LOTR & The Hobbit 2013 Set Discussion

[Alcarin]

Problem is that I keep getting feeling that TLG wants to ''screw'' us over with LOTR theme.... sure we get many stuff but minifigs and minifig count seems so low and kinda spitting us in the face...

3 Uruk-hai and Torch carrier for a set which name is BATTLE at Helm's Deep?

LOTR was always about MASS BATTLES and vast armies... which is LOTRs biggest appeal apart from main characters....

Problem with LOTR sets is that WHICHEVER set you buy multiple you are forced to

1. sell additional SAME named figures

2. MOC your figures

Now i personaly try to keep my armies clean (purist typoe clean) and only switch weapons on generic soldiers... So when i bought 3 Uruk-hai Armies i had to sell 2 Eomers...

And that set was FINE... now try justifying buying 2 or even 5x Corsair ship (for pirates and army of undead) when you get tons of same characters that are useless...

1 Pirate is sailing Corsair ship (and no rescued prisoners) trying to do both events with ship in 1 set is, for me, a mockery.... Would rather have 1 (or 2) more Orcs than 1 pirate and 2 Orcs...

I really love LOTR and LOTR got me back to buying LEGO but I am really disappointed(but happy we got them atleast) about LOTR line so far.

Except for Helm's Deep and Uruk-hai Army every other set was lackluster... ok Orc Forge is fine since we get only Orcs/Uruks with armor, swords etc...

[Darth Caedus]

Problem is that I keep getting feeling that TLG wants to ''screw'' us over with LOTR theme.... sure we get many stuff but minifigs and minifig count seems so low and kinda spitting us in the face...

3 Uruk-hai and Torch carrier for a set which name is BATTLE at Helm's Deep?

LOTR was always about MASS BATTLES and vast armies... which is LOTRs biggest appeal apart from main characters....

Problem with LOTR sets is that WHICHEVER set you buy multiple you are forced to

1. sell additional SAME named figures

2. MOC your figures

Now i personaly try to keep my armies clean (purist typoe clean) and only switch weapons on generic soldiers... So when i bought 3 Uruk-hai Armies i had to sell 2 Eomers...

And that set was FINE... now try justifying buying 2 or even 5x Corsair ship (for pirates and army of undead) when you get tons of same characters that are useless...

1 Pirate is sailing Corsair ship (and no rescued prisoners) trying to do both events with ship in 1 set is, for me, a mockery.... Would rather have 1 (or 2) more Orcs than 1 pirate and 2 Orcs...

I really love LOTR and LOTR got me back to buying LEGO but I am really disappointed(but happy we got them atleast) about LOTR line so far.

Except for Helm's Deep and Uruk-hai Army every other set was lackluster... ok Orc Forge is fine since we get only Orcs/Uruks with armor, swords etc...

I wouldn't say they're trying to screw us, but I DO agree with you that a unique draw of the LOTR films is the massive armies. No other film before or since has made colossal hordes of evil and valiant legions of good look so freakin' cool and appealing. I agree with the people who have said that large sets like Orthanc cannot be the norm since it's out of many folks' price range - which means Lego can only do so much to capture the grandeur of LOTR's locations. But minifigures are straightforward, simple, and there's a proven model for their distribution - the battlepack. Sets below USD $30 should be Gondorians with modular Osgiliath rubble, Rohirrim Riders with a Fangorn tree, Uruk warriors with Amon Hen ruins, Last Alliance Elves with Mordor rock formations - etc. You can toss in one unique/semi-unique figure in there to make it more appealing to those who seek main characters as well (e.g. Faramir, who with a simple headswap can become a generic ranger or gondorian knight, depending on the costume; Last Alliance Elrond = Last Aliance Elves; Flashback armored Boromir = Gondorian Soldier; Elendil or Isildur = Numenoreans; Lurtz=Uruk-hai; Shagrat=Mordor Uruk; Gorbag/Grishnakh/Snaga/etc. = Mordor Orc...) The minifigures included in a set are almost as important as the set itself - sometimes more so (it does vary). Lego showed they can artfully distribute characters throughout sets in The Hobbit Wave 1, and make great armybuilders with the Helms Deep wall. All we 'complainers' ask is more of that. It's clearly not that tricky to think up - we brainstorm viable set concepts like this in a heartbeat. So when so much planning and development time results in lackluster minifig selection in a theme equally about its iconic characters and heroic armies, there is frustration accordingly.

[mpoh98]

I love all these new sets, very detailed, and some nice pieces.

[The_Creator]

I don't understand all the bashing of the Council Of Elrond set. It is a fantastic set with lots of nice pieces in rare colors, beautiful minifigs, and relatively cheap. The set is not even called Rivendell. Sure, there's some elvish architecture and foliage, but the focus is supposed to be on the one ring on the stone pedastal, just like in the movie.

I agree! CoE is my favorite set from this wave!

[Deathleech]

I don't understand why everyone is down on the corsair. Is a cool looking ship IMO.

The Corsair Ship is not a bad set at all, it just should have been released in a much later wave. Release it in wave 5 or 6 and people would love to have something a little different than the rest of the LotR sets (which are mostly castles or buildings) with a pirate ship. Release it in wave 2 before we have anything Gondor related or any of the other more important scenes covered? Not near as cool. I mean most people would rather get Minas Tirith, which is featured throughout all of the RotK film rather than the Corsair ship which literally has under 5 minutes of air time. It would be like releasing a Robin set and holding off on releasing Batman ones for the Super Heros line.

3 Uruk-hai and Torch carrier for a set which name is BATTLE at Helm's Deep?

Well in Lego's defense Helm's Deep needs some good characters included in the set. It's not like they could just released 8 Uruk-hai and Aragorn. I think 4 Uruk-hai was a very good number considering you get Theoden and Haldir on top of a few main characters. If you buy one of every set from wave 1 you are left with 9 Uruk-hai and 2 Mordor Orcs total which isn't bad at all.

And that set was FINE... now try justifying buying 2 or even 5x Corsair ship (for pirates and army of undead) when you get tons of same characters that are useless...

Well considering it's a $100 set I don't think Lego really planned on using it as an army builder. I mean even if it included nothing but Corsair, Undead, and Orcs it's still not going to appeal to many people as an army builder type of set just due to it's high cost. These big sets need to have some of the main characters included because it might be the only set a kid is getting from the wave and they can't just have all army builders in it. I am fine if a wave only have 1-2 main characters being re-used, any more though and it starts getting ridiculous. Gimli could of probably been left out of the Corsair Ship, but as others have mentioned he prolly won't be included in many/any future sets so if that's the case it's fine.

[Gryphon Ink]

LOTR was always about MASS BATTLES and vast armies... which is LOTRs biggest appeal apart from main characters....

But it wasn't and it isn't. "The Longest Day" is about mass battles and vast armies. The Lord of the Rings is about four brave hobbits mustering the courage to do what needs to be done, when all around them is darkness and chaos, fell creatures and mighty heroes who think the little people are children to be protected or enslaved. This point is driven home again and again and again in the books and repeated somewhat less frequently in the movies. The battle scenes are eye candy to decorate that story. And they sure are pretty, I can agree with that. The siege of Helm's Deep is an awesome spectacle. But LOTR was a publishing phenomenon for sixty years before the movies were ever made. It was successful without any visual interpretation of vast armies clashing. And even as far as the films go, I think what will stick with me twenty years from now is not Gimli and Aragorn fighting through hordes of Uruk-Hai, but Pippin singing for Lord Denethor while Faramir rides to his death.

I'm sorry to belabor the point, but I keep on hearing this point of view from AFOLs who want more, more, more armybuilders, repeating it as if it was the only point of view. It isn't.

[Alcarin]

Well in Lego's defense Helm's Deep needs some good characters included in the set. It's not like they could just released 8 Uruk-hai and Aragorn. I think 4 Uruk-hai was a very good number considering you get Theoden and Haldir on top of a few main characters. If you buy one of every set from wave 1 you are left with 9 Uruk-hai and 2 Mordor Orcs total which isn't bad at all.

Problem is TLGs ridiculous minifig count... sets that are priced on retail for 100$+ should have 10+ minifigs (1 fig per 10-14$) to start with... Ok so you have 11 enemy generic soldiers to fight ENTIRE fellowship (9) + Haldir/Theoden/Eomer and ONE Rohan Soldier.........

Even if we add Lurtz and Moria Orcs we are still not even on 2 on 1 ratio and we know how much is that away from the films.

Problem with LOTR line is that we are getting MAIN characters way too often...

Well considering it's a $100 set I don't think Lego really planned on using it as an army builder. I mean even if it included nothing but Corsair, Undead, and Orcs it's still not going to appeal to many people as an army builder type of set just due to it's high cost. These big sets need to have some of the main characters included because it might be the only set a kid is getting from the wave and they can't just have all army builders in it. I am fine if a wave only have 1-2 main characters being re-used, any more though and it starts getting ridiculous. Gimli could of probably been left out of the Corsair Ship, but as others have mentioned he prolly won't be included in many/any future sets so if that's the case it's fine.

Yes but if you, as you claimed, buy each set ONCE you get tons of Fellowship that is useless... (unless you are heavy MOCer and even then you need other parts to compensate) Problem with Corsair ship is, it is trying to get 2 scenes in 1 and ends up doing both scene NO justice at all....

1st we get 1 Corsair... Ok it looks cool, we get Peter Jackson for AFOLs but 1 PIRATE to sail a ship?

Ok we get Aragorn, fine he is important for anything related to Undead

Gimli and Legolas are NOT important for either scene since Undead are main figure both boarding the ship and at the landing....

Ok then we get Undead, they are fine and acceptable, will never see them again it seems...

Then we get TWO mordor orcs with NO helmets(bald sigh) same torso as always with a catapult

Thats no army huh? It gives no scene any justice and on top of it portraits like Undead took captives when boarding Corsair ship (which every knows to be untrue)

Either they should:

1. remove Orcs and add 2-3 more Corsairs

2. remove Pirate add 2 more orcs

3. add more figures of both pirates and orcs

While I love the design of the ship I will not buy it but will rather find it on ebay without figs for display... why? Because noone needs 3rd Gimli 2nd Legolas and 3rd Aragorn...

I think what will stick with me twenty years from now is not Gimli and Aragorn fighting through hordes of Uruk-Hai, but Pippin singing for Lord Denethor while Faramir rides to his death.

I think sticking with me is the sight Denethor sees when looking down from Minas Tirith seeing the Mordor Army at his doorstep...

I think sticking with me is the sight of Helm's Deep and the sight of morning with Eomer, Gandalf and Rohirrim marching down the slopes to crush Armies of Isengard

I think sticking with me is the beautiful background music and last March of the Ents and Treebeards ''speech''

And even in your example sticking with you is another ''mass'' army scene that is much surpasing anything in LEGO terms...

Even death of Boromir features more uruk-hai than buying 2x entire LOTR line gives...

Its about heroism of the Fellowship and Free peoples of Middle Earth defeating VASTLY OUTNUMBERING ODDS OF ENEMIES i think even Sam killed more Orcs than we get in all LOTR line....

[DragonKnights]

I've found it pretty easy to build my evil armies of uruk-hai, goblins, moria orcs, and ring wraiths through bricklink for about $5 per minifigure (ring wraiths more like $10). Same goes for Rohan soldiers. It's a good solution to the problem, and helps fill in some of the larger sets.

I do fear that the army of dead minifigures will be costly because they come in an expensive set. Any lego elf also seems to demand a high price on the secondary market. Wargs are also a bit expensive for my taste.

[Str0ngbad]

@Alcarin: Does a set really have to be an 'army builder' for you to like it? Sets HAVE to have main characters to sell. The only exception would be battle packs and due to their conspicuous absence in this line, they may not be permitted. LEGO is cleverly including both the army of the dead and the Corsair in the same set so that they can cover more characters and leave more room for all the other sets we're crying for. Are you really complaining that we're getting a Corsair? And of course there are a couple orcs, you were already saying how there weren't enough and that makes the primary play function in this set. There are plenty of purist options for mixing your orc army up and there will be more options later. I agree it is unfortunate and strange that they aren't giving us hairpieces for them but I'm glad they are using their budget to give us new characters and gorgeous sets rather than new prints for nameless, faceless orcs (especially when we have only gotten four of them so far). I love the epic battles too but there is WAY more to LOTR than that and most of that is much more practically portrayed in LEGO sets. I don't understand how anyone can be this unhappy with some of the most fantastic sets that LEGO has made. Ultimately, I think you need to ask if what you are suggesting would sell better to kids who may or may not have any of the sets already. If the answer isn't 'definitely!' then you should probably adjust your expectations for this line.

You're right DragonKnight, Bricklink and sometimes eBay are great ways to pad your ranks though that might be more difficult for people in some countries. I think Elves and maybe Wargs will come down in price a bit after more Hobbit sets are released. Also, Yazneg is a really cheap and effective means of mixing some diversity into your ranks.

Edited May 2, 2013 by Str0ngbad

[Flieger]

Yes but if you, as you claimed, buy each set ONCE you get tons of Fellowship that is useless... (unless you are heavy MOCer and even then you need other parts to compensate) Problem with Corsair ship is, it is trying to get 2 scenes in 1 and ends up doing both scene NO justice at all....

I do not think so. The scene is crystal clear: the arrival at Harlond. That is why the bonus Peter Jackson/corsair is captive, that is why there are orcs and siege weaponry, that is why there is a focus on the Army of the Dead (as you have seen in the movie, it is also their huge numbers to swap away the orcs), and that is why you need the trio of Gimli, Aragorn and Legolas (these three left the ship first).

Maybe Lego should have removed PJ/corsair and replace it with an orc to remove all misunderstandings, but I for one like the corsair fig and I am happy he is in.

As for the rest, Strongbad really made a good case. All we REALLY lack for LotR is a battle pack with unnamed characters.

[Deathleech]

Alcarin, I completely agree with you that I would rather see more generic soldiers than rehashes of the Fellowship. You have to remember Lego isn't catering to us AFOLs though, this is a CHILDREN'S toy that is focused on them first and foremost. Not every 10 year old is going to have 350-400 bucks per wave to buy every single set released. They need to have options to get Gimli or Aragorn in a few sets in case they only buy one or two from a wave. You also have to think of people that get into this theme several months from now when some of the older sets are no longer available. They too need some options for picking up the Fellowship beyond just buying the first wave off the secondary market.

I think the key is to sprinkle in main characters without going overboard while also offering a good number of soldier types in each wave. So far it seems Lego is doing this extremely well. We only will have 1-2 of most the characters after the second wave hits, and at most 3-4 of some. Wanting to have the Uruk-hai outnumber the good guys 10 to 2 like in the films is a little unrealistic in Lego sets. That means Helm's Deep would need 20 Uruk-hai if it had just Aragorn, Theoden, Haldir, and Gimli. If you buy one of every set after the second LotR wave hits, and use your orcs from the Hobbit wave, you actually will have a pretty good sized army already without even needing to BrickLink or buy extra of any set. You would have Lurtz, a Uruk-hai Bezerker, 10 Uruk-hai (2 White Hand armor), 2 Moria Goblins, and 11 Mordor Orcs/Hobbit Orcs/Goblins. That's 25 orcs to face the good guys and doesn't even include any extras.

[Artanis I]

The Moria orcs are double-faced, that alleviates some "sameness" there. The uruk-hai are double-faced and have helmet options, that alleviates the "sameness" there. Unfortunately the Mordor orcs have only 1 face, but you can use the heads from the Goblin King Battle. I admit, it would be nicer for sets to immediately have more variation for the orcs, but I think it's the weapons & faces that make the most difference, and that base is covered for us by BL.

Yes it would be awesome to have varied helmets & torsos, but that would just drive the prices up.

[Delta 38]

If you're a completionist and like displaying minifigs, getting multiples of named characters might not actually be that bad a thing. I personally disliked multiple figures until I realised I could use the spares as variants. For example, I own two Aragorn figures. The first is normal with the neutral expression, and the second has the angry expression with a torch (i.e. to represent Aragorn in the Weathertop scene). And with the third Aragorn that I'll get from the Corsair ship, I'm planning to give him a bow, as he had one briefly in Moria. And of course, if you like customising minifigs, you can always do that too. It's only when we miss out on other characters that multiples really become a problem.

As for the army-building argument, while it's a shame that we haven't got an affordable battle pack type set yet, I think this line as a whole is aimed more at collectors. We've seen the entire lineup of the Fellowship and the Company, both in their respective waves, and the sets have obviously been designed to include all the figures. The second wave for The Lord of the Rings is smaller, but that's likely because of Orthanc. So all three waves thus far have been restricted to make room for the characters or Orthanc, and theoretically, that means that they could go crazy in any future waves.

Many of us seem to have rather high expectations, but we don't actually know how long this license will go for, nor do we know what's ahead. I don't think we can judge it just yet.

[Artanis I]

If you're a completionist and like displaying minifigs, getting multiples of named characters might not actually be that bad a thing. I personally disliked multiple figures until I realised I could use the spares as variants. For example, I own two Aragorn figures. The first is normal with the neutral expression, and the second has the angry expression with a torch (i.e. to represent Aragorn in the Weathertop scene). And with the third Aragorn that I'll get from the Corsair ship, I'm planning to give him a bow, as he had one briefly in Moria. And of course, if you like customising minifigs, you can always do that too. It's only when we miss out on other characters that multiples really become a problem.

On my end, I have the sets all built and on display. All the duplicate named characters can appear in each scene they were part of. As of wave 1, I am only short a Merry for Balin's tomb. (If you don't count Weathertop being short a few Nazgul.) Corsair set covers itself, as does the wizard duel. By buying 2 gates and the Rivendell set my extra W'Gandalf can go to Helm's Deep, somehow I could get one of my spare Aragorns to fit Rivendell, my already spare Boromir can join him along with my spare G'Gandalf. (Just add a couple of Legolases and extra hobbits to complete each scene!) Just leaves 1 each extra of Mouths, Theodens, Haldirs, beserkers and a bunch of Lurtzes & Eomers to find a place for...

Edited May 3, 2013 by Artanis I

[Alcarin]

@Alcarin: Does a set really have to be an 'army builder' for you to like it? Sets HAVE to have main characters to sell. The only exception would be battle packs and due to their conspicuous absence in this line, they may not be permitted. LEGO is cleverly including both the army of the dead and the Corsair in the same set so that they can cover more characters and leave more room for all the other sets we're crying for. Are you really complaining that we're getting a Corsair? And of course there are a couple orcs, you were already saying how there weren't enough and that makes the primary play function in this set. There are plenty of purist options for mixing your orc army up and there will be more options later. I agree it is unfortunate and strange that they aren't giving us hairpieces for them but I'm glad they are using their budget to give us new characters and gorgeous sets rather than new prints for nameless, faceless orcs (especially when we have only gotten four of them so far). I love the epic battles too but there is WAY more to LOTR than that and most of that is much more practically portrayed in LEGO sets. I don't understand how anyone can be this unhappy with some of the most fantastic sets that LEGO has made. Ultimately, I think you need to ask if what you are suggesting would sell better to kids who may or may not have any of the sets already. If the answer isn't 'definitely!' then you should probably adjust your expectations for this line.

I am not complaining about getting Corsair... I am complaining I will need to pay 100$ to obtain 5 of them which is reasonable for sailing a ship.......

Look I said full well I am HAPPY extra happy that we got LOTR line, but thats just about the part of getting it... what we have is better than having NO LEGO LOTR but it ends soon after that and Helm's Deep set with extension of uruk-hai Army...

Alcarin, I completely agree with you that I would rather see more generic soldiers than rehashes of the Fellowship. You have to remember Lego isn't catering to us AFOLs though, this is a CHILDREN'S toy that is focused on them first and foremost. Not every 10 year old is going to have 350-400 bucks per wave to buy every single set released. They need to have options to get Gimli or Aragorn in a few sets in case they only buy one or two from a wave. You also have to think of people that get into this theme several months from now when some of the older sets are no longer available. They too need some options for picking up the Fellowship beyond just buying the first wave off the secondary market.

I think the key is to sprinkle in main characters without going overboard while also offering a good number of soldier types in each wave. So far it seems Lego is doing this extremely well. We only will have 1-2 of most the characters after the second wave hits, and at most 3-4 of some. Wanting to have the Uruk-hai outnumber the good guys 10 to 2 like in the films is a little unrealistic in Lego sets. That means Helm's Deep would need 20 Uruk-hai if it had just Aragorn, Theoden, Haldir, and Gimli. If you buy one of every set after the second LotR wave hits, and use your orcs from the Hobbit wave, you actually will have a pretty good sized army already without even needing to BrickLink or buy extra of any set. You would have Lurtz, a Uruk-hai Bezerker, 10 Uruk-hai (2 White Hand armor), 2 Moria Goblins, and 11 Mordor Orcs/Hobbit Orcs/Goblins. That's 25 orcs to face the good guys and doesn't even include any extras.

Thats why I said... uruk-hai Army + Helm's Deep are 2 best LEGO LOTR sets... Eomer is the only figure you get DOUBLED or more and he is the easiest MOCable character if needed (add hair, remove cape etc.)

If all sets would be done in similar way (Example current Mines of Moria remove Gimli and Balins TOMB add 1 more Moria Orc then add additional 2 pillars and Balins tomb in another set + gimli and 3 Moria Orcs = easy ''bpack'' )

If you're a completionist and like displaying minifigs, getting multiples of named characters might not actually be that bad a thing. I personally disliked multiple figures until I realised I could use the spares as variants. For example, I own two Aragorn figures. The first is normal with the neutral expression, and the second has the angry expression with a torch (i.e. to represent Aragorn in the Weathertop scene). And with the third Aragorn that I'll get from the Corsair ship, I'm planning to give him a bow, as he had one briefly in Moria. And of course, if you like customising minifigs, you can always do that too. It's only when we miss out on other characters that multiples really become a problem.

Yeh thats a nice option for figures displaying but what about those of us who want to display events like Siege of Helm's Deep ?

Either I spend a fortune on uruk-hai armies and keep trying to sell Eomer + wall + balista or spend near that fortune for seperate Uruk-hai on Bricklink.

I am closing now to a decent size army but i spent a fortune...

[deskp]

On my end, I have the sets all built and on display. All the duplicate named characters can appear in each scene they were part of. As of wave 1, I am only short a Merry for Balin's tomb. (If you don't count Weathertop being short a few Nazgul.) Corsair set covers itself, as does the wizard duel. By buying 2 gates and the Rivendell set my extra W'Gandalf can go to Helm's Deep, somehow I could get one of my spare Aragorns to fit Rivendell, my already spare Boromir can join him along with my spare G'Gandalf. (Just add a couple of Legolases and extra hobbits to complete each scene!) Just leaves 1 each extra of Mouths, Theodens, Haldirs, beserkers and a bunch of Lurtzes & Eomers to find a place for...

The extra Theoden and Eomers can both visits Orthanc. But then you'll "need" another Gandalf the white, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn and Legolas.

[Vindice]

Don't forget we had the polybags too. i was able to get about 40 of those to build up my army of uruks! I think battlepacks are good but lets not forget that we've only had a reasonably small summer wave of LOTR. TLG does have a limited headcount and that maybe a far bigger reason than people expect as to why some waves are getting a bit smaller. It may be scandalous for us to imagine but people DO leave the Lego group.............especially when Hasbro are more than willing to pay them a little bit extra to jumpship and take their talents to the fledling Kre'o line.

I think they've earned our respect (if they need to!) with Helms Deep and Orthanc which are incredible sets. We need to keep on reminding ourselves that it is aimed at kids and more importantly parents wallets! Material prices are on the up, minifig production is getting more intense and detailed and budgets are being cut. This means the designers have a huge taks in putting out a set that has the right combination of style and substance whilst making a profit.

lets give the guys a bit of a break and sit back and enjoy the next few years, you never know, it may go from strength to strength!

[Alcarin]

Don't forget we had the polybags too.

If only the polybag came with sword and shield for the Uruk :) instead of that old vintage halberd...

Problem was there are no polybags in my area and ordering them online is costing more than buying normal Uruks

[Fives]

I think that LEGO takes into account some of the things said on sites like Eurobricks. They get a sense of what the fans want and do their best to accomplish it in a way that makes sense for them on a business level as well. I bet that the next LOTR wave will have a stronger focus on Gondor, and perhaps fill the gaps where secondary heroes and villains are concerned so by the end of three waves, we have a decent line of sets to create a strong LEGO LOTR world. Then, hopefully they'll make one last wave to have fun with and make some more sets with figs the fans want to see.

All I know is that I'm still gobsmacked that we've even been given this gift of a license!

[Ki-Adi-Mundi]

Well, while the next wave's line up is limited in terms of number of new sets, the choice of those very sets seems decent to me. With Saruman's tower they topped it. Except for the ship - the corsair scenes are too short and sideways to make it as memorable as - say, the attack on weathertop, i will go for all.

The want to gain countless of figs for big battles is pretty understandable. LOTR is full of battles. Battles which decide on the fate of middle earth and seal the third age. Nevertheless the story is about so much more. Fantastic places and events, authentic characters to like and hate, respectively. If one collects the whole line, i am sure that one still gets enough cannon fodder and heroes to build up remarkable captions of the ongoings of the ring war. And usually, not too many battles take place simultaneously.

The license is a blessing and i share the thought that once the lines comes to an end, little will be left out. With TLG's pricing and release policy, at least i have grown somewhat patient for good sales and the completion. The action in Gondor inevitably will become focused on. I remember this nice wallpaper with plenty of Gondorians, the witch king with his fell beast and Eowyn's ascending to her greatest moment. With wonderful Helm's deep and Orthanc, we can be fairly sure to see an impressive Minas Tirith sometimes in the near future.

[Blakstone]

Ki-Adi-Mundi, I agree. The Orthanc is a good sign that we may get a massive Minas Tirith set in the future. I know that the consensus was that it would never happen but many thought a $200 US Orthanc was impossible as well. I would be happy for a focus on Gondor in 2014 as long as it includes Eowyn and the Witch King.

[deskp]

Ki-Adi-Mundi, I agree. The Orthanc is a good sign that we may get a massive Minas Tirith set in the future.

I don't think so at all, Not many themes gets multiple HUGE sets. and now LOTR already got 1.

[Str0ngbad]

I don't think so at all, Not many themes gets multiple HUGE sets. and now LOTR already got 1.

This is true but not many themes present as much material for them. I don't expect Minas Tirith just because it is SO huge but I'd be tickled pink if they surprised me with it. I dont take Orthanc as a sign that there are more of its kind coming but I don't think it has to be the only one either.

If they don't do a massive Minas Tirith, I would hope they at least give us the citadel.

[deskp]

If they don't do a massive Minas Tirith, I would hope they at least give us the citadel.

The gate would be more likely in my opinion.

If theres a minas tirrith I'd expect a 3-4 level thing, and only a quarter circle, buy 2 build one mirrored and BooM!

[Str0ngbad]

To each his own. :) In my opinion the white tree, courtyard and great hall are more iconic than the gates. I certainly wouldn't complain about either. That idea for Minas Tirith is actually really good. I think they could do a superb rendition of half the city for ~$200 or a little more.