Deathleech, on 02 November 2012 - 03:08 AM, said:
Ya, I would like some more information/credibility for these rumors before I get all excited about them. As is they are pure speculation in my eyes, just like the guy claiming his Lego store manager told him the LotR line was ending after one wave... and we all know how that turned out

While it is obviously very possible that these rumours don't hold water, it's also possible that they do. And the guy who claimed his Lego store manager told him the LotR line was ending after one wave was probably speaking truth - it's just that the manager in question wasn't in the know. We shouldn't jump to conclusions based on rumours like these, but as long as we have nothing better to talk about, we can discuss these and their credibility.
In the following I don't bother to add "in case this list is true" in every other sentence, but you can imagine them there.
Gryphon Ink, on 02 November 2012 - 06:14 AM, said:
I seriously doubt that the Balrog, one of the most recognizable beasties in all of Middle Earth, is going to appear in a $40 set with only one minifig. Dude is huge, and impressive, and a hot seller. Gandalf's fight with the Balrog, while brief, is the one scene everybody who saw the movies remembers vividly. Find a random co-worker, tell him "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!" and he will probably say "get out of my way, Gandalf."
While Gandalf vs. Balrog fight is certainly an iconic moment, I don't think it has makings of a huge set, especially after Mines of Moria has already been done. Besides the balrog itself, there's not much to build except the bridge. Grey walls make for great parts packs but they're rather dull set elements. By no doubt they could include some orcs or some repetitions of Fellowship characters, but they are superfluous to the scene in question. I'd much rather see that they put all the oomph to the balrog, minifigs be damned. A $40 balrog should be epic enough.
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Treebeard, on the other hand, is the character that only real LOTR fans care about, accompanied by the two hobbits that only dedicated LOTR fans care about, stomping on the orc that only hardcore LOTR nerds even know the name of. That's the $60 set?
I think you are giving Treebeard a little too little credit. He's not the most memorable character, but not the most fleeting or forgettable either. I admit it's a surprisingly big set, but apparently it will include a lot of scenery, which isn't necessarily a bad idea - what is a tree guardian without anything to guard?
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Gandalf vs. Saruman in the flagship set? Really? A one-on-one wizards' duel, with no witnesses, in a completely black chamber is the flagship? Not, say, the battle of Osgiliath, or the Black Gate, or the battle of Pellenor Fields, each of them an epic scene in a dramatic setting, with casts of thousands and great ferocious beasts? Seriously?
I seriously doubt most movie-goers even remember what Osgiliath is, and the scenes in there include only rubble and ruins as scenery. Not very good material for a flagship set. Orthanc on the other hand is a unique memorable building featured in a lot of scenes, and can be miniaturised into Lego-scale better than most things in LotR (I'm looking at you, Minas Tirith). What's more, Saruman is arguably the de facto main villain of the first two films, while Sauron stays on the background. I agree with Narbilu though, it would be nice to see Gríma in this set in case there isn't a Meduseld set in the works too.
Edited by Haltiamieli, 02 November 2012 - 04:55 PM.