LEGO has revealed the Harry Potter set with the biggest price tag ever in the form of a new and very large version of the Hogwarts Express.
With 5 129 pieces the set builds a a portion of the famous red train that measures in at 118 centimetres long which is, according to LEGO, a 1:32 scale replica. That being said expectations should be kept in check as this isn’t the whole train, only the locomotive and two cars.
To supplement the build, the Hogwarts Express sits on a large black base with tracks under it. LEGO train enthusiasts have already pointed out their displeasure with this as it’s too large to work with any existing train setups from the company released in the past.
Also a bit of a disappointment here is any motorisation to actually move the set like a normal model train. Some movement is available in the form of a hand crank which moves the wheels on the engine, however. This doesn’t actually move the train at all so it’s more of a kinetic sculpture gimmick.
Completing the build is a small section of Platform 9¾ which you can populate with twenty minifigures from all four movies. Because this is meant to be a snapshot of those movies you get several versions of certain characters but they all look great together as you can see here.
No localised pricing for 76405: Hogwarts Express – Collectors’ Edition has been revealed but we do have the international pricing below and what it converts to at the current exchange rate:
- €499.99 ≈ R8 427
- £429.99 ≈R8 589
- US$499.99 ≈ R8 154
- AU$799.99 ≈ R9 205
- CA$619.99 ≈ R10 170
South Africa usually has its LEGO prices based on the Euro so expect this set to be close to the R8 427 above.
Localisation aside, this makes this Hogwarts Express the most expensive LEGO Harry Potter product ever. Two other sets have more pieces – 71043: Hogwarts Castle and 75978: Diagon Alley – but those are both cheaper. In South Africa those sets sell for R7 499 and R6 999 respectively. Again we have to stress that we don’t have the official pricing for the Hogwarts Express just yet while these two older sets have been priced and sold in the country for some time now.
Those not deterred by the price can look forward to buying this overseas on 31st August. A local release date has not been revealed just yet.
For everyone else we do want to make mention of a much cheaper alternative in the form of 75955: Hogwarts Express. Originally released in 2018 the set is now retired but some stores may still have stock of it if you do some searching. It’s a great option if you want a buildable version of the train without skipping rent this month.
LEGO has released a short trailer for the set which gives you a good idea of its size and functionality. It’s available to watch on LEGO.com here but for easier viewing a third party upload is embedded below. The video also gives us a glimpse of the aforementioned hand crank wheel system.
[Source – Brickset]
