Lego Hogwarts Crests 31201

 I avoided purchasing these for several months as the individual House Crests just didn't appeal to me.  However, the more I looked at the big Hogwarts Crest comprising 4 of these kits the more I wanted it.  Lets be honest this is a big investment but as each crest is 16" x 16" they are not insubstantial and do make a statement when on display.  Admittedly, I have yet to find somewhere to hang the 32" x 32" full crest so it is currently on floor level display.

Each crest is made up of 9 16stud x 16stud plates that are then connected at the sides and rear and they are surprisingly sturdy when linked together with technic pins and system plates.  The included booklet takes you through making Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw house crests and there are enough 1x1 roundels in each kit to make one of the four.  This does mean that you get a LOT of leftover dots depending on which option you go for but it does mean you can use one set to customise your own design if you so wish.  Construction is strangely similar to cross stitch.  Coloured grid that indicates where to put each colour on the base plate - I would have said diamond painting but that is printed on the canvas.  Lot of fun to do and I will likely use the instructions to make a custom cross stitch piece if I ever manage to stop my fingers itching to click bricks and pick up a needle and thread.

The individual crests actually look better in person than on photographs but I did make the decision to break them down as I desperately wanted to make the full school crest.  One thing that does bother me is the House Symbol for Ravenclaw is supposed to be an eagle but the designers went with a Raven - yes, yes, I get it but honestly NO!

The full school crest is SPECTACULAR.  Honestly, if you can get 4 of these kits and make the full crest it is well worth every single penny.  You have to download the instructions from Lego direct but they are free and in .pdf format so you can load them on any electronic device or even print them out if you need to.  I used my Fire 10 tablet to download the instructions on to and it was a breeze.  Even better you can zoom in on the diagram for roundel placement so makes it nice and easy.

As you have so many pieces left over after making the school crest I did add extra plates to the back to reinforce it and it is solid.  You do only put 2 wall attachments in place at the back and when/if I get around to wall mounting I will put at the very least another two on there just to spread the load a little bit more and make me feel less anxious.

Overall my rating for the individual crests would have been a 3.5/4 out of 5 Stars.  However, the School Crest is so incredible this has boosted the overall rating to a maximum 5 out of 5 Stars.

Number Of Pieces: 4249

Approximate Price Per Piece: £0.03

Build Times:
Individual House Crests - 3 Hours per crest
Hogwarts Crest - 12.25 Hours
Time to Breakdown House Crests - 6.5 Hours for all 4

 GRYFFINDOR:

 SLYTHERIN:

 HUFFLEPUFF:

 RAVENCLAW:

 Take 4 sets from this:

To this:

To this: