Harry Potter: Knight Bus #4866

Even though I already own a Knight Bus (or two) I had to buy the new Knight Bus set. There are some things I like better in the new version and some things I like better in the older version.


I assembled the new Knight Bus during the June 2011 WAMALUG meeting…

The one on the left is the new Knight Bus and the one on the right is the older one.

Old Knight Bus #4755 Old Knight Bus #4866
Features Three floors of beds that slide back and forth as the bus moves Only one bed on bottom level, one seat on second & third level each, two spaces for luggage, and a swinging chandelier (strange, because the bus is supposed to have either beds or seats, but not both at the same time)
Minifigs Young Stan Shunpike driving a bus he shouldn’t be driving, Harry, and plain Hedwig Strangely older Stan Shunpike (why? I don’t know), Harry, printed Hedwig, and Ernie Prang (the proper driver)
Size Much taller Smaller
Shape Boxy (but pleasingly so) More streamlined, slightly curved
Color Some minor variations in the purple hue of bricks Consistent coloring among bricks
Windows 18 standard + 3 windshields (one specially printed) 18 standard + 6 skinny + 3 windshields (one squat and simple)
Wheels Pretty purple as hubcaps, ugly/ragged area around wheels Boring gray wheels with lovely hubcaps
Front Signs on two levels, a nice curve on the non-driver side, and a front grill with lots of character Only one sign, flat tiles on the non-driver side, really ugly front unless you look at it at an angle
Back Nice little door to allow Stan to easily jump off (oh, wait, he’s driving, so he can’t do that so easily) No nice door but a standing area (I’d worry about a bed sliding out the back!) with a great bar, an actual window, a tail light, and a sort of rear bumper
Special Bricks Cool pillows, lovely printed signs on tiles (thumbs up), windshield printed with shrunken head (eh) Sticker on front and on side (just KB) but not printed tiles (thumbs down–though the absence of a TM is nice, the font is similar but not as elaborate), a physical shrunken head that can be removed or used elsewhere for anything