Hey, what's up and welcome back to my blog It's Not Lego! Today we will be reviewing a set from a new brand called Lari. It looks like they have now joined the Bela family of blocks, as the two brands are now used interchangeably.
TL:DR
Here's the synopsis, if you want to skip all the pictures.
Model: Lari Harry Potter Knight Bus
Set Number: 11342
Number of pieces: 400
Number of minifigures: 3
Manufacturers Details: N/A
Fake Lego? Fake. Bootleg of Lego 75957
Missing Parts: N/ Deformed pieces: Y/ Scratched pieces: N
#itsnotlego Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars, solid build, excellent clutch, but deformed window glass
The Harry Potter Knight Bus
I ordered this set from Aliexpress at the beginning of March, and it arrived in about 3 weeks, which is surprising, given the number of flights that have been cancelled due to COVID-19. Normally it takes about 6 weeks or double the time for block sets to reach me from China. This set cost $20 CDN, so probably around $14-15 USD. In terms of price, it's just meh. I think a price of $15 CDN would have been better value.
As you can see, this is an average size set, with about 400 pieces, more or less. The instruction manual gives no indication of the set name and just says Justice Magician.
Here's a shot of the back of the manual. It's probably copied from Lego but with the set numbers altered to match the Lari numbering system. There appears to be 8 sets in the Justice Magician series.
Removing the items from the shipping bag, we find the instruction booklet, a small sticker sheet, and about 8 or 9 parts bags. There was a split in one of the bags, so I found some loose parts. Hopefully nothing missing!
So, building the Knights bus is pretty straightforward, instructions are clear, and the brick clutch is acceptable.
Here are the three minifigures that come with the set. I'm not really that familiar with the Harry Potter characters, so I'll let you figure out who's who. Anyways, the face and torso prints on the minifigs are crisp and clear.
The stickers for the bus have been modified to show the Lari set number instead of the Lego set number. I have no plans to sticker the bus in the immediate future.
With this set you get a few extra parts. BTW, the head is not a spare part, I just never attached it to the inside of the bus.
And here is the finished product, the Harry Potter Knight bus. The biggest quality issue this set has is the windows. There are extrusion dimples on every corner of the glass and they are scuffed as well. I would say this is the worst part of the set but given the amount of windows it's really apparent.
The swing away side panel reveals an interior that consists of a sliding bed, a chandelier and some seating. You can see there's no actual second floor.
So technically it's still a double decker. Not pictured is the driver's seat in front.
The third floor of the bus comes off as designed. You can also remove the roof.
The top floor carries a newspaper and trunk of small accessories.
Front view. Don't know why the original design didn't feature a real grille piece instead of a sticker.
The wheels use technic pins as axles and run through the long technic pieces that make up the undercarriage. The wheels roll well.
Final Thoughts
I think this set has a limited appeal to Harry Potter fans, otherwise it's not really an exciting set. Personally, I think this bus is too short and feels too small. I think the wheelbase needs to be extended to give the bus a larger feel. It should be resized to increase bus length by 2 to 4 studs. Someone on the Eurobricks website made a larger
MOC version of the Knight bus and it looks so much better.
This was my first Lari brand set and I think it's inferior to other brick brands such as Enlighten or Sembo. The 3 minifigs were good and brick clutch was ok, but as I mentioned previously, the extrusion dimples on the window glass really ruins the set for me. I also think this knock-off set could be priced lower overall on Aliexpress.
Anyways, that's a wrap and thanks for visiting! What did you think of this set? Do you already have it? How do you like it? Let me know in the comment box below! Bye!
