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Extensive detail continues at either end of the carriage, including functional doors, a trans-red beacon and realistic pipes. Moreover, viewing the vehicle from here reveals its rounded sides and the gentle curvature of the roof. The flame yellowish orange stripes are attractive as well, although they should continue across the doors, so those elements should have been printed. The two competing lines of thought are that they don’t need to have such a huge range of high-end sets to the point that nobody can collect them all, vs the many customers who only care about the high-end sets from a single theme. If you start making cuts for the obsessive collectors, many customers might be shut out completely. This also allows many themes to go gonzo balls-to-the-wall at least once during their run, where the more pragmatic approach would restrict this opportunity to SW and the Modular series because they got there first. Moving on, bag three builds the tender (or in the LEGO description, coal car), which also has the correct number of wheels compared to the prototype (original real-world object). It’s a basic lil’ guy, and maybe could be a bit longer, but it gets the job done. Unfortunately it really doesn’t have enough room in it to hide a battery box, which is one of the primary ways that this size of LEGO steam locomotive gets motorized. Folks who want this train to run under power will likely need to expand the tender significantly, or motorize one of the coaches instead.
Hogwarts™ Express train includes a carriage with 4 seats, removable side panel and roof, plus the Trolley Witch with sweets trolley. Perhaps unexpectedly, the passenger carriage established the scale of the entire Hogwarts Express, requiring enough space for two minifigures to sit side-by-side inside the passenger compartments and the narrow corridor to pass beside them. The carriage therefore measures an impressive 47cm long, although even that is disproportionately short, in reality. The yellow and dark blue decoration on each torso looks superb, alongside accurate icons for Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. While their part numbers are new, both elements return from 76389 Hogwarts Chamber of Secrets. Additionally, these double-sided heads are quite uncommon, as the male design has appeared twice before, while the female head is found in 76399 Hogwarts Magical Trunk. The interior is far more detailed than I anticipated, featuring four seats with sand blue upholstery along with a matching floor. Both the roof and the left side of the carriage are only attached using a few studs so they can be removed with ease, allowing access to place minifigures inside. Hopefully the designers of future LEGO trains will include similar removable wall panels as this is extremely useful for play. Finally, you could motorize the #75955 LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Express by using the brand new LEGO Power Functions 2.0 (Powered Up) system that is being introduced with the #60197 LEGO City Passenger Train and the #60198 LEGO City Cargo Train (available in North America in August, already available in many other countries). This system includes a train motor and battery box very similar to the previously mentioned ones. However, because the Bluetooth receiver is integrated into the battery box, you don’t have to hide that many components. The train can be operated by the redesigned remote control, or from the Powered Up app via a smartphone or tablet. The negative side of this system is that it is very new, and components are not yet available individually. So, you will have to invest in a whole other train just to power the Hogwarts Express. Please note that Power Functions 1.0 and Power Functions 2.0 components are not compatible due to the different wires and plugs. You can find the two new trains at the LEGO City section of the Online LEGO Shop.
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Since this set was revealed it has been interesting to see all the complaints about the size and it not being Lego standard size, but basically nothing about the fact that this is almost exactly G scale - a standard scale in model trains that predates Lego's selection of their standard rail guage (the distance between the rails). The third group of minifigures, including another Harry Potter, is inspired by The Half-Blood Prince. Harry's torso is unique and corresponds with the character's onscreen garb, while the double-sided head presents a face with broken glasses. These denote Draco's use of the Body-Bind Curse, which paralyses Harry aboard the Hogwarts Express. LEGO has produced numerous beautiful steam trains, although fewer than some would like. I was therefore sceptical whether 76405 Hogwarts Express - Collectors' Edition could introduce dramatic improvements over its predecessors, but have definitely been proven wrong because this model is absolutely outstanding. The detailing and accuracy easily surpasses comparable locomotives and the interior is fantastic too.
This setup uses the old 9 volt system. I do not recommend this unless you already have all the parts for a 9v setup. It’s very expensive to get them so many years after the system was retired. Another interesting parts decision is that the whole train uses technic connectors between cars, instead of the magnet couplers that have been used in other train sets through last year’s. Maybe it’s a cost saving measure? Or maybe the magnets would have looked awkward with the tiny coaches with a single wheelset at each end. It’s a little unfortunate since as a British train the Hogwarts Express coaches should have the buffers that have always been molded in to LEGO’s magnet couplers. Great review! It shows really well the unique strengths and flaws of this set. And it's great to see it next to that smaller set, as this really shows the massive size and also makes very clear why it wouldn't have been feasible to make this into a running model. biggest - : a Lego train not compatible with any other Lego train. Because that's what Lego is about: modularity, compatibility. They actually should have included a warning on the box: caution not compatible with Lego City trains. I wouldn't have noticed this without reading the review just from the store description and the official images - who counts studs to see if this train has a different gauge from all the other trains? Most LEGO fans will have the LEGO Power Functions 1.0 components, as it has been around for a long time. Using this system, you will need to install the motor (under the tender is easiest), the battery box, and the IR-receiver (which communicates with the remote to turn the train on or off, and control the speed and direction). The battery box and receiver are quite large, but there are a few different ways you can hide them inside the train. This include enlarging the tender and fitting everything inside, splitting the Power Functions components between the engine, tender, and train car, or even building a separate car for the Power Functions components. All of these methods are fairly easy with some minor modifications, and JANG makes some helpful suggestions in the video.Thankfully, the most important areas of the carriage are readily accessible. Whole segments of the roof and wall can be removed, including one which reveals the corridor. The use of reddish brown and tan inside looks beautifully traditional and I think this two stud width is adequate, as minifigures can stand comfortably inside. Wrought iron braces support the roof of Kings Cross Station and are represented here. These stand out against the walls of the station and their shape seems absolutely perfect, integrating the rings that were introduced as Wakandan weapons in 76100 Royal Talon Fighter. The stone projections underneath look odd in white, but the appropriate light tan colour does not exist. Both minifigures are equipped with dark brown and reddish brown wands, respectively, as well as two suitcases. Scabbers plays a vital role in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban so I am glad to see him here, represented by a brand new element which includes greater moulded detail than the original rat. The creature's beady eyes look superb and he can fit onto a studded surface very neatly, or be held in the hand of a minifigure.
The realistic proportions between the locomotive and tender are among the greatest strengths of this model, particularly because other LEGO trains have sometimes struggled in that regard. Fortunately, this example appears perfect and viewing the vehicle from either side also reveals its authentic wheel arrangement. I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your thoughts on the set in the comments below. Platform 9 ¾, on the other hand, includes a series of trans-yellow light fixtures to reflect the change in environment. Minifigures must pass through the wall between the two Muggle platforms to access the Hogwarts Express and the wall is accordingly mounted on two Technic pins so will swing open neatly, as demonstrated in the image below. 4708 Hogwarts Express from 2001 also included a hidden wall panel but this example is less conspicuous. This set includes two trollies, one of which carries Ron's luggage while the other is laden with unusual sweets. I like the consistent design between the luggage trolley in this set and 30407 Harry's Journey to Hogwarts but the absence of rolling wheels is disappointing. The sweet trolley also features static wheels, although I like its sand green and pearl gold colour scheme as well as the chocolate frog on top. Beyond the various improvements in detail, increasing the scale has required the designer to construct certain features that would commonly be represented by a specialised piece. These include the frame and coil springs on the bogies, which both look tremendous. The tan Technic elements are rather conspicuous, but brighter colours have been avoided.Flame yellowish orange rings are situated along the boiler, which realistically narrows towards the front. They are gold on the original train, but I think flame yellowish orange is a satisfactory alternative. Moreover, these rings help to disguise the unavoidable steps as the boiler becomes gradually narrower, so the transition between each section is relatively subtle.
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