Random set of the day: The Dueling Club
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 4733 The Dueling Club, released in 2002. It's one of 17 Harry Potter sets produced that year. It contains 129 pieces and 4 minifigs, and its retail price was US$20/£17.99.
It's owned by 3000 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
Help me come to life! If you like the set I've chosen for you today, please pledge your support for me on LEGO Ideas so I have a chance of becoming an official LEGO set!
46 likes
21 comments on this article
Those sand green bricks are interesting
I have this one. I remember cheap, interesting sets...
I never understood why Snape's head was glow-in-the-dark.
@Zordboy:
Clearly you've never watched the Special Editions...
Worse then: those 'wands';
Better then: yellowfigs.
Yellow figures still appeal more to me now.
Of course those old "wands" just look extra weird compared to the more recent new ones.
Still a nice simple set of parts, even while those builds were fairly basic in terms of parts, allows quick builds of rooms (with some imagination of walls).
Big difference back then, were the 8x16 bases were a brick high, fairly common in the early 2000s themes.
8x16 plate didn't exist until 2011.
Ah the good ole days when people fought each other with sticks. The good life...
Every time I see [almost all] sets from late 90s early 2000s I remember why I went into my dark ages.
No creatiivity at all. Great figures but the rest is just unnecessary cost in my eye.
I’m going to be honest, I think this old Lockhart figure has way more personality than the modernised version from Diagon Alley
Useful set for the 4 figures, which if brought separately would cost the same as the whole set. Although there were so many far more interesting sets at this golden age of Harry Potter Lego that probably few people actually brought.
So, in case you didn’t know, I’m on the Autism Spectrum and there used to be a ‘lunchtime club’ at my primary school for special needs students.
We had a LEGO day on Thursdays, and there were a lot of 2001-2007 Harry Potter sets in there. I faintly recognise some of the pieces like those banners and the Lockhart figure.
These were in the under $10 bins at KB Toys and green tagged at Toys R Us for 50% off in Southern California where I picked up many for the parts.
@ambr:
While HP was only the fourth best-selling theme at the time, keep in mind that it launched right in the middle of HP-hype. Four of the seven books had been released, so there was still a lot of speculation on how the story would end. One of the biggest studios had just committed to filming the entire thing, without really knowing what they were in for at the end. And a lot of superfans thought they could actually keep up with everything. Many of them actually tried, so they had to take the bad with the good. And to be completely honest, a lot of those early sets were pretty bad. The box art was often the best part after the minifigs.
I loved this set as a kid! The action function blew my young mind and I had a lot fun playing with it. I don't think I knew quite what to do with the scenery, though. It doesn't really fit anywhere within the 2001-2 castle, although as a self-contained set it gives great atmosphere.
@Spartan_Ghost said:
"I’m sorry, but this club has some of the worst Health & Safety violations i have ever seen in all my minutes of being an inspector.
None of the participants are wearing safety gear, no padding anywhere, no first-aid kits, the referee is clearly a zombie-type person, and having functional catapults in the stage without any sort of catch net? That right there is a Class Two violation.
I’m afraid i’m going to have to write you up, Mr. Potter."
I’m not into HP and only have a cursory knowledge of the franchise, but it has always occurred to me how casually the adults - including teachers - take the safety of the kids/teens in their care. It may be urban fantasy, but even so.
That said, it should be remembered that HP is set in the UK where civil litigation is both riskier for the claimant and payouts are smaller than in the US, so health and safety is not emphasised as strongly.
@Zordboy said:
"I never understood why Snape's head was glow-in-the-dark."
Wooooh it’s spooky.
@PurpleDave said:
" And to be completely honest, a lot of those early sets were pretty bad. "
I think the best feature as advertised on the sets was the ability to combine the various individual scenes into a larger Hogwarts castle diorama. As a kid I had my potion's class, bathroom the troll attacked, Chamber of Secrets, and off course the main 2001 Hogwarts all on display and I had a blast with it, it felt like I had the castle to play with once I had all the sets together.
The combining feature was downplayed up until the latest 2018 relaunch of the line where its come back in full force. Yes it sucks the new sets cost on average about $110-130 to add a new segment to the castle, but the finished result is far far more aesthetically pleasing than the original 2001 builds. I have most of my 2001 castle either in storage or disassembled since its aged very poorly. The gappy nature and all the BURPs especially make the original sets look antiquated, while the newer ones just are much more cohesive. I hope we get a Chamber of Secrets set to expand the current castle eventually, and I also hope for more classroom area; but as it is I would dare say the current wave has managed to successfully capture about 90% of the iconic scenes in the various sets we have got the last few years.
@TeriXeri said:
"Yellow figures still appeal more to me now.
Of course those old "wands" just look extra weird compared to the more recent new ones."
Holly and phoenix feather, five foot four inches, good for charms.
This was my first Lego set I ever got. It was given to me by a neighbor for my birthday when I just a young girl. It may be outdated, but it'll always hold a special place in my heart. This was what started it all for me.
I thought the original way to combine sets was cool. I had a friend who has them all and it was so damn fun to play with his castle. Aesthetic nightmare but kid dreamworld