The higher the price point, the more room for error you have. This set just isn't it. Overall I think the actual model of the train itself is gorgeous. It's a fantastic build especially the engine and looks stunning, however when combined with the track and station, it feels incomplete to me. The station feels far to small given the scale chosen for the train and while it compliments the story and setting, feels like a waste of parts and an unessercary increase to the over all cost. The track works as a nice display setting, but again feels like a waste. It doesn't fit on regular LEGO tracks which is frustrating but isn't the biggest issue for me, but personally I would prefer no track than a custom built one that leaves me paying more. There are a lot of fun easter ... MoreThe higher the price point, the more room for error you have. This set just isn't it. Overall I think the actual model of the train itself is gorgeous. It's a fantastic build especially the engine and looks stunning, however when combined with the track and station, it feels incomplete to me. The station feels far to small given the scale chosen for the train and while it compliments the story and setting, feels like a waste of parts and an unessercary increase to the over all cost. The track works as a nice display setting, but again feels like a waste. It doesn't fit on regular LEGO tracks which is frustrating but isn't the biggest issue for me, but personally I would prefer no track than a custom built one that leaves me paying more. There are a lot of fun easter eggs, great minifigures (besides the glaring and unfortunate absence of epiloge Ron and Hermione) and overall feels like a lot of care went into the details of the set. The quote tiles aren't my favourite, aside from being stickers, it feels a little gimmicky, and takes me out of the story however the rest of the passenger car has some great build techniques and looks perfect. However it's scale leaves it being too large and incredibly difficult to find space for, it's too heavy to motorise and resulted in a set that feels half finished. It feels as if the concept of this set was just too big to execute, even with a massive budget and price tag. I think scaling the set back and removing the track and station and letting the train be the star and shine on it's own for a smaller price point would have improved the set significantly. It's a very impressive LEGO model and is truely a work of art, but as a consumer product, it leaves a lot to be desired. Even more so because of how expensive the set is, when it didn't need to be anywhere near this expensive and large. You'd be much better off buying the Hogwarts Castle or Diagon Alley if you want a large Harry Potter set.

A Bit Disappointing

I've always been a big Harry Potter fan, so once I saw that they were releasing Hogwarts Express, I was excited. I had great experiences with the Hedwig and Hogwarts sets, so I was hopeful that this would continue the excellent line of adult Harry Potter sets. However, I was quite let down by the overall price and execution of the set. I don't feel as if the tracks and platform were entirely necessary for this set, and wonder if that was added just to up the price. The train itself is cool, a lot of it is just for display but a large component is the rooms itself that the train has which is cool. The price however just steers me away from what you are getting. Even if you are a huge Harry potter fan, it still is hard to justify getting this set. I ended up buying ... MoreI've always been a big Harry Potter fan, so once I saw that they were releasing Hogwarts Express, I was excited. I had great experiences with the Hedwig and Hogwarts sets, so I was hopeful that this would continue the excellent line of adult Harry Potter sets. However, I was quite let down by the overall price and execution of the set. I don't feel as if the tracks and platform were entirely necessary for this set, and wonder if that was added just to up the price. The train itself is cool, a lot of it is just for display but a large component is the rooms itself that the train has which is cool. The price however just steers me away from what you are getting. Even if you are a huge Harry potter fan, it still is hard to justify getting this set. I ended up buying this set when it was on sale for about $400, which overall is a bit more fair and justifiable for what you are getting with lego. I would much more recommend getting Hogwarts, which is a wonderful set compared to this and saves a little bit of money.

Almost exactly what I had been hoping for

As a fan of the Creator Expert / UCS scale vehicles, I had long hoped that I would be able to pick up a larger, more accurate Hogwarts Express to join my collection.The build experience was perhaps one of the best of larger sets I have ever built and that is in no small part down to the fact that you are effectively building 5 separate builds giving you a constant feeling of progress.Whilst some have criticised the scale of the train, I am personally pleased that the designer went with this scale as I do not believe that they could have done justice to the interior of the passenger car had the model been any smaller. This is, first and foremost a display model and, to me, complaining that you cannot run it on regular tracks is like complaining that the UCS ... MoreAs a fan of the Creator Expert / UCS scale vehicles, I had long hoped that I would be able to pick up a larger, more accurate Hogwarts Express to join my collection.The build experience was perhaps one of the best of larger sets I have ever built and that is in no small part down to the fact that you are effectively building 5 separate builds giving you a constant feeling of progress.Whilst some have criticised the scale of the train, I am personally pleased that the designer went with this scale as I do not believe that they could have done justice to the interior of the passenger car had the model been any smaller. This is, first and foremost a display model and, to me, complaining that you cannot run it on regular tracks is like complaining that the UCS Millennium Falcon is too big to swoosh around.The only reason that I cannot give the model 5/5 is purely down to the the inclusion of the platform, and the overuse of stickers on what is a premium, expensive set. Whilst the platform is done very well, I do not think it needed to form part of this set and so hurts the set in a value for money perspective for me. With regards to the stickers, I don't mind the interior stickers so much, but I do believe that the decorations on the exterior of the train should have been prints.

Awesome!

Bought it for a birthday present before the hogwarts castle and sound system came in. After playing with the sound feature for the castle, I wish I sprang for the sound system on this set knowing it won't just make train noises. Pretty happy with the customer service. The wires aren't as flimsy as they say. There was a few spots I snapped a piece on and thought, "well that's broken now." Only to be pleasantly surprised at the end. Would be easier to install if I didn't have giant hands, but challenges are fun, and this one I worth it!

Beautiful & Detailed

I had my eye on this set for a while and finally bought it in Sept 24 from the Lego store, Trafford Centre. Once built the train really is a talking piece and stand front and centre in my collection. However - overall there was 2 missing pieces and 9 incorrect pieces. I used the missing part facility on her to replace 8 of the parts but then LEGO declined the last 3. I've never had a set with missing pieces before so it was really disappointing. I had to halt the build whilst I waited for the pieces to arrive and then I had to scavenge through my spare pieces box for pieces I could use fot the one that LEGO had declined.

Beautiful Display for Serious Harry Potter Fans

The LEGO Harry Potter Collectors Hogwarts Express is definitely an amazing display when next to all the other collector models. The build was very easy to follow and I thoroughly enjoyed building the engine portion. I see lots of skepticism on whether or not to buy this set as it isn’t motorized, not enough train cars, not the right color etc. To me, the motorized portion missing is totally fine as I have no room for a LEGO City and love that it has a stationary display. There were really only two things that concerned me overall with this set. One, no Ron and Heromione 17 year later mini figures?? I was surprised to see they weren’t there as that scene is the closing off for the whole series and it is obviously being referenced in the build. Second, the price point ... MoreThe LEGO Harry Potter Collectors Hogwarts Express is definitely an amazing display when next to all the other collector models. The build was very easy to follow and I thoroughly enjoyed building the engine portion. I see lots of skepticism on whether or not to buy this set as it isn’t motorized, not enough train cars, not the right color etc. To me, the motorized portion missing is totally fine as I have no room for a LEGO City and love that it has a stationary display. There were really only two things that concerned me overall with this set. One, no Ron and Heromione 17 year later mini figures?? I was surprised to see they weren’t there as that scene is the closing off for the whole series and it is obviously being referenced in the build. Second, the price point is too steep. I was originally going to buy this day one but decided it would be better to wait for 2x VIP Points and use my max discount offer. It ended up costing me the same as when I bought the Hogwarts Castle/Diagon Alley sets which I think are much more bang for your buck sets. Overall, I think this set is great to have if you are a major Harry Potter Fan. Train collectors, I would say pass and just go buy the $80 one. This set is meant for serious fans of Harry Potter and I do not have any regrets buying this set! Great design and hope to see more collector Harry Potter Sets in the future! *cough cough* Gringotts

Beautiful set

I was disappointed to find pieces missing but it was only 3. The Hogwarts castle was missing a full bag, so I forgive Lego this time. However, there is a construction mistake when joining the 3rd train that puts it slightly higher than it should be. I had to manipulate the design a bit in order for it to stay stable. I was glad to find out that I wasn’t the only one to receive too many wheels, I was thoroughly confused by this as well. For the price of the set I would have expected it to be better executed. That being said, the train itself is gorgeous and I absolutely loved every bit of the build. It looks really great next to my hedwig and I can’t stop hovering over it. I would recommend buying on sale.

Frustrated!!

Slow processing and shipping. Tracking info is not real time, so you'll never know when the package is going to arrive. Tip: Order a month in advance if for a gift. Box was in bad shape upon arrival, bags were opened inside box. Spent an hour organizing all bags because they weren't all labeled the same. Some had tiny black print that had the model number and bag number and some were like you find in a top brand set with good labeling. It's impossible to know what step the loose pieces go until we start putting it together, and it's going to be extremely difficult. That makes it impossible for a 12 year old to do it themselves! The only reason I bought this was because of the price, but not sure if it's going to be worth it. I have no idea if model pieces are ... MoreSlow processing and shipping. Tracking info is not real time, so you'll never know when the package is going to arrive. Tip: Order a month in advance if for a gift. Box was in bad shape upon arrival, bags were opened inside box. Spent an hour organizing all bags because they weren't all labeled the same. Some had tiny black print that had the model number and bag number and some were like you find in a top brand set with good labeling. It's impossible to know what step the loose pieces go until we start putting it together, and it's going to be extremely difficult. That makes it impossible for a 12 year old to do it themselves! The only reason I bought this was because of the price, but not sure if it's going to be worth it. I have no idea if model pieces are missing, yet. The golden ticket is definitely not in the packaging, but it's shown in the booklet. Very frustrated!

Great build

I received this as a gift from my partner. It’s a fantastic set with lots of Easter eggs that reference to different films. There are a lot of pieces but it doesn’t seem to overwhelming as it comes with 4 books. I didn’t use the books, I used the instructions online which helped me more. It’s a great size but I did receive 9 extra mini wheels that have no use. I was convinced I built it wrong but it seems there were just extra? Unsure what I’m going to use them for but better to have too many than not enough!

I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE TO BUY THIS SET

I recently spent $399 on this LEGO set during the Black Friday, only to discover a mere 24 hours later that it was being sold for a jaw-dropping $349 on Amazon. To add insult to injury, the set had already in warehouse, rendering any hopes of a return or price adjustment futile. Talk about bad timing and a hefty dose of buyer's remorse!This experience left me feeling like I had fallen victim to a holiday heist. The excitement of my LEGO adventure quickly deflated as I realized I had paid a premium for the same product available at a significantly lower price just a day later. It's disappointing to see such a substantial price drop right after making a purchase and you can do nothing about it. This has been a regrettable experience that has left me second-guessing ... MoreI recently spent $399 on this LEGO set during the Black Friday, only to discover a mere 24 hours later that it was being sold for a jaw-dropping $349 on Amazon. To add insult to injury, the set had already in warehouse, rendering any hopes of a return or price adjustment futile. Talk about bad timing and a hefty dose of buyer's remorse!This experience left me feeling like I had fallen victim to a holiday heist. The excitement of my LEGO adventure quickly deflated as I realized I had paid a premium for the same product available at a significantly lower price just a day later. It's disappointing to see such a substantial price drop right after making a purchase and you can do nothing about it. This has been a regrettable experience that has left me second-guessing any future purchases from the Lego official website.SO DONT BUY THIS LEGO SET!