Lord of the Rings Ongoing Discussion

[Balrogofmorgoth]

Very disappointed to find out that the Mouth’s helmet is rubber again. Same with Sauron’s helmet apparently. I will personally lead a march of Ents on lego HQ if either of mine are bent or damaged in any way whatsoever 

[Lordhelmet]

14 minutes ago, Balrogofmorgoth said:

Very disappointed to find out that the Mouth’s helmet is rubber again. Same with Sauron’s helmet apparently. I will personally lead a march of Ents on lego HQ if either of mine are bent or damaged in any way whatsoever 

I am ok with some of the rubber molds, but will join in if there are quality issues.  Given the cost I want only the best.

[MAB]

I don't mind the rubber moulds, at least now. However, in 30 years time, will they still be rubbery or will they crack and dry out like 1970/80s toys did.

[Lego Nostalgia]

I really want a Helms Deep and Bag End, I have the 2012 models but it could be so much better,bigger and more detailed.

Would love an Orc battle pack too but sadly Lego only does 400$+ LOTR sets.

[Minishark2000]

3 hours ago, Balrogofmorgoth said:

Very disappointed to find out that the Mouth’s helmet is rubber again. Same with Sauron’s helmet apparently. I will personally lead a march of Ents on lego HQ if either of mine are bent or damaged in any way whatsoever 

It's for safety purposes for those spikes they they have. Not sure there was any other way around it.

[CallumPears]

5 hours ago, Balrogofmorgoth said:

Very disappointed to find out that the Mouth’s helmet is rubber again. Same with Sauron’s helmet apparently. I will personally lead a march of Ents on lego HQ if either of mine are bent or damaged in any way whatsoever 

I'm more disappointed with his head. Looks to be the same print as the 2013 one with yellower teeth. Not even a 2nd facial expression. 

[JohnTPT17]

3 hours ago, Minishark2000 said:

It's for safety purposes for those spikes they they have. Not sure there was any other way around it.

The set's not being targeted to little kids, though - this is clearly an 18+ set. Though Lego has rubber-ized plenty of other mold like horns and spears though...

I think it's moreso about the details on the molds - either of those might have been tricky to make using a standard hard mold. Not impossible... Just harder and more expensive, which it seems like Lego didn't think was worth it. 

[MAB]

1 hour ago, JohnTPT17 said:

The set's not being targeted to little kids, though - this is clearly an 18+ set. Though Lego has rubber-ized plenty of other mold like horns and spears though...

I think it's moreso about the details on the molds - either of those might have been tricky to make using a standard hard mold. Not impossible... Just harder and more expensive, which it seems like Lego didn't think was worth it. 

Even though the set is marketed at adults, it is still a LEGO toy. If (somehow) someone injured themselves with it, it is a bad look for them so presumably they apply the same reasoning to parts in adult sets as for kid sets. 

[Bugbot20082]

If I get this set these are the mods I’ll have to do to make it work better for me:

taller central tower, not an entire module but a few inches of extra bricks to improve the proportions 

reduce the fat ‘collar’ around the central tower where those rubbery large spikes attach, make it more flush 

redo the dining hall into a WW2 bunker style war-room with a large map of middle earth and a throne for the Mouth to dictate from.

longer entrance bridge and a gate at the end.

 

[Lordhelmet]

22 minutes ago, Bugbot20082 said:

If I get this set these are the mods I’ll have to do to make it work better for me:

taller central tower, not an entire module but a few inches of extra bricks to improve the proportions 

reduce the fat ‘collar’ around the central tower where those rubbery large spikes attach, make it more flush 

redo the dining hall into a WW2 bunker style war-room with a large map of middle earth and a throne for the Mouth to dictate from.

longer entrance bridge and a gate at the end.

 

I like the Mods, I am going to mod the orange and browns in the middle ring to black, I think I will add to the central tower (maybe two to three inches but not a full section).  I like the bunker war room Idea, although I am going to keep the dining hall personally.  I am thinking about modding the rock face to dark grey instead of light grey and brown.  That will probably do it for me.  

[upliftingbricks]

49 minutes ago, Lordhelmet said:

I like the Mods, I am going to mod the orange and browns in the middle ring to black,

Im tempted to change the outer struts of orange and brown to black in that section and leave the orange and brown behind those in place to see if it gives an artificial glow affect that they went with around the eye at the top. Dont know if it'll work or not

[JohnTPT17]

3 hours ago, MAB said:

Even though the set is marketed at adults, it is still a LEGO toy. If (somehow) someone injured themselves with it, it is a bad look for them so presumably they apply the same reasoning to parts in adult sets as for kid sets.

Maybe, but there's lots of hard plastic spikes/horns/claws on lots of current Ninjago sets - which do target kids. So, in this instance, I think it's moreso about getting details on a complex piece that about safely.

[PsychoBuilder]

I just had the very unsettling thought that given that Lego has referenced iconic LotR gags in the films in both of the sets we have seen so far, one of which is an expression, we could theoretically see a tomato covered Denethor. Food for thought...

 

Anyways, I'm taking a crack at a Minas Tirith in the scale of the big Hogwarts castle on Stud.io, wish me luck. 

[Captain Pirate Man]

8 minutes ago, Brickroll said:

I just had the very unsettling thought that given that Lego has referenced iconic LotR gags in the films in both of the sets we have seen so far, one of which is an expression, we could theoretically see a tomato covered Denethor. Food for thought...

 

Anyways, I'm taking a crack at a Minas Tirith in the scale of the big Hogwarts castle on Stud.io, wish me luck. 

Good luck!!

[BJG2411]

10 hours ago, Bugbot20082 said:

If I get this set these are the mods I’ll have to do to make it work better for me:

taller central tower, not an entire module but a few inches of extra bricks to improve the proportions 

reduce the fat ‘collar’ around the central tower where those rubbery large spikes attach, make it more flush 

redo the dining hall into a WW2 bunker style war-room with a large map of middle earth and a throne for the Mouth to dictate from.

longer entrance bridge and a gate at the end.

 

This is definitely the approach I am going to follow. Not a full extra tower module but about half the tower and I really like the idea of a war room - that’s amazing. Mouth of Sauron will own that area!

[TheDoctor]

10 hours ago, upliftingbricks said:

Im tempted to change the outer struts of orange and brown to black in that section and leave the orange and brown behind those in place to see if it gives an artificial glow affect that they went with around the eye at the top. Dont know if it'll work or not

Yeah, those buttresses are quite jarring.
I understand it's meant to be the glow of the city behind the outer-walls, but because they're just sat on a smooth black surface it doesn't look quite right.

I was just going to make them all black and leave the brown/grey on the wall behind them as that's a lot more subtle and could look like dirt or even a more dim 'glow'.

Maybe I'll leave the brown slopes as they are so it blends in a bit better as you suggest.

The substitute part list for those buttresses is below:
6x 3005
6x 3024
6X 3666
6x 60477
6x 11477
6x 3069
12x 63864

On a side note:
The suggestion that the tower pieces are modular and can be combines is bizarre to me.
Neither of the two tower sections look good repeated because the bottom one is asymmetrical and the top one has all the fancy details that only the top of the tower has.

But to be honest, I think when seeing it in person it will all scale quire nicely, and it looks suitably chunky and 'lego-fied' to blend in with the other sets.
It's not an architecture set after all.

Edited May 18 by TheDoctor

[Lordhelmet]

3 hours ago, TheDoctor said:

Yeah, those buttresses are quite jarring.
I understand it's meant to be the glow of the city behind the outer-walls, but because they're just sat on a smooth black surface it doesn't look quite right.

I was just going to make them all black and leave the brown/grey on the wall behind them as that's a lot more subtle and could look like dirt or even a more dim 'glow'.

Maybe I'll leave the brown slopes as they are so it blends in a bit better as you suggest.

The substitute part list for those buttresses is below:
6x 3005
6x 3024
6X 3666
6x 60477
6x 11477
6x 3069
12x 63864

On a side note:
The suggestion that the tower pieces are modular and can be combines is bizarre to me.
Neither of the two tower sections look good repeated because the bottom one is asymmetrical and the top one has all the fancy details that only the top of the tower has.

But to be honest, I think when seeing it in person it will all scale quire nicely, and it looks suitably chunky and 'lego-fied' to blend in with the other sets.
It's not an architecture set after all.

Thanks for the parts list on that middle section, will be nice to get those before the set comes out.

[upliftingbricks]

44 minutes ago, Lordhelmet said:

Thanks for the parts list on that middle section, will be nice to get those before the set comes out.

I echo this @TheDoctor

 

4 hours ago, TheDoctor said:

On a side note:
The suggestion that the tower pieces are modular and can be combines is bizarre to me.
Neither of the two tower sections look good repeated because the bottom one is asymmetrical and the top one has all the fancy details that only the top of the tower has.

It being modular is great but more for ease of modding than replicating existing segments. Hard to say without seeing it in person how much extra height would give it better proportion (and no idea if I have space for extra height ) 

[sebastian666]

I’m mostly happy with how Barad-Dur turned out. It’s not perfect and doesn’t have great parts usage - the rock work at the base and around the mid-section of the tower feel particularly lazy - but it’s a set that I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid and will be a Day One, Minute One purchase for me. I’m also disappointed with the fell beast GWP - but, as they say, don’t look a gift fell beast in the mouth.

The one unforgivable sin of this set for me is the Sauron minifig. Sauron has been one of the most highly anticipated minifigs in LEGO history… LEGO could not afford to skimp on his design or production. That minifig should have been one of the main selling points of this $450 D2C set. 

And LEGO had the resources to do this minifig justice. The long legs - which they just used in a standard release Harry Potter set for a half-giantess who is a foot shorter than Sauron - were mandatory in my opinion. Sauron should have also had a long unique cape to add to the feeling of height. And his mace should absolutely have been a new mold. It’s just as iconic as Sting or Anduril. I can understand the need to make helmet and upper body armor one piece, but longer legs would have made the whole thing feel less squat and chonky.

As I said, this is still a Day One, Minute One purchase for me - but I can’t overstate how disappointed I am in LEGO’s execution of Sauron.

I’d love to hear any ideas folks have for how they are going to customize their Sauron minifig to improve him and make him taller.

I’m also quite sure that LEGO knew folks may not feel 100% satisfied with this Sauron minifig and that they may have something else in the works… If the rumors about more non-D2C LOTR sets are true, I could see an 18+ diorama set releasing next year that features a proper Sauron minifig - with long legs, a long tattered cape, and a molded mace - battling Isildur on the slopes of Mount Doom. We may have even been given a clue to that with sticker #6 in the sticker pack that we got with Rivendell…

[TheDoctor]

23 minutes ago, sebastian666 said:

And LEGO had the resources to do this minifig justice. The long legs - which they just used in a standard release Harry Potter set for a half-giantess who is a foot shorter than Sauron - were mandatory in my opinion. Sauron should have also had a long unique cape to add to the feeling of height. And his mace should absolutely have been a new mold. It’s just as iconic as Sting or Anduril. I can understand the need to make helmet and upper body armor one piece, but longer legs would have made the whole thing feel less squat and chonky.

I'm going to have to have to go with LEGOs judgment on this.
There's no way they didn't do a mock-up with the long legs/torso.

It must have looked strange otherwise they'd have gone for it. (Admittedly he would look strange sat in his throne with long legs)

I think it would make him look too lanky and top-heavy.
A decent, wide cape might have helped but there's probably a good reason it's a standard figure.

I agree the mace is a travesty though! Especially given the new perfect mace piece in the new D&D Minifigure series.
I'll be swapping it for that as soon as they're available!

EDIT: It looks like that new mace piece is transparent  Nevermind.... (it would need to be upside-down to resemble Sauron's too)

Edited May 18 by TheDoctor

[Black Falcon]

2 hours ago, sebastian666 said:

And LEGO had the resources to do this minifig justice. The long legs - which they just used in a standard release Harry Potter set for a half-giantess who is a foot shorter than Sauron - were mandatory in my opinion. Sauron should have also had a long unique cape to add to the feeling of height. And his mace should absolutely have been a new mold. It’s just as iconic as Sting or Anduril. I can understand the need to make helmet and upper body armor one piece, but longer legs would have made the whole thing feel less squat and chonky.

Honestly, I am very glad they didn´t use the long legs, because, to me minifigs with those just look very strange as those legs are out of proportion. You would need a upper body that fits to it, to maybe look better, but even that might still look strange. So yeah I would guess they tested the legs and decided that it just doesn´t look good, which I would completely agree with. Maxime, the half giantess you mentioned above, is the best proof that it doesn´t work well.

[upliftingbricks]

2 hours ago, sebastian666 said:

If the rumors about more non-D2C LOTR sets are true

Where have these rumours come from?

[Balrogofmorgoth]

On 5/17/2024 at 8:43 AM, MAB said:

I don't mind the rubber moulds, at least now. However, in 30 years time, will they still be rubbery or will they crack and dry out like 1970/80s toys did.

My 2013 Mouth of Sauron helmet is loose now. Didn’t start that way. But rubber wears very quickly 

23 hours ago, MAB said:

Even though the set is marketed at adults, it is still a LEGO toy. If (somehow) someone injured themselves with it, it is a bad look for them so presumably they apply the same reasoning to parts in adult sets as for kid sets. 

There have been plenty of hard molds with sharp edges. No excuse 

2 hours ago, sebastian666 said:

I’m mostly happy with how Barad-Dur turned out. It’s not perfect and doesn’t have great parts usage - the rock work at the base and around the mid-section of the tower feel particularly lazy - but it’s a set that I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid and will be a Day One, Minute One purchase for me. I’m also disappointed with the fell beast GWP - but, as they say, don’t look a gift fell beast in the mouth.

The one unforgivable sin of this set for me is the Sauron minifig. Sauron has been one of the most highly anticipated minifigs in LEGO history… LEGO could not afford to skimp on his design or production. That minifig should have been one of the main selling points of this $450 D2C set. 

And LEGO had the resources to do this minifig justice. The long legs - which they just used in a standard release Harry Potter set for a half-giantess who is a foot shorter than Sauron - were mandatory in my opinion. Sauron should have also had a long unique cape to add to the feeling of height. And his mace should absolutely have been a new mold. It’s just as iconic as Sting or Anduril. I can understand the need to make helmet and upper body armor one piece, but longer legs would have made the whole thing feel less squat and chonky.

As I said, this is still a Day One, Minute One purchase for me - but I can’t overstate how disappointed I am in LEGO’s execution of Sauron.

I’d love to hear any ideas folks have for how they are going to customize their Sauron minifig to improve him and make him taller.

I’m also quite sure that LEGO knew folks may not feel 100% satisfied with this Sauron minifig and that they may have something else in the works… If the rumors about more non-D2C LOTR sets are true, I could see an 18+ diorama set releasing next year that features a proper Sauron minifig - with long legs, a long tattered cape, and a molded mace - battling Isildur on the slopes of Mount Doom. We may have even been given a clue to that with sticker #6 in the sticker pack that we got with Rivendell…

I agree. Sauron should have been the ultimate leak minifigure. Only one new mold for him is not a good look. Should have had a new helmet, new shoulder armor (separate piece), and new mace. Long arms and long legs. Again, no excuse. This was the one chance to make the ultimate Sauron figure. I do really like what we got. But it could have been better for sure. 

[TheDoctor]

Okay I'm officially changing to Team Long Legs!

Forgive my crude photoshop, but it's convinced me that Sauron should have used the Long Arm/Leg combo, the proportions look fine...

What could have been... 

[kuzyabricks]

48 minutes ago, TheDoctor said:

Okay I'm officially changing to Team Long Legs!

Forgive my crude photoshop, but it's convinced me that Sauron should have used the Long Arm/Leg combo, the proportions look fine...

What could have been... 

You just convinced me completely haha. I still like the figure we got though