Review: 4735 Slytherin

[Commander Laquiet]

This set is one which I bought when first released in 2002. It depicts the Slytherin common room, and is the scene where Harry and Ron take Polyjuice Potion to change their appearances to those of Crabbe and Goyle, Malfoy's cronies, and trick Malfoy.

Anyway, the review!

Set name: Slytherin

Set number: 4735

Released: 2002

Theme: Harry Potter (Chamber of Secrets sub-theme)

Piece count: 90

Price:US$10

Resource: Brickset

I no longer own the box, so sorry, no box pictures.

We'll therefore start with the instructions:

Just the usual small set instructions here, with the Harry Potter theme brickwork -

Random page:

Alternate model (quite a nice one, in my opinion):

And the back, with the Hogwarts spread:

Quite nice instructions. What else is there to say? They were printed clearly, but the model is so simple that it doesn't matter.

Now the minifigures:

We get Goyle/Harry, Ron/Crabbe, and Malfoy in grey/green Slytherin outfits, with black starry capes. While the uniforms are generic, I for one like them and for a set of this size, I think the minifig assortment isn't too bad. However it might have been nice to get a plain/casual clothes Malfoy, and I must admit to liking plain black capes more than starred ones.

There are switchable faces for Goyle/Harry and Crabbe/Ron.

There was no back printing, so it wasn't necessary to do a backs shot.

Pieces:

A good selection of pieces, albeit a bit bland. The green slopes add some nice variety, however. And the special pieces are great, as I'll explain.

Pieces of Note:

The special pieces in this set are a real plus. There are some great printed elements, such as...

-The scroll. I love this piece, very "wizardy".

-The Slytherin wall. A really nice print, great for other themed MOCs too.

-The Slytherin shield. Unique to this set, I believe. The Snake Knights!

-Wildlife. The black owl is really nice.

-Miscellaneous. Kitchen utensils are coveted, and I like the green shades.

Overall, great special parts!

The Build:

The build is very easy and instructions are barely needed. There isn't any repetition, but neither are there any particularly useful techniques, and the build is over so quickly that you're not really left with a feeling of great achievement as you would get after building a much larger more difficult set.

.. and that's about it.

Final Product:

The set put together doesn't look amazingly attractive, but it's not meant to, it's a Slytherin dungeon. I think it gives off this effect really well. The building itself is sturdy, with some nice touches - i.e the green lamp shades, and small writing desk. We get a little potions table, too. The printed/special pieces really complement it; the Slytherin wall looks great in the background of the little scene.

The play feature is an opening wall at the back. I really don't see the point of this, but I guess it opens up some extra room for minifigs to stand in.

The potion has worn off! Run, boys, run!

Overall:

Pieces: 9/10 - While the selection is a bit bland, the green slopes are nice and the printed/special parts are a treat.

Minifigures: 8/10 - Three minifigs is pretty good considering the size of the set, and they are nice minifigs. However, there were improvements like a plain clothes Malfoy that would've been nice.

Build: 7/10 - Not much to say here. It was nice, but there was little time to enjoy it.

Final product: 9/10 - A great finish! While some colour might've improved it, you can't really complain, as it fits its setting well.

Price: 10/10 - Great! US$10 for a great parts/minifigs/modular set? Yes!

Overall: 9/10 - A great set, mainly as a parts pack, but a fun little model nevertheless. Good selection of parts, minifigs and accessories. I certainly like it a lot.

Hope you enjoyed my first review! Thanks for reading!

EDIT - just realised I posted the 1111th topic in the licensed forum! COOL!

Edited September 23, 2010 by Commander Laquiet

[Izzy]

Thanks for taking the time to review this set Commander. Well done!

It is great to see some more of the older HP sets get reviews done as there is still so many lacking (Just check the Index )

I think it is great to get 3 figs in a smaller set like this.

[lightningtiger]

Thanks for the review 'Commander Laquiet' - yes, three figures in a small set - COOL !

Sadly these I feel are now fetching a high price BL eh ?

I'm a conformist! !

[BearHeart]

Another HP set I missed in my dark age . I tried buing it MISB on eBay a few times but I was outbit.

[not-in-use-anymore]

I'm pretty sure the wall is actually the door, I wonder what would have happened if Harry and Ron went into the bathroom? The only things I don't like are the faces of Crabbe and Goyle and the small size.

I know I used to have this set, but sadly back then I didn't care about how rare/cool parts were and they are probably lost in my basement.