Harry Potter

The Knight Bus

A lurching, three deck purple menace that somehow nails the chaos of the film.

Brick Rated Score

4.2/5

Set 75957 · 2019

Pieces403

Minifigs3

Year2019

Set number75957

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

The moment I got the roof off and saw the sliding bed and swinging chandelier tucked inside, I understood why this one has such a devoted following.

It is a small footprint set that punches way above its size once you start playing with the opening panel and the three separate decks. I will say the price per piece stings a bit for what is, at the end of the day, a fairly compact vehicle. But if you love the Prisoner of Azkaban era or you just want three genuinely great minifigures, this earns its spot on the shelf.

Best for: Prisoner of Azkaban fans who want a display piece with real play features, not just a static model

The full review

What it is

The Knight Bus is one of those sets where the box art undersells what is actually a clever little transforming vehicle. It is a triple decker purple bus with a hinged side wall that swings open to reveal chaotic, tilted furniture inside, exactly like the bus lurching through London in the movie. Lift the roof off and there is a sliding bed that shoots back and forth, plus a chandelier that swings when you rock the model. It is genuinely playful in a way a lot of vehicle sets are not.

The catch

Where it loses a little shine is value. At $39.99 for 403 pieces, reviewers at the time called it expensive for something with a relatively small physical footprint, and I agree the piece count feels light once you account for how many of those pieces are small purple panels and slopes rather than anything structurally meaty. The interior is also fun to open up but a bit fiddly to actually play with once everything is assembled and closed back up.

Who it's for

I would point this at anyone who loves the third film specifically, or collectors chasing the three exclusive minifigures, who are genuinely excellent. If you are after a big impressive display piece or maximum pieces for your dollar, this is not that set, but as a fun, characterful build with real personality it delivers.

The parts story

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

Building the Knight Bus is a quick, satisfying sit down build rather than a weekend project. You start with the chassis and work your way up through three distinct decks, and the fun part is watching how the designers packed working features into such a tight shell. The hinged side panel and lift off roof mean you are building two ways into the model at once, which keeps the assembly from feeling repetitive despite the compact size.

The standout pieces here are the purple elements. This set is one of the best sources for bright purple parts in the whole LEGO catalog, since purple rarely gets this kind of volume in other themes. You also get a couple of nice printed tiles, including a 2x2 printed Daily Prophet newspaper tile and a printed 1x2 tile, both of which are small but lovely details for anyone who cares about film accuracy. The three minifigures, Harry Potter, Stan Shunpike, and Ernie Prang, were new for this set in 2019 and are widely regarded as an upgrade over earlier LEGO versions of the same characters, with Stan's grubby ticket machine and unkempt look being a particular favorite among reviewers.

Fun facts

01The set retired in December 2021 after about two and a half years on shelves and has already climbed above its $39.99 retail price on the secondary market.
02All three minifigures, Harry Potter, Stan Shunpike, and Ernie Prang, were new molds and prints introduced specifically for this June 2019 release.
03The purple bricks and slopes in this set are some of the only significant sources of that exact purple shade in the LEGO parts catalog, making it a popular parts pick for MOC builders.
04The bus includes a printed 2x2 Daily Prophet newspaper tile, a small detail that film fans specifically call out as a nice touch.