LEGO 76417 Gringotts is compatible with 75978 Diagon Alley in more ways than one

The newly-revealed LEGO Harry Potter 76417 Gringotts Wizarding Bank Collectors’ Edition is compatible with 75978 Diagon Alley in more ways than one.

Fulfilling the longstanding dreams of Wizarding World fans everywhere, 76417 Gringotts Wizarding Bank Collectors’ Edition is fully compatible with 75978 Diagon Alley. A first glance at the towering set might suggest otherwise – the 2020 model doesn’t have its own underground section to match Gringotts’ subterranean vaults, after all – but the bank can lift from its perch to display separately.

At the same time, the LEGO Group is apparently cognisant of the fact that its biggest sets aren’t always the most practical things to put on a shelf, because it’s designed 76417 Gringotts Wizarding Bank Collectors’ Edition in such a way that you can display it in multiple configurations – not only on its own, but alongside Diagon Alley, too. The bank, vaults and Ukrainian Ironbelly Dragon together rise a staggering 75cm tall, which just pips 71741 NINJAGO City Gardens’ highest point.

If that’s too tall for your space, the bank on its own measures ‘just’ 36cm from top to bottom. So if 76417 Gringotts Wizarding Bank Collectors’ Edition is the only LEGO Harry Potter set you own, you can always place its two sections side by side, still enjoying the full effect of Gringotts above and below ground. But when you throw 75978 Diagon Alley into the mix, things really start to get interesting.

That’s because the bank is built on a standard 32×32 LEGO baseplate, the thickness of which matches the 16×32 baseplates on which Diagon Alley’s four separate buildings are constructed. It’s the same format used for the LEGO Icons Modular Buildings Collection, Marvel’s 76178 Daily Bugle and 76218 Sanctum Sanctorum, and so on – and ensures maximum compatibility between Gringotts and its contemporaries.

In the images provided by the LEGO Group so far, there are three immediate configurations for combining Gringotts with Diagon Alley. The first, glimpsed in lifestyle photos, will likely be the one most of us are best able to display: 75978 Diagon Alley’s four buildings spread horizontally across a shelf, with Gringotts sandwiched in the middle. The Magical Menagerie to the left of Gringotts hooks nicely on to Diagon Alley, while the wall to the right also sits nicely with the rest of the magical shopping street.

There’s only one sticking point here, and that’s that those sections come together at different depths. Gringotts sits twice as deep as the rest of Diagon Alley, so the buildings to the left will be at the back of your shelf, while the buildings to the right will be at the front. And it looks… fine. Not amazing, but fine. The design of Gringotts’ baseplate accounts for it, so you’ll at least have one continuous street for the entire length of the display.

Note that 1×2 brick with Technic hole jutting out at the right of Gringotts in the image above, though: if you have a corner shelf in which to snugly place these sets, you can hook two of Diagon Alley’s buildings at a right angle to the other two, creating an L-shaped street. It’s another option made available by 76417 Gringotts Wizarding Bank Collectors’ Edition’ as a default, but perhaps still not the best.

If it’s total movie accuracy you’re after, you’ll want to opt for the configuration the LEGO Group suggests on 76417 Gringotts Wizarding Bank Collectors’ Edition’s box. But you’re going to need a much more flexible space, because this option requires placing Diagon Alley’s buildings facing one another, forming an enclosed street – as per the films – with Gringotts at the end, framing everything with its towering white walls.

This arrangement would be far and away the winner, but for the sheer amount of space – and specific viewing angle – it requires. Whether you’re able to accommodate it or not, though, 76417 Gringotts Wizarding Bank Collectors’ Edition looks like a mandatory purchase for anyone who already own 75978 Diagon Alley: these sets are literally made for each other, after all…

If you don’t already own 75978 Diagon Alley, you’re looking at a steep buy-in to recreate the full magical retail experience: both that set and 76417 Gringotts Wizarding Bank Collectors’ Edition together will set you back a total of £759.98 / $879.98 / €879.98 when Gringotts launches on September 1 for VIP members.

76417 Gringotts Wizarding Bank Collectors’ Edition alone will retail for £369.99 / $429.99 / €429.99, and includes 4,803 pieces. Click here to see more images, or head here to take a visual tour through the set’s features, minifigures and new pieces.

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