Harry Potter

Aragog in the Forbidden Forest

A tiny forest scene with a giant spider that steals the whole show.

Brick Rated Score

3.9/5

Set 76434 · 2024

Pieces195

Minifigs2

Year2024

Set number76434

Check price on Amazon

Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

The verdict

I was not expecting to like a buildable spider this much, but Aragog's hinged legs and snapping mandibles are genuinely fun to pose, and that is really the point of this set.

It is a small, cheap way into the Chamber of Secrets story rather than a serious display centerpiece, and it knows it. If you or your builder loves the creepier corners of the Harry Potter films, this earns its spot on the shelf. If you want a big forest diorama or lots of minifigure interaction, look higher up the range instead.

Best for: Harry Potter fans who want the Chamber of Secrets story told through a fun creature build, not a sprawling scene

The full review

What it is

I will be honest, I picked this one up expecting a filler set and ended up genuinely charmed by it. Aragog in the Forbidden Forest is built around one idea, a buildable version of Hagrid's giant spider from Chamber of Secrets, and that idea works better than I thought it would. The legs peg into a central body with enough hinge points that you can actually pose him mid-scuttle, mandibles open, which is more character than a lot of small sets manage.

The catch

The forest around him is where the set is honest about its limits. You get a scattering of trees, some rockwork, and just enough greenery to sell the location, but this is not the kind of dense diorama LEGO sometimes builds for licensed sets. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley are included and both look sharp in their film-accurate prints, but there is not a lot for them to physically do here beyond stand near the spider. At 195 pieces this also builds up quickly, so if you are after a long, absorbing evening with your instructions, this will not give it to you.

Who it's for

Get this one if the appeal is Aragog himself, if you love the darker, creature-focused side of the Harry Potter films, or if you want an affordable companion piece to sit next to a bigger Chamber of Secrets set. Skip it if you are hoping for a proper forest scene with room to stage a real confrontation, or if a low piece count feels like a letdown for the price. It knows exactly what it is, a fun little spider build with two good minifigs attached, and it delivers on that narrow promise.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

The build itself splits cleanly into two short sessions, the little forest base first and then Aragog's body, which is the part worth savoring. The legs are built as matching pairs and clipped onto ball joints around the thorax, so by the time you attach the last one you already have a creature that can crouch, rear up, or splay flat depending on how you angle each joint.

The best pieces here are all spider anatomy. The mandibles use a small hinged jaw piece that snaps open and shut, and the abdomen is a smooth curved shell that gives Aragog real bulk instead of the boxy look older LEGO spider builds have had. It is not a set that will wow you on rare or printed elements, the forest terrain uses fairly standard greenery and rock pieces, but the spider build punches above its 195 pieces for personality.

Fun facts

01Aragog is the Acromantula that Hagrid raised in secret and later hid in the Forbidden Forest, first appearing in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
02This set is one of several small Chamber of Secrets themed sets LEGO released in 2024 alongside larger Harry Potter builds, aimed at telling specific film scenes rather than whole locations.
03The set includes minifigures of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, the two characters who follow Aragog's clue into the Forbidden Forest in the film and book.
04At 195 pieces, the set is priced as an entry level companion build rather than a standalone centerpiece, making it a common add-on for Harry Potter collectors filling out a shelf.