Commander Laquiet

Fantastic build! Love the rockwork :thumbup:

Great! Enjoying your great depiction of Mitch Johnson.

Well. I haven't posted in a while. This is the best Star Wars set I have seen in AGES. There is no way I am passing this up. No way. What a triumph of licensed theme building. LEGO: :thumbup:

This is amazing! Awesome builds, thanks for showing us them in such detail - particularly the bust of R2 in the swamp. The astromech hangar is awesome too - actually, I really like them all! Great techniques and ideas, and it's cool how they all integrate. Well done!

When Gandalf arrived on Christmas Day at Bag End (newly redecorated in purple stripe), the small package he handed Frodo felt heavy. The Hobbit gave it a shake, and it rattled (suspiciously like Lego, Frodo thought). A new pack of magician cards? A special Dwarven cutlery set? How wrong he would be...

Awesome! Lovely build. I'm loving all the fine details, and as mentioned your photography is excellent. Great work! (by the way I think the slideshow is great! Leave as is please! )

Really nice build! I like the overall shape and the clean colour layout. Also those little flap side doors towards the back are very cool... I could easily see this being the Republic Gunship's brother. Any interior other than the cockpit? Great work!

I'm not entirely sure I agree with the disconnected argument. I certainly see where it is coming from, but I feel that the Hobbit sets appear so well built/designed that this balances out the other problems. I think that viewed purely as sets they are great little dioramas, and one of the things I actually like about the disconnectedness is that it really does encourage kids to build around and within their new set - something I think is good. I don't think this is the real intention, but I'd like to think that the effect of this possible problem is actually a good one. As for the set I look forward to: weirdly by way of the discussion I am really loving the Barrel Escape. I sadly can't buy the whole theme so I am looking at the two or three sets I'll pick up and this one really sticks out: great minifigure selection with elves, dwarves and hobbits, some very nice parts and reasonable substantial set design. It looks cool, too! I love those dwarves... And of course hopefully Bag End.

Awesome! I concur that the arches are a brilliant touch. I am also such a fan of those stained glass windows in any MOC. The creation has atmosphere... That's a tricky thing to achieve. I applaud.

I think it's cool that they are giving us a bit of an insight into how their design process works. While some have said it's very formulaic, I guess part of the challenge (and what I suppose they're looking for) is to design something that conforms but also is a little bit unique - plenty of opportunity when it comes to Lego! I'll have fun doing this, I think.

I'm in agreement with a few of the above posts on the sets being best for MOCers - Warg looks great! I do however seem to have developed a soft spot for the Goblin King set - it looks just like an LotR set should be! All the sets are, to be honest, great, and I think we have been very lucky - and Lego have been very thoughtful - in that this is a line definitely with a focus on creating detailed, intricate sets - not just huge playsets. Can't wait for release.

I don't know how long it'll take for MMV to be topped, but I'd say a while. There have been a few recent sets (Helm's Deep) that have been in a similar league, but... none of them quite as good. MMV was brilliant because it was the best set Castle had produced in a while, especially for the AFOL. It was fun, well built, good value, an incredibly nice parts pack, can be added to for a layout or can simply stand alone, and something a bit different to past sets. This, as the first impression most of us got in 2008, was a pretty good start - and it has lasted, as we are still debating it four years later. I think, in many ways, MMV sparked a wee bit of a new direction for Lego - the style of set has now been mimicked in many themes - and heralded the real start for me of the current 'Golden Age' we have. The attention to detail, the great (at the time) new parts, and the fun, accepting Lego-ness of it endeared it to all. Many bought several copies (a few a lot more than several!). I bought one, and built it, and loved it, and think it is the best set I have ever bought. I siphon off pieces every now and again for projects, but I could never bear to destroy it. If I were only ever able to thank Lego for one set, I'd thank them for MMV. (Sorry for the rant, but any excuse to discuss the virtues of MMV I grab with both hands. )

Great MOC! Love the simplicity of the details on the gate. There is a beautiful subtlety to the stonework. The snowy outskirts are lovely too, the white tree leaves work really well. Great work!

I don't own any, so I'm probably not the best advice, but I am the same in that I buy sets based on parts mainly (looking cool helps too ). I would personally go with the Mines of Moria or QAR, due mainly to the fact these are licensed themes and you will get better value for your money if you buy these on discount vs. buying a non-licensed set. You can always pick up the Crazy Scientist (awesome set!) later. I think Mines of Moria would be the best choice; great minifigures and parts; but there isn't much to choose between them. You are in the envious position of not having to choose A set to buy but to choose FROM a number of fantastic sets. Whichever you buy won't be a bad choice! (you will notice I've disregarded the Knight Bus. I think the other 3 are better. ) But it's your choice.

Wow. Awesome set. Licensed has been quite fantastic recently with HP, PoP etc and the LotR line appears to be simply continuing the run. Great review.

Superb! I must admit I have a very soft spot for the Furieuse. You seem to have a real knack for the smaller ships (smaller 4 I mean). The other two are lovely as well, but there is something very lively about the littler ones. They create that wonderful sense of Lego-ness while still being historically accurate and detailed. I think when you get that effect you're onto something. Sails look lovely too. Great work!

I think Lego are in a great space at the moment. Lego is supposedly selling better than ever (I remember seeing somewhere Lego posted a profit last year despite the recession, correct me if I'm wrong) and, in my opinion, they're making tons of great sets. I see sets in every theme I want. I see specific elements that are new or in new colours that I want. I think it's great. I think that perhaps the only thing Lego could do is hold onto some themes for longer. I find that an awful lot of themes (PoP or most recent Pirates best examples) have spawned some brilliant sets, and, in the case of Pirates, revived old fans and established a new fanbase - only to be cut short after one wave. Granted, PotC followed to continue the piratical side of things but I would've loved to see a few more waves of traditional Pirates. Kingdoms got a better run but it appears discontinued and it would've been nice to have had the usual castle theme running under the radar while LotR conquered all, just as another option. These under-the-radar themes also often spawn some of the best sets of the year. But at least we are getting great licensed themes like PoP, PotC, SH, LotR. I also think traditional Kingdoms was very strong as a continuation of castle and Atlantis was nice too. I don't think there are too many themes - just a little bit much variation each year, without giving some themes a chance to establish themselves. Here's to hoping LotR lasts as long as Star Wars.

I'm late to the (long-expected) party, and haven't posted in a while, but I had to drop in on this fantastic news! I think that out of the past few adventure licenses (PotC, PoP, IJ) there have been some great sets, great minifigs and great new parts, so hopefully Lego will give it their all and this LotR line will be a culmination of all the best elements of the previous lines. A theme of this magnitude deserves such sets. Thank you Lego! Now to perform emergency surgery on my Lego fund...

This is gorgeous! Congratulations Lego on creating what looks to be another brilliant exclusive. My one small criticism (biased comparison, actually): it's not quite as perfect as MMV... But then, nothing ever would be. Well done Lego. Top-notch set.

Lovely! The scene is very well presented, the decals are immaculate, and the little details like the pine trees, the dark brown on the bridge and the great expressions on the soldiers faces really add to the creation. Dark blue water also looks great. I think you've managed to effectively combine history with the quirky fun of Lego. A great MOC!

Thanks very much for the pics! The Post Office looks amazing! A lovely style of building, and really nice accessories. Probably my favourite set so far this year, not because of specs and all but because the as a set it at least looks far greater than the sum of it's parts ( ) - great work Lego! VW looks really nice too. Bring on a great wave of exclusives!

Will definitely grab this. Lovely little set, nice parts, new torso. Chicken, bucket. What's not to like?

Thanks for this fantastic review! You've covered every aspect really well, shown the set for exactly what it is. I, like everyone else it seems, am not entirely sure about this as set in itself. The tree is cool, the bike is... hmm and the minifigures, while actually really nice, are kind of boring. Nothing stands out. However, I actually think this is a brilliant parts pack set. When you look at it from the view of a MOCer, the tree is a treasure trove. Dark brown, dark green, dark tan, brown, green, more leaves, etc etc. The bike leaves something to be desired but is, again, a really nice selection of intricate brown and black pieces. The minifigures then, when looked at in this way, are just nice addition, a couple of characters thrown in. While I agree the set could've been better, I think the designer has done a good job turning what could potentially been a very boring flop of a model into a hive of useful parts in (fairly) rare colours. I also must say that really like the new mish-mash trees we're getting now too, it's a neat area the new sets are exploring. I'll wait for a while and mull this one over.

Lovely MOC, great representation of the 'house'. You've done the landscaping really well, and nice use of the caveman too. The pictures are very crisp and well taken; good work.

Wow, great work! I am in no way photography savvy but can certainly agree that these are great photos. The MOC itself is great too. You can just feel the wonderment as Jake heaves the casing off to reveal the sarcophagus. That photo with them all standing around, and the light falling on the golden sarcophagus, is my favorite.