Brickset Bouts: Hogwarts Castle vs Roller Coaster
Posted by Huw,
This is the last bout of the first round of our knockout competition to find the best set released since Brickset was founded 20 years ago. Have we left the best until last? Only you can decide!
In this contest, a microscale masterpiece battles against an awesome fairground ride.
Read what advocates haldir has to say about 71043 Hogwarts Castle and Aegis2000 about 10261 Rollercoaster after the break, then cast your vote!
By popular demand, voting for all of today's contests will remain open until midday BST tomorrow, after which I will announce the results and the make-up of the quarter-final contests.
So, if you've not yet voted in today's first, second and third bouts, there's still time to do so.
71043 Hogwarts Castle
It is a good time to be an AFOL, as LEGO has been especially generous to its older fans in the last few years, providing us with many excellent models that surpass the quality of regular sets. In particular, 71043 Hogwarts Castle stands out for its impressive design and new building techniques.
This model combines the intricate details of large Creator Expert architecture sets like 10253 Big Ben and 10256 Taj Mahal with the magical charm we expect from the Harry Potter theme. Since it would be impossible to represent the Hogwarts campus in minifigure scale, the designers used microfigure scale and focused on the most iconic buildings.
With this approach, they designed a magnificent structure that captures the facade of Hogwarts better than any previous attempt. The Great Hall has stained-glass windows that actually glow under a backlight, and the adjacent Marble Staircase Tower uses studs not on top to give the tower a more organic look, whereas previous castle sets generally relied on large pieces and stickers to construct towers. The same build quality extends to the building on the opposite side of the viaduct.
The smaller scale for the castle allowed us to get several rooms that reference some of the best scenes in the Harry Potter series. Almost every room that has appeared in previous sets is combined into this one set. The highlights for me are the Great Hall and the challenge rooms from The Sorcerer's Stone.
LEGO also took the opportunity to give us four exclusive minifigures depicting characters I never expected to get. Rowena Ravenclaw is easily one of the most detailed minifigures to come out of any licensed set.
Even for those who are not Harry Potter fans, the accuracy of 71043 Hogwarts Castle compared to the first few Hogwarts sets highlights the progress LEGO has made by using new pieces and more creative building strategies. If a Castle theme ever comes back in some capacity, we can only hope for the same size and intricacy we see here. The set also offers extraordinary value with over 6,000 pieces at $400 or £349.99, making it the second largest set to hit shelves.
Accuracy and detail are definitely the most important aspects of a set like this, but let's not overlook the intangible image this build presents. Looking at this rendition of Hogwarts fills me with nostalgia for my experience reading the books and watching the movies for the first time. I can almost hear Hedwig's theme playing from inside its enticing walls.
71043 Hogwarts Castle is undoubtedly the best set to come out of the Harry Potter theme, and it challenges the flagship sets of other licensed and unlicensed themes to match it in quality and value.
10261 Roller Coaster
When thinking on what sets have defined the last 2 decades, I’m immediately reminded of 10261 Roller Coaster.
Most LEGO sets break new ground in some way or another, be it with a new building technique, new colour palate, or just a new arrangement of bricks not seen in previous sets. But 10262 goes above and beyond, not only breaking new ground in the LEGO Amusement Park, but taking LEGO to new heights.
This set builds on LEGO’s history of monorail and train-track systems, using the variety of new-for-2018 track pieces to achieve a full Roller Coaster layout.
This set also pushes the envelope for what can be achieved structurally with standard system bricks. LEGO’s design team created an incredible system of pillars, beams, and crossbars that support the frame of the coaster both on the straights and the bends. The final product is a long and winding track that is not only fun to build, but continues to impress me in its playability.
There’s a walkway, bench, ticket booth, waiting lines, and many more details tucked away to find beneath the coaster. The set looks incredible on display, with a core colour scheme consisting of a vibrant red and white, and the working coaster is a terrific conversation piece!
Even if you’re not a fan of riding on coasters, you can still be a fan of this set; that’s how great it is! The coaster is mesmerising in action, and it’s amazing to sit and watch as the carts travel the track, thinking “I built that!”
LEGO even pulled out the stops for the minifigure selection, including 11 minifigures (one of which is a rider with a weak stomach, a hilarious detail). The set can please the 10¢ per piece crowd, coming in at a rate of about 9¢ per piece. I remember seeing this on display for the first time at the LEGO store, and I’m just as enthralled with it now as I was then.
This set is absolutely the best set of 2018, and certainly one of the best of the millennium.
Cast your vote!
Having read the above, which of these two sets do you think should go through to the quarter-final for a chance to be crowned "best set of the millennium" ?
Voting for this bout will remain open until 8am BST Wednesday morning and I will announce the result shortly after.
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56 comments on this article
Both are great, but the level of detail on Hogwarts is insane compared to the roller coaster. The roller coaster just seems like stacks of white rounded bricks.
I don't own the Roller Coaster but I've admired its audacity and innovation. What a departure for Lego and what an achievement in creating something new, fun, and well engineered. Worthy of some award if not Best Set of the Brickset Era.
Yeah, this one there's absolutely no contest for me. That model of Hogwarts is PHENOMENAL; it's at the top of my wish-list and, even despite what I said about preferring a non-licensed set to win, it easily takes my vote all the way.
The roller coaster is neat, too. But it just doesn't have such a high appeal, to me, as the fantastic detail of that wizard school.
Roller Coaster for me all the way. I appreciate the castle but I’m just not a big Potter fan.
Easy, Rollercoaster is brilliant and fun.
The Hogwarts set though nice isn't for me plus its micro scale which ruins it for me prefer Minifigure scale sets. The Rollercoaster has a great array of parts and the overall build is brilliant and fun.
I’d wanted a LEGO rollercoaster for nearly my entire life, and this set was such a worthy answer to that desire!
The only way it could’ve been, uh, “better“ was if it was part of a Znap theme revival, to truly make it an analog to K’nex rollercoasters.
I do also wish the Hogwarts set was minifig scale. I’ve also always wanted a perfect recreation of Hogwarts, and while this was beautiful, the scale “missed it by that much.”
I really don't see how this one will be a contest. Hogwarts all the way
Like others have said, I wanted a LEGO roller coaster my whole life, so it’s no contest for me. I also, for the most part, only buy sets intended for mini-figures. One of the only ways to keep my costs down! :)
Roller Coaster for sure.
Again a unique set , compared to a large licensed model where there are more regular sets of (Slave I / Falcon / Hogwarts)
Rollercoaster for me! Hogwarts castle is an incredible build, but I love rollercoasters and was amazed when Lego announced the Rollercoaster set. Such an amazing feat of engineering and design. From designing the track pieces, to getting the cars to the top, aroubd the top bend and then make it all of the way back to the bottom. If anyone has tried making their own designs will appreciate how difficult that is. Amazing!
Easily the Roller Coaster as I love Creator Expert and I'm not a Harry Potter fan. No offense intended to Potter fans, I still think the castle looks incredible, it's just not my thing :)
Hogwarts is just way more impressive
Wow are all the sets we get to vote on big sets :-(
Roller Coaster! Saved up the VIP points to help get it, and it's a blast! Thank you haldir and Aegis2000!
No contest. Hogwarts. The detail is insane.
Oh this is way too cruel to pit these two against each other this early. Both are amazing, innovative sets. I think I have to go with the HP Castle just because having the whole building on such a large, detailed scale is absolutely amazing, but it was definitely a very difficult choice.
Not a Harry Potter aficionado in any way but the Hogwarts is on my list to get this year just because it looks amazing and looks like an interesting build.
I get why the Roller Coaster is a popular choice but I think It could have been so much more if they had themed it in some way to add to the build and the display aspect.
I absolutely loved the smaller Pirate Coaster 31084 as it looked so much more fun than it's bigger brother.
Is it weird that I’d rather have Hogwarts, yet voted for the roller coaster?
I’m a pretty big HP fan, and that castle just looks so gorgeous. But the roller coaster... just feels like such a landmark in LEGO history and really pushes the boundaries of what LEGO can do, and it looks like no other set before it.
All these choices are so hard!
I am a HP fan and I appreciate that this set is the best of all HP sets with all the detail and the rare minifigs, but the choice was an easy one: ROLLERCOASTER all the way, baby!
Creator expert sets never disappoint and this one is a fantastic playset and eyecather. I never thought TLC would ever so anything like it and I am very pleased they did. The rails are good parts for other purposes as well. ;-)
Easiest vote so far for me. The Roller Coaster is just iconic, innovative, masterfully designed and engineered set. It’s the one set we turn on every day. The best set Lego has ever made in my opinion.
Go on, let's have a peek at the original vote results!
This is the easiest choice ever.
Hogwarts smashes the roller-coaster. It's far better looking on display, far more intricate, and a far better bang-for-buck.
Easy pick here, the Hogwarts Castle.
I have both, and I took the Roller Coaster apart to make space for the Castle.
Not only that, but my girlfriend bought another one at the same time for her and her son to build (we lived some distance apart at the time), and we built them both at the same time, checking in with each other as to how far we'd got.
If you need any more convincing, I'd not even read the books or seen the films when I bought the castle. It's just an amazing architectural set.
Hogwarts! Hogwarts! Hogwarts!
...It's only a model.
Just think: All the minfigure scale castle parts so far since 2018 are still less than the price of 71043. And much larger when put together. 71043's part count is bloated by lots of really tiny 1x1 elements. 71043 isn't even a perfect display model as it's open around the back. As a Harry Potter fan 71043 outraged me at being microscale. So this has been the easiest contest, in my opinion anyway, a vote against a personally condemned set.
I’m not a big HP fan (I have seen all the movies though), but this set is high on my list! What an achievement!
Finally, an easy choice :)
This is the detail level of Hogwarts vs the functionality and playability of the coaster. Neither have what the other has. No fair!
You just had to put my two favorite sets from this competition against each other in the first round?
I don't own either. I would love to have both.
Who to vote for?
Heart says Hogwarts.
Head says Rollercoaster.
I really do think the Rollercoaster is the better set. I really do love Hogwarts more.
Heart wins this round.
@Gingerbread I've thought the same thing. It would have been more enjoyable to do this competition excluding sets valued over $120 or something. I would like to see what the most popular set is that doesn't break the bank.
Love the rollercoaster so it gets my vote. Love Harry Potter but the castle set doesn't do it for me. I'm sure it looks good on display but the rollercoaster produced a new wave of sets using a new track system. Innovation wins it for me in this case. People in the AFOL community have been asking for monorail they got a rollercoaster :)
This is a tough one, as I am a HP fan, it brought me into LEGO, back in 2001. HP sets have so many good memories of building with my kids & now on my own. I own both the HP Castle & the Roller Coaster. But I will have to go with the Roller Coaster. It looks just like many roller coasters at parks when no themes were needed to entice riders, just the pure thrill of the hills. The HP Castle is a nice display, but the Roller Coaster is the main attraction in my amusement park & it will probably remain my absolute favorite set for quite some time. Delivering fun for family & friends of all ages that stop by, who are not LEGO fans, but want to try it out & play with it. All are impressed that it is made of LEGO parts.
Probably the toughest choice of the first round for me - the 2 biggest and best sets of 2018 (although neither ultimately makes my top 3). This feels very evenly matched but they’re so different. The design, architecture, style, and scale of the castle vs. the engineering, technical build, and playfulness of the coaster. Hogwarts in the end for me but it’s close.
Roller Coaster is one of the best sets ever.
I’ve never watched a Harry Potter movie. I voted Hogwarts.
Sorry, but not a microscale fan. Besides, the rollar coaster has so many cool functions...
@Bycougars said:
" @Gingerbread I've thought the same thing. It would have been more enjoyable to do this competition excluding sets valued over $120 or something. I would like to see what the most popular set is that doesn't break the bank."
Perhaps Huw might consider a similar but separate voting opportunity for those sets that were nominated below the $120 price tag?
Roller Coaster. I don't like the micro figure scale of the castle, since day 1 it was a letdown. I enjoy much more expending the castle using the yearly mini figure scale castle sets.
Hogwarts is marvelous to look at, but that’s about it for me. I’d like to see one up close some day, but it lacks play features and MF scale, and I don’t need this hunk collecting dust. I’ve picked up all MF scale sets of HP sets of the past few years, but never considered buying this. Plus they broke legal building techniques in its design.
Roller coaster hits all the marks for me. Size, playability, ground breaking upon release, potential for motorization, new parts, etc. it’s been on my want list since announcement. If Hogwarts is ever discounted (Unlikely) I’ll consider picking it up.
Our family's Number One rule of building: (1) minifigure scale beats ________ scale any and every day. Roller Coaster wins by default . . . plus, it's an awesome set.
Seeing the Castle in person in a LEGO store for the first time was disappointing - in spite of the micro scale for some reason I feel like there are a lot of missed opportunities in the construction of the castle. It just feels somewhat incomplete to me when compared to what you see in the movies (and read about in the books).
On the other hand, seeing the roller coaster for the first time blew me away. The build is a bit repetitive and I've found it possible to make the drive for the lift chain misbehave so to speak but man is it impressive to run (my toddler son loves watching it for good measure) - this one definitely gets my vote.
One of the few where I have built both already and while the roller coaster is fun to play with, Hogwarts Castle was a really good build, much more so then to coaster so gets my vote on this one and I'm dislike Harry nearly as much as I dislike Hobbits lol!!
Really is something wrong with me, other then then the MCU & DCEU movies which I've only watched once each, I really have not liked any of the major film franchises since The Matrix, and even that I hated (think capital letters on that word lol) the first 30mins of the second movie lol!
The Roller Coaster is one of those paradoxes - it is both huge (and possibly too big), whilst also not being big enough (the cars complete the course too quickly).
I love the idea of the roller coaster, that Lego could do something like that. For a long time I really wanted it, and wasn't really interested in paying that much for the Hogwarts castle.
But ultimately, I have to vote for the set that is more detailed and more varied. If the coaster had been designed to have alternative track layouts and/or more easily support creating your own layouts, this might have been a different story.
Funny how both sets are very impressive, yet the choice is easy for many people.
Hogwarts has better aesthetics but the rollercoaster wins at the rebuild value.
I would like to remind everyone that Hogwarts has illegal, desinging flaw on the bridge
To me, roller coaster gets the vote. It's ground-breaking. The support beams look like a real roller coaster!! while Hogwarts is bigger and more detailed, yes, it's not as impressive building and the colors aren't that fun to me. I actually like the minifig scale great hall better than this tremendous set. I think the coaster has more play value too. (don't get me wrong i struggled with the vote for a min.)
Roller Coaster but LEGO can make more scale sets on multiple things (Jedi Temple, Geonosian Arena, Battle of Endor, etc).
While many other match ups are close calls, this one is an easy one for me. Roller coaster takes this easily. It's probably one of the most unique sets ever made by Lego and is like a dream come true for many people. Many people didn't even think a Lego roller coaster is possible. Don't get me wrong, the HC is a great set with tons of details, but then it is still just a "regular" Lego structure set that is not that "special" compared to the RC. There are so many different castles and architectures sets made and HC is just one of the better ones among them. RC is really one of a kind for now and involves a lot of new techniques and innovations. No contest for this one. In terms of break through RC is No.1 of all Lego sets imo.
I don’t see how the roller coaster is even this high. Yes it’s unique and demand was high but it’s not a very intersection build. So many 2x2 round white bricks!
As someone who owns the Rollercoaster, it is a gem of a set that enthrals people of all ages (even those with no interest in Lego), watching the little carts zoom around and around!
It is an amazing achievement of design and engineering, and was so groundbreaking upon release, plus I love the colour scheme and the funny Easter eggs hidden in the set. Lots of minifigs doesn’t hurt either.
Hogwarts Castle is amazing and hope to own it one day too, but it’s just pipped by the roller coaster.
Unlike some people here, I can appreciate arguments for both sides - they are both brilliant sets, and it’s a pity they are meeting so early in the competition! They would both be worthy semi finalists
I do not own the Roller Coaster. It's the only Fairground set I don't own. On the other hand, I do own Hogwarts Castle. For me, the choice is an easy one as my wallet already chose for me.
Both are visually impressive. They aren't just large sets with lots of pieces, the pieces are put to good use creating interesting builds.
A major positive of the Roller Coaster is it DEMANDS to be played with. It is absolutely not a set to place on a shelf and have sit there. I didn't buy it (or vote for it) because, at the end of the day, it was too much. Can a set be too large? In the case of the Roller Coaster, yes. In my Fairground display it would have had nowhere to go.
Hogwarts Castle is, of course, very large. It's not the overstuffed riot that Ninjago City is (and in the case of the City, it was done exceptionally well) but it's understated in its display of the Harry Potter movies. The completed build is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. And that, to me, is the ultimate test of a Lego set.
@FinBrick said:
"I would like to remind everyone that Hogwarts has illegal, desinging flaw on the bridge"
It's a castle for wizards. I'll allow it.
I got the Ferris Wheel which is awesome, but still want the roller coaster. Seeing how I have zero interest in Harry Potter, this was an easy decision.
@vader11 said:
"It's probably one of the most unique sets ever made by Lego and is like a dream come true for many people."
There seems to be a rather unique interpretation of the word "unique", given that Lego has made three other "coaster" sets, and (at least) three other fairground sets. There are other construction toys that have roller coasters in their product range.
Yes, the other coaster sets are smaller, much less impressive and don't have the technics elements This is clearly the most impressive of them, and I can see why people would vote for it - certainly over some of the sets in other bouts - but it's rather stretching things to call it "unique".
Hogwarts Castle!