Coming Soon: Gringotts Wizarding Bank – Collectors’ Edition #76417

The official images for Gringotts Wizarding Bank – Collectors’ Edition have been revealed, with the set available for purchase from September 1st for VIP members and will be on general release from September 4th. The $429.99 set has 4803 pieces, 13 minifigures, and three distinct modules for team building – the bank, mine, and dragon.

A 212-piece promo vault set will likely be released simultaneously (much like they did with Eiffel’s apartment with the Eiffel Tower), which might sway you to buy Gringotts upon release.

My first impression of the set was, “Wow.” Then, I started to see some areas for improvement, including the feasibility of integrating the set with Diagon Alley. Overall, is this a must-have set and a good value for money?

Advertisements

Gringotts Wizarding Bank #76417, 4803 pieces, $429.99:

The Harry Potter theme has delivered a large 18+ set every year recently, and the 2023 entry is a spectacular one. Fans have been waiting since Diagon Alley was released in 2020 for the Gringotts bank, and it has finally arrived. The price point is respectable for the piece count, minifigures included, and the parts utilized. It comes in the typical 18+ packaging, which makes the set feel like a premium product.

Advertisements

Set features

The most striking feature of this set is the underground cart system that uses rollercoaster pieces to take the characters down the vaults. The track will stop at each of the three vaults (Harry’s, Bellatrix’s, and the third one, hopefully, will be the vault Hagrid visited for Dumbledore). From the video on Lego’s website, it is a fantastic play feature that adds a lot to the build.

Advertisements

If you have the Diagon Alley set, you can remove the bank build and place it in line. In a sense, this set is a two-in-one bank and a vault mine stacked together.

The open back of the building allows the detailed interior to be seen. While a bit cramped, it is packed with designs and everything you need to play out the two critical scenes set at Gringotts during the movies.

Advertisements

Minifigures

There are 13 minifigures included in this set; 11 are unique (the young Harry and Hagrid are repurposed). We have all the characters needed to recreate the scenes from The Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone and the Deathly Hallows. Different faces and hairpieces are included for the latter movie to switch Ron and Hermione into their polyjuice-induced characters.

My favorite figures are the goblins, which perfectly encapsulate the likeness from the movie. We get five of them in the set, using the same head mold but each with different face printing and hair colors. They also each have lovely torso designs to give them a distinct appearance.

Advertisements

Observations

The Gringotts sign is a sticker element that covers two pieces. It looks horrendous – indeed, it spells Gringot ts Bank. This is incredibly disappointing, as the bank’s sign is the set’s focal point. I wonder why it’s not either a printed piece or at least having each word on a separate tile. This flaw distracts from the set at all times.

Is the top of the set stable on that base? The bank is built on a baseplate sitting on top of the mine structure – that isn’t a lot to tack a building down. I have faith in Lego’s designers, so I’m sure it’s secure – but it does look fragile!

Keeping the set as a whole is the most striking option, though you can display it as three sets – bank, dragon, and mine system.

The bank should align with Diagon Alley, but in a straight line, the bank protrudes. Further, you’d then be left with the vault section that needs to look better if it were to be a standalone display piece. Indeed, Lego may have been better off splitting the set in two, buying both if you want or buying the bank.

The first thing I thought was, how do I put this in my city? Do I drill a hole in my table and have it suspended somehow? Do I create a mountain and put Diagon Alley at the top so the mine system can be in the mountain? Either option sounds challenging and part-intensive. I know other city builders are facing this dilemma too.

Advertisements

Final thoughts

Despite the flaws, this set looks amazing. I’m unsure how to correct the sign, but the sticker sheet may allow for better placement than the images suggest. I would like you to buy these separately, as I love the set together, but I also want Gringotts at the end of Diagon Alley. I could split my build-up and use the mine system as an adaptive theme park ride. I will leave it as a stunning display piece if that doesn’t work.

If there is a promo to go with this set akin to what they did for the Eiffel Tower, I will pick this up on release day. Otherwise, it will go on the list of big sets I wish to acquire. Promotional images can only show off some of the set, so looking forward to getting my hands on this one and exploring every aspect of the design.

Advertisements