LEGO Harry Potter’s Malfoy Manor Review: Walk on the Wild Side of the Wizarding World

In the 20-year history of collaborations between LEGO and Harry Potter, fans have been given a variety of sets exploring a number of corners of the Wizarding World. Understandably, the success of the series and the excitement surrounding its heroic characters means that many sets allowed fans to immerse themselves in the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There are plenty of iconic locations, however, including places that fans wouldn’t want to find themselves in, such as Malfoy Manor. Even though plenty of dastardly deeds unfolded in this home, fans can now replicate the domicile’s intricacies in LEGO’s Malfoy Manor set.

The Malfoy Manor set consists of 1,601 spread across 13 bags. The set comes with nine minifigs, including Harry Potter, Dobby, Lord Voldemort (along with Nagini), Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Luna Lovegood. As confirmed by the specific characters included in the set, the build is meant to replicate the scenes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows after snatchers captured Harry and Co. and brought them to Voldemort and his Death Eaters. This means that the Voldemort minifig features Slytherin cloaks, a nice change of pace from his typical all-black garb, and that Harry’s head can be spun to feature the face-changing enchantment Harry had when claiming he was “Vernon Dudley.”

The first bag doesn’t get off to a particularly strong start, as it merely contains the entry gate to the Manor. It does, though, include both Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, which gives Slytherin supporters something to be excited about. Bags 2 and 3 start to form the foundation of the Manor’s footprint, as well as delivering some of the key architectural elements. Even though this mostly means some doors and some imposing gates, it does mark a shift for Harry Potter sets among those builders who are more familiar with heroic builds. Right from the start, the set feels much more ominous and imposing than other structures in the Wizarding World.

Even though it’s not particularly a show-stopping component of the Manor’s facade, there’s a fountain feature that comes together in a satisfying way to make the Manor more dynamic. Water presents inherent challenges when being converted to a LEGO form and this set handles the feature nicely.

Bags 4 and 5 start to bring the interior of the Manor to life, offering up unique takes on the necessary components of the home. A pair of staircases, for example, are allowed to pivot effortlessly to different positions to allow builders access to the different parts of the home. In addition to Bag 6 unleashing Voldemort and Nagini, the elements you build in this collection of pieces could be the most satisfying experience of the whole build.

Bag 6 helps establish the floor of the drawing room, which doesn’t sound like it would be an entirely satisfying journey until you realize what is taking shape. Even though you’re merely composing a floor, it requires a builder to specifically place very small pieces with various curves that make its ornate design clear: the Death Eaters symbol. Not only is the symbol itself imposing, but the tactile process of its construction is also satisfying. Given how many elements of any LEGO set require pushing down on studs, sometimes causing discomfort, all of the pieces in the symbol are smooth, allowing you to add the necessary pressure to make the pieces click together.

Bags 7 through 11 create the actual structure itself, and one thing that makes this set unique as compared to LEGO sets in the Wizarding World is the Manor’s actual footprint. The Manor is nearly twice as wide as it is deep, ultimately having a footprint of 12″ x 6″. This relatively narrow depth means it can make for a good piece to put on display, while other LEGO Harry Potter sets can occupy a larger area on a shelf.

As the structure itself expands, builders will start to remember that, while this is a building that is set in a fantastical world, it is still ultimately an architecture-based set. There’s lots of hard edges and repetitive elements, which is sure to excite some fans while frustrating others, as Malfoy Manor doesn’t feature as many organic curves or rounded segments. A good portion of the structure itself is comprised of windows, which is another juxtaposition to the dense stone of Hogwarts, though this also requires a builder regularly apply a fair amount of pressure to snap window panes into the window frames. Younger builders will likely ask for assistance from their parents, a drastic difference from building the Death Eaters logo.

Even if Bags 7 through 11 are more focused on architecture, that doesn’t mean that putting them together is without its delights. This Manor does still belong to the Malfoys, though, so the actual design includes a number of clever and interesting angles and overhangs as opposed to merely being countless right angles. The darker color scheme of the set would make it easy for any builder to lose themselves in the darkness, but LEGO uses these bags to make sure to remind builders that it wouldn’t be a LEGO set if there wasn’t also a sense of humor.

As the alcoves of the Manor take shape, these areas become filled with overlooked rooms. Namely, they create Draco’s bedroom and also the Manor’s bathroom, complete with toilet paper. When a Harry Potter fan starts putting together a set, regardless of the accuracy of such a build, you likely don’t anticipate putting together such facilities. Still, the absurdity of putting together the Malfoy toilet helps keep spirits high when constructing such a foreboding house.

The final bags of the set help put the finishing touches on the Manor, with Bag 12 establishing the table and chairs at which many frightening plans are orchestrated as Bag 13 builds the spires on either side of the home. These finishing touches bring the height of the house to well over 12″, as it continues to rise in height at an exponential rate. Even though the table in the drawing room is one of the more memorable elements of the Manor, especially in the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 movie, fans might be disappointed by the fact that it covers up the Death Eaters symbol in the drawing room. The table can easily be moved, however, allowing for a more engaging experience for young builders who want to make the Manor a playset.

Also part of Bag 12 is the chandelier in the drawing room, which movie fans remember as being what Dobby unscrewed from the ceiling to come crashing down on Bellatrix to get her to free Hermione. The chandelier does help complete the look of the home, and it does have a removable pin that quickly allows the lighting fixture to fall from its position. This pin, though, can be quite snug, so it’s possible that pulling with too much force could dislodge the whole fixture.

The overall build will take an average builder roughly five hours to complete and, given the somewhat repetitive nature of many of the bags, the build itself doesn’t present any major challenges. Completionists will surely enjoy being able to add the Slytherin stronghold to their collection, with the Manor itself standing out from the many other earth-toned Wizarding World sets. The mix of characters also adds a more diverse roster to any collector’s stash of minifigs, and its sturdy nature makes it seem as though it will hold up to more enthusiastic play from younger wizards. If you want to the set to your collection, you can find it here at LEGO and here on Amazon priced at $149.99.

A review copy of LEGO’s Malfoy Manor set was provided by the manufacturer.