I'm really happy about this set because it done well with three things:

1. Most importantly it stood up to its name and has fantastic beasts included, five of them (if we count the Bowtruckle).

2. Actual Newt's foldable case with small habitat and accessories for the beasts.

3. Four great minifigs.

Also, I think that this set has a better value to price ratio than other Harry Potter sets (at least here in Poland).

Main Build

The main structure is Newt's Case which is very easy to build but at the same time, it isn't boring. It contains small habitats for beasts with equipment such as water feeder, Niffler's hoard, nest with an egg and so on. It folds to the real case and while it is not possible to fit animals inside (except for niffler and bowtruckle) it could take all 4 minifigs which makes it perfect travel playset which I love.

Beasts

- Bowtruckle:

Yeah...

- Niffler:

Cute little fig which could fit on single stud or minifig's hand. It's very good detailed and I like it very much.

- Thunderbird

Not much to say about building experience but the overall effect is very good.

- Occamy

It uses the standard lego technique for all serpent-like animals with additional wings. What I like about it is the great color scheme. Even if Occamy uses the same mold as the Thunderbird for the head it looks completely different.

- Erumpent

Not much to say, it's good. What I don't like is the horn which (the plastic) doesn't feel lego-like.

Minifigs

We have four of them (which is very good, Lego could easily go with three, or even two).

All are very well made and have great printings. They are very universal too. An additional hairpiece for Jacob's alternate face is a nice touch as well.

Conclusion

I really like this set. Thanks to three brick-built animals building experience is diversed and interesting. However, I took one star because it's also very short. This set is also great from the playability perspective and even can be used as a travel playset because a closed case holds itself very well.

Avid fan of all things related to the Rowling Magical universe.

Box/Instructions

The set comes in a good sized box, a bit bigger than necessary in my opinion for the number of parts in the set but also extremely convenient when I travel around with it as the completed build fits perfectly into the box when it is complete. It is only necessary to place the creatures in the box on their own, everything else fits into the suitcase.

Parts

The parts are highly varied and it was fun to go through the various packs and note the marked difference between the colour schemes of each of the items/animals.

Building the Set

Each of the items is built separately.

The Erumpent was a very technically interesting build in my opinion, though it may have been due to me not being very experienced at the time I bought the set. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the creature take shape under my hands. The Thunderbird was slightly disappointing, though the head and the wings are beautiful, I felt like it didn't quite catch the magic and scale of the creature, perhaps if the wings had been a bit more curved to give that idea of movement or if the body was longer, the biggest issue was probably that the creature felt...compressed.

Finally, the Occamy was by far my favourite creature to build, though it is the basic technique for the snakelike creatures throughout the Lego sets, it was a fun build and it is visually the main focus of the set in my opinion, specifically with how well the blue and the magenta colours compliment one another. The suitcase was an interesting build and at first I was note completely sure how it was going to come together, and I found it to be slightly unstable during the initial steps but once the entire suitcase is together it is very sturdy.

The Minifigures

Four minifigures are included in this set, all of them unique. Newt Scamander, The Goldstein Sisters and Jacob Kowalski. Jacob Kowalski is obviously the only minifigure without any magical accessories. His hair and the helmet he wore during the Erumpent encounter are interchangable. My favourite minifigures is this set are most certainly Newt and Queenie, both for the fact that they capture the style of the era so well. And also because Queenie has the printed leg pieces.

The Final model

The completed set is very stable, as I mentioned before, and easy to store and display. I do however find it a bit difficult should one wish to display it as part of the series of Wizarding world sets, especially if one intends on displaying the suitcase with the lid instead of using it as only the interior. This is obviously caused by the scale but I completely understand why the model is on the scale. It is incredibly exciting to close it up and actually being able to carry it around. That makes up for any possible scale issues I may perceive.

Overall opinion

Finally, I really feel that this is a good model that took me about 90 minutes to build. It is very visual and enjoyable to build, own and display.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I HAVE NEVER SEEN FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM! I BOUGHT THIS SET BECAUSE I LIKE HARRY POTTER!

This is my first review, so please forgive me...

First off, I will tell about the building experience:

The whole set took about 3 hours to complete. The suitcase was rather tricky, with many technic pieces. The Occamy was a little repetitive, and as such a little boring, but overall the building experience was fun and kept me occupied for a long while, though it won't be one that I will constantly take apart and rebuild.

The Parts:

The parts for the set fit the respective places perfectly. I only wish that the Occamy had more parts and a longer tail. The Erumpent horn is made out of rubber, which made it a target for my cat, who loves nothing more than captivating my LEGOs, and she bit the tip off the horn.

Playability:

The Suitcase is mainly made for play features. Then the Occamy is hard to pose, but the set is almost entirely posable, which increases play. I have had quite a bit of fun playing with it.

Value for money:

I got this set for about thirty dollars because of a gift card, but I think that it is worth the money.

Overall rating:

I think that the animals are true to the trailers and clips that I have seen. I wish that the Occamy was larger, and that there were more beasts but overall this is an amazing set for Muggles who love the wizarding world, and wizards who want to play with Muggle toys.

Summary

This set was one of the sets I looked forward to in relation to this year Harry Potter / Fantastic Beast releases. I had hoped that the trunk was somewhat bigger - with all the included beasts actually fitting in, but still... over the weekend I had the excuse to get this set, and it did not disappoint. Yes, the wish for a bigger trunk is still there, but in the end, I think it a good set: fun choice in animals, goof choice in minifigures, and generally well executed. And yes, 50 euro's is quite a bit of money, but IMHO this is worth it for this set. There is perhaps not a lot of 'volume of stuff' (to use a Jangbricks' phrase), but what is there, is high quality.

Build experience

This set gives an age range of 8 to 14 years old. I would argue younger children should be able to build the set, though attaching some elements are tricky (most notably the beaks to the head-pieces) and there are many small pieces used in this build. There are a few stickers to be applied.

One starts out building the adult Occamy. The build is colourful, and introduces the first new moulds and/or recolours. The scales are cleverly constructed, and the print on the head is brilliant, colourful - and very good quality. The only minor nit-pick is that the construction of the elements that make up its body is somewhat repetitive.

Next up is the Thunderbird. It is an impressive animal with its massive wings, talons and beak. The head is a recolour of the same piece as used for the Occamy, and it is done just as well. Construction is simple, but effective. I like the use of the golden liana pieces for its tails.

The Erumpent is a very bulky structure, and well done. The construction of the head was most interesting. The horn looks to me like a new piece, and is made of a soft, flexible rubber. The eyes are a nice and very detailed print.

The pieces for the construction of the trunk are split over two bags. One for the construction of the rear of the case and the hut/connection to the regular world, and the other for the construction of the second part of the trunk walls and the lid. The construction of the trunk and its interior makes use of many small pieces and layering of plates. Also, the designer has done a pretty good job hiding many of the off-colour bricks used in the trunk's construction, both on the inside and the outside; they are only visible in some of the corners of the trunk.

The minifigures

There are four minifigures included in this set, all of them unique. Tina and Queenie Goldstein, Jacob Kowalski and Newt Scamander. All of them have alternate face prints, and different hair styles. All but Jacob Kowalski have a wand, for which a spare is included.

Queenie Goldstein is the only minifigure with a leg print. She seems to be wearing a night dress/pyjamas. The print on the front and back of the torso is very nice, with lots of folds-detail. It is still quite subtle. It is continued nicely on the legs.

Tina Goldstein wears a blouse with grey jacket and dark pants. The jacket detail is nicely printed; the blouse is much more detailed, with fine print representing a certain pattern. The medallion is a nice touch. Here face prints represent a somewhat stern and a more friendly expression.

Jacob Kowalski is dressed in Erumpent hunting gear. The protective vest is nicely printed, and there is even some detail on his tie. He also wears a helmet, and one of the facial expressions has the strap for the helmet printed on it. His expression is appropriate for someone who for the first time is confronted with an Erumpent looking for a mate. His second facial expression fits with his hair piece (provided in the set) for a non-hunting Jakob. Unfortunately that still somewhat conflicts with the torso.

Newt is armed with a Bowtruckle and a wand. His vest is nicely detailed - I like the chain and watch. The detail of his dress shirt is very nice, as is his spiked hair piece. One of his facial expressions is that of a friendly smirk, the other of someone more frightened.

The build

The Occamy is of decent size. It still has its snake-shape body, and I like the colours used; it prevents the figure from becoming bland. The Occamy can be posed in various different poses, though finding a stable pose can be tricky - though it is definitely possible.

The Thunderbird looks quite impressive, and there are also some poses possible. It is possible to have one of the minifigures ride the bird - although the expression of the eyes is not the most friendly.

The Erumpent simply looks good. The bright orange bricks work quite nicely to represent the parts of the animal that light up in the movie.

The trunk on the outside pretty much looks like an ordinary trunk. The Newt Scamander tag and the 'Muggle' lock stickers are nice additions. Modified rounded 1x1's represent the locking mechanism of the trunk. The roof of the cabin is nicely integrated into the lid of the trunk. The lid opens smoothly, and reveals a crammed interior. The roof of the cabin can be folded open to allow for the ladder to the outside world to be deplyed. There is also a place for the bow-truckle, storage for the Niffler's loot (with space to put the Niffler), a Bowtruckle residence, and what seems to be a nice pile of Erumpent dung. The Occamy's nest (with egg) is a nice touch. Thankfully the sidewalls can be opened up, to provide scenery for the animals and play.

Play vs display

This set is a mixture between a play and a display set. The many animals and the minfigures invite play, and the trunk provides enough scenery to create many scenarios. The animals are swooshable and playable enough as well. That said, the designers have done well enough to make this a potential display set. The animals - especially the Occamy and Thunderbird - are eye-catching enough. The trunk itself and its interior are also of high quality, and detailed enough to make looking at the various parts a lot of fun.

The verdict

This set is a top notch set, both for play and display. Its price is quite high for the volume of stoff, but IMHO not for the end result. Three attractive animals, four minfigures, and a very detailed and well designed trunk with a jam-packed interior. Personally I am extremely glad I got it - and frankly I think it one of the better sets I own. I hope therefore that many are able to get this set. It is definitely worth saving for.