While it may be a cold Sunday evening outside, the heat is on for this season’s battle. With only 5 days remaining, every point is massive from here on in. HP has a one point advantage but based on the entries this year, no lead is safe. Let’s see what awaits us behind Door #20:

Harry Potter- Day 20

Matt: With yesterday’s superb minifigure, HP managed to grab a one point lead late in the calendar battle. It’s far from over though, and I believe HP has won some strategic days to get their current lead. Behind Door #20 is the second and final half of the ice sculpture Yule Ball table. After Day 18’s half-table with 1×4 technic brick, we had a hint that this half was just around the corner. Again, we are treated to more ice sculptures topped with 1×1 trans clear pyramidal bricks which are the highlight for me. We also get 1×1 trans clear plates with vertical sticks, used to create the drinks on the table (pumpkin juice perhaps?). I actually think this half of the table looks cleaner, if not as vibrant as its predecessor. The key point of today’s build are the technic pins which now allow us to connect and complete the final round table (see extra picture below). I know we’re usually hard on “rehash/repeat” builds within the same calendar, but I actually believe the final result is far better than the mantle/windowsill “scene” that was spread out over 3 days in the mid-calendar. Bear in mind, we get a “to-scale” table that can be used as an accessory, even across multiple themes (City Christmas layout, anyone?). Overall, I can’t get as excited about builds that have a thin HP vibe to them, and “near duplicate” builds can be disappointing, but I believe the final model is pretty robust. I just wish it came behind one door rather than two.

Star Wars- Day 20

Patrick: As we approach the end of the advent, one would think the caliber of builds would be elevated, finish on a high note and whatnot. So what iconic vehicle, character or scene from the Star Wars saga will we kick off the 20s with… some plates drying? Or like a spring? Ohhhh, its the Rebel’s shield generator from Hoth… sure. Its probably the weakest build we’ve gotten in the advent, with the “disks” representing the separate rings, but otherwise theres very little going on. If they had used some of the newer 1×1 quarter-circle tiles to cover the studs it might’ve worked a little better, but the build still uses a random blue plate that ruins the whole grey/white colour scheme. Even though the SNOT (Studs Not On Top) technique was well executed at this scale, its not enough to redeem this unremarkable build in an otherwise great advent calendar.

Verdict

With precious few days to go, we expect great things from both calendars. Unfortunately, SW did not put up a great Day #20 build today, and while HP’s is a near duplicate, it completes a festive, to-scale Yule Ball model, and the result is solid. By those metrics, HP grabs another point in back to back days, and has opened up a two point lead late in the competition. It needs only ONE more point to secure a tie, and two for the win. But anything can happen. Heading into Monday, the score is now:

HP- 11

SW- 9

To be continued…