Review: 40412 Hagrid & Buckbeak
Posted by Huw,
40412 Hagrid & Buckbeak is the fourth Harry Potter BrickHeadz and the first to be released since 2018.
Previous double packs have sold for £18/$20 but this one will be the gift with purchase with spends of over $100 on Harry Potter sets during the first half of September. So, you'll get it free when you buy the new Diagon Alley set.
Both of the figures break the BrickHeadz mould...
Hagrid
Professor Rubeus Hagrid's mother is a giant, so he himself is larger than human and that has been reflected here, although perhaps not to the extent at which it should have been. His eyes are about a brick higher than usual and I can't think of another BrickHeadz where this has been the case, although his overall height is much the same as many others because his hair is not so tall.
What he lacks on top has been amply made up for on the sides and back where his shaggy back hair and beard have been lavishly modelled, with all studs visible, to help give it a dishevelled appearance.
He's carrying a lamp in one hand and his pink umbrella, which he uses for dispensing non-verbal magic, in the other.
Hagrid is often seen attired in a large moleskin overcoat and that has been ably reproduced here, with large lapels and a length that reaches almost to the ground.
Buckbeak
Buckbeak is Hagrid's pet Hippogriff, a magical animal that has the front legs, wings, and head of a giant eagle and the body, hind legs and tail of a horse.
What's unusual about it is that it's the first BrickHeadz version of a quadrupedal creature to be standing on four legs. Normally they are reduced to two and given arms (e.g.40380 Easter Sheep) or are modelled sitting down with legs sticking out the front, like a teddy bear (e.g. 40436 Lucky Cat).
I'm therefore not sure what I think of it. The head is unmistakably BrickHeadz in style but the body not so much. I guess it was done like this because reproducing the wings would have been difficult otherwise.
The curved wedge slopes and 1/4 circle tiles help give the appearance of feathers although the back of his head is a bit plain, as is often the case for BrickHeadz.
Verdict
LEGO continues to push the boundaries of the BrickHeadz design as needed to portray a wide variety of subjects, and that's certainly the case here.
I like Hagrid very much and it's great to have him in BrickHeadz form to display alongside Harry, Hermione, Ron and Dumbledore.
I'm not so keen on Buckbeak and would have preferred another human character, although I concede that it is at least different and thus interesting.
Hagrid should tower over the two young students but I suppose one brick higher will have to do...
If you're planning on buying Diagon Alley and you're a BrickHeadz fan then this will make a very welcome gift with purchase.
Thanks to LEGO for providing the set for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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32 comments on this article
Buckbeak is so look cuuute.
Robbie Coltrane's Hagrid had such kind eyes; it's a sacrilege to reduce him to having soulless Brickheadz eyes.
Not bad for free though!
I mean, they're both recognisable, but I don't see the quirks here that I like about the other ones. My favourite Brickheadz are things like the Joker with his wild hair, or the Statue of Liberty, which kept to the standard but put a new twist on it. This one not only strays away from the norms, but doesn't seem to have any iconic features. Still, will work nice as a free gift for those who buy Diagon Alley, so that's a nice move by LEGO.
Will this set be also available separately after the free-gift period ends?
I think they both look good overall but could use just a little tweaking. I'd add maybe a brick to Hagrid's legs, so that he towers over Harry & Hermone more (thanks for that picture!) & extend the backside of Buckbuck to give him more of a horse's back. Other than that I really like the look of them.
I think they translate well into brickheadz but should have done only Hagrid because he needs all the pieces he can get to be giant.
This was... unexpected. But, I already dedicated myself to get all the Harry Potter BrickHeadz, so this will be a good addition to the collection, even if I have to pay more than I thought.
Sure hoping to be able to just buy these at some point. Apart from the Knight Bus the only HP sets I have are the Brickheadz and I'd like to keep it that way!
I really think this should have just been a standard $20 purchase as opposed to a promotional set.
There's also an in-store only polybag on offer w/ Harry potter purchases of $40 or more. As with the Super Mario in-store only promo set, I'm a bit miffed they'd do another one of those considering conditions. May try to get to the nearest Lego Store on Tuesday to double up on promotions but with its reduced hours that's going to be a tough task.
Edit: Apparently our local Lego Store is still operating under extremely reduced hours, even though the mall it's in is operating at close to standard hours. We'll probably just order 75954 Hogwarts Great Hall and 75979 Hedwig to get this promo and be done with it - maybe the polybag will turn up at Target.
So will this be sold at all after the promotion?
If not then imma be quite ticked off.
You can buy it - on eBay - for .... USD 99.99!
Buckbeak is adorable.
I rather like Buckbeak, and I generally haven't been a fan of Brickheadz. He's very cute!
Very generous of Lego to give away with Harry Potter Sets, as could purchase two medium sets and still receive rather than a £400 set. As you mentioned Hagrid needs an extra brick for his body and coat to make taller, which would also make the coat less square from behind. They seem to have already tried to make his legs longer. He probably also needs a fringe like Harry. Buckbeak looks great from the front but its tail looks strange from the rear photo, one stud wide would have been enough.
I don’t like the way they did Hagrids’s hair.
Is there any confirmation of the distribution outside the USA? Is it going to be GWP in EU as well?
The only information I have is from the US September store calendar: https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/stores/assets/bltcc931d1fe0499870/09_September_Calendar_-_1.pdf?format=pjpg
I believe it will be available in the ROW as well but I suspect that, like almost all GWPs, it's unlikely to be sold separately after the promotion.
Well its just mean. They must know how many people collect Brickheadz, and they must also know how many people dont normally buy from Lego.com at 100% (95% if you take the VIP points) RRP. In essence this means either spend £100 (maybe less in the uk) on full price Lego that will be cheaper elsewhere now or in the near future or pay £35 on ebay........ mean.
^ That's exactly why LEGO runs promotions like this, to encourage you to spend. That's how promotions work!
Consider it a 18% discount on a £100 spend and it's then not so bad.
@Lego34s said:
"Well its just mean. They must know how many people collect Brickheadz, and they must also know how many people dont normally buy from Lego.com at 100% (95% if you take the VIP points) RRP. In essence this means either spend £100 (maybe less in the uk) on full price Lego that will be cheaper elsewhere now or in the near future or pay £35 on ebay........ mean. "
That’s how promotions work, they entice you to buy something with a “free” gift or a discount of some kind. It’s not mean, it’s just good marketing.
I was gonna buy this set but I don't have the money to buy an $100 Harry Potter set. What the heck lego? This should have been revealed as a GWP and it doesn't make sense because this set is part of a specific theme and not a one-off like GWPs usually are.
Both excellent
It doesn't seem like there's any exclusive pieces to this, so you may be able to get away with Bricklink-ing all the parts needed if you miss out on the promo. The only thing you would really need is a .pdf scan of the instructions, unless you're really good at building by eye.
@Legofan2623 said:
"It doesn't seem like there's any exclusive pieces to this, so you may be able to get away with Bricklink-ing all the parts needed if you miss out on the promo. The only thing you would really need is a .pdf scan of the instructions, unless you're really good at building by eye."
I'm sure that'll be made available online at LEGO.com anyway, so no issues there.
Annoying. Just sell the brickheadz.
i love this lego brickheads set but i hate what lego did with this and made it a promo that is over 100 dollers boy do i hope that i can get the 200 doller lego city town sware
Is it just me or are the 2x4 plates on Buckbeak a completely different light bluish grey than the rest of the lbg pieces?
Did the Brickheadz Hagrid & Buckbeak really sell out in a few hours? It's completely disappeared from LEGO Shop. :(
Over here the GWP is still added when I put Diagon Alley (for example) in my shopping cart.
Im really hoping that this gets added to the Brickheadz lineup after this promotion. I need 2 of these, one for my collection of Brickheadz and one to give to my sister (the real Harry Potter fan in the family).
Right now, I think that I will try and grab one free with the purchase of minifigs blind bags, see if I can get a full series to give to my sister for Christmas.
Hi! For those who have this set, is there any piece that is exclusive to this set (print wise)? With the set being sold out, I was planning just buying the pieces on bricklink and building it myself. I would have loved to get the set, but I'm not willing to pay $100+ on ebay for this set. Thanks!
@indiepollock81 said:
"Hi! For those who have this set, is there any piece that is exclusive to this set (print wise)? With the set being sold out, I was planning just buying the pieces on bricklink and building it myself. I would have loved to get the set, but I'm not willing to pay $100+ on ebay for this set. Thanks! "
Doesn't appear to be