Review: 76441 Hogwarts Castle: Duelling Club
Posted by CapnRex101,Gilderoy Lockhart establishes a duelling club in response to the dangerous Chamber of Secrets being opened. The scene appeared in 4733 The Duelling Club back in 2002 and I am pleased to see it revisited again in 76441 Hogwarts Castle: Duelling Club.
Even though these sets are separated by over twenty years, both include the same character selection and similar functions. Their sizes are quite different though, as the new set focuses mainly on the duelling platform, while its predecessor included more extensive scenery.
Summary
76441 Hogwarts Castle: Dueling Club, 158 pieces.
£19.99 / $24.99 / €24.99 | 12.7p/15.8c/15.8c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
With great minifigures and enjoyable functions, this is a satisfying set all round
- LEGO finally revisits this scene
- Excellent minifigure selection
- Neatly integrated functions
- Plenty of printed parts
- A little too expensive
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
Though these versions of Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy have appeared many times before, both minifigures look superb. As usual, their robes are decorated with dark red and dark green accents denoting Gryffindor and Slytherin, as are the jumpers and ties underneath. Additionally, the hair pieces suit each character well.
I would like to see a little more variety in expressions for the characters though, especially for Harry, as his frightened face is really not needed for this scene. However, the accessories are splendid because these wands with studs at the end have only appeared twice before, so I am happy to see them available in an inexpensive set.
Professor Snape, meanwhile, returns from 76431 Hogwarts Castle: Potions Class. I love the printed arms and metallic silver finish on his waistcoat, improving on Snape's prior minifigures, which have tended to be rather dull, thanks to the professor's typically dark attire. Similarly, the double-sided head works perfectly, with unfriendly expressions on both sides.
However, it is clearly Professor Lockhart who steals the show! Despite the character's huge popularity, Gilderoy Lockhart rarely appears in the LEGO Harry Potter range and his relatively few appearances have generally been in bigger sets. This minifigure is therefore very welcome, especially since the formal duelling attire is one of Lockhart's most recognisable costumes.
The padding and intricate crest on the torso are perfectly accurate to Lockhart's onscreen garb, as are the white arms. The sand green cape looks great too, although I would have preferred a double-sided fabric cape, which could capture the golden inner surface. Nevertheless, this is an impressive minifigure overall and the exaggerated facial expressions are flawless.
The Completed Model
This set is designed to fit inside 76435 Hogwarts Castle: The Great Hall, so it includes a small fireplace to complete the Great Hall. The design is rather basic, but I like the decorative scrolls and mix of various tan and nougat shades. A collectable portrait is also provided and this one is based loosely on Maud Montague, whose portrait is displayed at Hogwarts in the films.
However, the duelling platform is pretty obviously the focus of this set. Much like the fireplace, this appears simple at first glance, although it matches the wooden structure from the film and includes a clever function, which is remarkably well hidden.
In addition, the tiles comprising the carpeted area are printed. Once again, these designs look perfect in relation to the onscreen setting, adorned with crescent moons and little metallic gold stars. I like the 1x8 tiles along the sides too, featuring interlaced cords that anchor the carpet in place.
Studs are available for minifigures to stand at either end of the platform, while a snake is also provided, which has not been produced in dark tan before. This is a welcome addition, so you can recreate Draco's snake-summoning spell and Harry's use of Parseltongue afterwards.
The duels presented during Chamber of Secrets tend to involve characters being hurled back. Pressing the steps at one end of the platform will thus eject the minifigure at the other end, as shown below. The function works nicely in either direction and throws the losing duellist further than I expected, thanks to clips holding them in place.
The box advertises that this set can be combined with 76435 Hogwarts Castle: The Great Hall and it was evidently designed with this in mind, as the duelling platform is exactly the right size. That involves removing pieces of furniture already provided with the Great Hall, but I appreciate its adaptability, as discussed in our coverage of last year's Harry Potter Advent Calendar.
Overall
76441 Hogwarts Castle: Duelling Club has received some criticism for a lack of substance, as the models included are small and look pretty basic. However, I think this set offers everything needed to replicate the duelling club sequence from the film and the minifigures alone are very appealing, as is the duellist-launching function!
The price of £19.99, $24.99 or €24.99 feels a bit too expensive, although with four minifigures included and any decorated parts printed, I can see how the price was reached. Even so, I am pleased with this set on the whole and would definitely recommend it, especially to anyone who has missed Gilderoy Lockhart's earlier appearances.
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56 comments on this article
For that price you could probably get like an actual table.
This is the saddest looking set I have seen in a while.
What a dud of a set. At least they should have used the new spell effects that were introduced last year.
This will be first year I buy zero Hogwarts sets based on what is currently offered. Just really bad.
I know it's reductionist of me, but 25$ for a Lockhart minifig with some printed tiles seems like an unfair price
'Scared, Potter?'
This would be a great $10-15 set.
Con:
Not a single foil or épée in sight.
What's with the hate? You get 4 great Minifigures and are able to recreate a very iconic scene.
Wait, Lockhart actually wore a dueling glove just to hold a dinky wand?
@shedjed:
This is the third set with the effects wands, but only the first such set included the spell effects pack. I’m beginning to wonder if they ever plan to bring that back.
I like the concept, but I am curious about the rollout of the new castle system. We got the Great Hall and then a few random classrooms and a small tower area and now some dueling furniture?
LEGO is advertising these sets will create the ultimate Hogwarts, so let us see that. Even if it's black silhouettes of castle areas with a "late 2025" or "early 2026" dates on them. We need an idea of how this ultimate castle will look because so far we got a few buildings and some room interiors that while detailed don't form a whole yet, compared to prior iterations of the castle.
Fight, young children! Fight each other! Then I'll magically attack the other teacher and whack him against a nearby wall!
Are those new wand elements?
@Harmonious_Building said:
"For that price you could probably get like an actual table. "
You could in fact, if I remember correctly, get five Ikea Lack tables and try to imitate the scene in your home. (This is not serious advice, your foot will probably go through the lack Table if you try to do that)
You are paying for the minifigs but most of them are generic and fitted with those ridiculous artrose ridden knees to further lower the appeal.
Not quite sure I get the price hate on this, I don’t think it is badly priced for what you get.
Also remember the one from 25 years ago was £17.99 I think.
Probably not one for me though, the printed parts are nice and Lockhart Minifig is really cool, the rest is just not what I want at the moment.
@xboxtravis7992 said:
"I like the concept, but I am curious about the rollout of the new castle system. We got the Great Hall and then a few random classrooms and a small tower area and now some dueling furniture?
LEGO is advertising these sets will create the ultimate Hogwarts, so let us see that. Even if it's black silhouettes of castle areas with a "late 2025" or "early 2026" dates on them. We need an idea of how this ultimate castle will look because so far we got a few buildings and some room interiors that while detailed don't form a whole yet, compared to prior iterations of the castle."
The Main Tower will come in summer, apparently 2k+ pieces for approx 250 USD. I am looking forward to that one.
This set is fine. Maybe a tad expensive, but has nice prints, 3 good minifigs and one outstanding one, and a cool play function.
Not sure where the hate comes from.
Or wait, I actually do. Some people here love thriving on negativity.
I actually like this set and the new style of Hogwarts sets in general. This one probably works better in the Great Hall (and at a discount) rather than as a stand-alone set, but I don't see what more they could do with this scene besides one or two more students in the audience.
A very nice addition to 76435 but as that's not a version of Hogwarts I've got, probably not for me.
@MrBedhead said:
" @xboxtravis7992 said:
"I like the concept, but I am curious about the rollout of the new castle system. We got the Great Hall and then a few random classrooms and a small tower area and now some dueling furniture?
LEGO is advertising these sets will create the ultimate Hogwarts, so let us see that. Even if it's black silhouettes of castle areas with a "late 2025" or "early 2026" dates on them. We need an idea of how this ultimate castle will look because so far we got a few buildings and some room interiors that while detailed don't form a whole yet, compared to prior iterations of the castle."
The Main Tower will come in summer, apparently 2k+ pieces for approx 250 USD. I am looking forward to that one.
This set is fine. Maybe a tad expensive, but has nice prints, 3 good minifigs and one outstanding one, and a cool play function.
Not sure where the hate comes from.
Or wait, I actually do. Some people here love thriving on negativity."
The tower is a good step at least. This is the first time the Great Hall was released without the matching tower so it's felt unbalanced without the tower.
@xboxtravis7992 said:
" @MrBedhead said:
" @xboxtravis7992 said:
"I like the concept, but I am curious about the rollout of the new castle system. We got the Great Hall and then a few random classrooms and a small tower area and now some dueling furniture?
LEGO is advertising these sets will create the ultimate Hogwarts, so let us see that. Even if it's black silhouettes of castle areas with a "late 2025" or "early 2026" dates on them. We need an idea of how this ultimate castle will look because so far we got a few buildings and some room interiors that while detailed don't form a whole yet, compared to prior iterations of the castle."
The Main Tower will come in summer, apparently 2k+ pieces for approx 250 USD. I am looking forward to that one.
This set is fine. Maybe a tad expensive, but has nice prints, 3 good minifigs and one outstanding one, and a cool play function.
Not sure where the hate comes from.
Or wait, I actually do. Some people here love thriving on negativity."
The tower is a good step at least. This is the first time the Great Hall was released without the matching tower so it's felt unbalanced without the tower."
I hope they do it justice. Especially hope for a lot of paintings and a cool function for the moving staircases. And of course hope they manage to cram a decent version of Dumbledores office in the top.
@Maxbricks14 said:
"What's with the hate? You get 4 great Minifigures and are able to recreate a very iconic scene."
I totally agree! My kids would love this!! Honestly I can already picture them shouting spells at each other and blasting any figs they can get their hands on around. It's like having opposing catapults, and it really looks just like the duelling table in the movie.
This is the set I'm most excited about in this wave and I plan to get it.
The printed carpet pieces are the highlight of the set, IMO. Super useful for fantasy or witchy MOCs. And 9 times out of 10 I'd *fully* expect those to be stickered pieces.
$25 for this is robbery. Especially when 76442 is five bucks cheaper and comes with substantially more.
But at least LEGO is learning their lesson from 75385 and using printed parts for the play surface instead of stickers that would wear down more easily.
Apparently providing an opinion on a poor set is HATE and NEGATIVITY? I think people thrive on calling others hateful and negative. Some sets are bad and can be called as such without turning it into a holy war crusade. Jeez Louise.
@PjtorXmos said:
" @Harmonious_Building said:
"For that price you could probably get like an actual table. "
You could in fact, if I remember correctly, get five Ikea Lack tables and try to imitate the scene in your home. (This is not serious advice, your foot will probably go through the lack Table if you try to do that)"
That would cost £100. One Lack table is the equivalent price of this set.
Instant buy. This movie in particular brings back so many child memories. Also Lockhart!!
Lockhart is the standout minifigure, but by my reckoning, this is just the 7th set to have a Snape minfig in the last decade (excluding gold and microfigure versions). Harry and Draco are necessary to the scene, but it would be nice to get a third student, maybe Justin Finch Fletchley, since he was a key figure as well. Aside from that, I like that it's designed to fit in the new Hogwarts system, but might actually fit in the previous Great Halls once their tables are removed.
@shedjed said:
"Apparently providing an opinion on a poor set is HATE and NEGATIVITY? I think people thrive on calling others hateful and negative. Some sets are bad and can be called as such without turning it into a holy war crusade. Jeez Louise. "
Ironic that criticizing a set based on an IP made by you-know-who constitutes as "hate" to some people.
@Murdoch17 said:
"'Scared, Potter?'"
'You wish.'
@EtudeTheBadger said:
" @Murdoch17 said:
"'Scared, Potter?'"
'You wish.'"
I was waiting / hoping for someone to finish the quote!
$20 would be ideal for this iconic famous HP scene.
But breaking it down, 3 minifigs $10 bucks, Lockhart another $4.
The little fireplace with printed tile, $2.
The long table with exclusive printed tiles, $5.
So add it all up $21 bucks. W/license we're at $25.
It's not bad.
Many Harry Potter sets get 20% discounts and I expect this one to, as well. That makes the price a bearable $20.
@Trigger_ said:
" @shedjed said:
"Apparently providing an opinion on a poor set is HATE and NEGATIVITY? I think people thrive on calling others hateful and negative. Some sets are bad and can be called as such without turning it into a holy war crusade. Jeez Louise. "
Ironic that criticizing a set based on an IP made by you-know-who constitutes as "hate" to some people."
Voldemort wrote the books? Oh, that's not the "You-Know-Who" you meant.
@johleth said:
"This is the saddest looking set I have seen in a while. "
The Harry Potter version of 75334....smaller in size but pretty much the same concept and over inflated price
>Make a specialized set of spells for one set
>Do not include it in dueling set
??????????
This would already make this set more interesting and worth it.
@dylanwho said:
"Are those new wand elements?"
They appeared in Battle of Hogwarts 76415
Love this set honestly. The duelling bench looks really good and the Lockhart minifig is perfect
LEGO should learn from the comments here. Clearly what AFOLs want are stickers instead of exclusive printed parts or no decoration at all and lots of smaller parts to reduce that PPP metric.
I don't know what more people want from this set!
Great prints. A cheap lockheart. Fun feature. Great figs. Just a bit small for the price.
There was a time when HP sets offered excellent value. They don’t any longer. The use of 'scared Harry' is pathetic! It's also unfortunate that they chose not to bring back the cobra from 71008-4.
That said, I like the printed pieces and other figs- especially the DA Prof. The single gloved hand is an especially nice detail. Nevertheless, I won't be acquiring this without a significant discount.
Hey @CapnRex101 . You've repeatedly shown a completed 76435. When can we expect the review? I really appreciate how HP is designing complimentary components for a larger castle.
@MegaBlocks said:
" @PjtorXmos said:
" @Harmonious_Building said:
"For that price you could probably get like an actual table. "
You could in fact, if I remember correctly, get five Ikea Lack tables and try to imitate the scene in your home. (This is not serious advice, your foot will probably go through the lack Table if you try to do that)"
That would cost £100. One Lack table is the equivalent price of this set."
Standing on a Lack table??! That would truly be magic. I accidentally did that once trying to reach an upper shelf. Barely survived to tell the tale. Needless to say, the table did not.
@Murdoch17 said:
" @EtudeTheBadger said:
" @Murdoch17 said:
"'Scared, Potter?'"
'You wish.'"
I was waiting / hoping for someone to finish the quote!"
An excellent idea to show them that, @Murdoch17 . But, if you don't mind me saying, it was pretty obvious what you wanted us to do, and if I had wanted to stop you, it would've been only too easy.
@MegaBlocks said:
" @PjtorXmos said:
" @Harmonious_Building said:
"For that price you could probably get like an actual table. "
You could in fact, if I remember correctly, get five Ikea Lack tables and try to imitate the scene in your home. (This is not serious advice, your foot will probably go through the lack Table if you try to do that)"
That would cost £100. One Lack table is the equivalent price of this set."
We can get them for 6€ a pop here
@PjtorXmos said:
" @MegaBlocks said:
" @PjtorXmos said:
" @Harmonious_Building said:
"For that price you could probably get like an actual table. "
You could in fact, if I remember correctly, get five Ikea Lack tables and try to imitate the scene in your home. (This is not serious advice, your foot will probably go through the lack Table if you try to do that)"
That would cost £100. One Lack table is the equivalent price of this set."
We can get them for 6€ a pop here
"
Yes, the cheapest Lack I could find was £7, prior Google search came up with a more expensive model.
Regardless I can buy a real car for less than many Lego cars. But not sure what that says.
If I thought about how much sets "should" cost based on the reasoning I'm starting to think some of you are operating on, I'd be arguing that Lego should have to pay *you* several thousand dollars to take this off their hands.
one of the worst sets i’ve seen in a while, it’s a carpet and a tiny fireplace
@shedjed said:
"Apparently providing an opinion on a poor set is HATE and NEGATIVITY? I think people thrive on calling others hateful and negative. Some sets are bad and can be called as such without turning it into a holy war crusade. Jeez Louise. "
This specific IP has a history of people who now hate the author bashing any sets from the theme, which is an improvement from trying to start fights so the comments would get shut down within hours of the article being posted. Unless you know which names to watch out for (or you blocked them all), it can be difficult to differentiate between people who have legitimate problems with the set, vs people who just want the theme to go away.
@Maxbricks14 said:
"What's with the hate? You get 4 great Minifigures and are able to recreate a very iconic scene."
I can totally understand the hate.
For a start, the set looks totally bland. Half of the minifigs are run of the mill ordinary. Snape is ok, and only Lockhart is the saving grace. But for what you get the price is ridiculous.
I remember when the Harry Potter theme returned a couple of years ago, most of the sets were extremely good value. Nowadays most of them are terrible value.
I have only bought one Harry Potter set in recent times and that was the Ford Anglia, which I got for 30% off but which even at RRP offers fair value.
The good thing is since Harry Potter seems to sell terribly bad nowadays, there are always huge discounts. I guess this set will be available for around 15 Euro* sooner rather than later, at which point it will at least become interesting for those interested in the Lockhart fig.
*It's already below 20 Euro on Amazon, so the direction is clear.
I'm a big HP fan but haven't bought any HP sets for a while because I'm focusing on other lines. I like this set for the Lockheart fig and the moon prints. They are the big draw. The set itself looks appealing but I don't need another Harry and Draco. The Snape is good but I have enough to suit me. The price is the biggest hurdle. Yikes. As someone else mentioned, throw in a Justin Finch Fletchly and his camera to round out the value and you'd have a winner. If I see this on a 50%+ off clearance at Walmart, I'll gladly scoop it up, but until then my budget goes elsewhere.
@EtudeTheBadger said:
" @Murdoch17 said:
"'Scared, Potter?'"
'You wish.'"
Lockhart: On the count of three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent, only to disarm. We don't want and accidents here. One, two--
Draco: Everte Statum!
Harry: Rictusempra!
“the duelling platform is exactly the right size. That involves removing pieces of furniture already provided with the Great Hall”
It fits the book (haven’t seen the movie in 20 odd years, can’t remember if it’s the same) all 4 tables was pushed to the side (I’ll just assume they are against the fourth wall of the hall)
This set is just what it's supposed to be. The table that the dueling took place on & you can make the minifigs fly in the air. A few students would have been nice, but they aren't necessary for the play value. I like the prints on the table they look great, and the portrait. If the designers added more to the set, then people here whine they added unnecessary builds just to increase the price. It's a playset with a fun function, that is a bit overpriced, but not expensive. Nice review, thanks!
So this is like a army builder/battle pack set...except all the minifigs are different...and for $5 more.
I found and bought this set recently and I have to admit, it's a tad disappointing that the newest Harry Potter castle seems to be little accessory based sets to put inside the finished product, and alternate between what scene you want. You'd have to buy at least three versions of the main castle model just to display everything... as far as I am aware since I haven't bought one of those pricy castle sets yet to build and have my 'TROLL... TROLL in the Dungeon!" moment restored to my collection.
Overall though it's an interesting and unique idea. I just wish the prices weren't so silly for some of these sets.
@Odeinoichus said:
"I found and bought this set recently and I have to admit, it's a tad disappointing that the newest Harry Potter castle seems to be little accessory based sets to put inside the finished product, and alternate between what scene you want. You'd have to buy at least three versions of the main castle model just to display everything... as far as I am aware since I haven't bought one of those pricy castle sets yet to build and have my 'TROLL... TROLL in the Dungeon!" moment restored to my collection.
Overall though it's an interesting and unique idea. I just wish the prices weren't so silly for some of these sets."
I get what you're saying, and I've also wondered how many rooms will not have a home inside the castle itself when all is said and done, or how easy it would be to construct an empty castle wing to hold the sold-separately rooms. I think they're trying to thread the needle between display value and play value. People who just want a minfig-scale castle to display can probably just buy the castle sets themselves, and not worry about the extra rooms that won't fit inside anyway. People (mainly kids, I'm guessing) who want to have access to the various rooms for play will be able to pull them out of the castle sets and do so. It's not an ideal solution, but it looks like it might be a decent attempt to satisfy both conditions.