REVIEW: Hogwarts Grand Staircase

Since 2020, we’ve had a decent sized LEGO Harry Potter themed gift with purchase (GWP) set being released every year. So I had expected such a set again this year and wasn’t disappointed. With qualifying purchases from 15 July you will receive the Hogwarts Grand Staircase set. Read on to see how to qualify and what you get…

Set 40577 – Hogwarts Grand Staircase

Price: Free Gift with Purchase (see further down for details)

A Harry Potter themed GWP set is nothing new, as we have seen several of those since 2020:

• Hagrid and Buckbeak Brickheadz (2020)
• Monster Book of Monsters (2020)
• Hogwarts Gryffindor Dorms (2021)

This is in addition to any polybags, which are also sometimes free with purchase.

As last year, this set isn’t a complete surprise given it had appeared on the photos from a LEGO Store calendar about a month ago. But as we hadn’t seen much more information than this blurry photo of the front (well, I hadn’t at least), it was really nice when I received the real thing in a package from LEGO to review.

This Saturday, I made myself a coffee and started building.

The first thing that struck me was the weight of the box. This is a pretty substantial GWP set to receive compared to many other such offerings. It features 224 pieces but just a single minifigure. In comparison, last year’s Hogwarts Gryffindor Dorms set had two minifigures but “only” 148 pieces.

Before I get started on the actual the review, let’s have a quick look at what the grand staircase looked like in the movies. We see openings along the walls and most of all – heaps of paintings covering the walls.

With that fresh in memory, let’s have a look at the box and its content.

Box and content

The front of the box shows the completed build and lists that Hermonie Granger is the included minifigure. The many paintings on the wall leave little doubt that this is indeed the Grand Staircase. The most dominant one features the Fat Lady, who is guarding the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room.

The back of the box reinforces this – showing that the staircase can move. This is a familiar feature for those who have seen the movies, but interestingly, it is something which is never mentioned in the novels (and the staircase in the Deathly Hallows Part 2 movie was static as well). We can also see that the painting with the Fat Lady can be relocated to cover another door opening if desirable (or taken out to open up for students to enter the common room).

Inside the box we find the instructions, a fairly large sticker sheet, two loose plates and three numbered bags (two of which are numbered 1 while the remaining is numbered 2).

If you don’t like stickers, this may not be a set for you, as it includes no less than 18 stickers, each representing one or more paintings on the walls.

After this overview, let’s have a look at the included minifigure.

Minifigure

The set includes just one minifigure – Hermione Granger. This is a logical inclusion as we got Harry and Ron in the 2021 GWP set. While it is not super exiting for longer-term collectors to get yet another Hermione, the skirt piece and dual coloured leg piece, which we also got in the Hogwarts Magical Trunk set earlier in the year, does make it somewhat special.

As seen below, the figure is otherwise quite normal with a printed torso (both front and back) showing the typical Gryffindor sweater. The head is also dual printed.

With the minifigure covered, let’s get on with the actual build!

The Build

With two floors and 18 stickers to apply (sigh), this is not as quick to build as many other GWP sets.

The two bags numbered 1 get us started with building the lower floor. The stickers are applied throughout the build and it didn’t feel like a substantial burden to be honest.

Also, as you can see, the model does have grey 1×1 Technic bricks that allow it to connect up with other of the 2021-22 series of modular Hogwarts sets.

Now we are going to add some height…

The left photo shows where we got to with the two bags 1, while the right photo below shows progress a few steps into the last bag.

You can see to the right that there are panels that can cover the wall openings. Stickers are applied to those as well. One of them – my favourite in the set – represents the Fat Lady.

You can see those panels below with the stickers applied – along with how the portrait looked in the movies. It is a great addition – though we have had stickers with the Fat Lady guarding the entrance to the Gryffindor common room before. That was long ago however, dating back to the the 2001 and 2004 Hogwarts Castle sets.

With that extra height, we are going to need a staircase to get up. Luckily, that is what we’re building next…

The staircase looks really nice – in particular I like the use of 1×4 panels to create that smooth look and the two handrails that are nicely attached at the bottom.

The only thing remaining now is to add the last few paintings and attach the staircase.

Now Hermione can try to find her way to her Transfiguration class. Be careful – as the stairs may move…

The “new” modular series of Hogwarts sets that started in 2021 is based around modules that you can connect side by side and stack them in height. They follow standard measurements to allow this, with modules being 8 studs deep and 8, 16, 24 (etc in multipliers of 8) long. Also, the modules generally have tiles on top (with a few exposed studs) that allow modules to be stacked easily.

This set is unusual as it does not quite have the usual dimensions (it is 12×12 studs) and nor the ability to add other modules on top. The external view photo above shows that. The mentioned Technic bricks with pins (even though only available at the lower level) does still allow the set to be connected with other modules as seen below.

How do I get one?

But how do I get one, you may ask? Basically, you need to purchase LEGO Harry Potter for a certain amount from LEGO.com or LEGO brand stores in participating countries.

Here is the information LEGO has provided:

• Launch date: 15 July 2022
• Runtime: 15 – 31 July 2022
• Qualifying purchase: Must spend at least $130 / €130 / £130 on LEGO Harry Potter

Presumingly, the listed dollar value is for USA only. The qualifying amount in other regions will most likely be higher. I’ll provide an update as I learn more.

If you are heading to LEGO.com order, please consider using our affiliate links to go there. It is the same price for you, but Blockwarts get a minor commission as well, which I use to help running this site.

Conclusion

I was surprised to have such a large set as this as a GWP set, though it doesn’t have as much detail as last year’s model – and only one minifigure. Also, it is sticker heavy, but it really does represent the Grand Staircase well with all those paintings, supplementing the moving staircase well. I really like the panel with the sticker of the Fat Lady painting. Now we just need to wait for a Gryffindor Common Room set – though many of you may already have built your own.

Overall, this is a nice addition to the modular Hogwarts series, with the only drawback being it is using a slightly different scale, so nothing can be stacked on top of this.

Is it worth it? It is a “gift” for sure, but if you hadn’t thought of buying any additional LEGO Harry Potter sets, getting to the qualifying limit to trigger the gift may hurt. But if you had planned to make additional purchases anyway, this is a very nice treat to get as well.

I’ll better return to my next (and much bigger) planned review. Stay tuned.

Till then, Build the Magic!

(Note that this set was kindly provided by LEGO for review. The views expressed here are my own however).