Review: 71022 Wizarding World Collectable Minifigures (Part 1)
Posted by CapnRex101,The Wizarding World created by J. K. Rowling is inhabited by a vast range of popular characters but there is insufficient room for them all in the brand new Harry Potter LEGO sets. Fortunately, several of those absent characters are found in the latest Collectable Minifigures series, 71022 Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts.
Collectable Minifigures are always extremely popular but this series received an exceptional response when it was revealed a couple of weeks ago, due perhaps in part to the fantastic range of different characters included. We have therefore decided to divide this review into three separate parts, the first of which is focused upon pupils from Hogwarts such as Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom and Dean Thomas.
Box Distribution
Each box contains a total of 60 minifigures which are distributed as follows:
- 3 - Harry Potter (Hogwarts Uniform)
- 3 - Hermione Granger
- 3 - Ron Weasley
- 3 - Draco Malfoy
- 2 - Luna Lovegood
- 3 - Neville Longbottom
- 3 - Cho Chang
- 3 - Dean Thomas
- 3 - Lord Voldemort
- 3 - Dobby
- 2 - Sybill Trelawney
- 3 - Cedric Diggory
- 3 - Filius Flitwick
- 3 - Alastor Moody
- 2 - Harry Potter (Invisibility Cloak)
- 3 - Albus Dumbledore
- 3 - Newt Scamander
- 3 - Tina Goldstein
- 3 - Jacob Kowalski
- 3 - Queenie Goldstein
- 2 - Credence Barebone
- 1 - Percival Graves
Minifigures
Harry Potter appears in almost every Wizarding World set, as one might expect of the series' protagonist. This variant is unique, sporting a Hogwarts robe as well as smoother hair and longer legs than its counterpart from first year. Medium-sized legs are a new feature of this Collectable Minifigures series, offering the same articulation as standard legs but reflecting the character's relative youth. You can find out more about them here.
The black robe is fairly simple but includes an attractive dark red lining around the lapels as well as the Gryffindor emblem. Harry also wears a striped Gryffindor tie and a dark bluish grey jumper underneath, both of which match the younger version of the character that appears in many of the new sets. This swept hair piece was previously used in 71247 Harry Potter Team Pack from LEGO Dimensions and looks great so I am pleased to see it return.
Hedwig accompanies Harry and remains unchanged from the 2010 Harry Potter theme. I like the layered feathers and her piercing yellow eyes look brilliant. Moreover, Harry is equipped with a dark brown wand which is packaged on a sprue beside a spare. This is very useful as the wands are made from a soft plastic so are sometimes damaged when they are fitted into a minifigure's hand.
A matching Gryffindor robe is worn by Hermione Granger as well and she, like Harry, features a different hair piece to the minifigure found in some of the new sets. This element was created in 2010 but has not appeared in reddish brown before and it looks reasonably faithful to Hermione's hairstyle from Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. Her head is exclusive too and is decorated with a wry smile.
Hermione's robes are fastened at the front so show more of their dark red lining than Harry's, running across the torso and onto the legs. This provides a welcome splash of colour and I like how the robes are worn in different ways by each pupil, thereby avoiding excessive repetition. A new dark tan wand completes the figure.
Crookshanks was introduced in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and is a half-Kneazle so his hair is particularly long and bushy. Unfortunately, he is represented by a standard cat on this occasion which does not match the source material, although I like the medium dark flesh hair colour and the printed streaks between its eyes look excellent.
Ron Weasley is also based upon Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, as demonstrated by his scruffy hair style and Gryffindor tie which look perfect when compared with the movie. This hair piece was originally designed for Han Solo but is ideal for Ron and I think it looks even better in dark orange than it does in reddish brown, perhaps because the textured detail is more visible against a brighter colour.
However, the printing on Ron's head looks slightly awkward in my view, as though the mouth and the eyes have been placed too far apart. Furthermore, alternative expressions for each of the three main characters would have been welcome as having only one face provides limited display options. Ron's untidy robe looks brilliant though and feels entirely appropriate given his personality.
A moulded rat was created for the original Harry Potter theme in 2001 and has been in continued use for the last seventeen years, until now. The new element is far more detailed than its predecessor and represents Scabbers very effectively, featuring two beady eyes and a tuft of pale hair on top of its head. Scabbers also appears in 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall and 75955 Hogwarts Express but those versions lack the printed hair.
75956 Quidditch Match includes two members of the Slytherin Quidditch team and they are joined here by Draco Malfoy who wears the same Quidditch attire as his teammates. These robes look marvellous in dark green and feature the Slytherin crest as well as a soft fabric cape. Draco's short legs suggest that this figure is based upon his first appearance as a member of the Quidditch team in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Removing the cape reveals a folded hood on the back of the torso, again matching the other members of Slytherin's Quidditch team. Draco's head is only decorated on one side but his sneering expression conveys a great deal about the pupil's unpleasant personality and the slicked blonde hair piece looks fantastic too, matching Draco's hair style from the first two movies.
Draco carries a dark brown wand and a dark green broomstick which is new in this colour and is only available here. I wonder whether LEGO might have designed a new broomstick piece with a more accurate shape, although the existing element looks alright. The Golden Snitch, on the other hand, is a brand new component and features tremendous moulded detail as well as a grip for minifigures to hold.
This version of Luna Lovegood is based upon her appearance in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, wearing a pink jacket and a colourful skirt which is decorated with hearts, birds and horses. Fabric components do not always appeal to me but I think this one looks superb and Luna's medium-sized blue legs are a suitable colour in relation to the source material. However, her torso lacks back printing which is disappointing.
Furthermore, it might have been nice to see a wistful smiling expression on Luna's face as the current design looks fairly bland, although I like the detailed Spectrespecs on the reverse. The new hair piece is excellent too, featuring some realistic texture and accommodating a nice purple satchel which is worn over the minifigure's shoulder. This hair component is ideal for Luna Lovegood but may be difficult to use elsewhere.
As usual, Luna carries an issue of The Quibbler which is represented by a printed 2x3 tile. I love how the design from the film has been adapted for the LEGO Harry Potter universe as the human face from the original magazine has been replaced with a bearded minifigure head! A reddish brown wand is also included.
Neville Longbottom is dressed for a Herbology class in second year, sporting a tan jacket and a pair of dark tan ear defenders over his tousled hair. It therefore seems odd that this figure features medium-length legs rather than short ones as most of the new Harry Potter sets use short legs for characters in first and second year. Fortunately, this can be rectified with ease as short black legs are fairly common.
This torso is quite generic so could be used by any Gryffindor pupil and the jacket includes some lovely creasing on the front and back. Neville appears nervous on one side of his head and his eyes are closed on the other, responding to the Mandrake's scream. Hopefully a more versatile version of Neville, wearing his usual Hogwarts uniform, will appear in a future set.
The Mandrake consists of two brand new parts, one of which depicts the medium dark flesh root while the other forms three bright green leaves. There are two points for the minifigures to hold and the root is beautifully detailed. It slots into the pot, which is represented by a dark orange cauldron, very neatly and I expect this accessory will prove to be extremely popular.
Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw pupils have been omitted from past waves of Harry Potter sets, much to the disappointment of many LEGO fans. Thankfully, the new series features Susan Bones from Hufflepuff and Cho Chang from Ravenclaw! Cho's black hair is represented by a rubbery component and looks great in relation to the films while her jumper is distinguished from Gryffindor characters by a couple of dark blue and light bluish grey stripes.
Medium dark flesh does not feel like an entirely suitable skin tone for Cho Chang but I like her smiling expression and the fabric skirt works quite nicely, as long as it is properly fitted around her waist. The medium-sized legs underneath are plain black and Cho carries a reddish brown wand which can be held straight or pointed forwards to cast a spell.
Cho twice meets Harry in the Owlery so it seems appropriate that both characters come with an owl. This medium nougat variant is unique, featuring some detailed feathers on its chest and head as well as a large pair of eyes. It would be nice to see a flying owl at some point, perhaps following the design style of the new bald eagle from 60202 People Pack - Outdoor Adventures.
Dean Thomas accompanies Harry, Ron and Hermione throughout their schooling at Hogwarts and later joins them in the Second Wizarding War against Voldemort. He has not appeared in any previous sets and wears a Gryffindor robe along with a dark red and flame yellowish orange striped scarf around his neck, perhaps making reference to his involvement with the house Quidditch team.
This hair piece was introduced in 2015 but has only appeared in dark brown once before, worn by the Roman Gladiator from Series 17 of the Collectable Minifigures. It suits Dean perfectly and I like his broad smiling expression too, although this feels like another situation where a double-sided head would have been preferable.
This figure carries a dark brown wand and a Gryffindor flag, again reflecting Dean's love for Quidditch. Unfortunately, only one side of the flag is printed with the Gryffindor crest, leaving the other side blank which is somewhat disappointing. Nevertheless, I can imagine this will prove useful for furnishing the common room, should you wish to expand upon 75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow.
Overall
I have been looking forward to the Wizarding World Collectable Minifigures very much indeed and am thoroughly impressed with these eight characters. Every figure is highly detailed and they come with a brilliant range of accessories, my favourite of which is Neville's brand new Mandrake plant. Moreover, the series provides fairly comprehensive coverage of the books and films, notably including several characters who have not appeared in any previous sets.
You can read the second part of our review here.
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your thoughts on the minifigures in the comments below.
This set was provided for review by The LEGO Group but the review is an expression of my own opinions.
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51 comments on this article
Are Luna’s legs medium or short? Great review, for a very exciting series.
I like Neville's plant and Hedwig.
Great review! I still can’t decide which few I want though
Its great to see that this cmf series has provided a number of obscurer figures missing from previous sets.
An excellent well researched and knowledgeable review. Thank you!
What’s with the small holes in the hands?????? It makes the minifig look cheap and poorly made - is this a new thing (I’ve not noticied it on other CMFs)
Anyone have any idea why they didn't spilt this long rollcall of characters across two collections? It would avoid having just a couple (or even just one!) of certain figures in a box, which then makes them harder to acquire.
There's probably an economics answer (e.g. to make more money) because it seems like an annoying thing to do otherwise.
Otherwise, nice review!
Lol Draco is so popular in the fandom
I'm not a fan of magic and fantasy (I'd take Star Wars and Thunderbirds over Harry Potter and Game of Thrones any day) but of all the characters in this, I kind of want cho chang because her hair is really useful, she has plain black medium legs, and I'm really seeing her head as a good starting point for a custom Depa Billaba minifigure.
Great job!
A few of them appear to have quite pronounced mould lines on the hair pieces- is it that noticeable IRL?
I like the characters.
I dislike the way LEGO decides to make certain figures hard to acquire. I mean usually its a figure that many people want so why not let people find it and pay for it. I don't know.
Purple satchel difficult to use elsewhere? Have you never seen a purple purse before?
Wow, they're really all-in on this. I can't believe we're already rebooting Harry Potter. It wasn't -that- long ago, was it?? Anyway, these are nice renditions. I especially like the clever Harry under the invisibility cloak.
@The solitary dark - Luna's legs are medium-sized.
@obiron17 - The divots on the hands are a common feature of recent Collectable Minifigures series but are less clearly visible in person than they are in photos, fortunately.
@Toc13 - The mould markings are visible in person but the photos certainly accentuate them.
@Lyichir - I was referring to Luna's hair piece being potentially difficult to use elsewhere as it is designed to fit over a satchel rather than resting flush against the back of the torso.
Let's not talk about how hideous Cho's skirt is... I don't think she should be brown either.
Nice series overall, although in my opinion, they should release one series focusing on one book (serie 1 - book/film 1 outfits and so on). I severely dislike some figures being rarer than others, just like Funko.
The recolored Han Solo hairpiece is perfect for Frank Honey from LEGO City Undercover!
Lego. Stop making those ugly skirts. Noone likes them. They are pain to put for kids. They look out of place.
I love all the hair pieces and the various accessories in this series.
I'm guessing Neville's legs are medium sized because he ends up being bigger than the rest of the kids at Hogwarts. He's taller than the others, isn't he? I have to look back at the second movie to see how his stature measures up to the rest of the students.
What's the plastic quality like compared to a 'normal' figure? Some of these pieces look decidedly milky.
With two versions of Harry in this series (and indeed that a version of him appears in practically every other set) they could of made the distribution 2 of Harry Potter (Hogwarts Uniform) and upped Percival Graves to 2.
Glad there are a couple plain colored medium legs - the printed ones here are too specific to be useful elsewhere.
Agree about the missed opportunity to include alternate expression on the heads.
Thanks for an excellent review, which (as always) shows excellent subject knowledge of both LEGO and the source material.
This was my daughter’s bedtime reading tonight, and we both found it to be a ‘marvellous’ read.
Can’t wait for Part 2.
Keep up the great work Brickset.
This is a great series! Thank you for all the detail.
I’m with the others in that I’m not a fan of those skirts. At all.
Is this the Goblet of Fire Neville? Pretty sure there was some Herbology stuff that year as Longbottom helped out a bit. Thought he got pink ear muffs in year one. Or maybe that was Ron...
Really disappointed that Lego are carrying on the trend of including chase figures in their collectable minifigs range. It makes collecting entire sets an undignified scramble rather than a relaxed pleasure.
I consider this the Stephen King of Minifigure series
Not a fan of the Hermione and Ron figures. Younger Hermione looks so great in the sets with that new hair piece, but this one doesn't feel recognisable at all. I'd never guess it was Hermione if I didn't know it was her. Ron looks like his older brothers, and nothing like himself. Wrong face and wrong hair on both of them.
Still, a very solid series on the whole.
I agree with Graysmith that the Ron figure looks more like Fred or George, or maybe Charlie. Doesn't seem like Ron. Maybe it's the issue with the face?
I wonder, why Cedric wasn't included in this portion of the review? He is after all a Hogwarts pupil, is he not?
@GeøDav - There was no convenient way to divide these Harry Potter minifigures by subject matter so they are simply split in half according to the order in which the figures are shown on the checklist leaflet. Cedric Diggory is in the second half along with Harry wearing the Invisibility Cloak, Lord Voldemort, Dobby and a selection of Hogwarts professors.
@CapnRex101 - Speaking of, could we get the Wizard World theme added to the 2018 browse menu please? In the "New for 2018" list.
I’m so glad that mad eye,Dumbledore and Voldemort are going to be common I thought they’d make those harder to find
When will part 2 be coming I can’t wait
Regarding the 1 per box, is it to produce scarity, or because they’d prefer to fill a box with more popular figures?
Interesting piece for the mandrake, I think a baby groot would have worked better though.
Credence would have been better as 1 per box. Not sure why Lego bothered making him at all.
Fabric skirts are terrible and annoying to apply even for adults, surely they could dual print skirt & legs on normal legs instead?
So, how do you go about buying complete boxes for CMF series? I've only seen them sold in individual packs?
I'm so glad that I'm not the only person who hates those fabric skirt additions. I can't stand them. They're a pain in the neck to put on properly, and they don't look good at all. I get the toy designers aiming for show accuracy ... but when the end result looks that bad, is it worth it?
Anyway, I'm slowly changing my mind about collecting these, because they do look really good (I love the new leaf piece with the mandrake, and seeing some new characters like Dean or Cho is lovely). But 22 figures, and they're licensed so they ain't gonna be cheap? Still on the fence.
Great review, I've been so excited about these! I'm thinking that the inconsistency of Neville having the medium-length legs rather than the other second year students' short legs could be because the mandrake and root assembly would be too tall proportionately to the figure if he had the short legs and it wouldn't look like he could have leverage over the mandrake (before he faints, that is!).
Luna's hair would actually be very useful for minifigures with capes! Especially the starched kind!
I also wonder if it will fit over armour?
I'm still feeling tricky about the variable uniforms and leg styles, and for the trio, hair styles.
If this was a large, ongoing theme with standard waves, I think it would be a cool way to add some longevity and diversity to the line, but if it's another of the one/two-wave themes like Jurassic World and the film-based Superhero stuff, then it just feels unnecessary to reflect changing ages in minifigure form, like an easy way to multiply the number of versions of Harry, Ron, and Hermione they can sell in what will likely only be one or two waves of sets, when it might simply be better to include less of those characters. If it's one or two waves, I'd simply rather see more characters and a standard uniform (honestly, preferably like in the theme's 2010 iteration) than more variations on the ones we've seen.
I'm not denying the medium-length minifigure legs will have plenty of great uses elsewhere, as will some of the hairpieces in new colors. Great stuff for builders!
I'm more excited for the minifigures you'll cover in the next review, but I'm so, so happy to have another chance to grab Luna, who's slowly become one of my favorites, and Dean and Cho will be fun additions as well, although I'm disappointed to be seeing Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff in this new uniform design... wishes we'd had them in 2010.
As I missed the original releases of the Harry Potter sets, I am thrilled they are making a comeback. I don't usually collect the CMF's but I might make an exception for this series! Great review and I look forward to the rest of it!
This is by far my favourite lego CMF series. I love Harry Potter and can't wait to get some of these figures. Thanks for such a good review!
Fantastic review! I'm so excited about this series. I am eagerly awaiting Part 2. ;)
Thanks for the review, always nice to have a detailed view.
My points on this series so far based on the review - and +:
- no alternate faces for all of the heads is bad. Maybe not having one or two but no alternate face for Harry, Ron and Hermoine, that is bad. Most minifigs I see reviewed or that I buy have alternate faces.
+ Those 'tween' legs in plain black!
+ great designs for the school uniform.
+ Luna Lovegood in general.
- Cho being sort of brown.....
- Flag piece (as mentioned) being one sided only.
+ Animal accessories are great (however Scabbers is a bit big and Crookshanks is a bit generic).
Looking forward to the next parts of the review.
These Wizarding World stuff could not have come a worse time for me. I'm torn between buying them all and waiting to get a new job first. This awesome review does make the decision easier, I'll spend all my remaining money on these sets and will see what happens :)
Could you open individual pages for these minifigures so that I can add the ones I want on my wishlist?
The distribution would look better like this:
3 of each Harry Potter figure
2 of each Fantastic Beasts figure
Looking forward to a Half-Blood Prince Harry "You need a shave my friend"
With the reboot of a theme like Harry Potter, I'm hoping we'll get a LOTR reboot. Those medium legs belong on Dwarves and Hobbits! PLEASE LEGO Hear our cry! :P
Is Scabbers missing a toe? I can't tell by the picture XD
I'd love to buy ALL of these but probably won't just because the blind bag stuff is really annoying. I don't feel like spending hours scrambling from store to store, trying to feel which fig is in there or using the dot code method. Or paying twice as much to a scalper later.
I wish Lego would do something like 1 pack with all the teachers, 1 pack with all the kids, 1 pack with all the Fantastic Beasts people etc.. 4 or 5 figures per pack & you know which ones you're buying.
I wanted minifig stands printed with the harry potter logo. The Lago Batman mobie had the bat-symbol. The Series 18 stands were orange. We can only hope that this is the last series with boring platforms. I might feel for Neville Longbottom for the plain medium legs. But that might be hard, cuz it's a 1/20 chance I'll find him, and after feeling for minifigs for 10 minutes or so, my hands start to hurt.
Also, @kinto, I believe the dot codes don't exist anymore.
I wish that Lego would stop making collectable mini-figure series that aren't what they originally were (series 1-18). But since they are now making Harry Potter mini-figures, there's hope they'll make a Star Wars collectable mini-figures series!
Is this the first time there is printing on the back of the legs?