LEGO's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire(Harry & the Horntail, Merpeople, and the Graveyard Duel) by Lando da Pimp If you're not reading the books, this review may contain spoilers from the upcoming movie The fourth Harry Potter film Goblet of Fire is released on November 18 and we now have a complete look at the LEGO sets for the film. Last week I reviewed the Durmstrang ship (4768) and now I complete my Goblet of Fire collection with the remaining three sets; Harry & The Horntail (4767), Merpeople (4762), and The Graveyard Duel (4766). in a joint effort. The newest Mugglenet Podcast, Mugglecast Episode 7 features an interview with yours truly, discussing these four LEGO sets. reader / listener I welcome you to MillionairePlayboy. Now on to the reviews! You Can Listen to the Podcast Here Harry & The Horntail (4767) Harry's first task in the Tri-Wizard Tournament is to test his courage by attempting to steal a golden egg from the Horntail dragon.
Harry completes the task by using a summoning charm to call his Firebolt to him. Flying around, he entices the dragon to fly after him. Taking advantage of this, he swoops down scooping up the golden egg that will give the clue for the second task. The first task takes place in a rock pit with spectators in bleachers watching on. LEGO provides this look with a rocky grey / orange wall structures. On the top of one of the structures is a catapult that you can launch Harry's Firebolt. The non-brick dragon is attached to the bottom area of the spectator stand that falls over when Harry entices the dragon into the air. LEGO did a great job with recreating this moment. At the top is a banner with the three school logo marks. By pushing back on the banner the seats fall backwards spilling the spectators to the floor. A new feature for LEGO is using magnets on the golden egg. Mini-figure Harry holds a magnetic handle that attracts the magnet in the egg, letting you have Harry swoop down and grab the egg.
While some LEGO fans may absolutely hate the non-brick quality of the dragon (similar to the Dino Attack sets); I find the Horntail figure really great. If you look at the previous LEGO sets where you build a creature from basic building blocks, they are really disappointing looking. LEGOs have changed with new colors and new unique shapes all of the time. The set comes with three mini-figures; Harry, Dumbledor, and Mad Eye Moody. The painting details on Harry and Mad Eye are both fantastic. The set could have been larger with the three other champions and dragons, however LEGO decided to focus only on Harry's task. The rock structures can be set up in many different layouts. While it is difficult to get Harry on the broom the playability of the set is outstanding. Skip down to all the pictures from this set The second task finds the champions swimming in the lake to find the settlement of the Merpeople. They then need to rescue people who were dear to them that are guarded by the Merpeople.
Harry discovers that he is to rescue Ron, but when he finds the settlement he also discovers that Hermione is held captive for Viktor to rescue. The Merpeople settlement uses a lot of blue and green pieces to give the depiction of it under water. Ron and Hermione are located on the main area attached by small platforms. When the button is depressed in the back, the platforms raise releasing the two into the lake. To the left of them is a secret compartment with daggers guarded by an octopus. Like the Horntail setm LEGO decided to depict Harry's task of rescuing Ron but also Viktor's task of rescuing Hermione. In the book Harry is unwilling to leave until all of the people are rescued. When Fleur doesn't show up he also rescues Gabrielle, Fleur's little sister. The set comes with 5 mini-figures: Harry, sleeping Hermione and Ron, Viktor with shark head, and a Merperson. The Viktor mini-figures shark head is removable allowing you to use him the way he looks before the task. Harry has a great paintjob on the face showcasing his gills and (for the first time?)
While the Horntail set feels like a complete depiction of a scene, the Merpeople set feels to come up short. I would liked to have seen an additional Merpeople mini-figure or at least Gabrielle. This is also the second Victor Krum mini-figure released with no Cedric or Fleur included in any set. This is the smallest of the four sets so for those Potter fans on a budget, I recommend this set. Skip to all of the pictures from this set. The Graveyard Duel (4766) At the end of the final task of the Triwizard tournament, Harry and Cedric both touch the Triwizard Cup at the same time and are transported instantly to a graveyard. Cedric is murdered by Wormtail and proceeds to tie Harry up. Using blood from Harry's arm, ashes from Voldemort's father, and Wormtail's own right hand, he combines these items in to a cauldren. Voldemort rises from the cauldron with a new body. Suddenly the Death Eaters appear outnumbering Harry. Voldermort challenges Harry to a duel where light from both of their wands meet in midair.
Voldermort's past victims emerge from his wand and protect Harry. Harry manages to touch the Triwizard Cup and return to Hogwarts with Cedric's body. The graveyard where Voldermort returns gives us one of the more spooky looking LEGO sets. A locked gate and fence surrounds the graveyard. Three small graves all can be opened to either reveal a skeleton or coffin with mini-figure skeletons painted on. (Why are they smiling?) The largest grave belongs to Tom Riddle, Voldermort's father. When the grave is opened up, three snakes can be found inside. There is also a caretaker shack with broom and shovel to help enforce the graveyard details. A haunted looking tree with owls and spiders provides a resting place for a skeleton. This year at Toy Fair I couldn't wait to get my hands on this set when I first saw it. This final scene from the book is my favorite. Who doesn't like to see the bad guy emerge? After three books / films with no real Voldermort (meaning with a body) I can't wait to see what he looks like in the film.
We will find out in a few months how close the mini-figure is to the cinematic Voldermort. The set also contains a Wormtail, Death Eater, and Harry with his final task clothing. With a turn of the head and removal of cloak the Death Eater can be turned into Lucious Malfoy, Draco's father. This set is the best of the Goblet of Fire sets and highly recommended for any Harry Potter fan. I find only two flaws with this set. First, I would like to have seen a Cedric mini-figure since he does play a crucial role in the scene. Second, where is the Tri-Wizard Cup / Portkey? Even without these two details this is still a good quality set well worth the money. While I would love to have more Goblet of Fire sets, LEGO has chosen to only release these four. Combined with the Durmstrang ship, these sets provide Potter fans who have purchased the previous Potter sets a great addition to their collection. For those who do not have any sets from the first three films, these may not be as interesting to you.