There’s no need for enlargement potions when it comes to the biggest LEGO Harry Potter sets yet… these are the most enormous, detailed models with the largest piece counts of them all.
After the success of the LEGO Star Wars theme, the LEGO Group quickly turned its eye to other potential licenses that could help bolster the portfolio at the turn of the millennium. At that time a young wizard happened to be taking over the cinema screen, as Harry Potter teamed up with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley to battle the sinister magical forces. Lasting for more than a decade, the theme captured the hearts of so many fans, and it was a dark time when LEGO Harry Potter retired in 2011. Thankfully there must have been a vial of liquid luck lying around and it returned in 2018 bigger and better than ever before.
Blocks, the monthly LEGO magazine, is grabbing a Nimbus 2000 to fly through the current seven biggest Harry Potter sets…
7. 10217 Diagon Alley – 2,025 pieces
It seems almost impossible to believe that back in the days of 2011 there was no such thing as big LEGO Harry Potter sets. When 10217 Diagon Alley was announced it amazed fans due to its sheer size. Nowadays it looks tiny. However, it still combines playability into a gorgeous display model that’s filled with little details, from the vanishing cabinet in Borgin & Burke’s to the shelves of wands in Ollivander’s. This is also the first set to include minifigures of Fred and George Weasley – though the designers cheated because they are exactly the same minifigure without any differentiating details.
6. 76419 Hogwarts Castle and Grounds – 2,260 pieces
Who can forget the introduction of Hogwarts Castle, when the aspiring throngs of students magically travel in boats across its magnificent loch. Its sheer scale means that almost all LEGO recreations have to focus on only one part of the castle, so 76419 Hogwarts Castle and Grounds does something different instead. At micro-scale the entirety of Hogwarts is captured, as unicorn horns become tower turrets, leaf pieces are pegasi, and a 1×1 stud is even a cauldron. It might be the tiniest version, but it really demonstrates the magic that can be woven through the right parts usage.
5. 76391 Hogwarts Icons: Collector’s Edition – 3,010 pieces
Most LEGO Harry Potter sets focus on the fantastical locations from the Wizarding World, so 76391 Hogwarts Icons: Collector’s Edition completely bucked that trend when it was released in 2021. Some of the key objects from across the films are combined into an eye-catching tower that looks as if it came straight off Professor Dumbledore’s desk. Hedwig watches over it all in one of the best brick-built versions of an owl ever. Unusually, this set encourages fans to actually write on LEGO bricks (it’s okay, it is not compulsory) and the tile for the Hogwarts letter has a dotted line for you to write your name.
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4. 76417 Gringott’s Wizarding Bank – 4,803 pieces
The most recent set on this list is also the most underrepresented location in LEGO Harry Potter sets. 76417 Gringotts Wizarding Bank cleverly combines the events from The Philosopher’s Stone and The Deathly Hallows into one gigantic model that can even combine with 75978 Diagon Alley. There are plenty of references to the goblin magic that keeps the bank secure, not to mention the Ukrainian Ironbelly lurking in the vaults below. If all of that wasn’t enough, 76417 is currently also the only way to a whole cast of Gringott’s employees who finally have printed suits and glasses.
3. 76405 Hogwarts Express: Collector’s Edition – 5,129 pieces
While there have been plenty of LEGO sets featuring the iconic red locomotive of the Hogwarts Express, 76405 Hogwarts Express: Collector’s Edition manages to dwarf them all. Boasting an incredible 1:32 scale and measuring nearly a metre long, it’s so big it can’t even fit on normal LEGO train tracks. Everything about this model pushed the designers to think up creative solutions, which Blocks explored in an exclusive interview in Issue 97. Although it mainly takes inspiration from the Harry Potter films, the train driver is based on the one seen at Harry Potter World in the Universal theme parks.
2. 75978 Diagon Alley – 5,544 pieces
It’s a Polyjuice Diagon Alley and this version is no re-release. At over double the piece count of its predecessor, 75978 Diagon Alley takes advantage of the new elements and moulds available in the nine years since the previous iteration. Some of the shops are the same, but with far more detailed interiors, while Borgin & Burke’s is replaced by Flourish & Blott’s where Gilderoy Lockhart is signing his books (just don’t ask him to explain his heroic accomplishments). There are also some fantastic techniques throughout Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes for all of the potions, candies, and other trouble-making paraphernalia.
1. 71043 Hogwarts Castle – 6,020 pieces
LEGO Harry Potter fans won’t be surprised by 71043 Hogwarts Castle topping the list. It’s also currently the ninth biggest LEGO set of all time. It is possibly the greatest rendition of Hogwarts Castle yet, including some of the more unusual classrooms and the moving staircases. There’s a sense of grandeur in its tan bricks and a gorgeous cohesion into the surrounding Scottish landscape. Not to mention it also has the founding members of the school, even the treacherous Salazar Slytherin. The only challenge with this set is having a room of requirement to display it in!