Review: 75956 Quidditch Match
Posted by CapnRex101,
Quidditch forms a vital part of J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World and has been the subject of several Harry Potter sets, the first of which was released in 2002. 75956 Quidditch Match is the latest such model and might feel quite familiar to seasoned collectors as both 4726 Quidditch Practice and 4737 Quidditch Match from 2010 depicted a very similar scene.
However, this set is significantly larger than its predecessors, containing 500 pieces and six minifigures. Its price of £34.99 in the UK or $39.99 in the US therefore seems extraordinarily reasonable and I am pleased to see four separate towers for spectators which are decorated with the colours of each Hogwarts house.
Minifigures
This set includes four Quidditch players, the first of whom Harry Potter. I love the tousled hair piece which has been created for Harry in the new Wizarding World theme and his double-sided head looks fantastic, featuring a pair of round glasses as well as two different expressions. In addition, his famous lightning-shaped scar is visible through a parting in the hair piece which shows tremendous attention to detail.
Harry sports a Gryffindor Quidditch uniform which is also worn by Oliver Wood. This consists of a thick jumper, white trousers and a dark red robe that includes the Gryffindor sigil, thereby matching the robes from the first two films in the series. The hood on the back of the torso is generally concealed by a long cape worn around the neck of each minifigure. A shorter cape might have been more suitable for Harry but its length might reflect that First Year students rarely make the school Quidditch teams at Hogwarts.
Oliver Wood features a common head with a single expression. I think it looks alright though and the reddish brown hair piece is faithful to his appearance in the films . Both characters are equipped with reddish brown broomsticks and Harry carries the Golden Snitch which is now represented by a unique piece rather than a gold 1x1 round plate. Its textured wings are lovely and I like the hand grip beneath the ball, allowing minifigures to hold it.
Marcus Flint was the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team during Harry's first and second years at Hogwarts and previously appeared in 2010's 4737 Quidditch Match. His black hair piece is not entirely accurate to the films but seems appropriate for a thuggish character such as Flint and I like his snarling expression which shows two prominent teeth. Unfortunately, the figure does not include an alternative face but he does come with a black broomstick, to which you can attach a stud shooter for launching the Quaffle.
Another black broomstick is available for Lucian Bole and he wields a club, reflecting his role of Beater. Bole did not appear prominently in the Harry Potter films so the designer could have chosen any male head for the character. Pleasingly, this rare element has only appeared in two previous sets. The dark green Slytherin uniform is identical to that worn by Gryffindor players but for its colour scheme and the emblem on the torso, both of which look perfect.
This set is based upon a scene from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone so includes Professor Snape who is believed to be jinxing Harry's broomstick. The same figure appears in 75953 Hogwarts Whomping Willow and he looks superb, featuring a black hair piece and a double-sided head which includes two different facial expressions. The first looks rather disapproving while the alternative is overtly angry.
Snape wears a black jacket over a purple shirt which looks brilliant, although I think he would have felt more complete with a fabric cape, matching his heavy robes in the movies. Hermione Granger, on the other hand, looks absolutely perfect. Her reddish brown hair piece is intricately textured and looks good in relation to the character's wavy hair style in the first couple of films.
I like the smile on one side of Hermione's head but have mentioned in other reviews of the Wizarding World sets that a frustrated expression might have been preferable to this worried face. However, the current expression is suitable for the Quidditch scene in my opinion and the Gryffindor uniform looks great, as usual. Hermione is equipped with a dark tan wand while Professor Snape wields a black wand.
The Completed Model
This set contains four towers for spectators and three hooped goal posts, as well as some accessories. Each tower includes some Technic pins at its base so is intended to connect with the goal structure and that assembly looks impressive, measuring just over 34cm wide in the configuration shown below. This represents a considerable improvement over past Quidditch sets, both of which have included a stand for spectators but not a cohesive point to link them.
All four towers are constructed in a similar manner, consisting of alternating coloured squares which are created using 1x2x2 bricks and stickers. They are significantly scaled down in relation to the movies but I think the designer has captured their shape effectively, with an open area for a minifigure to watch the match and a pointed canopy with a flag on top. The building experience is therefore rather repetitive, although the towers do include unique functions.
The Hufflepuff tower is decorated with a black and yellow chequered pattern and includes a scoreboard display on the front. This works simply by fitting 1x1 round tiles printed with a metallic silver circle to the exposed Technic pins below the crest of each house. You can store any unused tiles in a box between the scoreboards and this is an enjoyable feature, despite not entirely capturing the scoring system of Quidditch.
Four different house crests are included, formed using stickers on 2x2 tiles. There are slots for storing any unused crests inside Hufflepuff's tower and the below image also demonstrates how it links to the goalpost section. The connection is strengthened by a Technic liftarm that looks slightly odd but serves a vital structural purpose.
Ravenclaw's blue and light bluish grey spectator tower is the simplest of the four, distinguished only by a large megaphone for yelling support or commentating on the action. Stickers are used extensively in this set and those forming the chequered pattern on the front of each tower are particularly important, including different symbols that are unique to Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Slytherin.
This set includes numerous accessories and I was hoping that they could be stored inside Ravenclaw's tower. Unfortunately, there is only enough room for the Quidditch cup on its stand as the chest holding Quaffles is too wide and it looks rather awkward when placed sideways. The set also comes with six black 1x1 round plates that depict Bludgers and you can launch them from a stud shooter at the base of the goalposts.
The three goal hoops rest on tall poles and are set at slightly different heights, much like in the movies. There should be a slightly more dramatic difference between their heights but that would cause issues with the goalkeeping function. Pearl gold tyres are used to form the goal hoops and these are perfect, matching the source material while also offering an appropriate target for the Quaffle to pass through. However, the poles are only attached to the base by a single stud so they can break off quite easily.
A trans-clear stick is placed in front of the goalposts, to which you can attach a minifigure who serves as the Keeper. This will swing back and forth as you move a Technic lever behind the goals, allowing the Keeper to block all three hoops! There is a surprising focus upon gameplay in this set, not unlike the classic Sports range, which is a lot of fun as the functions have been implemented very effectively.
Two more spectator towers complete the set. These include the same holes to receive Technic pins as the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw towers but there are no A-frame elements to fix them at an angle which feels like a missed opportunity. Nevertheless, I love the bright colours on Gryffindor's tower while the Slytherin stand is green and light bluish grey. Dark green might have been more suitable but it still looks pretty good in my opinion.
Gryffindor's spectator tower includes a large flap at the front and minifigures can fly through here on their broomsticks. This design does look somewhat out of place among the other towers but I like the function and appreciate that the red and yellow colour scheme continues inside the structure. However, these features also mean that there is only room to place a single minifigure in the seating beneath the canopy.
The Slytherin stand also includes a function that takes direct inspiration from the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Believing that Snape is trying to jinx Harry's broomstick, Hermione starts a small fire beneath the Potions Master in the hope of distracting his attention. A single flame can accordingly appear at Snape's feet and this is activated by rotating a Technic gear on the rear of the model.
Overall
Among the seven new Wizarding World sets, 75956 Quidditch Match is probably the one that inspired the least excitement. Nevertheless, I think this is a magnificent addition to the theme! It improves upon the older versions in every respect, including a far more extensive Quidditch pitch and a superior range of minifigures but still costs just £34.99 or $39.99 which seems reasonable to me. In addition, a second set would allow you to construct a complete Quidditch pitch.
The only areas of this set which might realistically be improved are the goal posts as these feel rather fragile. Structures to connect the spectator towers would have been welcome too. However, this is a great set and I would recommend adding it to your collection, particularly if you have missed out on past Quidditch-based models.
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.
This set was provided for review by The LEGO Group but the review is an expression of my own opinions.
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20 comments on this article
If you put the chest in the other way, it would stick out a little bit work.
Nice set that I’ll get, but probably the least interesting of the line.
Ha I just started to read Quidditch through the Ages!
Great review. I find the Snape torso somewhat lacking in depth somehow. Like it is a torso from a previous line.
Are my deceiving me or does it look like some of those stickers on the towers cover two pieces?
I would've liked to see the Gryffindor tower in dark red and maybe bright light orange (flame yellowish orange), but I'm sure that would've included new colors for some of the pieces and an increase in price...
The play features seem a bit dull, like their action would be inert. Love all the different colours for the towers though, Hufflepuff is the most striking one out of these four.
@shaase The stickered pieces appear to be SNOT with 2x4 tiles. If you zoom in on the picture of the Hufflepuff tower, you can see an outline of black behind the yellow of the sticker, which shows it's one piece underneath.
This is definitely one set I plan on getting a 2nd copy of. Not only can you create a 2nd goal and have a proper field, you can expand each of the towers in height and width, and also have more players (just switch the heads out).
@shaase - The stickers on the front of the spectator towers are placed on 1x4x2 wall panels so do not cover multiple parts. I think 10241 Maersk Line Triple-E was the last set to include stickers covering several pieces and would be surprised if we ever see them return.
My second favorite Harry Potter set this year - 71043 is the best, in my opinion.
I’m actually in shock at the price of this set. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen such a reasonably priced licensed set.
Imagine if Star Wars sets were priced like the new wave of Harry Potter sets.
Warner Bro's reasonable, Disney greedy?
By now there should be a broomstick piece that the figures can actually ride, like minifigures can ride the bicycle piece
Not sure quite what it would look like though
I'm not sure why this set would inspire the least excitement. I asked my brother and he said his ten year old daughter was most excited for this set out of the entire line. It's very colourful and reconstructs a key moment from the first book/film between Hermoine and Snape. The colour is a nice contrast to the more muted coloured Castle sets. I still think Hogwarts Express is my favourite though.
Fabulous article Cap as always. I think the price allows for a complete Quidditch pitch with surrounding stands to be constructed & as an AFOL I can't wait to "pimp" mine! In the past Lego produced a "half" set (like the black gate from the LOTR series) & were heavily criticised for it. Clearly they have listened & made a set like this that is the perfect compromise & makes sense. If buyers only want one set, it ticks all the right box but if you want 2 it creates a scene which will feel very satisfying when completed & for an excellent price that will encourage people to splash out & spend a little more to complete these famous scenes from the movies.
Any news on Lego's plans to create a complete Hogwarts castle to connect with the new Whomping Willow & Great Hall sets?
@bigginsd
The minifigures are good, but the build is very repetitive and the stickers are huge.
Maybe some day Lego will release some of the Gryffindor chasers in these sets; Wood's fine and all, but I want the rest of the team. But I do like how they revamped this set to include a lot of play features from the game. Next we just need broomsticks that the minifigures can actually sit on!
Am I the only one who thinks that Golden Snitch piece would make a great hood ornament?
@theothermike
well now you’ve said it...
I haven’t looked properly, but are the pieces that make up the tower fairly common?
It would be good to add a bit of height to some to really capture that higgledy piggledy look the wizard of world has.
This review is spot-on; although, I personally liked the goal hoops in set 4737 Quidditch Match better. I found these hoops to be quite small, and the characters should be able to fly through them. And, yes, the goal posts do fall down easily. Other than that, I_really_like this set. I do plan to get a second set to make a complete pitch and to swap out the heads on the uniforms to make more players. I also added Professor Hooch's tower from 4737, though it is slightly shorter, as well as the Draco Malfoy, Dean Thomas, Cedric Diggory, and Cho Chang figures from the collectible series. Finally, I'd LOVE to see the creation of a Luna Lovegood minifigure wearing the lion hat to add to this scene.