LEGO Harry Potter 75981 - Advent Calender New 2020 (335 pieces)

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Yup, that’s it. Wizards don’t use electricity, so the microphone is pretty much a cone to amplify sound, and at the very least the sheet is printed. There are 6 minifigures, I like the girls dresses and prints, they are really accurate and effective, on the other hand the three main characters are the same as in other sets and this is a bit disappointing with respect to 2019 version. For this tree, I don't really like the combination of cheese wedges and pyramids (and @Greshi is right about the decorations, where the blue pyramids and clear cheeses should be flipped on the sides). The color scheme definitely works for the scene that's being depicted, but I got a bunch of the previous HPAC to build a forest with the trees, and I don't have any intention of doing that with this one. Maybe this signals that we’ll eventually get a Leaky Cauldron building that can be used to expand 75978 Diagon Alley, as I can absolutely see this sign being repurposed again.

2020 LEGO Advent Calendars, Day 18 - The Brothers Brick 2020 LEGO Advent Calendars, Day 18 - The Brothers Brick

The sheet music tile is relatively rare (and new!), having only been available in 2 sets so far this year, with the most notable being Rapunzel’s Tower. Lifting open the flap reveals the mat, which has a game, called “Journey to Hogwarts”. Along the mat is some sort of pathway, and there’s a spin dice to move your minifigures along, with numbered spots that correspond to the Advent Calendar builds. Here’s a look at Ron’s alternate face, with a terrified look – maybe he spotted a large spider or something. Day 11 of the Advent Calendar is a bit of a basic build to pad out the Yule Ball setting – a Fireplace!

While the models and builds have been more miss than hit this year, I do appreciate the chronological story-telling with each day’s windows, tracing Harry’s journey from 4 Privet Drive to the Leaky Cauldron, and now, as he takes his first few steps into Diagon Alley. Do you know if the Funko calendar this year is different from last years Yule Ball? Like- do the characters look different or do they look the same? We already did last years and are looking for something new.

LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar 2021 – Daily Countdown LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar 2021 – Daily Countdown

I don’t believe a Grand Piano was featured prominently in the Yule Ball – the closest reference I could find was on the stage, and it was mostly obscured by Olympe Maxime in the shot. The Christmas Trees are quite basic, I like the clean large cone piece used for the tip and the trans-white and blue cheese slopes on the base.I’d say that this is the first proper Yule Ball build, and I hope we start getting a few more of these in the coming days, as the bright white tree really stands out in the best way against all the other models. Nothing too fancy here, and it’s a break from the tradition of getting a Harry Potter minifigure on Day 1’s window like previous years.

Harry Potter Hogwarts Advent Calendar 2020 - Menkind

On Day 17, we get another great little model, a minifigure-scale Grand Piano! I really like the design of the Grand Piano – big fan of the monochrome grey colour, and the use of printed piano keys, and I love how they incorporated the stand for the sheet music. The third Wizard school has just arrived in the Harry Potter Advent Calendar 2020. It is not a surprise, but a nice welcome, of course. Since the main theme of this Calendar is the Book 4 of Harry Potter, all the main characters have to join.

The focus on the Yule Ball has made this a particularly cohesive experience, and it’s been a lot of fun reliving the scenes, characters and even small little references to obscure scenes/props from the Goblet of Fire movie. This pile of galleons attaches itself to the Gringotts vault, allowing you to open the door, for Harry be amazed and discover that he’s secretly filthy rich. The icing and writing is a little wonky, and Hagrid misspells birthday to “birthdae” but Harry is delighted nonetheless, as this is the first birthday cake he’s ever received in his life.