are reasonable (excluding 71043 Hogwarts Castle, all sets are less than $100).
VERDICT: Overall, this wave marks a great start to the revival of the Harry Potter theme!