REVIEW:79003 An Unexpected Gathering

[Captain BeerBeard]

NAME:An Unexpected Gathering

SET NUMBER:79003

PARTS:652

MINIFIGURES:6

RELEASE:2012

PRICE:$69.99 usd

BOX

IMAG3067 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

Contents

There is no cardboard backing here to keep your sticker sheet safe. Instructions came crumpled.

IMAG3073 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

Bag 1

IMAG3074 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

Bilbo

IMAG3078 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

IMAG3079 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

Build progress

IMAG3081 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

IMAG3085 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

Bag 2

IMAG3087 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

IMAG3088 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

Iteresting window design

IMAG3089 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

IMAG3090 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

IMAG3091 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

Bag 3

IMAG3092 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

Let's take a closer look at the small bags.

IMAG3093 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

IMAG3094 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

Bag4

IMAG3095 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

Extra parts

IMAG3098 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

Complete Build

IMAG3099 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

Figs

All these guys are great. I won't be going over Gandalf for obvious reasons.

IMAG3101 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

IMAG3103 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

IMAG3102 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

IMAG3107 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

Finished Interior

IMAG3115 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

Finished Exterior

IMAG3112 by captain BeerBeard, on Flickr

Final Thoughts

Design:15/20 It's not perfect but is great to look at with a really cool window design.

Playability:20/20 Who wants to play house?

Parts:12/20 Lots of green and brown. The fact that the map tiles are stickers is a real big let down.

Minifigures:18/20 A whole lot of new stuff. I love All the parts and printings

Price:8/20 The jacked up price sucks. Stickers at this price point? WTF? TLG?

FINAL:73/100 I like the set but am left feeling salty.

Edited December 5, 2012 by Captain BeerBeard

[PsyKater]

Thanks for this early review.

Regarding the design, you say that it is not perfect. How do you think it could be better? I've read some reviews mentioning that this is one of the best sets TLG has ever released, so I am just wondering.

But I have to agree with the price (79,99€?! WTF?!) and the stickers. This is really a shame. We have to keep in mind that children may prefer stickers in general (I did as well) because they can use the parts on another way. But in licenced sets or with such special parts, it would have been better to use printed parts.

One sentence to the sticker story: I do not understand why LEGO is not using printed parts in general and putting the same parts non-printed as extra-parts in the box. Should not be that expensive and it would be great for children to have both abilities.

[Captain BeerBeard]

@PsyKater It's not story/movie accurate with the interior.

[Ferrik]

Thanks for the review. This set looks just as great as I thought it would be. The door and window designs are great and the interior is furnished really well.

[llb]

I definitely would find it tough to buy this at full price - luckily I have it at 25% off which is an awesome deal.

Stickers for the maps - wouldn't really class that as a massive deal to be honest

[Legonardo]

Thanks berry! I think I will buy the set, lots of nice earth tones and epic figs! I am bummed about stickers for the maps, I really think they should have been printed on.

also here in NZ the price is only about 100 usd, much less inflation than other sets we have had in the past

[PsyKater]

I really do not understand why it is $69,99 in USA (currently ~53€) but 79,99€ in Germany. 26€ difference? I was used to USD=EUR prices, but this is becoming ridiculous .

Edited December 5, 2012 by PsyKater

[JopieK]

In Holland probably even more expensive! Maybe has to do with taxes as well?! (confirmed: 89.99€!!!)

[Redhead1982]

Thanks for reviewing this set. It's on my wanted list since the first pictures leaked out. I still like it a lot, mainly for a very nice selection of bricks with some new and rare elements, lots of green and tan and brown colours. As for the price, printed bricks would be nicer than stickers, and the price is high, however considering new torsos/bricks, it is worth it. In regard to the design, I find it nice - it's enough to recognise the scene from the book. My main interest is the inventory, lots of interesting parts for MOCing.

[lightningtiger]

Thanks 'BeerBeard' for this review, yeah it looks like the Hobbit sets might be over priced judging by the other reviews....if I buy this it will have to be on sale.

I dig the new trans-clear round plate/part for the fancy window......tiger likes !

It's the figures that sell the set, though the house construction and layout reminds me a little of The Burrow from HP 2010.

Brick On Review On 'Captain BeerBeard' ! (some Lord says hello to those in Avalonia )

[Speedboat]

Thanks for the review! I'll be getting this set this weekend at a pretty good discount, otherwise I'd complain about the ridiculous € pricetag, too. This is the set from the Hobbit theme I look forward to the most, I really like the design of the Hobbit hole and the dwarven minifigs, especially Balin.

I think it'll be pretty easy to expand this set a bit to fit the whole dwarven company and that's exactly what I'm planning to do.

[Abu Dun]

I just got it yesterday and after building it I must say I'm impressed at how great it looks. It's instantly recognizable even if you haven't seen any of the movies and it works both as playset and, even better, as display on your shelve. The interior design with the table, the chairs and everything else is just great. With next to no changes you can use it as setting for the first few chapters of the LOTR, change the figs to the other four hobbits (plus Fredegar Bolger, who sadly got left out from the movies despite being in on everything that happened in the Shire) and you can have Frodo give his farewell party just as good as Bilbo hosting the dwarves

That the tiles aren't printed is a minor let-down at this price, but the stickers seem to be of quality so this somewhat reduces the drawback.

As for the figures, they simply are exceptional

The retail price of 79,99€ is indeed quite steep, so I'd definitely look out for discounts (like the one amazon.de currently offers), but otherwise this probably is the best set of the entire line in terms of accurately displaying what actually happens at that particular place in both movie and book.

Finally, could it be that you've forgotten to place the trans-clear inverted dish into the center of the large window? At least it looks like this in your pictures.

[Gryphon Ink]

I'm really, really excited about this set. Of course it could be larger, and there is plenty of room for modding, but I think it's nearly perfect for a display piece just the way it is. Going to sit right between the Burrow and MMV on my shelf.

Like everyone else, I am bummed about the stickers. Not only the maps, but the book! When I thought we were going to get a printed Red Book of Westmarch, I was instantly sold on this set. Still nice to have the book, but it being a sticker is not nearly as cool.

The awesome minifig selection more than makes up for the stickers, though.

[Faefrost]

12/20 for the parts because the accessories had stickers? Sorry I will have to respectfully disagree on that part of your review. The set has a ton of slopes and curves in non standard colors. Plus it has some new never seen before structural elements. Colors? It uses heavy earth tones. Browns greens, tans, golds? These are commonly used ones by historic / medieval MOC'ers and a refreshing break from bley. I'm not getting what you were expecting or hoping for?

I have to ask the same sort of questions regarding price. Yes it's a lot of money, and more than we want to spend. But the set sits pretty much exactly at the generally accepted sweet spot of 10 cents per piece. ( .107 usd to be exact). It falls within the desirable 1 minifig per 10-12 dollars cost ratio that we like. And it even has the more concentrated single large structural build rather than. Ton of little disjointed ones, that we as a group seem to keep asking for. So really what is the basis for the price analysis? What exactly are our standards and expectations? You use the term "Jacked up prices" and yet there is no actual evidence of such. The set seems to be priced exactly in line with what we typically view as the reasonable sweet spot for an unlicensed set of this size?

I understand that your reviews are your opinion. But please give us a bit more insite into the process of that opinion.

[Brickington]

Great review, as usual.

[Brickmamba]

Thanks for the review, very appealing design for the hobbit hole and the use of green bricks makes it a very striking set and with the good number of figures included its a definate buy

[NiceMarmot]

Thanks for the review! Have to disagree a bit. It's not my favorite Hobbit set, but I still think it's pretty good. The design is good - recognizable, looks good, and very playable. It's not accurate to the movie or the book, but making it accurate would have made it a much bigger set. The price in the US is not outrageous; as Faefrost pointed out it's right at TLG's typical pricing for that many bricks and minifigs. Assuming the minifigs are worth $2 each (a very low estimate), then you're getting the bricks for around nine cents each. The prices in other countries may be too high (but that's an issue not limited to this set). Parts-wise, there's a lot of good stuff here for castle builders, including some pretty rare and unusual pieces. Lots of parts in colors that I've never seen them in. The stickers are a disappointment. But still, I think this is a pretty good set. Pick it up at 25% off at some BOGO50 sale, and it's a reasonable deal.

[The_Chosen_1]

My single favorite set of the entire Middle-earth line of sets (and that includes LotR, obviously). I disagree with your opinion on the price, as Faefrost pointed out also. But yes, the stickers are a pretty big disappointment. I'm left rather dumbstruck because of it, since the Thror's map tile that came in the Hobbit game was printed. Why not these?

[kumabot]

This looks like a great set, and I enjoyed the review. Has anyone taken a photo of this set with the full party of the dwarves (the included ones plus all of the dwarves from the other Hobbit sets). Would love to see that scene!

[TheLegoDr]

Thanks for the review. I was planning on getting this set (the whole line) once it was mentioned. I didn't even need to see pictures to know I'd want it.

I do agree having stickers isn't the most ap-peeling...anyone? anyone? Anyway, stickers aren't ideal, but they are a necessity for the target audience I'm sure. I haven't been using stickers for quite some time, so the sets never seem complete. It is interesting which sets have printed pieces and which ones have stickers. I think the ballista in Uruk-Hai army had a printed wood piece, but then the wood pieces in Mines of Moria were stickered?? Or something. The Haunted House has stickered records, but the CMF DJ had a printed one. I don't think they are going away, but I'd prefer to have more printed pieces, even though I am a MOCer. I don't think the parts value would take that big of a hit just because of stickers though. I do like the parts list and this will be one of the few sets I will actually build/display.

I don't think the price is terrible, but I will still wait for a sale. I thought it was originally listed at $59.99 but then got switched to $69.99 when it became available. At $60 it was a steal, but somehow that 10 makes it more questionable.

The figures of course are the driving force for this theme. I know nothing of the Hobbit, but since it is Middle Earth related I love it. These figures especially are really neat. It is funny how a lot of the dwarves have double sided faces even though their giant beards cover up their entire face (evident in the other sets). The torso printings are really neat, even though they are covered up for the most part.

I will definitely pick this up for a deal, but it was nice seeing it more close-up.

[just2good]

Great review, 'Captain Beerbeard'!

It is nice to see viewpoints from someone who thinks this is a C-rated set. Every has been praising it, but I can see where you're coming from with the stickers and price. I personally would give this set a 9.75/10, but it is not perfect like many others have said it to be. No set is perfect unless it's $1 for a new good quality figure (like that Chase McCain promo set).

[Nightshroud99]

This is an amazing set, a beautiful display piece imo. Though, I don't have a place to display it but still.

[Lynx]

Thanks for the photos. I cannot see the review text, however (only the final notes and some text above pictures). I'd like to know what you think could be improved about the design.

To me, this is by far this best set of the Middle Earth line. Bag End is instantly recognisable. The "displayability" is off the charts. The parts are fantastic for outdoor MOCs. The build evokes a nostalgic feeling with its classic big bricks whilst being very interesting with some techniques (window!). The minifigures are fantastic in selection and execution. The stickers are annoying, but the amount is just acceptable in my opinion.

The price is high, but there is a ton of large pieces. Personally, I bought the set on holidays in Germany where LEGO is acceptably priced (roughly 60-70% of Aussie prices, less with amazon.de and it's 20% discount) and so I was very happy with the pricing.

[quatro]

great review

I share the opinion that the price is to big, the only minifig attracts me

[ZCerberus]

Thanks for the review Beerbeard. Do you have a favorite minifig in the group?

Any super useful MOCing pieces?

Also, I like your last comment that it left you salty. Sweet word choice.