Well, pricey, but indeed the best winter village set ever produced.

£350 for 3200 pieces.
Meanwhile Diagon Alley sits at £390 but has 5500 pieces…

Looks more like an expanded 76388, basically they could've sold this as three separate sets. Don't think it warrants the 18+.

I'm not a Harry Potter fan but I got Diagon Alley without Minifigs to use as a back lane in my town (with some modifications) but this all looks a bit too compact, like its too small for Minifig scale so don't think I'll be doing the same thing here...

Christmas looks to be getting a bit pricey with vaious rumoured upcoming festive releases!

I guess they're running out of options for the 18+ range.

It looks good, but the price is a little high as usual these days.

It's also a shame they haven't incorporated the similar feature from the original Diagon Alley where buildings combine to form a single 32x32 modular-style block, I'm sure some will be disappointed, although perhaps that makes less sense in the village setting.

I'm not a super Harry potter fan, so I'm unsure if this holds the same appeal as Diagon Alley, I certainly view it as less iconic and so the similar price stings, especially for significantly less product.

As is often the case these days, decent sets are having high prices slapped on them (or high priced sets are having limited budgets?) and the result is sets that feel hard to justify even if they're not really bad in any way.

If the poll is any indication, there isn't a lot of anticipation for this. I don't need this in my life either, but I like how Dickensian it is.

Harry Potter feels like a theme that has long since run its course.

I wonder if Lego will "reboot" the HP line when the new HBO show comes out, or if they'll stick to the movie representations of characters and places.

Did the designers forgot, that they made Draco a unique face print in 2023?

Glad to see the price here.
Also, LOL, so many stickers.

I was really looking forward to this, but I don’t think I can justify it. Looking at it from the back, it should be 300EUR max (even considering thats its a licensed set and that we are in 2025), which is a shame.

It makes the Gringotts and D2C Diagon Alley seem like a good value in comparison!

I wish they'd do sets of this style for any other theme.

As someone who has absolutely 0 interest in the Harry Potter theme as a whole I do feel I have to chime in on the current state of things when it comes to pricing.

To be blunt: these prices that the LEGO group is currently asking are absolutely bonkers and the value simply isn't there anymore.

I have already dialed back my purchases to about 10% of what I was spending in 2024 and I plan to use the remainder of my VIP points on lego.com before this year is out and then that as they say will be that...
No more purchases from LEGO directly, GWPs don't offset these increases in price anymore and I will be VERY selective in what I buy from other retailers in the future combined with a substantial discount.

Older second hand sets are starting to look like a much better deal these days.

Vote with your wallets people!

In 2020 Diagon Alley had 2,000 more pieces and 5 more minifigs and was only €70 more. Even in today’s money this Hogsmeade set is a disgrace and so is Lego’s greediness and lack of respect for their consumers…

I like the builds but that price is ridiculous. The Burrow is both more interesting visually and also better value

This looks good, but its ceiling should’ve been $350. And even that’s pushing it a bit. The build overall is good, but I feel like it’s missing something, and that’s a lot of stickers…

is the £350 is value in the room with us?

Is this thing even minifigure scale? it looks out of whack? Too expensive for what it is. LEGO is really pushing their higher prices lately. Some suckers will bow in, I won't. LEGO isn't the only player these days.

Greatly overpriced in the US, but nice looking. My impression is that for the price they should have included a few more figures, and roughly 1,000 more pieces.

I have 76388 and I'm happy with it. Those prices are absurd. Next.

also looks like it would be less interesting to build than diagon alley, seems like a pretty straightforward build.

I dread to think what the comments would be if Lego released a $1000 set.

Literally nothing to get excited about.
- no exciting new figures
- no exciting new moulds
- no exciting new prints

Nothing for me to fool myself with to ignore the price.

IMHO, I think the label 'Collector's Edition" should mean something.
It doesn't have to be big, or have lots of minifigures - but I it should be somewhat unique and exciting, an exceptional representation of the source material, with great design and details. Something to get excited about. It's just not here - it's a Collector's Edition in price only.

@JDawg5 said:
"Harry Potter feels like a theme that has long since run its course.

I wonder if Lego will "reboot" the HP line when the new HBO show comes out, or if they'll stick to the movie representations of characters and places. "

Would be nice. I'm curious to see what the new show will look like. I'd love to see something more reminiscent of Mary GrandPré's art. If the new show keeps the exact same aesthetic it would be really disappointing IMO.

@Bacchus said:
"As someone who has absolutely 0 interest in the Harry Potter theme as a whole I do feel I have to chime in on the current state of things when it comes to pricing.

To be blunt: these prices that the LEGO group is currently asking are absolutely bonkers and the value simply isn't there anymore."

I sadly agree with this. And it's not as simple as just price-to-piece ratio - so many expensive sets we've seen recently are just lackluster in terms of overall concept and design. It's difficult to sum up, but I can best describe it as a lack of "spark" - sets that feel designed by committee to meet metrics rather than provide for a quality build/play experience.

I feel always hesitant saying stuff like this because it feels like AFOLs have a tendency toward doom and gloom re: TLG. But I'm really feeling it with a lot of releases over the past 2 or so years.

@merman said:
"In 2020 Diagon Alley had 2,000 more pieces and 5 more minifigs and was only €70 more. Even in today’s money this Hogsmeade set is a disgrace and so is Lego’s greediness and lack of respect for their consumers…"

As usual (recently) were seeing licensed themes with outrageous prices. This set is $490 in Canada and it doesn't look anywhere near like a 500 dollar set.

12 minifigures and less than 13c ppp for an IP-licensed set. Everyone knows that's not at all out of line - it's the norm and has been for a long time. Everyone knows it. And yet they continue to ignore the facts so they can vent outrage, about a fun toy. It gets so tiresome.

Missing a few dementor and Aberforth Dumbledore's goat patronus

@MegaBlocks said:
"I dread to think what the comments would be if Lego released a $1000 set."

You may want to get some popcorn…

I do actually really like it, but I don’t $400 like it. If it gets on sale to about $300, I’ll jump, but not at current price

The builds look pretty good! I love that the baseplate style is continuing and The Three Broomsticks looks incredible.

The interiors are a bit too shallow and not quite to the standard of 75978 Diagon Alley, and this is the same price DA retailed for when it debuted in 2020. Also, three unprinted dress pieces in a set of this size and price? I think this would've been another slam dunk Harry Potter set if it was $250-300, but at $400 it needed the Shrieking Shack and more detailed minifigures.

@MegaBlocks said:
"I dread to think what the comments would be if Lego released a $1000 set."

Well there is the rumored new Death Star that sits at $1000 with over 9,000 pieces...

@JDawg5 said:
"Harry Potter feels like a theme that has long since run its course.

I wonder if Lego will "reboot" the HP line when the new HBO show comes out, or if they'll stick to the movie representations of characters and places. "

Call me cynical, but I was wondering this exact same thing and if they're trying to cash in on the 'current universe' of Harry Potter stuff before the reboot changes it all...

... Afterall I've seen limited interest in anything to do with the reboot. And thats not just because of she who shall not be nameds attitude of certain issues.

Oddly enough I like the previous smaller set better. I like the addition of new places, and I understand the need for stickers, so that doesn't bother me. I was already planning on building my own version of some of these buildings and have bought fabricated stickers to accommodate that, so I don't think I'll need this set at all. Nevermind the ridiculous price and the scale does seem a bit off. I know nothing is realistic scale with LEGO so I am forgiving in that department usually, but some of these buildings are really small even within the same set.

I do love the Three Broomsticks though. It looks just like the artwork from the books, so it's neat to see it to that level, but I likely have a lot of the pieces already to modify the older version if I wanted to make it more like this one.

As for figures, it's a solid line-up, but I don't need most of them. I will for sure get cursed Katie Bell and probably the new Slughorn because the torso is solid. But the rest, I don't need thankfully.

I love this theme, but I haven't been in love with a lot of their recent releases, so I guess that is good and bad. And with the new show coming in the future, who knows what they will do for sets going forward. If they stop with the original cast, then I likely could save some money there also.

this ain't it chief

It's very cool, but I'm just waiting for the Black Pearl.

I simply cannot withstand the design decision for HP range regarding having practically all buildings/structures incomplete and simply have just front side fully built. Why they are doing it, is eluding me, especially when the architecture of HP world is so good.

Harry Potter's rather fallen out of favour for me over the last few years (for the obvious reason) but I can't see that I would have been excited for this regardless. It's such a downgrade from the Diagon Alley D2C which felt very definitive. So much more cramped, fewer figures, and not as many exciting little details.

However, I think it's a little bit rich to act like one bad 18+ set spells the end for Lego. We've had loads of exciting and brilliant sets of all price ranges this year (even if those prices have been a little bit high), the catastrophising is exhausting

@MegaBlocks said:
"Looks more like an expanded 76388, basically they could've sold this as three separate sets. Don't think it warrants the 18+."

It's 18+ because only that age group can afford it.

It's really expensive.

The Three Broomsticks here is better than the one in 76388.

They could have just added buildings to the previous Hogsmeade sets (76388 and 76407), but the other buildings are not as iconic, so they probably wouldn't have sold.

The wonky chimneys are repetitive.

It's really, really expensive.

@tmtomh said:
"12 minifigures and less than 13c ppp for an IP-licensed set. Everyone knows that's not at all out of line - it's the norm and has been for a long time. Everyone knows it. And yet they continue to ignore the facts so they can vent outrage, about a fun toy. It gets so tiresome."

Complaining about the price (and stickers) has long gone beyond meaningless on here. When it happens for about 90% of sets (99% for licensed sets) then surely it is time to adjust your expectations of the cost of Lego.

Though at least with Harry Potter sets it isn't the most fatuous complaint that gets aired.

@merman said:
"Judging from this video that points it our very well Lego is saving on details, quality and pieces. Such a shame and it will be the downfall of Lego. https://youtu.be/sl-OVjWvhnQ"

I think the LEGO group knows just as well as many of us do that another economic downturn is on the horizon, lots of economic indicators are in the red currently.
Just look at the current US housing market, loan deliquency rates, CPI etc.

Can't really blame LEGO for this because they do what every other company does: they're forecasting less demand so they cut costs (less pieces/prints) and raise prices to maintain roughly the same level of revenue.

It won't be their downfall but they do run the risk of alienating a substantial part of the loyal fanbase. There's plenty of alternatives these days with the Mattel Brickshop as the latest arrival. For sure these are not on the same level of quality but they'll get there eventually and that should be a concern back in Billund. Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

@MegaBlocks said:
"Looks more like an expanded 76388, basically they could've sold this as three separate sets. Don't think it warrants the 18+."

That's honestly one thing that annoys me about Lego nowadays. Too often massive sets could easily have been mulstiple smaller sets, each on their own could attract a much larger audience. And sure, if this was split into three sets, not everyone would buy all of them, so I guess Lego did the math and concluded this is making them the most money. But I kinda feel that needlessly combining stuff into huge sets kinda goes against one of the base priciples of Lego, that it's inherently a modular system.

As for this particular set, I can't help but feel that it looks kinda unfinished. Obviously buildings just being facades with very little depth is nothing new, but it's a bit too obvious here. Looks more like a play set than a display set. But considering the 18+ labeling and the price tag, I have a feeling not many buyers will actually be playing with it...

@PDelahanty said:
"Poll really needs an option for “No, because it’s Harry Potter”."

I'm the opposite, I need an option that says 'Automatic Yes because it's Harry Potter.' I've been the same since since 2001 (well, my parents were the ones buying me the sets back then!).

no because its harry potter

@laibros said:
"I simply cannot withstand the design decision for HP range regarding having practically all buildings/structures incomplete and simply have just front side fully built. Why they are doing it, is eluding me, especially when the architecture of HP world is so good. "

Hmm, I prefer this doll's house style myself. While I think the Lego Modulars look stunning, it annoys me that you can't fully get into the rooms and only look down on them (interestingly, the 2024 Burrow had this issue, which is one of HP's only fully-enclosed buildings). I don't see them as incomplete - I like that they have both a nice exterior and an accessible interior.

Lackluster—the builds just don't look up to 18+ detail and standards. And then the price kills it.

@finlayspencerknight21 said:
"is the £350 is value in the room with us? "

The prices are coming from inside the house!!!

The interior is incredibly underwhelming.

I wish they'd released the Hog's Head as a separate set...

@Huw said:
"Please do not discuss leaks, or raise the wider issues surrounding the HP franchise here. They are important, but this is not the place to discuss them."
If this set wasn't so bad/underwhelming we probably wouldn't even be so inclined to discuss other stuff.

Take the minifigs, as I mentioned. Those must be the most underwhelming minifigs in a long time, let alone in a set as overpriced and supposedly premium and collectible as this one.

The white horse is back!

It makes me fear what will happen to the next Modular Building: a 2,200 part set for €250-€280?

@Bacchus said:
"To be blunt: these prices that the LEGO group is currently asking are absolutely bonkers and the value simply isn't there anymore. "

For me it also took away the fun, not just value. TLG was never "my friend", but since covid it just became too much "corporate". Same bricks, just less soul? I don't know how to describe it.

I do buy sets still, but much less than I used to, and noticed it's not as fun as it used to be reading about sets/reviews and such. I got too fatigued from these 5000 pieces/$600 sets, which seems as the major theme TLG is after these days, and everything is too predictable with the sets and the coverage that they get.

I prefer to invest my time and money with second hand older sets from the 90s/80s (and trains. I can never say no to trains).

Still, for every me voting with my wallet there are 10 that vote the opposite, so what do I know ? :)

The set is nice, but I'm really really tired of HP sets...

I don't know, but this definitely doesn't look worthy of being labeled "Collector's Edition". The builds are a mess. Diagon Alley from 2020 was far superior in almost all aspects. This Hogsmeade rendition gives the impression that not much thought was put into using interesting building techniques. The interior of the Three Broomsticks in particular, is an eyesore. The smaller version from 2021 looks a lot better than this hodge podge.

And that price tag... Merlin's beard! You've got to be kidding us, LEGO.

Lego is pricing me out of a lot of these larger sets. If this was close to $300 I’d probably grab it with a promo or on a discount. Now I probably won’t buy it at all. Same with the recent Death Star leak. Even regular retail sets that I usually purchase at 20% off I’m going to have to wait and hope for 30-40% to justify buying most of these new sets. I’m worried the black pearl next month, which I was hoping would be close to $300, is going to end up being $400 with all the price increases we’ve seen lately.

Glad to see people calling out Lego's nonsense prices, but also the lack of WOW factor and 'spark' or 'positive vibes' in recent years.

Im not a HP fan I just like getting historical stuff like minifigures with suits, trunks, tan bricks etc. The original Hogsmeade village with the Honeydukes and 3 broomsticks was quite good, and I know a lot of non-HP fans like myself bought it as a good Winter Village option.

Looking at this new set, I really dont see much that theyve added to that older set that cost like $100.
Honeydukes and 3 broomsticks are a little taller and thats about it really.

3 broomsticks is especially mediocre, the only real difference between the two is this latest one has chandeliers which is hardly revolutionary.

As others have said, the smaller scale, lacklustre minfigiures (again very little difference to the ones we've already got) and of course the overall price lead for frankly a terrible product.

Which is not to say everything here is bad, for instance I really like the sleigh/carriage but it really does feel like a couple of the standard 'normal price' HP sets that have been dumped together, put an 18+ logo on the box and charge hundreds and hundreds of dollars for it 'just cause'.

Gringotts may have been expensive but at least it looked like an 18+ product. (eg complete modular building).

Lego sets are becoming more and more expensive for less and less 'stuff that you get' as Jangbricks calls it.

People who wrongly defend Lego refuse to acknowledge that basically any adult interest, be that modular buildings, Classic Castle, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel/DC etc. are all locked into super expensive BIG sets.
Its not like theres a choice between a specific cheaper hogsmeade village and this, its this or nothing. And when a lot of people have to choose nothing, that's not good for lego's profits either.

Mediaeval Town Square is another example if a BIG EXPENSIVE set where it would have been far more logical to release two smaller sets.

By limiting themselves to BIG EXPENSIVE sets, lego is severely restricting their potential audience. We can see from the comments here the amount of fans who may have got the set, but won't because it is too expensive and poor value.

Sometimes a BIG EXPENSIVE set is okay value given the amount of stuff that you get, but the majority of such sets in recent years provide very little in tangible product, build experience, detail, minifigures and so forth for that super high price.

Lego has a very loyal fanbase that they need to respect more. After all, good value sets mean more profit for lego.
Why chase after that 1 super harry potter fan that can drop $400 USD on this, when you could sell a $200 version to 50 people, including both HP and non-HP fans? (which quick maths tells us is way more profit)

I like it, and I want to add it to my winter scene Lego.... but here in Sweden it'll cost me 4,800 SEK.... which is like $500 USD. For 4,800 SEK... I could instead buy another set which is much larger... such as - 4850 SEK - Lion Knights' Castle - 4515 pieces or 4600 SEK - NINJAGO® City Markets - 6163 pieces. Ok, I already have those two. But while I really want the Harry Potter set... it'll have to come down in price or it'll have to stay at Lego's shop. :-(

There seems to be even less space inside the houses than in Diagon Alley, am I right?

It seems to me that this new Lego tendency of downgrading the concept of their sets, both playsets and display sets, are starting to show great signs of fatigue. If we compare this set with 75978 Diagon Alley, it is very clear that here we get less minifigures with less detail and less exclusivity; smaller buildings with less deep and detail and the overall feeling that we are paying more for less. Still, the price is high as hell. I don't think this set is worth it at all, even for die hard lego Harry Potter fans.

@elangab said:
" @Bacchus said:
"To be blunt: these prices that the LEGO group is currently asking are absolutely bonkers and the value simply isn't there anymore. "

For me it also took away the fun, not just value. TLG was never "my friend", but since covid it just became too much "corporate". Same bricks, just less soul? I don't know how to describe it.

I do buy sets still, but much less than I used to, and noticed it's not as fun as it used to be reading about sets/reviews and such. I got too fatigued from these 5000 pieces/$600 sets, which seems as the major theme TLG is after these days, and everything is too predictable with the sets and the coverage that they get.

I prefer to invest my time and money with second hand older sets from the 90s/80s (and trains. I can never say no to trains).

Still, for every me voting with my wallet there are 10 that vote the opposite, so what do I know ? :)"

You hit the nail on the head there mate!

If you're unfamiliar with the German language then run this article through a translator, it's a long but very interesting read on how LEGO currently treats their partners in the affiliate program : stonewars.de/in-eigener-sache/finanzierung-von-stonewars/

The corporate and soulless attitude as you call it has definitely taken over in recent years and those websites/blogs that promoted the product for many years are starting to feel the pain.

I look at sets like this and as an objective observer, wonder how Lego can ask for £350 for what is just molded plastic especially when other brick building companies are doing so much more for so much less. A more realistic price for this would be £150.

It's an underwhelming set for me, so I might pick it up with a good discount, but there's zero chance I will pay list for it. I prefer complete buildings vs dollhouse, so I would need to leverage my bulk and possibly some PaB to mod them into complete buildings. That, of course, adds more cost, but one must deal with one's OCD the best they can.