Review: 71348 Hermione Granger
Posted by Shib,
From the Wizarding World of Harry Potter comes 71348 Hermione Granger, along with a brick built version of Buckbeak the hippogriff, adding more Harry Potter Characters to the LEGO Dimensions line up.
Minifigure
As with all of the Fun Packs, this set includes just one Minifigure, Hermione Granger. This is a unique version of this character, in a design that matches her later look from Deathly Hallows.
The torso printing depicts a denim jacket worn over the top of a pink hoodie. The pink printing is perhaps a little light compared to the costume in the film, but it's close enough to instantly be recognised as the costume she wore during the battle of Hogwarts.
The hair piece is the same as used in the previous thee incarnations of Hermione, but this time in a lighter shade. It's great to get a completely new version of a character who hasn't been produced for over five years.
Build 1: Buckbeak
Buckbeak has previously appeared as a special moulded animal in two sets back in 2004, but this is the first time he has appeared as a brick built creature. When the images of Buckbeak were first revealed I was instantly pleased with the design.
While brick building a creature like this at minifigure scale does leave some blocky inaccuracies, I feel that the designer has produced the most accurate depiction of Buckbeak possible at this scale. The biggest issue in the build is the wings which are far too small, poorly shaped and even appear to point in the wrong direction. However, this is likely more of a limitation for being a Dimensions multi-build, and is more of an issue when compared to the older moulded version than viewed alone.
Build 2: Giant Owl
Given that owls are synonymous with the Harry Potter franchise, an owl makes perfect sense as a secondary build for this set. To use all the parts from Buckbeak the owl includes a little perch to sit on, which works well enough, but also has an odd looking back. This is not unusual in Lego Dimensions alternate builds, but is a bit of a shame as the front view is a very good rendition of an owl.
While most people would probably assume this to be Hedwig, to me it looks a lot more like a white faced scops owl. Fans of the franchise might be aware that Ron had a white faced scops owl named Pigwidgeon (or Pig for short) who was given to him by Sirius Black – creating another nice little link to the Buckbeak main build.
Build 3: Fierce Falcon
To me this is the most disappointing build of the three. The falcon is a decent representation of a bird of prey in a hunting pose, and works well for the scale, but like the Giant Owl build looks rather sloppy from the rear.
While falcons in general fit in with the Harry Potter World, there are no appearances of any actual falcons in the main canon of the franchise. The only references to Falsons I could find are; Pottermore confirms that some wizards have falcons as the corporal form of their patronus charms, there is a Quiddich team called the Falmouth Falcons and the first recorded animagus (Wizard who can transform into an animal at will) Falco Aesalon could turn into a falcon, however all of this is from additional media, nothing from the main canon.
I'd have rather seen another magical creature or fantastic beast instead of the falcon, but I appreciate that these alternate builds are often restricted by the parts available.
Digital Content
Figuring out the full value of the Dimensions packs is always a little tricky. As I already own 71247 Harry Potter Team Pack, I already had access to the Harry Potter open world, which is the biggest element of the digital content that the Hermione Fun Pack adds. Also, neither Hermione or Buckbeak have any unique skills, so from my perspective this pack is relatively poor value compared to the fun packs like 71286 Michael Knight which provide a unique open world that can't be accessed any other way.
Overall
As a fan of the Harry Potter franchise I'm extremely pleased with getting a new version of Hermione and Buckbeak, but the RRP of the fun packs is relatively high for just the physical elements. 71348 Hermione Granger has exemplified the main issue of Dimensions in general, if you want both the physical LEGO and the digital content the price is reasonable, but just wanting one or the other and the value declines.
Fortunately there are already some good deals to be had on this pack so I'd certainly suggest Harry Potter fans pick up this set for a fantastic brick built beast and unique minifigure.
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17 comments on this article
Great review!
I love the look of Buckbeak, however, there are all common pieces... except the new Hermione minifigure. Overall, I am not going to get it...
Got this on saturday from sainsburys they are £12.99 buy one get one free
It's incredible that even brand new Dimensions sets are reduced so heavily. Clearly an indicator they they are not selling well.
Ooh, are they? Don't suppose they had any Cybermen still?
The Sainsbury's deal definitely made it easier to buy this so quickly.
@JonMarten - I think my nearest store has one or two but stock is store dependent.
I've noticed in Australia that the older sets are getting clearanced out at really good prices, but they're increasingly hard to find. I've only found this set in *one* shop, and I cannot find the City Pack (with Chase and the little police helicopter) in any shops at all.
I've never minded the prices, when it comes to the Dimensions sets. I don't play or own the game, so I keep the figs and little sets (which are basically polybag sets), and resell the game discs on eBay. I don't make a profit, but it's a lot cheaper way of doing it, put it that way.
picked this and chase mccain up yesterday from sainsbury's!
The only item that was not mentioned was the unique Battle Arena Hermione provides. As few who play use these arenas, it's still worth mentioning.
Wait, yours had double sided head printing? Mine did not.
Nice little set. I think the hair color for Hermione should be a little darker, though.
Any word on when the Teen Titans Go or Powerpuff Girls packs will be released?
Any more reviews coming today?
I like this pack, but haven't bought any packs recently due to my inability to play the game- it glitched and is constantly crashing, making it unplayable. Hopefully that bug will be fixed, and I can get some use out of my hundreds I've spent on the game.
@101DALEK Sorry about your game issues, but thanks for confirming that Dimensions is plagued with glitches that affect others and not just me. Good to know that I'm not suffering alone. :)
@Zordboy Yeah, the new Goonies pack is already at a permanent $32 at Target. It's a great time to be a Dimensions fan
Being somebody who loves Lego Dimensions and is currently rereading the Harry Potter series, I really want this!
I wish we would now get Ron, not just to be able to play as the main three, but also because when they release the minifigures for these packs, they also update them to make them look much better than the previous version of them.