The summer 2022 Harry Potter wave includes one more display-oriented set, 76406 Hungarian Horntail Dragon. This is the third in what seems to be a series of large(er)-scale winged, flapping creature builds from the Harry Potter theme, following Hedwig the owl and Fawkes the phoenix. Of course, those models were of much smaller creatures, closer to 1:2 or 1:4 in scale. This build roughly matches the first two in size, so the scale is much smaller. Here’s our review of the set, which contains 671 pieces and 1 minifigure, and is available now for US $49.99 | CAN $64.99 | UK £44.99.
This set is based on a license The LEGO Group has with the Warner Brothers films, not J.K. Rowling directly. The transphobic views expressed by Rowling do not reflect the values of The Brothers Brick or, indeed, those of The LEGO Group. The magical world Rowling created, in which many who felt a bit different could see themselves, meant a great deal to so many people, including those that Rowling now demeans. TBB affirms each individual LEGO fan’s choice to claim a piece of the world for themselves, or to reject it entirely.
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
The contents
Inside the box are the instructions, five numbered bags, a very small sticker sheet, and two cloth wing pieces, packed in a plastic sleeve with a card to hopefully keep them from creasing.
The parts include a decent selection of reddish brown and dark tan, and include some notable elements:
- Technic 1L axle with tow ball – a first appearance in dark tan!
- Technic axle connector in dark tan – you get 6, and was previously quite rare
- Cattle horns in tan – these have only appeared in the Super Mario 64 Question Mark Block set and the Mola Ram minifigure from 2009 before
- White Technic half pins – these returned in 75341 Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder, but before that had not been seen since 2005, and could be quite expensive on the secondary market.
- Candles in dark tan – there are a huge number of these in the Colosseum, but otherwise it’s still quite rare.
The build
The overall build is very similar to Hedwig and Fawkes – a base holding an angled stand, with a central core containing the gearing for the wing motion. Each base is finished and decorated differently based on the subject, and the rest of the body fills in around the core and wing mechanism. For the Hungarian Horntail, the base is finished as a rocky area like where the golden egg sits that Harry has to retrieve in the movie. It’s appropriate, but it does look a bit less polished than the smoother finishes for Hedwig and Fawkes. We do get a transparent rod piece that can be used to pose Harry fleeing, which is fun.
The wing mechanism is smooth, but again, if you’ve built one of the other flying creatures, it won’t be new. The combination of gears, knob gears, and liftarms does a clever job of producing a flapping-like motion.
After the core is done, the rest of the build consists of layering plates and details on – and spikes, lots of spikes – for the legs and tail, and assembling the skeletal frame of the wings. It’s a bit disappointing that the eyes are stickers, instead of being brick-built details, or at the very least printed elements.
The back looks great, but the lack of any posing of the legs makes side views limited. From the front, including at an angle, or from the back, it’s a pretty good-looking beast.
And the motion? There’s a pretty good downstroke and you can imagine the whoosh struggling to stand as the Horntail takes to the air in front of you, and the terror of those weirdly flat eyes… oops.
The minifigure
Harry Potter in a Triwizard Tournament uniform was the only real minifigure choice for this set. In the recent reboot of the Harry Potter theme, this is the second version of him in his dragon-fighting gear. Neither has printed legs; both have double-sided heads with contrasting expressions. Which torso you prefer is a matter of personal taste in our opinion; they’re both good.
However, this is the only version with either dual-molded or printed arms, and this figure has both. The detail is superb and puts this over the top as the definitive Triwizard Harry in our view.
Conclusion and recommendation
This set is a mixed bag. Compared to the two previous “flying sculpture” sets, it’s $10 more for fewer than 100 additional pieces, and the sculpture itself is not as successful a model of the subject. Compared to the previous Hungarian Horntail, it’s a much nicer model, but it’s also twice as expensive and you only get one minifigure instead of four. However, that one minifigure is a very nice one, and 671 pieces for $50 is still a pretty amazing value, especially for a licensed set! So what’s our recommendation? If you have the other two kinetic sculptures, you may well want to add this one to the collection. You might be drawn in just by the nicer Horntail dragon. If you’re a minifigure completionist, you’ll want to get this version of Harry. And if you’re looking for dark tan and reddish brown parts, this might be the parts pack for you. Otherwise, it’s probably a pass – or at least wait for a sale.
76406 Hungarian Horntail Dragon contains 671 pieces and 1 minifigure. It is available now from the LEGO Shop and worldwide for US $49.99 | CAN $64.99 | UK £44.99 or from Amazon. It may also be available from third-party sellers on eBay.
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
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Good review. In the animation it looks like the handle is being turned the wrong way so the motion of the wings is off. If you reverse the video or shoot it turning the handle the other way I think it will look right. E.g. when the downstroke is finished it should be the shoulder to elbow section that comes up first, not the wing tips.
Thanks for the review.