I picked up another one of the 2021 Harry Potter themed sets. This one is the first I received of the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter LEGO sets. This one is #76386-1: Hogwarts™: Polyjuice Potion Mistake. It was released on 5 June 2021 in the US and retails for $19.99. With 217 pieces, it works out to $0.092 per piece so not too bad. This one comes with three minifigures plus a collectible gold minifigure plus two mystery printed tiles.
The front of the box shows the set built with the main characters making the potion. It also highlights the anniversary and shows the minifigures. The back shows some play features like usual and shows how the minifigures can be changed into the post potion drinking versions. It also highlights the mystery tiles.
This box has the perforated section on the back where you stick your finger through to open the box versus cutting the tape seals. The production of this box didn’t go well as there was no perforation. I had to find a sharp blade to make my own perforations. It was a bit of a struggle to get the box open, but I succeeded in the end.
The set comes with two parts bags, an instruction booklet, and some stickers.. My camera with the lighting doesn’t do real well, but the stickers are the mirrors for the bathroom. There are thankfully only three stickers and they weren’t too bad to put on other than the standard issues of trying to center them on a piece and making sure they are not crooked.
The first bag starts to assemble the bathroom. You get the back wall and then a stall with a toilet. Nothing too out of the ordinary here which is to be expected for a smaller set. My only complaint here is the door is too big to open and close all the way.. It hits one of the support columns if you try and swing it open/closed. I have it fully opened in the picture, but if you were to close it, it would only open up to the column. Not really a big issue, but hopefully there are other stalls the students can use.
Bag two goes pretty quickly. The build isn’t too challenging other than trying to get the silver mirror stickers centered on the two brick high 1x2s. The set is definitely made so that you can connect it to other/future sets so it is good to see the designers thought about that functionality. You also have a good start if you wanted to expand the bathroom out as there are a number of scenes from the books/movies that take place here.
Running through the minifigures you get the main three (Harry, Hermione, and Ron). They all come with wands and Hermione has her potion cup. Both have two faces, but Hermione’s only goes with her face. Harry and Ron have other faces that go with their transformed characters.
First picture is the three characters transformed. Crabbe and Goyle are the two characters that Harry and Ron transform to. Spoiler alert if you haven’t seen the movies… Hermione accidently gets cat hair and becomes a cat. You get different hair pieces for the two male characters and then a cat head for Hermione which is fun.
This set comes with the gold Harry figure. It’s a gimmick, but all the Potter fans will be all over it. This is the cheapest set in the line so I’m guessing it will be the most prevalent one to have. Then you get two printed 2x2 tiles. The back of the instructions lists the 16 that are out there. I apparently got Nicholas Flamel and Olympe Maxime. Oh boy! Or not… I don’t think I’ll be rushing to find all 16, but maybe others will.
Overall, not bad for a $20 set. Three minifigures that “transform” and then a bonus gold minifigure. Plus you get the play feature of being able to attach this set to others. I like what LEGO has done here with the ability to incorporate it into others. It’s a must buy if you’re a Potter fan and maybe later in the year, it will go on discount. For others who aren’t into the Potter line, I wouldn’t jump in, but that’s just me.
Happy building!
