LEGO Harry Potter 76421 Dobby the House-Elf review

LEGO Harry Potter 76421 Dobby the House-Elf captures the heart of the Harry Potter character, even if his edges are a little messy.

One of the most beloved characters from the Harry Potter franchise has been replicated by the LEGO Group and the end result is cuter than we first hoped. A tiny build overall, 76421 Dobby the House-Elf holds a surprising amount of references and details that make him stand out from your average £25 set. Released on June 1, if you haven’t yet got your hands on the brick-built version of Harry Potter’s most loyal friend, here’s everything you need to know before you commit.

Dig into our detailed review of 76421 Dobby the House-Elf, examining the brick-built elf from the tips of his ears to his alarmingly large toes.

— LEGO Harry Potter 76421 Dobby the House-Elf set details —

Theme: LEGO Harry Potter Set name: 76421 Dobby the House-Elf Release: June 1, 2023

Price: £24.99 / $34.99 / €29.99 Pieces: 403 Minifigures: 0

LEGO: Order now

— Where to buy LEGO Harry Potter 76421 Dobby the House-Elf —

LEGO Harry Potter 76421 Dobby the House-Elf is available to buy from LEGO.com and LEGO stores for £24.99 / $34.99 / €29.99, as well as third-party retailers like John Lewis and Hamleys.

— LEGO Harry Potter 76421 Dobby the House-Elf build —

While the early pictures and even box images for 76421 Dobby the House-Elf were undeniably creepy, with those enormous eyes staring up at you, the more you build of this 403-piece set, the cuter the brick-built elf gets. Its two accessories ground him squarely in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, so you’ve no fear of him becoming a battle-hardened, soon-to-be-tragic hero. He’s still in his chirpy ‘let’s save Harry Potter’ chapter and the admittedly oversized eyes become filled with hope over time, rather than terror.

There are also plenty of details to enjoy, especially if your knowledge of Harry Potter runs deep. From the heart of gold hidden inside his LEGO chest to the extra stud that gives him his signature knobbly knees (as remarked upon by Harry in their very first meeting), there’s so much that’s quintessentially Dobby squeezed into this otherwise tiny build.

Admittedly, there is still one area that pushes 76421 Dobby the House-Elf over the line between cute and creepy: those fingers. He has just four instead of the more-accurate five and they’re slightly out of proportion with his spindly arms and legs. As such, they stand out from the rest of his body in a way that’s hard to ignore.

While it’s unreasonable to expect every detail to be perfect on a set that’s this small, the hands are hard to look past. Still, you can attempt to balance the book or the sock on his hands to hide them as best as you can, although they can’t actually hold on to or attach to either of them – a missed opportunity in and of itself.

Moving away from the posable hands, virtually every other part of Dobby is similarly easy to move around. His eyes, ears, head, and arms can all be posed as you will, thanks to the flesh-coloured ball joints. That means 76421 Dobby the House-Elf can be posed holding (or rather balancing) the book or sock, enchanting the buildable trifle that’s included in the set, or waving cheerfully at his builder.

Adjusting the ears and head can also convey a surprising amount of emotion for a brick-built creature (largely thanks to those bulbous eyes). A tilt to the side and up and Dobby is suddenly full of hope and happiness. Tilt them down again, with the ears pointed to the floor, and he could have just been reprimanded by the Malfoys.

All of this is brought together into a surprisingly versatile display piece, complete with a brick-built black stand with his name on it (in case you forgot somehow). While the stand in itself is a slightly unusual inclusion, the main build comes on and off easily, so you can choose to display him with or without it as you choose.

76421 Dobby the House-Elf doesn’t look nearly as good from behind as it does from the front, with lots of exposed studs and messy panels, but for the price and size, it’s a remarkably detailed set. In true LEGO style, references to the books and movies are well-captured for true fans to recognise, making sure that builders are aware that this set goes deeper than surface level.

— LEGO Harry Potter 76421 Dobby the House-Elf price —

With many other recent LEGO Harry Potter sets going for large and extravagantly-detailed builds (see 76423 Hogwarts Express Train Set with Hogsmeade Station, the upcoming 76417 Gringotts Wizarding Bank Collectors’ Edition and 76419 Hogwarts Castle and Grounds), 76421 Dobby the House-Elf is a lower-cost, lower-effort build that will still make for a fun addition to any Potter-focused display shelf.

Yes, the build isn’t perfect, and yes, some of his limbs look a little clunky, but for just £24.99 / $34.99 / €29.99, it’s a surprisingly well thought-out build, with enough ‘aw’ moments along the way to make it worth picking up.

— LEGO Harry Potter 76421 Dobby the House-Elf pictures —

— LEGO Harry Potter 76421 Dobby the House-Elf pros and cons —

76421 Dobby the House-Elf brings a bit of humility that’s representative of his character in the franchise. Even at such a small size of just 19cm tall, there’s a lot more to Dobby than first meets the eye. With the level of thought that went into some of his features, any fans of Harry Potter are sure to enjoy building the brick-built version of everyone’s favourite elf.

76421 Dobby the House-Elf pros	76421 Dobby the House-Elf cons
Fun references to the franchise	Messy build on the rear
Movie-accurate design	Creepy fingers let down an otherwise adorable build
Plenty of posable options

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

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— Alternatives to LEGO Harry Potter 76421 Dobby the House-Elf —

In the world of buildable characters, the LEGO Group has been dedicating more time to this area across a couple of themes. In LEGO Marvel, we have 76217 I am Groot (as well as a creepy alternative with 76249 Venomised Groot coming on August 1), which has the same cutesy fan appeal as Dobby might draw. With a higher price point and marginally more pieces, 76217 I am Groot does carry off a more polished look, but it’s nothing you can really blame the LEGO Group for, considering the LEGO Marvel build is twice the price.

Similarly, LEGO Star Wars’ latest buildable character, 75371 Chewbacca, is pretty much at the other end of the spectrum, costing £179.99 and containing almost five times the pieces. While this room to play with allows for a pretty authentic furry Wookiee, we’re not sure how much Dobby would have gained from getting an even bigger design. Perhaps even cuter… but perhaps also even creepier?

Staying within the LEGO Harry Potter theme, 76414 Expectro Patronum echoes 76421 Dobby the House-Elf’s display-focused appearance, with a similarly designed stand. It does have more flair, as you’d expect from the higher price tag, but the details in 76421 capture more of the heart of Harry Potter than the showy blue stag does.

— LEGO Harry Potter 76421 Dobby the House-Elf FAQs —