LOTR & The Hobbit 2013 Set Discussion

[Mencot]

Hey everyone, it's Orthanc! http://www.fbtb.net/...wer-of-orthanc/

(Via FBTB.)

Awesome, ofcourse it could been a bit bigger

But that TLG choose to include that many minifigs and an Ent is cool. Just as people wish and speculated.

[Str0ngbad]

FINALLY!!!!

It's about the height I expected though I was anticipating a slightly larger, more expensive set. I have a minor complaint that we're getting yet another mordor orc without his hairpiece. They must all bald terribly early. I'm a little surprised we're getting an ent and another eagle. All in all I'm just terribly happy to finally have pictures to drool over.

Thanks Delta 38 for breaking the news to me!

EDIT: I just saw it; JULY!!! That's a great price for the piece count too.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Str0ngbad

[Rogue Angel]

Sweet! Grima, an Ent! Is that a mace I see in the 2nd picture?

[Seaber]

I love this! And well done for Lego for making the Wizards Battle a nicely priced way to recreate one of the more memorable scenes from Orthanc. Nice new faces for Gandalf and Saruman too, and another eagle. I think the only way this could be better is if it closed to form a complete Orthanc rather than a three sided one. I can't afford one, but I am buying one anyway!

I am so glad this came with Wormtongue, which means minifigure wise the only main ones left are Gondorian/RotK based or have a place in the Hobbit. Hopefully the third wave will be based on Gondor/Pelennor Fields with Denethor, Faramir, Eowyn and the Witch King all having appearances here. Galadriel being the last LotR main character can be shoehorned into a Hobbit set I am sure!

[deskp]

For a set that big having less minifigures than helms deep and corsair ship is abit silly. especialy sicne 2 or 3 of the figures are total reuse.

[The_Chosen_1]

Large sets don't necessarily equate to lots of minifigures, though. Just look at some of the S@H exclusive Star Wars sets (10188 aside ). Honestly, the minifig selection is exactly what I was expecting.

EDIT: I also just noticed that TheOneRing.net has some additional shots of the set in action: http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/04/26/71149-lego-unveils-the-tower-of-orthanc/

Edited April 26, 2013 by The_Chosen_1

[KristofBD]

Brilliant set - love the ent and the great interior. The interior is what I probably like best, but the overall shape and the building techniques look very nice as well. The minifigs are ok, especially Saruman again looks great. A pity we get no new orcs though...

[Alcarin]

Large sets don't necessarily equate to lots of minifigures, though. Just look at some of the S@H exclusive Star Wars sets (10188 aside ). Honestly, the minifig selection is exactly what I was expecting.

EDIT: I also just noticed that TheOneRing.net has some additional shots of the set in action: http://www.theonerin...wer-of-orthanc/

Yes Large do not equate to alot of minifigs...

but you have to keep 2 important differences here...

X wing is UCS! its a display set...

Star Wars Death Star is PLAY SET (how many minifigs does it have???)

Orthanc = PLAY SET (how many minifigs does it have ???)

Orthanc is not a display set (it can be but its role is primarily PLAYING value) Just like Death Star is play value set with 20+ minifigs (forgot the number i think its 28)

I am very disappointed...

I would trade eagle and Ent AND Gandalf instantly for 3 wild men and an ENCLOSED Orthanc that can be opened like Haunted house...

[Deathleech]

It's even better than I was expecting!!! This will be a Day 1 purchase for me, assuming there is free shipping involved.

Unfortunately Lego S@H doesn't have many good deals like other sites/stores. I think I will wait till double VIP points in October, that way I will score 20 points for this thing and it will probably be the best deal we will see on it for a few years. The waiting a few extra months might kill me though

For a set that big having less minifigures than helms deep and corsair ship is abit silly. especialy sicne 2 or 3 of the figures are total reuse.

Not having a ton of figures isn't what bugs me so much as the amount of rehashes. I am fine with Saruman since he has his robe, and Grima since he is obviously completely new. The White Hand armored Uruk-hai is also nice since we don't have him available in many other sets. Another Gandalf the Gray is pretty meh, but at least he has his hair making the Wizard Duel an easy set to pass up if you want to get Orthanc instead. Another bald Mordor Orc though? Really? REALLY? When this line was first unveiled I wanted Mordor Orcs (and all orcs for the matter) to be available in huge quantities. Little did I know they would be reusing the same Mordor Orc for EVERY LotR set! Come on Lego, at least give us fome old Kingdoms helms, or mix and match existing pieces you already made for the LotR/Hobbit line (Hobbit goblin heads and bald caps, Moria torsos, etc.).

[Faefrost]

Yes Large do not equate to alot of minifigs...

but you have to keep 2 important differences here...

X wing is UCS! its a display set...

Star Wars Death Star is PLAY SET (how many minifigs does it have???)

Orthanc = PLAY SET (how many minifigs does it have ???)

Orthanc is not a display set (it can be but its role is primarily PLAYING value) Just like Death Star is play value set with 20+ minifigs (forgot the number i think its 28)

I am very disappointed...

I would trade eagle and Ent AND Gandalf instantly for 3 wild men and an ENCLOSED Orthanc that can be opened like Haunted house...

I think the comparison was more to the SW UCS sets like the SSD and the Imperial Shuttle, both of which were also mixed display/play sets and only had around a half dozen figs. Arkham Asylum would be another good example at around that price point.

[Alcarin]

I think the comparison was more to the SW UCS sets like the SSD and the Imperial Shuttle, both of which were also mixed display/play sets and only had around a half dozen figs. Arkham Asylum would be another good example at around that price point.

How can you play with SSD :)

If you want to fly it around in air youll break it :P

Ok you can play the deck stuff, but its so limited its not worth mentioning.

I guess you're right... Still disappointed though.

[JTredders]

:angel_sing: :excited:

BEST SET EVER!!!

This set is proof that LEGO knows exactly what the fans want.

[Seaber]

I am fine with Saruman since he has his robe, and Grima since he is obviously completely new. The White Hand armored Uruk-hai is also nice since we don't have him available in many other sets. Another Gandalf the Gray is pretty meh, but at least he has his hair making the Wizard Duel an easy set to pass up if you want to get Orthanc instead.

Gandalf and Saruman both have exclusive faces double sided to this set. I don't know what other kind of Orc could be included in this set, although a hairpiece would be nice.

[Ki-Adi-Mundi]

Wow, that's pretty damn awesome!

Once i swore to not buy any LEGO more expensive than 150 EUR. While i stick to that in general, this one will be the first and definitely remain one extremely rare exception. This wouldn't be the case if the content could not justify the price tag. But this set certainly does the job! Size, amount of contents and the execution of the realisation seem outstanding to me.

While more figs would have been nice and understandably are being demanded, the star of the Orthanc set is the tower's very self. Looks accurate and has a beautiful interior. So many details to look at and play with.

This set is also once more a 'civilian' set i like so much in the medieval themes. One could imagine to use it in any medieval environment as kind of an evil guard or wizard's tower. This is the the stuff classics are being made of! Bravo, TLG!

[Faefrost]

:angel_sing: :excited:

BEST SET EVER!!!

This set is proof that LEGO knows exactly what the fans want.

Lots and lots and lots of black slopes?

I kid. It's a neat looking set. Although I suspect that the instructions will be a major source of eye strain.

[Deathleech]

Gandalf and Saruman both have exclusive faces double sided to this set. I don't know what other kind of Orc could be included in this set, although a hairpiece would be nice.

Ahh, so they do! It's hard to notice since their beards cover so much of their faces And, while they are new prints, I don't think they will really be a deciding factor if people buy the Orthanc set or not since they are such subtle changes (like Golem in the Riddles for the Ring set).

As for other orcs, like I said, all Lego has to do is mix and match pieces already used. Why not use the Hobbit Goblin head and bald cap and plop it on a Mordor Orc body? Or re-use some existing Castle helms? It seems so easy it's painful. I know I could do this myself but I came out of my dark ages with the Lego LotR line so I don't have many older helmets. I don't really feel like spending $2-3 on BL for them either when Lego could easily just include them in sets instead of using the EXACT SAME Mordor Orc!.

[Str0ngbad]

PLEASE don't ask them for more of those awful bald caps. They don't even cover the back face and I hate the idea of them for orcs. I too am upset they didn't give us a hairpiece but I loathe the goblin caps. Mix their heads and bodies in TLG but please forget you ever made those hat things.

[Darth Lurtz]

Looks great. My only reservation is that I wish it came with a proper Lurtz instead of a generic Uruk.

[Deathleech]

Ya, the fact the face sort of shows through on the back was really sloppy, but I would take the bald caps to nothing any day of the week

Edited April 26, 2013 by Deathleech

[Shroffy123]

I am excited its a july release, as opposed to an october that was original assumed

[Legoman123]

I love this! And well done for Lego for making the Wizards Battle a nicely priced way to recreate one of the more memorable scenes from Orthanc. Nice new faces for Gandalf and Saruman too, and another eagle. I think the only way this could be better is if it closed to form a complete Orthanc rather than a three sided one. I can't afford one, but I am buying one anyway!

I am so glad this came with Wormtongue, which means minifigure wise the only main ones left are Gondorian/RotK based or have a place in the Hobbit. Hopefully the third wave will be based on Gondor/Pelennor Fields with Denethor, Faramir, Eowyn and the Witch King all having appearances here. Galadriel being the last LotR main character can be shoehorned into a Hobbit set I am sure!

If it did close at the back, imagine how much more money it would have to be. It does look amazing though. :)

[Deathleech]

I didn't even realize how big that Ent was. After looking at more pictures, I almost wish they HADN'T included him just to keep the price closer to $160 like Arkham Asylum was. They could of released an Ent set later for $20 bucks or so (I plan of buying every set so it wouldn't really save me money, just help space things out more). At the same time I can see why Lego did decide to include him though, it probably is a nice selling point to younger fans and offers a lot of extra play options. Plus, as has been mentioned, I am sure a Treebeard w/Merry and Pippin set is coming out in the future so they probably didn't want two sets that were so similar being released.

[howie28]

It looks to me that Saruman comes with legs and a robe. I'm sure there is a picture of Saruman with legs.

[Deathleech]

It looks to me that Saruman comes with legs and a robe. I'm sure there is a picture of Saruman with legs.

Yes he does. You can see both pieces in this picture (he has his legs on and his skirt piece is to the right):

You can also see both versions here:

Edited April 26, 2013 by Deathleech

[Fives]

I gotta say LEGO has done an amazing job! Holy Hobbits, this set is AMAZING!

The tower itself is beautiful. All of the rooms are fantastic, and the attention to detail, from the portraits of the Istari, to the light up Palantir, its all awesome.

The Minifigs are decent. Saruman and Grima are the star figs of the set. Gandalf was expected, and kind of a waste. And the Uruk and Orc, while not new, are welcome additions to my armies. It's really nice to get another Eagle.

The best surprise is the Ent. He looks amazing. While this likely means they will not make a Treebeard set (this Ent looks enough like Treebeard to pass, and can be slightly adjusted for more accuracy), I'm happy to see how wonderfully LEGO has made the Ent.

The price point, for what you get, is fair. If they were to make a stand alone Entset, it would likely be $30-$40, so add that to a very detail, very tall tower, along with five figs and a special molded Eagle, $200 seems reasonable. I can't wait to get my hand on this beautiful set!