Believe it or not, this isn’t the last of the Harry Potter 2021 sets. If I don’t hurry up, all of the 2022 sets will be out. This one is #76389-1: Hogwarts Chamber of Secrets. It was released on 5 June 2021 in the US. It contains 1,176 pieces and retails for $129.99. That works out to $0.111 per piece. There are 11 minifigures in this set which makes it a decent, though expensive minifigure pack. It also is one of the centerpiece sets if you plan to connect all of the other 2021 sets together.
Nothing extraordinary about the box. The front shows the set, has the Harry Potter logos, shows all the minifigures, and it is still the 20th anniversary of LEGO creating Harry Potter sets. The back goes into a bunch of detail on various sections, shows the back side once you connect everything, and shows how you can connect the sections.
The set contents are nine numbered parts bags, two 8x16 tan plates, and then the instructions and stickers come wrapped in plastic.
Here’s a closer look at the sticker sheet. There are a bunch of them!
The first bag builds the top of the astronomy tower which was just done in 2020’s #75969-1: Hogwart’s Astronomy Tower. This one is just the very top of the tower and a telescope.
You also get the basilisk in this build. I’m not sure if it is to scale or not, but for a 9+ play set, it works.
There are three minifigures in bag 1. You get Harry with the Sword of Gryffindor, Colin Creevey (the photographer, you build a camera for him too), and Professor Sinisitra. I had no idea who the last one was. A quick Google search says she was an astronomy professor.
Lastly, you get a brick separator in this bag.
The second build is a section of building which appears to be part of Professor Gilderoy’s classroom based on the sticker you attach. There are two desks and a small table. The table has a minifigure printed skull on it. There’s also a candelabra. The outside seems to fit the architectural style of Hogwart’s and there’s a shield with the school crest.
This set contains Luna Lovegood which was somewhat surprising to me as I don’t remember her being in that movie. If she was, she didn’t have a big part. You also get two Pixies and then a book.
Bag three builds Professor Gilderoy’s office and of course comes with his minifigure. His office is covered in pictures of him, has a minifigure head with a wig, and then pictures for him to autograph. The stickers are a bit of a pain, but that’s just my opinion.
The fourth bag builds the Great Hall which is not to be confused with 2018’s #75954-1 Hogwart’s Great Hall. It’s definitely a much scaled down version of the Great Hall, but considering the spacing available, it works.
This bag comes with two minifigures, Dumbledore and Justin Finch. You also get a small green snake.
Bag five adds the roof over the great hall. The inside adds in the Hogwarts crest on a banner. The minifigure in this bag is a glow in the dark Nearly Headless Nick.
Bag six has the initial room to the chamber of secrets where they slide down from the girl’s bathroom. Conveniently, you can purchase #76389-1: Hogwarts: Polyjuice Potion Mistake and open the entrance in the bathroom to slide your minifigures down.
This bag comes with a minifigure for Ginny Weasley and your very own copy of Tom Riddle’s diary. The sticker you put in it includes the holes Harry adds with the basilisk fang so you can re-create the scene at the end of the book/movie (hopefully not a spoiler by now).
The seventh bag builds the actual entrance to the chamber of secrets. The door they designed does a pretty good job at capturing what the actual door looked like in the movie. You can open and close it as well which is a nice feature. The only thing I’m not sure about is the steeple above the entrance. I thought the chamber of secrets was underground. I’m not sure why they have a roof section above it.
No minifigures here, but you do get a fun owl to add to your LEGO owl collection.
The eighth bag builds the main structural feature where the basilisk lives in the chamber of secrets. With the help of a sticker, the designers did a good job capturing the weird face carved into the rock wall.
You also get a Tom Riddle minifigure in this bag.
The ninth and final bag finishes up the set. You finish building the chamber and some of the accessories. The mouth of the “stone” face opens up so you can have the basilisk come out. Then there are two small snake heads on stands that can be removed and placed along the… I’m not sure what it’s called… in the movie there’s a long pathway leading up to the place where the basilisk comes out.
The opposing side of the build has two torches and some stone structures made of BURPs. We have no way of knowing whether the chamber is right next to the outside of the castle or buried deep within underneath the castle so maybe this is how it was.
The last minifigure is the 20th anniversary golden minifigure of the set. You get Voldemort. He’s not the most exciting one to get, but I understand how he fits in.
Here are the 11 minifigures, the basilisk, two books, to Pixies, a snake, and a camera.
Here’s what the final set looks like when you connect it all together. As a standalone, it’s not too bad. In a future post, I’ll show what it looks like to have all of the 2021 sets connected together. The front side looks pretty cool and is definitely a good start if you’re looking to make a full up, minifigure scaled Hogwarts on your own. The back side doesn’t quite make sense without the other sets such as the entrance to the chamber not having the bathroom above it.
This set is definitely a play set or minifigure collector’s set. I don’t recommend this one for adult fans unless you are super into the Harry Potter theme. At $130, it’s pretty expensive considering what you get. I haven’t seen it on sale yet. We’ll have to see if that happens as it approaches the end of its retail life.
Happy building!
