Harry Potter Advent Calendar - Day 16
Posted by CapnRex101,
Multiple models focused upon the Great Hall at Hogwarts have appeared during the last couple of weeks, although yesterday's snowman might suggest we are moving outside.
Let's open the door and find out...
Instead, our attention has returned to the Great Hall and the game of Wizard's Chess which Harry and Ron play before Hermione's departure. This model looks splendid, comprising an impressive total of 27 pieces alongside six spare components that include black and white nanofigures. The chequered board and selection of playing pieces have been scaled down but definitely capture the appropriate aesthetic.
Furthermore, I like how the playing pieces have been distinguished as the queens are both represented by nanofigures while the kings wear crowns which are created with 1x1 round plates with vertical shafts. The board is too large for the tables we received earlier and the playing pieces have not been arranged correctly, when assembled according to the instructions. However, these issues are exceptionally minor.
Overall - 5.0 - Wizard's Chess occupies an integral role in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and this is an outstanding little creation!
49 likes
24 comments on this article
I've got enough spare black and white 1 x 1 tiles that I'm making a full 8 x 8 board.
Suggestions for the pieces? I had assumed that the "kings" in this review were rooks, so that's what I was going with. I was going to treat the nanofigures as bishops. (Knights will be 1x1 cones with a cheese slope on top.)
This is a fantastic build, maybe one of the best in the whole calendar! I am also liking the extra nanofigures.
In the battle of licensed advent calendars, this should be a slam dunk for us. Unless Star Wars comes up with the Mandalorian or Baby Yoda, this should be an easy point. Agreed that this is what a 5.0 looks like.
Very cute! Trying to play this mini version in my head, but coming up with mostly draws so far.
I wonder if this is like some sort of tic-tac-toe like game where you can only win if you start or something.
Anyone else tried to "play" it?
@ResIpsaLoquitur - Given their positions, I presume the nanofigures are queens, the 1x1 cones with elements on top are kings and the simple 1x1 cones are either bishops or rooks. Of course, they are sufficiently generic to represent almost anything.
I was thinking 4 rooks, 2 kings and 2 bishops, but it's not written in bricks. Either way, it could be a fun board to play with a kid to get him into chess :)
A silly debate, but I don’t see how anyone would think they represent rooks. Bishops have that angled look to them, so the Cone is perfect in that regard. I would say the king piece works as a crown or could work as a rook, but I can see a “crown” more easily.
Let it not be said that microscale doesn't require a flex of the imagination. I saw rooks due to the round piece at the top representing a turret, and some rook pieces do slightly angle upward from the base. https://www.tornado-studios.com/stock-3d-models/chess-pieces-rook-white
I've constructed some queen pieces using a cone, several 1 x 1 studs with holes, and shoving some spare Potter wands through the middle to create the crown on top. https://www.megachess.com/products/megachess-15-inch-light-plastic-queen-giant-chess-piece
Shouldn't Q and K be swapped on one side?
A gorgeous build! I don't personally remember the last time we got a chessboard in a set.
I actually have a Wizarding World Chess Board. Got for Christmas a few years ago. Still haven't opened it but it makes a impressive artifact for a shelf of treasures.
@mafon2 said:
"Shouldn't Q and K be swapped on one side?"
No, then they would both be check at game start, making a match impossible :)
In a normal board they are also like this.
I love that this is both a nifty minibuild and a very specific prop from a scene in the film, not some repurposed City toy. Nothing in this calendar has felt out of place.
I missed yesterday's discussion, so I want to throw out that there is only one change that I would have made to the HP Advent calendar... Give the Snowman Professor McGonagall's hat, then give McGonagall a hairpiece.
Battle of the Licensed Advent Calendars continues. After stumbling through Days 9-13 of the Advent Calendar, HP has made strides recently, taking two points to restore a precarious one-point lead. Will Day 16 see SW even the score or will HP gain put some distance between the opposition? As we begin the last full week before Christmas, let’s find out.
Behind door 16 of the HP calendar is a mini version of Wizard’s Chess. This build contains the most pieces in a single advent calendar offering this year. The reviewer rightfully points out that Wizard’s Chess is a quintessential aspect of HP- especially Christmas at Hogwarts and especially in the Philosopher’s Stone novel/film. Micro-scale building requires imagination and this build has captured the spirit of the game concisely. While 1x1 tile would have looked cleaner, the presence of 1x1 plates allow pieces to be moved around the board. Furthermore, the studs themselves could also represent pawns, depending upon your imagination. The inclusion of the black/white nano-figures is a welcome sight. The base of the board would have been better served in reddish- brown and while it does not fit on the table, there’s something to be said about a slightly “oversized” version for Harry, Ron, & Hermione to play on. Paired with the mini Hogwarts Express, I’m certain that the child versions of Harry, Ron, & Hermione would welcome this under their tree. Overall, today’s entry is a great standalone gift but when incorporated with the developing overall scene, it’s even better.
On the flip side, SW produced a Multi-Troop Transport (MTT) on Day 16. This buildable rendition has been represented in advent calendar’s in the past however has received an upgrade this year. The reviewer points out the superb use of the roller skate element, as well as the trans-clear 1x2 plate. Certain aspects of the mini-build are lacking but that is to be expected in small builds. The entry is immediately recognizable but does not induce a “wow” factor, and this is reflected in the reviewer’s score. The brown clip on the rear of the transport is a nice part and its inclusion here is welcome. Today’s entry could best be described as good but not great.
Overall, based on the reviewer’s scores (a perfect 5.0 for HP vs 3.5 for SW), HP’s entry is indeed a slam dunk- it is a build that is parts intensive and a great representative for the calendar’s theme. With that said, HP takes another point on Day 16. The score is now:
HP- 9
SW- 7
To be continued…
I like this! There was a partial chessboard in the huge 71043 Hogwarts set, and I did a mini one much like this in the HP advent calendar I made last year for my wife (https://flic.kr/p/2aETE7q). Thumbs up to this!
For me also a 5.0.
The best micro chess.
@dvw2 I like also your
35464 on a cone piece would make a decent bishop
I think the nano figures are the kings because they are the pieces which stand out as most valuable.
The queens have the flat crown, if the piece were inverted they would be kings with the bar pip representing the cross on top of the crown. Besides the queens' sloping dresses are also represented by the cones.
I was immediately regretting not buying more of this set marked down Friday to $20 USD. This has got to be the most useful part selection and build experience in an official Advent Calendar to date.
I love this one! I think it's clear that the center pieces are intended to be the king and queen. I also see the king as the nanofig and the queen as the cone with 'crown' and while they're on the correct plate colors the pieces need to be rotated a quarter. Easy fix, loving this!
There should always be a white square in the bottom right corner on each side :)
Queen goes on her color if this is a starting set up. Also LEGO always messes up the board position. The light colored square is supposed to be to the right (white on right).
The Queen is fashionable, so her dress always matches her shoes (ie, a white queen will start on a white spot, and the black queen starts on a black square).
I love this build. I hope they put us out of our misery with the last house pennant tomorrow. We have two more minifigs and a few more detailed builds left to go so I'd like to get the pennant out of the way since pretty much no matter what the SW calendar has it will beat out the pennant. I like the pennants for what they represent but they are rather simple & a boring build and should have been presented in pairs like the 2 small trees rather than taking up 4 days.
The king looks more like a tower lol
@mafon2 said:
"Shouldn't Q and K be swapped on one side?"
good catch... on both sides actually. the Queen matches her dress to the square.