A Witch or Wizards True Weakness .... Diagon Alley
Written: Nov 11 '01 (Updated Jan 07 '04)
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Pros: Stellar selection of accessory pieces, crystal ball, magic wands and more!
Cons: Background made from cardboard, looks pretty cheesy.
The Bottom Line: This is a must have set for any Lego junkie! Awesome pieces never before released! Get them while you can!
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| Freak369's Full Review: LEGO Harry Potter Diagon Alley Shops 4723 |
Forget the mall, this is where I want to shop!
Welcome to the mystical, magical and enchanting world of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. If you haven’t seen the previous reviews I’ve written on the Harry Potter series from Lego, what are you waiting for? This set is a little different for a few reason, the cardboard background and assortment of accessories being the two biggest factors.
Diagon Alley Shops is a mid sized set from the series. Unlike the sets I’ve previously reviews on the site, this one does not fit into the complete castle village scene depicted on the backs of the Harry Potter Lego boxes. This set [4723] and Gryffindor House [4722] are the two sets that I've come across – so far that is - that do not have a place in this complete castle / village collection. I'm not sure if these were released early or just not packaged for that village design, but whatever the explanation is – I’m just glad to have my Lego addicted hands on them!
The Diagon Alley Shop is a storefront for all your magical needs. When I first saw this set the first thing that popped into my head was “This sure does look girlie”. The boy took one look at it and backed away from it; “pink Lego’s” was all they said before they asked me to take the pieces out of the box and hand them over. I distinctly heard the word “girl cooties” as they left the room with the bags of pieces.
The first thing you'll notice about this set is that there aren’t many basic bricks in the set. In fact, I counted about ten. The back walls of the storefront are made of cardboard and – in my opinion – pretty cheap. They are imprinted with designs that include windows, shelves, assorted items and animals. I would have much rather paid an additional $10.00 and had real Lego bricks and pieces over the cardboard walls. But don’t let this little imperfection keep you from checking out this set – there are more than enough pluses to cancel out this one thing.
The true charm and appeal of this set is - without a doubt - the multitude of assorted pieces. Some people might think that going into such detail about these small pieces is being verbose – but to me I'd rather have too much detail than have it be lacking.
Potion Bottles
There are a variety of sizes, shapes and colors that these little bottles come in. They are all functional and can be placed on any of the Lego pods in the scene. You also get lids for each bottle – two are standard clear orbs and two are gems shaped [one green and one red]. These are pretty small and can get lost easily so try to keep an eye on them.
Crystal Ball
Unlike other sets that carried the crystal ball this one is clear and rests on a clear base. Others sets [Dark Knights and Castle] came with a black glossy base which looked nice but gave the ‘reflection’ a warped image. This is pretty sturdy but does scratch easily and so far I haven't found a way to protect it from rough play.
Magic Wands
There are four wands included in this set; one each of the following colors; light blue, pink, yellow and red. They are made from clear plastic and rest in clear holders on the mantle. These are the same pieces that were used in the Star Wars series of Legos for the light sabers so if you lose these or they become scratched you can mix and match them from these sets.
Animals
In addition to the owls, monkey, birds and mouse that are stenciled on the cardboard walls in the background you are also given some pretty interesting Lego animals. The green snail [could possibly be a frog but I'm not sure] is new to the Lego family and it took me a while to figure out exactly what it was. It's rather small and lacks any real detail, but I suppose it's there for some reason. The white cat / kitten is different from those in other Harry Potter Lego sets, this one is sitting on it’s back legs reaching upwards in a ‘play position’. The gray owl is the same as the one in the Sorting Hat [no stencil detail, no features added] but it adds to the scene when it’s sitting on it’s perch. The little dark gray rat / mouse it equally plain, lacking any facial definition or stenciling - but I have to admit, it is pretty cute. Be sure to keep an eye out for the mysterious red scorpion. I – once again – found myself digging though the discarded plastic bags for this little creature.
Hermione
I was thrilled to finally get some additional Lego figures from the Harry Potter series. This one is extremely cute and for once has some nice detail to her face. She has a pleasant smile, long brown hair [detailed too] and come in shimmering blue. Her breastplate is stenciled with a mild design that doesn't detract from her features or ‘clothing’. All the included items are fully functional with Hermione so you should have any trouble having her handle any of the shops inventory.
Coat Rack
The four-pronged coat rack can serve in a variety of ways; as a candle holder, magic potion bottle holder, make shift book holder or even as a lamp. The coat rack comes with two cloth capes [one red, one dark blue] and each of the are stenciled with small silver stars. This is a nice little piece to have and I’m still finding new uses for it!
Magic Books
What would a magic shop be without a few books to teach the craft? These books are small but are fully functional. The two books, one red and one blue, open to allow small pieces of paper to be kept inside or to hide some of the gold coins [also included with the set]. The books need to be treated with some gentle hands or they will break. The stenciled design on the front of the books also need some special considerations. As usual, I am recommending that you apply some clear nail polish to prevent the colors from fading or the design from getting chipped or scratched.
Treasure Chest
This is probably the one piece that will turn any little boy into a “girl hater”. This is the very first time I have ever seen a clear treasure chest / trunk let alone a pink one! It’s big enough to store any or all of the magic potion bottle, magic books, crystal ball, treasure or use as a bed for one of the animals. It comes with the standard four placement slots on the top so you can attach whatever you want [my personal favorite is to snap the potion bottles on top and hide the gold coins inside.]
Furniture
You get two pieces of large ‘furniture’ in the Diagon Alley Shops set. One is a large mantle that is about five inches high [when built according to the instructions] and one mantle that looks more like a dresser to me. The tall mantle also has a nice under section that can be used as a couch, for the treasure chest or to stack up the magic books. The smaller of the two pieces has doors that open, two large white pillars with a shelf at the top. This piece is about seven inches high and can easily be built in a variety of different ways.
In addition to the above items, your scene is also embellished with two small stands that feature moving drawers, cash register [you have to really stretch your imaginations on that one since it is not stenciled or detailed in any way]. These two small pieces can also be used in a variety of ways – but one of my favorite is to hide the coins and bottle tops. Yes, I freely admit that I do need help.
Odds And Ends
We aren’t done yet folks; in addition to all of the above you also get the following items:
~ Brown Magic Hat
~ Light Pink Magic Hat
~ 1 Red clear Flame [with holder]
~ Magic Broom
~ Gold Coins [I got five, but the numbers vary]
A few secret pieces that’ll I’ll leave as a surprise
The Breakdown
This is a set to have just for the additional pieces. I don't plan on using the background at all – it just doesn't fit in with the theme, feel or concept of the Lego genre. The glitter paper that comes pressed against the open section of the box [the front] can be removed with a little persistence and used in the shop setting or cut up and used in the treasure chest. Rememebr to look for the gold coins, star catcher [one of the ‘secret’ pieces I left out as a surprise] and magic books before you hand them over to the kids. Give them a quick coat of clear nail polish to ensure they stay in good condition.
I’d tell most parents or Lego junkies to pass on this unless they have a few Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone sets that would like to expand on or upgrade. This shouldn't be the first set given to a child as an introduction to the series since there aren’t enough basic bricks to keep them occupied. As always, this set included extremely small pieces that could present a choking hazard to smaller children.
Overall this set gets two huge, freaky, almost monstrous thumbs up from me. While it isn't recommended for stand alone play – it is the perfect set to use to boost up existing scenes both in and out of the series. This would also be a great set for girls to have [most pieces mix well with Barbie figures] especially is they are Lego fans. These pieces also interact with the new girls series of Lego’s due out next week.
The Stats
Set Name: The Chamber of the Winged Keys
Family Set: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Lego Set: 4723
Number of Pieces: 80
Age Recommendation: 6 - 10
Ease Of Assembly: Piece of cake
Time Of Assembly: 10 minutes
Cost: $9.99
Prices can range from $9.99 - $ 11.99
As always, thanks for the read!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2004 Freak369
Other Harry Potter Lego set reviews ...
Dobby’s Release
The Dueling Club
Quality Quidditch Supplies
Snape’s Classroom
Slytherin House
Hogwarts Express
Hogwarts Castle
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $9.99
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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