Review: 75978 Diagon Alley (Secret)
Posted by CapnRex101,
Official images of 75978 Diagon Alley feature several exceptional buildings beside fourteen minifigures, adequately populating the scene. However, this set includes another concealed item which is absent from any official images.
Minifigure
75978 Diagon Alley focuses primarily upon moments from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets but this Harry Potter minifigure takes inspiration from The Philosopher's Stone, when the eponymous hero first visits Diagon Alley. His chequered shirt appears accordingly faithful to the movie and I like the realistic creasing across this unique torso component.
The double-sided head is also brand new, although this element is shared with the standard Harry Potter minifigure so features soot from the Floo Network. However, the smiling face is absolutely perfect, conveying appropriate wonder at the bustling Diagon Alley. This unkempt hair piece looks splendid too, closely resembling the onscreen character and including a gap that reveals his famous scar.
The Completed Model
Harry is packaged with Hagrid and they can be displayed together on an attractive stand. Its design is extremely simple but I like the smooth curvature along the edge and the consistent colour scheme is effective, allowing the minifigures to stand out. They each stand on pairs of studs so feel secure on their base. The set only includes one Hagrid minifigure so those studs might sometimes be vacant when he is placed in Diagon Alley.
The minifigures flank an exclusive printed tile, featuring the LEGO Harry Potter logo and a quotation from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as Hagrid introduces Diagon Alley. This does complement the minifigures, although the designer could potentially have included masonry bricks to depict the magical wall behind the Leaky Cauldron.
Overall
Harry Potter's arrival at Diagon Alley represents his true introduction to the Wizarding World. Including an accurate minifigure from that scene is accordingly appreciated, especially since 75978 Diagon Alley remains exceptionally appealing without this secret addition! The display stand is nicely designed and I like the printed 6x6 tile behind the two characters.
I think the stand could be improved by incorporating the wall which retracts to reveal Diagon Alley. No opening function would be necessary because the model would still be intended to display these minifigures but I would rather they were placed in an appropriate environment. Nevertheless, this is a delightful bonus and leaves me wondering what surprises might appear in future sets!
The complete review of 75978 Diagon Alley is available here.
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12 comments on this article
@The_Brickster_ said:
"That's a really nice inclusion! So is this a second Hagrid figure, or the same one in the main review?"
I believe it is the same one. As to why, it has Hagrid on the box so I guess it’s part of the set that is expected by buyers
So they can print that tile but not the ones in the UCS sets?
Shocked -SHOCKED- that this isn't a sticker.
I was really happy when I found this in my set, thanks for keeping it a secret for everyone else!
Bags numbered from 1 up to 20 plus the 21 SILENCIO¨! box.
@Gruffy1987 said:
"So they can print that tile but not the ones in the UCS sets? "
The UCS plaques have details across the whole tile, but this tile purposely avoids printing over the hole in the middle of the tile. They would have to redesign the layout of the UCS plagues to print them. Also, the small font might not always come out perfectly.
@haldir said:
" @Gruffy1987 said:
"So they can print that tile but not the ones in the UCS sets? "
The UCS plaques have details across the whole tile, but this tile purposely avoids printing over the hole in the middle of the tile. They would have to redesign the layout of the UCS plagues to print them. Also, the small font might not always come out perfectly."
The tiles from UCS sets don't have the hole in the middle...
I think I like this hidden article as much as the idea that there's a hidden set in the box :-D
So is the add'l Harry a 'bonus' minifig, making it 15 in the set? I assume the Hagrid is the figure already shown on the box, and included in the count.
@CapnRex101, @Huw
Will you had the hp256 Harry Potter minifigure to the database or will you keep it secret´?
@Slobrojoe said:
" @The_Brickster_ said:
"That's a really nice inclusion! So is this a second Hagrid figure, or the same one in the main review?"
I believe it is the same one. As to why, it has Hagrid on the box so I guess it’s part of the set that is expected by buyers"
Is that so?
Judging by the video reviews I have seen I got the impression that it is also a second Hagrid.
Only one Hagrid minifigure is included. Apologies for not originally making that clear in the review, which has now been updated.