Coming into Day 13, SW retains a one point lead over HP. Will SW increase its margin today or can HP find its footing to square things once again? Let’s find out:

Harry Potter- Day 13

Matt: After the subpar offering yesterday, HP has established a recent string of middling builds that are really zapping the excitement out of the competition. Let’s see if they can do better today. Behind Door #13 is a Yule Ball Christmas tree. This offering is both festive and (somewhat) HP related. While it doesn’t necessarily scream HP, fans will recall that the courtyard/grounds were decorated for Christmas during the Yule Ball. LEGO doesn’t necessarily do trees well and to me, this isn’t something ground breaking. Comparing it to 2019’s HPAC tree, I feel like the 2019 version is better. That said, this one does a decent job at this scale. The highlight from a pure parts perspective are the 1×1 trans light blue pyramidal pieces adorning the tree, as these are relatively rare. My colleague Patrick points out that the grey piece used to mount the star on top of the tree is a bit of an eyesore, and I’d have to agree. Using the same part in white would have been a much better call. I’d also argue the transition to the 2×2 conical piece is slightly off-putting based on the bottom part of the tree’s design. Nevertheless, I’d argue today’s offering is still floating around that “middling” territory that HP has been reluctant to get out of all week, but at least offers an on-theme, festive build.

Star Wars- Day 13

Patrick: Day 13 of the Star Wars advent calendar revealed a micro-scale Republic Cruiser, as seen in the Prequel movies and the Clone Wars tv show. This model makes efficient use of 18 pieces, most of which in the elusive dark red colour, with some nice attention put towards capturing the engine pod and satellite dish segments. This model actually hits close to home, as its an update of the first advent calendar build of the first Star Wars advent calendar back in 2011. Day 1 that year was also a Republic Cruiser, but I actually think that one was nicer opting for the Episode 1 design in all red rather than a more Clone Wars-era white and dark red. The 2011 model also had a portion built up representing the cockpit, which this build lacks and could’ve really used, as the entire front portion is flat without the suggestion of the cockpit. Nonetheless, this is a ship I’m happy to receive twice in a decade, and I hope it’s a sign of more Prequel-era builds and characters to come.

Verdict

After much debate, both sides felt that there wasn’t a standout, clear winner in today’s matchup. With that, our second (and hopefully final) tie of the season is being awarded. With the draw today, SW retains its one point advantage over HP, and the score is back on round numbers, at:

HP- 6

SW- 7

To be continued…