LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar – Daily Countdown

December 1, 2019 | 200

This year, in addition to the Star Wars Advent Calendar countdown, I’ll also be doing a daily reveal of the Harry Potter LEGO Advent Calendar!

The LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar caught a lot of LEGO fans by surprise, as this is the first new non-City, non-Friends, non-Star Wars Advent Calendar in many, many years.

I’ve been a big fan of the resurgence of LEGO Harry Potter as a core licensed theme, so it’s really great to see it also get the Advent Calendar treatment.

Follow daily for a reveal of each advent calendar window. Whether you’re new, or you’re a returning reader, I’d love for you to hang out and follow along as we count the days to Christmas!

Please also feel free to follow my 2019 LEGO Star Wars Advent Calendar daily countdown as well.

How does this work?

If you’re new here, I do daily updates on each window of the 2019 Harry Potter Advent Calendar. I usually post updates in the morning, but sometimes if I get too busy at work, updates will be posted in the evening. I’ll update this post each day, as I don’t really enjoy the practice of creating new posts for each day as it keeps it so much cleaner.

Unlike other sites, I’m actually opening each window as I go, and I’ve been able to be relatively spoiler-free to be as surprised as I can get. All reviews, thoughts and reactions are live as we go along, there are no pre-planned photos or thoughts, unless I happen to be travelling or away from home.

Do note that I’m based in Melbourne, Australia (GMT +8) so we’re ahead of most of the world (except New Zealand) so to avoid spoilers, try to come back to this post after you’ve opened your window and built the daily model especially if you’re located in other timezones like the US or UK.

PS: If you’re planning to buy any LEGO for Christmas and would like to support the blog, please use these links if you’re shopping on Amazon, Amazon Australia or LEGO.com! Thanks in advance!

To make it easier for you to check out each day’s section, as this post is going to grow longer with every new window, all you have to do is click on the Day you want, and you will instantly jump to the corresponding section.

• Day 1 – Harry Potter

• Day 2 – Hogwarts Express

• Day 3 – Christmas Trees

• Day 4 – Large Christmas Tree

• Day 5 – Gryffindor House Banner

• Day 6 – Professor McGonagall

• Day 7 – Great Hall Table

• Day 8 – Christmas Turkey

• Day 9 – Slytherin House Banners

• Day 10 – Ron Weasley

• Day 11 – Hogwarts Table with Candle

• Day 12 – Pastries

• Day 13 – Ravenclaw House Banners

• Day 14 – Hermione Granger

• Day 15 – Snowmage

• Day 16  – Wizard’s Chess

• Day 17 – Hufflepuff House Banners

• Day 18 – Professor Filius Flitwick

• Day 19 – Fireplace

• Day 20 – Pedestal

• Day 21 – Architect of Hogwarts

• Day 22 – Presents

• Day 23 – Albus Dumbledore

• Day 24 – Hogwarts Invitation

• Final Thoughts & Wrap-up

While you’re here, please also subscribe to the blog if you’d like to find out about other posts which cover LEGO news, reviews and random musings!

To follow along, it’s best to bookmark this post to check back each day. You can also find a link to this post from the home page via this link in the top navbar. If you’re on mobile, you have to expand the burger menu (the button with the 3 lines) to find it.

You can also follow the Jay’s Brick Blog Facebook page, where I’ll be updating it daily at the end of the day (in the US) to avoid accidentally spoiling people!

The front flap of the Harry Potter Advent Calendar opens up to reveal a play mat where you can display the upcoming day’s contents.

I really love the illustration, which depicts the snowy exterior of Hogwarts Castle, and the warm cozy interiors of the Great Hall.

On the ground there’s also a split between interior flooring, and freshly fallen snow on the ground.

A major change to this year’s Advent Calendar is the design of the doors. The cut-out doors, which open to reveal a bag of parts and instructions are much, much easier to open this year, which is an amazing feat as in previous years, you could tear them open if you weren’t careful enough.

Great job, whoever came up with this fix!

The instructions for the Harry Potter Advent Calendar LEGO models are printed on each door. Some of them are easy to follow, but sometimes they can be pretty tricky and you’ll have to study the diagram quite hard to ensure that you’re building the models correctly.

Without further ado, let’s kick off the 2019 LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar!

Day 1

We begin the inaugural Harry Potter Advent Calendar with the titular character himself – a Harry Potter minifigure!

This version of Harry is exclusive to this set, and has a delightful tie-in to the festive theme of the advent calendar. Harry is decked out in a “H for Harry” Christmas jumper knitted by Mrs Weasley.

“Hey, look — Harry’s got a Weasley sweater, too!”

Fred and George were wearing blue sweaters, one with a large yellow F on it, the other a G.

“Harry’s is better than ours, though,” said Fred, holding up Harry’s sweater. “She obviously makes more of an effort if you’re not family.”

Harry also comes with a brown wand, and khaki pants.

He has an alternate face, which has a startled/distressed expression, and there’s back printing, which has more of the light blue specks all over the dark blue jumper.

The Harry Potter Advent Calendar is off to a particularly strong start with a minifigure in Day 1, and Harry Potter fans are going to be delighted to get such an obscure yet festive Harry Potter variant.

Can’t wait to see what we get tomorrow! It’s mostly a Star Wars Advent Calendar tradition, but I’m actually hoping that we’ll get some sort of “Wand Rack” in this calendar.

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Day 2

We continue into Day 2 of the LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar with another absolute stunner of a model – a micro Hogwarts Express!

Note: Please disregard how I built the train. I completely missed a red 1 x 3 for the carriage!

The iconic magical steam train that transports eager students from Platform Nine and Three Quarters to Hogwarts is captured brilliantly with black and red elements.

I especially love the use of the semi-circle bricks in the Locomotive which gives it its shape, and also the passenger car at the back.

The lines in the passenger car also work surprisingly well to make it look like it has windows and doors.

That’s Day 2 so far, and the LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar is off to a blistering start, with two amazing models and I absolutely cannot wait to see what we get tomorrow!

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Day 3

I really love the level of surprises emerging from the Harry Potter Advent Calendar, with Day 3’s set of snow-topped Christmas Trees.

They’re simple yet charming builds, and I love the visual design of having most of the trees covered in thick snow, with the dark green leaves at the base poking out.

There are two star toppers, and even though we’re just in the beginning of December, it feels mighty festive already.

I figured that most people would have had their Christmas Trees setup at home by now, or are planning to do so very soon, so this suits the time of the year particularly well.

There’s no direct Harry Potter tie-in with this build, but I just love how early we got a Christmas Tree, compared to other Advent Calendars which typically save them for much closer to Christmas.

Check in tomorrow to see what Day 4 brings!

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Day 4

Day 4 gives us a Large Christmas Tree to join yesterday’s set of two smaller Christmas trees. Like the other trees, this larger version also has frost covering the leaves, gold baubles and is topped by a gold star, much like Magical Christmas Trees that adorn the Hogwarts Great Hall.

At least it goes decently well with the other two smaller trees. It’s not the most exciting model in the world, but I like how simply its designed.

Here’s hoping tomorrow’s window is much more interesting!

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Day 5

Day 5 of the Harry Potter Advent Calendar gives us what I feel is the equivalent of Star Wars Weapons Racks – a Gryffindor House Banner.

It’s just a red and gold flag hung from a stick. That’s it.

There’s really not much to say or comment on here. Sure, the Gryffindor colours are there, but they could’ve done so much better and added in a bit more to flesh Day 5’s build out.

Pretty disappointing and I hope that tomorrow makes up for it!

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Day 6

After yesterday’s supremely disappointing build, we get a cracker of a minifigure – Head of House Gryffindor herself, Professor Minerva McGonagall!

The minifigure is identical to the one from 75954 Great Hall except that this one only has a one-sided head. Professor McGonagall is dressed in her bottle-green robes which has elaborate circular patterns on it, as well as her necklace printed prominently.

Here’s a look at her back printing, which is equally as detailed.

Professor McGonagall is an amazing addition, especially for those of you who don’t own the Great Hall set, which was the largest set from the first rebooted Harry Potter wave.

I’m very pleased with this minifigure and this kind of makes up for yesterday’s disappointing banner.

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Day 7

Day 7 of the LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar gives us more elements for what is shaping up to be a magical Hogwarts Christmas scene – a Great Hall Table.

“It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets.”  – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

The table is exactly as described/shown in the movie long, with bench seats and featuring 2 pearl gold goblets on them.

It’s simple, but effective enough for a seasoned Harry Potter fan to instantly identify it as belonging to the Great Hall.

It’s not the most exciting or unique build, but I really love how this scene is coming together, and it’s at this stage where you can start assembling a very convincing Christmas scene.

Check in tomorrow to see what Day 8 brings!

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Day 8

You can’t have a Christmas feast without food, so lo and behold, Day 8 gives us a traditional Roast Turkey and some potatoes to go with it. The jury it out on whether there are magical Turkeys in JK Rowling’s Wizarding World.

It’s a pretty uneventful inclusion, but at least you get a whole Turkey, where the drumsticks can detach – these aren’t the most common piece, so it’s not all for nothing.

I wonder if Wizards can magic their Turkeys on their tables and roast them right before eating.

Check in tomorrow for hopefully a more exciting build!

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Day 9

Oh boy, these house banners truly are the ‘Weapons Racks’ of the Harry Potter Advent Calendar. Day 9 gives us a Slytherin version of their house banners.

They’re identical to the ones from Day 5 except that the flags are green and silver.

I can’t help but think that they should’ve just included all the banners in one window. So far, not very impressed by these banners, and it makes yesterday’s Turkey look like so much more of a better deal.

Hope Day 10 doesn’t disappoint!

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Day 10

The Harry Potter Advent Calendar continues to be exceedingly generous with the minifigures with Day 10’s Ron Weasley.

Like Harry, Ron is also attired in a Weasley Christmas jumper, knitted by Mrs Weasley herself. Ron’s “R” is slightly crooked, which is a great nod to the fact that the Weasley brothers all felt like Harry got the best jumper.

Like Harry’s, I really love the little bits of detail printed on the jumper, such as the little flecks of yellow, as well as the ribbing on the neck and edge.

I also really love Ron’s shocked/disgusted face.

It’s great that Harry has a friend, and partner in crime to terrorise Professor McGonagall. Please, just no more house banners!

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Day 11

Day 11 gives us another Hogwarts Great Hall table, similar to the one from Day 7, except that it has a candle on it, instead of goblets.

Pretty plain, although the candle piece is still a pretty neat element.

The tables can be joined together to form a longer table, which is much closer to the long tables in the Great Hall.

A bit meh, since it’s pretty much an identical build to Day 7, so here’s hoping that Day 12 is much more interesting!

I don’t know about you, but the Harry Potter Advent Calendar has been very up and down. There are some really great days, and a lot of meh days.

We’re close to half way and I’m not 100% sure I’m enjoying it as much as I thought I would mostly due to the boring builds.

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Day 12

We’re officially halfway through the Harry Potter Advent Calendar, and to officially mark the midway point we get… a dish with a croissant, three cookies and a pie for Day 12.

Oh and two pearl gold goblets, which I forgot to photograph, because I was so underwhelmed.

Because hey, yesterday’s Great Hall Table was looking bare.

I really don’t see why they couldn’t combine both Day 11 and Day 12 together, because just getting food and some goblets isn’t my idea of a fun Advent Calendar window.

I’m really disliking the Harry Potter Advent Calendar so far.

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Day 13

Is this some kind of sick joke?

It’s Friday the 13th, which is known for all sorts of misfortune and bad luck, and I cannot think of a more fitting punishment than receiving yet another house banner – this time Ravenclaw.

The LEGO design team and their managers need to take a long hard look at themselves and reflect on whether it was absolutely necessary to have what is most likely going to be FOUR days of House Banners.

FOUR!!!

Four individual windows in an advent calendar dedicated to two multi-coloured flags on the pole.

I’m just sad at this point. At least food accessories are somewhat useful – these house banners are just an awful experience.

I really feel sorry for younger kids who look forward to opening up their daily advent calendar only to be greeted with these house banners.

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Day 14

Thank God today isn’t another house banner, table or random assortment of food. Day 14 gives us Hermione Granger, part of the Gryffindor trinity.

Hermione is a fan-favourite, thanks to her combination of bravery and smarts and really, is the true reason Harry Potter didn’t meet an untimely death in nearly every book.

This version of Hermione sees her in her Hogwarts robes, with a Gryffindor scarf around her neck.

She has an alternate scared face, and back printing as well.

So there we have it, the trio is now completely assembled, which should delight any Harry Potter fans, especially those of you who don’t own all three yet. Having three main characters in an Advent Calendar is commendable, but I kinda wish that Hermione had a more interesting outfit like Harry and Ron.

I also hope that we get more non-Gryffindor characters in the next few days. JK Rowling has always shown an disproportional bias towards Gryffindor in the books, and I’d really love to see characters from other Houses get a bit more of the spotlight.

So glad today isn’t a House Banner. Check in tomorrow to see what we get next!

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Day 15

Looks like the Harry Potter Advent Calendar has started to pick up some slack with Day 15’s build, which I’ve decided to name as a Snowmage.

It’s essentially a Snowman, with a Wizard’s hat and an orange scarf for a bit of personality. It’s probably the most fun build in a LONG time, and I really like getting another extra scarf accessory, which I can repurpose quite easily.

This is what I want to see more of – builds that are fun, interesting and have some sort of loose tie-in to the Harry Potter universe.

Hope this keeps up, and god help me if we get another house banner tomorrow!

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Day 16

Whoa! After what has been a torrid few days, it looks like the Harry Potter Advent Calendar is quickly making a magical turnaround.

Day 16 gives us a Wizard’s Chess set. Wizard’s Chess works exactly like Muggle Chess, except the pieces are enchanted and often beat each other to bits when capturing one another.

The build occupies a 4 x 4 plate, where you build a white and black chessboard, with 4-pieces.

Update: I have completely goofed up the layout of the chessboard :/

This is the exact type of build I’d love to see more of. Wizard’s Chess is mentioned plenty in the books, so it’s great to have a nod towards it, and for the design to be quite pleasing to the eye as well.

Oh and an extra bonus, you get given an extra black and white microfigure, which is a huge win!

I’m very pleased with the last 2 days which have been a massive improvement over the last week! I hope this keeps up and we get more magical goodies in the next few windows!

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Day 17

We knew it was coming, so here it is, Hufflepuff House Banners. 

Yay.

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Day 18

Thank goodness that we won’t be getting any more of those house banners. Day 18 gives us our very first non-Gryffindor minifigure, Professor Filius Flitwick! 

He’s best known for being the Charms Master, and head of House Ravenclaw of Hogwarts. This version has him dressed in a grey vest, with a very smart bow-tie. 

Here’s a look at his alternate surprised face and back printing. It was a very nice surprise to get not one but two extra bowties in the window, which I don’t mind as they’re great and semi-rare minifigure accessories.

All in all, a pretty good day, and I do hope we get more non-Gryffindor characters in the next few days!

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Day 19

Day 19 continues to add to the Great Hall Christmas scene with a festive fireplace. 

It has a bit of Christmas flavour with a wreath hanging on it, and I also really like the simple yet detailed design, made possible with a round 1 x 1 tile and a decorative bracket – which combined, makes for a great visual effect.

I imagine this fireplace, in addition to keeping Hogwarts students warm and toasty during Winter, also doubles up as an entryway into the Floo Network. It would’ve been so fun if they had included someone’s head in the embers!

Not quite a bad day – when compiled with everything else, the Fireplace is one of the most substantial builds so far, and it really looks like it ties a lot of the other furniture together. 

Tune in tomorrow to see what Day 20 brings!

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Day 20

It looks like the worst is behind us as Day 20 gives us quite another substantial, and surprising build – a pedestal for what seems to be a minifigure statue? I’m guessing that will come tomorrow. 

This four-sided pedestal seems quite simple, but boasts four printed tiles bearing the crests of all four houses. 

If you’ve been a LEGO fan for some time, you’ll know that printed elements are pretty rare, so having all four house crests printed on 2 x 2 tiles is really special, and should delight any LEGO Harry Potter fan.

I’m really happy with Day 20’s build and it does feel like we’re going to end the calendar strongly. Maybe this makes up for the lacklustre first half. 

The pedestal is clearly meant to be combined with the next day, so I’m really looking forward to what we get tomorrow!

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Day 21

Wow, this is one character I never expected to pop out of the Harry Potter Advent Calendar. Day 21 gives us a statue of the Architect of Hogwarts.

As the name suggests, the Architect was responsible for designing Hogwarts castle, alongside Ravenclaw founder Rowena Ravenclaw. A gold statue of the Architect can be found in the Entrance Hall. 

The statue is completely cast in pearl gold, including the beard piece and looks really good. He wields a scroll with what is probably the blueprint, and a micro-model of Hogwarts, which he can grasp in his hands. 

You can pop him on yesterday’s pedestal, to make for quite an impressive model. 

The Architect of Hogwarts is an incredible inclusion, and will delight most Harry Potter fans, given it’s a somewhat obscure yet historical and important figure in Hogwarts system. 

It looks like we’re ending this calendar really strongly, so I can’t wait to see what the remaining three days bring!

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Day 22

Day 22 gets us a little more in the festive mood with a collection of house-coloured presents, which would be perfect to place under the Christmas trees we got earlier in the calendar.

While it isn’t the most exciting build, I do like that they correspond to all four houses, and the inclusion of two wax sealed envelop tiles. These tiles are fairly new, having only made an appearance in the Beauxbatons Carriage set from this year’s wave of Harry Potter sets. 

So we have our gifts all sorted and only two days left of the Harry Potter calendar! 

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Day 23

It’s the second last day of the Harry Potter Advent Calendar, and we receive what is most likely the last minifigure – the great and awe inspiring headmaster of Hogwarts himself – Albus Dumbledore. 

Dumbledore is dressed in his dark red robes, which is a nice homage to the Richard Harris Dumbledore from Philosopher’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets. Richard Harris sadly passed away after that, which was a shame as he really captured Dumbledore’s silent power well in his portrayal.

This is the same Dumbledore as the one from the Great Hall set, and he comes with what’s likely to be the Elder Wand.

The printing on his torso is immaculately detailed, and you can even see his hat printed on the back. Here’s how he looks like without his beard. 

That’s Day 23 so far, and as you can see the entire scene is coming together for quite a poignant Great Hall Christmas scene. 

Check in tomorrow one last time for the big finale! 

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Day 24

It’s Christmas Eve which means its the final day of the Harry Potter Advent Calendar.

We end on a particularly poignant note, with a Hogwarts Invitation starter park – a collection of items that Harry Potter packs, in anticipation for the beginning of his education at Hogwarts. 

There’s a nougat-coloured chest to pack all his belongings, a bar of chocolate, (most likely meant to represent Chocolate Frogs), a wand, a Hogwarts acceptance letter, a spellbook, and of course Hedwig, Harry’s snowy owl.

I really liked the printed elements included in the set, especially the letter from Hogwarts inviting Harry to come study, signed by Professor McGonagall, as well as the spellbook with instructions on “Wingardium Leviosa” the levitating charm.

This is as Harry Potter as it gets, and will no doubt delight fans of the books or the movies, given that this collection of items holds a special significance to the beginnings of Harry’s adventures in Hogwarts.

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Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up

Before we get into my thoughts of the very first LEGO Harry Potter Advent calendar, I’d like to give a quick shout out to everyone who’s been following along. 

Thank you SO much for participating, sharing your thoughts and for being great company, even as we opened up House Banner after House Banner. 

I’ve had a blast counting down the days with each and everyone of you, and I hope that you’ve enjoyed following along!

This being the very first Harry Potter Advent Calendar, I was really impressed with the minifigure line-up, which has been amazingly strong. 

There’s absolutely no filler here, with major characters from the books and movies all accounted for. For the price you pay, it’s actually amazing value to get Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, McGonagall and Flitwick all in one sub-AU$50 set.

Harry and Ron with their exclusive Christmas Jumpers are the icing on the cake, as is the Architect of Hogwarts, which is such an amazingly cool statue to include. 

I would’ve liked a bit more house diversity, as we pretty much only get Gryffindors, and one Ravenclaw (Professor Flitwick), which is a little disappointing, but understandable given that these characters were most prominent in the Philosopher’s Stone. 

On the Advent Calendar as a whole, once the entire Christmas Great Hall scene comes together, it really does feel quite special. 

The models, builds and characters all come from the first book/movie, and seek to commemorate Harry’s first Christmas and year in Hogwarts. 

I do love the playability of it all, as you can set it up in so many different configurations, and the addition of things like presents, food and tables means that there’s plenty of play features. 

This is a classic example of a set that is greater than the sum of it parts, and I’m really happy with the direction LEGO took with this Advent Calendar.

That said, this was a really inconsistent calendar, with many windows early on feeling like filler days. Enough has been said about the House Banners, but I feel like LEGO could’ve consolidated a number of days (Banners + Food) to give us more builds or models.

I also really liked the high quality elements included, such as the printed house emblems, and Hogwarts letters, which really makes it feel like you’re getting more than your money’s worth.

Out of all the days, I think my favourites has to be the Hogwarts Express, Wizard’s Chess, Architect of Hogwarts and the final day. 

The Hogwarts Express is my pick for best window of the calendar, and I’m sure many of you will feel the same. Let me know in the comments what your favourite day was. 

All in all, this has been a really great Advent Calendar – a little rough around the edges, and not without faults but ending very strongly, did help me change my view of the set. 

I really do hope that LEGO doesn’t repeat this House Banner thing again next year, and I’d really love to see a sequel to this Advent Calendar, perhaps based on The Chamber of Secrets, which would be a great follow-up. 

That’s it for now, thank you SO much for following every day and for leaving hundreds of comments on the post. 

Merry Christmas to you, wherever you’re celebrating in the world and I hope that you’ll find plenty of LEGO under the tree tomorrow!

If you’ve enjoyed following along, and want to stick around to stay up to date with the latest in the LEGO world, you can subscribe with your email address in the right sidebar to receive notifications.

You can also follow my page on Facebook where I update on a much more regular basis with news about LEGO. I’m also on Instagram as @jayong28 if you like photos!

Merry Christmas!

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