LEGO Harry Potter Build Your Own Adventure

I'm both an AFOL (Adult Fan of Lego) and a big fan of all things Harry Potter. The book and the included set absolutely tickled me.All the builds featured in the book are based on the first Harry Potter book/movie: (Philosopher's)Sorcerer's StoneTable of Contents:The beginning of the book includes some background on Harry Potter, Hogwarts and basic info on Lego bricks. The back of the book includes step-by-step instructions for the included 2-in-1 lego set.Chapter 1 - The Muggle WorldPrivet Drive (Dursley house facade, lamp post, planter & bird bath/fountain)At the Zoo (python display w/ removable glass, small animal enclosures)Harry's Bedroom (cupboard under the stairs)Mail delivery (fireplace that spills envelope tiles)Island Hideout (shack with breakout door)Chapter 2 - The Wizarding WorldDiagon Alley (secret entrance & ice cream parlor)Gringotts Bank (bank cart & tunnel)In the vaults (ornate vault door)Ollivander's shop (wand shelves & storefront)Chapter 3 - Welcome to HogwartsHogwarts Castle (castle door & moving staircase)Sorting Ceremony (House Points hourglasses & House crest flags)Teachers' table (long table, Dumbledore's chair & lectern)Common room (Fat Lady portrait, sofa, wizard chess table, minifig Gryffindor bust)Dormitory (four-poster beds & storage cabinet)Chapter 4 - Life at HogwartsPotions class (tables & shelves of bottles, etc)Flying Lessons (simple gazebo w/ minifig statue, small stone bridge, small watchtower turret)Library Visit (ornate window frame, interesting bookshelves)Halloween Feast (simple tables, windowed wall facade with 'floating' pumpkins)Chapter 5 - Magical AdventuresForbidden Forest (brick-built trees and paths)Troll Attack (brick-built troll, bathroom sink & toilet stall)Facing Fluffy (brick-built 3 headed dog)Devil's Snare (snare plant w/ trap door & mini plants)Wizard Chess (Chessboard, rocking Knight piece, Queen piece, articulated pawn w/ swords)Pros:The printed house crest tiles are gorgeous. Currently, apart from this set, the tiles can only be found in the Lego Harry Potter 2019 Advent Calendar (75964). Similarly, the Sorting Hat element is only found in the Hogwarts Great Hall Set (75954). Though there's always the option to buy them second-hand/from a third-party on sites like Bricklink, eBay or similar.The 101 pc 2-in-1 design Lego set included allows fans to create a Sorting Hat spinner to sort Minifigures into their houses, OR a fireplace with a turning center to make Minifigures "disappear" - great for Floo travel!Many wonderful ideas presented in the book: I want to build them all! It also gave me ideas to design MOCs (my own creations).Exploded sections of some builds and notes about techniques or bricks used are frequently presented. An intermediate to advanced Lego fan should be comfortable attempting them.Cons:There are only enough pieces in the set to create one design or the other; you cannot create both designs at once. Some might find this to be a con.No step by step instructions for builds beyond the 2-in1 set that comes with the book. The builds are inspiring but the minimal instruction presented is likely to disappoint or frustrate younger or inexperienced Lego fans.Many builds presented use parts outside the current HP line or even beyond what's available in Lego Classic brick sets. It can be very frustrating or limiting for young and burgeoning Lego fans who don't have access to or haven't discovered the resources to obtain such parts. Pro tip: the Bricklink, Brickset, and Rebrickable websites are fantastic resources for Lego fans to expand their sets and knowledge.Thoughts:It would be extremely helpful if the book included an appendix with an inventory of part numbers for the various Lego bricks and elements appearing throughout the book. I found a number of parts I'd never encountered before and had a difficult time trying to figure out what they were.I've been using a free Lego design program by Bricklink called Studio 2.0 to recreate the builds in the book. This has helped me identify parts I don't recognize, price and locate parts to build the models, and create step-by-step instructions for them. Occasionally, the program didn't have a specific part represented (which goes to show how rare those pieces really are because Studio's catalog of Lego parts is vast). However, I've been able to substitute or work around those pieces so far. The program even allows you to render a realistic image of your build (see photo)In my opinion, the Studio program is user-friendly enough that kids 6-8+ could learn to use it with the assistance of an adult or older kid. It allows one to create virtual lego builds, render 3D images of them, create step-by-step build instructions, parts lists, and provides part prices and build costs. I highly recommend it for any Lego fan looking to design their own creations. It's become indispensable to me in recreating all the builds in this book.All in all, I love this book and the included Lego set. As an intermediate AFOL (at best), the book taught me some new techniques and challenged me to learn more, plus inspired me to expand my inventory and create custom designs of my own.

I was so thrilled to see this set in person. It was beautifully boxed and had two parts: the building pieces with figure and a beautiful DK book of ideas and clear illustrations. I felt I got more than I expected. It was perfect for a new LEGO modeler who likes to build many different things using his imagination. With this hard bound book, he will never loose the step by step instructions and can create as well as enjoy looking at the book. The figure was also perfect for a beginner. It was Harry with the sorting hat. I knew my grandson would love it and he did. So did I.

This book is great! Lots of fun ideas for recreating scenes from the books and movies. The included set is simple but fun to build. I love the 2x2 PRINTED tiles for each school house. I believe this is the only set to come with these printed tiles. Even the super expensive LEGO hogwarts 71043 doesn’t have them. Nice little set with some great pieces and a fun ideas book.

This is cooler than I thought it would be! The book is really nice quality and so is the Harry Potter figure. My 5-year-old is just getting into Legos and likes to design his own creations. I like that it’s very easy to be creative with this set. The only thing I’d criticize is that building a fireplace isn’t super exciting. Kinda lame, actually. But, we love Harry Potter and we can use the pieces to do whatever we want!

build already

My 10 year old son enjoyed this set, nice details and the tiny sorting hat is a plus

Fantastic for a birthday gift! The adventure book is very inspiring! Although this combo will be better if the real model which can be assembled would be with more block pieces.

This Lego book set was great. It creates a builder's story that they assemble their way through. Each page has a great Harry Potter project. The book is just fun by itself. A great addition for your Harry potter fan.