Entering Day 2, HP has an early lead after drawing first wand with an opening day point. Let’s see how Day 2 plays out.

Harry Potter- Day 2

Matt: After an opening day victory, HP looks to keep the momentum going. Behind Door #2 is a microscale rendition of Hogwarts castle. The castle has many variants and its overall exterior appearance has changed throughout the movies and LEGO sets over the last 20 years. The variant represented here is the most recognizable version and appears to be based off its microscale parent set, 71043 Hogwarts Castle (2018). Staying faithful to the rendition, this castle maintains its dark bley/tan color scheme, and highlights recognizable features such as the large tower, great hall, and bridge. While missing certain components that would have helped its cause, it is evident what this model is. I like the use of the tooth piece along the great hall section to evoke a similar appearance found in 71043. Overall, this entry isn’t as strong as yesterdays, nor is it as strong as 2019’s Day 2 entry (microscale Hogwarts Express). On top of that, this entry doesn’t seem to gel with the developing “yule ball scene” that was hinted at on Day 1 and on the box art. Overall, a good, but not great entry on Day 2.

Star Wars- Day 2

Steve: SW comes into Day 2 with another strong contender: Poe Dameron wearing a Life Day Sweater. This is Poe’s appearance from the 2020 “LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special.” A new and unique torso print of BB-8 on a sweater makes this figure instantly collectable. The head is reversible with happy and angry expressions to alternate – we even have two accessories, with both a blaster and a coffee mug for hot festive beverages. Even discounting our metric of figures beat builds, SW easily takes it today. This may reveal a strategy where HP can take the contest overall – they took the win over a strong build in day 1, and the build for day 2 was so underwhelming it feels like a sacrifice play against a strong SW entry.

Verdict

The Empire Strikes Back in a big way on Day 2, with the exclusive Poe Dameron figure comfortably besting the microscale Hogwarts. The “minifig-beats-everything” template holds up across the first two days of the month so far, and the score is all notched up at:

HP- 1

SW- 1

To be continued…