LOTR & The Hobbit 2013 Set Discussion

[Leo604]

Yeah, I think Jackson would like to end each movie on a satisfying conclusion instead of leaving a cliffhanger; in AUJ the tone was deliberately made lighter with Thorin finally accepting Bilbo and the 'I do believe the worst is behind us' speech. Like Fives said, I'm going to guess that DoS will probably have Bard killing Smaug, the Company celebrating at his death, and then preparing to explore the halls for treasure and the such.

I doubt we'll get 8 sets though.

[just2good]

Eight sets? Keep dreamin'.

At most we'll get five. I think we'll get three and maybe four, but they'll definitely rehash the two from the last wave. Of course, I'm speculating.

[Deathleech]

Ya, I think 4-5 sets is most likely. I think anymore than 6 for the next Hobbit wave is just wishful thinking.

Edited July 13, 2013 by Deathleech

[hungryhobbit]

Here's hoping we get at least as many sets as last year, (unless they're planning on pulling something similar to the LOTR wave and include one huge set!)

I wouldn't even mind a couple smaller sets introducing some new characters from Desolation of Smaug, such as Radagast, (the real) Azog, Bard, Thranduil, Master of Laketown, Beorn and Smaug himself.

Since there have been two sets released already from the upcoming movie, I hope they include a couple from AUJ, such as the Hobbiton Marketplace, Radagast's House (or bunny sled), the Rock Giants and (I know it seems improbable), but the Troll Scene (with dwarven-sized ponies included!).

[Eurolock]

The second film is called THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG! This refers directly to his attack on Laketown. The film will end with Smaug getting killed.

I always thought that 'Desolation of Smaug' referred to the desolate (unpopulated) area around Erebor (Dale etc)....and I think that the jury is still very much out with regards to the timing of Smaugs death (based on fan speculation at theonering.net).

I do however, entirely agree with you that it seems the obvious way to conclude DOS...and I certainly can't think of another completely satisfactory ending. But equally I'm not sure how they would avoid Smaug's death seeming like the end of the whole adventure? How will they entice the general audience back for TABA? .....Aso based on abundance of other 'stuff' in the trailer I'd be concerned that Smaug isn't going to get much screentime if he dies in DOS.

Of course all this assumes that Peter Jackson sticks closely to the events in the book....based on recent comments about how 'he was enjoying deviating for the book' and his penchant for altering timelines he may find more 'creative' ways of dealing with smaug's demise. Perhaps the Lego sets will give interesting clues?

Apologies for straying way off topic....

Edited July 12, 2013 by Eurolock

[Str0ngbad]

I really hope the smallest set has something to do with Radagast, but they could also do Gandalf's fight with an insane Thrain.

Wait. What? Is that a thing?

[Leo604]

Wait. What? Is that a thing?

If I remember right, in the books Thrain died in Dol Guldur before or at the very least around the same time Gandalf met Thorin for the first time. It's hard to know what Jackson could do, the time framing is kind of iffy in that part of the story.

[Eurolock]

If I remember right, in the books Thrain died in Dol Guldur before or at the very least around the same time Gandalf met Thorin for the first time. It's hard to know what Jackson could do, the time framing is kind of iffy in that part of the story.

The DOS trailer seems to show Thrain jumping down (from a ridiculous height) onto Gandalf...and Gandalf appears to have Glamdring at this point so this certainly didn't happen at the time when Gandalf took possession of the key.

I'm guessing that in the movie version of events Gandalf gets the key from Thrain 'somewhere else'....he did afterall think Dol Guldor was deserted when talking to Radagast. I have no idea however what Jackson's plans are for the 'Thrain in Dol Guldor' subplot- though i suspect it will be 'something' that helps to tie the Dol Guldor and 'quest for Erebor' plotlines together......and introduce Bolg (hopefully.....)

[Str0ngbad]

Weird. I know he's mentioned in the events leading up to the hobbit but this is just weird. A Thrain fig is really obscure but could be nice. I guess I have some Googling to do. :P

[legofreak86]

As much as I would love to see 8 DOS sets....I suspect it is rather unlikely.

What we will get largely depends upon how quickly Lego has been able to react to the switch to 3 films. I think it is relatively safe to say that because we already have the 'Barrels' set already that there wouldn't (originally) have been any plans in place for Beorn's house or Thranduil's halls (since these locations would have been in AUJ). However, since some of the sets/ideas originally planned for film2 will now appear in film3, I suspect there may be some 'back-filling' required to flesh out the DOS line - which might bring these previously overlooked locations back into play.

With regards the 'flagship' set - I would be very surprised if that wasn't either a Smaug/Bilbo/Erebor set-up or a Smaug/Bard/Laketown set-up. Smaug's was always going to be a major component of Film2 (back in the original 2 movie plan) and so Lego would definitely have some sort of plan.......presumably with laketown because of the 'action' that takes place there. The only question really is whether the laketown attack is now in DOS or TABA. If it is in TABA then presumably Smaug/Erebor is the most likely big set....

As for Dol-Guldor, again it seems likely that Lego had some plans in place for this already and it is clear that this location does feature in DOS. i suspect however that any plans that were in place probably originally centred around the White Council/Sauron showdown.....which I suspect may also now be part of TABA.

Nope McCoy confirmed dos had that sequence to his knowledge. Jackson even said that there will be a confrontation with the necromancer in dos in the article in the empire magazine and also that the necromancer will be a key part of this film

I always thought that 'Desolation of Smaug' referred to the desolate (unpopulated) area around Erebor (Dale etc)....and I think that the jury is still very much out with regards to the timing of Smaugs death (based on fan speculation at theonering.net).

I do however, entirely agree with you that it seems the obvious way to conclude DOS...and I certainly can't think of another completely satisfactory ending. But equally I'm not sure how they would avoid Smaug's death seeming like the end of the whole adventure? How will they entice the general audience back for TABA? .....Aso based on abundance of other 'stuff' in the trailer I'd be concerned that Smaug isn't going to get much screentime if he dies in DOS.

Of course all this assumes that Peter Jackson sticks closely to the events in the book....based on recent comments about how 'he was enjoying deviating for the book' and his penchant for altering timelines he may find more 'creative' ways of dealing with smaug's demise. Perhaps the Lego sets will give interesting clues?

Apologies for straying way off topic....

Yes it does mean dale as tauriel's actor confirmed this in the video blog when they are talking about pickups in dale!

Edited July 12, 2013 by legofreak86

[Deathleech]

Wasn't Thrain locked up in the book, and Gandalf found him right before he died and that's when he was given the key? Though Gandalf mentions Thrain was so out of it he couldn't even remember or tell him his son's (Thorin's) name. What's all this about Gandalf and Thrain fighting? Am I missing something?

[SandMirror38]

Wasn't Thrain locked up in the book, and Gandalf found him right before he died and that's when he was given the key? Though Gandalf mentions Thrain was so out of it he couldn't even remember or tell him his son's (Thorin's) name. What's all this about Gandalf and Thrain fighting? Am I missing something?

Dont think it was actually in the book, though that means bout 10 mins of solid action does it surprise you that PJ added it?

[Eurolock]

Wasn't Thrain locked up in the book, and Gandalf found him right before he died and that's when he was given the key? Though Gandalf mentions Thrain was so out of it he couldn't even remember or tell him his son's (Thorin's) name. What's all this about Gandalf and Thrain fighting? Am I missing something?

Thats exactly correct - but clearly Jackson has changed things significantly.

The original AUJ teaser appeared to show Gandalf fighting someone in Dol Guldor but the scene was absent from the movie....then the DOS trailer clearly shows what appears to be Thrain dropping down on top of a glamdring-wielding Gandalf....presumably part of the same scene. Because Gandalf appears to have Glamdring this doesn't seem to be a flashback. Add in Gandalf's surprise that Dol Guldor isn't deserted when talking to Radagast and it seems likely that Gandalf gets the key from Thrain somewhere else in Jackson's version of events, possibly shortly after Azanulbizar.

Gandalf then appears to meet Thrain again when exploring Dol Guldor in DOS...though its not clear yet how this will fit into the overall Dol Guldor plot.

Some great possibilities for minifigures though.....perhaps Gandalf, Thrain, Bolg and even Radagast in a Dol Guldor set (with jumping Thrain action feature.....and flick-fires obviously.)

[Artanis I]

I don't like being a party pooper but there's a lot of plot spoiler going on in here, it's a bit unfair for people who wish to enjoy the movie not knowing what's coming. Yes, the book has been out forever but I recall last year we either used spoiler tags or maybe posted in some separate topic if speculating about AUJ. I believe there is one for discussing The Hobbit somewhere?

[N7LEGO]

+1, I'm currently reading the book for the first time and I already know the story because of you :)

[Eurolock]

Sorry guys - i'll make sure to tag any potential **spoilers** in future.

That said i don't think the movie has really been spoiled so far.....just speculation on a few minor plot points based on the trailer.

The Lego sets may be bigger spoilers when they are revealed.

[Deathleech]

I was debating on using spoiler tags, but the part in the book is so minor I decided against it. It's literally mentioned by Gandalf in one or two sentences. It's not exactly a major spoiler in my mind. The movie stuff is all just speculation as Eurolock said.

Edited July 13, 2013 by Deathleech

[WEREWOLF]

has anyone seen any poly bags from the 2nd wave of LOTR?

[just2good]

has anyone seen any poly bags from the 2nd wave of LOTR?

Nope. If there were, you'd see it here ASAP.

[Phantomscream]

Pure speculation on my part, but maybe the two DOS based sets from the previous Hobbit wave won't be re-packaged? I'm thinking Lego might again release a few "Preview" sets based on TABA, which were scenes originally meant to be in DOS. Then again, Lego have had plenty of time to re-arrange what's in the upcoming wave, so that's not likely to happen.

On more present matters, eagerly awaiting S@H to release the new LOTR wave so I can finally use my gift card! :D

[deskp]

Pure speculation on my part, but maybe the two DOS based sets from the previous Hobbit wave won't be re-packaged? I'm thinking Lego might again release a few "Preview" sets based on TABA, which were scenes originally meant to be in DOS. Then again, Lego have had plenty of time to re-arrange what's in the upcoming wave, so that's not likely to happen.

On more present matters, eagerly awaiting S@H to release the new LOTR wave so I can finally use my gift card! :D

the 2 preview sets might linger around, but i don't think we'll see any new preview sets. There was a very specific reason we got those in the first place.

[Rogue Angel]

As this is the 2013 sets thread, there will be Hobbit spoilers. Any new images of sets will be spoilers for the Hobbit. There has been speculation over the finer points of PJ's plans, which could be considered movie spoilers, but the general discussion here will involve major plot points, and it would be very hard to keep those out of this discussion.

I personally think that PJ has been changing the story far too much, but that is my opinion.

[Blakstone]

Pure speculation on my part, but maybe the two DOS based sets from the previous Hobbit wave won't be re-packaged? I'm thinking Lego might again release a few "Preview" sets based on TABA, which were scenes originally meant to be in DOS.

At least one of my local targets have put the Mirkwood spiders sets on clearance. Only marked down $2.50 but that was the only Hobbit set they marked down. I doubt that either set will be carried over into the next wave.

I am really hoping for some excellent minifs from the next Hobbit wave. With the exception of Bagend, I was disappointed with the other builds in this line.

[Fives]

As this is the 2013 sets thread, there will be Hobbit spoilers. Any new images of sets will be spoilers for the Hobbit. There has been speculation over the finer points of PJ's plans, which could be considered movie spoilers, but the general discussion here will involve major plot points, and it would be very hard to keep those out of this discussion.

I personally think that PJ has been changing the story far too much, but that is my opinion.

I don't think PJ has changed it for the worse, though. The changes he's made, while many, have made sense in regards to pacing of the story, development of characters, and links between these films and LOTR.

Also, LEGO wouldn't repackage old sets and just say 'Here ya go, you already got these, but they are part of this movie, so ya...', they're more loyal to their fans.

And they won't do more preview sets. That was likely a special deal made between WB and LEGO due to the sudden change of plans, but this time around, I doubt that WB will want anything else spoiled before TABA is released. And when it comes to material that LEGO could realistically release as preview sets without spoiling anything new that PJ will have added would be from the Battle of Five Armies, and they wouldn't do that because its the big climatic fight at the end.

[Faefrost]

My suspicion is this will be a fairly small wave. Remember TLG originally planned sets for 2 movies, hence two major waves. 2 sets based on the contents of this movie haves already been released making two holes in their plans. But further remember that their original production schedule would have had them including sets that are now related to TABA in this wave. So chances are those wave didn't lose 2 sets to fill, it lost 3 or 4.

Now some more bad news. These are licensed sets. Even with an accelerated schedule to fill in the gaps, there are still some long lead times needed. Each new set to plug a hole must be evaluated and approved by the license holder. At the same time that said license holder was stressed and stretched to the breaking point turning 2 movies into 3. So there is probably a question of how many new sets they could have done. Add to this that most of the 18 month lead time will be eaten up by actual production needs. Art, packaging, brick making, shipping, etc, and chances are the Lego design team only had a few weeks to make replacement sets. So replacement sets will not be huge complicated or spectacular. They will probably be more akin to Iron Mans flaming golf cart of doom. Any big spectacular stuff will be sets that were already in the pipeline. So maybe 2-3 long planned sets and 2-3 new fillers?

Finally there are a few subjects we can all but rule out, and a few that we can kind of zero in on. Remember Lego is working off concept art and early ideas. Stuff that changed or was expanded since they decided to do 3 movies probably will not be made yet as sets. We will not see a big Dul Guldur set (unless they had some real good concept art.) we may see a Beorn's House set however. The art and actual set photos of that have been out and available since TUJ, and I think that Bag End has been the overall top seller of Middle Earth sets. Beorn's House may be thought to have a similar appeal. I am betting against. Mirkwood set just because we already have two. Although that may be a more viable area for a filler set as they have long seen art for those scenes as they were planned for TUJ.

Anything that PJ and crew have been very hush hush about is unlikely to make it into this wave. With the big candidate being Smaug. I'm betting if we get a good look at him from any source at Comic Con next week, then we may see him in a set. But if no toy maker has a good detailed Smaug out on display yet, then chances are we might not see him until the next wave.

Above all expect that there will be a ton of inaccuracies between any released sets and DOS. Moreso than last time (but hopefully not as bad as Iron Man 3). I think PJ has been changing stuff and adding stuff too fast for the license holders to keep up.

I think any armour will be printed (Haldir is an example of that), but new helmets are definitely needed. I really hope that the DOS wave has some sort of army builder, be it for Elves, Dalemen, or orcs. Maybe this wave can focus on Elf army building potential, and the TABA wave can be for Dwarves and Dalemen.

That's another thing I can't wait for: Dwarf warriors. Generic Dwarf soldiers in the fantastic armour seen in the prologue of AUJ.

I think any elf armor will be printed. Putting any sort of breastplate on the elves will just make them look too chunky. But I do suspect that there might be some nice ornate Dwarf armor in the works. The hairpiece used for the main Warriors of the Dwarven company, Fili, Kili and Thorin was obviously designed to fit over accessories such as armor. Plus hopefully there will be a Mihril clad Bilbo minifig somewhere? (Although that might be TABA)

Edited July 14, 2013 by Faefrost