Review: 79014 Dol Guldur Battle

[Masked Builder]

Dol Guldur battle! The final showdown in The Desolation of Smaug, and the flagship set of the December 2013 The Hobbit wave. I had my eye on this set since I first saw it. Radagast, Azog, and the Necromancer are all figures pivotal in the books and movie plot lines. The set looked to be a good stand alone model, I also combines with Dol Guldur Ambush, which Reviewers academy member Captain Nemo has reviewed here. So I had to have it. I was excited to find the set as early as I did, and knew I had to buy it.

Set Information:

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Name: Dol Guldur Battle

Set Number: 79014

Pieces: 797

Price: $69.99

Ages: 9-14

Minifigs: 6

Theme: The Hobbit

Year of Release: December 2013

Bricklink

Brickset

S@H

Flickr Set

Box:

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The box is a nice dark blue in color and has a picture of a mountain ranger on the upper banner. The color really seems appropriate for this set. The background for the set seems fitting, a nice dark tanish color, it has a good decayed look.

On the back of the box, a very nice orange color is more prevalent. The alternate image for the set is set on what looks like a piece of parchment. And there are a bunch of box to show the different features and functions.

Since this is the biggest set in the wave, the top of the box has all of the figures included in the set. Again on something that looks a lot like parchment.

Contents:

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Inside the box there are six bags, two manuals, and a sticker sheet. The manuals and sticker sheet in mine where quite bent up, as there is no cardboard backing. The box was surprisingly full.

I found a few notable pieces in the set. The gate piece, while not new, is my first one, and the other pieces are just a bit rare in these colors. As for the 2x2 round plate with a hole, it's exclusive to the new Hobbit sets and I can see many good uses for it in my MOCs.

Lastly the extra pieces, while the brick-separator isn't extra, I'm not sure where else to put it. Lots of cheese and connecting Technic bits.

Manual:

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The front of the manuals is the same as the box, but without most of the information cluttering up the very nice art. There are two of them for this set, and they're surprisingly thick.

Inside the manual is a great light blue color, here it shows what bags build what, and which manual they're in. (If you want to skip to your favorite minifigure. )

There is some very light Dwarven runes on the left side of the pages, they look pretty good, and add an extra layer to the set depth.

I found no color inconsistencies in the manual, and the steps were easy to follow.

The back of manual one has a some great art promoting thehobbit.lego.com.

Manual two has the last three bags.

Page one of the parts list.

Page two of the parts list.

79011 and 79012 were crammed onto one page of the manual.

I think 79013 has some of the best art of the whole of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings sets. It's really quite stunning.

Page one of the minifigure checklist.

The second of the two pages of minifigure checklist. This page "announced" the two new poly bags for this wave, Legolas, and Laketown guard.

An ad for The Hobbit game. It would be nice to have that staff for Gandalf.

Lastly an ad for the last wave of The Hobbit sets. The Ring flipping looks pretty good.

Minifigures:

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There are six figures in this set, Radagast, The Necromancer, and Azog are all exclusive to this set. As far as I can tell Azog is the same as the one from San Diego Comic Con. Radagast has some great detailing, you can see the bird poop printed on his beard. I think he staff is perfect with the existing pieces.

The back of the figures. Radagast's hat and beard are one piece, and you can kind of see that here.

Radagast's clothing is extremely detailed. I'm really quite pleased, I didn't notice the leaves in his clothing in the movie, but I'm sure they're there.

The gold embroidered leaves continue on the back of Radagast. The alternate head looks good.

A close up of the four baddies in the set. They're all designed nicely, Azog's head covers it up but he does have some pecks printed on his chest. The Necromancer is a great sand green color and the orcs have a lot of bones in their design.

The back of Azog and one of the Gundabad orcs. Azog's belt is printed on nicely, and the orc really does look good. The orc seems to have incorporated a spine in his armor, the bones really add a nice detail.

Here's a great close up of Azog's "hand." I say "hand" since in LEGO form it's a hand, but in the movie it's his lower arm. Typical LEGO form here, and it does look okay. Though they do look a little funny since the arms are different lengths.

I've had several people ask for this picture. Azog fits on here quite well.

The Build:

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Each bag builds a different module for the set, or pieces to connect them. The first bag, shown here, builds the statue and the main section of the set. This module has the Necromancer reveal function.

Bag two builds two connecting walls. This bag was short.

By the third bag, your fortress is taking shape, this module has a gate

Bag four builds a small section that will be connected to the tower.

Once through bag number five you've built most of the main structure of the fortress, here you complete the tower.

Lastly bag six builds the two staircases, and the cage.

The completed set! Really an interesting build, some fun techniques to connect the different modules.

Finished Model:

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So the completed model! It makes a pretty good display piece when combined with the minifigures. I can see this taking a prime display spot on my desk. I have applied the stickers as I think they really add to the set overall.

First up of the smaller bits, is the statue. This must play a rather large part in the movie since it has been included here, we'll have to see. But it does look pretty good.

Then there's the cage. It's really just a small rock with a cage attached to it, rather boring but it does have a function.

Here's the main fortress chunk. Yes I do have the wall backwards, the stickered side is supposed to face this way. I think it makes a very nice backdrop for the minifigures, and there's so great splashes of color to break up the dark bley.

The back is obviously not meant to be viewed. There isn't much texture back here, and it's the rear sides of all of the bricks that make up the front section.

Here's a close up of the two small rooms in the tower. Some stickered bone piece add a little variation to them.

The cage can also be place on top of the tower, which, I think, makes it more visually interesting.

Functions:

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The first function involves finding this ring inside the statue. I noticed in the LEGO Catalog, that it's a wizard ring, I hope this is explained more in the movie.

Basically every module of the set has a function. The left most one allows you to dump skulls on people, by turning the vine.

The main feature allows you to "reveal" the Necromancer. You turn this flame part.

And the Necromancer is revealed. A bit boring, since I've seen it used so many times.

Then there's the sword swinging function. You turn the tooth and the sword swings out. Pretty nifty.

The cage can be dropped on someone by pulling the pin out. I've found that it likes to come out by itself.

And lastly the catapult can be fired. We've seen a lot of these since their introduction a few years ago.

Conclusion:

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Over all, I think I got my moneys worth out of this set. There's a play feature in every module of it, and you can combine it with set 79011 for a larger battle. The minifigures are absolutely fantastic. Radagst is expertly detailed, the Necromancer, while a bit boring, is a pretty good representation from the movie, and the Orcs are top notch. (Though I would have liked to have seen some hair on the Gundabad Orcs) There really isn't too much of variation in the pieces in the set, let face it, there are a bunch of bley bricks. But really I'm quite satisfied, that's all that matters.

Ratings:

Playability: 9/10

This set is littered with play-features. I would give it a perfect score, however, the Necromancer reveal function seems a bit old at this point, since it's used so much.

Design: 7/10

While it seems rather lacking in the design section, let's face it, it's a big grey blob, that, admittedly, represents a ruined fortress pretty well. Still a bit boring overall.

Price: 10/10

It has a great price-per-piece ratio, and most of the minifigures are new and exclusive.

Minifigures: 10/10

The minifigures are amazing. I may be a bit biased here, I bought this for the figs, but they really are designed well and look great on display!

Parts: 6/10

Nothing super new here, and mostly dark-bley parts.

Total: 42/50

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[Risgrynsgrot]

I think this is a pretty crappy set.. A pretty mediocre, old castle (with no added value of being iconic, might change after DoS) aswell as pretty crappy figures, two unfinished orcs, The 115th Gandalf the Grey, Azog (which looks like crap) and the Necromancer (which has nipples) Altough I do think that Radagast looks very good.. To finish off, I find this set overpriced.

[TheLET]

Thanks for the review. The set looks okay, although it seems more targeted at kids then some of the previous lotr and hobbit sets.

I think the the minifigs are quite good. I especially like the torso printing of Radagast and Azog and the statue are also really cool. Only the necromancer looks a bit dull.

[Brickadiergerard]

Massively over-priced, 2 dimensional set with mostly uninspiring minifigs and limited play features. Not much of a flag ship for Hobbit Wave 2, and that probably reflects how badly PJ has realised what should have been the White Council's reduction of Dol Guldur - instead of Galadriel, Saruman, Glorfindel and co striding into magical combat we get some guy with poo on his hat versus an Orc chieftain who thinks a loin cloth is this season's hottest battlefield clothing choice.

There is some fantastic printing on display though. Rsdagast's torso is excellent, as is the statue. But some good printing doesn't mask what a limited set this is. Neither does it make the price any less absurd.

[dj2005]

Thanks for the review, MB!

I share similar sentiments that the other posters have: While I like the statue module very much and also Radagast's torso print (especially since it doesn't have any skin showing - making it good for other themes), the set feels uninspired and lacking.

[DarthPotato]

I actually like this set. The price is great (800 pieces for $70 is a good deal) and all the minifigures are fantastic. When combined with Dol Guldur Ambush it makes it a lot more vast and it really looks nice when you set up all of the Gundabad orcs from all of the sets together. Maybe it's because I'm used to getting Star Wars sets with lots of vehicles, but I really like this set even though some people just consider it a grey wall. Nice review, too!

[Cammo]

Just ordered this for a reasonable 63 euro, which is the same price I paid for the Goblin King set. Hope that it looks good in my display cabinet. When I saw Dol Guldur on screen, I hoped that TLC would have made it more loke the vampire castle. Now it's more like a wall than a fortress...

[Kez]

Thanks for the great review yet again masked builder,I certainly cant wait to pick up this set from the lego store aswell as the rest of this years hobbit wave and tbh this set has great figures and a nice price per piece ratio so this set more than makes up for it in value, thanks again

[TeufelHund]

I think the designer did a decent job for a broken down old ruin...and in the end more bley is never bad if you're into castle MOCing. There are some nice red leaves and other pieces as well such as the statue bits. Azog is not a terrible minifig and Radagast is probably the highlight. It would have nice to see some helmets/hairpieces on the orcs but they can always be added from other sets. The less said about the Necromancer the better though. He looks like a baboon wearing a mask from the Scream films...

[Faefrost]

I kind of like this one. It feels like the central courtyard in a broken down fortress or set of ruins. The figs are decent. And it's not a $100+ set. It's play features are lacking. But it makes a nice display setting. Granted I still pray for a Gondor setting just to get some walls that aren't bley or black.

[wesker]

Thanks for the review. I think the set does a good job looking the part of an old ruined fortress. Its a pity Lego missed the opportunity to also throw in a Twilight Witch-King figure. Maybe he and Galadriel can show up in the final wave of Hobbit sets?

[legofreak86]

Massively over-priced, 2 dimensional set with mostly uninspiring minifigs and limited play features. Not much of a flag ship for Hobbit Wave 2, and that probably reflects how badly PJ has realised what should have been the White Council's reduction of Dol Guldur - instead of Galadriel, Saruman, Glorfindel and co striding into magical combat we get some guy with poo on his hat versus an Orc chieftain who thinks a loin cloth is this season's hottest battlefield clothing choice.

There is some fantastic printing on display though. Rsdagast's torso is excellent, as is the statue. But some good printing doesn't mask what a limited set this is. Neither does it make the price any less absurd.

Once you've seen the movie your opinion on it's quality may take actual meaning. Perhaps this set tells a scene that is just Gandalf and radagast finding out what is in Dol Guldur and then in the third movie the white council stages it's assault whilst the battle of the five armies carries on elsewhere, hmm? Point being don't judge a movie not even out of post production it just makes you look a tad ill informed. I do agree though this set seems like a one down from the flagship set. Shame Lego couldn't surprise us with something big involving a certain as yet omitted Lego dragon... The figures I think are great as the orcs are great to get a new design and I've wanted azog and radagast since AUJ was in cinemas and the necromancer looks nicely creepy. I'll appreciate him more after I've seen DOS I think cumberbatch is going to really make a good necromancer his voice has that chilling gravity that makes him perfect for our dear not so departed dark lord. Overall I like this set just I wish we'd have had one more set to fill that final gap.

[pathas]

For me very good set for reasonable price. Good is that there is no reason to buy them multiple times because all figures you need just once...

[BrickG]

The build is kind of boring.

The minifigures are a mix. Yet another Gandalf. Some more Orcs. The white Orc is decent. The Necromancer, while probably a good representation, is kind of a really plain minifigure I don't care for. Radaghast is awesome though.

Honestly, buy it for Rataghast basically.

[ZCerberus]

I am always running surprising low on dark bley brick (likely from all the rocks in MOCs) so I don't mind the part selection. The minis do look excellent!

[Only Sinner]

That round tile with the hole is also in the new City sets, and we will probably see it in some of the Star Wars sets too.

I really enjoyed this review, thanks for taking the time to do it! I also think the minifigs are the highlight of the set and we can't expext too much fortress if we want to keep the price relatively low and also have the nice new figs. TLG could have put some stupid orc hairpieces in here, though. That's really cheap.

[Bob De Quatre]

Nice review as always. Making me want this set as there are some interesting parts in it, and nice minifigures.

The first function involves finding this ring inside the statue. I noticed in the LEGO Catalog, that it's a wizard ring, I hope this is explained more in the movie.

I was going to explain it, but tought it would spoiled the film...

[naf]

I get the feeling that Lego focused mainly on the figures for this Hobbit wave, and spent very little resources on set design. First, they focused 2 of the sets (half the wave, and the flagship set) on Dol Guldor, something that is barely covered in the book. Granted, these sets are based on the movie where the scene is more prominent, but I really feel that Lake Town should have been larger and made the flagship set. This, Dol Guldor Ambush, and Mirkwood Elf Army are just uninspired walls, not very creative at all.

Will I buy them? Of course, because I need all things Lego LotR and Hobbit, but i'm still disappointed. I'm hoping they spent most of their design resources on a Lego exclusive Smaug set to be released at a later date.

[Manx]

Great review - but set isn't as good as I expected it will be. Ruined fortress itself is really a bit boring, functions are quite childlish, but I like the minifigures very, very much.

[2maxwell]

Great review!

Im really not a fan of wall sections in lieu of actual buildings. I like the minifigures though. I don't get the hate on the necromancer. It's simple and nice.

[kinggregus]

Great review!

I feel really bad saying this but I have never seen a set as ugly as this one. The monochrome aspect of the set is far from appealing and using stickers to vary the color worsen the aspect of the set to me. The massive pieces do not even attract me to make it an interesting part set. Radagast looks fantastic though. Surprisingly, I like the statue a lot as well. I could see the figures become very pricy as the set is so unatractive.

I may have been too spoiled lately as I have seen sets that were constantly better than the previous ones. Thus the disappointment.

[TheLegoDr]

Thanks for the review. Very informative.

The set itself isn't great, but I could use the pieces for MOCs, so it works putt. I mostly by licensed sets for the figures anyway. I didn't need another Gandalf. Does he at least have a different head like in Orthanc? Radagast did look awesome. I want aware of those leaf pieces either on his torso. That's neat detailing. Azog I'd pay, but with his head and upper body being so large, it would have been nice for new arm molds, similar to dogpound from tmnt, only not that large. The abrupt cut off from head mold to little arms is quite appalling. Necromancer did look like a monkey, but they did a good job recreating a shadow in minifigure form.

All the more I'm glad I got this for 15% off from tru a few weeks ago. I'm holding onto it until my birthday though.

The 2x2 tiles with hole is also in the Parisian restaurant set which is the first place I've seen it. But I'm not surprised it is making its way into a lot of sets this next year.

[Gabe]

Thanks for the great review Masked builder! The set looks reather uninspiring, sadly, i keep unfavourably comparing it in my mind to the Mines of Moria set - it being of a similar size and colour palette. The parts list is pretty boring for the most part and i find the bald minifigs annoying too. On the plus side, i do love that radagast fig and the 2x2 round tiles with hole look very interesting!

[LegoFjotten]

Thanks for the review!

One thing though, the position/size of the "Masked Builder" logo on the images (especially the white background ones) makes it look almost like a header before every line of text. I found it extremely distracting when trying to read the review. Maybe it would be less distracting if placed in the upper-right.

[Hive]

A great review for a lackluster set. I voted 'average' myself, and feel I was being rather generous. While we've had a couple of good sets for The Hobbit so far, they generally aren't nearly as good as the LOTR sets for some reason. It's like they're using the B-material for The Hobbit. Radagast and the grey statue are the only highlights in this set for me, but they definetely aren't essential enough for me to buy this set.

It's a plus that they made the set modular though - but ultimately falls short on the fact that neither this set nor it's smaller companion are particularly interesting.