LEGO Harry Potter microscale Diagon Alley has the opportunity to offer more, not less
Despite being built on a smaller scale, the rumoured LEGO Harry Potter microscale Diagon Alley could disprove some early assumptions.
As rumours of a microscale Diagon Alley have begun to swirl, thanks to reports from YouTuber JediJACPenguin, some LEGO Harry Potter fans are concerned that 76444 Diagon Alley: Wizarding Shops will be a less detailed, less impressive version of the multi-set display. Looking at reactions to the rumours on Instagram, one user described even these earliest unconfirmed details of the set as a ‘sad rip-off of a bigger set,’ while another over on reddit commented: “Why do we have five to six different Diagon Alley/Wizarding shop sets over the past three years?”
However, this isn’t entirely new territory for LEGO Harry Potter. Hogwarts Castle is, understandably, one of the most well-trodden locations in the theme but Diagon Alley probably comes soon after. The various iterations of brick-built Hogwarts Castle at different scales are regularly revisited, before culminating in the 2,660-piece 76419 Hogwarts Castle and Grounds, priced at £149.99 / $169.99 / €169.99.
With 76444 Diagon Alley: Wizarding Shops rumoured to be of a similar size and price – $199.99 and 2,750 pieces – it seems that the rumoured LEGO Harry Potter January 2025 set is set to follow in the 2023 set’s footsteps – and that should be reason for hope. Rather than being a ‘sad rip-off’ of previous Hogwarts Castle sets, 76419 Hogwarts Castle and Grounds brought a breath of fresh air into the theme.
The smaller scale manages to depict areas that we hadn’t seen in a long while, expanding further into the grounds than 71043 Hogwarts Castle does. There are even tiny details like interior rooms, with a focus on those featured in the earlier movies, and specific inclusions like the Beauxbaton Carriage and the Durmstrang Ship. All in all, 76419 Hogwarts Castle and Grounds is far from plain and doesn’t skimp on detail, even if it’s shrunk down from other versions.
Looking at 76444 Diagon Alley: Wizarding Shops, then, there’s no reason to expect any different from the upcoming LEGO Harry Potter set. While it’s not likely to be at minifigure scale, a zoomed-out approach still allows for detail on the facades and even the opportunity to have access to shop fronts from behind, just as 76419 Hogwarts Castle and Grounds peeks inside the dungeon rooms of Hogwarts.
A bigger picture also means that more of the street can be depicted, perhaps with stalls included. Depending on how big the LEGO Harry Potter designers go, that could even include the magical brick wall that allows access to Diagon Alley, the side street that takes you to Knockturn Alley, and depictions of locales not yet seen in the LEGO theme, like the Leaky Cauldron, the Apothecary, and Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes competitor, Gamble & Japes.
There are plenty of possibilities for 76444 Diagon Alley: Wizarding Shops to go down, so don’t let the smaller scale put you off yet – or at least until the set has been formally revealed. Of course, it’s as always worth remembering that these sets are only rumoured at this stage, so take these details and our speculation with a pinch of salt until officially confirmed by the LEGO Group.
LEGO Harry Potter sets rumoured for 2025
LEGO set | Price | Pieces | Release date |
---|---|---|---|
76441 Hogwarts Castle: The Dueling Club | $24.99 | 158 | January 1, 2025 |
76442 Hogwarts Castle: Charms Class / Hagrid’s Bike & Sidecar | $19.99 | 204 | January 1, 2025 |
76443 Hogwarts Castle: Charms Class / Hagrid’s Bike & Sidecar | $49.99 | 617 | January 1, 2025 |
76444 Diagon Alley: Wizarding Shops | $199.99 | 2,750 | January 1, 2025 |
76446 The Knight Bus | $49.99 | 499 | January 1, 2025 |
76447 Hogwarts Castle: Flying Lesson | $79.99 | 651 | January 1, 2025 |
76453 Malfoy Manor | $149.99 | 1,601 | January 1, 2025 |
featured image: Warner Bros.
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