Harry Potter Advent Calendar - Day 19

A neat fireplace, will the site address BrickLink new Tearms of Services?

Good enough, I like the greebling and the included cherry. No idea what's in the SW calendar today but I'm banking on a HP win.

This is a nicely done fireplace scene. The scroll and masonry bricks work well together, and the cherry piece stands in well for holly. I can visualize a nice scene in front of the fireplace with two people playing chess. Star Wars had better bring their "A" game today, because this is a strong entry.

@Lordmoral said:
"A neat fireplace, will the site address BrickLink new Tearms of Services?"

Do you have opinions you'd like to share?

While I think the comments section is not an ideal place for this I too would appreciate a Brickset article about the blatant breach of promise TLG displays by its actions concerning changing Bricklink for the worse. There is nothing the community has gained by the takeover, quite the contrary.

@AustinPowers said:
"While I think the comments section is not an ideal place for this I too would appreciate a Brickset article about the blatant breach of promise TLG displays by its actions concerning changing Bricklink for the worse. There is nothing the community has gained by the takeover, quite the contrary. "

Custom elements are no longer allowed, which makes sense. You can still sell those elsewhere, but Bricklink is a site for selling LEGO. Not 3D printed things, not custom machine guns, not parts that you put chrome paint on. LEGO. What's the issue? Where's the blatant breach?

Battle of the Licensed Advent Calendars continues. After an epic, head-to-head minifig battle on Day 18 which saw HP take its most contested point yet, SW again trails by 2 with six days remaining. After superb offerings yesterday, let’s see what each calendar has left in the tank for Day 19.

Behind the door of HP’s Day 19 is a buildable Christmas fireplace. For those with a keen eye, this mini-build is shown on the box artwork so it was to be expected at some point. Fireplace/mantle scenes are common in Christmas-based builds, but its inclusion here seems fitting, given that HP is developing an overall scene in the Great Hall. The mantle allows leftover chess pieces from Day 16 to be displayed, which is a nice. The medium nougat pieces forming the base are welcome rare colors, especially the decorative 1x1x2 design bricks. The wreathe with cherry inlay above the fireplace is also a nice touch, but it could have been something else (see below). The major knock on this build is that, unlike every other entry in the calendar, there is nothing definitively “Harry Potter” about today. For the most part, every other build to date represents something from the Wizarding World- be it a minifig, accessory, or both (one could argue the trees on Day’s 3 and 4 also slide into this category). That said, while the mini build itself is good, it is slightly disappointing to get a non-theme related entry this late into the calendar- something that could have been solved with a printed 2x2 portrait of Hedwig above the fireplace (just as an example).

On the flip side, SW fans opened today’s door to find a buildable Mynock. This build is only available in the UCS Millennium Falcon set. Naturally, this is a highly sought-after item for SW fans who may or may not have been able to purchase the UCS set. The dark tan wings are a very unique element as the reviewer points out. The presence of the reddish-brown pieces are also nice and the fact that the Mynock can connect via any studded surface adds a playability function to the build. While the overall design doesn’t speak to me (a little cartoon-y; the eyes especially) this is more of a subjective comment and won’t detract from the overall rating. As the reviewer points out, for many SW fans, this will be a brand new item for them and I am sure they are thrilled with today’s offering.

In conclusion, both calendars followed up with respectable builds today, after pulling out all the stops in yesterday’s high caliber battle. But based on the reviewer’s scores and also the fact that the SW entry stayed “on theme” today, the point goes to SW. With the win, SW is hanging around, cutting the deficit to a single point heading into the 20’s of the month. As advertised, the battle continues to be close and unless something dramatic occurs over the next few days, this one is going down to the wire. With that, the score is now:

HP- 10
SW- 9

To be continued…

'this model has little relationship with Harry Potter'

How else are the minifigures supposed to travel by Floo Powder?

@eureka1947 said:
"'this model has little relationship with Harry Potter'

How else are the minifigures supposed to travel by Floo Powder?"

Then make the flames green instead of orange

@MattZ A picture of Hedwig would make no sense. The only one that appears throughout the series is a drawing in Privet Drive... A fireplace is very much Harry Potter, as they are a constant fixture throughout the books and films. That being said, the mynock deserves the point, though.