June 1, 2021, marked the release date for a slew of new Harry Potter sets. The LEGO® Group sent several of them over to True North Bricks for review. You can catch the unboxings on YouTube. This week we review our way through the sets, starting with a twofer: the 2021 Harry Potter BrickHeadz sets. This is a look at 40495: Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Hagrid as well as 40496: Voldemort, Nagini, and Bellatrix.
NOTE: The LEGO® Group provided this set for review. However, the provision of products does not guarantee a favorable review. I will use my usual rating system (click here for more information) and provide my honest opinion.
HARRY POTTER BRICKHEADZ SUMMARIES
- NAME: Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Hagrid
- SET #: 40495
- THEME: BrickHeadz
- COST: $34.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 466
- MINIFIGURES: None
- RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2021
- NAME: Voldemort, Nagini, and Bellatrix
- SET #: 40496
- THEME: BrickHeadz
- COST: $34.99 CAD
- BRICK COUNT: 344
- MINIFIGURES: None
- RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2021
HARRY POTTER BRICKHEADZ QUICK REVIEW
- VALUE 40495: 92% (Excellent value-per-brick and good build time.)
- VALUE 40496: 86% (Very good value-per-brick, but only satisfactory build time.)
- BUILD: 80% (In both cases, once you have built one BrickHeadz, you have built them all.)
- MINIFIGURES: N/A
- ENTERTAINMENT: 70% (These are not for me and appeal to a very narrow collector group.)
- OVERALL SCORE 40495: 81%
- OVERALL SCORE 40496: 79%
2021 HARRY POTTER BRICKHEADZ REVIEW
VALUE 40495: 92%
VALUE 40496: 86%
Each of the 2021 Harry Potter BrickHeadz sets costs $34.99 in Canada. 40495 contains 466 bricks, while 40496 comes with 344. Consequently, the sets clock in at a cost-per-brick of $0.08 and $0.10 respectively. Compared to LEGO® sets in general, each represents a good value. My average cost-per-brick across all themes is $0.14. I do not have enough BrickHeadz sets to make a reliable theme-specific comparison, so I will leave it at that. I rate the value-per-brick for 40495 at 99%, and 40496 at 93%.
40495 took me 48 minutes to build. At full price, each minute of build time costs $0.73. Alternatively, 40496 occupied me for 40 minutes. As such, the cost-per-minute of build time was $0.87. For comparison, my average cost-per-minute is $0.83. With that in mind, 40495 represents a good value, while 40496 is merely satisfactory. I rate the former at 85% and the latter at 78%. Overall, that brings the value score for 40495 to 92% and 40496 to 86%.
BUILD: 80%
Once you have built one BrickHeadz character, you are not in for a new experience on subsequent builds. The exception was perhaps the Nutcracker from 2020 which incorporated a moving piece. Nagini is also a unique build in 40496. Otherwise, you learn to build on multiple planes as a newbie to the theme. Additionally, you gain some good SNOT (studs-not-on-top) techniques for your repertoire. However, I have now built a few of these, and the base structure is fairly similar in all of them. Personally, the bricks included are the main draw. I am not a big fan of keeping these characters on display. As with other BrickHeadz, I think the build experience is good for budding AFOLs wanting to learn new techniques. I rate the build experience at 80% for both sets for that reason.
ENTERTAINMENT: 70%
I liked the Harry Potter books, but I am not a hardcore fan of the franchise. I enjoy the LEGO® sets for the medieval look of the builds and the brick colors often included in the Hogwarts Castle sets. But Harry Potter BrickHeadz? These are not for me. I have no use for them. I occasionally enjoy seasonal BrickHeadz like Frankenstein or the Nutcracker for their holiday display potential. However, I promptly recycle those for parts once the appropriate season passes. These Harry Potter characters are a hard recycle right from the get-go. All the BrickHeadz I own have been gifts with purchase or review copies. Sadly, this theme is just not for me. I’ve rated past entries at 80% due to their niche appeal for others. However, Harry Potter specific characters narrow the niche even more. I rate both of these sets at 70% in this category.
OVERALL SCORE 40495: 81%
OVERALL SCORE 40496: 79%
The more BrickHeadz sets I build, the less enamored I become with the theme. These characters are a one-trick pony. Once you acquire the interesting build techniques from your first couple characters, the builds become repetitive. Where the 2021 Harry Potter BrickHeadz are concerned, 40495 is better set. You get more bricks and more characters for the same price. The bricks are the highlight of these kits for me. The selection of parts is good and inexpensive. However, I have no need for Harry Potter BrickHeadz. BrickHeadz in general barely appeal to me. I feel these particular sets appeal to a small selection of both BrickHeadz and Harry Potter collectors. These kitts score alright largely because the value-per-brick is good. What are your thoughts on the 2021 Harry Potter BrickHeadz? Feel free to comment below or reach out on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
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