![LEGO Hogwarts Express™ – Collectors' Edition #76405 Film Prototype Introduction [Review]](http://www.kyglaring.com/cdn/shop/articles/1_4938f2c7-1012-4816-a195-583746e6bb3c_{width}x.jpg?v=1661568957)
The most expensive LEGO Harry Potter set, 76405 Hogwarts Express, released this year and priced at €499.99, gets you a ton of exclusive minifigures and a station.
Hogwarts Express is no stranger to LEGO sets. A total of 6 different models have been released since 2001, some of which are even electric and tracked. The most recent version was released in 2018, and as you can see from the end-of-production list we've compiled, the 75955 Hogwarts Express will be dropped by the end of the year.
So, the LEGO Group is expected to release a new version for collectors in September, the set will consist of 5129 pieces and will be available for €499.99. This makes LEGO 76405 Hogwarts Express the third-largest LEGO Harry Potter set after 71043 Hogwarts Castle and 75978 Diagon Alley, while also being the most expensive to date.
The set consists of the Hogwarts Express, a built track section and platform 9¾. The track is somewhat reminiscent of the LEGO 10277 Crocodile locomotive, but it looks more weighty in this set thanks to the black brick base. The orbital section is estimated to be 90 to 100 centimeters long. The platform stands on a base about 8 studs high for boarding the train.
There is a complete arch and two half arches on the left and right. It is a typical building of King's Cross Station, built with a lot of building blocks. On the central arch is a light panel with a quote from Albus Severus Potter "Dad, what if I'm sorted into Slytherin?"
The Hogwarts Express itself is only a few inches shorter than the track on which it sits. There is a small data board with the most important information about the train that can be taped to the bottom of the platform. The train consisted of the famous red steam locomotive and tender, unfortunately there was only one passenger car. There are four red train doors and three carriages, which depict scenes from various movies.
A compartment represents the meeting of the three main characters in the first film. There is Hermione's line "Has anyone seen a frog?" as a light panel for the classic lines. In the second compartment, the attack of the Dementors from the third movie can be replayed. Ron's line of "I think...someone's going on a boat!" is fitting here.
Among the 20 minifigures are Draco Malfoy in the black suit he wore on his trip to Hogwarts in Half-Blood Prince, and old Harry in casual clothes Potter and Luna Lovegood. Other characters include Harry, Ron and Hermione, and their costumes for their train rides in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; Harry, Ron and Hermione, and their costumes in Azkaban Appropriate costumes for the train ride in The Prisoner; Remus Lupin, a Dementor, Trolley Witch, a conductor, a Ravenclaw student, and a Hufflepuff student.
The funniest characters in the set, however, are probably the following five minifigures, based on the epilogue of the seventh film: a grown-up Harry Potter with a stubble, a grown-up Ginny, and their child James Sirius, Albus Severus and Lily Luna. Unfortunately, LEGO failed to model the adult versions of Ron and Hermione, so the last scene in the film, where the faces of the three main characters are enlarged, cannot be reproduced in LEGO form for the time being.
Overall, the LEGO 76405 Hogwarts Express looks to be an enlarged version of the previous model. All components are slightly larger and more expandable, so they should be closer to proper minifigure proportions.
Set number: 76405
English name: Express™ - Collectors' Edition
Number of parts: 5129
Number of minifigures: 20
Recommended age: 18+
Price: £429.99/€499.99
Release Date: August 31, 2022 (VIP pre-sale possible)
Stickers: Yes (23 numbers)
Set Dimensions: 118cm x 26cm (L x H)
Total box weight: 7.2 kg
Age recommendation: 18+
Suit prototype:
The Hogwarts Express is a 4-6-0 Hall-class steam locomotive, model GWR 5900. The Hogwarts Express was pulled by Steam Locomotive No. 2 in the Harry Potter films, 5972 "Alton Hall", repainted and installed with a nameplate that reads Hogwarts Castle.
As we know from early historical accounts and evidence from early woodcuts and engravings, Hogwarts pupils used to arrive at school the way they liked. Some rode brooms (hard to do with luggage and pets); others requisitioned enchanted carts and later wagons; some attempted to Apparate (often with catastrophic effects, as castles and grounds were constantly affected by protection from anti-phantom spells), others ride various magical creatures.
In 1827, Ottaline Gambol, who was promoted to Minister for Magic, made a bold and controversial proposal for how to transport hundreds of students to and from each school year without attracting the attention of Muggles The problem with Hogwarts Castle.
The Minister sees potential in using Muggle steam locomotives as a safe and comfortable alternative to door keys or unregulated travel. The locomotives for the Hogwarts Express itself were originally built by Muggle engineers in Cheshire, England, in the early to mid-19th century.
In 1830, the Ministry of Magic conducted a massive operation involving 167 memory spells, and the largest hidden spell ever in Britain, to obtain the locomotive. The morning after the spell was cast, the residents of Hogsmeade awoke to the gleaming red Hogwarts Express and a previously absent Hogsmeade train station.
