Box/Instructions

This set comes in a regular medium-sized box (630 pieces) with the parts separated into 4 bags. There is also a 144-page instruction booklet and a sticker sheet, luckily mine wasn't bent but I can see it happening as the sheet is just lose in the box.

Price

This set retails for $69 AUD / $39 USD which gives it a ppp ratio of 6.3c. I was lucky enough that my target was having a sale, so I was able to pick it up for $55 AUD ($38 USD). Sadly Lego is almost always more expensive in Australia, so I make sure the sales are worth it.

Parts

This set is full of lots of small tiles and curves to create the more natural like shape. There is just over 75 1x1 quarter round tiles, which help add detail to the wings and tail. While the main colours are White and Light Blueish Grey for Hedwig as well as Reddish Brown for the base, there are also some Teal pieces hidden away in the body of the Owl.

According to Brickset there are 4 pieces new in this set, two are printed (Hedwig's eyes and Harry's torso) as well as, Plate 1x2 W/Vert. Tube in Reddish Brown and Technic Cross Block 3M in White. Both the unprinted parts seem quite useful and will hopefully appear in more sets.

Sadly, the only printed decoration is Hedwig's eyes (on 2 Round 2x2 Inverted Tiles). All the other decorations are stickers which include 3 for 2x4 tiles (each side of the letter and the nameplate at the base) as well as one for a 2x2 Round Tile (the Hogwarts Seal). Another minor issue is a few exposed technic pins, particularly the blue ones, that can be seen when viewing the model from a low angle.

Minifigures

The only Minifigure included in this set is a young Harry Potter. His head and hair piece are common within the current theme both appearing in more than 10 sets. Harry has plain black short legs which is in line with the age of the figure based on his hair style. Harry also features an exclusive torso print, featuring the Hogwarts uniform covered by a buttoned up cloak. On the cloak is a Gryffindor crest and a Gryffindor scarf finishes it off. The back printing continues the scarf and has detailing of the cloak's hood and creases. The torso also has blue hands to represent gloves, however they can easily be swapped out for light nougat if you have some spares lying around.

Harry also has a dark brown wand as an accessory (two come attached to a sprue as per usual) and there is a new Minifigure scaled Hedwig that comes with her wings out stretched. This piece is new for 2020 and appears in 5 out of the 8 new Harry Potter sets this year.

The Build

This set's build was broken into 4 parts (one bag for each). The first bag contained the Minifigure and the stand, creating the start of the wing flapping mechanism. Bag two included Hedwig's body and the letter. Bag three built all of the right wing and the main section of the left wing. The forth and last bag finished off the left wing and included the head.

The build it's self was quite simple first creating the base, then as a sub assembly the angled stand. Combination of hinge plates and ball joints allowed the stand to lean at a slight angle but secured in four different places. The only part that may be considered tricky would be the gearing at the back, though for anyone who has built a set with gears before it should be no issue.

All parts of the build feel secure and the most time-consuming part for me was making all the 1x1 tiles line up properly. The head is secured on by one technic pin with friction which allows various head positions which can create a lot of character. The wings can be displayed in different positions however, some slip due to the weight of the wings.

The Mechanism

The wing moving mechanism works well, activated by a handle at the back of the model which is quite inconspicuous and can even be easily removed for display. The wings have articulation, so they don't just go up and down but flap more realistically. I'd recommend finding a video of the movement online to fully understand the motion. The actual gearing of the mechanism is quite simple and not too fiddly, and can be tested well before adding on the plates covering everything up to make sure nothing is wrong.

Additionally, you can motorise the mechanism with Power Functions (possibly Powered Up but I don't own any to try). I used the medium motor and attached it with a technic pin at the top to stop the motor from free spinning. The Power Functions Battery Box allows the motor to turn both ways however it does make the wings move very fast which seems unnatural.

Overall Opinion

Overall I really enjoy all aspects of this set, it is great for display as well as featuring a simple yet effective mechanism which elevates it. Many of the little complaints I have can easily be “fixed” (changing out some technic pins and changing out Harry's hands). It would have been awesome to see Lego include more printed parts but it is good to see an exclusive torso for Harry. The playability is quite low compared to other sets in the current Harry Potter wave and is more inline with the higher aged display models that Lego is currently producing more of. Great set for a Harry Potter fan of any age.