Early this morning, Leicester Square witnessed the biggest gathering of Harry Potter fans since the final film premier was held there in 2011. Fans of LEGO and J. K. Rowling’s famous wizard were out in force, excitedly queuing outside the store, some camping out overnight for the highly anticipated 71043 Hogwarts Castle set, which is now available. At over 6,000 pieces, 71043 Hogwarts Castle is the second-largest LEGO set released by the company to date. Packed full of amazing architectural detail and showcasing almost every important scene from the series, it certainly lives up to its billing. Earlier today we posted a full review of the Hogwarts Castle LEGO set that covers every nook and cranny of the impressive build. Inside the store, a magical makeover had been undertaken, with a life-sized sorting hat installed. It was time for us all to find out which house we would be sorted into....

I missed the boat on Final Fantasy VII when it first came out (I was a Nintendo kid), but it's widely acclaimed as a classic RPG, and still fondly remembered to this day. One thing that hasn't aged as well is the blocky 3D models, but I think it gives it a certain charm, which Moko has brilliantly recreated in bricks. Those polygons look sharp! Original linkOriginal author: James Morr

This looks like a shot out of a movie, so I'm instantly fascinated of course. Ben Smith's dropship and APC look totally ready for action on whatever distant planet they're about to descend upon. I like to think it's some sort of rescue mission, where a hostile alien encounter is about to happen. But it's just as rad if they drop in, drive around for a bit, stop for some donuts then call for dust off. Original linkOriginal author: Tommy

So you watched the stores, tracked the delivery trucks, bribed the clerks and fought the kids at Walmart and managed to score some of the new LEGO Harry Potter Collectible Minifigures or the new sets, so now what? Well, if you're builder LEGO 7 you build a replica of Newt's case to carry Newt, Tina, Jacob and Queenie, and it's absolutely magical. Original linkOriginal author: Tommy

“Welcome to Agrabah. City of Mystery, of Enchantment, and the finest merchandise this side of the River Jordan…” This cool little LEGO Disney diorama by Peter Ilmrud captures both the exotic atmosphere of Aladdin’s hometown, and a real sense of action and excitement with characters leaping around the rooftops and the magic carpet soaring above. With multiple minifigures crammed into its tight circular footprint, the model has some nice detail in the framing walls. I particularly like the use of panel pieces to provide architectural texture to the top of the buildings. The only slightly jarring note for me is the mixing of regular minifigs with Friends-style mini-dolls — a form of LEGO heresy in some parts — but the overall scene is so nice we’ll let it slide. The post When did you last let your heart take flight? appeared first on The Brothers Brick. Original linkOriginal author: Rod