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One of the most memorable scenes from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is when Harry, Ron, and Hermione played their way across an animated chessboard to pass the White players in a dangerous game of Wizard Chess. Wizard’s Chess is the magical variant of the classic board game, in which the pieces were enchanted to move of their own accord when commanded by the player. When a piece was taken, it was removed by the attacking piece, often in a barbaric manner where the losing piece was smashed violently by the winning piece.

In the recently released #76392 LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Wizard’s Chess set, this scene is recreated with many authentic details. The chessboard sits on top of a 34×34 stud frame, with the surface of the board covered by black and white 2×4 tiles (you get 64 of each!). The overall size of the chessboard is just about 3 in. (8 cm) high, 10.5 in. (27 cm) wide, and 10.5 in. (27 cm) deep.

The chess pieces are brick-built and could be smashed just like in the film, and could be rebuilt easily. One of the highlights of this set is all the helmet pieces and weapons in white and black. It’s interesting to note that the pawns wear a miner’s helmet backwards (you get 8 of each color), which seems like an odd choice, but it actually looks pretty accurate compared to the movie. In addition, you get 6 white and 6 black old style knight helmets, and one of each color of the newer style closed helmets. You also get 20 black and 20 white short swords and a longer sword (one of each color). Another interesting piece is the blank minifig heads (you get 8 white ones and 8 black ones). All the players are built the same on each side.

Besides the chess pieces, you also get the three characters that played out the iconic scene; Harry, Ron, and Hermione. And because this is one of the sets that celebrates the 20th anniversary of LEGO Harry Potter, the set also includes an exclusive, golden Professor Severus Snape minifigure and 3 random wizard card tiles to collect. (At the back of the instruction booklet, you can see all the collectible tiles that are spread across the new LEGO Harry Potter sets.) All four minifigure designs are exclusive to this set.

The #76392 LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Wizard’s Chess is basically a 2-in-1 set. You can use it as a normal chess set, as it has a standard looking board and chess pieces. And, you can also play out the scene from the movie on an enchanted chessboard with the included minifigs. Perhaps the only thing missing is that Ron can’t really ride the knight’s horse like he has done in the film. In the video below, you can see the set in more detail.

Overall, I think this is a successful set in many ways. It faithfully recreates a popular scene from the Harry Potter lore, it is a functional chess set, a chess battle set, and it features exclusive parts and minifigs. The price is also very reasonable at $69.99. If you want to check it out it’s available at the LEGO Harry Potter section of the Online LEGO Shop.

What do you think? How do you like the LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Wizard’s Chess set? Do you have it already? Or are you interested to get it? Feel free to share your thoughts and reviews in the comment section below!

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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The LEGO Monkie Kid collection is based on the ancient Chinese legend of the Monkey King, combining modern, futuristic, and traditional elements as well as fun play-features. Unfortunately, episodes of the related television show are hard to find, so sometimes it’s not clear what’s going on in a particular set or who the characters are, but you can always add your own imagination. The sets also introduced several new elements and colors that could be useful in other projects. We reviewed most of the LEGO Monkie Kid sets already (see links at the end of this post), but there is one set we haven’t discussed yet; the #80024 LEGO Monkie King Flower Fruit Mountain.

This is the largest set in the LEGO Monkie Kid collection to date, and the closest to the original legend of the Monkey King described in the novel, Journey to the West. It features the famous Flower Fruit Mountain, a central location in the novel. Every section of the set tells a different story about the Monkey King; from how he was born out of a stone to how he became king of the monkeys.

On the right side of the set, you can see the stone that Monkey King was born out of. This section also features a nicely sculpted rock formation with a built-in staircase and some vegetation. Notice the beautifully shaped clouds, suggesting that this mountain is very high!

The middle section features a waterfall that opens to allow entry to a hidden mountain cave. The waterfall is built from the new iridescent blue curved panels that were introduced in LEGO Friends sets. LEGO designers added stickers to enhance the effect, but you can leave them off if you don’t like to work with stickers, and the water will still look nice.

The left side of the set depicts Monkey King on a throne as king of the monkeys. This section also has a play-feature, where characters can fight on a moving platform. And there is a second, smaller waterfall as well. I really like all the nooks, corners, and hiding places throughout the set.

As you can see on the pictures, the set is very large; measuring over 13.5 in. (34 cm) high, 27 in. (68 cm) wide, and 10 in. (25 cm) deep. To help manage building and transporting such a large layout, it is built from three separate sections that connect together.

Overall, this is one of the best landscapes I have seen in an official LEGO set that would work equally well for other stories and characters. I already mentioned how much I like all the little caves and hiding spaces. Another nice feature is the vegetation covering the rocks throughout the landscape, as well as the waterfalls and the clouds. There is even a brick-built crane!

The set includes eight minifigs; Monkie Kid, Evil Macaque, Brother Monkey, Sister Monkey and four versions of Monkey King (Baby, Classic, Apprentice, and Battle). They are all highly detailed with printing all over their legs, torsos, and heads.

You may also notice several stickered signs with Chinese calligraphy. According to a commenter on the video below by Bricks by Mind, the sign next to the stone Monkey King was born from it says 仙石化靈猴 which means “Celestial rock forms soulful/spiritual (or perhaps nimble) monkey”. Next to the stairs, it says 嬉遊花果山 which means “Frolicking through the Flower Fruit Mountain”. Next to the waterfall in red characters on a stone, it reads 花果山福地,水簾洞洞天, which means “Flower Fruit Mountain is a blessed land” and “Water Curtain Cave is a grotto-heaven” (a type of sacred Taoist site). Below it on the sign it reads 勇闖水簾洞, which means “Courageously dash through the Water Curtain Cave”. Next to the Monkey King’s throne, it reads 齊天大聖, a title given to and by Sun Wukong himself meaning “The Great Saint who’s equal to Heaven”. Below on the sign it reads 雲遊來仙道 which means “Traveled by cloud to the celestial path”. Finally, in the back it reads 真假美猴王 which means “The real and fake Beautiful Monkey King” (another title given to and by the Monkey King himself, as he was portrayed as extremely arrogant in the beginning of the story).

Overall, the #80024 LEGO Monkie King Flower Fruit Mountain is a beautiful set. As I mentioned above, I can see this as a landscape that can be reused for other stories and characters. It could be the home of elves, dwarves, and other mountain dwellers. And this is equally impressive as a display set as well as a play-set. I think both kids and adults would like it. The only downside is that the it takes up quite a bit of room, so make sure you have enough space for it. The set comes with 1,947 pieces for $169.99, which is a very reasonable price. If you want to check it out, it’s available at the LEGO Monkie Kid section of the Online LEGO Shop.

What do you think? How do you like the LEGO Monkie Kid sets? Do you have any of them already? Which one is your favorite? And how do you like the Flower Fruit Mountain? Feel free to share your thoughts and own reviews in the comment section below!

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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