“We have the previous version of this set, and wondered whether much had changed. The simple answer is that while this set has some similarity to the previous set, there are a lot of new and different features in this set that provide their own entertainment.Out of the box, this set includes 801 pieces of assembly fun. It takes a while to put this set together, but the assembly is at least half the fun.Once assembled, the set includes a combination of King's Cross Station and Hogwart's platform 9 3/4, along with an engine, passenger car, and coal tender. While this set does not include track, this train will work with the track from any more current (maybe the last decade or so) Lego set.There are a number of cool features that increase the fun.First, the passenger car can be opened to position passengers in the train. To help with the play, this set includes numerous figures: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, the Trolley Witch, a dementor, and Scabbers. There is room for everyone in the train. Incidentally, this set includes the snack trolley with some snacks for the trip.Platform 9 3/4 includes a movable wall to simulate the magical entrance to the platform. Indeed, a luggage cart is included to help make the push through to the platform.Fight the dementor with a wand. Indeed, the dementor is a scary-looking figure for a Lego.The coal tender includes a hidden compartment to store goodies.This set is more than just these features. There are stairs, a newspaper and newspaper stand, light fixtures, signs, a clock, a wanted poster for Sirius Black, and more. It is the details that provide the joy of discovery both during assembly as well as play.While we love all Harry Potter sets, we have a few minor complaints about this set. The biggest is that the coal tender is too small in comparison to the size of the engine. Also, the passenger car is more of a stylized version of a passenger car than an actual passenger car. Of course, most children will be unaware of the differences, and likely will not care, but as someone who likes trains, these small details are somewhat annoying.We are huge fans of Legos in general, including Harry Potter sets, of which we have many. Our rating for this particular set, as with most Lego sets, was five stars before we opened the box. We like the changes from our previous version of this set, 4708 from 2001. This set is larger, with many more features. While we liked the passenger car from the previous set, the engine from this set includes many welcome improvements in terms of detail and style. Indeed, though we like the previous set, this version is a tremendous improvement that makes this set a worthy addition to any collection of Harry Potter Legos.Enjoy!”
“Legos are always an excellent choice. This particular set is quite complex, including a train with an engine, coal car, and passenger car, as well as a station with two platforms and stairs leading up to a bridge that the train can drive underneath. The train rolls around on wheels, the coal car opens and shuts, and the roof comes off of the passenger car so you can put the characters in or take them out. The windows of the passenger car also open and close.Our son was too young to put the set together on his own, but he very much enjoyed helping. The building process took probably 2 hours total (we built a few parts one day, then finished the next day). The set is Harry-Potter themed, and if your child loves the books, he or she will love the Lego figures of Harry Potter and his friends. They come with tiny wands. There is also a Voldemort figure. Our son doesn't know the Harry Potter stories yet, but he loves the set anyway. He loves trains, and loves making the good guys fight the bad guy. He enjoys putting the characters into the train and driving it around.One potential drawback of the set is that there's not much room for customization or modification. Now that it's put together, I doubt we're going to take it apart or use these Legos to build something entirely invented. There are also a lot of very tiny pieces that could easily get lost. But the set comes with extras for many of the smallest pieces. And all around, it's a very fun toy with a lot of potential for imaginative play.”
“My kids were (and still are) fans of both Legos and Harry Potter. One is 17 and the other is 20. They got together last weekend to put this fun set together. They divided and conquered. The details in this set are amazing! The moving brick wall on the platform is my favorite! There's even a chocolate frog for the snack cart. It's definitely geared toward the older children and teens. It took my kids a couple of hours to build this, but they did take some breaks. The directions were pretty easy to follow. I think they each had a moment or two of frustration, but since they were working together, they were able to help each other out. They haven't taken it apart yet, but they plan to carefully put everything in resealable bags so they keep all of the pieces together.”
