Why I bought this set

I follow r/legodeal on Reddit, and in November, the sub alerted me to this set being on sale for the ridiculous price of $41.99. While the set had yet to be on my radar, I quickly assessed that it would be perfect in a big park or campground area, which I want in my city.

Like most my age, I read the Harry Potter books and saw the movies, so it’s a theme I’m sure I will have plenty of in my Lego collection.

The build

This set consists of three building stages outlined in a single 120-page manual. A small sticker sheet will add details to the doors and texture to the cabin’s edges.

The build begins with a fantastic minifigure and a unique animal. First, Hagrid is a distinctive character with a long torso on short legs. There is no printing on the back or arms, which is disappointing, though appropriate. His look is completed with a single hair and beard piece and a lantern accessory.

Buckbeek has excellent feathering detail on the head, including coloring. The large feathers are molded pieces that clip to each side and look spectacular. Open studs are left on Buckbeak’s back to allow a minifigure to sit on their back.

Onto the main build, and construction begins with a light tan plate to generate the base. Once that’s secured with structural plates, the walls go up using bricks, windows, and a door. With a mix of light and dark grey bricks, the exterior walls have texture and depth. The final touches of tan tiles, olive green tree limb elements, and brown bent horn do a splendid job of adding details to complete the rustic appearance. A large sticker element is placed on the door to make it appear weathered.

The door frame is completed by constructing a small overhang using slopes and a modified plate with grooves. Detailing the interior becomes the build’s priority, using 2x grey circular jumpers to mark the areas for furniture. A candle sits by the door, and a container with a shovel and umbrella sits on the other side of the entranceway. I like the pink umbrella as this nods to Hagrid’s wand in the books. The first furniture element is a big armchair for Hagrid.

Onto stage two of the building and Hagrid’s fire is the next element to construct after making the miniatures of Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Flame elements are pinned into place, and between them is the dragon’s egg that will become Norbert – Hagrid’s dragon from the first book.

The fireplace is built with light grey bricks and outlined in brown tiles, which has a sticker affixed to appear like wood, just like the front door. In the fireplace is a light brick, which is activated by pressing down on the black ball knob. It’s highly effective, and the warm glow is directed onto the dragon’s egg.

To finish the sitting room, a couple of chairs and a table, complete with a teapot, sit next to the fire.

The roof uses technic elements to generate a frame for placing clips. The roof is tiled off with dark grey, onto which the roof sections will sit. The rooftops use an axel to support a hexagonal connection ring and a mix of dark and light grey elements to generate the pointed roof design.

A door panel creates the fifth and final wall allowing the roof structure beam to be attached. Various items are connected to each clip – a bucket, spoon, cleaver, pan, and rope — all the things Hagrid might need to make dinner.

To finish this section of the hut, roof panels are made that clip into the central hexagonal connector. Each panel consists of two 3×6 triangular plates in dark grey. Dark grey tile, sand green slopes, and olive green tree limbs add detail to the roof. Finally, a chimney hinges above the fireplace.

The next stage constructs the smaller of the two hut sections, with the build starting similarly – with the plates creating a solid base. This time, the door is on the side and has a smaller floor plan.

A small window is built next to the door, which is given the same sticker as the other – to look like wood panels. The same exterior design is recreated – with light and dark grey bricks, tan tile, and olive tree limbs creating the detailed exterior. With a smaller interior, the furniture and decorations are sparse. By the door sits a chest, and against the other wall is a desk with a candle. A lovely printed 2×2 tile representing the Daily Prophet sits on the desk.

The roof’s constructed similarly, too – with technic bricks to generate to support beam. Onto that is a pretty horrifying spider! Seriously, it’s the size of the desk – it must be one of Aaragog’s children.

The top of the building is made from the same parts as the ones used in the last hut, with a hexagonal ring held in place with a central axel.

Five smaller panels make up the roof. Three have 2×3 dark grey tiles for decoration, and two have green sand slopes.

The two huts are connected via three pins to become a single building.

To complete the set, there is a mini build of the pumpkin patch that Buckbeak is rescued from. A curved tan palate forms the base, to which bright green tree limbs are attached with dark green slopes. Onto those, other tree limbs are connected with plant elements. Pumpkins and orange heads are placed on the tree limbs to create a rich and compelling pumpkin patch. Finally, small green flowers are placed on top of the heads and pumpkins to complete the look.

A dark brown ridged pillar sits on the base to which a chain is attached. A neckpiece is at the other end of the chain to put around Buckbeak.

Altogether, the set looks fantastic.

Set Review

Hagrid’s Hut: Buckbeak’s Rescue is a fantastic sent and a vast improvement over the original version released in 2001.

The minifigures are spot-on for the set – though Ron should have been replaced with Dumbledore, as Ron wasn’t present in this scene. That may be slightly harsh, as I see the appeal of having all three main characters in each Harry Potter set. Therefore, including Dumbledore would have been an excellent addition to the set to complete the scene.

Another minor complaint is that the chimney can’t be pushed to activate the light brick. Instead, you have to lift the roof element to trigger it. As this is the main playable feature of the set, it is a little disappointing. It would have been easy to do, so I bring it up.

The stickers on the front doors are a bit small, leaving too big of a gap between the door knob and the start of the sticker. I have my set positioned so the doors are open for this reason. Door stickers are also difficult to place and work with. I understand they can’t produce printed door elements; just something to be aware of.

Onto the positives, and I adore the details the set designers have included and the addition of Easter eggs from the series. A particular highlight is the dragon’s egg in the fireplace, the pink umbrella, and the “The boy who lived” headline on the Daily Prophet, which are throwbacks to the first book. I suspect the giant spider was a call out to book two.

It is a shame that with an open back, the set does lack an element of completion. Many items in Hagrid’s hut have kitchen materials, but there is no way for Hagrid to cook. Yes, there is a fire, but there are no surfaces for him to prepare his food. I’m tempted to MOC complete the hut with a bathroom and a bed, though it is not unreasonable for Hagrid to use an outhouse.

Ratings

Build: 4/5
I had a wonderful time building this set and appreciated the details they crammed into it. I didn’t review the set too closely before purchasing it, so there were plenty of surprises. The technic elements for the roof were manageable, and the instructions were detailed and easy to follow. The rest was classic system construction, with plates, bricks, and tiles.

There are only a few stickers; however, all are large. They are prominent when displaying the set, so placing them is stressful!

When building and adding details, I felt giddy. I love the little elements and the light brick hitting the dragon’s egg. These factors always increase the enjoyment of the build.

Display: 5/5
This is a set for displaying on a shelf with an open, flat back. I will incorporate mine into the campground and either hide the open back with some trees or modify the building to close off the interior.

The set is instantly recognizable, and with all the minifigures, many stories can be told. The mini build with Buckbeak looks fantastic, and visually, I cannot fault this set for the price point.

Price: 4/5
This set has a lot of value, with six minifigures and a light brick. Buckbeak is an expensive molded animal too. The MSRP for this set was spot on, and inflated prices on the secondary market push this set past economic sense.

Harry Potter minifigures are not good investments, and there are very few unique pieces to justify increased pricing. We’ve also seen Lego release many versions of Hagrid’s hut. Hence, an updated version is likely in the future, especially with HBO recently announcing a 10-year television series based on the books.

Grab it if you can pick this set up on sale as I did. As always, I’ll base my rating on the MSRP.

Final Thoughts

Hagrid’s Hut: Buckbeak’s Rescue is an excellent set that captures a pivotal scene of the third Harry Potter book/movie. With the minifigures and light brick, it has tremendous playability for a display piece that can be modified to fit into a Lego scene. If you can pick up this retired set around MSRP, grab it. Otherwise, wait for the next iteration of this set.

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