Lord of the Rings Ongoing Discussion

[Lordhelmet]

On 5/11/2025 at 10:29 PM, Lordhelmet said:

The more I look at the pictures the more I like it.  The picture of the side of the box looking at the balrog is by far the best shot.  It is growing on me, and I think there are opportunities to add or tweak some things which I like to do anyway.

 

i might be in the minority on this thought but I am good with it only having the balrog and Gandalf.  Well I would love some orcs (I’m good with Frodo’s at this point) I think that would have just taken away from the scene.

 

Follow up.  I like the Balrog set, I did end up changing the teeth from brown to black.  It looks great in person (better than the pictures).  The prints look nice for the face, some extra prints around the arms/chest could have worked but I don't think it is lacking as is.  It was bigger than I was expecting too.  I did pick it up for $100 so it was on sale, but totally worth it, and a good Balrog that fits the theme well.  (I also like that it is set into the scene because it feels more like the balrog is coming out of the shadows).  I also like the reuse of the wings which fold nicely, and the quote in the front is awesome.  Strong set and a good Balrog/Gandalf scene.

[Lordhelmet]

All quiet, hoping we get some more details on minis Tirith (especially the price)

[mirkwoodspiders]

I wonder what the release date for Minas Tirith will be. I half-remember getting news of Rivendell about this time of year and seeing it release in April of the following year, so possibly a late spring release? Or maybe it's the big ticket Black Friday item and we'll have to wait an entire year  

[Seaber]

How certain are we that Minas Tirith is coming? I have been a bit in and out admittedly, but last thing I heard it was a rumour and now people are talking like it's been confirmed. Did I miss something? 🙂

[kill will]

I’m quite late to the party but I think the book nook looks great and is one of the best possible formats for a LotR set. I have moved far too many times in the past few years to bring any Lego with me and display room is always subject to change, even within the same space. However, I do know for a fact that wherever I end up settling down will have a dedicated bookshelf where I will be putting my treasured second edition of the LotR trilogy and collector’s edition of the Hobbit. A Lego book nook tucked in there wouldn’t need much extra space and would simply become a permanent fixture on the shelf. I imagine nearly everyone that’s a big enough LotR fan to spend hundreds on a Lego set has copies of the books somewhere to accompany a book nook!

As much as I adore Rivendell I still haven’t bought it because it’s simply too big to display anywhere. The set that got me out of my dark ages (Lion Knight’s Castle) was already a challenge to display and barely fit on a mantle unfolded with the front stairs removed. Adding the blacksmith set and a few MOCs completely dominated the little shelf space I had. Rivendell may have fit split apart at a certain orientation but at the expense of displaying everything else, Barad Dur would be unthinkable. And that was in a relatively big place in the states, my current tiny place in Japan could never!

All that is to say that, as an adult fan, display room is the primary constraint for me when considering purchasing a set. The book nook doesn’t require any additional shelving or furniture, it can just be placed in an existing bookshelf. Maybe I’m way too out of touch with the average person but I think most people have at least a modest bookshelf and serious LotR fans are almost guaranteed to? 

The choice of setting and presentation here also perfectly matches the format. Anything sandwiched between books on a shelf is going to be dark, especially towards the back. The balrog is framed emerging from a dark, claustrophobic tunnel towards Gandalf standing well lit in the open. The composition of the build being deliberately designed around the typical lighting conditions it will be displayed in is genuinely remarkable. I don’t think the actual design of the balrog is perfect but is a good bit more accurate than the Jun Chi figure from the Adventurers I used as a stand in as a kid. I think it captures the silhouette well enough which is most important, the details on the black bricks will be partially obscured in the darkness anyway. The price is a bit of a joke but I think it’s justifiable for people like me that will likely only buy this set from the range and display it in perpetuity. I’d rather pay $120 for a well done vignette of one of the most iconic scenes of the trilogy than $500 for a massive single location that cannibalizes my entire display area or requires me to build extra shelving. It’s absolutely for a more casual Lego fan or a more reasonable entry point for LotR fans that don’t have any Lego. 

[Black Falcon]

1 hour ago, Seaber said:

How certain are we that Minas Tirith is coming? I have been a bit in and out admittedly, but last thing I heard it was a rumour and now people are talking like it's been confirmed. Did I miss something? 🙂

Very certain I would say. We´ve had rumours before, but now the info comes from reliable sources, so while of course you can never be 100% sure, the chances are very good.

[MAB]

23 hours ago, kill will said:

I imagine nearly everyone that’s a big enough LotR fan to spend hundreds on a Lego set has copies of the books somewhere to accompany a book nook!

...

Maybe I’m way too out of touch with the average person but I think most people have at least a modest bookshelf and serious LotR fans are almost guaranteed to? 
 

I imagine that there are loads of LOTR fans that have bought the LEGO sets but have never read the books. I read them once 30+ years ago yet I have never owned a copy of the books. But I do own the BRs. 

Serious LEGO fans have LEGO shelves rather than bookshelves.

Edited November 9, 2025 by MAB

[Black Falcon]

6 hours ago, MAB said:

I imagine that there are loads of LOTR fans that have bought the LEGO sets but have never read the books. I read them once 30+ years ago yet I have never owned a copy of the books. But I do own the BRs. 

Serious LEGO fans have LEGO shelves rather than bookshelves.

That doesn´t mean they can´t have both. Not to mention, Bluerays often sit in bookshelves too, and the booknook just works better between books/dvds/bluerays or VHS is you have ;) rather than in a Lego shelf IMO.

[Altair1]

15 minutes ago, Black Falcon said:

That doesn´t mean they can´t have both. Not to mention, Bluerays often sit in bookshelves too, and the booknook just works better between books/dvds/bluerays or VHS is you have ;) rather than in a Lego shelf IMO.

Exactly. I love Lego sets, I love books and I also love movies. I own all the existing Lego LOTR sets (except BrickHeadz of course which I can't stand), collector editions of the main Tolkien books (LOTR, Hobbit, Silmarillion) and collector 4K bluray steelbooks of the LOTR trilogy. I also have other LOTR stuff, like a replica of Anduril and of the One Ring, but that's another story.  I am now lucky (and old) enough to have a big house to be able to properly display all that. 

[MAB]

3 hours ago, Black Falcon said:

That doesn´t mean they can´t have both. Not to mention, Bluerays often sit in bookshelves too, and the booknook just works better between books/dvds/bluerays or VHS is you have ;) rather than in a Lego shelf IMO.

I didn't say they couldn't have both. I was responding to the "big enough LOTR fans" comment that they would have the books. These are sets based on the movies and plenty of people have enjoyed the movies without reading the books, and consider themselves big fans.

[kill will]

21 hours ago, MAB said:

I didn't say they couldn't have both. I was responding to the "big enough LOTR fans" comment that they would have the books. These are sets based on the movies and plenty of people have enjoyed the movies without reading the books, and consider themselves big fans.

Fair enough, I guess I have a rather myopic view of the fan base! Not at all trying to insinuate anything about big fans needing to read the books (and certainly not the Silmarillion). I genuinely forgot that people collect physical media as I have never owned a dvd or bluray  but the book nook would fit great alongside those as well! I think it’s more accurate to say big fans are likely to have either/both the books and films then. 
 

Hopefully my original point still stands, I really like the idea of a book nook, especially for LotR, and was surprised to see such a negative reaction towards it here. It’s really nice as a one off but probably a lot less appealing if you have every other set, at least there’s no exclusive minifig tied to it

Edited November 10, 2025 by kill will

[Lordhelmet]

On 11/10/2025 at 11:58 AM, kill will said:

Hopefully my original point still stands, I really like the idea of a book nook, especially for LotR, and was surprised to see such a negative reaction towards it here. It’s really nice as a one off but probably a lot less appealing if you have every other set, at least there’s no exclusive minifig tied to it

I thought the book nook was a good idea (for all three IPs it was used on). The media is based on a book after all and even if fans didn’t necessarily read them Lego does a bunch of Easter eggs that nod to aspects of other IP that not every fan has been a part of.  Example of the Death Star including the hot tub and mini kit from the game.  I never played the game but I can appreciate the nod to the media platform.  Granted a book nook is more direct as the whole concept of the set is a nod to the origin, however that would still be a strange reason not to buy the set if you’re fan of the media in general as th designs are based on the movies.  The more important factors would be value and set design than concept (and build experience).  I get if someone doesn’t like some combination of those and chooses not to get the book nook.  The designer really made the set to appeal widely in my opinion even if you did t like the concept.

 I personally bought it and display it (mostly) open more like a diorama (complete with quote).  I think the balrog looks awesome (especially with the teeth replaced to black), the pillars and fire work, and Gandalf was the right choice.  Could it have been bigger and cost 2x, sure but I’m happier with a smaller set that still feels big and captures one of the most iconic scenes.  And I appreciate the designers choice to have the balrog function outside the book nook.  So if I really hated the concept I could still have a balrog to put into the middle earth collection.  
 

lastly I get those saying they just wanted the balrog and not the “extra rock work”, fair we need smaller sets for LOTR.  I would add though that the “extra” parts are mostly useful ones which I appreciate if I wanted to tear this down and build a new MOC.

[TheInvisibleMan]

On 11/9/2025 at 10:07 AM, MAB said:

Serious LEGO fans have LEGO shelves rather than bookshelves.

😂 this! (obviously tongue in cheek, but it made me laugh)

[Jarreth2]

OH WOW !! Just watched MitchBuilds Balrog video .. this thing is awesome .. wouldnt like to think how much it would cost to build, but it's fantastic.

Thought you might like to see 😳

 

[Lordhelmet]

Too quiet for me on the leaks, would like to know price, minifigure count, and (I know it's early) but at least one of the design sketches we have seen for some other themes.  

[Altair1]

22 hours ago, Lordhelmet said:

Too quiet for me on the leaks, would like to know price, minifigure count, and (I know it's early) but at least one of the design sketches we have seen for some other themes.  

Indeed, I hope we will have more news before Xmas... 

[RichardGoring]

I finished building the Balrog book nook and placed it.

I have to admit, I didn't think it was a great build experience. The frame was fairly repetitive and the constraction figure elements of the Balrog are not my favourite. I really only properly enjoyed the body and head of the Balrog. But I've also been doing a lot of complex builds recently and really enjoying them, so in comparison this is fairly simple techniques. I like the finished result though. Shame that my Tolkien collection is the A-format paperback so sits a little short of the book nook height!

[Lordhelmet]

On 12/3/2025 at 5:06 PM, RichardGoring said:

I finished building the Balrog book nook and placed it.

I have to admit, I didn't think it was a great build experience. The frame was fairly repetitive and the constraction figure elements of the Balrog are not my favourite. I really only properly enjoyed the body and head of the Balrog. But I've also been doing a lot of complex builds recently and really enjoying them, so in comparison this is fairly simple techniques. I like the finished result though. Shame that my Tolkien collection is the A-format paperback so sits a little short of the book nook height!

Looks great!

[Lordhelmet]

Does anyone know what the expected price will be for minis tirith?  Would like to know sooner than later to plan.

[zoth33]

1 hour ago, Lordhelmet said:

Does anyone know what the expected price will be for minis tirith?  Would like to know sooner than later to plan.

We have no idea yet

[MAB]

6 hours ago, Lordhelmet said:

Does anyone know what the expected price will be for minis tirith?  Would like to know sooner than later to plan.

I'd assume in the Rivendell range rather than The Shire.

[hikouki]

I know we haven't had any leaks but with rumors about an upcoming Minas Tirith, I wonder what location will be next?

[kuzyabricks]

According to TandNbricks minis Tirith will be the largest LoTR set ever. WOW

Just now, kuzyabricks said:

According to TandNbricks minis Tirith will be the largest LoTR set ever. WOW

Insane considering how huge Rivendell is

[Virginia_Bricks]

2 hours ago, kuzyabricks said:

According to TandNbricks minis Tirith will be the largest LoTR set ever. WOW

Insane considering how huge Rivendell is

Largest as in highest piece count? Volume? Or Price?

I know the post didn't mention, but I can easily see Minis Tirith having the most pieces but still being around the price of Rivendell.

[Black Falcon]

3 hours ago, kuzyabricks said:

According to TandNbricks minis Tirith will be the largest LoTR set ever. WOW

Insane considering how huge Rivendell is

Well that isn´t really surprising though. We still don´t know which style they will choose, and I could see Rivendell still be wider but the White City beeing bigger in the other two dimensions and, of course number of used bricks - after all RIvendell beeing Minifig-Scale has also a lot of space inside, which could be different with Minas Tirith - or not if it is built like Barad-Dûr - overall I wouldn´t be surprised if it beats Rivendell in all dimensions, though probably not by to much.

19 minutes ago, Virginia_Bricks said:

Largest as in highest piece count? Volume? Or Price?

I know the post didn't mention, but I can easily see Minis Tirith having the most pieces but still being around the price of Rivendell.

I would guess all three, though if he meant the price he wouldn´t have mentioned the largest.