Lord of the Rings Ongoing Discussion

[Peppermint_M]

As much as I enjoy Literary discussion, this is a LEGO platform! Also, show/series/TV media is not the LEGO sets. Feel free to set up something in Culture and Multimedia but leave this thread for the bricks. Cheers. 

[Legoman123]

Is it true that Rivendell is releasing on 1st March? I had read this on Insta leaks earlier and was not expecting it so soon. 

[mtrsteve]

6 minutes ago, Atrius Kain said:

Talking sbout RoP. What sets would you like based on the show? Anything Numenor and Lindon would be great.

My ideal RoP season 1 lineup would look something like:

$150 - Numenorean ship carrying the queen, isildur, elindil, plus a couple random soldiers

$100 - celebrimbors forge, minifigs could include him, elrond, galadriel and halbrand

$80 - harfoot wagons under attack by wolves - Nori, sadoc, the stranger plus extras

$80 - battle for the Southland's, including some village scenery, including arondir and bronwyn, 2 orcs, a Numenorean and a villager

$50 - moria, maybe the durin vs elrond rock breaking fight with some dwarf extras

$20 - stranger vs the acolytes

$20 - elrond and durin having audience with gil galad

Battle packs:

-Southland elves vs orcs

-numenorean soldiers

[Altair1]

2 hours ago, Atrius Kain said:

Talking sbout RoP. What sets would you like based on the show? Anything Numenor and Lindon would be great.

Given how disappointed I was in RoP, I would much prefer that they really revive the LOTR theme rather than make sets based on the show. But if they were to make ROP sets, I might buy some just as fodder to make LOTR MOCs  

Edited January 11, 2023 by Altair1

[MAB]

43 minutes ago, Altair1 said:

Given how disappointed I was in RoP, I would much prefer that they really revive the LOTR theme rather than make sets based on the show. But if they were to make ROP sets, I might buy some just as fodder to make LOTR MOCs  

The minifigure parts could also be useful for those that already have all the original LOTR figures. Could be good for generic elves, dwarfs, men, hobbits and orcs.

[Altair1]

16 minutes ago, MAB said:

The minifigure parts could also be useful for those that already have all the original LOTR figures. Could be good for generic elves, dwarfs, men, hobbits and orcs.

Yes indeed, by fodder I also meant minifigs parts  

Edited January 11, 2023 by Altair1

[Balrogofmorgoth]

7 hours ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

I will never understand why Tolkien decided to undermine the power of the One Ring and thus the urgency of the plot by having one of the first characters our heroes meet be immune to the ring’s influence  

The ring is so evil not even the mighty Gandalf dare touch it out of fear of being corrupted! Next scene: Dancing singing forest dweller deity (?) in yellow boots is immune to it. Not so bad after all, that smelly old ring, eh?

Tom as a character is fine I guess, but his placement in the story makes no narrative sense to me, especially since he never shows up again.

I actually disagree with this interpretation pretty drastically but I’ll leave it at that to help drop the lore discussion (which is not easy, Tolkien lore discussions are very hard to walk away from). 
 

As far as sets, I think lego would be crazy to center a reboot mostly around the show at this point. I think the best way to handle it would be to reboot it as LOTR and have a couple RoP sets here and there if they wanted to. 

[Alexandrina]

22 hours ago, RichardGoring said:

But my understanding is that the books are far better and original

At risk of derailing the thread entirely:

The Wheel of Time is certainly an original series (and for my money, the books and the TV show are at the very pinnacle of their genre) but anyone who tells you the first Wheel of Time book is more original than the TV series - in terms of its similarity to Lord of the Rings - is misleading you. The Eye of the World was written deliberately to mimic The Fellowship of the Ring in the early part, and most of the truly original elements of the series don't appear until later books (even the Aes Sedai, the all-female magic organisation that is very distinct from Lord of the Rings, is really only in the first book as an organisation that is mentioned and through Moiraine - but saying the Aes Sedai are front and centre in the first book because of her is like saying the Maiar are major players in the Lord of the Rings because Gandalf is in it). The TV show actually brings a lot of the interesting points from the second and third books forward, to avoid the first season being a reskin of Fellowship.

I actually think WoT would be a better theme for Lego to do than Lord of the Rings - because there's more variety of sets they can do (especially if they had a licence to do scenes from the books that are cut out of the TV series) but obviously the best case scenario would be sets from both franchises.

What worries me about the future of Lord of the Rings sets is the very polarised reaction to the TV series. (Which imo stems from the fact that Lord of the Rings lore is incredibly deep and written by a guy whose worldbuilding was essentially his life-work). Those who are really into the lore are very critical of changes to it, as a general rule - this isn't meant as a criticism btw, just an observation. What worries me is that their dampened enthusiasm for the Amazon series will lead to lower demand for the show and thus less perceived demand for Lego products. For better or worse, the original films are the past of the franchise - they'll always be there, but they won't ever be the big new thing again. Kids just being exposed to the world now, who are also the kids who want Lego a lot, won't see the issues with the new series (see: Star Wars prequel fans). They'll want sets from the series as well as the films, and either be disappointed if the sets don't materialise, or those older fans who just want Lord of the Rings sets will be disappointed if sets don't materialise.

Edited January 11, 2023 by Alexandrina

[BrickBob Studpants]

17 minutes ago, Alexandrina said:

[…] but obviously the best case scenario would be sets from both franchises.

Eh. RoP has the superior production design in my opinion, which would lead to better sets. The designs in WoT are not bad per se, but I think they’re very generic and dull as dishwater  The design of the Dark One in particular is the lamest villain design I‘ve seen in a looooooong time.

In terms of fantasy theme set potential, this is my preferred order: LotR, Hobbit, RoP, DnD, WoT.

I still want that Bolg minifig 

[Altair1]

52 minutes ago, Alexandrina said:

At risk of derailing the thread entirely:

The Wheel of Time is certainly an original series (and for my money, the books and the TV show are at the very pinnacle of their genre) but anyone who tells you the first Wheel of Time book is more original than the TV series - in terms of its similarity to Lord of the Rings - is misleading you. The Eye of the World was written deliberately to mimic The Fellowship of the Ring in the early part, and most of the truly original elements of the series don't appear until later books (even the Aes Sedai, the all-female magic organisation that is very distinct from Lord of the Rings, is really only in the first book as an organisation that is mentioned and through Moiraine - but saying the Aes Sedai are front and centre in the first book because of her is like saying the Maiar are major players in the Lord of the Rings because Gandalf is in it). The TV show actually brings a lot of the interesting points from the second and third books forward, to avoid the first season being a reskin of Fellowship.

I actually think WoT would be a better theme for Lego to do than Lord of the Rings - because there's more variety of sets they can do (especially if they had a licence to do scenes from the books that are cut out of the TV series) but obviously the best case scenario would be sets from both franchises.

What worries me about the future of Lord of the Rings sets is the very polarised reaction to the TV series. (Which imo stems from the fact that Lord of the Rings lore is incredibly deep and written by a guy whose worldbuilding was essentially his life-work). Those who are really into the lore are very critical of changes to it, as a general rule - this isn't meant as a criticism btw, just an observation. What worries me is that their dampened enthusiasm for the Amazon series will lead to lower demand for the show and thus less perceived demand for Lego products. For better or worse, the original films are the past of the franchise - they'll always be there, but they won't ever be the big new thing again. Kids just being exposed to the world now, who are also the kids who want Lego a lot, won't see the issues with the new series (see: Star Wars prequel fans). They'll want sets from the series as well as the films, and either be disappointed if the sets don't materialise, or those older fans who just want Lord of the Rings sets will be disappointed if sets don't materialise.

I have not read the WoT books so I can't comment on them, but I have seen the WoT show and it is really one of the worst fantasy series I have ever seen. The visual effects are terrible and the casting is awful (except for Rosamund Pike and Daniel Henney maybe). Even Rings of Power is brilliant in comparison (at least it looks good visually)...

Edited January 11, 2023 by Altair1

[Balrogofmorgoth]

51 minutes ago, Alexandrina said:

What worries me about the future of Lord of the Rings sets is the very polarised reaction to the TV series. (Which imo stems from the fact that Lord of the Rings lore is incredibly deep and written by a guy whose worldbuilding was essentially his life-work). Those who are really into the lore are very critical of changes to it, as a general rule - this isn't meant as a criticism btw, just an observation. What worries me is that their dampened enthusiasm for the Amazon series will lead to lower demand for the show and thus less perceived demand for Lego products. For better or worse, the original films are the past of the franchise - they'll always be there, but they won't ever be the big new thing again. Kids just being exposed to the world now, who are also the kids who want Lego a lot, won't see the issues with the new series (see: Star Wars prequel fans). They'll want sets from the series as well as the films, and either be disappointed if the sets don't materialise, or those older fans who just want Lord of the Rings sets will be disappointed if sets don't materialise.

If the Rings of Power show brings a new generation of fans to the books, it’s done its job and I’m very happy for its existence for that reason alone, if nothing else. That’s what it’s all about in the end. Anyway, once again, I digress

27 minutes ago, BrickBob Studpants said:

Eh. RoP has the superior production design in my opinion, which would lead to better sets. The designs in WoT are not bad per se, but I think they’re very generic and dull as dishwater  The design of the Dark One in particular is the lamest villain design I‘ve seen in a looooooong time.

In terms of fantasy theme set potential, this is my preferred order: LotR, Hobbit, RoP, DnD, WoT.

I still want that Bolg minifig 

Bolg is definitely one of the characters we were robbed of in lego form. Overall, The Hobbit definitely had more complete coverage in lego than LOTR did. So the list of missing characters is much shorter. But Bolg is certainly one of them. Azog with armor is another. Would have also been cool to get a flaming armored Sauron from Dol Guldur

Edited January 11, 2023 by Balrogofmorgoth

[Legoman123]

Can someone confirm if the March 1st date is accurate please?

[Balrogofmorgoth]

9 minutes ago, Legoman123 said:

Can someone confirm if the March 1st date is accurate please?

I’m not sure anyone has confirmed March 1st specifically. All they’ve said is that it will release in March

[Legoman123]

Just now, Balrogofmorgoth said:

I’m not sure anyone has confirmed March 1st specifically. All they’ve said is that it will release in March

Thank you, to be honest I didn't expect it at all in March so its a bonus either way.

[MAB]

1 hour ago, Legoman123 said:

Can someone confirm if the March 1st date is accurate please?

Nobody can. It has not been announced.

[MAB]

3 hours ago, Alexandrina said:

What worries me about the future of Lord of the Rings sets is the very polarised reaction to the TV series. (Which imo stems from the fact that Lord of the Rings lore is incredibly deep and written by a guy whose worldbuilding was essentially his life-work). Those who are really into the lore are very critical of changes to it, as a general rule - this isn't meant as a criticism btw, just an observation. What worries me is that their dampened enthusiasm for the Amazon series will lead to lower demand for the show and thus less perceived demand for Lego products. For better or worse, the original films are the past of the franchise - they'll always be there, but they won't ever be the big new thing again. Kids just being exposed to the world now, who are also the kids who want Lego a lot, won't see the issues with the new series (see: Star Wars prequel fans). They'll want sets from the series as well as the films, and either be disappointed if the sets don't materialise, or those older fans who just want Lord of the Rings sets will be disappointed if sets don't materialise.

If Amazon keep pumping money into it, people will keep watching it. Many popular series tail off in popularity as they go on - look at the complaints about the last series of Game of Thrones or Lost. But they still had huge viewing figures and many people enjoyed them despite vocal online rants about them. If viewing figures did get terrible, no doubt amazon would just ruthlessly kill it but with the advertising they put into it, I doubt it will happen.

As for the (hypothetical) sets for Rings of Power,I don't think it is kids that are watching it. Apparently 71% of the audience is aged 35 and above. If LEGO was thinking about making kid aimed sets and they see a statistic like that I doubt they'd go ahead. It is no Harry Potter. It is not even Stranger Things. The audience profile is way older. If they are going to make sets, they will be adult ones. I also doubt Amazon (and Lego) care about people that are so deeply into the lore that they complain about plot lines. The complainers will still watch it just so they can show their superior knowledge of the books while complaining about how bad the TV show is, while others that enjoy it as a TV show will keep enjoying it without caring about the books as they never even read The Hobbit let alone anything deeper. The amazon ratings are pretty much all 5s or 1s - 5 (46%), 1 (31%). Polarised, yes. But all count towards viewing figures. Same with any associated LEGO sets. LEGO won't care if people don't like them or the scenes they are based on, so long as they are bought. Will die hard LOTR book fans and AFOLs refuse to buy ROP sets because they didn't like the plotline in the show?

 

[Balrogofmorgoth]

3 minutes ago, MAB said:

If Amazon keep pumping money into it, people will keep watching it. Many popular series tail off in popularity as they go on - look at the complaints about the last series of Game of Thrones or Lost. But they still had huge viewing figures and many people enjoyed them despite vocal online rants about them. If viewing figures did get terrible, no doubt amazon would just ruthlessly kill it but with the advertising they put into it, I doubt it will happen.

As for the (hypothetical) sets for Rings of Power,I don't think it is kids that are watching it. Apparently 71% of the audience is aged 35 and above. If LEGO was thinking about making kid aimed sets and they see a statistic like that I doubt they'd go ahead. It is no Harry Potter. It is not even Stranger Things. The audience profile is way older. If they are going to make sets, they will be adult ones. I also doubt Amazon (and Lego) care about people that are so deeply into the lore that they complain about plot lines. The complainers will still watch it just so they can show their superior knowledge of the books while complaining about how bad the TV show is, while others that enjoy it as a TV show will keep enjoying it without caring about the books as they never even read The Hobbit let alone anything deeper. The amazon ratings are pretty much all 5s or 1s - 5 (46%), 1 (31%). Polarised, yes. But all count towards viewing figures. Same with any associated LEGO sets. LEGO won't care if people don't like them or the scenes they are based on, so long as they are bought. Will die hard LOTR book fans and AFOLs refuse to buy ROP sets because they didn't like the plotline in the show?

 

It’s certainly a good question. I can only speak for myself in saying I would absolutely buy sets from RoP even though a lot of it didn’t work for me. Like I’ve said, it’s not black and white, it wasn’t wholly good or wholly bad. But even if I couldn’t stand it, I would probably enjoy lego sets from it. It’s the same with Star Wars sequel trilogy sets. Didn’t work for me, but had great lego potential and I wish they would make more sequel sets. Unfortunately plenty of people only see in black and white so who knows

[Triceron]

I wasn't a big fan of RoP.  It didn't feel in spirit of the movies, it felt like it was doing its own thing while borrowing designs from the movies.

I would much rather they bring back and continue the original line, sort of like how they revisit old Star Wars sets and modernize them for a new 18+ audience.  I'd love to see sets for the Balrog and the Witch King on Fellbeast, stuff we didn't really get to see back then that would be possible today.

Edited January 11, 2023 by Triceron

[Triceron]

Just now, Atrius Kain said:

Diorama sets are the way to go. Release 4 diorama sets per year and 1 big D2C set.

I'd be all for this if it's similar to what they've been doing with Star Wars and Jurassic Park.

Lego should really make a whole side-brand out of this.  It's a no brainer

[Lordhelmet]

5 minutes ago, Triceron said:

I'd be all for this if it's similar to what they've been doing with Star Wars and Jurassic Park.

Lego should really make a whole side-brand out of this.  It's a no brainer

I love the diorama idea as well, the Star Wars ones are very nice and would be fitting for LOTR, my only added want them would be a CMF series (or two) and/or a few battle packs.  Four dioramas and a battle pack each year (plus a UCS level D2C) would make an awesome theme and would not be overly expensive compared to a full line of play sets plus the D2C.

[Altair1]

46 minutes ago, Balrogofmorgoth said:

It’s certainly a good question. I can only speak for myself in saying I would absolutely buy sets from RoP even though a lot of it didn’t work for me. Like I’ve said, it’s not black and white, it wasn’t wholly good or wholly bad. But even if I couldn’t stand it, I would probably enjoy lego sets from it. It’s the same with Star Wars sequel trilogy sets. Didn’t work for me, but had great lego potential and I wish they would make more sequel sets. Unfortunately plenty of people only see in black and white so who knows

Interesting comparison with SW. I personally bought only the SW Original Trilogy sets (which represents already a lot of sets!). I enjoyed the movie prequels and sequels but not to the point of buying the associated Lego sets.

Edited January 11, 2023 by Altair1

[MAB]

1 hour ago, Lordhelmet said:

I love the diorama idea as well, the Star Wars ones are very nice and would be fitting for LOTR, my only added want them would be a CMF series (or two) and/or a few battle packs.  Four dioramas and a battle pack each year (plus a UCS level D2C) would make an awesome theme and would not be overly expensive compared to a full line of play sets plus the D2C.

I'm not a fan of the dioramas. Mixed up scales, some minifig scale, some microscale, too many parts wasted in the base. I doubt they'd add battle packs if all they were doing was dioramas as there wouldn't be anything to add them to as dioramas are complete displays.

[Balrogofmorgoth]

All I know is that if this D2C doesn’t have minfigures, and plenty of them, a lot of people won’t buy it and the theme probably dies there

[Legoman123]

Just now, Balrogofmorgoth said:

All I know is that if this D2C doesn’t have minfigures, and plenty of them, a lot of people won’t buy it and the theme probably dies there

I think it will definitely have minifigres, even the microscale Hogwarts came with 4 mini figures.  For me I'll only be interested in this set if it is minifig scale though.  I really do hope it is but I just have a bad feeling it won't be. 

[Legoman123]

Just now, Atrius Kain said:

Would the set even sell if its microscale? I would be willing to save money for a minifig scale set but not for microscale and I'm not sure other people would buy it either then.

I mean I defiantly wouldn't buy it but some might.  Lego did this with the Hogwarts D2C and made that microscale, but having said that Lego had a plan to release new segments to Hogwarts each year.