[Review] 4736: Freeing Dobby

[-JD-]

I wonder what's in the package?

Name: Freeing Dobby

Item No: 4736

Figures: 3 (Harry, Dobby, Lucius Malfoy)

Parts: 73

Price: £9.99

Theme: Harry Potter

Brickset

Bricklink

Box

Nothing too amazing here. The box is the thinner card unlike the new SW sets, and shows the basic feature on the back.

The top shows Harry in 'happy mode'.

Parts

A nice selection of parts which could be useful in other MOCs, if I deicde to take it apart. The 6x8 Base does not come in a bag.

Pieces of Interest

Featuring the pearl gold stud, a printed 1x2 tile, Tom Riddle's diary and Dobby's head in a litle baggie.

Dobby comes in flesh intead of tan, with head printing this time!

Figures

Great figures that all except Harry are only available in this set. The fact they had double-sided heads really surprised me!

I reckon Lucius' alternative face could be used for a generic Death Eater.

The Build

The instructions are normal for a set this size, and not complicated.

A random stage...

The little building is a nice addition, with a spider clinging to a wall and a place to attach a broom.

See more here!

Finished Model

Now Dobby is gonna kick some Death Eater butt!

Catapulting stages; Just push the red button to send Malfoy flying!

Spares

A gold stud and small flame have to come in use somewhere!

Ratings

Parts: 8/10 ~ Good selection of parts in various colours.

Figures: 9/10 ~ Having these figures remade in flesh with better printing is great, and the fact two are unique to this set contributes to the high score! My only gripe is Harry's terrible new face print.

Design: 7/10 ~ A little too basic for AFOLs but the contents make up for it.

Price: 8/10 ~ A little more expensive than its predecessor, but it's worth it anyway!

Playability: 7/10 ~ Not much to do here except catapult the figures and make them fly on the broomstick. Then again, that sounds like fun!

Overall: 78%

And a special thanks to SuperChris for being so kind as to let me review this set!

Edited September 2, 2010 by Jammiedodger714

[Plissken]

Great review, Jammiedodger714.

Since this review I never noticed the book in this set. One point more to buy two of it. I like the new Dobby head. He looks pretty accurate. Harry and Lucious are also great minifigs. Looking forward to the other sets.

[CMP]

And so it has begun. I for one love Harry's new face print, especially because it's double sided. However, Lucius's Death Eater mask looks tiny. Good review for a good set.

[RoryoCox]

Thanks for the review. I am really surprised at how much this set adds to the Universe of LHP. I was surprised to see Malfoy had a double sided face. Dobby is great, I will soon have two including the old one.

[Matn]

Thanks for the nice review!

I like the set, although there are a few nitpicks. On a whole the set is good and the building is nicer than I thought. I liked the 2002 version, but this one is equally nice because of the figures. A shame the diary isn't printed.

The figures are great, Malfoy has a good headprint but the back of it isn't so good. It's just too small and there's something wrong with the eyes. The one in the graveyard set was nice, but the best generic Death Eater is the one in the 3rd Hogwarts Castle set (you just can't top that). It's like a too small mix between the two previous masks. So the Lucius figure is great, except for the back.

Harry looks better than I thought with his angry face, but it's still a bit too young to be used in all of the sets. It fits perfectly here though, as it's for the second book.

Dobby is great! I like the new flesh colour and of course the nice details of his eyes. Only downside is that he's looking up a bit too much.

Thanks again for this review!

Edited September 2, 2010 by Matn

[Etzel]

Thanks for the nice review of a "still-to-be-officially-released" set!

I'm looking forward to get my hands on this one myself. My main interest in this set is Lucius Malfoy, a very nice minifig with the long tan hair, good face and great torso.

However, I really can't agree with your sub-title for the topic. I definitely think that the old set from 2002, 4731 Dobby's Release, is a better set:

If we judge only from the minifigs I can see why someone would prefer the new set, since we not only get one more minifig but they are also more detailed. But the differences are not that big, and the 2002 Lucius Malfoy is a really great minifig even by today's standards. The real difference between the sets however are the very nice and detailed corner of the 2002 version, and the, in my opinion, really weird looking arch in the 2010 version. In the old set we also get a lot more interesting parts, with the basic wall bricks, nice windows and printed book. If we shall go into details I also think that the 2002 sock looks much nicer with the Gryffindor emblem than the very dull-looking 2010 sock.

But as I wrote, this set is still good enough to be on my to-buy-list.

Edit: Spelling and punctuation.

[Euvor]

Arg! I just can't wait 29 more days to get my hands on this! Great review! The figs are absolutely amazing, especially Lucius (with his wondrous Death Eater mask ). I'm going to buy about 20 of these to make a corridor in Hogwarts!

[-JD-]

Thanks guys.

>snip<

I agree with most of what you are saying. Thinking back it was very good, but IMO the new set can be incorporated into the Hogwarts Castle itself much more easily. Sure, the old one had more features and details, but from what I can see it would be hard to fit into the Castle. Details wise though, yes, the 2002 trumps the 2010 edition by far.

So change the sub-title to 'a remake of the 2002 version!', as I am swaying more to your side now!

[Oky]

Wow, a review already? Thanks for the good review. But what's so terrible about Harry's face? I like the old version better too, hence me using it for my sigfig, but I don't think it's too bad, plus it's good that it has an angry side. Lucius and Dobby are a huge improvement over their initial versions, even though Lucius' mask does look like it has shrunk. Aside from the color and printing, is Dobby's head mold the same as the old one? The set itself is just meh to me. It's more accurate to the movie, but somehow I feel that the parts and playability of the old version were better. I'll still definitely get this though.

"Frontpageius!"

[SuperChris]

Great review! I love this little set, it's great for figures. I'll have a review for the Quidditch set up in the morning!

[prateek]

Great review! I really like Dobby's head, but the old set is better IMO.

[Oky]

If we judge only from the minifigs I can see why someone would prefer the new set, since we not only get one more minifig but they are also more detailed. But the differences are not that big, and the 2002 Lucius Malfoy is a really great minifig even by today's standards. The real difference between the sets however are the very nice and detailed corner of the 2002 version, and the, in my opinion, really weird looking arch in the 2010 version. In the old set we also get a lot more interesting parts, with the basic wall bricks, nice windows and printed book. If we shall go into details I also think that the 2002 sock looks much nicer with the Gryffindor emblem than the very dull-looking 2010 sock. But as I wrote, this set is still good enough to be on my to-buy-list.

Yeah, I agree with all of that. That's why I voted below average.

Edited September 2, 2010 by Oky Wan Kenobi

[-JD-]

Wow, a review already? Thanks for the good review. But what's so terrible about Harry's face? I like the old version better too, hence me using it for my sigfig, but I don't think it's too bad, plus it's good that it has an angry side.

Yeah, that's the only good bit IMO. I think his mouth is too high up on his face, or his glasses and eyes too low, that's all.

Aside from the color and printing, is Dobby's head mold the same as the old one?

I think it is, but it's made of a different material...

Lucius and Dobby are a huge improvement over their initial versions, even though Lucius' mask does look like it has shrunk.

I think it looks shrunk because the hair piece is so far back on his forehead.

It looks fine with a Death Eater outfit:

[CMP]

*Shnip*

You're right; it looks great with Death Eater robes. I'll have to put him in some when I get him.

[sok117]

Hey! I was right about Lucious Having a Death Eater Mask, can't wait to get some of these gorgeous sets! thanks for the review!

[Matn]

Ah, yes, it looks great with that outfit! Thanks for showing that, this means I'll have to buy a few of that set to get a couple less expensive generic Death Eaters.

[FilmGirl27]

Loving it! I can see myself buying a few multiples of these. These figures can still be used as multiples- seven Harry's and you have yourself a Seven Potter's chase, a few Dobby's and you could make the Hogwarts kitchens or decorate Grimmauld Place (*shudders*), and with Lucius you can make Death Eaters!

Great set! Thanks for the review!

[Sirius Black]

Excellent review!

I never released Malfoy Sr. had a double sided head, this will definitely help with the exorbitant Death Eater fig prices on BL and eBay. But i do have to wonder why he would have that mask on hand entering Hogwarts in bk 2 . I do not quite why several people voted this as below average, the minifigs alone make this an excellent set. The old Dobby's Release set bore little accuracy to the movie in terms of color choices, so i have to say that i like this one better

Looking forward to the Quidditch review!

Sirius

[Oky]

Minifigs aren't everything you know. And considering that you can get Harry in every other set and that sets of this price range usually have four figs, it only has two figs worth getting for, so it's quite below average. I mean, how cool would it have been if they would have thrown Dumbledore into the set too?

Edited September 2, 2010 by Oky Wan Kenobi

[Sirius Black]

Minifigs aren't everything you know. And considering that you can get Harry in every other set and that sets of this price range usually have four figs, it only has two figs worth getting for, so it's quite below average. I mean, how cool would it have been if they would have thrown Dumbledore into the set too?

While they definitely aren't everything in the larger sets, in the 10-20 dollar ones, they make up a large portion of the set. Honestly, how well rated would a SW battle pack (the stormtroopers one, for example) be rated if the minifigs weren't a main factor. And sets of this price RARELY have four figures, excluding the SW theme. most city sets have 1-2 figs, and three is a good amount. Just becuase a figure is widely available doesn't make it a bad fig, HP himself has an excellent torso print, although his face is average, and Lucius and Dobby are outstanding figs. At the least, this set bears an average, if not an above average for the unique figures, quantity, and unique bricks (books are pretty rare, after all).

Though it would have been cool to have a Dumbledore, doing so would have pushed up the price.

Sirius

[It All Ends Here]

Thank you for the nice review! I really can't wait anymore..

[BillytheKid]

Nice review. Funny about those double faces.

[Svelte]

Thanks for the review!

The new death-eater head is brilliant!

I can understand US buyers might complain that its too pricey since its the same as the battlepacks, but like the PoP Desert Attack, it's substantially cheaper here than either the Army Men or Star Wars Battlepacks - by about $US4, too.

I love the Malfoy fig and the new Dobby is creepy and freaky in equal measure. Those pale, watery, neotenous eyes have no effect on me, demon-creature!

Yes, the play feature is kind of lame but this is the smallest set in the line - I don't think anyone was expecting Power Functions and working suspension

[Vindicare]

Thanks for the nice review of a "still-to-be-officially-released" set!

I'm looking forward to get my hands on this one myself. My main interest in this set is Lucius Malfoy, a very nice minifig with the long tan hair, good face and great torso

If we judge only from the minifigs I can see why someone would prefer the new set, since we not only get one more minifig but they are also more detailed. But the differences are not that big, and the 2002 Lucius Malfoy is a really great minifig even by today's standards. The real difference between the sets however are the very nice and detailed corner of the 2002 version, and the, in my opinion, really weird looking arch in the 2010 version. In the old set we also get a lot more interesting parts, with the basic wall bricks, nice windows and printed book. If we shall go into details I also think that the 2002 sock looks much nicer with the Gryffindor emblem than the very dull-looking 2010 sock.

But as I wrote, this set is still good enough to be on my to-buy-list.

Edit: Spelling and punctuation.

Just to nit pick a little bit..if I remember correctly, the sock given to Dobby was actually Vernon Dursleys...so it wouldn't have a Gryffindor emblem on it..

Now, this review(and any other HP one) is cruel and unusual punishment to us USEr's who pre-ordered them and have to wait close to month for them!

[Etzel]

Just to nit pick a little bit..if I remember correctly, the sock given to Dobby was actually Vernon Dursleys...so it wouldn't have a Gryffindor emblem on it..

Oh, I love that kind of nit-picking!

That sounds familiar (or at least plausible, it was some years since I read CoS ). In that case I still think the 2002 sock is nicer, although not book-true. But maybe Harry made some embroidery on his spare time