LOTR & The Hobbit 2012

[purpleparadox]

Middle Earth are the only "for sure" sets I will be getting. I'm torn on other themes that I normally collect, so we'll see how that goes.

I completely agree. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are both stunning lines. I'll be sure to get all of the sets!

[Fives]

This may seem like a random thought, but I really wonder how the theme designers decided where to place the dwarves across the sets. They have all been placed well, but I wonder if their placement should be any reflection on their involvement in that scene, or if the designers just needed to spread them out and it ended up like this. For instance, Gloin is in the Barrel Escape set, which oddly makes sense, since his son Gimli and Thranduil's son Legolas will become close friends 60 years later, so perhaps the designers placed him in that set to emphasize the ironic bond between to two families.

[General Magma]

That is the back of it.

Oh, right. I assumed he was wrong about the "back printing" part since parts of belts on the back of LEGO minifig torsos usually don't have belt clips.

Well, if it's only the back then it could easily be put to good use with help of a cape anyways.

I see some great and useful torsos being used on these dwarves.

[ZCerberus]

This may seem like a random thought, but I really wonder how the theme designers decided where to place the dwarves across the sets. They have all been placed well, but I wonder if their placement should be any reflection on their involvement in that scene, or if the designers just needed to spread them out and it ended up like this. For instance, Gloin is in the Barrel Escape set, which oddly makes sense, since his son Gimli and Thranduil's son Legolas will become close friends 60 years later, so perhaps the designers placed him in that set to emphasize the ironic bond between to two families.

Thinking back to the LotR sets for example, Legalos only comes in the Moria set when he just as easily could have been in Helm's Deep instead. LEGO's hands are somewhat tied if a character could only appear in one set (Boromir could only be in the Moria set for example, and no hobbits could be in Helm's Deep) but after that part is set, for the most part they just spread them out so all sets need to be purchased to get everone. I think you are going a little deep on the Legolas Gimli family bond thing. I would guess since the dwarves are mostly together for the adventures, LEGO just did their best to spread the dwarves across the sets.

[ADHO15]

This may seem like a random thought, but I really wonder how the theme designers decided where to place the dwarves across the sets. They have all been placed well, but I wonder if their placement should be any reflection on their involvement in that scene, or if the designers just needed to spread them out and it ended up like this. For instance, Gloin is in the Barrel Escape set, which oddly makes sense, since his son Gimli and Thranduil's son Legolas will become close friends 60 years later, so perhaps the designers placed him in that set to emphasize the ironic bond between to two families.

I don't think the designers thought that deeply into minifig placing. It seems more based on relatedness, eg. Dori, Nori and Ori together; Fili and Kili; Oin and Gloin, etc. How they decided on Oin and Gloin in the barrel set, rather than Fili and Kili, say, is probably more random, but could be based on their importance, though I don't know how well they'd know of things like that when the film isn't released yet. Like you said though, the figure placing works well.

Edited October 16, 2012 by ADHO15

[Fives]

I completely realize that I'm probably looking really deeply into the figure placement of the Barrel set. I was just saying how I wonder how deep the thought process is for the designers, and how it would be interesting to know why they placed the figs the way they did.

Also, I just tried to go to the Hobbit page on LEGO.com and it said that the page could not be found. I know that every time I have gone to the site, the home page is blank, I can't zoom on the pictures of the sets when my mouse rolls over them, and I wasn't able to look at any other characters other than Bilbo, Gandalf and Balin (the advance arrow didn't work). So, perhaps the site is down to be polished up a bit, and maybe they'll just relaunch it some time in November with all the pictures of the products.

[The Legonater]

No it's the front, you can tell if you use your noggin.

I would appreciate it if you don't insult me for being right, and trying to be helpful.

[Snowspeeder Pilot]

For the mexicans members of this forum, Lego LOTR is now at Wal-Mart stores (Mexico).

[ZCerberus]

I would appreciate it if you don't insult me for being right, and trying to be helpful.

Both of you please play nice so I don't need to use the warning stick on you!

It seems there was some debate if it was the front or back due to the picture, so I guess your noggin was used when you correctly read it was the back printing! Maybe you can take pride in being right and let the perceived insult slide this time.

[Bilbo Baggins]

For the mexicans members of this forum, Lego LOTR is now at Wal-Mart stores (Mexico).

I'll have to wait with those prizes.

[Rogue Angel]

I completely realize that I'm probably looking really deeply into the figure placement of the Barrel set. I was just saying how I wonder how deep the thought process is for the designers, and how it would be interesting to know why they placed the figs the way they did.

I would guess that the key strategy is to get you to buy more sets. Lego has been known to place characters in random sets (Queen Amidala in the Gungan Sub) just to get you to buy a set you might pass on otherwise. A perfect demonstration of key figure placement is the Avengers sets. I am looking to get all the Avengers, but I could care less about the sets. Hulk only comes in the $50 set, and Black Widow only comes in the $70 set, and Captain America only comes in a $15 set, so that's $135 for all of them. Even if I bought one bigger sets and the Captain America set, and then Bricklinked Hulk or Widow, I would still need to pick up Hawkeye's Truck to get Iron Man or Hawkeye,

It would have made more sense (from my logical stand point) to include all of the characters in the 2 big sets, but this keeps you buying more sets.

[BrickBob Studpants]

The character descriptions for Nori, Dori, Ori and the Goblin King were updated yesterday, but now I can't reach the product page anymore... Every time I enter thehobbit.lego.com, I find myself on the LOTR page instead Has this happened to someone else too?

[Balrog]

The character descriptions for Nori, Dori, Ori and the Goblin King were updated yesterday, but now I can't reach the product page anymore... Every time I enter thehobbit.lego.com, I find myself on the LOTR page instead Has this happened to someone else too?

Same for me. I just tried the same here. And I had a old link to the hobbit page, which resultet in "Page not found".

[mpaisana]

Same for me. I just tried the same here. And I had a old link to the hobbit page, which resultet in "Page not found".

I think they might be having some issues with MGM or New Line Cinema. The set presentation is very descriptive, and contains many spoilers... The Mirkwood Spiders set is an heaby spoiler itself. In the book, Legolas and Tauriel have nothing to do with the escape from the spiders (they don't appear in the book at all), so this reveals a lot about Peter Jackson's script choices.

[deskp]

I think they might be having some issues with MGM or New Line Cinema. The set presentation is very descriptive, and contains many spoilers... The Mirkwood Spiders set is an heaby spoiler itself. In the book, Legolas and Tauriel have nothing to do with the escape from the spiders (they don't appear in the book at all), so this reveals a lot about Peter Jackson's script choices.

The images reveal nothing, the characthers might jsut be int he lego set because they show up a little later and doesen't desere their own set.

[mpaisana]

The images reveal nothing, the characthers might jsut be int he lego set because they show up a little later and doesen't desere their own set.

Maybe you're right. In any case, I find it strange that the site has been down for so long

[Gryphon Ink]

This may seem like a random thought, but I really wonder how the theme designers decided where to place the dwarves across the sets. They have all been placed well, but I wonder if their placement should be any reflection on their involvement in that scene, or if the designers just needed to spread them out and it ended up like this.

That's actually an interesting question, but I think in the end the primary motivation for placement of minifigs is purely commercial, i.e. spreading the characters out so that completists will buy as many sets as possible, while keeping each individual set interesting. To those ends, they need to make sure each set has the ideal mixture of crucial and non-crucial minifigs. So for example, Barrel Escape and Mirkwood, which are sets many people are going to buy for the elves alone, didn't need to have the "best", most popular dwarves in them. Bag End, which was their "teaser" set, had to have a selection of cool-looking characters to stir up excitement for the theme, so it got Bombur and Dwalin to make people start talking about the new "fat suit" and the facial tattoos. And so it trickles down until all the characters have found their places.

Aside from certain hard restrictions of the plot, such as you can't put Boromir in a Helm's Deep set, I think the story receives very little consideration in this part of the design process.

[deskp]

Maybe you're right. In any case, I find it strange that the site has been down for so long

Well it's back now without any apparent changes.

[mpaisana]

Well it's back now without any apparent changes.

And with updated character bios. Cool!

[deskp]

And with updated character bios. Cool!

Whats new? all the bios looks the same as they did before the site was down to me.

[mpaisana]

Whats new? all the bios looks the same as they did before the site was down to me.

Now I can see the goblin king character bios. But maybe they were there before the site went down I didn't caught them in time!

[Instructions archiver]

I will buy that goblin king for christmas

[Djole]

This may seem like a random thought, but I really wonder how the theme designers decided where to place the dwarves across the sets. They have all been placed well, but I wonder if their placement should be any reflection on their involvement in that scene, or if the designers just needed to spread them out and it ended up like this. For instance, Gloin is in the Barrel Escape set, which oddly makes sense, since his son Gimli and Thranduil's son Legolas will become close friends 60 years later, so perhaps the designers placed him in that set to emphasize the ironic bond between to two families.

I really like your idea about having Gloin where he is, as it makes sense, we made a gag without even knowing it, let's call it the happy accident. ;-)

Enjoy LEGO The Hobbit everyone, there's a lot to be discovered in the sets! ;-)

Regards!

Edited January 17, 2013 by Djole

[Fives]

Now that's an interesting question and I can answer that. It is true that we tried to keep the "brothers" together, with only exception where we had to split Bofur and Bombur from Bifur because at certain price points some of the sets simply had too much/less minifigures inside. At the same time we were looking at the characters' personalities so that they fit the scene, for instance it made sense for us to place skilled warrior like Thorin in the Attack of the Wargs which is a battle scene and throw in Bifur who certainly looks more combative than Bofur and Bombur. In all other cases we managed to keep brothers together. (can't really remember why we thought that it should be Balin and Dwalin who came first to An Unexpected Gathering, or why is it Fili and his "nose" sticking out of that spider web, who goes in Escape from Mirkwood Spiders) ;-)

I really like your idea about having Gloin where he is, as it makes sense, we made a gag without even knowing it, let's call it the happy accident. ;-)

Enjoy LEGO The Hobbit everyone, there's a lot to be discovered in the sets! ;-)

Regards!

Wow! I was not expecting to have my question answered by the man who designed the Hobbit minifigs! And your answer is one that does not surprise me, since keeping the brothers together in the sets makes a lot of sense. You have done an amazing job on these figures, and the LOTR ones as well! By far some of the best figures ever produced, in my opinion.

[KristofBD]

Thanks for the info, Djole! I always love to hear this type of bits of information