Sirius Black's Escape, 4753

Post by **Bruce N H** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 6:04 pm

Hey all,

I suppose I'm way behind the times, but I just picked up set 4753, Sirius Black's Escape:
http://www.peeron.com/cgi-bin/invcgis/i ... thpics=yes
and I have to say this is a great set for the castle builder!

This is actually my first bluish-gray set (I've been buying only bulk bricks lately), so I was a bit worried. I actually wasn't as bothered by it as I was expecting. I haven't tried to incorporate these pieces into MOCs with my old grays yet, though, so I suppose I haven't hit the real issue yet. (an aside--it is upsetting, though, that Peeron has taken to calling the grays "DkStone" and "MedStone", when they are much less stone-y and more metal-y to me)

Anyway, color issues aside, this is awesome for parts selection:
HP style door
HP door frame in tan (this has it's pluses and minuses, but it's nice to have another)
2 arched windows
8 (!) of those new large macaroni bricks in dark bluish gray, plus 2 in tan - very cool new piece, plus enough in one set to be useful
4 quarter panels (though I wish they'd used the patterned version: http://www.peeron.com/inv/parts/30562px1 )
various slopes, including tall and corner slopes
4 hawks and a rat
printed "lock" tile
black keys
and the rest is bricks and plates

As to the figs, I really like the Dementor, and wish I had an army of these
Sirius Black is cool, and is the one character who looks right in the skin color next to my yellow figs (he's supposed to be all pale after Azkabahn)
Harry - oh well, I don't like the skin tone here, but I've already got a huge pile of Harry's anyway
Buckbeak - very awesome

As to design, I like the fact that the tower is enclosed, though I have no idea what that little desk inside is supposed to be for.

Anyway, aside from the color issue (which I am not as upset by as I had expected), I give this one a rave review, both for the set and for the parts. If I find this on clearance, I'll buy out the store. I don't expect to buy any of the other smaller HP sets. I'd love to get the Shriek Shack or the new Hogwarts, but I'm trying to cut my LEGO budget and only buy things I really need (i.e. individual parts off Bricklink), so I doubt I will unless I see them on deep discount.

Bruce

--On forum placement, I wasn't sure. I actually think of HP as a subtheme of castle, plus my thoughts are mostly about this set as useful parts for castle, so I put it here.

Mr. D · Post by **Mr. D** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 6:19 pm

Wow! I just saw this set at Wal-mart. Looks and sounds very useful. Just tell me one thing; how well do the old and new grays mix?

Post by **rogue27** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 6:59 pm

Yeah, it's a pretty good set. I had suggested it to somebody who was considering getting Draco's Encounter with BuckBeak, because you get so much more in this one for just $11 more.

I would like to buy several of this set if they is ever a good sale, but I don't plan to buy any more of these until then.

I also want Shrieking Shack and Hogwart's Castle if I can afford them someday.

Gumby · Post by **Gumby** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 7:28 pm

ARGH... I'm so frustrated by this set. I managed to get 4 of this set at 33% off. You're absolutely right, Bruce, the parts in this set are phenomenal! Lots of lt and dk grey bricks and plates.

At first, I was gonna "ignore" the new colours. However, I've changed my mind, and cannot bear to add the new colours to my collection, so my sets remain unopened. I'm going to return them back at the store I got them from...

-Bryan

P.S. Don't you think the new brown rat really looks like something a gongfarmer would be scooping?

jamitjames · Post by **jamitjames** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 7:30 pm

Mr. D wrote:Wow! I just saw this set at Wal-mart. Looks and sounds very useful. Just tell me one thing; how well do the old and new grays mix?

Well the light don't look that bad together but the dark :evil: look so bad together, they look like dark blue

btw, thanks for the reveiw, looks like I will be going to Zellers soon

Post by **Formendacil** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 8:06 pm

I don't really hate the existence of new gray: kept separate from old grey, they work fine.

The problem however is that they can't be used with the old grey (looks wrong), and by their creation, they terminated the existence of the old grey, so you can't really increase you old grey stock too much, and you can't build up your new grey to similar or greater levels yet. Its frustrating.

On topic: I may need to get one of these sets. More animals! (AKA Buckbeak!)

Commander Redbeard · Post by **Commander Redbeard** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 5:17 pm

I wish I had two of this set, if I connected them they would make a GREAT watchtower. alone I don't know what to do with it, since it can't fit on my castle walls and it's too small to be on it's own. Great set for HP. But I do want to know, not that it's bad, it's good, but why does TLC always inclyde two of every 1/4x1 stud in their sets?

Post by **rogue27** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 6:07 pm

because it is a small part and easy to lose, so they always give you an extra.

it's not that they necessarily give you two of them, for if the instructions used 4, they would give you 5.

doctorsparkles · Post by **doctorsparkles** » Sun Jun 27, 2004 12:46 pm

I bought this set a few weeks ago. It was my first experience with the new gray, which I didn't think was all that bad (at least not the light gray).
My main complaint about this set (colors aside), was the lack of basic bricks. Yeah, there were a few, but for the most part, there were curved bricks/walls/plates.
I love the door frame though. I wish I had one in gray.