Random Wax: Panini Harry Potter Welcome to Hogwarts Trading Cards (4 Packs)

Welcome to Hogwarts:   I really like this movie poster image.  It's a good-looking card and I always thought they did a good job on the movie posters.

I love this set.  I think it captures the movies in so many good images and different designs.  

For a bad guy, Malfoy really comes out as a fan favorite after all torment he caused Harry throughout the movies.

That is Hermione on a Dumbledore's Army card.  Those Death Eaters masks are cool and I'm happy they got showcased on a card.

Plenty of variety with art, different backgrounds and screen grabs.  Harry Potter is a good watch during the cold months and around the holidays.

One of the negatives of sets like these that are released overseas is there is almost no information on them.  Even getting checklists is like pulling teeth.  I did manage to find a few good ones here and here.

The one drawback is we don't get enough of the many, many supporting characters that make the movies so good.  I know it must be so hard figuring out what to include in a set like this that is all encompassing of an iconic seven movie series.

Some images have a lot going on while others are simple.  I think they all work really well, even for photos of the Hogwarts Express.

BREAKDOWN:

24 – Total Cards

4 – Holographic

3 – Rainbow

1 – XXL

Random Wax: Panini Harry Potter Welcome to Hogwarts Trading Cards (4 Packs)

Welcome to Hogwarts:  Hermione was the perfect match for Ron and Harry in the movies.  Emma Watson did a great job playing her throughout the movies.

Draco Malfoy is a character you hated, then felt sorry for.  I know actor Tom Felton has a big fanbase thanks to his take on the antagonist.

I do enjoy this set.  Lots of variety and we get cards like these which are cool.  This is one of those sets that it's hard to find details on.  Like what are these specific cards called?  If anything.  Still cool.

I like the screen grabs from the movie like this one.  A big moment and you can feel the emotion behind it.

I'm a fan of the movie poster cards.

These are always fun.  I do like the movies thanks to my oldest daughter who's always been a huge fan.  We'll end it with Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory) before he became a shiny vampire.  The Goblet of Fire may be my favorite of the movies.

BREAKDOWN:
24 – Total Cards
5 – Holgraphic
1 – XXL

Random Wax: Panini Harry Potter Welcome to Hogwarts Trading Cards (4 Packs)

 Welcome to Hogwarts: Happy Thanksgiving!  We'll kick off this post with the stars of one of the most popular book series and movies ever.  Cards like this is one reason I really like this set.  The visuals between the borders and photos really work for a Harry Potter set in my opinion.

Harry Potter is something I tend to associate with the holidays and cold weather.  It is set during the school year for the most part so it makes some sense.  The great hall with the floating candles, abundance of food and festive atmosphere fits perfect for days like today and Christmas.  I am a fan thanks to my daughter's extreme fandom rubbing off on me.

Picked up some boxes in January of this year.  They came from eBay with the listings being in German.  I get licensing is different overseas, but this is a Panini set so I'm not sure why there wasn't a US release.  And I'd think it'd do well in the US.

Overall the set really hits the marks for me.  We see the characters we love, lots of visuals associated with the movies and important moments from the series.

The base set is 216 cards with two insert sets having nine cards each.  Those inserts aren't named.  A couple of checklists are here and here.  I wish it was easier to find out information on sets like these Panini overseas sets, but it really isn't.

Whether the photos are scene grabs or promotional pics they are good.

The art visuals like that last card are cool.  I assume they were part of promotional products for the movies.

That center card is one of the inserts which aren't named.  I still don't have a complete set but I'm working on it.

BREAKDOWN:

24 – Total Cards

4 – Holgraphic

3 – Rainbow

1 – XXL

Panini Harry Potter Welcome to Hogwarts Trading Cards

Welcome to Hogwarts:  Found these recently and wanted to grab some for myself and my daughter who is a huge fan.  I'm really glad I did.  These are pretty cool.  Lots to show off and we'll kick it off with the star himself.

I'm a fan of the books and the movies but not a mega fan.  Just really like these cards.  Pretty much covers the gamut of the movies with lots of fun memories and cool looking cards.

You'll see most of the primary characters but not all.  It does feel like we don't get a few fan favorites.

Ticket to Hogwarts.  The base set is 216 cards with two insert sets having nine cards each.  Those inserts aren't named.  A couple of checklists are here and here.

Any of the Panini sets that are done overseas, like this one, are soooooo tough to find information about.  You can find checklists but finding information on what kind of boxes are released and what they contain is impossible to find.  I ordered two display boxes (48 packs) on eBay but received eight smaller boxes with seven packs each which meant I actually got more cards out of the deal.  But I don't know if maybe the boxes had something else in them.  Still, I'm happy but it's maddening not being able to find specifics.  And the eBay listing was in German.

I really like the art or movie poster cards.  The Harry and Voldemort card is pretty cool.  Among the base cards are Holographic and Rainbow cards.  They have some shiny effects to them but aren't in the realm of a Prizm card like we're used to.

I'll be showing off all the cards over time.  I'll do four packs/24 cards each post. I do like the variety of photos including press or non-screen time photos like that first one.

If I had any beef with the cards themselves, it would be that we don't get wider photo shots.  They are somewhat zoomed in.  Sometimes we get something a bit different but they still don't feel like a full screen shot.  That middle card is an XXL insert (no it isn't larger than the others) but they aren't named.  It's a foil card and really don't feel special.

So these are cool.  Not game changers but Harry Potter fans will enjoy them.  They aren't cheap per se either but won't break the bank either.  I do like how the small "icon" at the bottom front of the card changes depending on the movie the photo is from.

BREAKDOWN:

24 – Total Cards

4 – Holgraphic

3 – Rainbow

1 – XXL

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

 

Secrets of Dumbledore: Finally watched this one.  I really enjoy the Harry Potter universe but I'm not a "hardcore" fan.  I've enjoyed the latest series of movies but understand there are issues.  Secrets of Dumbledore looks to tie everything together as it ends this storyline.  The three movies definitely struggled with identity.  The second movie, Crimes of Grindewald, didn't feel like a Fantastic Beasts movie and this one seemed like they tried to combined the two.  In doing so some characters didn't get a fair shake and unnecessary plot lines seemed to distract more than help the movie.  Still I enjoyed it.  Much was explained on how certain things came to be to include storylines from the original Harry Potter movies.  I really like the acting overall.  Plenty of good casting including the recasting of Mads Mikkelsen as Grindewald.  I thought it flowed fairly well and was entertaining.  I did have lingering questions about why they did certain things and I'm sure hardcore fans were really shaking their heads.  Hopefully whatever direction this universe takes they get it right next time.  It's a great universe with so many directions it could go to include some of the great characters they have now.  That's my two cents which might be confusing but I enjoyed watching the film.  Always curious what others thought.  Probably go look at some YouTube videos as well to see what finer points I missed.

2001 Wizards Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone Trading Cards

I picked up some random packs of non-sport cards from the eBay seller Bob Rewak and I'll recap those over the next few weeks.  This 2001 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone pack contains cards I've seen described as widevision but they are just a bit smaller than what we know as widevision.  My daughter was into the Harry Potter books and movies well before me.  I've read all the books and enjoy the movies and consider myself a fan.  She'll be the recipient of these cards.  There aren't any inserts in this set so there'll be none seen here. 

  

The fronts are pretty nice though there seems to be quite a bit of wasted space.  The photos taken from the movie are good but would be better bigger.  I'm good with the basic design but it seems it could have been tweaked a bit to make it look better.

The backs have a short description or back story to what we are seeing on the front of the cards.  The design is fine with me.

These movie seem ripe for trading cards.  The visuals of the Harry Potter world are so great and visually cool how can it not work?  This is where I think some larger photos would have added to the appeal here.  There were also vertical cards in the set. They give you a larger photo which I do like a bit more.  Overall not bad cards and it was a fun look back at the movie. 

BREAKDOWN:

7 - Total Cards

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Review (NO SPOILERS)

I really enjoyed Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.  This movie has a much different tone than the first Fantastic Beasts movie. The Crimes of Grindewlwald was intense, did a great job of giving us more background detail, and Johnny Depp was excellent as lead protagonist Grindelwald.  Quite a few characters are front and center here but the movie flowed well and it all seemed natural.  If you aren't a Harry Potter fan or seen the first Fantastic Beasts movie this is not for you.  I'll be curious to see what the more fanatical fans think of this offering.  For me I thought Depp was great.  I know many have questioned his casting but I think he nailed it.  This is definitely a movie you have to pay attention to as there are a ton of key plot points that are either explored or fleshed out in detail.  And even then it can be easy to miss something.  Bottom line is I think this is much better than the first movie and does a great job furthering this part of the Harry Potter world.