It’s 2020 and I’m still working my way through the 2019 sets. With a goal of getting sets of sale, I usually wait to purchase so I don’t buy at full price. #75947-1: Hagrid’s Hut Buckbeak’s Rescue was released on 1 July 2019 in the US for $59.99. With 496 pieces, it works out to be $0.121/piece. This is a bit high, but I picked it up for 20% off at Amazon.com in the US so it made it a bit more affordable.
Onto the review…
The box is pretty standard with the front showing the set while the back shows the play features. One note you’ll see is this one has a light brick which is not normal for most Harry Potter sets.
The contents include 3 parts bags, a small bag with Buckbeak, an instruction booklet, and a sticker sheet. The instructions and the sticker sheet were shoved into the box and they were pretty beat up. Despite the folded up stickers, I was able to apply the stickers without showing any of the damage permanently. Of note, the first bag includes a piece separator.
The first bags start construction on the main part of the hut. It builds up the initial wall along with some of the interior furniture. The outer wall looks a little too squared off in my opinion. I’m not sure how I would re-design it, but I think it would be better looking if it look like a stone hut versus having squared off blocks in it. The sticker on the front door helps with the details some, but I’m never a big fan of stickers.
The interior so far has a chair, a candle, and a container that holds a shovel and umbrella.
The second bag finishes the first part of the hut. I like how the roof is built to match how it is portrayed in the movie. I also think it would have been better if the whole building was built versus just half, but I’m sure it is for the play factor and price point.
The interior is fun with a table and chairs, a sack, some utensils hanging from the ceiling, and a broom. I haven’t done the research to see how accurate it is as compared to the movie, but it seems like it is close from my limited memory of what the hut looks like in the movie.
The light brick is added here and shines down on an egg in the fireplace area. Not sure if he is supposed to be warming it to eat or if he’s warming it to incubate it. Either way, I think the light brick is unnecessary in this set. I’d rather remove that part/expense and add some additional detail to the set.
The third bag finishes off the set. It adds a second room that looks similar to the first room only is slightly smaller. There is a doorway to pass from the larger part of the hut to the smaller room. The exterior of this part of the hut looks similar. The interior has a desk with a candle and a copy of the Daily Prophet newspaper as a 2x2 tile. It also contains a chest with a brown frog inside and a spider crawling around on the ceiling.
Externally, there is a small pumpkin patch with pumpkins growing on vines. There is also a chain to attach Buckbeak to as seen in the movie “The Prisoner of Azkaban.” For a simple pumpkin patch, I think it looks good with some larger pumpkins and some smaller ones still growing.
This set comes with six minifigures. According to Brickset, from left to right and top to bottom there are the following:
Executioner - Walden MacNair: The movie does not give his name. Maybe the book does? Either way I think they captured this character who plays a small part in this book/movie well. The large ax like tool that he has matches what is used in the movie well.
Rubeus Hagrid: This character is similar to other LEGO versions and again he carries a lantern.
Minster of Magic - Cornelius Fudge: I think they got this one right. I am a fan of the hat.
Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter are all mid-size minifigures. They have the smaller legs, but not the tiny ones that do not pivot. The outfits seem to match the movie outfits well and they each have 2 facial expressions and a wand.
For Potter fans, the Buckbeak figure is the bonus for the set. I think LEGO captured the likeness of the character well. The head can move up and down and you can angle the wings. There are studs on top of Buckbeak as well which allow minifigures to sit on top for a ride.
Overall, this set was middle of the road for me. It wasn’t bad, but not something I would go rush to buy at full price. The 20% off helped and even more would have been better. I’m curious as to how much the light brick adds to the price of the set.
For Potter fans you do get 6 minifigures as well as Buckbeak so that’s not too bad.
As a builder, I would have preferred a little more detail to the outside of the hut and potentially the full hut versus just part. Although half the set is a good start for those who want to build the rest on their own.
What are your thoughts on this one? How would you change this set?
Happy building!