LEGO Harry Potter Diagon Alley 10217

My mom said you can never go wrong with Lego and as parent I agree!!We purchased this for my daughters birthday and quite frankly were amazed at the detail, quality and value of this set! Now do not get me wrong - there is work involved in this, lots of it!! But I like the fact that it is a great project, is great for a team effort, keeps the kids engaged and everyone knows that hard work will be worth the end result!As for that end result - well you get three amazing and intricate buildings that allow kids to let their imaginations run wild as they play out the Harry Potter scenes: Gringott's Bank - this can be used two ways, as a small building or you can actually open the building up to both show the detail and allow more playability for kids. Then we have Borgin and Burke's - the fun here is the glow in the dark feature, which our kids really loved especially as my daughter kept this set up in her room. The finally, in terms of buildings there is Ollivander's where there is even the effect of an explosion to be had!! Trust me, lego spared neither attention to detail or the extra effects on this one!For me, I was also happy that this set included lots of mini figures, 11 to be exact, which was great as the lack of figures has maybe been the only downfall in some of the other sets from this series!The instructions were comprehensive and easy to follow though the construction was somewhat challenging at times. As busy parents we simply broke up the project over several evenings which is a great suggestion if the kids can wait as it allows you to focus! These pieces are well sized and highly detailed, but this was such as excellent feature as it brought the movie and book to life!One note - sometimes the black bricks look gray in the instructions - there is very little use of gray so if in doubt, its probably black you should be looking for.There is so much playability in this and once complete it is pretty sturdy! My kids have enjoyed endless hours playing Harry Potter and as a parent this is this thing I love most about Lego - besides the quality, this toy allows imaginations to run wild and that TV remote, thankfully, does not come into play for some time!

We have Hagrid's Hut, Freeing Dobby, the old Hogwart's Express, the old Hogwarts, the Burrow, and a few other smalle sets.This set, while the most expensive, is the best set. Anyone who knows Diagon Alley from the Potter books or the movies will love putting it together. Anyone who loves building Lego City sets will love it.Lego invests much detail into each set. Some of the best parts of Lego are the parts that are not seen from the outside, pieces that are intricately joined and are designed with more than aesthetic function in mind. The pieces are of high quality. Colors are brilliant and true to the setting. Stick-ons are meant to fit flush and the adhesives are imperceptible yet strong. The Lego figures are the best. The parts fit snugly without being too tight, and without coming apart. The plastic is not susceptible to warping, expanding, or contracting except at extremely high temperatures. The Harry Potter sets have taken pains to include endearing touches such as including the newspaper the Daily Prophet and a poster of Sirius Black in this set, which are unique to the set.The buildings include Ollivander's Wand Shop, Borgin and Burke's, and Gringott's bank. As mentioned above, the buildings are intricately designed, with many "unseen" pieces that are ingenious and delightful. The buildings are charming to look at. They are somewhat fragile, like all Lego projects, and unless glued together, can easily lose a corner or two.Lego minifigures are collectibles by some fans. In this set, Fenrir Greyback and Mr. Ollivander make an appearance and are possibly unique to the set (I am not a collector). I expect that this set will cost several times its original cost in a year or two, as the Lego license for Harry Potter expires this year. Get it while it's affordable.