Review: 75965 The Rise of Voldemort
Posted by CapnRex101,Voldemort's malevolent presence overshadows the entire Harry Potter series. However, this evil character becomes particularly frightening after returning with physical form towards the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, allowing the Dark Lord to recommence his plans.
75965 The Rise of Voldemort depicts the pivotal moment of his resurrection, succeeding 4766 Graveyard Duel which was produced during 2005. This set includes four brilliant minifigures, along with Voldemort's rudimentary body and the graveyard, but costs £19.99 or $19.99 so appears to offer exceptionally good value!
Minifigures
Touching the famous Triwizard Cup transports Harry Potter to the Little Hangleton graveyard and this minifigure therefore wears Triwizard Champion attire. A similar minifigure appears in 75946 Hungarian Horntail Triwizard Challenge but this example features an authentic black and red shirt. I like the small Hogwarts emblem printed on the torso and this black hair piece also appears faithful to the film.
Lord Voldemort features black robes upon his return and this minifigure appears accordingly simple. Dark green highlights create realistic wrinkles in the fabric across his torso but these are missing from the sloped dress element, unfortunately. Furthermore, the white area of the torso does not correspond with Voldemort's head. His cruel smile looks excellent though, differing from the Collectable Minifigure variant.
Both characters include appropriate wands and Harry also carries the Triwizard Cup. This accessory differs from the version provided with Cedric Diggory in the Collectable Minifigures series, lacking the printing which appeared there but more accurately capturing its onscreen design. The trans-light blue 1x1 brick at its centre seems especially authentic.
Shortly before his resurrection, Lord Voldemort inhabits a weak rudimentary body which is wrapped in black fabric. This is cleverly represented by the baby in a papoose component that was introduced for the fifteenth series of Collectable Minifigures and it looks fantastic! I like the pale eyes and serpentine nostrils, matching the source material exactly.
Despite occupying an important role within the Harry Potter saga, Peter Pettigrew has only appeared twice before in minifigure form. This rendition of the character looks wonderful, featuring a shabby suit with dark tan stripes and a light bluish grey hand that demonstrates outstanding attention to detail. His twisted face looks superb too, featuring apprehensive and angry expressions, but this hair piece might have been improved. Peter comes with a standard dark brown wand and a dagger.
LEGO has produced several Death Eater minifigures but this example is unique, sporting dark robes which reflect the scene from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The conspicuous conical hood looks suitably intimidating and I like the dark tan skull mask, concealing a shadowy face underneath. I think the torso seems quite bland by comparison, although it appears accurate to the movie and this figure wields a black wand.
The Completed Model
Little Hangleton graveyard appears remarkably gloomy during the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This model certainly captures that sombre atmosphere, consisting primarily of dark tan plates that resemble mud. Angled gravestones are scattered across the ground but plenty of room remains for minifigures and I like how foliage has been distributed among these graves.
Their design varies quite significantly, with some consisting of simple 2x2 coupling plates while others include decorative flourishes. The large headstone towards the right of the structure seems especially interesting, featuring the Sign of the Deathly Hallows. This does not appear here during the movie but remains a fun reference and I like how the gravestones have been positioned on angled platforms.
However, these angled sections are actually required to conceal a function at the centre of the model. Pressing a light bluish grey 2x2 coupling plate will cause Voldemort to appear from below the ground, as demonstrated below. The hinged flap closes automatically behind him but it remains open here to show the space underneath. The spring yellowish green 1x1 tooth plate appears slightly out of place but I am otherwise pleased with this function.
Tom Riddle Senior's grave dominates the model and appears accurate when compared with the film, featuring an imposing Angel of Death statue along with his name. Its dark bluish grey colour scheme contrasts with the remainder of the structure and a cauldron is placed before the tomb. This contains the weakened Voldemort, a bone from Tom Riddle Senior, Peter Pettigrew's hand and a trans-red globe element that represents Harry's blood.
While manufacturing the resurrecting potion, Peter restrains Harry against the aforementioned statue. You can recreate this moment by placing Harry on two visible studs and positioning the scythe across his throat, as exhibited here. Alternatively, its handle may be placed across the minifigure which looks more faithful to the movie but seems slightly less threatening in my opinion.
Unfortunately, no bones are situated inside the tomb which is disappointing as there would have been room for them. Nevertheless, this structure looks excellent and I appreciate the continued detail on its reverse where some dark green and olive green foliage is attached. The two angled platforms, on the other hand, look awkward when viewed from this angle.
Overall
The popular Harry Potter theme continues to impress! 75965 The Rise of Voldemort contains several nice minifigures, all of whom are exclusively available here. They each compare favourably with their respective onscreen counterparts and the little representation of Voldemort before his resurrection is brilliant too, making ingenious use of an existing component.
Little Hangleton graveyard is overshadowed by the minifigure selection but this structure seems quite attractive and I appreciate its interaction with both Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter. Furthermore, this set costs £19.99 or $19.99 and represents great value in my opinion, even without the Cedric Diggory minifigure that would complete this scene. 75965 The Rise of Voldemort is therefore a worthy addition to any Harry Potter collection.
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your opinion of the set in the comments below.
108 likes
35 comments on this article
great review and instant buy! I love it
Don’t collect LEGO HP, but I love this set...
This is a pretty accurate and dark Harry Potter scene and I think the lack of Cedric is to prevent a more darker scene.
Between this and the Hidden Side set, I’m going to have a great graveyard for my Haunted House!
MeganL, I had the exact same thought.
Pretty good set, although not as good as the 2005 graveyard set IMO. The play feature looks kinda fun, though, although I’ve already gotten the Hidden Side™ cemetery, so I’m not sure if I’ll get this one just yet. Also, is it just me or is including a piece representing Harry’s blood in a set very unlike of LEGO? Couple that with Ray Arnold’s severed arm in the T. Rex Rampage set and we’ve got some more... uh... “grown-up” LEGO (not that I’m complaining, I love that they’re okay with doing stuff like this now).
I need Baby Voldemort. The set is excellent, but just all overshadowed by Baby Voldemort.
BABY VOLDEMORT!
Blows my mind that LEGO includes pieces depicting blood and a literal severed hand. I have no problems with it, but I think this is one for the history books. (Love baby Voldemort!)
All the figures in this set are exclusive. The Harry Potter figure in the Hungarian Horntail Triwizard Challenge is different and sports a jacket. Great set and review, and I just built it yesterday. I hope to see more to this theme in the future (maybe the second challenge)
I bought this too and yes I agree this is another great set! My full thoughts on it: https://youtu.be/7x0eum2OTt8
@KeyboardKafe - "depicting blood and severed hand"?? Am I missing something?
This is a really dark moment, I'm frankly surprised it's being made. This scene is depicts basically a human sacrifice and a demonic ritual to bring back the dead. Seriously, people are buying this for their children?
@ra226 - Even if they do, it presupposes their kids interfacing with the source prior in some form and liking it. But I agree, 70643 is much more palatable choice for the younger crowd of this kind of subject matter. A little more expensive, though...
I'm not a HP fan so I'm missing the context, but the evil baby and dunce skeleton figures crack me up.
I haven't purchased the $19.99 Expecto Patronum set (75945) because I expect that retailers will be offering discounts in the near future. This will likely get a discount as well, but the price point feels right. It was a Day One purchase for me, and we've been pretty happy with it.
Also, I was really surprised by the "blood" and "hand" pieces. I saw that Peter Pettigrew had a grey hand and assumed it would be the only allusion to the sacrifices.
I surprisingly have't gotten any of the new HP sets yet; definitely need this one!
Looking forward to this one & the Hidden Side Graveyard for Halloween. I may need to stop at Walmart today. Great review.
Great review capn', as I am a big fan of Harry potter, I like most of the sets, still disappointed that there was not a new second task set this year, (it is my favourite task.) But I will probably have to get this after getting the night bus, then Hagrid's hut.
BABY. VOLDEMORT.
Small set, cheap, main hero and main villain, an excellent number of minifigures. I'm sold, I'll have to buy it.
Not a bad set, but I much preferred the original graveyard set from a few years ago. In terms of a creepy Lego graveyards, that was a goldmine.
I'm still waiting for Harry in the bath with Moaning Myrtle.
The Pop Up Voldemort function reminds me of the function from 7409 Secret of the Tomb. I hope the paint on Voldemort's face holds up better than the face from my skeleton did!
How can this set exist with no Cedric? Not to do so, I feel, is an insult to his memory!
What represents Wormtail's hand? Is it an actual hand piece? If so, is this the first time one has appeared in a set not attached to a figure?
Awesome minifigs, not-so-great graveyard (personal opinion of course) as I much prefer the Hidden Side one (also closer to a younger audiences).
They should have thrown in an extra skeleton, it's a graveyeard and it'd quiet people who wanted Cedric! :)
Looks like a fun little set, maybe not a top priority but something I'd consider based on value.
Well, between this and Hidden Side, my Buffy display just got a lot bigger!
What a great little set! The only changes I'd make would be to use the medium legs on Wormtail, and swap that hair piece for the bald piece with printed hair on top. Still, $20 for 4 figures and a fun, story-accurate action feature is a great value.
Just needs a Cedric with X'd-out eyes and a spare flesh-colored hand for Wormtail. ;-P
@SinKiller Nick Looks like you didn't read the review!
@Albus it uses part "6278152: Stick Ø 3.2 W. Holder" in black rather than a minifigure hand.
https://brickset.com/parts/6278152/stick-%C3%B8-3-2-w-holder
I can't believe they cheaped out on adding a dead Cedric figure. What a waste of potential...
I would buy this just to get the evil Voldy-baby!!