What could we be getting for the Duelling Club?
Next winter's Harry Potter lego winter wave is expected to include 76441 Hogwarts Castle: Duelling Club - $24.99 with 158 pieces. At that piece count and price, it's unlikely to be a module like the 76431 HC: Potions Class was, so what might be in store for us? Along these lines, it might be best to turn to another licensed property for an indication.
2024's lego Star Wars 75373 Ambush on Mandalore retails for $20 or €22, contains 4 minifigs and 109 pieces, so it's fair to say it's a little smaller that the Duelling Club should be.
Also from 2024, lego Star Wars 75372 Clone Trooper & Battledroid Battle Pack counts the droids as minifigures, so that's an official count of 9 minifigs (although only 4 are what we might consider classic minifigs) and 215 pieces for $30 or €30.
It therefore seems reasonable to assume the Duelling Club will lie somewhere in between, both due to prices and piece counts.
This is the scene of the Duelling Club from Chamber of Secrets (CoS). How might that translate into lego? Well it's clearly a sea of school uniforms, so perhaps this will be their way of getting us all four House robes in an affordable set. We'd expect to see Harry, Draco and the Snake. Justin Finch-Fletchley isn't much of a stretch. Adding a female Ravenclaw, very likely not caucasian, helps with the lack of diversity. So perhaps they finally embrace Padma's real House, or we're probably stuck with another Cho. Hermione and Millie pulling hair has some appeal for me, but I doubt that will be the line up, and it only addresses half of the diversity issues.
Having just seen a new and improved Snape in this year's 76431 Hogwarts Castle Potions Class, erexen, I'm not sure we'll see him again here. They might give us Lockhart, though, as the, uh, ostensibly 'responsible' staff member. And then the question arises as to when we're likely to see a smaller version of Flourish & Blotts, for its likely inclusion of Lockhart, and the same reasons I consider Snape less likely here. (Retreading covered ground and trying to encourage people to stretch to the next set.) Anyway more than five minifigs seems unlikely (this year's 76426 Hogwarts Castle Boathouse had 5 minifigs and 350 pieces for $38 or EUR 38), and the Dueling scene almost definitely skews too heavily male as is.
As for the build, I can picture another rudimentary version of the scene like 2002's 4733 The Dueling Club, with 4 minifigs that retailed for $20 or £18 22 years ago. It would be nice if we saw more House banners here, too. Those are always useful.
A floor with action features that could be placed in the Great Hall set seems not unlikely.
2024's lego Star Wars 75373 Ambush on Mandalore retails for $20 or €22, contains 4 minifigs and 109 pieces, so it's fair to say it's a little smaller that the Duelling Club should be.
Also from 2024, lego Star Wars 75372 Clone Trooper & Battledroid Battle Pack counts the droids as minifigures, so that's an official count of 9 minifigs (although only 4 are what we might consider classic minifigs) and 215 pieces for $30 or €30.
It therefore seems reasonable to assume the Duelling Club will lie somewhere in between, both due to prices and piece counts.
This is the scene of the Duelling Club from Chamber of Secrets (CoS). How might that translate into lego? Well it's clearly a sea of school uniforms, so perhaps this will be their way of getting us all four House robes in an affordable set. We'd expect to see Harry, Draco and the Snake. Justin Finch-Fletchley isn't much of a stretch. Adding a female Ravenclaw, very likely not caucasian, helps with the lack of diversity. So perhaps they finally embrace Padma's real House, or we're probably stuck with another Cho. Hermione and Millie pulling hair has some appeal for me, but I doubt that will be the line up, and it only addresses half of the diversity issues.
Having just seen a new and improved Snape in this year's 76431 Hogwarts Castle Potions Class, erexen, I'm not sure we'll see him again here. They might give us Lockhart, though, as the, uh, ostensibly 'responsible' staff member. And then the question arises as to when we're likely to see a smaller version of Flourish & Blotts, for its likely inclusion of Lockhart, and the same reasons I consider Snape less likely here. (Retreading covered ground and trying to encourage people to stretch to the next set.) Anyway more than five minifigs seems unlikely (this year's 76426 Hogwarts Castle Boathouse had 5 minifigs and 350 pieces for $38 or EUR 38), and the Dueling scene almost definitely skews too heavily male as is.
As for the build, I can picture another rudimentary version of the scene like 2002's 4733 The Dueling Club, with 4 minifigs that retailed for $20 or £18 22 years ago. It would be nice if we saw more House banners here, too. Those are always useful.
A floor with action features that could be placed in the Great Hall set seems not unlikely.