I can't say enough good things about this set. It's huge, it looks great, has excellent details, and several unique minifigures.

Half of the figures are available only in this set. My personal favorites are Fred and George, who both have two faces so they can either be true twins or differentiated, which I found to be a nice touch. The goblins also have unique heads and short legs.

Each of the three buildings has extra details added in. Ollivanders of course has wands, but also a pop-off feature in the front desk for when the wand has not chosen the wizard. It has two floors, with a ladder for moving between them. Borgin and Burkes (which, as others have pointed out, is not technically in Diagon Alley but oh well) has the vanishing cabinet. Gringotts includes a vault for storing money. There are also some extra details, such as lamps and items for sale, which adds to the atmosphere of the scene. Every section is a unique build, so it doesn't get particularly repetitive, and they all look quite nice when completed.

Admittedly, there are a few downsides to this set. There are a number of stickers, several of which can be tricky to place and two which makes up the Gringotts sign across two different bricks, meaning they have to be very carefully lined up right on the edges to look right. There are a lot of windows on each building as well, and it can get annoying repeatedly snapping panes into frames (and it's even worse to take them apart.)

All in all, however, this is a great set. I have built it several times and it easily takes three days, and that's if I devote my entire evening to building. It is a long-term, immersive project and it is well worth it.

I've been a huge Lego HP fan ever since the Sorceror's Stone sets were announced over ten years ago. I bought nearly every set released since then, and am able to say that this set is made for HP fans. Diagon Alley is the first set to feature the same level of detail as the films and books.

Pros

• The exclusive and rare minifigs. Fred, George, OLLIVANDER, the Goblins, and even a Ron Weasley, who has gone from being the most common HP figure next to Harry himself to being nearly impossible to get!
• The details in Gringotts and Ollivanders are outstanding. Ollivanders really captures the cramped shop featured in the movies, and Gringotts feels much larger than it really is due to having hinges. The ornate columns and grand chandelier really add to the building.

  The little accessories that come with it are awesome. A chocolate frog, cauldrons (which have a fish in them for some reason), all the new owls, and the really cool lampposts.

  I also liked the use of black skeleton legs for the roof of Borgin and Burkes, which is a great segway into the...

Cons

• Borgin and Burkes is very disappointing. The outside looks fantastic, but the inside is completely bare. BORING. No cool, dark artifacts like the COS set. No amount of glow in the dark bricks can make up for this. Maybe the Leaky Cauldron would've been a better choice.
• ANOTHER Lucius Malfoy. He's just getting annoying, now. I would have greatly preferred new, exclusive figure like Tom the bartender or even another Draco, but I'm getting really tired of Lucius.
• Finally, there really isn't much playability. Ollivander's has an exploding desk, but you can only do that so many times before it gets old. This is definetly more of a display set.

Overall, a 10/10. So far, this is the final HP set to ever be released, and Lego really went out with a bang. This is the closest to the perfect HP set we'll probably ever see.

Thanks for reading.

This set is a great set overall and I love all the minifigs, parts, and cool buildings. I love how it has all the MAIN buildings in Diagon Alley exept for Borgin and Burkes is not in it! This set is AWESOME and I sugest you get it!

I bought this set for my birthday and it is an absolute joy. All three buildings are interesting and unique, but the standout is really Ollivander's. It just drips atmosphere from the 19th century and is chock full of neat little details, such as a ladder to reach the top shelves and even an exploding desk. Some very nice exterior details, such as rounded corners and lamps, make it a truly remarkable little wand shop. Gringotts is also excellent, although the aesthetic is very different; it has a very "grand" feel, as opposed to Ollivader's homey and cluttered interior. Both buildings are excellent.

Slightly less impressive is Borgin & Burkes, which (according to the books) doesn't even exist in Diagon Alley - I suppose LEGO felt there needed to be an "evil" presence to increase the appeal to kids. Personally, I think that's silly, since this is far from a kid's set. Regardless, the building is still quite unique, and surprisingly fun to build. It has a very interesting aesthetic and a pretty nice looking exterior; it's just a shame the interior isn't so pretty.


PRO:
- Fantastic selection of minifigures including 3 (or 2, depending on how you count them) exclusives.

- Wonderfully varied construction on each of the 3 buildings, with some very creative techniques on display.

- Loads of fun accessories including owls, cauldrons, and lamp posts to complete the scene.

- Great little details like "wanted" posters hanging from the sides of buildings and "daily prophet" tiles.

- Excellent price/part ratio, especially for a licensed set.

- Appeals to both Harry Potter and City fans.

- Fantastic display piece.


CON:
- It is a little expensive, even if you're getting a good deal.

- Borgin & Burkes feels slightly out of place.

- There are stickers, and unfortunately they do add a lot of atmosphere to the scene, so it is difficult to skip them.


In conclusion, this is without a doubt one of the strongest sets of 2011. It's right up there with Medieval Market Place. I highly recommend this to Harry Potter fans, who are sure to get a kick out of the amazing details and fantastic re-imagining of this iconic locale. Even non-HP fans will appreciate the awesome construction, great piece selection, and host of fantastic accessories. A+ set.

I saved up my money for quite some time to buy this set and when it arrived it just happened to be on the opening day of the newest and last Harry Potter movie. Quite a great coincidence.

Pros

• -The instructions and stickers were in a safe plastic covering with a piece of cardboard to keep them from bending or ripping.
• -Ollivander figure
• -Many parts in new or unusual colors
• -Some interesting building techniques, like the roof of Borgin and Burkes
• -Very well priced for the amount of pieces it has
• -Bags were numbered
• -The Weasley Twins!!

Cons

• -The building could get monotonous and a few sections of Gringotts do not hold on together well until the model is finished, could be difficult for some.
• -We get a lot of repeat characters (Harry, of course, Hermione, Ron, Hagrid, Fenrir, and another Mr. Malfoy!)
• -This is not a set for playing with, the few features it has are rather useless. THis set is to be displayed or stripped for great parts.

Overall, this is definitely the biggest and most expensive set I've ever bought and I was not disappointed.